Things to do in Kuwait

Many readers here might travel to visit the troops in Kuwait some day. And in planning such a trip they might wonder "after having my picture taken with the troops and eating in the DFAC, what else can I do while I'm there?"

There are more options than you might think, and regardless of your "personality type" there's probably something to do that you'll consider "fun". With the help of Barack Obama (Jul '08) and Sarah Palin (Jul '07) we proudly offer the following suggestions, and hope you'll consider them while making your decision.

They told me that when I was in Iraq...

...I might have a chance to meet famous musicians. They were right!

Interesting Timing...

WASHINGTON — The top U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, has given his military superiors and Defense Secretary Robert Gates his initial recommendation on when to resume a U.S. troop withdrawal and at what pace, a senior military officer close to the process said Friday.

The officer, who spoke to The Associated Press only on condition that he not be identified, said Petraeus was still analyzing the situation and had not yet submitted a final set of recommendations. That is expected to happen within the next week or so, but there is no firm deadline. [emphasis added]

What is gained by this leak immediately before the Republican convention? Not sure it was a sanctioned leak, but sure takes the wind out of the "no end in sight" crowd... Story here...

Palin on Iraq

Here's the full late-2006 "surge" question you may have seen quoted (in whole or in part - but it's so brief I can't imagine why folks would want to edit it down) elsewhere:

ABM: We've lost a lot of Alaska's military members to the war in Iraq. How do you feel about sending more troops into battle, as President Bush is suggesting?

Palin: I've been so focused on state government, I haven't really focused much on the war in Iraq. I heard on the news about the new deployments, and while I support our president, Condoleezza Rice and the administration, I want to know that we have an exit plan in place; I want assurances that we are doing all we can to keep our troops safe. Every life lost is such a tragedy. I am very, very proud of the troops we have in Alaska, those fighting overseas for our freedoms, and the families here who are making so many sacrifices.

I've seen that quote reduced to "I haven't really focused much on the war in Iraq" - very much reminiscent of the chopping done to the McCain "100 years" remark. I'm not sure how many State governors have made memorable comments on Iraq. I'm not sure how many would use the other Party's talking points ("exit plan" in this example) in doing so. I don't fault Governors for answering questions, and if they choose to do so by pointing out the difference between State and Federal priorities (or demanding the assurances that Palin does above) I won't fault them for that either. Likewise if they - like so many others - have changed their opinions over the past two years (this interview is that old) I'm okay with that, too. Beyond all that, actions speak louder than words.

The full interview requires registration, covers other two year old topics, and can be found here. Other early national buzz on Palin centers on the "reformer" topic, with a few other mentions of her "libertarian" leanings based on a veto of a bill limiting some rights of same-sex couples. Both are mentioned below.

On Track

Here - or in the continue reading section below - is a story on a mom seeing her son off to Basic at Benning. I'm sure if you've read one you've read 'em all, and even though this mom is the Governor of Alaska the story is familiar to us milblogger types. (In fact "one of us" is what ran through my mind while reading.)

I'm not trying to get into apples/oranges or one-upmanship here, but I think it's worth noting that Track Palin enlisted* after High School. Journalists aren't going to catch that distinction between him and Biden and McCain's sons** - or even McCain himself.

And I don't want to get into details of MOS/unit/mission here either, but I'm sure that's going to be on the TeeVee before the weekend is out. I'd hope not - likewise with Biden's son - but enterprising reporters is what they is and do what they do and people have a right to know, alluh akbar.

Added: To add a bit of perspective - at the time of this story - September 2007 - I (along with 160,000 other Americans in uniform) was in Iraq, General Petraeus hadn't yet delivered his report to congress, death tolls were still high, the consensus from mainstream media reports was that we were fighting a losing battle, and the conventional wisdom was that John McCain's support for the surge had cost him his political career - he was down in the polls and had no chance of winning the Republican nomination and could forget about the oval office. There was no New GI Bill (not even talk of it), congressmen (and others) were accusing troops in Iraq of slaughtering women and children, and Iraq Vets were getting a reputation in news media (and a spate of Hollywood "blockbusters") of being psychotic thugs with a host of other health problems who were being ignored by "the Army" and the VA. None of that was close to reality, of course, and "of course, we all knew all along the surge would work..." but it took a lot of guts (and/or faith) to enlist in September, 2007, and in many ways I'm sure it took even more to watch your 18 year old son do it.

*'Enlisted': John Kerry knows the difference: "You know, education, if you make the most of it, if you study hard and do your homework, and you make an effort to be smart, uh, you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq."

** Via Malclave, in comments: "One correction... only one of Sen. McCain's sons enrolled in Annapolis. The other in uniform, Jimmy McCain, enlisted in the Marines at 17."

Greyhawk predictions

We're sitting around the house of Greyhawk's talking about all the political brouhaha, and our middle child makes an insightful prediction.

Here

Patti Receives Prestigious VFW Award for Service

For demonstrating inspirational service and citizenship in founding Soldiers' Angels, Patti Patton-Bader received the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) 2008 James E. Van Zandt Citizenship Award last week at the VFW 109th National Convention in Orlando, Florida. Through Soldiers’ Angels, Patton-Bader has inspired hundreds of thousands of volunteers to display their citizenship by actively support American military personnel in this time of war. With over twenty different teams and programs addressing a variety of needs, the organization’s 200,000 members assist the deployed, families on the homefront, the wounded, and families of the fallen.

Patton-Bader sees the award as a testimony to the efforts and effectiveness of the volunteers she leads. “I am so appreciative that the VFW honored Soldiers’ Angels with this wonderful award, she said. “Each of our volunteers create ripples of kindness that add up to an ocean of greatness in support of our heroes, and it fills my heart that veterans know they are loved and appreciated.”

The Van Zandt Citizenship Award is given in recognition of selfless service and dedication that inspire Americans to better citizenship. The citation reads

More here

Way to go Patti!

Palin on...

Okay, when Obama picked Biden we glanced at the veep candidate's position on the Patriot Act (he wrote it - Ashcroft stole it: "...the bill John Ashcroft sent up was my bill"), on Arabs, Persians, or whoever those people were who attacked us on 9/11 (America needs to show the Arab world that we're not bent on its destruction. "Seems to me this would be a good time to send, no strings attached, a check for $200 million to Iran," <...> Biden's admirers spin his undisciplined chatter as a kind of John McCain-esque straight talk), and on Iraq (split it into 3 countries).

So in fairness, now that McCain has made a choice, we should examine her positions on the same. But I got nothin'. I know she - like McCain and Biden - has a son who is going to serve (or already has) in Iraq, though unlike the elder statesmen, her son is a junior enlisted troop. And I just heard her praise McCain's unswerving support to Iraq, so there's that.

But since she's a newcomer to the national stage there aren't a whole lot of quotes available. So in an attempt to remain politically neutral, here's the official Obama response to McCain's pick: "Today, John McCain put the former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the presidency".

Veep debates will indeed be interesting. I have no idea how she (or anyone) will be able to respond off the cuff to the sort of unexpected verbal hand grenades the venerable Biden might launch (first guess: stunned look of confusion or disbelief) and I'm not sure if all the coaching in the world can prepare anyone for what might come. Should be fun to watch.

For what it's worth: McCain and Palin certainly looked more comfortable in their first public hug then Obama and Biden did. (But please don't take that as an endorsement of anyone or anything.)

This is the man I met at the White House

President makes a stop at Eielson AirForce Base

A short time later, the Secret Service opened the door and President Bush walked in. I thought we might get to shake his hand as he went through. But instead, he walked up to my wife with his arms wide, pulled her in for a hug and a kiss, and said, "I wish I could heal the hole in your heart." He then grabbed me for a hug, as well as each of our sons. Then he turned and said, "Everybody out."

A few seconds later, the four of us were completely alone behind closed doors with the President of the United States and not a Secret Service agent in sight.

He said, "Come on, let's sit down and talk." He pulled up a chair at the side of the room, and we sat down next to him. He looked a little tired from his trip, and he noticed that his shoes were scuffed up from leaning over concrete barriers to shake hands and pose for photos. He slumped down the chair, completely relaxed, smiled, and suddenly was no longer the President - he was just a guy with a job, sitting around talking with us like a family member at a barbeque.

VOTE!

...for Eisenhower!

McCain and the OODA Loop

Who would have guessed that Sen. John McCain would be beating the pants off of Sen. Barack Obama on the YouTube centric, political web-enabled battle space?

Anybody who knows anything about John Boyd’s conception of the OODA Loop, and knows that John McCain flew fighter jets.

Here’s the essential primer from the indispensable Bill Whittle:

Observe.
Orient.
Decide.
Act.

Then Observe.
Orient.
Decide.
Act.

Then Observe…

It’s a cycle. It’s a loop. It’s called by its inelegant acronym: The OODA loop.

Now here’s what blew my mind, as I am sure it blew John Boyd’s mind on a level I can not and will never fully comprehend:

The winner of these battles is not necessarily the fellow who makes the best decisions. More often than not, it’s the guy who makes the fastest decisions.

Agility. Speed. Precision. Lethality. Fingerspitzengefuhl: fingertip control.

McCain has gotten inside Obama’s OODA Loop. Before the worshipful coverage has barely hit its crest, McCain launches the Obama as Shallow Celebrity campaign. Before the Unity Set Piece has played itself out, McCain’s campaign is blasting away at the pounds of flesh the Clinton’s are exacting from Obama.

Biden picked as VP, and without a blink of a news cycle, Team McCain has clips available documenting all the disparaging things Biden said about Obama during his 3 second Presidential Campaign. Georgia, Rezko, Ayers, every news item that at all promises a hold on news attention, and McCain is out in front, Obama lagging and sagging behind.

Not only does the McCain campaign react instantly to every exploitable gaffe, emerging event, or unpleasantness that will damage Obama or enhance McCain, flooding the media space with generally high quality ads and videos, but now McCain plays Obama’s coronation day perfectly: McCain: Job Well Done, Barack.

McCain can afford to let it rest, while seemingly displaying the rarest of qualities: an appreciation of his opponent’s accomplishment. Because he knows he’s already won the OODA Loop.

John McCain is a fighter pilot who certainly knows Boyd’s OODA Loop. Nice to see he found how to apply OODA to running a Presidential Campaign.

(Via The Corner)

(Cross-posted at Dadmanly)

Commandant Wants More Marines in Afghanistan

With transition of security to Iraqi Security Forces in Anbar Province, the Commandant is recommending more Marines out of Iraq and into Afghanistan.

ASY: FREEDOM WALK

I will never forget... I remember... so I'm inviting you to come...

Walk with us... Celebrate Freedom... and Remember... Together.

Biden on the Patriot Act

The Big 'L' Libertarians will love this one:

In the wake of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, Biden did, in fact, champion an anti-terrorism bill similar to the one now before Congress (though it was, as he complains, badly watered down by anti-government conservatives and leftist civil libertarians). And Biden doesn't let you forget it. "I introduced the terrorism bill in '94 that had a lot of these things in it," he bragged to NBC's Tim Russert on September 30. When I spent the day with him later that week, Biden mentioned the legislation to me, and to several other reporters he encountered, no fewer than seven times. "When I was chairman in '94 I introduced a major antiterrorism bill--back then," he says in the morning, flashing a knowing grin and pausing for effect. (Never mind that he's gotten the year wrong.) Back in his office later that afternoon, he brings it up yet again. "I drafted a terrorism bill after the Oklahoma City bombing. And the bill John Ashcroft sent up was my bill."

Biden on Iran

Best of the Web Today:

The month after the 9/11 attacks, The New Republic profiled Biden and caught this brainstorm:

At the Tuesday-morning meeting with committee staffers, Biden launches into a stream-of-consciousness monologue about what his committee should be doing, before he finally admits the obvious: "I'm groping here." Then he hits on an idea: America needs to show the Arab world that we're not bent on its destruction. "Seems to me this would be a good time to send, no strings attached, a check for $200 million to Iran," Biden declares. He surveys the table with raised eyebrows, a How do ya like that? look on his face.

The staffers offer various objections, but no one notes the obvious one: Iran is not Arab and is the enemy of most Arab regimes.

The 2001 New Republic story introduces Biden as "the current chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and the Democratic Party's de facto spokesman on the war against terrorism" and includes this observation: "Biden's admirers spin his undisciplined chatter as a kind of John McCain-esque straight talk."

"It's not [just] democracy, it's Iraqracy"

General Petraeus, interviewed in Newsweek:

Just back to Al Qaeda a little bit. Why so shy about declaring victory over them, if they're in such bad shape?
Well, first of all we truly think it would be premature, honestly. And then I think there still is a very lethal and very deadly and very barbaric enemy out there. Again, sufficiently barbaric to strap [explosive] vests onto women.

Which in a way is a sign of their weakness, too. They can't find enough men to do it.
Well, yeah, you can interpret it that way. We'll let you do that. And again, honestly, [U.S.] Ambassador [Ryan] Crocker and I explicitly, from day one, together, said that we have got to be coldly realistic and as absolutely objective as we possibly can and not let our enthusiasms or perhaps normal optimism creep into our assessments, frankly. And so we've been very, very careful to ensure that what we say is as absolutely credible as we can make it, and also not open up the assessments to charges of spinning.

Via the Donovan FbL, who adds "The interviewer asks good, educated questions and generallly gets honest and substantial answers. But it was interesting to see Petraeus dance around the fact that the minute we declare the war a success, all it will take is one significant attack for the media and politicans to call it all a lie. It's amazing to see the interviewer more positive about developments than the General himself."

I think FbL hit upon one of the General's primary causes for reluctance, but sadly I think that in addition any display of optimism could also lead to accusations of political partisanship at home too (see "not open up the assessments to charges of spinning" quote above) and that's too bad. (But nothing new.)

Welcome Home!!!!

Maj Pain has made it home safe and sound.

Get over there and welcome him home.

Sadr Sympathizers in Denver

I'm not one to use the "Love it or Leave it" line in political discourse. But really...these people calling for solidarity with Sadr at the DNC protests should really get out of the damn country.

Biden on Iraq

Obama has signed up with Biden's plan for Iraq. Unfortunately, the Iraqis rejected this disastrous plan of fracturing the country in three back in September.

Monitoring

Recognize this ship?

It owes its design to something from the American Civil War...

As sorted out here.

Is this IZ Humor?

Personally, I think someone has a little too much time on their hands.

FAIL: the military version

LiveLeak video of military-themed bloopers that's pretty funny stuff to kick off the weekend. Reminds me of the time one of our exercise torpedos had its guidance wire wrap around a cleat on the aft part of the boat causing the test shot to get all wonked up. The important people were furious! But, of course, the rest of us were laughing.

Obama vs. Baldilocks

Long time milblogger Baldilocks, gives an interview regarding Obama and a small school in Kenya named after him.

She has a lot in common with Obama - who might be the next president. Both were born to Kenyan fathers of the same tribe (the Luo) from the same province (Nyanza), who as boys came to America aboard the same airplane.

Very interesting.

Aviation Week Leak

Keeps on giving ... to the enemy. HT: Glenn

Update:

IMHO here's a possible reason we don't want Iran (or others) to believe it was sucessful.

Iran Aerospace Organisation head Reza Taghipour, said Iran wanted to help Muslim countries to launch satellites.

"I am announcing now that Iran is ready to launch satellites of friendly Islamic countries into space," Taghipour told state television.

Taghipour said Iran was planning to build and launch more satellites by 2010.

"We are working on these satellites and gradually they will be put into orbit," he told the semi-official Mehr news agency.

He said construction of the Besharat (Good News) satellite would begin in Iran once it had financing from the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, adding that high costs were an obstacle to space development.

$$$$

U.S. Troops Out of Iraq By 2011

Good news from Iraq in the WSJ that U.S. troops will be fully withdrawn by 2011. It's not official, but WSJ probably wouldn't run it on page one without a bunch of credible sources. This shows the improvement of the Iraqi Security Forces and newfound confidence, and shouldn't be mistaken that we are "withdrawing in defeat".

Iraq' Squeegee Man

What a great public service. He's not even asking for tips.

Re: Gut checks, pleas, etc.

Prolly common knowledge 'round these parts already, but Michael Yon is heading to Afghanistan. He's obviously not going to sort out the whole mess by himself, but given the vague third-hand reports that pass for headline news from that corner of the world I'm glad to see there will be at least one reliable source in-country - I think it kinda sorta matters, you see. (One source in addition to the milbloggers who've never stopped telling the story from their corner of the happy fun camp, I should add.)

Vaguely related - something to cheer in Afghanistan:

Rohullah Nikpai defeated world champion Juan Antonio Ramos of Spain on Wednesday to earn the bronze medal in the men's under 58-kilogram taekwondo competition, sparking applause, wide smiles and laughter in homes, restaurants and ice cream parlors around the country.

Gut check time for France

So far it looks like their President is responding in the correct way. Tough day for a nation trying to be a better ally and leader.

In unusually large and well-coordinated attacks in eastern Afghanistan, Taliban insurgents killed 10 French paratroopers in a mountain road ambush and at least six suicide bombers attempted to storm a NATO alliance base, NATO and Afghan officials said Tuesday.

The ambush, the deadliest single attack on the French military since 1983, led French President Nicolas Sarkozy to fly to Afghanistan to offer condolences and emphasize that France would stay in the war despite public misgivings at home. France recently sent 700 more soldiers to the country.

U.S. Army Olympians Win Gold!

Pfc. Vincent Hancock has won a gold medal in skeet shooting.

Hooah!

And Spc. Glenn Eller also won a gold medal last week in Double Trap.

A double Hooah!

There is an http://www.militarytimes.com/military-olympians/blog.phpAMU commander who is blogging from Beijing for the Military Times. You can check back there every so often for an update on how our Army Olympians are doing.

Life is good when you have good friends.

But when your family doesn't support you?

Ouch!

HELP FOR HEROES: RUGBY ACROSS THE POND

x-posted at Some Soldier's Mom

Shocker: Roseanne Has Gone Completely Insane

Seriously, what the hell was Tom Arnold thinking. Roseanne makes ridiculous accusations against the military in her attack on Voight and Brangelina with the worst celebrity blogorrhea since the Rosie O' Donnell haikus.

Re: A plea

How's this for starters?

ISLAMABAD: A human tide of more than 300,000 civilians has fled the al-Qa'ida badlands, amid indications that the fighting there has reached unprecedented levels, with the Pakistani army using massive firepower to attack jihadi militant strongholds.

Helicopter gunships, fixed-wing strike aircraft, tanks and heavy artillery have been used in the onslaught that followed the visit last month by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to Washington, where he was berated for Pakistan's failure to wipe out the militants.

The offensive runs counter to perceptions that Pakistan's new civilian Government is "soft" on Islamic extremism.

This will reassure Washington, whose ally in the war in terror for the past nine years, President Pervez Musharraf, was given by the Coalition Government until midnight last night (4am today AEST) to resign or face impeachment proceedings beginning tonight in the National Assembly.

Read the whole thing, as they say. I haven't seen this story elsewhere, but even on the day Musharraf resigned this should be the big story from Pakistan.

There are probably inaccuracies in the report - for instance, 300,000 is a big number, implying someone either did some very fast counting or tossed out a wild arse guess. But if correct - or near correct - it seems to me that's a crowd it would be easy for more than a few jihaddis to get "lost" in.

Again, read the whole thing, bearing in mind that early reports are often wrong. But right or wrong, this quote conveys a lot of information:

The offensive, launched without fanfare to avoid conveying the notion it was done at the insistence of Washington, is targeting primarily Bajaur, slated as the most likely hiding place of Osama bin Laden.

And more: there are references to fighting and/or refugees in the region in this NY Times report and this Christian Science Monitor story, but both give the impression that "the Taliban" are calling the shots.

Three Years On…

Sergeant Michael Stokely KIA August 16, 2005 near Yusifiyah, Iraq

It seems so fitting that today, 3 years and 3 days after Mike’s passing that I posted the letter from Major General John Kelley about Sgt Michael Ferschke, a letter that could very well have been written about Sgt Michael Stokely of E Troop 108 CAV 48th BCT Georgia ARNG. A letter that could very well describe the dedication and devotion to Duty, Honor and Country that Sgt Stokely exhibited through out his entire life. A letter that despite the belief by many liberals that our soldiers are nothing more than automatons following orders proves that they are anything but, for their devotion is unmatched by any other but those that wear the uniform of the US Military.

I never met Sgt. Stokely, but have been introduced to him through conversations with his father Mr. Robert Stokely. After only one conversation with Mr. Stokely it’s obvious that Mike was one of those men that you should have known: a devoted son he helped his father canvas for votes in his first election for County Solicitor, a son who according to his doctors was not supposed to live, but who in the end lived a life so full and purposeful that he touched, in a positive way, the lives all those with whom he came in contact.

Re: Kirkuk

I recommend these two posts (and associated links therein) at Abu Muquwama on the topic of Kirkuk and the broader issues of provincial elections in Iraq. My take: these are the issues that have been on the "back burner" in for some time. If they are now the "headline" stories from Iraq that's a good thing.

But in this context (the situation remains political - not military) "headlines" are hypothetical. Real headlines are reserved for suicide bombers, and Iraq watchers are correct to be concerned with the likelihood of a spectacular attack and/or "escalation in violence".

Related aside: the Iraqi Parliament is on summer vacation - as they were last year at this time. If only the US Congress wasn't also the members of that august body could pretend to be outraged.

Iraqi EOD in Diyala

WaPo has a good piece of embedded journalism from Diyala Province, which is in short supply in the media with our current gaffe-ridden election cycle. Don't forget to check out the photo gallery.

A Plea to Pakistan

A recent Al-Sahab release from Zawahiri is directed towards the people of Pakistan. After watching Die Hard last night, the best meme to counter this Al-Qaeda propaganda might be a plea to Pakistan: "Don't Be Ellis!"

Note: Ellis is the coked-up business guy who negotiated with the terrorists (video here)

Creative Uses for Army Tents

A ship that had to be somewhere but had a problem.

An "acquisitive" Executive Officer.

And a little ingenuity.

SS-21 in Georgia

While watching a BBC report over at my place on the attack on the Georgian Navy in the port of Poti, one of my readers SurfCaster proved his worth as a buddy on RECCE Quiz Jeopardy. At about the 1:20 point, he spotted the pic on the right.

Look at the side-by-side. That my friend is a SS-21. All sorts of stuff on parade. With all this Soviet ... errrrr ... Russian gear all over the place, I feel like an O2 again.

PS: remember, when a C-17 drops off lots of goodies, it would be a crying shame to let it go home with a big, empty cargo hold. Plenty of room for geedunk.

A Tense Mood in Kirkuk

The superb IraqPundit takes a break from slamming Obama and warns of trouble on the horizon with Kirkuk. Provincial elections seem to be the most important political issue in Iraq right now (even more so than the disputed Hydrocarbon Bill) and it would be foolish to neglect the potential for conflict.

Contrarian

A week old, but missed it when it was new: Bartle Bull argues against a surge in Afghanistan. Not a popular opinion these days.

I'm reminded of this comment from Bing West:

The steady -- but not total -- withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq is freeing up forces to fight in Afghanistan. But Afghanistan is not the central front in the war on terror. Al Qaeda is hiding in Pakistan, a nation we are not going to invade.

Blog World Expo Joins The Military (Noon Pacific time 3:00 PM Eastern time)

Blog World Radio will have special guests today Andi, Greyhawk and Bill Roggio will all be on today Aug 15th at Noon Pacific Time (3:00 PM Eastern time).

You don't want to miss it. Click on Blogtalk radio widget to listen.

We are joining up with our military bloggers this week to talk about their conference which will be held in Las Vegas along with Blog World and New Media Expo. We are joined by Andi Hurly full time Mom and founder of Spouse Buzz, organizer of the Milblogging Conference, Greyhawk of the Mudville Gazette and Mrs. Greyhawk, and Bill Roggio of the Editor of the Long War Journal and President of Public Mulitmedia, Inc. We have a very full plate and our show is going to be packed with info about military blogging and about their conference taking place in Las Vegas.

Blogworld Expo / MilBlog Conference (BUMPED W/ MANY UPDATES)

UPDATE 1 - SURPRISE! Andi has pulled it off again with big names at the MilBlog Conference. Pete Geren, Secretary of the U.S. Army, and General George Casey, Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, join us via phone for the Blogger's Roundtable panel.

And I hear there are more surprises ahead.

UPDATE 2- ANDI has an important note:

We've received some email from folks claiming they're going to attend the conference, but who haven't requested registration codes. Just an FYI - you can't show up on the day of and gain admittance. BWE has a registration policy and we need to comply with that. Those of you who are registered and are bringing spouses or family members who are not, they will need to register.

So, if you're planning to attend but haven't requested your code and registered (free for milblog attendees), please request your code.

MANY MORE UPDATES HERE

Getting Our Money’s Worth in Iraq?

Can both of these statements be true?

Military contracts in the Iraq theater have cost taxpayers at least $85 billion, and when it comes to providing security, they might not be any cheaper than using military personnel, according to a report released Tuesday.

Government security contracts in the Iraq theater have cost taxpayers at least $3 billion since the war began, but offer substantial taxpayer savings, according to a report released Tuesday.

You'll probably want more details before making up your mind, but here I'll only add two: It's not at Mudville, but the blogger is me.

A lot of anti-military people seem to be make a lot of derogatory comments against minorities too. This is an ongoing phenomenon that needs to be explored at CHUD Busters.

Highway to Hell

The New York Times highlights the brutality of the enemy on the highway between Kabul and Kandahar. What is an effective strategy to stop it?

Bon appétit

Talk about a recipes for intrigue: Julia Child was a spy?

Child, whose books and TV show introduced French cooking to the American public, applied for the spy post after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941.

Then age 28, documents show she revealed to her future employers that she'd lost her previous job in the furniture industry after she could not get on with her boss.

She worked as a research assistant and file clerk, then worked directly for OSS chief Gen. William J. Donovan. She also was involved in a project to develop a shark repellent, to stop sharks from exploding underwater mines.

Later, she was posted to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) where she met her husband Paul Cushing Child, also an OSS operative. She moved with him to France and later trained in French cuisine and opened her famed cooking school.

Well, "I'll be dipped in chocolate and rolled in peecaans

MilBlogs TV: The Surge

The trailer for the next MilBlogs TV production debuted in The Dawn Patrol today. (I think it makes an interesting short video by itself - but obviously I'm biased.)

The actual Surge series won't focus on the war on the home front depicted in the trailer, by the way. But with newly declassified documents, a green light to share some first-hand knowledge, and a large video collection to draw from I think many of the folks involved in that debate would benefit from viewing the final product.

By the way, if you read Mudville via rss it's likely you've been missing the Dawn Patrol. Since our last major site re-design it has actually been a separate blog, although both appear side by side on Mudville's front page. And if you miss the Dawn Patrol, you miss out on a lot of fine milbloggers reporting from downrange (and elsewhere.)

Embed code for the video:

<embed src="http://blip.tv/play/AcfeQY3NKg" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="300" height="240" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true">
</embed>

As always, adjust size to your specs.

No Fun For The Marines

Apparently, some business owners in Wilmington, NC don't want the Marines hanging around because they're afraid fights and drunken shenanigans are going to break out. This kind of reminds me of the "Dogs and Sailors Keep Off The Grass" signs you hear about from Norfolk during WWII, except Snopes isn't going to dispute the most recent evidence.

More Georgia

The best (perhaps the only) tactical/strategic discussion I've seen yet on the Russo-Georgian conflict.

I get a bit more understanding of why South Ossetia matters to the Georgians - a mountain range between them and Russia. The Russians, however, have clearly demonstrated why such obstacles won't stop them from acting swiftly to demonstrate their love of freedom and concern for oppressed peoples of the world.

RE: Georgia: The Kosovo Precedent

That is exactly the trump card that Russia holds. Any objection, and they will simply roll tape on Kosovo.

Looked at objectively from the Russian perspective and with a little bit of cheese-cloth over the lens- if you put Georgia in the position of Serbia - there isn't much of a difference.

I would say, "Look at the Strategic Level OPLAN for Kosovo," to see what the risk mitigation and assumptions were - but as we all know, Gen. Wesley Clark didn't see a need for one.

There was no UNMIK strategic plan and supporting KFOR campaign plan at the outset. ... The North Atlantic Council approved operations plan for KFOR did not arrive until some forty days after KFOR arrived in Kosovo.

Georgia: The Kosovo Precedent

Austin Bay says it well about another "unforeseen consequence" of the Kososvo gift that keeps on giving.

For Moscow’s foreign policy purposes, the troubles in Georgia fit “the Kosovo frame” – a minority group beset by an “ethnic nationalist authority” attempting to regain control. *** However, Russian diplomats warned for the last eight years claimed “the Kosovo precedent” would affect around 200 regions or territories in nations around the world. That’s a nice round figure and it may in fact be low.

Moscow’s insisted that Kosovo would establish a “separatist precedent” for spinning statelets from sovereign nations. Interestingly enough, both Romania and Greece oppose a “unilateral” Kosovo independence. Spain, with its Basque separatists, wasn’t enthusiastic.

One such warning from 2006 can be found here:

More Georgia

NYT:

TBILISI, Georgia — Russian tanks and troops moved through the separatist enclave of South Ossetia and advanced on the city of Gori in central Georgia on Sunday night, for the first time directly assaulting a Georgian city with ground forces after three days of heavy fighting, Georgian officials said.

But Russia on undisputed Georgian territory? If such reports are verified, a brave new world awaits us all...

I also believe Lex is right on the money here:

This was not so much a failure of Georgian strategy so much as it was a failure of worldwide imagination. Tanks do not roll overnight, and fleets do not move in a week’s time. Putin is not acting out of petulance but calculation, and the game he’s playing is as long as Russian history itself.

Olympic Shell Game

The beginning of a long winning streak.

Three admirals.

A revolution.

As set out here.

Re: Mansoor

Virtually every paragraph is worthy of much expansion and much debate.

To be sure, some units conducted effective counterinsurgency operations before the surge, including Col. H.R. McMaster's 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment in Tall Afar in 2005 and Col. Sean MacFarland's 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, in Ramadi in 2006. More generally, however, the coalition approach before 2007 was focused on rapidly shifting security responsibilities to Iraqi forces. As sectarian violence spiraled out of control, it became increasingly evident that Iraqi forces were unable to prevent its spread. By the fall of 2006, it was clear that our strategy was failing, an assessment courageously stated by Gen. George Casey and U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad in their year-end review of the Joint Campaign Plan.

One - the implication that pre-2007 we were wandering aimlessly to nowhere under the guidance of buffoons, and two - the idea that everything changed abruptly and rapidly with the arrival of the surge forces - each of whom was armed with a copy of the new COIN FM. And if "By the fall of 2006, it was clear that our strategy was failing", then I'd add that it was equally true in the spring of 2006. In fact, I'd argue that in some ways (see Awakening, Anbar) the situation was better in the fall of 2006 than it had been six months previously. The only thing more clear in the fall was that the Democrats were about to control both houses of the US Congress. This amplified a previously understated sense of urgency about the rate of progress in Iraq.

Blogworld Expo / MilBlog Conference

REGISTRATION:

1. To register for the milblogs (and and only milblogs) conference, first send an email (with "Request Code" in the subject line) to andi-at-andisworld-dot-com. You'll receive a registration code via return email. (It may take a couple of days or so for you receive your code. Please don't send follow-up email or worry about it unless it's been more than seven days and you've received no response.)

If you're a panelist, speaker or moderator, you will register as a speaker and will not need a registration code. Information on how to register will be emailed soon to all speakers. We're still waiting for these instructions if anyone else recieved these instructions let us know.

Greyhawk has all registration instructions compiled together here.

LODGINGS:

Blocks of rooms at various hotels in Las Vegas have been reserved for registrants of Blog World Expo. The discounted rates will only be good until August 18, so it's best to make your reservations now. THEY ARE GOIN' FAST!

Although an official "milblog" hotel has not been designated, according to Andi, survey seems to indicate that many milbloggers are staying at the Marriott Courtyard, or the Sahara. If you'd like to try to stay together as a group, please leave your lodging suggestions in the comment section here or the MB Conference site.

We're (I'm) staying at the Marriot Courtyard with nice fluffy bedding. Greyhawk on the other hand will be wandering and sleeping in the Nevada desert in full cammo gear with his ipod full of Metallica, killing his own food (hope he likes snakes and armadillos) and trying to add a turret to Some Soldier's Mom's vehicle. (sigh)

We plan on enjoying Vegas a little before the conference, we're arriving on the 18th and leaving on the 22nd. We're trying to have a gathering somewhere on Friday evening, so please leave a comment if you'd like to be in on this and we can coordinate times and location via emails.

FYI , If you want to stay at the Marriot Courtyard they still have rooms available outside the Blogworld expo block ($134.00/night) at a more expensive rate ($170.00/night) but if you're active duty military, you qualify for a discount outside the Blogworld expo block - at $108.00 a night except Sunday night ($229, not sure why that is). I suggest you go thru Blog Expo for this night. If reservations for Marriot are made online instead of called in, put GOV in the spot for Corporate/promotional code. You will need to show military ID upon arrival.

According to Military.com the (ahem) Hilton has military discounts as well for $97.00 a night. Be sure you ck to see if these apply to the BWE dates.

Here are some other Hotels in Vegas offering Military discounts.

Need to get rooms now. THEY ARE GOIN' FAST!

Also Southwest Airlines and Continental have the cheapest airfare, go thru them directly.

TRADITION:

At the 2007 MilBlog Conference, we threw a huge baby shower for a severely wounded Marine and his wife. The gift table was overflowing with gifts from generous conference attendees. Semper Fi Wife had the honor of delivering a truck full of gifts to Bethesda Naval Hospital, and reported that the couple was a bit shocked to see the amount of gifts that complete strangers provided for their baby.

Soldier's Mom reminds us that we have the opportunity to throw a baby shower for another deserving couple this year. If you don't know the story of Jayme and Joey Bozik, you should study up. Jayme is due Christmas Eve. They are having a girl...Violet Skye Bozik. We'll continue the tradition this year with Baby Bozik as our inspiration.
Andi has details here.

Not everyone has to purchase something but a congrats and thank you for your service card would be nice.

Lookin' forward to meeting up with old friends and meeting some new faces. Hope to see you all there.

SPONSORS:

Anyone who wants to show their support for the milblogging community by purchasing a sponsorship package that is sure to get your company or organization noticed, and will help offset the costs of the 2008 MilBlog Conference. Corporate sponsorships are now available.

Andi has details here:

Thank you Andi again for all your efforts you put into this, hugs coming your way.

...then the other end goes too ...

Greyhawk, you missed the best part of the article you linked to;

Ukraine also warned that it might not allow Russian ships deployed off Abkhazia to return to their base in the Crimea.

"Here's the part where your head explodes"

The Guardian:

The conflict in the Caucasus today spread to Georgia's second breakaway province of Abkhazia, where separatist rebels and the Russian air force launched an all-out attack on Georgian forces.

Why she is called a bear

Ugly.

Georgia says its troops have withdrawn from the breakaway region of South Ossetia and that Russian forces are in control of its capital, Tskhinvali.

An government spokesman told the BBC it was not a military defeat but a necessary step to protect civilians.

But a Russian military spokesman said Georgia had not withdrawn its forces and the situation remained tense.

Russian PM Vladimir Putin has suggested it is unlikely that South Ossetia will re-integrate with the rest of Georgia.

Meanwhile, Russian warships are being deployed to impose a naval blockade on Georgian ports on the Black Sea coast to prevent arms and military shipments, Russian media reports say.

Separatist authorities in Georgia's breakaway province of Abkhazia mobilized the army and called up reservists Sunday to drive Georgian government forces out of the small part of the province still under Georgian control.

The move dramatically raises the stakes in the conflict between Georgia and Russia over another separatist province, South Ossetia. With most Georgian troops concentrated on fighting Russian troops in South Ossetia, it could be hard for Georgia to repel the Abkhazian offensive.

In addition, Russia troops were seen moving through Abkahzia toward the border with Georgia, which lies on the Black Sea between Turkey and Russia.

SGT Grumpy's Groovy Photo Collage

SGT Grumpy has some photos from his time in Iraq posted. Pretty cool! I liked the Sadr pic.

New Op-Ed From Peter Mansoor

Colonel Mansoor discusses how the surge related to stabilization in Iraq without all the nonsensical political disputes about "What the Surge is" that you get from Washington.

While we are Marching to Georgia...

The New York Times:

The Russian defense ministry said 100 planeloads of airborne troops will be brought to northern Russia and marched into the “zone of hostilities.”

That's probably a misquote, of course. But it demonstrates why early media reports from sources like the New York Times are unreliable, at best.

(Title reference)

And Another Re: Georgia

Danger Room asks: Did the U.S. Prep Georgia for War with Russia?

When it comes to coverage of all things military, Danger Room rarely takes "sides" but invariably takes a provocative viewpoint.

Re: Georgia

Mentioned in Salamandar's post, but lesser known on these shores is the fact that Georgia currently has a combat Brigade serving in Iraq, in Wasit province, not far from the border with Iran. Some 'fog of war' confusion now surrounds the future of that Brigade. According to the AP

Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili told CNN television Friday the troops would return urgently to Georgia after fighting erupted in South Ossetia.

"One brigade of Georgian forces is in Iraq and we are calling it home tomorrow," Saakashvili said in the interview.

Georgia will withdraw 1,000 soldiers from its military contingent of around 2,000 troops in Iraq to help in the fighting against South Ossetian separatist rebels, a top Georgian official said.

Georgia has asked the US military to provide aircraft to move all Georgian troops home from Iraq as fighting rages in South Ossetia, a US military official said Friday.

More details here.

Russia invades Georgia

....and not the one with all the peaches and bad football.

So much for the summer break from history - if there was ever such a thing.

Georgia, a staunch U.S. ally, launched a surprise military offensive to retake South Ossetia and reportedly killed hundreds of people, triggering a ferocious counterattack from Russia that threatened to plunge the region into full-scale war.

Moscow, which has close ties to the separatists, sent a column of tanks rolling into South Ossetia and reportedly attacked two Georgian air bases as it moved to assert itself as the dominant regional power.

An Opportunity to Give Something Back

What do babies and the MilBlog Conference have in common?

A lot!

Provincial Elections in Iraq Stall

Marc Lynch discusses the provincial elections that got delayed in Iraq.

Prepackaged Slander

The Editors at the NY Times have long proved themselves overwhelmingly biased and nakedly partisan, throughout 8 years of relentless attacks against any move the Bush Administration has taken to fight terrorism or our terrorist enemies. They make no pretense of logic, consistency, or even sanity, as long as all slurs and insults point Bush-ward. They have no need of facts, let alone opposing viewpoints, especially not those heretical ones that refute the received wisdom of the Times.

They assume venality in every case, cause, and controversy, and have championed the alternate universe inhabited by most of the Left, whereby their political opponents are evil, every intention is ulterior and sinister, and every partisan (on the other side) is less than human. The NY Times doesn’t just drink the Kool-Aid, they concoct huge batches of it for public consumption.

But they’ve outdone themselves today, in offensiveness, insult, even slander, asserting that the US Military has aided and abetted in orchestrating a Kangaroo Court conviction of an admitted terrorist, under orders from the White House and Congress.

Great Quotes from the British Invasion

(The short version. The full version is here.)

From the get go, they tried very hard to not be American. They succeeded.

April, 2003 - The Guardian:

Senior British military officers on the ground are making it clear they are dismayed by the failure of US troops to try to fight the battle for hearts and minds.
<...>
Yesterday, British officers described the very different approach between UK and American soldiers by pointing to Uum Qasr, the Iraqi port south of Basra and the first urban area captured by US and UK marines. "Unlike the Americans, we took our helmets and sunglasses off and looked at the Iraqis eye to eye," said a British officer.

While British soldiers "get out on their feet", Americans, he said, were reluctant to leave their armoured vehicles. When they did do so - and this was the experience even in Uum Qasr - US marines were ordered to wear their full combat kit.

One difference emphasised yesterday by senior British military sources was the attitude towards "force protection". A defence source added: "The Americans put on more and more armour and firepower. The British go light and go on the ground." He made it plain what approach should be adopted towards what he called "frightened Iraqis".

British defence sources contrast the patient tactics deployed by their troops around Basra and what they call the more brutal tactics used by American forces around Nassiriya.
<...>
British military sources are now concerned that the experience in peacekeeping and unconventional warfare of British troops will mean they will be in Iraq long after the Americans have left, even for years, in policing and humanitarian operations.
<...>
The concern here among military chiefs is that the experience will mean the US will want to get out of places even quicker, leaving the British and others to continue fighting the battle for hearts and minds.

More Tough Times For Afghanistan

Some reports are emerging that AIDS is becoming more of a problem in Afghanistan due to drug abuse.

Talking MilBlogs TV

...with J.P. at milblogging.com.

His Hate is Indiscriminatory

Many folks seem to be under the impression that only Che-appareled college kids are predisposed to hate the troops, but C.H.U.D. Busters has found that antisemitic creeps are capable of this skill as well.

Sobering Statistics From Afghanistan

Iraq has always upstaged Afghanistan in the American media due to its controversial nature and larger amount of resource allocation. But don't forget Afghanistan, which The Long War Journal has some detailed, but sobering, statistics about.

Mahdi Army to Disarm in Iraq

New Sadrist literature calls for the Mahdi Army to use no arms at all. This has been confirmed by a Sadr spokesman and is not some rumor. Crash and Burn for the Mahdi Army.

Dozvedanya, Alexander

A most remarkable man has died, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, famed dissident, writer, and philosopher. Hero against communism and communist evil, and significantly responsible for the fall of the USSR and the Warsaw Pact. Continuing inspiration for millions the world over who still struggle against communism, and fight for freedom against oppression.

The Corner’s Kathryn Jean Lopez (years earlier, Jay Nordlinger) both paid tribute to Solzhenitsyn and a speech he gave at Harvard.

Here’s a remarkable passage, so prescient it’s almost beyond belief that he gave the speech in 1978:

In today's Western society, the inequality has been revealed of freedom for good deeds and freedom for evil deeds. A statesman who wants to achieve something important and highly constructive for his country has to move cautiously and even timidly; there are thousands of hasty and irresponsible critics around him, parliament and the press keep rebuffing him. As he moves ahead, he has to prove that every single step of his is well-founded and absolutely flawless. Actually an outstanding and particularly gifted person who has unusual and unexpected initiatives in mind hardly gets a chance to assert himself; from the very beginning, dozens of traps will be set out for him. Thus mediocrity triumphs with the excuse of restrictions imposed by democracy.

It is feasible and easy everywhere to undermine administrative power and, in fact, it has been drastically weakened in all Western countries. The defense of individual rights has reached such extremes as to make society as a whole defenseless against certain individuals. It is time, in the West, to defend not so much human rights as human obligations.

Destructive and irresponsible freedom has been granted boundless space. Society appears to have little defense against the abyss of human decadence, such as, for example, misuse of liberty for moral violence against young people, motion pictures full of pornography, crime and horror. It is considered to be part of freedom and theoretically counter-balanced by the young people's right not to look or not to accept. Life organized legalistically has thus shown its inability to defend itself against the corrosion of evil.

And what shall we say about the dark realm of criminality as such? Legal frames (especially in the United States) are broad enough to encourage not only individual freedom but also certain individual crimes. The culprit can go unpunished or obtain undeserved leniency with the support of thousands of public defenders. When a government starts an earnest fight against terrorism, public opinion immediately accuses it of violating the terrorists' civil rights. There are many such cases.

Such a tilt of freedom in the direction of evil has come about gradually but it was evidently born primarily out of a humanistic and benevolent concept according to which there is no evil inherent to human nature; the world belongs to mankind and all the defects of life are caused by wrong social systems which must be corrected. Strangely enough, though the best social conditions have been achieved in the West, there still is criminality and there even is considerably more of it than in the pauper and lawless Soviet society. (There is a huge number of prisoners in our camps which are termed criminals, but most of them never committed any crime; they merely tried to defend themselves against a lawless state resorting to means outside of a legal framework).

(Cross-posted at Dadmanly

Breakthrough in Military Public Affairs

Check out the military spokesdrone.

Raw Deal

Secret deal kept British Army out of battle for Basra

Re: Angels

Heh - one year ago - almost to the day:

Now, San Fran:

Supervisor Chris Daly wants Congress to stop the Blue Angels’ Fleet Week flyovers and introduced the resolution, citing a fatal accident at an aerial display in South Carolina last year. A hearing Monday let Veterans for Peace and other anti-war groups face off with tourism and commerce supporters. Opponents of the Blue Angels voiced their concern over the trauma the show inflicts on war refugees, the waste of fuel, and noise pollution.

“The Blue Angels are totally unnecessary,” said a resolution supporter. “I believe they are sent here to terrorize this town because we are an anti-war city.”

I'm surprised they failed to note that "Angels" implies endorsement of those religions that include such beings in their theology, and that "Blue" indicates color preference.

The measure failed - those key points could have put it over the top.

Re: Surge

"At the risk of offending the right-of-center folks..."

"Right of center" is somewhere to the right of John McCain. From what I've been able to gather, such folks might be offended by the assumption that McCain is "their man" - or even someone they need to defend rather than merely vote for - and they have no problem with anyone pointing out any of McCain's shortfalls.

Then there's this:

WASHINGTON (Map, News) - D.C. police will seal off entire neighborhoods, set up checkpoints and kick out strangers under a new program that D.C. officials hope will help them rescue the city from its out-of-control violence.

Under an executive order expected to be announced today, police Chief Cathy L. Lanier will have the authority to designate “Neighborhood Safety Zones.” At least six officers will man cordons around those zones and demand identification from people coming in and out of them. Anyone who doesn’t live there, work there or have “legitimate reason” to be there will be sent away or face arrest, documents obtained by The Examiner show.

And this:

"We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we've set. We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded."
-- Barack Obama, July 2, 2008

Update: Warning! - video with one bad word in it below the fold.

Badmouthing Blue Angels

Why someone wouldn't like the Blue Angels is beyond me. Who wouldn't want to hear jets breaking the sound barrier of awesome? But some in Seattle don't, check it out at C.H.U.D. Busters.

Zawahiri

Bill Roggio says to hold off on the celebration bottle for Zawahiri's demise. Drats!

Surge...in America?!?

At the risk of offending the right-of-center folks on my second post here. Am I the only one that thinks McCain's "surge"-style tactics to fight crime in the U.S. are both no-good and terrible? Sure, it was a good idea for Iraq, but we don't have daily car bombs in Chicago or anything like that.

You Killed the Internet Sitemeter!

That problem with Sitemeter is fixed.