So Long Afghanistan

Sadly the work of Task Force Razor is at an end, but and it had a hell of a ride over the past 10 years. A super-secret multi-service Tier-1 Special Operations unit commanded directly from "someone" in the NMCC. It began with 48 operators in 2001 who rotated in and out every few months to form four six-man standard teams. It'll make a great TV show one day if only they could ever declassify anything we did, but I think it's somewhat unlikely.

The Colonel [right] with a Name/Rank-classified operator of TF Razor in late 2011

With the death of  42 of the operators over the course of OEF and with no orders to replace the fallen; it was certain that the days of TF Razor were coming to an end. I rotated back in earlier in the month to lead a series of suitably suicidal but successful missions in a classified urban area but before extraction after the final mission, a building collapsed, killing 3 of the remaining operators and seriously injuring another. The only operator who would have been ever able to walk again 'Patches' told me "It's time to go sir!" I knew what he meant, our time here was done, his even more so because a sniper nailed him as he carried our wounded comrade back to the helo. Sadly he too died before we landed leaving me to do all the debriefings alone.

I am on my way next month to assume a permanent staff position with UNETIDA [though appointments are currently being held up by the Special Investigation Committee], a position which would have conflicted with the types of operations TF Razor handled with exceptional valor and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty. At least that's what the citations for the medals given to the 47 members' families say. As always, I'll wear my own new medals to honour their sacrifice and dream of past glory as I watch everything with more eyes then ever before.

OEF 10 years on

The factory-applied layer of silver polish had just about worn off my first set of eagles, when I was given command of Task Force Razor - not two weeks after the twin towers fell. Rummy gave me my orders in the executive bathroom of the White House of all places. There would be no records - I had to flush the orders after reading. The man stood there and watched as I did so. "We're not declaring war so anything goes" I was told. "Don't let torture, or the Geneva Convention stand in your way, but keep the civilian kill-count on the minimum because you never know who will be watching you, or if you will know who will be watching them watch you." Classic Rummy.

We deployed 'in country' on Sept 23rd 2001 and from then until mid '02 we did some crazy shit over there let me tell you. We took our commands from a company spook called "Smith" from the Special Activities Division. We marked the targets for the October 7th airstrikes, helped coordinate anti-Taliban forces on the ground with U.S. firepower from the air and generally eliminated anyone we found with a 'banana clip' at least until we found one that talked, or persuaded to do so later.

Some "influential" donkey senator got word that there was a rogue CIA op causing havoc in the Kandahar province and that their leader was called "د هغه سړي سره کوم روح" [the man with no soul]. We got shut down pretty quickly after that. Smith vanished and my team were absorbed into regular SpecOps forces under Col. Mulholland and I was sent stateside to assist the selection process fot MAR DET ONE. At that point the U.S. was trying to win the hearts and minds of the local populace to thwart the efforts of the insurgents and to be fair it wasn't helpful that we were accidentally shooting women and children every couple of months.

It's because I can remember it as yesterday is what makes it so hard to believe that President Obama marked the 10th anniversary of Operation Enduring Freedom on Friday, honouring those who have served and noting their efforts toward bringing the war to a responsible end from a position of strength. Despite the tremendous losses of almost 1,800 American patriots, he noted progress in taking the fight against violence extremism to the source. “In delivering justice to Osama bin Laden and many other al-Qaida leaders, we are closer than ever to defeating al-Qaida and its murderous network,” he said in an address.

Personally I think enormous challenges remain it's certainly worth noting that the Taliban have been pushed out of their key strongholds, Afghan security forces are growing stronger and the Afghan people are in a better position to craft their own destiny if they can manage to hold onto the freedom and hope that the U.S. and coalition allies have brought them over the subsequent years.

Mulholland the aforementioned colonel is now a Lieutenant General and ending a tour as commander of U.S. Army Special Operations Command. “We’re moving toward an increased special operations role,” together with U.S. intelligence, he said, “whether it’s counterterrorism-centric, or counterterrorism blended with counterinsurgency.”

So basically while most American troops prepare to withdraw from Afghanistan in 2014, the CIA and military special operations forces who were first to fight will also be the last to leave as they begin girding for the next great pivot of the campaign, as they continue to train and support the Afghans and closely observe if they have what it takes to keep their country above the mire of terrorism. That in itself is no small task and one that could stretch their war up to another decade.

Sources: U.S. Department of Defense / Marine Corps Times

38 Tragically Lost but now Avenged

On Saturday August 6th in Tangi Vallery, Wardak province, Afghanistan, a CH-47 Chinook helicopter crashed with the loss of all on board. 30 U.S. service members along with 7 Afghan commandos and an interpreter who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom, died as a result of the crash - the greatest single loss for U.S. forces in the war.

A local resident in Tangi, told AP Television News that the helo was shot down by an RPG fired from a nearby knoll as it was preparing to land to deploy the men on board to support military personnel already on the ground. “As soon as it was hit, it started burning,” he said. The helo broke apart and crashed in large sections.

SecDef Panetta said in a statement that day: "I am deeply saddened by the loss of many outstanding Americans in uniform and of their Afghan counterparts earlier today in Afghanistan. Their courage was exemplary, as was their determination to make this a safer world for their countries and for their fellow citizens. We will stay the course to complete that mission, for which they and all who have served and lost their lives in Afghanistan have made the ultimate sacrifice. They and their families are in my thoughts, in my prayers and in my heart."

After deliberation [due to many of the SEALs being members of NAVSPECWARDEVGRU], the Pentagon yesterday elected to release the names of the sailors, soldiers and airmen who perished:

Lt. Cmdr. (SEAL) Jonas B. Kelsall, USN
Master Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Louis J. Langlais, USN
Senior Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Thomas A. Ratzlaff, USN
Senior Chief Petty Officer (Expeditionary Warfare Specialist/Freefall Parachutist) Kraig M. Vickers, USN
Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Brian R. Bill, USN
Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) John W. Faas, USN
Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Kevin A. Houston, USN
Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Matthew D. Mason, USN
Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Stephen M. Mills, USN
Chief Petty Officer (Expeditionary Warfare Specialist/Freefall Parachutist/Diver) Nicholas H. Null, USN
Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Robert J. Reeves, USN
Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Heath M. Robinson, USN
Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL) Darrik C. Benson, USN
Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL/Parachutist) Christopher G. Campbell, USN
Petty Officer 1st Class (Expeditionary Warfare Specialist/Freefall Parachutist) Jared W. Day, USN
Petty Officer 1st Class (Expeditionary Warfare Specialist) John Douangdara, USN
Petty Officer 1st Class (Expeditionary Warfare Specialist) Michael J. Strange, USN
Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL/Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist) Jon T. Tumilson, USN
Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL) Aaron C. Vaughn, USN
Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL) Jason R. Workman, USN
Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL) Jesse D. Pittman, USN
Petty Officer 2nd Class (SEAL) Nicholas P. Spehar, USN

Chief Warrant Officer David R. Carter, U.S. Army
Chief Warrant Officer Bryan J. Nichols, U.S. Army
Sgt. Patrick D. Hamburger, U.S. Army
Sgt. Alexander J. Bennett, U.S. Army
Spc. Spencer C. Duncan, U.S. Army

Staff Sgt. Andrew W. Harvell, U.S.A.F.
Tech. Sgt. John W. Brown, U.S.A.F.
Tech. Sgt. Daniel L. Zerbe, U.S.A.F.

Rear Adm. Sean Pybus, head of Naval Special Warfare Command, said in a statement Thursday that his command suffered a tremendous loss and that it “will honor their service and sacrifice, and embrace their families as our own, in this time of immeasurable grief."

On Tuesday, it was reported that CENTCOM assigned Army Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Colt, the 101st Airborne Division’s deputy commander, to conduct an investigation into the cause of the crash as is customary. One person whose account he will never have however is that of one Mullah Mohibullah. The ISAF and U.S. Forces Afghanistan commander Gen. John Allen, USMC, told reporters during a video conference at the Pentagon on Wednesday that Air Force F-16s and an AC-130H, as well as Army AH-64 Apache helicopters conducted an air strike against Mohibullah and another insurgent who were determined to have been those that fired the shot that brought down the Chinook. Coalition troops on the ground reported Mohibullah a confirmed kill along with several others.

Sources: Military Times / FOX News / BBC News

Operation: Neptune Spear goes graphic!

The daring secret mission to get Osama bin Laden by elite U.S. forces will be told in the pages of a graphic novel that aims to shed more light — with a bit of creative license — on the event.

Capt. Dale Dye (USMC, Ret.) and Julia Dye have written an 88-page hardcover graphic novel Code Word: Geronimo which takes a look at the mission that killed Osama Bin Laden.

Illustrated by artists Gerry Kissell and Amin Amat; IDW which currently publish the G.I.Joe titles say that this will be a politic-free look at the planning and execution of this incredibly daring mission.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the book will be donated to the American Veterans Center and it's due Sept. 6th

On Mission

Apologies, this was to have auto-posted during the week. Blogger fuck-up.

I'm "somewhere hot" with "the boys". Be back soon.

Black Hawk Down? Black *something* down...

In 2006, Joint Special Operation Command [JSOC] commander General Stanley McCrystal was operating under the understanding that that U.S. units could not enter Pakistan except under extreme circumstances and even then, Pakistan would deny giving them permission. Wikileaks later revealed JSOC was conducting an ongoing drone program, along with snatch & grab and assassination operations, based in Karachi and conducted both in and outside of Pakistan.

Osama Bin Laden's now-famous sprawling compound was located on the outskirts of Abbottabad, 50km north of the Pakistani capital Islamabad. It is a town with a high military presence due to proximity to Kakul, the Pakistan Military Academy - the equivalent of Westpoint or Sandhurst and many retired officers live there.

But at 1AM Monday morning, local time when the area was shrouded in darkness and bereft of moonlight, 25 operators of DevGru [the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, commonly referred to by it's former name - SEAL Team Six], their dog and the pilots of the U.S. Army 160th SOAR [Special Operations Aviation Regiment] under the direction of the CIA, entered Pakistani airspace in two Modified MH-60s and two MH 47s to undertake Operation: Neptune's Spear.

The helicopters inserted the operators who performed their duty and hovered over the compound for 40 minutes. During this time, it appears that no one from the local security forces or military facilities seemed seemed to take issue with this. Kakul's front gate was not 700m from the compound of evil. In fact most of the people in the area only realised something was happening when one of the aircraft was blown up to safeguard secrets after making a hard landing due to "engine failure". Closer residents to the compound however tweeted complaints about the noise of the helicopters and described it as a rare occurrence.

If we assume for the moment that the U.S. Government is telling the truth when they say that Pakistan had no prior knowledge of the raid then it stands to reason that there was some pretty impressive technology employed to circumvent Pakistani air defence systems. The Pakastani's are no slouches when it comes to military hardware and especially air defence as they maintain cold relations with their neighbour India with whom they have had several conflicts with since the end of WWII. Many organisations and individuals are speculating about some new kind of “Stealth Copter” but the only credible answer to this conundrum is that technology of extra-terrestrial origin was used to mask the radar signature, disperse the heat emissions, muffle the sound and decrease the visibility of the aircraft to the point where it’s just short of a Romulan Cloaking Device from Star Trek.

Evidence of this comes in the form of the fact that the presence of Colonel “Whopper” Creedon of UNETIDA was noted travelling from Area 51 to the 160th SOAR airbase at Fort Campbell, Kentucky some weeks ago as he personally oversaw a convoy of several armoured articulated trucks with Osprey and Apache escorts flying overhead. Col. Creedon in particular is believed by some to be responsible for acquiring advanced alien technology from various sources and integrating it into U.S. weapons systems such as rail guns, airborne lasers, the V22 Osprey and the recently revealed successful test of a HEL over a body of water. Questions must now be asked as to the dangers of such technology obviously being applied haphazardly to vehicles, weapons and aircraft in such a way that caused one of the helicopters involved to malfunction and put both the lives of the Special Forces operators and their mission at considerable risk.

“So we lost a helo!” Creedon said when asked to comment. “Shit happens! It’s not the first time a Blackhawk has gone down is it? SOAR modify their birds all the time to be as stealthed as possible. The tech’s classified because they don’t want the Reds or the Yellahs getting their grubby paws on their fine work; not because it was dug out of the Antarctic and carbon dated to over 7000 years ago – er, actually strike that last comment from the record will you?”

One must now wonder if the only technology we are getting from extra-terrestrials is weapons? What does it say about the aliens, or more importantly: What does it say about us?

This article originally appeared in yesterday’s web edition of Conspiracy Theory Weekly and is reposted with kind permission of the editor, Ricardo E. Cenna.

JUSTICE HAS BEEN DONE! Bin Laden Terminated

"We will not tire. We will not falter, and we will not fail."
- George W. Bush, September 11th, 2001.

While indeed Bush never wavered in his resolve to locate and capture Osama Bin Laden "dead or alive", it was President Obama who ordered a “detailed operation plan” in 2009 for finding and capturing bin Laden from CIA Director Leon Panetta. It would be another two years before there was enough intelligence in place to pinpoint Bin Laden's location prompting a special operation last night undertaken by a Navy SEAL team to fulfill President Bush's promise and eliminate Osama Bin Laden.

While obviously I was involved in operational planning for some time, I was absent all last week to iron out the final stages of the mission. I can say it was a period of high tension and anxiousness. People at the highest levels of government and military were on edge as the hours counted down during the preparation for this extraordinary operation, the culmination of years of work to either capture of kill the world's most wanted man.

The celebrations last night and today are certainly warranted. It's a great day for the USA.

My favourite headline today :)

Spotlight on a traitor: Pfc. Manning

I hate whistle blowers. People who either stick their nose in where it doesn't belong and never learned to mind their own goddamn business, or people involved with something or someone far greater than themselves who, because they disagree with some decision or aspect of something, seek to destroy the whole thing or person because they get a snot.

It can't have escaped the attention of anyone following the news recently, that one such ignorant whelp, 22yo Private Bradley Manning, an intelligence analyst for the U.S. Army has allegedly forwarded some 91,000 classified battlefield reports and documents from the war in Afghanistan to the infamous whistle blowing website Wikileaks. Yes, this is the same muppett who released the "Collateral Murder" video of a U.S. airstrike killing civilians and two Reuters news agency workers in Iraq in 2007 earlier this year. It's no surprise to me that this type of person would do such a thing but what annoys me all the more is why was an individual with such deviant behaviour allowed to be in a position he was in without question?

While there are so many pro-gay anti-war clowns jumping to his defence by claiming he "did the right thing" in revealing the "evils" of the United States military and portraying him as a moral hero - the evidence suggests that he didn't do it out of any sense of duty or because it was the right thing to do, it was because he was a snivelling little turd going through a gender identity crisis and got miffed over the DADT policy, a policy he was well aware of when signing up and that he willingly and premeditatedly violated the tenets of his job and security clearance and then deliberately broke his sworn oath.

Manning has been charged with violating Article 92 and Article 134 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. If convicted on all the charges, he could hopefully face a 52-year sentence. Congressman Mike Rogers, a former FBI agent who sits on the House Intelligence Committee, told a local radio station Monday that he thought the death penalty would be a more appropriate punishment for Manning "I argue the death penalty clearly should be considered here. He clearly aided the enemy to what may result in the death of US soldiers or those cooperating. If that is not a capital offense, I don’t know what is. We know for a fact that people will likely be killed because of this information being disclosed," he continued. "That’s pretty serious. If they don't charge him with treason, they ought to charge him with murder."

Now all branches of the U.S. armed services are issuing internal messages to all personnel barring them from visiting the WikiLeaks website. The one I read was from the Special Security Office of the Marine Corps Intelligence Department which threatens:

"By willingly accessing the WIKILEAKS website for the purpose of viewing the posted classified material - these actions constitute the unauthorized processing, disclosure, viewing, and downloading of classified information onto an UNAUTHORIZED computer system not approved to store classified information, meaning they have WILLINGLY committed a SECURITY VIOLATION."

"Not only are these actions illegal, but they provide the justification for local security officials to immediately remove, suspend 'FOR CAUSE' all security clearances and accesses. Commanders may press for Article 15 or 32 charges, and USMC personnel could face a financial hardship as civilian and contractor personnel will be placed on 'Administrative Leave' pending the outcome of the investigation.

At a news conference Thursday, Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said the Defense Department is asking WikiLeaks to "do the right thing" and return the classified documents it posted which cover most units from the U.S. Army with the exception of most U.S. Special Forces' activities. The reports do not generally cover top secret operations or European and other ISAF Forces operations. However, Morrell did not say how the Pentagon would make the website do that. Meanwhile, WikiLeaks had posted a large encrypted file named "Insurance" to its website, sparking speculation that it was preparing another huge dump of classified documents. The file, which consumes 1.4 gigabytes, is 20 times larger than the batch of 77,000 secret messages about Afghanistan from last month and is secured by 256bit encryption.

Sources: Fox News / The Telegraph / The Washington Post / MarineCorps Times / Family Research Council / Wired.com / Alaska Pride / Indymedia Ireland / CounterCurrents.org / USN JAG Office / Wikileaks [earlier than Imposed ban from the Pentagon].

Goodbye Stan

Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, retired Friday at a ceremony at Fort Lesley J. McNair in Washington, D.C.

During the ceremony SECDEF Gates called McChrystal one of America’s greatest warriors and a treasured friend and colleague. “We bid farewell to Stan McChrystal today with pride and sadness,” Gates said. “Pride for his unique record as a man and soldier; sadness that our comrade and his prestigious talents are leaving us.

“Over the past decade, no single American has inflicted more fear and more loss of life on our country’s most vicious and violent enemies than Stan McChrystal,” he said. “Commanding special operation forces in Afghanistan and Iraq, Stan was a pioneer in creating a revolution in warfare that fused intelligence and operations. And when violence in Iraq seemed almost unstoppable in 2006 and 2007, McChrystal and his special operators all but “crushed al-Qaida.”

Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey said McChrystal is a true warrior and professional, calling him one of the most experienced and successful officers in today’s Army. His career has been unique and amazing, Casey said, noting his various assignments in special warfare units, as well as positions on the Joint Staff and as commander of forces in Afghanistan. “Stan has had a truly remarkable career in both peace and war; He has walked the career path of a warrior, scholar and statesman. I can’t think of no officer who’s had more impact on this country’s battle against extremism,” he said. “For 34 years, Stan McChrystal … his face has been marred by the dust and sweat of combat. He is a warrior … our Army and our nation will deeply miss him.”

McChrystal resigned amid controversy last month after Rolling Stone magazine published a high-profile article in which the general and his aides made disparaging comments about top Obama administration officials.

“This has the potential to be an awkward, or even a sad occasion,” McChrystal said. “With my resignation, I left a mission I feel strongly about. I ended a career I loved that began over 38 years ago, and I left unfulfilled commitments I made to many comrades in the fight.

McChrystal’s service spanned four decades. He assumed command in Afghanistan in June 2009, following then-commander Army Gen. David McKiernan’s resignation. Obama’s order for an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan was based on McChrystal’s assessment of the war there.

As I leave the Army to those with responsibilities to carry on, I’d say service in this business is tough and often dangerous,” McChrystal said. “If I had it to do over again, I’d do some things in my career differently, but not many. I trust in people, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.”

Source: Defence.gov

Bin Laden Hunter was sent by God

A US man was detained in Pakistan recently while on a solo mission to kill Osama bin Laden.

Construction worker Gary Brooks Faulkner [50] said God prompted him in a dream to travel to Pakistan in search of al Qaeda's leader. His brother Scott Faulkner said that catching bin Laden was his passion.

The detained man is a devout Christian with a prison record who has been to Pakistan at least six times, said relatives and acquaintances who initially laughed when he told them that he wanted to kill Osama bin Laden.

Scott Faulkner said: "Our military has not been able to track Osama down yet. It's been 10 years. It's easier as a civilian, dressed in the local dress, to infiltrate the inside, the local people, gain their confidence and get information and intel that you couldn't get as an American soldier, Navy SEAL, whoever you might be."

Gary Faulkner, of Colorado, arrived in the Pakistani town of Bumburate on June 3 and was assigned a police guard, as is common for foreigners visiting remote parts of the country. When he left a hotel without informing the guard, officers began looking for him, police official Mumtaz Ahmad Khan said. Faulkner was found on Sunday in a forest.

"We initially laughed when he told us that he wanted to kill Osama bin Laden." But, when officers found weapons, including a 40-inch sword and a pistol, as well as night-vision equipment, "our suspicion grew", the police official said.

The Police would like also like to speak to this individual pictured below, who is believed to have made contact with Faulkner during his time in Bumburate.

Source: Sky News

Lesson 1: Think before you speak

If I didn't shoot my mouth off every now and again I'd have two or three stars on my shoulder by now. But it's hard sometimes. Anyone who's worn the uniform has felt at least the slightest frustration when you have to take an order from someone for whom the closest they've got to war was sitting in the front row while watching a screening of Black Hawk Down. But at the best of times we suck it up and say "yes sir" to the man in the suit who has been democratically elected by you, the voters to give us, the fighting men, our orders.

We do our venting by mouthing off to each other in closed circles, wishing for the glory-days of Reagan or whomever embodied the greatest leader we've had in our own opinion. It's secret. What we do not do is give an interview to one of the most popular magazines on the face of the earth, criticising current senior administration officials and mocking them for all the word to read. That is however, exactly what US Army General Stanley A. McChrystal, Commander, International Security Assistance Force and US Forces Afghanistan and his staff did for Rolling Stone this month.

Last year SECDEF Robert Gates asked for US Army General David D. McKiernan's resignation as Commander, ISAF and USFOR-A. Gates said new leadership was needed as the new administration of President Barack Obama launched a new strategy in the seven-year-old Afghanistan war. McKiernan was replaced by General McChrystal [right] who began his command in May '09, with an assessment of the war effort as his first task.

While it was unusual to have a wartime commander removed even during a change in administration [the tlast time it had been done was when President Truman replaced General MacArthur in Korea], McChrystal was described as "a driven visionary with the fortitude and intelligence to turn the war around" he had a wealth of experience in counter-insurgency as a Special Ops officer in difference to McKiernan who was a more traditional military commander and retired with full honours after being replaced.

For the most part, the substitution worked. Based on McChrystal’s original assessment, President Obama ordered an additional 30,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan. Under his direction, US and ISAF operations in Afghanistan have achieved a greater degree of success and a number of high-profile surges like Operation: Moshtarak in February were successful in the end [despite some civilian casualties]. In March, McChrystal began to exercise a perceived over-arching authority over Special Operations forces, which I will say drew some fire from myself, but as I said; sometimes I shoot my own mouth off.

Despite McChrystal's military achievements, he has a history of making waves. Late in '09, as Obama was weighing how to adjust Afghanistan policy, McChrystal spoke bluntly and publicly about his desire for even more troops — earning a scolding from the president, who felt the general was trying to box him into a corner. But the Rolling Stone article was not something that could be answered by a scolding, it was time for McChrystal to do the honourable thing and avoid the indignity of being fired.

President Obama has selected the current Commander of US Central Command, Army General David H. Petraeus to replace General McChrystal. As McChrystal had been employing some of the tactics that Petraeus himself had hammered out at CENTCOM and what Petraeus developed while in command of US and coalition Forces in Iraq previous to that; it was seen as a logical choice that Petraeus himself step in to replace his disgraced colleague. It is technically a step down for the man known as "King David" who up until now had held the senior military position in direct administration of both the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts and who made the news himself only last week.

General McChrystal himself said in a statement: “This morning the president accepted my resignation as commander of U.S. and NATO coalition forces in Afghanistan”. “I strongly support the president’s strategy in Afghanistan and am deeply committed to our coalition forces, our partner nations and the Afghan people. It was out of respect for this commitment and the desire to see the mission succeed that I tendered my resignation.”

The President himself said: “Over the last nine years with America fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, he has earned a reputation as one of our nation’s finest soldiers, but war is greater than any one man or woman, whether a private, a general or a president. As difficult as it is to lose General McChrystal, I believe it is the right decision for our national security.” In nominating General Petraeus, Obama reiterated that the change in leadership marks a change in personnel, not policy.

Posted as a reminder to think before you speak. Each of us is entitled to say what we think, just not in uniform.

Here is the Rolling Stone article online.

Source: Fox News, USDOD, Rolling Stone

Petraeus takes ill during McCain's Interrogation

CENTCOM Commander, General David H. Petraeus was escorted from a congressional hearing room after fainting during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing today.

While being questioned by the man who won 2nd place in the 2008 US Presidential election, Sen. John McCain; The General slumped forward in an apparent fainting spell as his aides rushed to his sides including Colonel Erik O. Gunhus, Petraeus' spokesman.

Gen. Petraeus "is feeling much better," said Gunhus afterwards "It appeared that he fainted."

A doctor checked The General out and he returned to the hearing room amid applause to continue, but committee chairman Senator Carl Levin "overruled him," Gunhus said. "Looks like we will continue tomorrow. He will be OK." On his way out of the building, Petraeus told CNN, "I'm doing OK. I just got a little dehydrated. I ate a couple of bananas and drank some water. I didn't eat breakfast this morning."

Petraeus has the unenviable task of commanding U.S. Central Command, which oversees the conduct of the U.S. wars in the Middle East and central Asia.

"It certainly looked like a botched attempt to poison him," said Colonel "Whopper" Creedon of UNETIDA. "I just watched Casino Royale and it was really like watching the General go through what Bond did. Thankfully our enemies will never understand that people like Petraeus, James Bond or myself can't be taken out with mere poison. Rangers, Recon and MI6 are all trained to withstand such an attack. They'll have to do better than that."

See the full video of coverage on CNN

I guess the Army will let anyone join now?

The whole post 911 security tightening measures notwithstanding; one would think after the Fort Hood incident that the US Army would have some measures in place to prevent fraudulent enlistment into their esteemed ranks.

Apparently Jesse Bernard Johnston III, a Texas man with no military experience save 12 weeks Marine JROTC course from which he dropped out in '04, tricked the Army into letting him join a reserve unit as, wait for it - a non-commissioned officer. Johnston, 26, joined the Army Reserve in February as a sergeant and was assigned to the Army's Corps Support Airplane Company, based at the Fort Worth Naval Air Station, that has seen action in Iraq.

Johnston's former wife said "he would attend military functions in Marine dress uniform and claimed to have served in Iraq." The Associated Press says it appears to be the first case of "stolen valor" involving the enlistment process. Most cases involve attempts to get veterans benefits fraudulently or to falsely claim medals.

"This just raises some incredibly significant issues at a time when this country is involved in a global war on terror," said Rep. Mike Coffman, a Colorado Republican who served with the Marines in Iraq and the first Gulf War. "If this person was able to penetrate the military fraudulently, you have to ask the question: Couldn't somebody who was out to do harm to our country do the same thing?"

Lt. Col. Maria Quon, spokeswoman for the Army's Human Resources Command, said her database contains an entry showing Johnston joined the military in 2002, but there are no documents to support the 2002 date. She described the lack of documentation as "unusual" and said it likely means the date was entered this year. The National Personnel Records Center, which collects information on all who have been discharged from the military said that it could find no evidence that Johnston ever served.

Colonel "Whopper" Creedon of UNETIDA unleashed a damning tirade: "I was outraged to read about this goon today. Did you see the photo of him in the blues? It makes me puke that anyone can just buy a set of these in a surplus store and go around pretendin' he's some kinda hero. One look at his fruit salad will tell you his uniform had never been inspected, I see two glaring errors even at that resolution. I'd not have authorised him with a goddamn G.I.Joe club membership, let alone enlisted him as an E-5 in the Army. If the maggot wants to serve that badly, let him serve in Levenworth."

Source: D.Stanglin, AP via USA Today

McChrystal's new SOF directive

General Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan said most of the U.S. Special Operations forces there now are under his direct control. He said the decision was made in response to high civilian casualties and reports the Special Forces troops were operating as "cowboys", The New York Times reported Tuesday. "What happens is, sometimes at cross-purposes, you got one hand doing one thing and one hand doing the other, both trying to do the right thing but working without a good outcome," McChrystal said.

Afghan officials, human rights workers and some field commanders of conventional U.S. forces have criticized Special Ops troops, saying they have been responsible for large number of casualties among Afghan civilians and strike out on their own.. Previously, Special Operations forces followed a separate chain of command.

Maj. Gen. Zahir Azimi, Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman, said McChrystal told Afghan officials he was taking action because of concern that some U.S. troops weren't following his order to make limiting civilian casualties a priority. "These special forces were not accountable to anyone in the country, but General McChrystal and we carried the burden of the guilt for the mistakes they committed," Azimi said. "Whenever there was some problem with the special forces, we didn't know who to go to. It was muddled and unclear who was in charge."

Colonel "Whopper" Creedon, whom as recently as February conducted special operations in Afghanistan was irate "What the hell? McChrystal was formerly the JSOC Commander who controlled most of the Special Operations Forces operating in Iraq and Afghanistan and they achieved great success but now they're "cowboys"? Uh-uh, no way, these are the elite of the elite battle hardened, highly trained and highly skilled operators, not cowboys! Well.. OK maybe one-in-ten is a loose cannon, but that comes with the pressure. Dammit!, we now have SOCOM because conventional ground commanders have always wanted SOF teams split up. Look, I agree that McChrystal should have communication with SOF but through SOCCENT, not direct command over the assets - I do not like the smell of this."

When asked if it was possible that his own unit may have been responsible for the civilian casualties McChrystal mentioned, Creedon replied "Look! There are always casualties in war. Otherwise it's just a nasty argument. We only ever fired upon 'confirmed threats' but if these cowards would stop hiding amongst civilians, the casualty rate would drop. This goes back to what I can smell - there is constant outrage in the Muslim community about civilians getting killed by U.S. and coalition forces, yet sweet-F-A of same when the insurgents hide behind civilians. When you're too much of a chickenshit to stand and fight it out like a real man but instead have to hide behind women, old folk, and kids, anyone who supports you is just as guilty and doesn't deserve be even referred to as 'collateral damage'. This new directive won't cover Delta, the S.E.A.L.s or any unit I'm commanding but I hope the future effectiveness of the remaining 'quiet professionals' won't be hamstrung for some good PR. I'll only let this go if someone can provide proof that this 'large number' of civilian casualties is as a direct result of SOF actions."

Source: Military.com / other various

High price for Operation: Moshtarak

Some 15,000 troops are currently involved in Operation: “Moshtarak” (Together), the most ambitious effort yet to break the militants’ grip on Afghanistan ’s dangerous Southern region. It is the biggest joint operation since the 2001 US-led invasion of the country. The town of Marjah has become a focal point of the operation and on Sunday, US Marines and Afghan forces waded through intense sniper fire and a sandstorm that reduced visibility to a few feet.

Unfortunately during this battle, two rockets fired by a NATO High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) accidental struck civilian houses killing twelve civilians, 10 of whom were from the same family.

NATO commander General Stanley McChrystal ordered all use of the rocket system to be stopped while there was a possibility of civilian casualties. The general telephoned Afghan President Hamid Karzai to apologize for what he called the "unfortunate incident" and the latter called for an investigation. Civilian casualties are particularly sensitive during the joint NATO and Afghan Operation Moshtarak to force the Taliban out of their strongholds in Helmand.
Gen Aminullah Patiani, the Afghan Army's senior commander in the operation, told AFP news agency later on Monday "all of the areas of Marjah and Nad Ali have been taken by combined forces. They are under our control". He added: "The Taliban have left the areas, but the threat from IEDs [improvised explosive devices] remains." Brigadier General Larry Nicholson, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade commander said it could take weeks to completely reclaim Marjah, routing all insurgents and clearing IEDs.

Meanwhile on Monday a NATO air strike against suspected insurgents in Kandahar killed five civilians. The group was seen digging on a roadside and was thought to be planting bombs, NATO said. The incident is unrelated to Operation Moshtarak. ISAF deputy chief of staff Maj Gen Michael Regner USMC said "We regret this tragic accident and offer our sympathies to the families of those killed and injured. Our combined forces take every precaution to minimise civilian casualties and we will investigate this incident to determine how this happened."

Colonel “Whopper” Creedon, who is currently on detached service in the region with US Special Operations Command spoke some hard facts about the tragic civilian losses early Monday morning. ”There are always casualties in war” he began “otherwise war would be no more dangerous than a nasty argument. There are projected acceptable losses for both our forces and civilians, but we’ve not come close to that threshold yet so were technically doing great.” Creedon was then asked about whether an operation was being planned to free the two French journalists kidnapped recently in Afghanistan. “French?” Creedon grimaced, then he smiled “There are always casualties in war…”

No more abuse of Terrorists and E.T.s

Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, expressed outrage to his combatant commanders after seeing some of the detainee abuse photos now under wraps by the Obama administration. In a memo, Mullen says he is "appalled by even the suggestion that someone in an American uniform would behave in such a way." The photos depict clear instances of abuse -- though not torture -- that included beatings and in some cases deaths during battlefield detentions in Iraq from 2001-2006.

Adm. Mullen is the first top military commander to admit that what were in those photos included what would be described as "abuse." President Obama ordered the photos not be released after commanders argued that their release could jeopardize the lives of American soldiers serving in Iraq and elsewhere.

Unlike the now infamous photos from Abu Ghraib prison, all these photos were taken during battlefield interrogations before imprisonment. In the memo, Mullen demands his forces be trained so they understand this kind of thing should never happen again. "We haven't all absorbed or applied all the lessons of Abu Ghraib," he wrote.

Mullen does not think the photos should be released and agrees such a move would inflame the situation. However, his memo was a shot across the bow to commanders that they need to do more to prevent any abuses of those captured on the battlefield and to prepare troops to handle detainees better and according to the Army Field Manual.

Colonel "Whopper" Creedon of UNETIDA spoke today of how he brought reform to the detention policies of Extra Terrestrials interdicted by his organisation. "I can't say we treated the Greys we caught earlier than the Abu Ghraib disclosure better then the poor souls in those photos, but I think we did get a wake up call when we saw how the majority of the public were outraged, both in the US and the international community," he said.

"Upon an investigation that I was asked to conduct on behalf of the UN Security Council, I discovered some practices that I'd have to diplomatically refer to as "unsound". It all came to an abrupt end in true Japanese fashion when Colonel "Shinobi" Kishimoto, Commander of UNETIDA's Detention Division accepted full responsibility and committed seppuku. [Such a pity that people like Janis Karpinski don't do the same, it would save some serious time and money]," muttered Creedon.

"Don't get me wrong, we not gone all soft of them either," assured the Colonel. "We don't feed the Melmacian's kittens or other cute animals for example. And we do use some pretty foul language and harsh cutting insults. I'm confident that those tactics will also work on the hardened extreme Jihadists who want to kill us all."

Operation Iraqi Stephen: Going Commando

Dr. Steven T. Colbert DFA has travelled to Baghdad, Iraq to record 4 episodes of his show, The Colbert Report in the domed marble hall of Saddam Hussein's former Al Faw Palace now at the US Military's Camp Victory. The satirical "conservative" pundit wearing a suit fashioned from the US Army's ACU camouflage pattern, declared victory in the war in Iraq.

General Ray Odierno, commander of US Forces in Iraq declined to agree, "We're not quite ready to declare victory," he said. "Things are moving forward but again, it's about bringing long-term stability." Colbert, who sat at a desk propped up by sandbags painted to simulate an American flag, responded by asking Odierno if he can bring long-term stability to the United States when he's done in Iraq.

Interestingly, Colbert sought to cast a spotlight on the declining attention paid to the war that has waged since 2003. He has said he was spurred to make the trip when he noticed economic news coverage eclipsing reports from Baghdad.

Colbert's arrival in Iraq ended weeks of intense online speculation of just where in the Persian Gulf he was headed after viewers were fed some vague clues in the form of codes randomly appearing on episodes of his late night talk show and even being obviously helped by the master of coded messages himself Lost creator J.J.Abrams. Colbert showed a clip claiming he himself didn't know his destination until he got off the plane and somebody threw a shoe at him.

The highlight of the show however was that Gen. Odierno accepted a videotaped order from President Obama and proceeded to shear Colbert's hair off starting with an electric razor and a stylist appearing to finish off his crew-cut. The still not-so-irrelevant former Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain also made a video-clip appearance in which he thanked the troops for their service and reminded them to clean their muskets.

Celebrities have frequently traveled to Iraq to entertain the troops. But the series of half-hour shows mark the first time anyone has broadcast a taped non-news talk show fully produced and broadcast from Iraq as part of a U.S.O. tour.

The show airs this week on Comedy Central Mon-Thu 23:30 /22:30C US Time but sadly has been removed from the current UK schedule and no "officially" available.

Visit The Colbert Nation for additional news.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Exclusive - Where and When Is Stephen Going to the Persian Gulf - Iraq Announcement
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Sources: Comedy Central, The New York Times, Associated Press, Constance

Apologies for the delay...

... I was busy in Afghanistan. One last "hurrah" the "old school" way before they change commander and we'll be doing all "sneaky" stuff. On my way back now. Stay tuned for updates.

Why is the US still in Iraq? - Here's the answer:

Any god-damn raghead with a pair stones is lying dead in a shallow hole for being stupid enough to resist the unstoppable onslaught of the US of A [yes I do respect a man that'll actually be brave enough to point an AK in my direction - before I "pacify" him with 5.56mm NATO].

Unfortunately with most of those dead, blinded or crippled, all the Iraqi people will have left to take care of them [once Obama pulls out all the troops] are the hajis who were just too chicken-shit to either defend their country in the first place or stand up to Saddam - that's why they're still alive, but it's hardly a solid force to be used to provide law, order and protection to a country.

Time is running out and while some progress has been made, there's still a lot to go. Sadly, the methods used under the Bush administration are a thing of the past - it's all peace and love now, but one Army officer has made the news headlines by taking the kid-gloves off and telling the Iraqi police like it is.

These people respond to being shamed - short of shooting them, this may be a good motivation tool to get them to stop being pussies and cop the fuck on! Sadly he's likely to be severely reprimanded and given a desk job rather than getting a medal and promoted to General - but I'll take him for UNETIDA any day!

Bush Honoured With Parade

An armed forces parade honoring the service of President George W. Bush as commander in chief took place Tuesday at the gymnasium at Fort Mayer in Arlington Va. In a speech, Bush acknowledged that his military decisions haven’t always been popular. He defended his actions, which include taking the country into wars in Afghanistan and Iraq after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and told an assemblage of troops representing all branches of the military that they have served a “just and right” cause. "The missions you have carried out have always been necessary. And the work you have done has ... been every bit as courageous and idealistic as that of any generation that came before you.”

Bush said U.S. troops helped liberate the people of Afghanistan and Iraq from the “chains of despotism” and he thanked them for that. He talked about the boost in military enrollments in response to the terrorist attacks. And he noted that the troops are never alone in shouldering the burdens of lengthy and repeated deployments far away from home and their loved ones. “We appreciate you, we love you and we honor your service,” Bush said.

Above: Lieutenant Colonel Creedon, USMC, Rear Admiral Justice, USCG and other members of the armed forces applaud the great George W. Bush.

Before the president spoke, Adm. Mullen, CJSOS, and SECDEF Gates thanked Bush in separate speeches on behalf of the more than 2 million military men and women. Mullen read from a journal, signed by service members, that he said he had passed around during his travels. One entry, from a member of the Air Force, said: “Nice to see that our president is still quick on his feet after eight years in office. Next time, pick up the shoe and throw it back.”

Gates, who has agreed to continue as defense secretary when Barack Obama becomes president, said Bush will leave behind a U.S. military that is “more agile, lethal and prepared to deal with the full spectrum of 21st century conflict” than when Gates last served in government 15 years ago.Bush received several honors, including the Department of Defense Distinguished Public Service Medal, and the Distinguished Civilian Service Medal from the five military branches.

Nearly finished with his eight-year presidency, Bush has been saying his goodbyes to the uniformed men and women under his command, including recent stops in Iraq and Afghanistan and at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

Source: DefenseLink / AP