The End of the Empire

Jump to 2009 Blog

Dec. 6, 2008 - Obama Fails

Obama's choices for his cabinet are the same all business as usual retreads from the Clinton years, and even one from Bush. Secretary of Defense Gates is a career boss pleaser who never changes anything. There is some speculation that Obama may allow homosexuals to serve openly. That is a bad idea, but he should modify the current policy, as I explained a few years back: Homosexuals Must Stay in the Closet

Nov 26, 2008 - The Generals Have No Clothes

My latest at Sanders, "The Generals Have No Clothes," is about the endless quest by American Generals for more foreign bases.

Nov 25, 2008 - Somali Illiterates Diss the U.S. Navy

Somali pirates have increasing hijacked commercial vessels the past several years. They have become more bold as the succeed. The mighty U.S. Navy does little because it simply hasn't the class of ships needed to intervene. This has been obvious for years, but combating coastal pirates is of no interest to U.S. Navy Admirals. They keep patrolling the high seas waiting for the Japanese Navy of World War II to reappear. A section of my book discusses this gap and offers a solution: Diesel-Electric Corvettes 

Nov 20, 2008 - 8-inch Naval Gun

As the U.S. Navy continues to dither around about its future cruisers and destroyers, this section from my book may be of interest: 8-inch Naval Gun

Nov 11, 2008 - Veteran's Day for Vets

Let me celebrate Veteran's Day by linking G2mil's most popular article this decade. Veteran's Day only for Vets suggests that only veteran's should have this day off.

Nov 10, 2008 - FY 2010 Defense Initiatives

I finished my list of ten defense initiatives that can be inserted into the FY 2010 budget to force some change in the Pentagon. Everyone is encouraged to distribute this list everywhere. Comments and corrections are welcome.                                      

                                   Carlton Meyer  editorG2mil@Gmail.com

Nov 3, 2008 - Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife

This is an excellent book by a U.S. Army officer that compares the successful British counterinsurgency in Malaysia with the U.S. Army's failure in Vietnam. LTC John Nagl shows great courage criticizing his own service, which means he will never be promoted to the General officer ranks. To be fair, the Vietnam situation was not a pure counterinsurgency since millions of volunteers came down from the North, often organized into large conventional combat units.

Nagl does an excellent job describing the "can do" nature of the U.S. military. This results in a culture of promoting an image of success at all times, which means ignoring obvious problems. Much of this stems from the "up or out" career system, which he fails to mention. The book is a good read, although often dry and repetitive. Nagl's views of recent counterinsurgency operations in Iraq and Afghanistan would be interesting, but then he probably wants promotion to Colonel.

Nov 1, 2008 - Fund 400 OV-6Bs

My second recommendation to military reformers hoping to influence our military's future is to force the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Marine Corps to form observation squadrons with inexpensive and economical two-seat propeller aircraft. These were eliminated as part of the Cold war drawdown as OV-10s were retired. 

Such aircraft are desperately needed in Iraq and Afghanistan, where expensive fast flying jet fighters attempt to provide observation support. The Army has demanded that the Air Force field propeller aircraft these past two years, but this has been flatly rejected. The Army has contracted for some of their own, upsetting the Air Force. Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Gates has criticized the Air Force for refusing to adapt to current needs.

There are dozens of suitable aircraft, but the best choice is the T-6A now used as a primary trainer. These are more expensive than alternatives, but they are in service so the Air Force and Marines cannot delay this idea for years with studies and competition for the best aircraft. They also have ejection seats, something Air Force Generals will demand. More information can be found here: OV-6B.

The Navy and Air Force have procured these "JPATS" for several years. The Navy wants 44 JPATS in FY2009 for a measly $290 million ($6.7 million each). The attack/observation variant (called the T-6B) has been sold to foreign buyers.. It may cost over an extra million for the weapons computer and hardpoints, so a unit price of $8 million is reasonable. 

Congress or the new U.S. President should simply demand that the Air Force and Marines reform observation squadrons, and fund a multi-year buy for maybe 300 for the Air Force and 100 for the Marines. Both services have the manpower as they deactivate fighter-attack squadrons over the next few years to downsize and afford even more expensive jet fighters like the F-35 (JSF). A squadron of OV-6Bs will cost as much to procure as an single F-35. In addition, OV-6Bs are two-seaters and can fly slower and turn tighter than an F-35.  No studies or evaluations or competition is needed, just buy the aircraft now.

Oct 26, 2008 - Why the V-22 is Still Unsafe

The stock market crash has eliminated most of my investment income, so I'm moving back to the USA soon to look for work. I finished another V-22 article: Why the V-22 is Still Unsafe.

Oct 24, 2008 - The Culture of Bombing

My latest at Sanders, The Culture of Bombing describes a sinister use of aerial bombing in all tactical situations, even though they are counterproductive in counterinsurgency operations.

Oct 20, 2008 - Require the GMAT

As a new administration takes over with a promise for change, those hoping to improve the U.S. military are excited. One group has published a detailed book "America's Defense Meltdown," which provides many excellent ideas. However, Congress has little interest in such things and is easily intimidated by all-knowing Generals. Therefore, I will develop a short list of ideas that have a chance of forcing some minor change.

The area of personnel management is a disaster, yet the problems are complex and will take decades to correct. Meanwhile, Congress could have some impact by requiring the GMAT for promotion to O-3, O-4, O-5, and O-6. This is an issue that all Congressmen and staffers can immediately grasp, and can be implemented immediately at no cost. Since it will not affect  budgets, force structure, or the careers of O-6s and above, senior officers will not strongly opposed this, except because of their institutional principle that change is bad.

This will not fix the major problems, but pushing Congress to pass this simple reform will be a major task since the Pentagon has blocked all changes for the past two decades. If reformers can line up in support of this minor change and it passes, it will prove successful and set the stage for more complex and comprehensive reforms.

Oct 14, 2008 - Perpetual War

My latest at Sanders Research, Perpetual War, describes how the Pentagon tried to restart the Cold war with Russia by prodding Georgia's president to attack Russian troops. The American media ignored the presence of two U.S. military infantry battalions in Georgia at the time for an "exercise." The small, insignificant nation of Georgia is now the 4th largest recipient of American foreign aid.

Oct 5, 2008 - Checkpoint Tactics

Checkpoints are an effective counterinsurgency and counter-terrorism tactic. Although it seems simple, there is strategy involved. They should be used at random locations for only around 30 minutes at a time because in an era of cell phones, checkpoint locations are quickly broadcast. In addition, those manning a checkpoint are easy targets, so its best to move frequently. Finally, those manning checkpoints must remain alert and ready for action, and that become difficult after 30 minutes. Therefore, a typical checkpoint team will throw up checkpoint for 30 minutes, then move to a safe location to rest for 30 minutes or transport prisoners, then select a new location.

The selection of a checkpoint is key. Everyone assumes that its best to locate around the bend in a road or just over a hill so drivers suddenly encounter the checkpoint, where there are no places for cars to u-turn or turn off on a small connecting road. However, traffic is often so heavy that most cars must be waved through with no inspection. In such cases, it is best to locate the checkpoint so that drivers can see it at a distance, and where places exist to u-turn or turn off on a small connecting road.

Someone hides alongside the road to observe cars as they approach the line of cars slowly moving toward the checkpoint, while another team is located where cars attempting to evade the checkpoint will travel. This often prompts "persons of interest" to reveal themselves as they attempt to avoid the checkpoint. Police departments often use this effective tactic at drunk driving checkpoints.

Sept 18, 2008 - The Disinformation Age

My latest at Sanders Research - The Disinformation Age discusses media control in the USA. For example, no one seems interested in the fact that John McCain says he is fit to serve as President, while he collects $58,000 a year tax-free as part of a 100% veteran's disability payment. Read the article for more details.

Sept 14, 2008 - Bathtub Admirals

I just finished reading "Bathtub Admirals" by retired Navy Commander Jeff Huber. I have admired his bold writings at military.com since he isn't afraid to speak the truth. The book is difficult to follow as his dialogue contains so much Navy slang and meaningless chatter that one must know the Navy well just to follow the story. Therefore, I can only recommend his book to sailors or marines who have worked aboard ship.

He presents a typical military career of a hard charging junior officer promoted to the upper ranks where he learns everything is phony and self-serving promotion politics drive everything. The key element is avoiding blame whenever something goes wrong. Senior officers conspire to decide who will take the blame, which is rarely the one responsible. They usually choose someone about to retire, or who is disliked, or is due punishment for a different incident. I think the book would have been a hit if it were a historical account of what really happened, rather than a fictionalized account where names were changed to protect the guilty.

Sept 11, 2008 - Redo Warrant Officers    

I just finished a new article: Redo Warrant Officers,  which I added to my large section about Transforming National Defense.

Sept 6, 2008 - A One-way Trip to Mars?

After reading much about the cost and complexities of a mission to Mars, the idea is not practical. It seems overwhelming since Mars has substantial gravity, so astronauts must "blast off" from there to return home. 

The solution is a one-way flight to Mars. Millions would volunteer, even though they would die on Mars. The person should be at least 65 years old at blast off; it takes over a year to go there. They would land, walk the surface a few times, and then settle in for life, reading books, watching DVDs, and surfing the internet. Most time will be spent responding to e-mails. Imagine the excitement of getting an e-mail response from the man on Mars.

This is better than sitting at home (or a nursing home) waiting until death. Sending up a senior citizen also lessens concerns about radiation exposure on long space flights, since he is likely to die before complications arise. If the man on Mars is still healthy a few years later, perhaps another man may join him, or at least a resupply ship with food and water. I thought others might find this idea too bold, until I learned it is supported by a retired NASA engineer. http://www.universetoday.com/2008/03/04/a-one-way-one-person-mission-to-mars

Sept 5, 2008 - Will U.S. Troops Invade Mexico? 

My latest at Sanders Research:  Will U.S. Troops Invade Mexico? - a failing state

Sept 1, 2008 - V-22 Scandal

I added yet another article to my V-22 Scandal page. I also added an article from last year that I found on-line that is critical of the Osprey. It was written by America's leading rotorcraft expert, Dr. J. Gordon Leishman of the University of Maryland.

August 20, 2008 - Don Vandergriff

Retired U.S. Army officer Don Vandergriff has an excellent website and blog: http://donvandergriff.wordpress.com/ He is one of those rare mavericks who dared write about manpower problems in the U.S. military. I e-mailed him:

Don,

Thanks for showing the courage to address overpopulation, which I did five years back. http://www.g2mil.com/July2003.htm

Reducing population growth is the basic solution to most of the world's problems: political unrest, global warming, food shortages, oil shortages, mass immigration ect. A politically incorrect idea is to limit the number of dependent deductions one can take on their IRS tax form to four. This will not punish people who want huge families, but it will no longer reward them.

August 9, 2008 - Flogging Truth Tellers

I've noticed more floggers since I wrote about this in an article last February. I was reading comments about a V-22 article and many posters offered very detailed criticism that could only come from those involved in the program. Then a flogger ends discussion with this childish post:

Good morning and please allow me to throw in my penny or two. With 15 years of practical experience with the V-22 I think I can qualify better than most on the capabilities and nuances of the V-22 Osprey. As I read through some of these comments I laugh at how under-educated some people are. I assure you that a single engine landing in a V-22 is prefectly safe. The profiles have been extensively tested with and with out payloads. Nothing about this incident stikes me as too alarming. The engine failed, the crew responded appropiately made a SAFE landing; they fixed the problem and then flew home. The cause of the engine failure will be throughly investigated and measures if any will be put in place to prevent the same incident. Let us not make this any bigger of an issue then it really is. For those that are under educated but think they know; please keep commenting, I need a good laugh every now and then.

Posted by: Maurice at July 21, 2008 11:13 AM             http://www.defensetech.org/archives/004298.html

Notice that I didn't correct the six spelling errors of "over educated" Maurice. The V-22 has never demonstrated a single engine vertical landing since that would crack up the airframe. Helicopters can land safely with a single engine or no engine power since they can autorotate. The V-22 has made single engine rolling landings on hard surface runways, so Maurice is telling the truth, just not the whole truth. In this incident, it landed because one engine was providing only 66% power. The crew didn't fix the problem. The mission for all four V-22s was scrubbed and the V-22 spent several hours on the ground until a new engine was flown out and installed. 

This is what I wrote about floggers last February:

___________________________________

A few years ago, the consumer technology industry became aware of the threat of internet forums. People could publish negative info and insiders could covertly blow whistles. Companies soon directed their advertising firms and public relations officers to engage in what has become known as "flogging."  They pose as regular folks to write about their great product. They attack anyone who posts negative views with childish insults, in hopes of quieting the truth. 

Defense contractors joined in several years ago. They destroyed most military forums with their full-time floggers. They pose as experts and dismiss negative reports as "old news" and claim problems have been fixed. They accuse negative posters of working for a rival company, and dismiss critical media reports as ill informed. They claim that negative postings are "opinions" not facts, which can only come from the contractor. They badger those who post inside info to fully identify themselves so they can contact their bosses and have them fired.

At places like military.com, they pressured the editor to remove moderators and put one of their boys in charge, so he can delete entries and ban anyone with bad news.  (Contractors are often advertisers on a website, so they carry clout)  Some V-22 forums like at popasmoke.com now review postings in advance to keep out what they call "bad info." Aviation Week once had great forums, but closed them because of contractor complaints. They recently started them again, but topics must be pre-approved, and those about the pros and cons of weapons systems are taboo.  Former V-22 maintenance chief Josh Brannon started a web forum in 2007 to allow open discussion of the V-22. He struggled to moderate a discussion forum as floggers appeared to attack posters. After a couple of months, his web host sponsor removed the forum, and refused to offer an explanation.

If you notice rude fanatics on any Internet forum that show little interest in discussing issues and only seek to advertise products and demean critics, they are probably paid floggers. 

August 1, 2008 - Amphibious Warfare

I decided to post the entire chapter about Amphibious Warfare from my on-line book. I hope for feedback since no one cares about this anymore. In addition, it exposes the flawed OMFTS doctrine promoted by the EFV and V-22 salesmen.

July 24, 2008 - V-22s Fail in Iraq

My latest article on the V-22 Scandal is posted.

July 22, 2008 - The Lack of Foreign Area Officers

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/iraq/story/45133.html

The Pentagon must make FAOs a primary career path. During the selection process for Major, select career FAOs as well. They must agree to serve until age 60, although they could transfer to the reserves after 20 years active service. They are unlikely to ever make General. They'll still be hated by the regular line officers, but they can't be pushed around since they have tenure and don't have to play career games to stay in uniform. 

FAOs will hold their own annual selection and assignment board, and just "promote to vacancy" within their very small career field.  They will normally alternate a tour overseas in their region, with a tour back home teaching in schools. Unless a war is ongoing, they will serve in embassies, attend foreign military schools, serve with foreign units, and staff joint and allied headquarters.

July 18, 2008 - Massive Military History Resource

This website is a library: http://www.cc.gatech.edu/fac/Thomas.Pilsch/history.html

July 10, 2008 - Energy Crisis Solutions

Here is my latest about the Energy Crisis, with two proposals to cut U.S. military fuel use:

Instant Solutions to High Fuel Costs - cut consumption

June 26, 2008 - Refight the Tanker Battle

There has been much press about the battle to build hundreds of new tankers for the USAF.  Most assumed that Boeing would get the nod. However, Washington is now run by one-worlders who view every corporation as "multi-national" so it doesn't matter where American tax dollars flow. The European monopoly EADS won the bid and will "assemble" its tanker in the USA. Their supporters note that most components of Boeing's proposed tanker would be built overseas too.

A far better option is to use the tanker money to build a revolutionary blended body-wing design. This has been proven with the B-2 bomber and updated with a new small NASA prototype dubbed the X-48B. (below) This "flying wing" design is far more efficient and requires one-third less fuel. 

Boeing has pitched this idea for a decade, but airlines were reluctant to risk a revolutionary change. Now that fuel prices have tripled, some are expressing interest. Despite the rhetoric, there is no urgent need to begin building new tankers based on an old design. The tanker competition should be rebid and design money provided to require fuel efficiency levels that are only possible with a blended body design. Once KC-48 tankers begin to roll-off the production line, orders for blended body passenger aircraft will pour in.

June 20, 2008 - Oil From Iraq

This is from my article last year that explains why the USA occupied Iraq:

"Iraq has the world’s third largest oil reserves and most are easily accessible. Its modern history is one of exploitation by western oil companies backed by Anglo-American military force. Time magazine wrote about their apparent success in 1932:

“Anglo-Persian [now British Petroleum] and Royal Dutch-Shell (largely British-owned) have seen to it that Britain's oil shall never be turned off completely. Besides the oil of the King of Kings [Iran], Britain controls nearly one-half the concession in the famed Irak fields (split between a French group [now Total], a U. S. group (Standard companies [now Exxon-Mobil] plus Andrew William MelIon's Gulf Refining [now Chevron])”[2] 

http://www.sandersresearch.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1322&Itemid=97

And now this from a June 19, 2008 AP article:

"But they also could mark the beginning of an important long-term toehold by big Western companies into Iraq's potentially lucrative oil industry, by giving the companies a bidding advantage over other companies in the future. Iraq's oil ministry spokesman would not name the companies set to get the deals.

But last December, four major companies _ Royal Dutch Shell PLC, BP PLC, ExxonMobil Corp. and Chevron Corp. _ submitted technical and financial proposals for the five oil fields and received counterproposals from the Iraqi side. The New York Times reported Thursday that Shell, BP and Exxon Mobil, plus Total, were the four major companies close to signing deals, along with Chevron and some smaller companies."

http://news.ino.com/headlines/?newsid=68916867579790

The exact same big five oil companies will soon reclaim their oil fields, as predicted in my article last year:

"The weak Iraqi central government will eventually accept privatization of their nation’s oil wealth, even if this requires an American backed coup, which was common during the Vietnam War. The next step is to sell oil leases. This will done in private using American appointed Iraqi agents. They will learn that western oil companies already have valid leases for most Iraqi oil fields from decades ago. They may have expired, but since they were illegally cancelled, the new lawful Iraqi government must accept an extension, even though they are overly generous.

Once that is accepted and formalized, the question of compensation will arise. Western oil companies will present evidence that billions of barrels of oil have been illegally extracted from these fields the past few decades by the Iraqi government. Since these oil companies held valid production sharing contracts, they are due billions of dollars in reimbursement. The Iraqi government lacks funds to pay, so oil companies will withhold the government’s share of oil export revenues until this money is repaid, which may take decades.

It doesn’t matter what the eventual oil privatization law says, but how it will be “interpreted” American appointed Iraqi judges. This will provide western oil companies with massive new profits and huge oil reserves, or recovered reserves in their minds. Western oil consumers may assume this will help them as well; however, Iraq’s National Oil Company is just as anxious to explore and pump as much oil as they can to western consumers.

...Knowledge that control of oil reserves is the prime objective in Iraq is so widespread among Washington DC insiders that former chairmen of the Federal Reserve, Alan Greenspan, wrote in his recently published memoir “The Age of Turbulence”: 'I am saddened that it is politically inconvenient to acknowledge what everyone knows: the Iraq war is largely about oil.'"

June 16, 2008 - Lost Battles of the Vietnam War

One theme presented by supporters of the American empire is that the U.S. military is invincible, and that it can never lose unless stabbed in the back by impatient politicians. They claim the U.S. military never lost a battle during the entire Vietnam war. This was disputed by America's most decorated officer of that war, Col. David Hackworth, in his book "About Face." The U.S. military had every advantage over the Vietnamese, yet mistakes were made and small battles lost. Most losses were covered-up, but a quick Internet search provides some examples:

The Battle of Kham Duc - this large Special Forces camp was abandoned as it was overrun, despite reinforcement by an American rifle company. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Kham_Duc

The Battle of the Slopes - a company of American paratroopers was attacked by a large force and fled, leaving behind wounded. It suffered 76 KIA with two platoons wiped out. http://www.charliesnow.com/Default.htm

The Battle of Dai Do - A Marine Corps infantry battalion was mauled and forced to retreat during a disorganized attempt to dislodge a large North Vietnamese force near the DMZ. Accounts of this action are hidden within reports of operations in region of Dong Ha. http://www.amtrac.org/1atbn/Battles/BattleForDongHa.asp

Ignoring these losses does great disservice to all those brave men who fought and died in these battles, as well as those now dying in Iraq for a lost cause.

June 13, 2008 - Taboo Topics

There are a dozen topics that Americans are trained to never discuss by corporate television, lest they be branded as crazy.  For example, why did the third tower collapse after the 9-11 attacks? The 47-story WTC-7 tower was never hit by anything, and located 100 yards away from the other two, yet it collapsed neatly upon itself within seconds. The massive 9-11 Commission report didn't even mention that event. 

http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/wtc7.html  

Another taboo topic is the power of the Israeli lobby in Washington D.C. While politicians seek to distance themselves from lobbyist connections during election years, one lobby is never shunned, as Jim Lobe reported:

AIPAC’s in Town, and the Line-Up is Hawkish

Monday morning marks the formal opening of the annual three-day policy conference of the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) which, according to AIPAC’s press announcement of the event, is “consistently ranked as the most influential foreign policy lobbying organization on Capitol Hill.” You can expect a strong focus on Iran and a very hawkish line towards same. The press release makes the point that “ALL three remaining Presidential candidates, ALL four leaders of Congress… AS WELL AS Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will address the conference. (Emphasis in the original.) So much for the argument that AIPAC really isn’t as powerful as its critics, like Stephen Walt and John Mearsheimer, claim.

http://www.ips.org/blog/jimlobe/?p=153

June 3, 2008 - Indefensible Spending

Robert Sheer recently penned a great article about why our empire is crumbling from debt. http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20080601_indefensible_spending/   Cutting U.S. military spending BACK to Cold war levels is a taboo subject for political leaders of both parties. Many of you have probably heard the spin that we spend just 4% of GDP on our military. In reality, we spend twice as much, but half is not counted, like: veterans benefits, military retirement benefits, nuclear weapons, foreign military aid, and annual "supplemental" spending. Neither are the budgets for the only two organizations that truly defend the USA, the Border Patrol and Coast Guard.

You might not think this affects you, but the primary reason that gasoline prices have risen in the USA is because the value of the dollar has fallen. Inflation hurts as well, and the phony government measurement means that citizens fall behind with meager cost of living allowances or inadequate raises.

June 1, 2008 - Profiting from the Phony "War" 

From March 3, 2008 "Aviation Week":  

"...thanks to George W. Bush, shares in the Pentagon's leading contractors have appreciated dramatically as U.S. military spending reaches levels not seen since World War II. Even with the overall stock market's recent swoons, shares in Lockheed Martin Corp. are up 247% since Bush was elected in 2000, while L-3 Communications Holdings has risen 242%, General Dynamics Corp. 167%, Northrop Grumman Corp. 125%, and Raytheon Co. 121%.  To put things in perspective, consider that the S&P 500 index has actually declined slightly during the same period."

May 30, 2008 - Well paid GIs

Contrary to myths, U.S. military personnel earn 50-120% more than comparable Americans. Yes, some work many more hours, but most do not. This does not include the generous pension benefit. Winslow Wheeler at www.cdi.org is one of few people in Washington D.C. concerned about soaring costs. He recently wrote:

Cost Growth for People:    The people, certainly the ones in uniform, are not irrelevant.  They are what enables America to fight, and, assuming competent strategic leadership - which today is very much in doubt - they are central in determining whether America wins or loses the conflicts it decides to participate in. 

Basic people costs in the Pentagon have been increasing, per capita, for decades.  The Congressional Budget Office measures this “real” growth at 1 to 2 percent per year.  In the new century, that growth has accelerated, especially for pay raises, health care and retirement benefits.  Congress has accelerated pay raises for all in uniform, and it has enacted the Tricare for Life health care system that – while popular – has proven far more expensive than CBO first predicted and which continues to increase in cost today.  And, Congress has repealed previous military retirement cost reforms and has layered on additional benefits for veterans and their survivors.

In a time of conflict, it is understandable that Congress has added these and several other personal benefits to express the nation’s appreciation for service rendered in Iraq and Afghanistan .  However, these benefits apply not just to the men and women who have served in those conflicts; most have been generalized to any service member regardless of when or where they served. As a result, CBO has found that the cost per active duty member of the armed forces has increased from roughly $100,000 per member in 2000 to about $130,000 per member in 2008 - not counting the additional personnel costs of support for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan .  This has accelerated the historic trend of increasing personnel costs by 10 to 15 percent.[6]  The additional costs, and perhaps more, are warranted for the hundreds of thousands of service men and women who performed honorably in Iraq and Afghanistan . Enacting these additional benefits for all service members for all time is, however, a different - and expensive - question.

The costs are notable.  In 2000, 1,449,000 active duty personnel cost $100.5 billion in “constant” 2009 dollars for pay and benefits in DOD’s military personnel account.  In 2009, 1,445,000 active duty personnel (a reduction of 4,000) are expected to cost $128.9 billion, an increase of $28.4 billion (or 28 percent).  Once again, we pay more for less.

May 18, 2008 - Looting Kosovo

The American media provided heavy coverage of Kosovo's declaration of independence.  It was hailed as the world's newest nation and was quickly recognized by the USA and the UK.  In reality, international law only recognizes new nations if all parties agree, or the United Nations approves. Neither has occurred, so Kosovo is still part of Serbia. Only 18 out of 27 EU nations recognized Kosovo's declaration, and only 36 out of 160 nations in the world. This is why it was not brought to a vote at the UN.

Western media spins a story that UN approval is blocked by a heartless Russia, when in fact most nations do not approve, including those who represent most of the world's population, such as: China, Indonesia, India, and Russia. They do not approve when ethnic terror groups seize control of a nation's province by violence. To understand why the USA and the UK support independence, read my 2007 article: Looting Kosovo.

Some have suggested that Kosovo could be partitioned, allowing northern Kosovo to remain part of Serbia since Serbs are the majority in that area. However, that region of Kosovo is rich in mineral resources, so the West refuses such a compromise since looting Kosovo is an objective.

May 8, 2008 - Fred Reed

It is unusual for one commentator to recommend a better one.  Former Marine Fred Reed is a genius hiding in Mexico. He has vast experience and writes insightful comments about the United States, which is why no corporate media organization will publish his columns. He can be read at his own website:  Fred Reed

Several of his recent columns expose the realities of the US military and war:

On Generals Testifying Before Congress - incompetent ramblings

Dulce et Decorum Est - retired US Army officer Ralph Peters is a Stalinist and hypocrite

Eeeek! - America's paranoid haters

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