U.S. 'secret war' expands globally as Special Operations forces take larger role

[cory777]

Source: Washington Post

WASHINGTON — Beneath its commitment to soft-spoken diplomacy and beyond the combat zones of Afghanistan and Iraq, the Obama administration has significantly expanded a largely secret U.S. war against al-Qaida and other radical groups, according to senior military and administration officials.

Special operations forces have grown both in numbers and budget, and are deployed in 75 countries, compared with about 60 at the beginning of last year. In addition to units that have spent years in the Philippines and Colombia, teams are operating in Yemen and elsewhere in the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia.

Commanders are developing plans for increasing the use of such forces in Somalia, where a special operations raid last year killed the alleged head of al-Qaida in East Africa. Plans exist for pre-emptive or retaliatory strikes in numerous places around the world, meant to be put into action when a plot has been identified, or after an attack linked to a specific group.

The surge in special operations deployments, along with intensified CIA drone attacks in western Pakistan, is the other side of the national security doctrine of global engagement and domestic values President Barack Obama released last week.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/03/AR2010060304965.html

[midnight]

1. How can we afford this?

[cliffordu]

2. Small units are cheap.

no tanks, planes, aircraft carriers.....

[pundaint]

7. Simple, we will be coerced into accepting far less for our tax dollar.

[RedSock]

3. who's gonna blame bush-cheney leftovers for this one? (eom)

[earcandle]

4. They are only admitting to 75. I heard on CSPAN Congress declare 137 countries.

who knows what is true anymore? 

[msongs]

5. war without end or oversight is not cheap in any way nt

[LakeSamish706]

6. New Boss same as the old boss.... What can you expect with the people he has chosen

to surround himself with?

[liberation]

8. Well, at least in the case of the Pentagon... it is still the same boss ain't it?

[Socal31]

9. This is one of the downsides of our fake world-peace brought about by nuclear weapons.

We know that the major powers wont start a shooting war due to MAD, so we can just play around with the little guys.

[aquart]

10. Bleh. The Dulles brothers must be preening in their graves.

[Dover]

11. Time to call in The New Earth Army.

"Reporting for duty....sir!"



The Goats Who Stare At Men.

[ima_sinnic]

12. that Nobel Peace Prize sure is meaningful (nt)

[Rosa Luxemburg]

13. not so secret if the Washy Post knows about it