You'll remember that Army Times story from a few months back about how the Pentagon planned to permanently deploy 4,000 or so US troops stateside to help out in case of emergencies. That number is now up to 20,000. If this makes you feel uneasy, well, it should. Here's Cato's Gene Healy explaining why, in a Glenn Greenwald interview. Excerpt:
I think the danger goes two ways. You've got the danger of collateral damage to American life and liberty, you've had -- a good example of that was 1997, the Esequiel Hernandez incident, where an American high school student was killed on the Texas-Mexico border because he ran into a Marine Corps anti-drug patrol. So, you can train around that, and you can take folks like the First Brigade combat team who are first-rate warriors, and give them training so they interact better with civilians, but then from what I understand the same unit is going to be redeployed into Iraq in about a year.You're training soldiers for two fundamentally different functions, and functions that we really don't want to blur. You're training them for combat, and you're training them for interacting with citizens at home who have constitutional rights and where the rules of engagement do not have you responding with overwhelming force. So I think it's dangerous in terms of domestic militarization, in terms of the interaction with citizens, but I also think it's dangerous because when you have to retrain soldiers so they're capable of performing these functions, you're also undermining military readiness at the same time.
Healy also says that this weakens the moral fabric of democracy by training us to think that we should rely on the army to handle messy domestic problems. Thoughts?
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MI- A most basic lesson of COIN, is that you need a legitimate government to support. I cannot off the top of my head remember any successful insurgency in the setting of a legitimate successful government. A rogue general is nt likely to accomplish much.
Your other points are good. I tried to briefly allude to them. A politicized military is a more realistic threat. That already exists. If you read Powers' book on genocide, she documents how the military deliberately dragged their feet to undercut Clinton. The military had wargamed Iraq and knew they needed at least 300k troops, yet they went along with Rumsfeld and Cheney's plan, perhaps helping the politicla party they preferred.
I have long supported the idea that senior military should be apolitical t the point that they should not even vote. Besides the basics of ego and power, politics and (now) money are too likely to end up being an influence on men whose primary duty should be towards their country and their troops. The new NSA, James Jones has made an effort to remain non-affiliated. He was the one who told Pace to stop acting like a parrot for Rumsfeld. I have some real hopes for the guy.
Steve
A well-regulated militia,being necessary to security of a FREE state,the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall NOT be infringed.
No soldier shall,in time of peace be quartered in any house,without the CONSENT of the owner,nor in time of war,but in a manner to be prescribed by law.
#2 & #3 Of The Amendments to the constitution of the United States
(BILL OF RIGHTS) Passed by congress September 25,1789 Ratified December 15,1791 This is every Free Americans right!
I bet most Americans don't even know what this means.very sad!
This is just the beginning please don't take this lightly. Write & complain to your congressman.This is unlawful & a gross violation!!
Scott Walker, I'm trying to remember if any of our helicopters are marked at all in Iraq. I don't think they are. They fly with lights down at all times, so I might be wrong, but I don't remember any markings. Probably that's just a combat procedure, and the birds you saw are prepped to go over there. As far as practicing, yeah, that's legit. Our training grounds are often disconnected from the main base. They were probably going to practice fast roping, rappelling from helicopters. The goal is a controlled, but quick arrival in hostile or precarious territory. And not to go down headfirst at full speed having forgotten how to brake, if you ask one of my buddies about his stint in that kind of training. ;) At any rate, military aircraft don't have to stay in their training areas. It's different for us ground-pounders. Sometimes Fort Drum gets so snowy, we have to take a road through local villages to get back to the main base. We have to get authorization from every level of the military hierarchy, PLUS coordinate with local authorities. It's not the norm. (Transport convoys are different, you'll see those on any road next to a base.)
Um, as far as I can tell, the 20,000 soldiers are just on recall in case something happens. They aren't changing their overseas deployment plans or anything, and I doubt they are even changing their training, as there's precious little time for that in the one year we get at home between combat deployments. It's just a plan in place.
Traditionally, the National Guard would be the units on standby for just such a scenario. But they are so over-used from overseas deployments, and are so rarely re-fielded equipment which has been procured for combat operations, that they often can't realistically respond to a major emergency. The 39th Infantry Brigade, Arkansas' National Guard, just returned from deployment. It takes a unit in the 10th Mountain Division, one of the Army's top three active duty units, about six months to get all our equipment back and fielded after a tour in Iraq. It's a year or more before we get the personnel we are supposed to have, by the books. I'll bet it takes the National Guard three times that long to get back to strength. THAT'S why the Active units would be on standby.
By the way, yours truly may very well be a member of the Arkansas Guard in about a month. They've guaranteed me that if I serve a year there, I won't get recalled or deployed, and that will complete my military service obligation. Whereas, if I do not, I end up on the Individual Ready Reserve rosters for 18 months. You can get called up from there for a whole new tour in Iraq, plus training time, even if you are at month 17!
"Your other points are good. I tried to briefly allude to them. A politicized military is a more realistic threat. That already exists. If you read Powers' book on genocide, she documents how the military deliberately dragged their feet to undercut Clinton. The military had wargamed Iraq and knew they needed at least 300k troops, yet they went along with Rumsfeld and Cheney's plan, perhaps helping the politicla party they preferred."
Steve, they went with the plan because they were so ordered. We are under 100% civilian control, and must follow orders, unless it is pretty clear that we are being ordered to kill a bunch of unarmed civilians. The fact that the orders are risky and may end with a lot of soldiers dead is no excuse not to follow them. The military is a nice pointy spear, and spears don't get to point themselves. That's up to the civilian government.
In order for soldiers who are far away from home to interact with citizens at home, this innovative website offers you an educative and informative facet with creating a personal record of your experiences that will be a guiding force for the future generation, namely, your children, to understand the meaning of honor, service and sacrifice that men and women make for the country and use this as an exemplary role model.
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