U.S. Stationing Tanks And Artillery In Classified Norwegian Caves

[Purveyor]

Source: CNN

Washington (CNN)Marines are prepositioning battle tanks, artillery and logistics equipment inside Norwegian caves as the U.S. pushes to station equipment near the NATO-Russia frontier.

"Any gear that is forward-deployed both reduces cost and speeds up our ability to support operations in crisis, so we're able to fall in on gear that is ready-to-go and respond to whatever that crisis may be," Col. William Bentley, operations officer for the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, said in a statement Friday on the Norwegian deployment that called the caves classified.

The deployment of new equipment to the Cold War-era caves comes amid renewed tensions between NATO and Russia. Russia shares a 121.6-mile long border with Norway. The border was heavily militarized during the Cold War, and the Russian navy's Northern Fleet is in Murmansk, about 100 miles from the border.

In October, Norway's Chief of Defense, Adm. Haakon Bruun-Hanssen, told reporters that Russia has "shown that they are willing to use military force to achieve political ambitions."

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/18/politics/u-s-tanks-artillery-norwegian-caves/index.html

[gladium et scutum]

1. A revival

of the 1980s Northern strategy.

[JackRiddler]

2. How do you classify a cave?

[eggplant]

3. I wouldn't know a cave from a hole in the ground. n/t

[ozone_man]

4. Natural/dug

Classified/unclassified
Pre-cold war/cold war/post cold war

All kinds of ways! You weren't looking for a straight answer.

I always get a kick out of posters who think Obama is less of a war hawk than Bush, or Hillary. Well, maybe Hillary.

[JackRiddler]

10. With regard to imperialism Obama is just a company man.

Arguably Obama influenced things so as to prevent a war with Iran (or Russia!) and cool down the insanity with Cuba - these are no mean achievements. I think otherwise pretty much everything developed exactly as it would have, on the MIC's schedule (such as the move from "boots" to drones).

I can't say he was a major innovator of imperialism, except in many small ways. Bush - or we should say the Bush mob, since obviously Jr. was a front man, not a controller - was a revolutionary time. They broke out in new paths, very daring, very obviously in-your-face mass murderers. "Unitary executive," that was fresh. Although the prior decades had pointed the way.

Obama was a consolidator, the legalizer and legitimator of the Bush legacy. He put the perpetual war back on a stable footing, and allowed "Old Europe" to return to the fold of Murder Inc. Seriously, we're not privy to the inside of the machine - it's entirely possible that Obama thinks of himself seriously as a peacekeeper, given the overall circumstances he may have faced on the inside.

B. Clinton definitely gets special mention for preventing the nightmare scenario of world peace breaking out early in his term, and pioneering new forms of kind, liberal, totally humanitarian war.

It's clear to me that HRC is more bloodthirsty than Obama. You may disagree. She's neocon-influenced and pushed hard on Ukraine, Iran, Honduras and Libya, possibly far past what he may have wanted. The choice of Kerry has made for an interesting shift, don't you think?

I realize these nuances may not be seen by everyone but I see Obama's just doing his job as an able administrator of the existing and evolving kill-machinery, and is probably a moderating influence within the grand imperialist coalition.

Do you really think Bernie would differ? I'm amazed that anyone's speaking plain truth about Wall Street and the corporate capture of government and democracy, and has a shot at winning. I genuinely don't think anyone could do that and simultaneously take on imperialism and have any chance - and if they did, they'd be in danger. This is the kind of thing he might be able to influence from the inside (say, via a sudden break with Saudi Arabia) but you can't very well announce that you'll challenge imperialism as president and expect to live.

[Recursion]

5. We did cold weather training in Norway once

Holy crap that was miserable.

[Diclotican]

14. Recursion

Recursion

It is not THAT miserable in Norway during the winter.... It is a little cold maybe, but if you have the right clothing, it is not that bad...

Diclotican

[Octafish]

6. It's a racket.

Russia isn't the only bully willing to use force.

[killbotfactory]

9. But we only use force to promote freedom!

We totally don't have ulterior motives when we bomb and invade other nations!

[Octafish]

12. ''Money trumps peace.'' -- George W Bush

"Commercial interests are very powerful interests," said George W Bush on Feb. 14, 2007 White House press conference in which he added, "Let me put it this way, ah, sometimes, ah, money trumps peace." And then he giggled and not a single member of the callow, cowed and corrupt press corpse saw fit to ask a follow-up.

Gold Star mom Cindy Sheehan tried to bring it to our nation's attention back in 2007. I don't recall even one reporter from the national corporate owned news seeing it fit to comment. Certainly not many have commented on how three generations of Bush men -- Senator Prescott Sheldon Bush, President George Herbert Walker Bush and pretzeldent George Walker Bush all had their eyes on Iraq's oil.

I wish the Press had done its job. Those in authority would have to do their job. Millions might still be alive, the People might use the money spent on wars in better ways, and the Republic might see a return to Justice. To get that started requires jailing those who lied America into war, not making them into heroes cough Bush.

[roamer65]

7. Things are falling apart in Syria right now, folks.

We are damn close to at the minimum a very large Middle Eastern war.

[daleo]

8. Release the Kracken.

[Thor_MN]

11. "Any gear that is forward-deployed ... reduces cost"

It only reduces costs if it is actually used in battle.

The main purpose of this is to shitcan a bunch of equipment that will never be used, eventually written off, and replaced with taxpayer dollars.

[Diclotican]

13. Purveyor

Purveyor

This "caves" you are talking about, have been "Known" in Norway since the early 1970s - and have been a way to make sure NATO was prepared if the Soviet Union ever wanted to walk across the Norwegian/soviet union border at Passvik and other places...

And also, it is not exactly caves, it is huge bunkers deep inside mountain peaks, who could manage a "direct" hit of a megaton nuclear device....

Diclotican