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, September 25, 2013

War News for Wednesday, September 25, 2013

The DoD is reporting the deaths of two Sailors previously unreported by the military. Lt. Cmdr. Landon L. Jones and Chief Warrant Officer Jonathon S. Gibson died in a helicopter crash in the Red Sea on Sunday, September 22nd. They were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.


Afghan troops blunt Taliban offensive but at high price


Reported security incidents
#1: Militants attacked an irrigation dam under construction in northwest Pakistan killing three workers and kidnapping at least two others, officials said on Wednesday. Around a dozen gunmen attacked the Ghallanai dam site in Mohmand tribal district overnight.

#2: Eleven Taliban militants were killed and 23 others detained in separate operations within the last 24 hours, in the latest raids as part of an increased campaign against insurgents in the country, the Afghan Interior Ministry said Wednesday morning. “Afghan National Police (ANP) supported by the army conducted several joint cleanup operations in Kunduz, Balkh, Kandahar, Uruzgan, Paktika, Paktiya, Herat, Helmand and Nimroz provinces. As a result 11 armed Taliban were killed and 23 others were arrested, ” the ministry said in a statement.


DoD: Staff Sgt. Liam J. Nevins

DoD: Staff Sgt. Timothy R. McGill

DoD: Spc. Joshua J. Strickland

DoD: Lt. Cmdr. Landon L. Jones

DoD: Chief Warrant Officer Jonathon S. Gibson

Posted by whisker at 3:47 AM

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