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In reply to the discussion: Obama just announced the most anti-war foreign policy doctrine in decades [View all]Maedhros
(10,007 posts)30. The Administration says one thing, and does another.
http://www.thenation.com/article/179050/why-us-military-averaging-more-mission-day-africa
Whenever one considers U.S. military operations, what the Government says...
...means very little.
What the Government does is what is important:
The current Administration has overseen a tripling in military activities in Africa while simultaneously claiming only a "light footprint" there.
In addition, the Administration is prolonging our involvement in Afghanistan to at least 2016 and has budgeted $400 million to finance Expeditionary Warfare; Irregular Warfare; Special Operations; Stabilization and Reconstruction Operations.:
http://www.salon.com/2014/05/28/exclusive_new_document_details_americas_war_machine_and_secret_mass_of_contractors_in_afghanistan/
The numbers tell the story: ten exercises, fifty-five operations, 481 security cooperation activities.
Whenever one considers U.S. military operations, what the Government says...
For years, the US military has publicly insisted that its efforts in Africa are small scale. Its public affairs personnel and commanders have repeatedly claimed no more than a light footprint on that continent, including a remarkably modest presence when it comes to military personnel. They have, however, balked at specifying just what that light footprint actually consists of. During an interview, for instance, a US Africa Command (AFRICOM) spokesman once expressed worry that tabulating the commands deployments would offer a skewed image of US efforts there.
...means very little.
What the Government does is what is important:
It turns out that the numbers do just the opposite.
Last year, according AFRICOM commander General David Rodriguez, the US military carried out a total of 546 activities on the continenta catch-all term for everything the military does in Africa. In other words, it averages about one and a half missions a day. This represents a 217 percent increase in operations, programs and exercises since the command was established in 2008.
Last year, according AFRICOM commander General David Rodriguez, the US military carried out a total of 546 activities on the continenta catch-all term for everything the military does in Africa. In other words, it averages about one and a half missions a day. This represents a 217 percent increase in operations, programs and exercises since the command was established in 2008.
The current Administration has overseen a tripling in military activities in Africa while simultaneously claiming only a "light footprint" there.
In addition, the Administration is prolonging our involvement in Afghanistan to at least 2016 and has budgeted $400 million to finance Expeditionary Warfare; Irregular Warfare; Special Operations; Stabilization and Reconstruction Operations.:
http://www.salon.com/2014/05/28/exclusive_new_document_details_americas_war_machine_and_secret_mass_of_contractors_in_afghanistan/
On Tuesday, following his surprise Memorial Day visit to Bagram Air Force Base outside Kabul, President Obama announced that the United States plans to keep at least 9,800 U.S. troops in Afghanistan until 2016, further delaying the end of what he calls Americas longest war.
But in his remarks at the White House, the president didnt say that the nearly 10,000 U.S. troops hes asking to remain in an advisory role will be augmented by a huge army of private contractors. As they have in Iraq, contractors will vastly outnumber the U.S. uniformed forces training Afghan troops as well as the special operations forces providing counterterrorism operations against what the president called the remnants of al-Qaida.
The role of contractors in the Afghanistan war is spelled out in a document obtained by Salon from SAIC, one of the nations largest military and intelligence contractors. The document, an unclassified PowerPoint presentation, shows exactly how contractors have been used in that war since 2009, when Obama endorsed a surge of 33,000 troops and a counterinsurgency strategy in the war against the Taliban. Those policies increased the U.S. presence in Afghanistan to more than 100,000 troops.
One of the PowerPoint slides defines the four mission areas of the companys five-year, $400 million contract with the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, which provides contracted services to other combat commands, special forces and other parts of the U.S. military. They are Expeditionary Warfare; Irregular Warfare; Special Operations; Stabilization and Reconstruction Operations.
There, in black and white, is proof positive of how deeply contractors have penetrated the U.S. war machine.
But in his remarks at the White House, the president didnt say that the nearly 10,000 U.S. troops hes asking to remain in an advisory role will be augmented by a huge army of private contractors. As they have in Iraq, contractors will vastly outnumber the U.S. uniformed forces training Afghan troops as well as the special operations forces providing counterterrorism operations against what the president called the remnants of al-Qaida.
The role of contractors in the Afghanistan war is spelled out in a document obtained by Salon from SAIC, one of the nations largest military and intelligence contractors. The document, an unclassified PowerPoint presentation, shows exactly how contractors have been used in that war since 2009, when Obama endorsed a surge of 33,000 troops and a counterinsurgency strategy in the war against the Taliban. Those policies increased the U.S. presence in Afghanistan to more than 100,000 troops.
One of the PowerPoint slides defines the four mission areas of the companys five-year, $400 million contract with the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, which provides contracted services to other combat commands, special forces and other parts of the U.S. military. They are Expeditionary Warfare; Irregular Warfare; Special Operations; Stabilization and Reconstruction Operations.
There, in black and white, is proof positive of how deeply contractors have penetrated the U.S. war machine.
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Obama just announced the most anti-war foreign policy doctrine in decades [View all]
babylonsister
May 2014
OP
Yeah, you'd actually have to know the Obama Admin's record of history to realize how ignorant your
Cha
May 2014
#101
Two major powerhouses have invaded Afghanistan and yet no one has ever beat them
LynneSin
May 2014
#3
Afghanistan was called the Graveyard of Empires. Bush was an ahistorical idiot, but you knew that
Hekate
May 2014
#24
Bin Laden was never trained by the CIA. That misinformation gets repeated constantly here.
Ikonoklast
May 2014
#68
Thank You! Bookmarking that website now. We are not in charge of the world, that's a myth.
freshwest
May 2014
#78
Don't worry, that train's never late. MSM will be tearing its hair thinking of ways to diss it.
freshwest
May 2014
#28
Training Syrian rebels? Training African rebels and tripling military operations there?
Maedhros
May 2014
#55
The Sandinistas opposed the Somoza Regime, which was a client state of the U.S.
Maedhros
May 2014
#86
Yup...i'm not buying it anymore...especially his continuation of 'American Exceptionalism'...
truebrit71
May 2014
#104
The Libertarians are also going after Obama in the VOX comment section. Might lose some of those
freshwest
May 2014
#83
The Pauls, et al, won't give him any credit for this, will they? They'd rather die first...
freshwest
May 2014
#81
Since drones and foreign but American-supported rebels will do the fighting,
truedelphi
May 2014
#20
Cegelis, Lamont, McKinney, Halter, Romanoff, Sestak, Grayson, Kucinich, Buono, Davis ring any bells?
MisterP
May 2014
#52
Yes, this was all done on the local level by the GOP. Fight back close to home and GOTV!
freshwest
May 2014
#80
Libertiarians at Vox.com while selling anti-war: Attack President for anti-war policy message.
Todays_Illusion
May 2014
#56
Yup. Weren't we supposed to see the "real" Obama after he won his second term...
truebrit71
May 2014
#106
Doesn't he understand the point of foreign policy is to identify a list of evil nations
tclambert
May 2014
#109