US Army's Soldier Radio Waveform demonstrated on Raytheon's next gen air and ground radios. In a key milestone, Raytheon has demonstrated the Soldier Radio Waveform (SRW) on its new class of airborne and ground radio terminals, providing soldiers with another way to communicate across disparate networks. During the demonstration, users were able to send voice and data traffic between Raytheon's terminal and another soldier radio running SRW.
Raytheon is moving through the Department of Defense's Joint Tactical Networking Center's (JTNC) certification process for waveform conformance, and the company plans to be at upcoming interoperability tests with the government. In addition to SRW, Raytheon's tactical radios already have the Next Generation Mobile Ad Hoc Networking Waveform (NMW), specifically designed to run on lower cost, reduced size and lower power-consumption radios, while delivering much-needed wideband networking capability. Raytheon's airborne radios are integrated on helicopters and unmanned aircraft. Obama’s Pentagon Strategy: A Leaner, More Efficient Empire. In an age when U.S. power can be projected through private mercenary armies and unmanned Predator drones, the U.S. military need no longer rely on massive, conventional ground forces to pursue its imperial agenda, a fact President Barack Obama is now acknowledging.
But make no mistake: while the tactics may be changing, the U.S. taxpayer – and poor foreigners abroad – will still be saddled with overblown military budgets and militaristic policies. Speaking January 5 alongside his Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, the president announced a shift in strategy for the American military, one that emphasizes aerial campaigns and proxy wars as opposed to “long-term nation-building with large military footprints.”
This, to some pundits and politicians, is considered a tectonic shift. Indeed, the way some on the left tell it, the strategy marks a radical departure from the imperial status quo. Conservative hawks, meanwhile, predictably declared that the sky is falling. President Dwight D. General Wesley Clark: Wars Were Planned - Seven Countries In Five Years. General Wesley Clark tells of how Middle East destabilization was planned as far back as 1991. Yvonne Ridley – Bush Found Guilty Of War Crimes – 13 May 2012. Warmonger Obama’s ‘secret’ plan revealed: order signed giving your tax dollars to support anti-Assad Syrian rebels. Reuters/Yahoo has an ‘exclusive’ which I’m sure they think will make Obama look like some sort of hero.
You can decide for yourself. Obama signed a ‘secret’ order giving millions of our tax payer dollars to Syrian rebels (many found linked to Al-Qaeda) who are trying to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. I guess it’s not so secret anymore is? So who in the Obama regime leaked this to Reuters? The so called ‘security leaks’ continue, and the spineless House Republicans just sit there twiddling their thumbs. Up until now, I actually agreed with Obama and his regime on something. Comments. The "War On Terror" UN: Taliban Has Caused 77% of Afghan Civilian Casualties. US auditor finds taxpayer money flowing to Taliban, Al Qaeda - but Army refuses to act. The US military has been ignoring warnings that its spending in Afghanistan is funding Al Qaeda and the Taliban. And John F. Sopko, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), appears to have had enough. Skip to next paragraph Dan Murphy Staff writer Dan Murphy is a staff writer for the Monitor's international desk, focused on the Middle East.
Recent posts Subscribe Today to the Monitor Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS ofThe Christian Science MonitorWeekly Digital Edition He issued a blistering cover letter with SIGAR's quarterly report to Congress today that called into question what "appears to be a growing gap between the policy objectives of Washington and the reality of achieving them in Afghanistan. " The US has $20 billion of Afghan reconstruction spending scheduled, and a further $10 billion requested for the 2014 budget. "500 Days": Author Kurt Eichenwald’s New Account of How Bush Admin Ignored Warnings Before 9/11. This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form. NERMEEN SHAIKH: One day after the 11th anniversary of the September 11th attacks, we begin the show by talking about newly disclosed documents that provide further evidence the Bush administration ignored repeated warnings about Osama bin Laden’s plans to attack the United States.
Writing in the New York Times, journalist and author Kurt Eichenwald reports the Bush administration dismissed a number of warnings of an al-Qaeda attack in the United States beginning in the spring of 2001, instead focusing on Iraq and Saddam Hussein. Eichenwald writes, quote, "the neoconservative leaders who had recently assumed power at the Pentagon were warning the White House that the C.I.A. had been fooled; according to [this] theory, Bin Laden was merely pretending to be planning an attack to distract the administration from Saddam Hussein, whom the neoconservatives saw as a greater threat," end-quote.
We welcome you to Democracy Now! PBS - Colorado broadcasts 9/11: Explosive Evidence - Experts Speak Out (2012 documentary) Psychologists help 9/11 truth deniers. Gore Vidal Interview. Gore Vidal is a gold mine of quips and zingers. And his vast knowledge of literature and history—particularly American—makes for an impressive figure. His razor-sharp tongue lacerates the powerful. He does it with aplomb, saying, “Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn.” He has a wry sense of noblesse oblige: “There is no human problem which could not be solved if people would simply do as I advise.” Now eighty, he lives in the Hollywood hills in a modest mansion with immodest artwork. I felt I was entering a museum of Renaissance art.
A stern painting of the Emperor Constantine was looking down upon us as we sat in his majestic living room. His aristocratic pedigree is evident not just in his artistic sophistication but also in his locution. “I’m a lover of the old republic and I deeply resent the empire our Presidents put in its place,” he declares. Vidal moved gingerly and was using a cane. I talked with him on a hot afternoon in mid-April. 'Terrorism' and the Perpetual Emotion War Machine. As a perpetual emotion machine -- producing and guzzling its own political fuel -- the “war on terror” continues to normalize itself as a thoroughly American way of life and death.
Ongoing warfare has become a matter of default routine, pushed along by mainline media and the leadership of both parties in Washington. Without a clear and effective upsurge of opposition from the grassroots, Americans can expect to remain citizens of a war-driven country for the rest of their lives. Across the United States, many thousands of peeling bumper stickers on the road say: “End this Endless War.”
They got mass distribution from MoveOn.org back in 2007, when a Republican was in the White House. Now, a thorough search of the MoveOn website might leave the impression that endless war ended with the end of the George W. MoveOn is very big as online groups go, but it is symptomatic of a widespread problem among an array of left-leaning organizations that have made their peace with the warfare state. Americans Are as Likely to Be Killed by Their Own Furniture as by Terrorism - Micah Zenko.
Terrorist attacks killed 17 U.S. civilians last year and 15 the year before. Today, the National Counter Terrorism Center (NCTC) released its 2011 Report on Terrorism. The report offers the U.S. government's best statistical analysis of terrorism trends through its Worldwide Incidents Tracking System (WITS), which compiles and vets open-source information about terrorism--defined by U.S. law as "premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by subnational groups or clandestine agents.
" Although I invite you to read the entire thirty-one page report, there are a few points worth highlighting that notably contrast with the conventional narrative of the terrorist threat: "The total number of worldwide attacks in 2011, however, dropped by almost 12 percent from 2010 and nearly 29 percent from 2007. " (9)"Attacks by AQ and its affiliates increased by 8 percent from 2010 to 2011. This article originally appeared at CFR.org, an Atlantic partner site. Don't Thank Me for My Service. U.S. Marine in Zaranj, Nimroz province, December 30, 2011. (Photo: Cpl. Bryan Nygaard / U.S. Marine Corps) I do not want to appear disrespectful or ungrateful, but should we meet on the street one day, do say "Hello," or "Fine day" or other such nicety, but please do not thank me for "my service" as a United States Marine.
I make this request because my service, as you refer to it, was basically, either to train to become a killer or to actually kill people and blow shit up. Now, that is not something for which a person should be proud nor thanked. In fact, it is regrettable, and for me a source of guilt and shame, something I will have to live with for the rest of my life, as the past cannot ever be undone. In making this request not to be thanked for my service, I am, of course, expressing only my opinion, and, perhaps, my idiosyncrasy, and I make no claim to be speaking for other veterans. Make some demands. Suicides Eclipse War Deaths for U.S. Troops. Suicides have increased even as the United States military has withdrawn from Iraq and stepped up efforts to provide mental health, drug and alcohol, and financial counseling services.
The military said Friday that there had been 154 suicides among active-duty troops through Thursday, a rate of nearly one each day this year. The figures were first reported this week by The Associated Press. That number represents an 18 percent increase over the 130 active-duty military suicides for the same period in 2011.
There were 123 suicides from January to early June in 2010, and 133 during that period in 2009, the Pentagon said. By contrast, there were 124 American military fatalities in Afghanistan as of June 1 this year, according to the Pentagon. Suicide rates of military personnel and combat veterans have risen sharply since 2005, as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan intensified. Recently, the Pentagon established a Defense Suicide Prevention Office. Mr. Gary Null and Chris Hedges gut wrenching Truth on Homeless Vets. Ron Paul's Eye-Opening Ad on our Wars. This Ad Needs to go Viral.
The Permanent Militarization of America. IN 1961, President Dwight D. Eisenhower left office warning of the growing power of the military-industrial complex in American life. Most people know the term the president popularized, but few remember his argument. In his farewell address, Eisenhower called for a better equilibrium between military and domestic affairs in our economy, politics and culture. He worried that the defense industry’s search for profits would warp foreign policy and, conversely, that too much state control of the private sector would cause economic stagnation.
The military-industrial complex has not emerged in quite the way Eisenhower envisioned. Nor has the private sector infected foreign policy in the way that Eisenhower warned. But Eisenhower’s least heeded warning — concerning the spiritual effects of permanent preparations for war — is more important now than ever. Like all institutions, the military works to enhance its public image, but this is just one element of militarization. Why the "Liberal" Media Leaves Hawkish Foreign Policy Unchallenged.
A recent article by foreign policy analyst Robert Naiman, examines The New York Times' current coverage of Iran's nuclear program. In it, he exposes a disappointing but unsurprising mishandling of the facts. References to the paper's shameful prewar reportage on Iraq and Saddam Hussein's regime are appropriate. But if the Times is indeed liberal, why the repeated adoption and promotion of misleading, hawkish assumptions? The New York Times could probably be fairly described as liberal. But if we apply the label generally to mean mildly progressive, roughly approximating the political center, one could reasonably assert that the Times falls within range of the liberal framework.
The paper's editorial positions on domestic issues and social policy are safely categorized as liberal. Naturally, The New York Times' orientation reflects, for the most part, the opinions and attitudes of those who work for the paper and those who read it. Chalmers Johnson on American Hegemony. DECLINE of EMPIRES: The Signs of Decay. Jeremy Scahill on Democracy Now! - Dirty Wars: The World Is a Battlefield [Both parts in one] Chris Hedges "Brace Yourself! The American Empire Is Over & The Descent Is Going To Be Horrifying!" What Obama Is Up Against. By Russ Baker on Mar 10, 2010 We Americans harbor a quaint belief that a new president takes charge of a government that eagerly awaits his next command. Like an orchestra conductor or perhaps a football coach, he can inspire or bludgeon and get what he wants.
But that’s not how things work at the top, especially where “national security” is concerned. The Pentagon and CIA are powerful and independent fiefdoms characterized by entrenched agendas and constant intrigue. They are full of lifers, who see an elected president largely as an annoyance, and have ways of dealing with those who won’t come to heel. Compound that with the Bush-Cheney administration’s aggressive seeding of its staunch loyalists throughout the bureaucracy, and you have a pretty tough situation.
The internal battles between American presidents and their national security establishments are not much reported. Those who do not kowtow to the spies and generals have had a bumpy ride. In the 1950s, the late Col. 65Reddit. Homeland Security Prepares for Civil War. Its Clear Our Military Is No Longer The Nation's Only Standing Army When It Comes To Killing Power see update at end of article Over the past 2 weeks, everyone from the mainstream media to bloggers and conspiracy theorists have questioned the government's mass purchasing of ammunition for federal agencies like the National Weather Service and even the Social Security Administration.
Combined, both agencies ordered over 210,000 rounds. This ammunition is mostly made up of "hollow point" bullets, which are designed strictly for maximum damage to the human body and have been outlawed for use in warfare since 1969. On the surface, these purchases alone are scary enough and raise questions as to why these unlikely agencies need any amounts of ammo, especially bullets that have been outlawed.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) has given no specific response to questions regarding their purchase of 174,00 rounds. One Billion + Hollow Point Bullets There is no conspiracy theory here. 1. 2. Obama told friends he reneged on progressive promises out of fear of MLK's fate -- former CIA analyst says. Obama has abandoned progressive principles, such as stopping drone attacks and shutting down Guantanamo, because he is afraid of being assassinated, telling friends, “Don’t you remember what happened to Martin Luther King Jr.?” Retired CIA analyst Ray McGovern said today.
He’s afraid of what happened to Martin Luther King Jr. And I know from a good friend who was there when it happened, that at a small dinner with progressive supporters – after these progressive supporters were banging on Obama before the election, Why don’t you do the things we thought you stood for? Obama turned sharply and said, “Don’t you remember what happened to Martin Luther King Jr.?” McGovern spoke on WBAI’s show Law and Disorder this morning. I’m pretty convinced the President of the United States is afraid of the CIA. During his CIA career, Ray McGovern prepared daily briefings for the president and chaired the National Intelligence Estimates.
The crucial segment of the interview begins at about 48 minutes. The BLOWBACK SYNDROME: Oil Wars and Overreach. OCCUPATION 101 [full documentary] CIA The Secret Wars Pt 1/7. Ex-CIA Ray McGovern on Obama's 'new world' CIA Agent Says War Is Eugenics & Drug War Is Fake. CIA Exposes American Elites: American People Yawn. Former CIA Spy Speaks Out. Interview with former CIA agent Robert Baer.
Will Israel Attack Iran? Iran: War Drums Beating. We Love You - Iran & Israel. Hugs From Iran. The Elite Military Industrial Complex - Invasion Iran. §. Why human rights are wrong. The Slaughter Bench of History - Ian Morris. Cost of War to the United States | COSTOFWAR.COM. The True Cost of US Military Equipment. Brain Waves 3: Neuroscience, conflict and security. World Nuclear Stockpile Report. Nuclear Security Spending: Assessing Costs, Examining Priorities.
We're Spending More on Nukes Than We Did During the Cold War?! Assessing Progress on Nuclear Nonproliferation and Disarmament: 2009-2010 Report Card.