The present-day U.S. military qualifies by any measure as highly professional, much more so than its Cold War predecessor. Yet the purpose of today’s professionals is not to preserve peace but to fight unending wars in distant places. Intoxicated by a post-Cold War belief in its own omnipotence, the United States allowed itself to be drawn into a long series of armed conflicts, almost all of them yielding unintended consequences and imposing greater than anticipated costs. Since the end of the Cold War, U.S. forces have destroyed many targets and killed many people. Only rarely, however, have they succeeded in accomplishing their assigned political purposes. . . . [F]rom our present vantage point, it becomes apparent that the “Revolution of ‘89” did not initiate a new era of history. At most, the events of that year fostered various unhelpful illusions that impeded our capacity to recognize and respond to the forces of change that actually matter.

Andrew Bacevich


Monday, May 14, 2012

War News for Monday, May 14, 2012

The DoD is reporting a new death previously unreported by the military. Petty Officer Second Class Jorge Luis Velasquez died from a non-combat related incident in Manama, Bahrain on an unreported date. News reports that he fell off a balcony, He was supporting OAF.


Reported security incidents
#1: An explosion in Afghanistan's northern Faryab province has killed nine people, including a provincial council member. Police say the blast in the Ghormach district of Faryab was triggered by explosives planted on a bicycle.

#2: At least five Afghan soldiers have been killed and two others wounded in a roadside bomb explosion in eastern Afghanistan, Press TV reports. The incident occurred late on Sunday when the soldiers’ military vehicle hit a mine in the Alishing district of the eastern Laghman Province.
#3: Five people were injured Monday in two blasts in Khost city, the provincial capital of eastern Afghan province of Khost, officials said. "A civilian man and four service members with Afghan National Police (ANP) have been admitted in a hospital in Khost city Monday afternoon," head of provincial health department Amir Padashah Mangal told Xinhua. "Initially, an explosion took place at about 12:30 p.m. local time near the provincial education department, causing no casualties but at the same time, as a police unit arrived at the scene to investigate the incident, another blast occurred leaving five people wounded," a police official in the city told Xinhua.

#4: Afghan police, backed by army and NATO-led coalition forces, have eliminated 18 Taliban militants within the past 24 hours, the country's Interior Ministry said on Monday morning. "Afghan National Police (ANP) in collaboration with army, the National Directorate of Security (NDS) or intelligence agency and NATO-led coalition forces launched nine joint cleanup operations in Kabul, Badakhshan, Helmand, Zabul, Wardak, Ghazni, Khost, Paktika and Paktia provinces, killing 18 armed Taliban insurgents over the past 24 hours," the ministry said in a statement.

#5: According to local authorities in eastern Ghazni province at least 7 people were killed following armed clashes between Taliban militants and private security guards escorting NATO supply convoy in this province. The officials further added the incident took place at Andar district of eastern Ghazni province after Taliban militants ambushed a convoy of the NATO supplies. Andar district chief Sher Khan Yousufi said the clashes took place at Nani area on Monday morning, killing 4 private security guards and 3 civilians. He also said two Afghan kids and an Afghan men were killed following the clashes which took place in a residential area.


DoD: Petty Officer Second Class Jorge Luis Velasquez

MoD: Corporal Brent John McCarthy

MoD: Lance Corporal Lee Thomas Davies

Posted by whisker at 4:33 AM

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