 |  |
| Monthly Archives | [-] |
Prev|List|Random|Next |
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.Refresh for updates.
The Perils of Recruiting -- [Knights of Afghanistan - in Afghanistan]
Working for an all-Afghan company (except myself, of course), one of the most common questions I get from clients and potential clients is, "How do you screen your guards so that you're sure none of them are Taliban?"
The short answer is that we screen them carefully, conduct background checks with the government and insist upon at least three letters of recommendation from reliable sources.*
Former Gitmo detainee targeting Afghan charities -- [LWJ]
Abdul Hafiz, a former Gitmo detainee, has reportedly rejoined the Taliban and is leading efforts to terrorize charities operating in Afghanistan. Hafiz was transferred to Afghanistan in December 2009 and is the first reported recidivist released by the Obama administration.
Former Gitmo detainee leads top Taliban council -- [
Mullah Abdul Qayum Zakir is one of two top Taliban leaders designated on March 19 to replace Mullah Baradar, who was detained by Pakistan last month. Zakir was released from Guantanamo in 2007.
Nowruz Mission - Part 1 -- [Afghanistan My Last Tour - in Afghanistan]
For our ANA counterparts and Afghanistan, Nowruz is the celebration of a new year and for us it would mean a 12-hour mission to new places, new roads, and a new experience. Nowruz marks the first day of spring and the beginning of a new year 1389 even though for us and our Gregorian calendar it's 2010. Nowruz has its origin with the Iranians dating back several thousand years and has been adopted by many Persian or Middle Eastern countries. It's interesting to note the Taliban banned the celebration of Nowruz, but after their removal in 2001, this rich tradition was restored.
Nowruz Mission - Part 2 -- [Afghanistan My Last Tour - in Afghanistan]
...We cruised back through the city and were approximately 3 miles from our camp when the traffic came to a complete stop. It was gridlocked and nobody was moving. Out of nowhere an Army colonel jumped out of his armored SUV and told us to turn around because he spent an hour weaving and inching through this traffic jam. Once again, we looked at our maps and relied on our interpreter to find us a new route. This new route would take us on roads we have never traveled. Oh, remember this is Nowruz, one of the most celebrated holidays in Afghanistan.
The Afghan New Year -- [270 Days in Afghanistan - in Afghanistan]
The Afghan calendar is somewhat different than the standard western calendar. In fact, their whole system of time is different. Some years their celebration of such major holidays as Ramadan and New Year is in the middle of wintertime, other years, right smack dab in the middle of summer. This year, the Afghan new year of 1389 happened to fall in March. And just like Americans, the Afghans like to celebrate!
Marja Embed: Six Weeks in Helmand Province -- [At War - in Afghanistan]
After spending more than six weeks with the Marines and Afghan National Army in Helmand Province, Tyler Hicks and I left Afghanistan in early March. We plan to return a few times this year. Meanwhile, our colleagues will follow developments there, as Rod Nordland just did. But even as the conversation pitches forward, there are items from the opening of the Marja offensive that merit more attention. The limits of space in the newspaper, as well the shortages of electricity and time while on the ground, meant that material worth sharing at the outset never found an outlet.
On Intelligence -- [Free Range International - in Afghanistan]
Editors Note: Chim Chim wanted to provide his perspective on the recent CIA versus contractor story which exploded in the main stream media last week. He knows of what he speaks:
The World has changed. I hear that a lot. As a matter of fact, I have heard it since I was in grade school. The reality is the World is constantly changing. The Intelligence community is no exception. I generally don't like blanket statements, but the bureaucracy at the Agency is broken and has been for a long time. Those of us who know have participated and watched the slow death of a once effective organization for a long time.
I have been on both sides of the equation.
Defense secretary orders review of military information programs -- [Washington Post]
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has ordered a review of the military's information operations programs in response to allegations that private contractors ran an unauthorized spy ring in Afghanistan. Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said Tuesday that Gates had instructed a small group of senior officials to determine whether there were any "systemic problems" with the operations, which include electronic warfare, psychological operations and other noncombat programs and have a budget this year of more than $500 million. Gates's decision was prompted by reports that a senior Defense Department official, Michael D. Furlong, hired contractors to run a $24 million intelligence-gathering program to track down suspected insurgent leaders in Afghanistan. The program was shut down late last year after the CIA and some military officials complained that Furlong was operating an off-the-books spy network.
A City in the Desert -- [Boots on the Ground: Chuck Holton - in Afghanistan]
I'm back in Afghanistan for my third month-long embed in nineteen months. When I visited Helmand province in the summer of 2008, Camp Bastion was a small forward staging base in the middle of the most miserable and inhospitable desert I could ever imagine. The Afghans call the area "the desert of death." Leave it to the military to see that as a good place to build a city larger than my hometown.
Just family tradition -- [Mob - in Afghanistan]
Last year, I sent my father this picture. The top photo is me when I came home from Iraq in June of 2009. The bottom photo is my dad, when he returned from Vietnam in the early seventies.
Well, I'd figure I'd continue the tradition this year for his birthday. This photo is him in Vietnam with some local kids. ...The reason that I'm posting this is that I need your help. Every day, I walk past this kids, actually, as soon as they see me, they come running yelling "Mossa" (Their interpretation of "Moose" in Dari) then they walk the whole way to the military compound with me. I always have candy or small toys or something that I can give them (these kids have nothing.) What I'm asking is if you can send me packages of US candy (I buy the local candy, but they love the US stuff.)
Corporal Dave Morrison, Information Co-ordinator, Royal Air Force Police -- [Frontline Bloggers - in Afghanistan]
I am asked from time to time to attend local events in villages around Camp Bastion to help out with security and find out what concerns the locals may have. We have got a large event on, with a good crowd gathered to visit a medical clinic. I have to get to work straight away because some of the locals have arrived early.
Young medic put to test in Afghanistan -- [A World of Troubles]
Imagine getting shot at on an exposed ridge line by a barrage of machine gun fire and rocket propelled grenades, and then running through such fire to save a buddy hit by a rocket blast.
Interview: General Stanley McChrystal -- [Telegraph]
At Nato's Kabul headquarters, his dozen or so key advisers sit behind computers around a u-shaped table opposite eight screens that scroll down intelligence reports, news headlines and operational updates of Improvised Explosives Device (IED) attacks and air strikes across Afghanistan.
When he's not visiting troops or conferring with Afghans, Gen McChrystal, a lean, intense and ascetic Special Forces veteran, is usually in the SAR, where he also conducts three or four video teleconferences a day, sometimes with the White House and Pentagon. Up to 50 people crowd into the room for his daily morning updates.
Insurgent Faction Presents Afghan Peace Plan -- [New York Times]
Representatives of a major insurgent faction have presented a formal 15-point peace plan to the Afghan government, the first concrete proposal to end hostilities since President Hamid Karzai said he would make reconciliation a priority after his re-election last year. The delegation represents fighters loyal to Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, 60, one of the most brutal of Afghanistan's former resistance fighters who leads a part of the insurgency against American, NATO and Afghan forces in the north and northeast of the country. His representatives met Monday with President Karzai and other Afghan officials in the first formal contact between a major insurgent group and the Afghan government after almost two years of backchannel communications, which diplomats say the United States has supported.
22 Mar 10 -- [Dude in the Desert - in Afghanistan]
things have been pretty slow here lately ... the high command people in charge have been knocking down missions left and right...not sure why... something to do wiht new strategies and policies in the AOR...kinda sucks for these guys...they are being held on a short leash and not allowed to carry out their main priorities for which they are employed...but, I guess that's the way the military is... too many politics involved...whatever, I am still here just to fix vehicles and I have been doing a pretty good job of that-nothing is broke...
Key court ruling favors Marine charged in Iraqi shooting case -- [Stars & Stripes]
The defense for the last Marine facing criminal charges in the fatal shooting of 24 Iraqi civilians in Haditha in 2005 won a key ruling Tuesday that could lead to the case being dropped.
Lt. Col. David Jones, the military judge, ruled that attorneys for Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich had successfully shown that there was the possibility of what the military calls undue command influence in the decision by a general to send Wuterich to a court-martial.
Jones' ruling requires that prosecutors prove beyond a reasonable doubt that no such influence existed or that, while it may have existed, it did not influence the general's decision.
Bid for Iraq Vote Recount Intensifies -- [Los Angeles Times]
Reporting from Baghdad - Senior politicians from Prime Minister Nouri Maliki's ruling coalition warned Tuesday that Shiite Muslim-dominated southern Iraq could severely loosen its ties with Baghdad if the nation's electoral commission failed to meet its demand for a manual recount of ballots in parliamentary elections.
Iraq Votes - Part X -- [MEMRI]
The Iraqi Elections Commission has announced the completion of the counting of 95% of the votes cast in the elections. So far, the distribution of the seats is as follows:
Slate (Projection) Number of Seats
State of Law (Al-Maliki) 92
Iraqiya (Allawi) 89
National Alliance (Hakim) 64
Kurdish Alliance 42
"Change" - Kurdish 8
Tawafuq (Sunni) 6
Islamic Alliance 4
Iraqi Unity 3
Kurdish Islamic Group 2
Compensatory seats 7
Minorities 8
TOTAL 325
These numbers are likely to change slightly when the vote count is completed.
We have found, however, some unexplained missing votes in the figures supplied by the Commission.
De-Baathification With a Hacksaw -- [At War]
Until recently, it was perhaps the only surviving public image of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad. He was portrayed in huge metal relief as Saddam the master builder, personally directing the construction of the twin-decked July 14 Bridge across the Tigris River.
Until last year the image stood intact at the southern end of that bridge, protected by blast walls and a checkpoint beside the entrance to what is now the Green Zone. It has since been removed, crudely and hurriedly, leaving a jagged tear. Only a masterful right forearm now remains - still pointing authoritatively across the river to the Republican Palace -- no longer bearing the four large Saddam heads that used to adorn it -- and to the new American mega-Embassy that has sprung up since Mr. Hussein's demise.
In Baghdad, the Crime Scene Team -- [At War]
In the aftermath of a roadside bomb on Monday, the gray-uniformed members of the Iraqi police forensic unit known as the Crime Scene Team -- a "CSI Baghdad," of sorts -- were on the job. The bomb, which went off during the morning rush in one of Baghdad's busiest squares, was planted at the foot of a newly built blast wall outside of a bank. The wall directed the blast out into the highway just as a convoy was passing, shopkeepers said. Iraqi medical officials reported several people injured, but no one was killed.
Mercs vs. Pirates: Deadly Shootout on the High Seas -- [Danger Room]
For months, shipping firms have been testing ways to repel pirate attacks off the coast of Somalia, trying everything from sonic blasters to warning shots. But things have now escalated to lethal force: A Somali pirate was apparently killed yesterday in a gunfight between a cargo ship and a pirate skiff.
According to a news release issued today by the European Union Naval Force Somalia, or NavFor, the Panamanian-flagged cargo ship MV Almezaan came under attack by pirates while sailing to Mogadishu. "An armed private vessel protection detachment on board the ship returned fire, successfully repelling the first attack, but the pirates continued to pursue. A second attack was repelled and the pirates fled the area."
Gates, Mullen Extend Military Support to Mexico -- [American Forces Press Service]
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Navy Adm. Mike Mullen are in Mexico today as part of a U.S. delegation led by Secretary of State Hilary Clinton. U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair also are part of the delegation.
"Dignity, Respect, Order": 82nd Airborne Division in Haiti - DoD Roundtable -- [Military Avenue]
...The 82nd deployment is about to end (3,100 initially deployed in January and 900 are left) with command elements preparing to depart soon. He said the airport and naval ports are operating above capacity (prior to earthquake levels) and the security environment is vastly improved. He said the 82nd never saw any violence toward its troops and there were no incidents at food distribution points while they were on scene. The country is calm and the environment is vastly improved. He described the Haitian people as "thankful" and said the new relationships with other responders such as NGOs, UN and Haitian government personnel were ready to continue their support!
U.S. Troops to March in Red Square Parade -- [Pajamas Media]
When I read the news on March 18, I was ashamed to call myself an American, ashamed to admit that Barack Obama was my president.
I learned in a tiny Internet blurb from the Associated Press that the U.S. Embassy in Moscow had confirmed that on May 9, 2010, American soldiers would march in the infamous military parade through Red Square alongside the neo-Soviet army of proud KGB spy Vladimir Putin. Obama wants U.S. soldiers to help the Kremlin celebrate the 65th anniversary of the allied victory over Nazi Germany. British and French soldiers, it seems, will also take part.
All part of the now infamous Obama "reset" on Russia. Next stop for U.S. troops? Maybe a similar parade in Tehran?
Make no mistake about how Russians will understand this event. Putin will say to them: "You see, not only will they not help you fight for democracy, they will march against you. They will help me crush you."
Kim Jong Il 'Has Chronic Kidney Failure' -- [The Times]
The North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is suffering from kidney failure which requires dialysis and also has partial paralysis following a 2008 stroke, according to the head of a South Korean state research institute
Cyber-attack on U.S. Firms, Google Traced to Chinese -- [Washington Times]
The cyber-attack on Google and other U.S. companies was part of a suspected Chinese government operation launched last year that used human intelligence techniques and high-technology to steal corporate secrets, according to U.S. government and private-sector cybersecurity specialists.
More worrying, however, is the likelihood that the cyber-attacks that led Google this week to end its cooperation with Beijing-controlled censorship and move its search engine service to Hong Kong included planting undetectable software on American company networks that could allow further clandestine access or even total control of computers in the future.
An Obama administration official said the U.S. government was able, with some confidence, to link the attack, first discovered last summer, to Chinese government organs.
US judge orders release of 9/11 recruiter -- [LWJ]
A US federal judge has ordered the release of a top al Qaeda recruiter for the 9/11 attacks from custody at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba.
Mohamedou Ould Slahi, who was identified by the 9/11 Commission as a key recruiter of al Qaeda's Hamburg cell, was ordered to be released from the prison by US District Judge James Robertson
US warns of al-Qaida threat to ships off Yemen -- [AP]
The U.S. is warning of possible al-Qaida attacks against ships off the coast of Yemen, where an offshoot of the terrorist network has established a significant base of operations over the past year.
Yemen became a focus of deep international concern in December when al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula claimed responsibility for the failed attempt to blow up a Detroit-bound airliner, showing the group based in an impoverished and unstable corner of the Middle East had global reach.
Report: Pentagon hasn't met main threats -- [Washington Times]
Somali pirates, Mexican drug smugglers and Islamic terrorists are the types of groups that pose the greatest threat to the United States in the coming decades and, according to a report released on Tuesday, the Pentagon is not adapting quickly enough to stop them. The National Strategy Information Center said the U.S. military will remain in a 20th-century mindset if it does not appreciate the singular significance of armed groups emerging from weak, failing or failed countries. In its 36-page report, the Washington think tank said the nation's greatest threats will not come from the armies of other nations.
Caution lights for the military's 'information war' -- [Washington Post]
It has become commonplace since Sept. 11, 2001, to speak of the "war of ideas" between Muslim extremists and the West. But there has been too little attention paid to the U.S. military's mobilization for this war, which is often described by the oxymoronic phrase "information operations."
To populate this information "battle space," the military has funded a range of contractors, specialists, training programs and initiatives -- targeted on the hot wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and the broader zone of conflict in the Middle East and Central Asia. Gen. David Petraeus, the Centcom commander who oversees that region, has been one of the military's most vocal proponents of aggressive information operations.
"Dear Dad, I'm sorry if you're reading this . . . " -- [Soldiers Angels Germany]
The letter sat on the dresser for four years.
Robert Gilbert never opened it. He only touched the envelope when he needed to dust around it. He wanted to give it back to his son unopened.
Every time his Marine son was deployed, his son would ask, "You still got my letter?"
His dad never wanted to read what was inside an envelope marked: "Dad, open this if I am wounded. Love, Robert."
The call to open it came March 8.
"Is Robert Gilbert there?" a voice from Marine headquarters in Quantico, Va., said.
"Junior or Senior?" Robert said.
"Senior."
The father felt his stomach drop even before he heard the words: "Your son has been injured in Afghanistan."
When he heard his son received "possibly a mortal wound," he sat on the bed, opened the yellow envelope and pulled out four handwritten pages of spiral notebook paper.
I'm sorry if you're reading this . . .
Troop Support For Newbies: A PDF -- [The Kitchen Dispatch]
I've created a .PDF on how to send things to the troops that was made especially for people with little to no familiarity with troops, want to send things, but don't know how. I kind of got tired of repeating myself, even explaining to aunts, uncles and cousins of deployed troops, while standing around in places like the DMV parking lot. It covers the nuts and bolts of boxing, buying and sending.
Pentagon Looks to 'Phase In' Missile Defense - [American Forces Press Service]
Based on the Pentagon's September 2009 review of U.S. ballistic missile defenses, military officials want to harness technology for a more flexible and adaptive defense architecture, the principle deputy defense undersecretary for policy said.
James N. Miller spoke to an audience of more than 200 missile defense experts here yesterday at the 8th Annual U.S. Missile Defense Conference at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center.
Miller said the United States needs to integrate its missile-defense technology with foreign partners based on various threats. Such an approach, he said, would be more cost effective and also help to reduce potential threats.
Iraq withdrawal payoff: More time at home for Marines -- [McClatchy News]
Beginning this fall, the Marine Corps will guarantee nearly all Marines 14 months at home for every seven months they spend in war zones, the first payoff for service members of the United States' diminishing military presence in Iraq.
The Army hopes to make a similar change by the end of 2011, guaranteeing soldiers two years at home for every year they're in war zones.
The change is the first concrete sign that the stress on the U.S. military caused by the years-long engagements in Iraq and Afghanistan is beginning to ease.
National Medal of Honor Day: Pappy Boyington Field Film -- [PR Newswire]
He was an ACE Fighter Pilot, Prisoner of War, and recipient of the MEDAL OF HONOR. PAPPY BOYINGTON was a hard-living, hard-fighting man, and he chronicled ...
ThisDay Trivia March 24, 1958 -- [ThisDay Trivia]
Elvis Presley. The King of Rock 'n' Roll is inducted into the U.S. Army, where he took an approximate $100000 pay cut.
US Iraq Soldiers Return -- [The Post-Standard]
Sgt. Earl Castle, Jr. of Centerville kisses his son Landon Castle, 2, during a welcome home ceremony in Turtlecreek Township, Ohio on Monday, March 22,
First wave of 1st ACB troops welcomed home -- [Blackanthem.com]
"I'm here to welcome home the troops," said 11-year-old Taylor Pitkus, whose father, Command Sgt. Maj. Eric Pitkus, the top enlisted member of 3rd Battalion ...
Yigo mayor: Welcome back the troops of Halu'u Platoon from yearlong deployment -- [Pacific Daily News]
In this week's article, I want to welcome back our Guam Army National Guard Halu'u Platoon soldiers who have been deployed to Afghanistan for the past year.
VA Officials Planning To Add Social Media To Vets Health Portal. -- [Federal Computer Week]
Federal Computer Week (3/24, Beizer, 90K) reports, "Veterans Affairs Department officials plan to add social-media style tools to the portal veterans use to access health records, a VA official said" on Wednesday "at the 2010 FOSE conference. Veterans use the My HealtheVet to access records, keep health diaries and reorder prescriptions, according to Gail Graham," VA's deputy chief officer of health care information management. Federal Computer Week adds, "Veterans of all ages are using the portal, but younger service members returning from deployments want more functionality, she said."
How to Fight the Hollywood Left's Fighting Words -- [Big Hollywood]
Can any of you remember a time when so many creative film artists in Hollywood shit where they eat by endlessly voicing such outspoken contempt and loathing for the majority of the American people, our history and our way of life? I can't. Now I'm not talking about Hollywood Lefties going off on political tangents like at HuffPo. We do the same damn thing here. I'm talking fighting words as defined in the Chaplinsky ruling. Too many fighting words coming out of Lefty Hollywood these days.
Rep. Davis: Misinforming military 'not acceptable'-- [San Diego Source]
Representatives and government agency spokesmen say statements made by Rep. Brian Bilbray indicating Tricare has moved into the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services are misleading.
The Republican congressman from Carlsbad gave interviews to local television and radio stations following the health care reform debate indicating that Tricare, the military health care program, relocated out of its Department of Defense home as part of the new policy that consolidated health care programs.
Secretary Gates begs to differ with Buyer and McKeown.-- [Castle Argghhh!!!]
This came out this morning, I'm assuming in response to this press release from the Republicans on the Veteran's Affairs committee. Note, however, the hedge about the Senate. As a blogger of my acquaintance said when I passed this on to him - "So I guess I can expect Gates' nuts to be delivered by FedEx when this blows up all over veterans?"
Now that the deed 'tis done, how will it affect you? (Part I) -- [Burn Pit]
The big question everyone has is: how will this affect me, the VA/TRICARE/TRICARE-for-life individual? Well, let's start by looking at what some of the others are saying, and then try to cut the middle. Separate the wheat from the chaff, as it were.
The only folks I have found thus far that think this thing is just great for veterans and their families is VoteVets. Now, mind you the MoveOn.org affiliated group is also citing some Harvard study of how many veterans die without health insurance that is based on nothing but comparing the number of deaths with the percent of veterans, so take it for what it is worth
Ask America's 1stSgt Edition # Does It Really Matter? -- [Castra Praetoria]
Applegoat, a Soldier's Angel (we won't hold it against her) asks what's the difference between Oorah! and Hooah!
The main difference is Oorah! is a battle cry associated with the World's Finest United States Marines where as Hooah! is a discomforting sound usually emanating from an Army latrine. I think it is related to some kind of gastrointestinal disorder but I may be wrong.
(Need more? Dawn Patrols Archives are here.)
