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The Pentagon’s Irregular Wars
The U.S. will Raise ‘Irregular War’ Capabilities:
The Pentagon this week approved a major policy directive that elevates the military’s mission of "irregular warfare" — the increasingly prevalent campaigns to battle insurgents and terrorists, often with foreign partners and sometimes clandestinely — to an equal footing with traditional combat.
Of course the U.S. had such capabilities before. The importance of this move is the institutional change that is happening here. During the Cold War the CIA was tasked with such ‘irregular warfare’:
The US government utilized the CIA in order to remove a
string of unfriendly Third World governments and to support others. The
US used the CIA to overthrow governments suspected by Washington of
turning pro-Soviet, including Iran’s first democratically elected
government under Prime Minister Mohammed Mosaddeq in 1953 and
Guatemala’s democratically elected president Jacobo Arbenz Guzmán in
1954 .
After a string of abuses
in the 70s, the Church Committee ended some of the illegal CIA
policies. But the CIA continued to instigate guerrilla operations like
in Afghanistan:
The Soviet intervention was a golden
opportunity for the CIA to transform the tribal resistance into a holy
war, an Islamic jihad to expel the godless communists from Afghanistan.
Over the years the United States and Saudi Arabia expended about $40
billion on the war in Afghanistan. The CIA and its allies recruited,
supplied, and trained almost 100,000 radical mujahideen from forty Muslim
countries including Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Algeria, and Afghanistan
itself. Among those who answered the call was Saudi-born millionaire
right-winger Osama bin Laden and his cohorts.
But now the Pentagon takes over and creates the instruments to do the same. The new Department of Defense directive 3000.07 (pdf) says:
It is DoD policy to:
…
c. Conduct IW independently of, or in combination with, traditional warfare.
(1) IW can include a variety of steady-state and surge DoD activities and operations:
counterterrorism; unconventional warfare; foreign internal defense; counterinsurgency; and
stability operations that, in the context of IW, involve establishing or re-establishing order in a
fragile state.
The directive defines unconventional warfare as:
A
broad spectrum of military and paramilitary operations, normally of
long duration, predominantly conducted through, with, or by indigenous
or surrogate forces who are organized, trained, equipped, supported,
and directed in varying degrees by an external source. It includes, but
is not limited to, guerrilla warfare, subversion, sabotage,
intelligence activities, and unconventional assisted recovery.
Said shorter:
It is DoD policy to conduct independently guerrilla warfare,
subversion, sabotage and intelligence activities to establish or
re-establish order in a fragile state.
A fragile state is of course whatever the Pentagon defines as such.
While there is now a institutional shift from the CIA to the Pentagon,
the personal line is one of continuity. Pentagon chief Gates is a CIA
operative who rose through the ranks to become Director of Central Intelligence.
The principal writer of the new DoD directive is Michael G. Vickers, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict.
In
the mid-1980s, Vicker’s became involved with Operation Cyclone, the
United States Central Intelligence Agency program to arm Islamic
mujahideen during the Soviet war in Afghanistan. He was the head
military strategist for the U.S., coordinating an effort that involved
ten countries and providing direction to forces made up of over 500,000
Afghan fighters.
The
move of such ‘irregular warfare’ policies away from the CIA and towards
the Pentagon is dangerous in my view. The Pentagon has much more money,
people and capabilities than the CIA. It also has less oversight.
This new policy, just like the similar CIA policies before, will end in
huge scandals when the operations planed and executed under it run
wild, as they consistently will, and create the inevitable backslashes.
But until then these new policies of ‘irregular warfare’ will kill a lot of people.
5 and Zimbabwe – the US have done their bit ….
Mengistu Haile Mariam was for 17 bloodthirsty years the quasi Marxist tyrannical ruler of Ethiopia whose fall followed Russian withdrawal of support in 1991. His escape was engineered by the The United States embassy in Zimbabwe which was confirmed in a statement by the then Assistant Secretary of State Herman “Hank” Cohen in 1999. Curiously Mugabe’s current Public relations consultants, Cohen and Woods International, Arlington,VA. comprises Herman Cohen, and James Woods, ex advisor to President George Bush.
Other clients are leaders of Angola and Burkina Faso as is President Laurent Kabila of the Congo.. Cohen is also a member of the panel on Transatlantic Relations and on the Board of Advisors of the National Committee on American Foreign Policy -“Where Leaders meet” …which is a nonprofit, activist organization dedicated to the resolution of conflicts that threaten U.S. interests.
In March 2001 Mengistu and seven male relatives, all of whom fled Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, when the regime was overthrown by pro-democracy forces in 1991, had become permanent residents on the orders of John Nkomo, the home affairs minister.
Since then he has never been far behind Mugabe.
An Ethiopian court on Tuesday December 12th 2006 found Mengistu guilty in his absence of genocide plus for atrocities committed under his Marxist regime, after a 12-year trial.
At the time William Nhara, a spokesperson for President Robert Mugabe’s government, said.”As a comrade of our struggle, Comrade Mengistu and his government played a key and commendable role during our struggle for independence and no one can dispute that,” William Nhara, a spokesperson for President Robert Mugabe’s government, said.
Mengistu planned and was responsible for the execution of Operation Murambatsvina, the controversial home-demolition exercise left at least 700 000 people homeless and affected another 2,4-million people, according to a report by United Nations special envoy Anna Tibaijuka.
Now we have US Ambassador James McGee , in post for a year, awakening to the bloody reprisals of Mugabe on MDC supporters.
In 2005 the then Oxford educated (Balliol) US Ambasador Chris Dell accused Mugabe and his cronies of corruption.
Yet it was the US (undertaken by Herman “Hank” Cohen ) who inserted the evil virus of Mengistu, who is behind Mugabe’s tyrannical plans… and the world’s politiians and press stay silent of the role of the US.
Vietnam vet and career diplomat, James McGee doesn’t have a monopoly in the role of hyprocrite but his Government have been happy to stand aside and watch how Mengistu has helped Mugabe destroy his once beautiful and productive country.
As for the sinister role of Herman “Hank” Cohen in all this ….. well for a start you won’t read about him in the mainstream press or hear about him and Cohen and Woods International on TV. Apologists for bloodthirsty murderers like to keep a low profile. Know what I mean?
Hank Cohen has however received some recognition ..
“And in presenting these awards, I also want to make special mention of someone else, and I’m talking about Assistant Secretary Hank Cohen in his role in this remarkable odyssey. Operation Solomon represents a culmination for his leadership over the years on this question of the Ethiopian Jews. And all of this occurred at the same time when the Angola accords were signed, a negotiation in which, as we all know, Hank Cohen played an extraordinarily important role.
I salute the contribution which all of them have made to this tremendous success in removing the Ethiopian Jews from harm’s way and reuniting them with their loved ones in Israel. And I also salute your efforts to bring peace and democracy to that country, to Ethiopia, a troubled country with which we feel a special kinship in spite of the years of bad relations under the previous regime.
And now it’s a privilege and a pleasure to get on with this small awards ceremony, but I think I speak for everybody in the audience when I say we do this with grateful hearts. And now I might ask my military aide, Major Boschwitz — [laughter] — Major Boschwitz. [Laughter] Sorry — Major Bonwit to — close, Dave — to read the first citation, if you would, sir.”
George H.W. Bush, 1991
http://bushlibrary.tamu.edu/research/public_papers.php
?id=3059&year=1991&month=6
In the world of Curious Coincidences a name of one of the recipients of awards from George Snr that day …”and then one who’s not with us today but is ably represented, Robert Houdek, our Charge d’Affaires of our Embassy in Addis, operating under fire, under great pressure, performing admirably. Mrs. Mary Houdek is accepting the award on behalf of her husband who is still in Ethiopia.”
May ring a bell ….
Robert G. Houdek, National Intelligence Officer for Africa, concludes in a memo that allegations about Iraq attempting to obtain uranium from Niger are baseless. The assessment, requested by the Pentagon in late December or early January 2003, is sent to the White House. [Washington Post, 4/9/2006] -ie before Wilson went off snuffling like a truffle hound for Niger uranium cake being sent to Saddam.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/08/AR2006040800916_pf.html
http://tinyurl.com/rhyo7
Posted by: ziz | Dec 5 2008 4:00 utc | 16
As proof positive that the Pentagonians have officially merged public news with CIA black ops psyops lies, this story, so wrong on so many levels it’s criminal:
Missile shield test to be most realistic yet, officials say
By Jamie McIntyre
CNN Senior Pentagon Correspondent <-- Psyops Central
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Pentagon is set to conduct the 13th and most realistic test of its missile shield system to date, officials told CNN.
[OK FIRST, THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A TEST EVEN REMOTELY CLOSE TO "REALISTIC". EACH INTERCEPT IS PRE-PLANNED FOR MONTHS, THE INCOMING TRAJECTORY IS KNOWN IN ADVANCE, AND THE LAUNCHERS ESSENTIALLY WAIT UNTIL THE LAUNCHEES SAY THAT THEY'RE READY.]
An official says the target missile launched in the upcoming test will have countermeasures.
[OK SECOND, "COUNTERMEASURES" IS A SWINDLE. THE FIRST ABM TESTS MISSED COMPLETELY, BECAUSE THE INFRARED DETECTION SYSTEM COULDN'T SEE THE WARHEADS IN THE PALE MOON LIGHT. BMDO'S CON WAS TO SUGGEST "COUNTERMEASURES" IN THE FORM OF LARGE BALLOONS WHICH CAPTURED THE LIGHT, ENABLING THE ABM TO FIND AND CLOSE ON ITS TARGET. CLEVER.]
The first "window," or opportunity, for the test opens at 3 p.m. ET Friday and runs through Tuesday. Although the anti-missile system can work in any weather, the Missile Defense Agency needs a clear sky to monitor the $115 million test.
So far, the U.S. military has successfully shot down a mock warhead in space with an interceptor missile in seven tests. The interceptor carries a "kill vehicle," which is designed to destroy the target missile by crashing into it.
[OK THIRD, THE VERY FIRST TEST, THE LAUNCH FAILED BECAUSE THE LAUNCHEES FORGET TO ARM THE FIRING CIRCUIT! VERY EMBARRASSING, SINCE $10M IN MISSILE HARDWARE WENT KERSPLASH. THEY BLAMED THE MOTOR MANUFACTURER, AND THE TAXPAYER TOOK THE MONEY HIT. SINCE THEN, THE ABM HAS ACHIEVED, EVEN WITH KNOWN TIME OF EVENT, TRAJECTORY, GIANT BALLOONS SCREAMING, I'M HERE! I'M HERE! BARELY 50% SUCCESS RATIO. A FLIP OF A COIN.
IF YOUR COMPUTER OR YOUR CAR ONLY WORKED 50% OF THE TIME, YOU'D SHITCAN IT PRONTO.]
But critics have long complained the tests are not realistic, because they don't involve balloons or other decoys that, they argue, could easily fool the interceptor.
[RECALL, THE BALLOON IDEA IS A CON! REALISTIC COUNTERMEASURES WOULD BE TO PAINT THE INCOMING WARHEADS WITH $25 WORTH OF BLACK CHROME PAINT, SO THEY REFLECT ABSOLUTELY NO INFRARED/VISIBLE RADIATION THAT THE ABM SENSORS CAN TARGET ONTO UNTIL TOO LATE. NOTICE THE PENTAGON HAS NEVER ASKED FOR COUNTERMEASURE SUGGESTIONS, OR ALTERNATES.]
In the upcoming test, the target will be a mock warhead accompanied by "countermeasures similar to what Iran or North Korea could deploy," according to a missile defense agency official.
[IN OTHER WORDS, EVEN BIGGER BALLOONS REFLECTING EVEN MORE INFRARED SO THAT THE ABM CAN'T POSSIBLY CONFUSE THE WARHEAD FOR STARLIGHT, AND LAUNCH ONLY DURING THE RIGHT PHASE OF THE MOON, SO THE TARGET IS LIT UP LIKE A CHRISTMAS TREE AT TIMES SQUARE.]
The official could not give details of the types of decoys because that information is classified, he told CNN.
[YEAH, BULLSHIT. A REAL TEST WOULD DEPLOY FROM ANY OF TWO OR MORE EXISTING LAUNCH LOCATIONS, AND TRIGGER AT ANY TIME OF DAY OR NIGHT WITHOUT A MONTH ADVANCE WARNING, AND BE PUT UP FOR A KILL DURING A NEW MOON WHEN THE TARGET IS AS DARK AS POSSIBLE.]
The test, which has been delayed several times, comes at a critical time for the $100 billion system, as President-elect Barack Obama is about to take office.
Early in his campaign, Obama pledged to "cut investments in unproven missile defense systems." But later he said he would support missile defense systems if they work.
[THE OLD STRAW DOG! THE PROGRAM IS A CON, BUT IF IT CAN BE MADE TO APPEAR TO WORK, EVEN KNOWING THAT IT'S A CON, EVERYONE IN THE PROGRAM DOES, THE PRESIDENT WILL GO ALONG, TO GET ALONG, AND THE US TAXPAYER WILL TAKE ANOTHER $T UP THE ASS IN NNPT.]
"The biggest threat to the United States is a terrorist getting their hands on nuclear weapons," Obama said in the September 26 presidential debate. "And we ... are spending billions of dollars on missile defense. And I actually believe that we need missile defense, because of Iran and North Korea and the potential for them to obtain or to launch nuclear weapons."
[CORRECTION, CHIEF, THE BIGGEST THREAT TO THE UNITED STATES IS THE PENTAGONIANS, WE'RE SPENDING *HUNDREDS* OF BILLIONS ON MISSILE DEFENSE. ULTIMATELY, TRILLIONS! NEITHER NORTH KOREA NOR IRAN HAS AN *INTERCONTINENTAL* BALLISTIC MISSILE, OR NUKE.]
Last month, the outgoing head of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency said that not only are U.S. missile defenses workable, they are up and running.
[THE ONLY THING UP AND RUNNING AT MDA IS THE LONGEST RUNNING TAX CON IN MILITARY HISTORY, EVEN SINCE THE COLD WAR, MORE THAN 50 YEARS AGO! A TELLING ACRONYM, THAT, MDA, 3,4-Methylenedioxyamphetamine, A PSYCHEDELIC HALLUCINOGENIC PERFECTLY DESCRIBES IT.]
“Our testing has shown not only can we hit a bullet with a bullet, we can hit a spot on the bullet with a bullet. The technology has caught up,” Lt. Gen. Trey Obering said in a November conference call with reporters.
[HERE’S WHERE THE CIA BLACK OPS PSY-OPS COMES IN. THE TWO ‘BULLETS’ ARE TRAVELING TOWARDS EACH OTHER AT THOUSANDS OF FEET PER SECOND. THE ABM EKV SYSTEM IS JUST A INERTIAL IMPACT CUBE WITH MODIFIED ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT GAS JETS. THINK OF IT AS A VERY OVERWEIGHT AND OUT OF SHAPE VENUS WILLIAMS IN THE SHAPE OF A REFRIGERATOR. NOW HERE COMES SERENA’S LINE DRIVE AT 2,500 FEET PER SECOND. CAN YA’ FEEL ME, PLAYAH?]
The upcoming test is designed to produce voluminous data with which to evaluate the operation of the missiles, radars and other systems.
[YEAH, VOLUMINOUS DATA, TAKING YEARS TO COMPLETELY DIGEST, WHILE THE ABM DEPLOYMENT IS RUSHED THROUGH THE NEXT FUNDING CYCLE AND PUSHED INTO EU, RESULTING IN ANOTHER ARMS RACE, A COLD WAR TWO BY THE OLD COLD WARRIORS TOO FUCKED UP TO DIE WITH PRIDE.]
—
Look, someone on the Shuttle program had a brain fart. Let’s hook a refrigerator to SS attitude jets, and see what it’ll do. Then some programmer spun up a sci-fi Star Wars fantasy of a refrigerator-sized catcher’s mitt in outer space, intercepting a fiery missile traveling much faster than any speeding bullet. Super Man in action!
Pentagon as Action Comics.
And they’re gonna get away with it! Like the bank-broker merger-bailout, and every other welfare tax dole Congress has ever thought up, because Defense is for IDIQNB confabulators. Defense is the last anti-free trade bastion for a White Kleptocracy, and the price of enabling that kleptocracy is about to go to the moon. No, to Mars!
Posted by: Derrick Untermeyer | Dec 5 2008 5:58 utc | 17
What I meant to get to somewhere, when I blithely wrote ‘false flag’ is this: All the terrorist attacks we have heard about since 9/11, and including 9/11, share common features:
– blame thrown on Islamists, Al Q., or those close to them, or some odd category like ‘separatists, radicals with an islamist background’ (see Beslan as presented in the press) / ‘Arab nationals’ / ‘Anti-Jewish /Israel’ (see Morocco for ex.)
The point of that is obvious and simple: the US (plus in some measure its allies or poodles like GB, EU etc.) wishes the world to participate in the take over of Arab oil, to make it short. Hate has to be whipped up. Naturally, the concept of ‘radical islam’ which wants to take over the world is a fantasy. Follows endless scare mongering, with all techniques used.
– no clear information, no thorough investigation, a huge muddle, doubts, hanging questions, no clarification, no convictions (or just a few as tokens), a speedy news cycle, garbled, no final understanding. In the old fashioned terror attacks (e.g. IRA, Basques) facts of the matter were, and are, quite well known, if not always acted upon as various parties might wish.
– no demands. no obvious aim. 9/11 is typical here: the supposed aims of Ben Laden, and the fluff of ‘they hate us’ etc. is total BS and critics love to point out that BushCo etc. after 9/11 went on to shoot themselves in the foot, and actually weaken America, etc. They did not respond as one usually responds to an attack – that is, figure out who the culprits were and catch/punish, plus implement other measures for protection / change. The old, familiar, understood, schema of a (usually) internal faction that fights the Gvmt. or the oppressor is recycled, to hold up the spook of an amorphous, invisible, unidentifiable, outside enemy. It has been, though, a hard sell. All over the world, ppl are not fooled, or plain object on rational – moral – or pragmatic grounds. Yet, the Gvmts. pound on, and on. They do it, they sometimes admit between the lines, excusing themselves, under US pressure.
What was the point of the Mumbai attacks? Nobody knows. If nobody knows, and other attacks in the past have not been elucidated, then by definition nobody was supposed to know. It is a secret. Only the in-crowd can figure it out. Of course, with the rise in popularity and visibility of ‘terror’ attacks it can not be excluded that a bunch of suicidal losers get together, buy arms, etc. But such groups/efforts will always be very minor, feeble, easily preventable.
Terrorist attacks, since 9/11 and all the hype the US has put out, because of their own lies, miscalculations, and seemingly stupid exploitation of that event, have created a world order where bowing down to the US on ‘islamist’ meme leaves open a way for fighting various underground wars.
No need for millions to die in the trenches; no need to disturb the international order; a terror attack will somehow serve as threat, warning, a show of strength. In a way, it sanctions the privatization, atomization of conflict – between nations, corporations, financial interests, ethnic factions, world leaders, energy interests, shadow forces, paramilitaries, etc. Therefore, irregular warfare.
Incomprehensible, minor eruptions, with the violence splashed all over the press, and never resolved. That, of course, is under the hypothesis of there being no single or dominant guiding force. It goes hand in hand with globalization (interdependence between nations) and growing social disruption, cultural break-down, the smashing of national /local solidarity, growing individualism, endlessly rising competition whose first aim is to allocate resources to the winners, leaving the rest by the way side.
Posted by: Tangerine | Dec 5 2008 16:40 utc | 22
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