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


Tuesday, June 5, 2012

War News for Tuesday, June 05, 2012

The DoD is reporting a new death previously unreported by NATO. Spc. Gerardo Campos died from small arms fire in Maiwand, Kandahar province, Afghanistan on Saturday, June 2nd.


Reported security incidents
#1: Two Australian soldiers and a civilian interpreter have been struck by insurgent fire in Afghanistan's Helmand Province. The group was injured during a 14-hour raid on a drug processing facility in the north of the province.

#2: At least four troops and 20 militants were killed when unidentified militants attacked an army check post in Pakistan's northwest tribal region of Mohmand on early Tuesday morning, local Urdu Tv channel Dawn reported. Tuesday's attack occurred in wee hours of morning when an unknown number of unidentified militants stormed an army check post in Salala area of Mohmand Agency, a tribal region at Pakistan- Afghanistan border. Four troops were killed in the attack, and 20 militants lost their lives in retaliatory attack by Pakistan army.

#3: At least two Taliban leaders were killed following a joint military operation by Afghan and coalition security forces in eastern Ghazni province.

#4: According to local authorities in Ghor province unknown gunmen assassinated development council chief in this province. The officials further added the incident took place at Tolak district of Ghor province on Sunday night after unknown gunmen attacked and killed Mawlawi Mohammad, the development council chief of Ghor province.

#5: According to local authorities in eastern Paktiya province at least 3 armed militants were killed following a NATO airstrike in this province. The officials further added the air raid was carried out at a residential house in Zurmat district of eastern Paktiya province.


DoD: Spc. Gerardo Campos

DoD: Lance Cpl. Joshua E. Witsman

MoD: Corporal Michael John Thacker

MoD: Private Gregg Thomas Stone

Posted by whisker at 3:52 AM

1 comments:

Dancewater said...

Headline today in the WSJ:

CIA Prepares Iraq Pullback

The Central Intelligence Agency is preparing to cut its presence in Iraq to less than half of wartime levels, according to U.S. officials familiar with the planning, a move that is largely a result of challenges the CIA faces operating in a country that no longer welcomes a major U.S. presence.

Under the plans being considered, the CIA's presence in Iraq would be reduced to 40% of wartime levels, when Baghdad was the largest CIA station in the world with more than 700 agency personnel, officials said.

++++++++

I wonder what the hell they have been up to.

June 5, 2012 at 2:34 PM

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