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


Thursday, October 11, 2012

War News for Thursday, October 11, 2012

The DoD is reporting a new death previously unreported by the military. Culinary Specialist 2nd Class Milton W. Brown died from a non-combat related incident in Rota Spain on Thursday, October 4th. He was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. News reports that he was airlifted to a hospital in Spain from the USS Abraham Lincoln after contracting an unspecified illness.


Reported security incidents
#1: A bomb strapped to a donkey killed at least four people and wounded more than 10 others in Pakistan s tribal belt on the Afghan border Thursday, officials said. The attack took place in Mishti Mela village in Orakzai, one of the seven districts in the semi-autonomous tribal belt. "A remote-controlled bomb strapped to a donkey blew up as the animal entered a small bazaar of the village, killing at least four people and injuring more than 10 others," senior local administration official Fazal Qadir said.

At least eight people were killed and 20 others injured as a passenger bus hit a landmine at Orakzai Agency on Thursday morning. According to the media reports, the incident took place when a bus hit a roadside planted landmine in the Mashi Mela area of Orakzai, the only one among the seven tribal areas in the country, that does not border Afghanistan.

#2: A local commander of police was martyred in a mine blast in Kunduz province. It is said that in this blast three soldiers of the martyred commander have injured. The event occurred yesterday in Poli Noor Mohammad of Dashte Harche district while the vehicle of local police faced with the mine.

#3: Two civilians were killed and two were wounded in a Taliban rocket attack in eastern Wardak province overnight, the police said Thursday. "Two adult men were killed and two others wounded when a rocket fired by Taliban insurgents hit a construction company in provincial capital Maidan Shar last night," provincial police chief, Qaum Bakizai, told Xinhua.

#4: Afghan police, backed by the army, have killed 31 Taliban militants during operations within one-week period, the provincial police chief said Thursday. "Up to 31 anti-government militants have been killed and six have been injured during operations launched in Kandahar city and other districts over the past seven days," police chief, Gen. Abdul Raziq, told a press briefing here. He said that six other Taliban militants were detained by the police forces during the above raids.

#5: According to local authorities in northern Balkh province of Afghanistan, district security chief for Shor-Tapa was killed along with his bodyguard following a roadside bomb explosion. The incident took place early Thursday morning at Shor-Tapa district after a roadside bomb went off. Provincial security chief spokesman Sher Khan Durani confirming the report said at least 5 security guards of Shor-Tapa district security chief were also injured following the blast.

#6: An Afghan security official was injured following an explosion capital Kabul on Thursday. Gen. Haji Safa commander of the political detainees at Bagram prison was injured during the incident in Kalakan district. The exact details of the incident has not been disclosed by Afghan security officials yet.


DoD: Culinary Specialist 2nd Class Milton W. Brown

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