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Welcome to the Dawn Patrol, our daily roundup of information on the War on Terror and other topics - from the MilBlogs and various sources around the world. If you're a blogger, you can join the conversation. If you link to any of these stories, add a link to the Dawn Patrol too and your trackback will be added to the list. Hat Tips to the Dawn Patrol are greatly appreciated.
Personal Accountability, Alive and Well in the Camp of Castra Praetoria -- [Castra Praetoria - in Iraq]
Reports surrounding the Camp Liberty incident have stressed the importance of finding out what led to this tragic incident. The media seems to assume combat deployments lead servicemen to commit inappropriate acts of violence, (appropriate being the lawful elimination of enemy forces). As if it wasn’t the shooter’s fault, but the stress of multiple tours that made him do it. This infuriates many of us who have and continue to serve on multiple combat tours. The assumption that all veterans coming home could snap at any moment spraying the area with automatic gunfire is as bigoted a concept as any I have ever heard.
The other implication is that we in the service aren’t taking care of our troops is a slap in the face to those of us who consider duty and loyalty the highest of human virtues.
Killings at Camp Liberty: A Lateral View on PTSD -- [Susan Katz Keating]
Much will emerge in the days to come on yesterday's soldier-on-soldier killings at Camp Liberty. The key question is how Sgt. John M. Russell, the man charged, arrived at a crisis that ended in such tragedy.
Hot Town, Summer in the City... -- [Greyhawk]
One briefing (General Odierno, 8 May 2009) - two headlines:
New York Times - General Sees a Longer Stay in Iraq Cities for U.S. Troops...
AFP - US on track to exit Iraqi cities by end June: commander:
...The American media-created myth of withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraqi cities continues unabated. But the reality isn't that complicated and has not changed since the SOFA (pdf) and Strategic Framework Agreement (pdf) were signed last Fall. Prime Minister Maliki understands it - reduced numbers of ("non-combat") U.S. troops will remain in Iraqi cities functioning as enablers (coordinating air support and other services the Iraqis can't yet provide themselves) and advisers (trainers, etc.). Others stationed outside the cities will be available if needed to provide security.
The Future of Iraq, Part I -- [Michael Totten]
Captain Todd Allison slipped off his helmet and tucked it under his arm as he and I walked on a dusty residential street in a Shia quarter of Baghdad.
“This is the safest place in the city,” he said. He no longer needed his helmet or body armor, and neither did I. “This street is protected by JAM.”
JAM is short for Jaysh al Mahdi, Moqtada al Sadr's radical Mahdi Army militia. Not much of that militia remains since the Iraqi Army purged Basra and Sadr City of Shia insurgents last spring, but...
Subtle Sense of Pride -- [The Writings of a Man’s Man - in Iraq]
Being an Infantryman in Baghdad when there are really no major battles going on can often be a thankless job. If you aren’t performing the mission of the infantry (closing with and destroying the enemy) it often feels as though you are accomplishing nothing. Our job, when not actually shooting at the enemy, is roughly equivalent to being the lid on a pot that is trying to boil over. Thus for as long as we keep the lid on, and it doesn’t boil over, it feels like we are doing nothing.
Two Years Later, Still Not Lost -- [Outside the Wire - JD Johannes in Iraq]
First Iraq Vendor Fair a Huge Success (Baghdad) -- [MNF-I]
The vendor fair was attended by over 80 different Iraqi owned businesses. The purpose of this vendor fair was to educate the Iraqi business owners on the process involved in doing business with the Multi-National Security Transition Command- Iraq. The larger than expected turnout, proved to be a tremendous success and will result in more vendor fairs in the near future.
Back in Iraq -- [Blogs over Baghdad - in Iraq]
It took some time, but I have begun to get back into the groove. I found the best way was just to “thrust myself into the vortex”, or in other words, I forced myself to insert myself into conversations and work teams to let all know that I was back and ready to go.
One thing that helped me through the rough spot was the delivery of several “care packages” from family and friends back in the United States. I am not sure if this will help others who are returning, but if you have a loved one here, I would surprise them by sending a care package while they are still back in the United States on R&R leave with you….so they will arrive back (tired and bit disoriented) and see that everything is still right with the world.
A little bit of fighting, a lot of boredom -- [Afghani Kush - in Afghanistan]
First off, sorry that I haven't updated in a while. A lot has happened lately. First off we got into one firefight in a valley while my truck was broken down. Me and the mechanic had to fix it during a not so bad firefight. That did suck, I was laying down next to the truck shooting up a mountain while handing tools to the mechanic underneath the truck. But we got the truck fixed and no one got hurt. Supposedly we killed two of them too, so that's always a good day.
Newly Declassified Data Reveals Insurgent Use of White Posphorus -- [Denizens - Castle Argghhh!!!]
COMBINED JOINT TASK FORCE- 101 out of Bagram, Afghanistan has released information indicating that they believe that the Taliban have been using White Phosphorus munitions that they have been stockpiling. Via a CJTF-101 Press ReleaseRELEASE # 002Declassified data reveals insurgent use of white phosphorusBAGRAM, Afghanistan (May 11, 2009) – Today, CJTF-101 has declassified a report of 38 events in which insurgents have used or stockpiled white phosphorus munitions in the Regional Command-East area of operations.
HILLARY & OBAMA Blame US Soldiers For Taliban Slaughter -- [Gateway Pundit]
Hillary & Obama Fall For Taliban Scam-- Blame US Troops First
The Apologist Administration was eager to blame US troops first after a slaughter of innocent civilians in Afghanistan. It was later discovered the civilians were actually slaughtered by the Taliban and that the Taliban reported the incident to the Western press.
How to Wage War
Taliban launches complex assault in Haqqani country -- [LWJ - Bill Roggio]
Suicide assault teams target military and government buildings in Khost, the home of the Haqqani Network
Special Operations Forces Save Lives After Bomb Attack -- [Defense Link]
As soon as they heard the news of the suicide bombers yesterday, a coalition Special Operations team in southern Afghanistan sprang into action.
Ex-Air Force Chief: Recruit Bloggers to Wage Afghan Info War -- [Danger Room]
Every time an American bomb kills civilians in Afghanistan, the U.S. loses another battle in the information war to the Taliban. And despite more accurate weapons, more careful targeting, and speedier responses to the press, the Pentagon can’t seem to figure out how to stop the setbacks in this decisive struggle for influence. A former top military official believes he may have the answer, however: let troops blog in combat, so they can ward off the accusations of atrocities as they fight....
Petraeus's Tougher Fight - David Ignatius -- [Washington Post]
It's a small irony of history that Gen. David Petraeus, attacked by the left for his role in revitalizing the Bush administration's effort in Iraq, is now being asked by a Democratic president to do much the same thing in Afghanistan.
Opium roads -- [[My] State Failure Blog]
"In the green zone, everything is irrigated, and everywhere there's a field. That's a problem, because the Taliban, instead of wanting to fight with us, they plant mines, so we have to drive in the fields. Now, what the talking was about - it was about - we've been driving on the fields, we try to drive on poppy, but sometimes we also have to drive on their wheat. If we can establish that the claim is valid, we have a CIMIC team who can pay compensation for it."
A Double-Edged Sword -- [Registan]
The Pentagon just announced the surprise replacement of General David McKiernan with Lt. General Stanley A. McChrystal, who commanded JSOC from 2003-2008. The replacement, which comes eleven months into a typically 24-month tour for McKiernan, is very sudden, and potentially indicative of a serious lack of confidence in McKiernan’s abilities by the Obama administration.
Acts of Conscience -- [Esquire]
As President Obama taps Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal to run the Afghan war, do these revelations, divulged to Esquire at great personal risk by an elite Army interrogator two and a half years ago, imply the new commander's aiding and abetting of torture?
New Boss for Afghan Fight -- [Michael Yon]
The inbox is full this morning. General McKiernan, our top leader in Afghanistan, is to be replaced. National Review Online and others have asked me for comment....
"In December 2008, I saw General McKiernan briefing Secretary Gates in Afghanistan. That's as close as I've come to General McKiernan. Though I do not personally know General McKiernan, I have heard only positive reports about him. His replacement, Lieutenant General Stanley McChrystal, has an outstanding reputation in the special operations community. McChrystal has a solid reputation for knowing the fight. Unfortunately, though our special operators are the best in the world at the fight, they only stumble and fumble with the press. With media, our special operations forces are clueless and self-defeating. This is crucial. McChrystal can win every fight on the ground and still lose the war. Time will reveal whether McChrystal can adapt and win."
What Do We Know? -- [Bill and Bob's Excellent Afghan Adventure]
...There's something that I would like to point out; there is very consistent feedback coming out of the veterans of Afghanistan. There are a number of us now, and there are a number of us who write, and we all say very similar things. Whether or not we are fans of Galula or of FM 3-24 or whatever. We differ on small points, but our feedback is remarkably similar.
Tillman's parents want general's record reviewed -- [NPR]
The parents of slain Army Ranger and NFL star Pat Tillman voiced concerns Tuesday that the general who played a role in mischaracterizing his death could be put in charge of military operations in Afghanistan.
Combat Advising in Afghanistan (Full PDF Article) -- [SWJ - Christopher Bluesteen]
Combat advising is central to successful counterinsurgency operations in existing U.S. conflicts around the world. As U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates observed, “The most important component in the War on Terror is not the fighting we do ourselves, but how well we enable and empower our partners to defend and govern their own countries.”
Holbrooke Defends Pakistan Funds as Senators Question U.S. Plan -- [EIN News]
... and more troops for Afghanistan yesterday as senators took issue with the ... was skeptical of expanding funding for Pakistan’s military. “I’m reticent to continuously vote” for more ... we are working intensely with the Pakistani Army, that they are aware of it, that ...
The High Cost of Western Idealism: Saving Schoolgirls From Being Poison-Gassed in Afghanistan and Honor-Murdered in Sweden. -- [Chesler Chronicles]
Yesterday in Charikar, Afghanistan, for the second time in two weeks, 50 innocent schoolgirls were poison-gassed at school and had to be hospitalized. Many girls lost consciousness and collapsed. Some girls were dizzy, nauseous, and threw up. Amazingly, Noor Jahan, a ninth grader at the Ura Jalili Girls High School said:
“I am pretty sure whoever has done this is against education for girls, but I strongly ask the parents not to be discouraged by such brutal action and send their children to school.”
Such attacks on Afghan girls schools have escalated within the past year. However, this barbaric, Taliban mentality is alive and well among some Afghan immigrants in the West.
US-Pak jointly carrying out drone strikes against Taliban now -- [Big News Network]
In a significant move, Pakistan for the first time 'officially' has allowed US Predator drone aircrafts to fly inside its geographical territory to carry out missile strikes against the Taliban and other extremist groups.
Under the new partnership, U.S. drones will be allowed for the first time to venture beyond the borders of Afghanistan into Pakistan's territory under the direction of Pakistani military officials.
Big Dog Bot to Scamper across Afghanistan -- [War is Boring]
The Pentagon is set to release the Big Dog robot, pictured, in Afghanistan. Big Dog, “the most advanced quadruped robot on Earth,” is a robotic pack-mule that can carry ammo and equipment across Afghanistan’s rugged terrain.
Personally, I would argue there’s a simpler, less noisy, less expensive, less petroleum-dependent alternative. Special Forces troops have been making use of locally acquired Afghan mules
Elections in Lebanon -- [Abu Muqawama]
Hey, it's not all Afghanistan. Regular readers know that my wheelhouse is not to be found in Central Asia but in that tiny country on the banks of the eastern Mediterranean. No, not that one. Mitch Prothero reports on the upcoming elections in Lebanon:
“This year’s round of elections is going to present a serious security challenge for the Lebanese Armed Forces,” said Andrew Exum, an analyst at the Centre for a New American Security who specialises in Middle East security issues.
The Year of the Elephant -- [TNR]
Our cold war with Iran unfolds in Lebanon.
The true importance of the June 7 elections has less to do with the contest between Hariri and Nasrallah, or the formal balance of power inside Lebanon, than it does with the increasingly tense struggle between the two main power groupings in the Middle East: the alliance of America's regional clients that includes Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Israel; and the Iranian-Syrian axis whose push for a bigger share of political power in Lebanon was ratified by last year's Doha agreement. The formal power-sharing arrangement reached by the Lebanese in Doha can be understood as the product of a political stalemate that resulted from a Syrian campaign of assassination and a failed attempt by the U. S.-backed government to counter Hezbollah's weapons by extending the power of the state. The Doha agreement granted Hezbollah and its allies a "blocking third" in the cabinet, which allowed the Party of God to veto any decisions of the Lebanese government with which it did not agree--like taking Hezbollah's cameras out of the airport, or shutting down the party's private communications network, or controlling the country's borders with Syria so that Iranian missiles cannot continue to enter southern Lebanon.
There are two likely outcomes in the upcoming election...
Lebanon Before the Collapse -- [Michael J. Totten]
I have a bad feeling about Lebanon on even and odd numbered days. I don't know anyone who has been there recently who thinks the future is bright, that more war isn't coming, that enormous geopolitcal tectonic plates aren't gearing up ...
U.S. Military Delivers 30,000 Protection Kits for H1N1 First Responders in Six Nations -- [U.S. Southern Command Public Affairs]
A U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster departed Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., today with 30,000 personal protection kits destined for Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, and Nicaragua.
With the threat of the influenza A/H1N1 virus raising concerns in the region, the United States worked in consultation with local government officials to identify countries in need of pandemic influenza preparedness supplies.
Why Civilian Integration is Essential in Post-Stability Operations -- [SWJ - Master Gunnery Sergeant John Ubaldi]
The current national security strategy is badly flawed and a total reorganization of how the U.S uses its immense power is long overdue. The U.S. will face many types of contingencies in the future, and how we respond will have repercussions beyond the region that the U.S is engaged. For the U.S. to avoid a repeat of Iraqi Freedom it must reform its national security structure, have a designated unity of command in the initial post stability operations, and finally integration of civilian agencies into the military command structure.
Man Convicted in New York of Trying to Start Al Qaeda Training Camp in Oregon-- [FOX News]
A jury convicted a Lebanese-born Swede on Tuesday of plotting to help Al Qaeda recruit by trying to set up a weapons-training post in Oregon and distributing terrorist training manuals over the Internet.
A Chance To ReMind, A Chance To Do, Honoring My Heros -- [Laughing Wolf - BlackFive]
Bob Woodruff did survive, and both he and his wife are very well aware that he is alive because of our troops. Our troops who risked their lives to get him, give him aid, and get him out. Our troops who treated him as they would one of their own, until such time as he could be put into civilian care.
...Bob and Lee simply could not sit by, for they had to do for those who were wounded. So, the Bob Woodruff Foundation was born and with it ReMind. This is not a re-invention of the wheel, for what is done is to raise money that goes to the organizations that DO for our wounded, our troops, and their families. Bob and Lee reach audiences that we in the military blogosphere don't, and have gotten them involved to support those who need it most -- our wounded.
VI-DAY CELEBRATION JUNE 13, 2009 -- [Gathering of Eagles]
Folks, this is an emergency. Come what may, on June 13th we will thank our troops for their sacrifices
in achieving victory in Iraq. However, there’s a minor hiccup: the major-donor financing
we were hoping to get to underwrite the event has apparently fallen through.
Maybe we got too big for our britches in expecting someone to be the George Soros of our side,
but, whatever the case, we don’t have the money to conduct Victory in Iraq Day. It is therefore
with much embarrassment and humility that we must ask you to do what thousands of Americans
did for the very first Gathering of Eagles on March 17, 2007—send as much as you can as soon as
you can.
PCS Checklist -- [SpouseBuzz]
The Displaced Dutchican made a checklist for all the things that need an address change when you PCS. She made a printable file for other milspouses to enjoy. This may be a good thing to bookmark or print out for future moves...
Gay soldier: Don’t fire me -- [AMfix]
Open Letter to President Obama and Every Member of Congress:
... have personally served for a decade under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell: an immoral law and policy that forces American soldiers to deceive and lie about their sexual orientation. Worse, it forces others to tolerate deception and lying. These values are completely opposed to anything I learned at West Point. Deception and lies poison a unit and cripple a fighting force. As an infantry officer, an Iraq combat veteran and a West Point graduate with a degree in Arabic, I refuse ...
White House: Law only answer for gays in military -- [Breitbart /AP]
The White House says it won't stop gays and lesbians from being dismissed from the military while the Obama administration works to repeal a decade-old policy banning openly gay people from serving in uniform.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Tuesday that President Barack Obama does not plan to intervene in current cases against men and women who announce their homosexuality.
Gibbs says the president wants to...
Welcome-home celebration for troops set for today at Veterans ... -- [Alexandria Town Talk]
The celebration will be held in front of Building 2 on the facility grounds in Pineville and is for military service members throughout the state who have ...
Troops get big welcome -- [Pembroke Daily Observer]
With CFB Petawawa soldiers currently returning from their latest deployment in Afghanistan, the Red Friday ladies felt it was time for a welcome home party ...
What Fragging? Where? -- [This Ain't Hell...]
When the media and the Left learn a term, they apply it to everything. Today’s word is “fragging”. The first place I saw in relation to the incident at Camp Liberty was on a VFP blog of sorts called “Imagine” (recalling the John Lennon song) in which the author, James Starowicz, one of the chief crackpots of the Geezers For Peace writes;
Hot Town, Summer in the City... -- [Greyhawk]
One briefing (General Odierno, 8 May 2009) - two headlines:
New York Times - General Sees a Longer Stay in Iraq Cities for U.S. Troops...
AFP - US on track to exit Iraqi cities by end June: commander:
...The American media-created myth of withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraqi cities continues unabated. But the reality isn't that complicated and has not changed since the SOFA (pdf) and Strategic Framework Agreement (pdf) were signed last Fall. Prime Minister Maliki understands it - reduced numbers of ("non-combat") U.S. troops will remain in Iraqi cities functioning as enablers (coordinating air support and other services the Iraqis can't yet provide themselves) and advisers (trainers, etc.). Others stationed outside the cities will be available if needed to provide security.
How Does This Joker Get Published? Pt. III: It’s Not a “New Great Game,” Not Really -- [Registan]
Pepe Escobar, a reporter for the Asia Times, has a long essay on Tom Dispatch about how “Af-Pak” is really all about oil...Hrm. So far, we have totally unconnected wars (Kosovo was about an oil pipe? Georgia wasn’t about South Ossetia?), and a phrase (”Asian Energy Security Grid”) I’ve only ever read in paranoid Noam Chomsky columns and Pepe Escobar dispatches. Along with the “surreal” Turkmenistan, and something about Iran and a sloppy metaphor about sprawling mass of pipelines, this is not a very promising start.
Is it worth going through point by point? No ...who in their right mind would publish this? It is just uneducated crap.
And Just Because: Tweeple Magazine Claims #MilitaryMonday a Huge Success! Really? What was it before? -- [Milblogging.com]
Yesterday I wrote a story about Carson Daly taking credit for starting #MilitaryMonday. Since then, I’ve received several colorful emails and I realized many of those same people don’t regularly read my blog. Now, come on folks, if you’ve been one of my 5 loyal readers since 2004 (Hi Mom), you’d know this is the stuff that I always get a kick out of. I’ve never blogged about military policy, military strategy, and not even about current events. I cover military bloggers and occasionally I throw in a personal story. Even when I was deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq, I wrote about the mundane things in life, and how we [as Infantrymen] approached those “mundane” things...
Which leads me to my next comment about Carson Daly - Tweeple Magazine ran a story today as a follow up:
(Tweeple Magazine) Carson Daly lent his support and celebrity to help make #militarymonday a huge success!
I do however, want to start out by saying that #MilMonday was started a while back by Greta Perry (@KissMyGumbo). Thank you Greta!
Two great-news items on the film front -- [Hot Air]
Last year, I had the privilege of seeing The Stoning of Soraya M, a harrowing, depressing, and remarkable depiction of a horrific crime in Iran and the sequence of events that led up to it. I reviewed the film at the time, but it never got into the theaters. It wasn’t difficult to understand why; the film is mostly told in subtitles, more or less bookended in English, and handles a very disturbing true story about an atrocity carried out by an entire village.
The second piece of good news is more local. Brothers at War ...
Did the President Read Andy McCarthy Today? -- [The Corner - Kathryn Jean Lopez]
Andy wrote: American soldiers, American civilians, and other innocent people are going to die because Pres. Barack Obama wants to release photographs of prisoner abuse. Note: I said, “wants to release” —not “has to release,” or “is being forced to release,” or “will comply with court orders by releasing.” The photos, quite likely thousands of them, will be released because the president wants them released. Any other description of the situation is a dodge.
Lawmakers Urge Obama to Fight Release of Photos of U.S. Detainee Abuse -- [FOX News]
The Pentagon plans to release the photos by May 28 in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union.
Lieberman and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., urged President Obama in a letter to "fight" the release of the photos.
Democrats: CIA is out to get us -- [Politico]
Democrats charged Tuesday that the CIA has released documents about congressional briefings on harsh interrogation techniques in order to deflect attention and blame away from itself.
Kris Goldsmith leaves IVAW -- [This Ain't Hell...]
... looking back over the majority of actions and conversations that I’ve been a part of or have seen since my last year of being involved in IVAW, it became overwhelmingly clear that there was no reason for hope. IVAW has proven to be more damaging than constructive to nearly everything that it touches, especially to some of it’s own Veteran Members....When someone who’s never even showed up to Drill for National Guard or Reserve musters, let alone a single day on Active Duty, (Carl Webb, for example) is wearing a shirt that would lead most people who are able to read English to assume said person is an actual “Iraq Veteran” who is “Against the War” that they served in… That’s not only doing a disservice to the organization ...
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