Military Ring Info

The US Army is working on a new uniform which will be called the RBU. This acronym stands for Robotic Battlefield Uniform. This uniform is essentially an exoskeleton which will utilize mechanical hydraulics, and computer electronics to give the individual soldier the ability to carry hundreds of pounds of equipment as though it were nothing. This would certainly enhance the capabilities of every small infantry type unit in the military.

You might have heard of light forces using the term “Having to hump equipment.” Think about how light forces have to carry all of their food, water, ammunition, first aid, weapons, specialized equipment, and spare clothing with them on the battlefield. Now think about how they may have to do so in extreme weather and terrain. Imagine what it is like having to walk through desert sand, or climb mountainous rocky terrain in 130 degree heat loaded down with stuff that you need to do your job. Now imagine doing this while wearing a helmet and flak vest and carrying a machine gun. You just have to do it a few times to really get an appreciation of it. Once you do you will intimately appreciate every piece of equipment that I have just mentioned.

I can see how this will greatly benefit our Special Operators who have to perform long range reconnaissance missions. They have to know how to live off of the land because they just can’t always carry all of the food that they need. Anything that works is subject to breaking down and that is the question with me. What if this uniform malfunctions in the field? They would have to leave vital equipment behind. Doing so would compromise the operation because the enemy would know that they were in the area.

The United States will deploy National Guard Troops to the border with Mexico to aid with it’s control. The troops will begin to deploy on the first of August and will assist the US Border Patrol with the interdiction of smugglers, and illegal immigrants. They will be armed but will only be able to use their weapons in self defense. State governments have complained that this will not be enough to control the border but the federal response is that states are welcome to send their own troops at their own expense.

There is a rash of drug related violence along the borders. The drug cartels are growing more openly violent and bold in their profession. The troops will not be sent to serve as a police force but maybe their presence will have a dampening effect. I believe that once the smugglers and immigrants realize that they won’t be fired on they will become that much bolder.

The US has also recently began to use drones to assist in border control efforts. Our National Guard ring customers will also be joined by additional customs agents in this effort.

It is unfortunate that we have to almost militarize our borders but we have to do what we have to do in order to get the situation under control.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is touring South Asia in an effort to shore up support for our war in Afghanistan. I believe that this is also an attempt to shore up damage done by General McChrystal with his now popular negative remarks about the war. I say this because she is also stressing that we fight a united effort just as all of the other government officials who have visited that area in the last month have done.

She has also assured the Pakistanis that the US is in the war for the long haul. One of the reasons that Pakistani support may be a little weak is that they know that they will have to live with the Taliban long after we are gone. She is also offering them more money in the form of aid. Throwing money at them will not work. They need to know that we are capable of defeating the Taliban and that we will always be there for them.

Our Operation Enduring Freedom Ring customers who are giving their best efforts fighting this war deserve all of the help that they can get from the Pakistanis along with every other ally that we have. I have to applaud her efforts but the money part has never worked and I don’t think that it is the way to go in this situation.

General Ray Odierno has beefed up security around US compounds in Iran due to an expectancy of increased attacks by Iranian militants. The drawdown is in full effect and it won’t be long before our Operation Iraqi Freedom ring customers are pretty much out of the country. General Odierno is confident that Iranian backed militants want to use the withdrawal as an excuse to say that the US is retreating rather than withdrawing. They would love to increase their attacks to make it seem that way.

The Iranians are seeking to boost their props in Iraq before the Americans leave and this looks like a good opportunity. Of course the Iranian government is looking to gain some control over the region. Remember that the Iranians and Iraqis fought an eight year war just prior to Operation Desert Storm. The times may have changed but I can assure you that their agenda remains the same. This is just a new and different opportunity to take advantage of the struggling Iraqi government before it can get its feet on the ground.

NATO has been very successful in the last few months capturing or killing Talian fighters in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Drones have been credited with the lions portion of the success but there have been other methods of gathering intelligence and capturing terrorists as well. Much information is obviously gained from captured terrorists which is probably the best form of intel gathering. However NATO fits the pieces of the puzzle they have been doing a great job. There have been dozens of terror leaders captured since April and approximately 100 killed.

The problem is that no matter how many terror leaders are captured or killed it seems to have no effect on the amount of violent attacks which are conducted against our military ring customers serving in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The violence is going to continue no matter what we do. I have posted this before and I will say again that a mission to kill off all of the terrorists is futile and should not be our game plan for this war. We have committed too deep to just pull out but we may need to make some concessions so that we can extricate our troops from the war as soon as possible.

Lets change our concept of winning this war. Winning will not mean killing off every possible terrorist in the region. Winning to me will mean stabilizing the government of Afghanistan as we did in Iraq, and being able to strike terrorists leaders and camps in the region at will. This is just the humble opinion of the military ring man on this one, what do you think?

USMC General James Mattis will take General Petraeus old job as commander of CENTCOM. From what I read about him he seems to be a colorful character but his greatest strength is his keen insight into military operational matters. he is outspoken in the same general vein as General McChrystal but I don’t think that the Obama administration will have to worry about him making any untoward comments. He had to be reprimanded about five years ago when he talked pubicly about he loved to kill terrorists.

I don’t see why anyone got offended myself. I just thought the old coot was just having a little fun with his audience. When is the last time a general officer picked up a weapon, let alone used it? It was a JOKE! Maybe not a good one but I understood it. I guess me and the old guy could probably get along if we worked together because I might be the only one who understands his corny jokes.

This has got to be a strange situation for General Petraeus because he has essentially taken a step down, but right now we need someone in there who we have absolute confidence will get the job done. The big thing now is that we finish what we started in Afghanistan. It’s not about personalities and who likes who. It’s about business.

Mr Gates, our Secretary of Defense has given general Mattis the highest accolades and has expressed his confidence in him and the war plan. If all of our military ring customers get with the plan and execute we will be back to peacetime soon.

General David Petraeus has vowed to win the war in Afghanistan during his ceremony to assume command of the troops fighting the war there. I certainly hope that he can put his money where his mouth is because he has a huge task facing him. Its probably going to take every bit of all the wisdom and knowledge that he has to win this one.

For the few of you who don’t know let the military ring man drop some knowledge on you. Some of the problems that he faces are widespread corruption in the military, on the police force, and in the government. In addition to that the Taliban seems to be increasing in the boldness and effectiveness of their terror attacks and operations.

He must figure out how to win back the flagging support of the Afghan population, its government, and the population here in the US. He must figure out how to turn the operation around and rebound from the offensive at Marjah. On top of all of this he must get it turned around and moving forward within the next few months because he has a deadline to be ready to pull our troops out of Afghanistan.

If anyone can do the job he is the man. He is credited with turning the war in Iraq around. It he did it once he should be able to do it again.

The latest kicker in the war in Afghanistan is that US funds are being extorted and then handed over to the Taliban to fund their war. Ain’t that a kick. Reports are that Afghan security firms which are paid to run convoys carring supplies and equipment into the country to support our military operations have to turn over a sizeable chunk of their proceeds to various warlords, police chiefs, governors, and local military units to insure that the convoys can pass safely through each area without being attacked.

When the extortion money is paid it insures that the convoys won’t be attacked while they are in the territory of the warlord, or governor, or whatever. I guess everyone gets to ride on that big US taxpayer titty.

You know what the military ring man says o venerable customers of mine. Oh well. We are paying the contractors big money to insure that the convoys are not attacked and thats exactly what they are doing. They told us how much that they would need in order to fulfill the contracts and we agreed and honored them. I guess that as long as they are holding up their end of the bargain there is nothing that we can say about it, especially if the contract doesn’t specify that they can’t pay off the Taliban for protection. Live and learn huh.

US Attorney General Eric Holder is in Kabul to address the issue of corruption with Afghan government officials. This is an attempt to try to get the Afghan government to get a handle on the widespread corruption which has been a plaque to its being able to function as it should.

To be perfectly honest with you I just don’t see how we will be able to stop the corruption which has been in place for such a long time. One thing is for certain, and it is that we are not going to end official corruption with talk. I don’t know what will. In a government where corruption is the norm how do you stop officials from making some easy money at every opportunity. It kind of sounds like home doesn’t it?

Attorney General Holder is trying to get a handle on the seemingly ineffectual court system which does not evenly mete out justice in all cases (that sounds like home also). Officials who have some sort of pull seem to be able to get away with whatever. President Karzai has pubicly affirmed that he doesn’t condone corruption at any level and has urged citizens to come forward with any allegations of official corruption no matter if it involves one of his close friends or family members. Well yea right on that one. I’ll bet that anyone who does will get whacked in a hurry. Thats the official view of the military ring man. What do you think?

A new proposal to allow abortions in DOD facilities has been passed. This will allow women who choose to have an abortion to do so. Now grasshopper, you are probably wondering exactly what the military ring man thinks about this one. Well let me tell you that I am strictly from the old school. I do not believe that we should start practicing performing abortions in DOD facilities.

This is a modern military and there is room for both sexes but even apart from the fact that I think that abortion is murder we are getting into an area here that is not good to be in. Think of the rammifications from botched procedures etc. The policy will apply to facilities in the US and abroad but its intent is to provide abortions in overseas areas where service members may not be able to get them done otherwise. Still I don’t like the message that it sends. In my old military mind the military is a fighting force and everything done therein should be geared towards fighting. Not towards performing abortions.

Under the proposal women would have to pay for the procedure and those medical personnel who have a problem with performing the procedure won’t have to. This all sounds well and good now but it will all change as soon as abortionists get their foot in the door. Mark the words of the military ring man. The paying part will disappear and military medical people will eventually be coerced into performing the abortions whether they want to or not. I just hope that ten years from now someone digs up this post and says yes he did tell us so.