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


Wednesday, March 13, 2013

War News for Wednesday, March 13, 2013

NATO is reporting the deaths of five ISAF soldiers in a helicopter crash in an undisclosed location in southern Afghanistan on Sunday, March 10th.


Karzai Bets on Vilifying U.S. to Shed His Image as a Lackey


Reported security incidents
#1: Gunmen shot dead a senior local election official in Quetta on Tuesday, police said, days before parliament is due to dissolve ahead of national polls. The shooting took place in Chandni Chowk, a congested neighbourhood of Quetta, the capital of volatile Balochistan province.

#2: At least three people were killed and 20 other wounded in a suicide blast and subsequent firing near police station in Bannu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Tuesday. According to local police, intense firing was heard soon after an explosion near Sadar police station of the town where check posts and police stations are often been attacked by militant groups. Police said the suicide bomber targeted police van, resulting two police officials and another unknown man was killed and 20 other people including policemen sustained injuries, officials told the media adding that the van was also completely destroyed.


DoD: Capt. Andrew M. Pedersen-Keel

DoD: Staff Sgt. Rex L. Schad

Posted by whisker at 4:36 AM

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)