The Agonist - USA: Armed Forces

Suicidal Vet "Was Begging For Help, and They Kicked Him to the Curb."

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:07:20 -0700

A few months ago, when I interviewed Josh, an Iraq War veteran, about his struggles with a traumatic brain injury and PTSD that he was affected with in Iraq, and which followed him home to Wisconsin, he told me that it had taken him 2 years to receive treatment for his conditions. His girlfriend told me that she was grateful that Josh was not one of the approximate 1,000 veterans who attempt suicide a month.

"Hundreds of thousands of soldiers who need it aren't even getting taken care of by the VA, and thousands more are attempting to commit suicide under their care. Not only that, but when I went there as 'a danger to myself and other people,' they said it was in the past and that it didn't mean that I was still. They didn't want me to be there and they didn't know what to do with me. It's no wonder they wanted to 'Shhh...' the numbers of veterans attempting to commit suicide under their care."

The biggest oil guzzler? The Pentagon

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 08:02:29 -0700

Jen Dimascio | July 24

Politico - So, you think you’ve got the gas prices blues. Just consider Al Shaffer, the man in charge of drafting an energy strategy for the gas-guzzling Pentagon.

With wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and troops spread around the world, the Department of Defense is the nation’s biggest oil consumer, burning 395,000 barrels per day — about as much as Greece.

The Air Force is the SUV of the military. Its thirsty planes burn more than half the fuel supply for the entire U.S. military. It’s received $1.5 billion in new relief from Congress for fuel — and last week still had $400 million left on its credit card.

Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.), who formed a Defense Energy Working Group, seized on the issue in 2004 after learning that the Army’s Stryker combat vehicles got only 5 miles per gallon of gas.

He cited national security as another reason to conserve fuel.

“Here is our current defense posture,” Israel said. “We are borrowing money from China to fund our defense budgets to buy oil from the Persian Gulf to fund our military to protect us from China and the Persian Gulf. It is an insidious vulnerability.”

My Country Right or Wrong...My Country

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 16:40:40 -0700

Those words…so haunting, seemingly harmless and benign, I love my country whether it’s right or wrong. That’s what the phrase means, right? To some it may mean that, but to me, it means something entirely different.

“My country right or wrong”, that part is entirely correct. The Egyptians, the Spartans, the Romans, the Spanish and the English all supported their nations, whether they were right or wrong. What most people don’t realize is that the last two words of that phrase changes the meaning so completely; “my country”.

The truth is that it is your country whether your country is right or wrong. It’s still your country. That makes you part and parcel of what is done in your name. “My Country” is the damning part of that phrase. Yes, it’s your country, and what your country does reflects on you. The truth may be that you have no real power to move your country in a different direction, but that doesn’t take away the fact that you are complicit. What your country does, what it stands for, or doesn’t stand for, is certainly part of your responsibility. You may only be one voice in the wilderness, but you still have that voice.

Iraq Leader Maliki Supports Obama's Withdrawal Plans(???)

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 10:02:34 -0700

July 19

Der Spiegel - In an interview with SPIEGEL, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Barack Obama's 16 timeframe for a withdrawal from Iraq is the right one.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki supports US presidential candidate Barack Obama's plan to withdraw US troops from Iraq within 16 months. When asked in and interview with SPIEGEL when he thinks US troops should leave Iraq, Maliki responded "as soon as possible, as far as we are concerned." He then continued: "US presidential candidate Barack Obama talks about 16 months. That, we think, would be the right timeframe for a withdrawal, with the possibility of slight changes."

** Iraqi PM disputes report on withdrawal plan

UPDATE:

Iraqi Leader Stirs up US Campaign

Obama is pleased, but McCain certainly is not. In an interview with SPIEGEL, Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki expressed support for Obama's troop withdrawal plans. Despite a half-hearted retraction, the comments have stirred up the US presidential campaign. SPIEGEL stands by its version of the conversation.

** Read the transcript of the interview here

Anti-terror money sought for luxury

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 01:42:37 -0700

R. Jeffrey Smith | July 18

Washington Post - The top Air Force leadership sought for three years to spend counter-terrorism money on "comfort capsules" for military planes to ease the travel of senior officers and civilian leaders -- with at least four top generals involved in design details such as the color of the capsules' carpet and leather chairs -- according to internal e-mails and budget documents.

Production has begun for the first capsule -- two sealed rooms that can fit in the fuselage of a large aircraft -- and four mobile pallets containing plush, swiveling leather chairs with footrests.

Air Force officials say the new capsules are necessary to ensure that leaders can talk, work and rest comfortably in the air. But the top brass' preoccupation has alienated lower-ranking Air Force officers familiar with the effort, as well as congressional staff and a nonprofit group that calls the program a waste of money.

Air Force documents spell out how each capsule is to be "aesthetically pleasing and furnished to reflect the rank of the senior leaders using the capsule," with beds, a couch, a table and a 37-inch flat-screen monitor with stereo speakers.

8,763 Disabled Veterans Died Without Receiving Benefits

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:30:26 -0700

For a long time now, I have been following the KBR corruption storyline: the dirty water, the electrocutions, the rape cover ups and the tax dodging.

KBR was turned loose on our troops because the Bush administration's blind adherence to right-wing dogma — "government bad, private industry good" — drove it to outsource the management of the war to dozens of private contractors. And, no surprise, the abuses don't end with KBR.

Gates Warns of Militarized Policy

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 05:10:24 -0700

Ann Scott Tyson | Washington | July 16

WaPo - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates warned yesterday against the risk of a "creeping militarization" of U.S. foreign policy, saying the State Department should lead U.S. engagement with other countries, with the military playing a supporting role.

"We cannot kill or capture our way to victory" in the long-term campaign against terrorism, Gates said, arguing that military action should be subordinate to political and economic efforts to undermine extremism.

Thinking About Nuclear War . . . and Other Things

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 05:08:50 -0700

A review of Alex Abella, Soldiers of Reason: The RAND Corporation and the Rise of the American Empire. (Orlando, Fla.: Harcourt, 2008)

Like many people, Alex Abella first learned of the RAND Corporation amid the passions of the Vietnam War, to which the famous think tank contributed many analyses. He realized then that the period was not conducive to a sound assessment of RAND, and the intervening decades have provided him some perspective. His wait has resulted in a fine study of the renowned and reviled think tank on national security matters.

RAND was created shortly after World War Two, mainly by the military, to bring outside expertise to bear on the various new challenges in the post-WW2 world. No one knew what the new technologies such as ballistic missiles and the geopolitical dynamics of facing the Soviet Union would bring, so notable academics and strategic thinkers were assembled, eventually in Santa Monica, to provide counsel. An assembly of bright people had created the atom bomb, a similar assembly would help us face the age the bomb made. Many of RAND’s studies seem off-putting if not horrifying, but such was the US strategic situation of the Cold War.

Vote for this article at Buzzflash and at Digg.

Don't Expect the Democrats to Stop an Attack on Iran

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 04:30:48 -0700

It’s very early in the morning and I’m here writing about the possibility of my country attacking another nation in the Middle East for no real reason except to put some capitalistic fears to rest. The major reason that the United States desires to attack Iran isn’t because they believe that they will build an atomic weapon, it is the fear that Iran will switch from the dollar and embrace the Euro which will send our currency into free fall and bring about a possible recession or depression in this country as our dollar becomes worthless.

Make no mistake about why wars are fought. The central reason is almost always about resources, markets or threats to an economy. The rhetoric that precedes a war is usually never about the real reasons a nation desires to attack another. The reasons for war are veiled in talk about freedom or principles, but warring nations usually have neither. This nation, built on a system of values called capitalism or a market economy is always ready to use its armed forces as a means to force their economic needs on other nations.

Iran to target '32 US bases' if attacked

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 07:27:40 -0700

Tehran | July 12

AFP - Iran will target "32 US bases and the heart of Israel" if it is attacked, the Fars news agency quoted an aide to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as saying on Saturday.

"If America and Israel shoot any bullets and missiles against our country, Iranian armed forces will target the heart of Israel and 32 US bases in the region before the dust from this attack has settled," Mojtaba Zolnoor said.

Zolnoor is Khamenei's deputy representative for the elite Revolutionary Guards, the force which controls Iran's more potent weaponry, particularly its longer-range missiles capable of striking Israel and US bases in the Gulf.

Rumsfeld As Airport Reading

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 00:37:12 -0700

So, while at the airport last week on my way to Singapore I lowered myself to buying a copy of the latest Atlantic Monthly. I had the great misfortune of reading Robert D. Kaplan's article on Rumsfeld, called, "What Rumsfeld Got Right." I really didn't need to read a 7,000 word encomium about how deep down Rumsfeld really meant well and all that. I could have written the article in one word: "nothing."

Seriously, I wasted several dollars on the whole issue which was pretty damn bad. I'll stick to the New York Review of Books and the London Review of Books and a few other choice outlets. Seems the Atlantic Monthly has sunk almost as low as the New Republic. What a shame. They both used to be so vital. Not any longer.

My Guantanamo Interview

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 11:18:07 -0700

In January, 2006 outraged that her country was illegally imprisoning people at Guantanamo, Mahvish Rukhsana — a journalist and recent law school graduate — volunteered to translate for the prisoners and eventually began representing an Afghan detainee. She has since published the stories of the detainees she has met in the newly-released book, My Guantanamo Diary. For more information, please visit http://www.mahvishkhan.com.

The work that lawyers like Rukhsana have done to advocate on behalf of these detainees contributed to a recent Supreme Court ruling to grant habeas corpus to all Guantanamo prisoners. That is why I felt so privileged to be able to talk to her about the importance of upholding the Constitution and restoring our international reputation. My interview with Rukhsana was conducted just before the Supreme Court's landmark ruling, and has been edited down to narrative form. [cross-posted from www.progressivefuture.org]

Elite US Army academy lures kids with mud and duty

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 18:21:54 -0700

Claudia Parsons | West Point, N.Y. | June 27

Reuters - Climbing ropes and crawling in the mud under barbed wire, dozens of American high school kids at an unusual summer camp vied to see who could get most dirty as they tackled an Army obstacle course.

And as they ran between obstacles in the woods, the kids shouted Army chants. Asked by a cadet if they were motivated, they shouted back in unison: "Motivated, motivated, downright motivated. Ooh, aah, ooh, aah, I want to kill somebody."

On a day set aside for academic workshops, students in one group staged a mock murder trial. Others built a light-seeking robot in an electrical engineering class.

A third group played "Double Philosophy Jeopardy," with pop culture categories showing how characters in "Star Wars" or "The Simpsons" illustrate stoicism or the philosophies of Friedrich Nietzsche.

US removes its nuclear arms from Britain

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 05:00:48 -0700

Julian Borger | June 26

The Guardian - The US has removed its nuclear weapons from Britain, ending a contentious presence spanning more than half a century, a report will say today. According to the study by the Federation of American Scientists, the last 110 American nuclear weapons on UK soil were withdrawn from RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk on the orders of President George Bush.

The report's author, Hans Kristensen, one of the leading experts on Washington's nuclear arsenal, said the move had happened in the past few years, but had only come to light yesterday.

He described the withdrawal of the B-61 "freefall", or "gravity", bombs as part of a general strategic shift since the end of the cold war.

"The northern front is not very relevant any more for these deployments. The US nuclear posture is almost entirely focused on the southern region, in Incirlik [in Turkey] and Aviano [in Italy]."

Kristensen's report is posted today here.

Religion and Its Role Are in Dispute at the Service Academies

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 06:29:48 -0700

Neela Banerjee | June 25

NYT - Three years after a scandal at the Air Force Academy over the evangelizing of cadets by Christian staff and faculty members, students and staff at West Point and the Naval Academy are complaining that their schools, too, have pushed religion on cadets and midshipmen.

The controversy led the Air Force to adopt guidelines that discourage public prayers at official events or meetings. And while those rules do not apply to other branches of the service, critics say the new complaints raise questions about the military’s commitment to policies against imposing religion on its members.