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, July 2, 2014

War News for Wednesday, July 02, 2014

NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from a non-combat related incident in an undisclosed location in eastern Afghanistan on Sunday, June 30th. The Australian MoD confirms the death as an ADF soldier.
 

Reported security incidents
#1: Eight military personnel were killed and another 13 wounded when a suicide bomber attacked an air force bus in Afghanistan's capital today.

#2: Pakistani military helicopters have pounded militant hideouts in the country’s restive northwest in a continuing massive operation against pro-Taliban elements in the trial belt, killing at least 10 of them, authorities say. The government helicopters on Wednesday targeted militant positions in the Khar Warsak area, 12 kilometers north of Miramshah, the main town in the North Waziristan tribal region.

#3: At least eleven Taliban militants were killed following an airstrike by Afghan air force. Gen. Azimi further added that Mi-35 helicopters were used to target the Taliban militants during the air raid. He said an Afghan national army soldier was also killed following an imprivised explosive device (IED) explosion.

Posted by whisker at 3:30 AM

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