That’s the latest training exercise that US Marines and Navy special-operations forces will be taking part in on an island off the coast of San Diego – starting on Wednesday, aka Halloween.
“This is a very real exercise. This is not some type of big costume party,” Brad Barker, president of the Halo Corp. security company, told the Associated Press.
So why train for a "fictional" event?
...This scenario is dire, modeled in part on a public-service campaign that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched last year, warning that US citizens should be prepared in the event of a zombie invasion.
<...>
Zombies will invade Paradise Point Resort, which covers 44 acres on an island that will be transformed with Hollywood-style sets, including a Middle Eastern village and a pirate cove. Some 1,000 US military personnel, police, and state and federal government officials will be charged with responding.
So I was going to call Brad Barker and ask him some questions about the exercise...
...The training scenario has not come without its share of unwelcome attention, he noted, adding that “every whack job in the world” has called about the exercise...
Within a half hour of the early morning call, Soldiers from the New
Jersey National Guard rushed into deep flood waters to rescue their
fellow citizens in Moonachie, NJ. It is still unclear whether it was a
levee breach or a tidal surge that caused the flooding, but Hurricane
Sandy proved she wasn’t done with Jersey yet.
For over 12 hours New
Jersey Guardsmen ferried hundreds of stranded citizens to dry ground
where they were taken to a number of shelters in the area.
The National Guard has transitioned to a State Active Duty Joint Task
Force with more than 1,100 Airmen and Soldiers. More than 450 high-water
vehicles including Humvees and heavy trucks are available to assist
civil authorities.
Their individual civilian and military skill sets
will greatly enhance the support they provide to law enforcement,
municipalities, and residents of the great state of New Jersey.
Soundbite
includes SSG. Bryan Schooley - A. Co. 250th PSP Teaneck, NJ, New Jersey
Army National Guard. Produced by TSGT. Carl Clegg - 108th Wing Public
Affairs.
1941: Although the United States has not yet entered the war, a German submarine torpedoes and sinks the destroyer USS Reuben James (DD-245), which was providing convoy escort. 115 sailors perish in the first sinking of a U.S. warship in World War II.
1943: Lt. Hugh D. O'Neill, flying at night in a
specially modified F4U Corsair, shoots down a Japanese Betty bomber
over Vella Lavella, scoring the first kill for the radar-equipped night
fighters.
1968: Five days before the elections, Pres. Lyndon
B. Johnson ends Operation Rolling Thunder, the bombing campaign against
North Vietnam. Over three-and-a-half years, 864,000 tons of bombs fell
on the Communist nation - more tonnage dropped than either the Korean
War or the Pacific Theater of World War II. Hundreds of U.S. planes and
aircrew are shot down.
1971: Saigon begins releasing the first of around
3,000 Viet Cong prisoners of war. American POWs won't be released until
Feb. 12, 1973.
1976: The Air Force's E-3A Sentry airborne warning and control systems (AWACS) aircraft makes its first flight.
Medal of Honor: On this day in 1972, Navy Petty Officer Michael E. Thornton
became the only Medal of Honor recipient to save the life of another
Medal of Honor recipient, Lt. Thomas Norris, who was believed to be
dead. Thornton fought and ran through a harrowing field of fire to
rescue his officer, then swam out to sea for four hours before being
rescued while holding two incapacitated teammates - even though he
himself was wounded multiple times.
Rumors of General Officers Arrested, Relieved, or Resigning in Protest
Posted By Blackfive
We've received many emails over the last week or so from readers asking us to get to the bottom of this situation/rumors du jour...I'm not sure that we can actually do that quickly, but here is what we've been hearing...
First of all, over the last week there have been many reports that the AFRICOM commander, GEN Carter Ham, had been arrested by his second in command and relieved of command. The reasoning in several articles from journalists and bloggers is that GEN Ham was ready to violate a do-not-assist order with regards to Benghazi. I would think that there are too many people who would know about this that could keep an event like that as quiet as it seems to have been kept.
Photo courtesy of Armed Forces Press
GEN Ham, with 42 years under his belt, could actually retire TOMORROW, and we should see what he has to say when he retires. Since the announcement of his being replaced, GEN Ham has been seen speaking at several functions. Hardly the position of someone who was arrested for insubordination...or as some are suggesting, the leader of a coup. But it is possible that he was removed for violating orders in a manner without arrest.
On back channel, there has been talk that GEN Ham is actually being relieved for another mission - one that was denied airspace access by a sovereign nation, and that GEN Ham intentionally violated airspace rules/laws in order to complete a mission (not Benghazi). There is also talk that GEN Ham is resigning in disgust of the chain of command - literally, with the Commander in Chief - and that he is trying to do so as apolitically as possible (and Ham is seen as being one of "the President's guys"). One would think that someone would wait for an election just days away to be over before resigning in protest (because you might have a new CinC), but who knows? On Monday, GEN Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, declared that GEN Ham's departure was part of a planned rotation in the works since July. Hhmmm...
Then, we have an up and coming Rear Admiral being relieved of command of the Stennis carrier group. This is significant as it is not due to conduct unbecoming, personal conduct, or for incompetence, but for "inappropriate leadership judgment". What?!
Photo Courtesy of USS Stennis/US Navy
Admiral Charles M. Gaouette was relieved of command mid-deployment which is rare (understatement). From the AP:
WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S. Navy said Saturday it is replacing the
admiral in command of an aircraft carrier strike group in the Middle
East, pending the outcome of an internal investigation into undisclosed
allegations of inappropriate judgment...
One theory is that GEN Ham asked the Stennis strike group for assistance with intelligence and military response in the face of a "do not assist" order and that Admiral Gaouette attempted to follow through on GEN Ham's requests for assistance for the men in Benghazi. Another theory is that Gaouette was also part of a military coup. I think that's ridiculous and not in the cards with our GO's (and you would see an entirely different reaction that just relief of command).
It's hard to say what is truth and what is fiction right now. This is all speculation for the moment. And some of these rumors might have been started to ensure that the truth doesn't come out until after the election.
Are the two removals related?
Are Ham and Gaouette fall out from a cover up of Benghazi?
In an effort to cut defense spending, the Obama Administration plans to cut health benefits for active duty and retired military personnel and their families while not touching the benefits enjoyed by unionized civilian defense workers.
The move, congressional aides suggested, is to force those individuals into Obamacare, Bill Gertz reported at the Washington Beacon.
Gertz added:
The proposed increases in health care payments by service members, which must be approved by Congress, are part of the Pentagon’s $487 billion cut in spending. It seeks to save $1.8 billion from the Tricare medical system in the fiscal 2013 budget, and $12.9 billion by 2017.
Unions, however, got a waiver for health care cost increases.
And this:
The administration is asking troops to get by without the equipment and force levels needed for global missions. “And now they are going to them again and asking them to pay more for their health care when you’ve held the civilian workforce at DoD and across the federal government virtually harmless in all of these cuts.
Having been in a number of similar situations, I know you have to have the courage to do what’s right and take immediate action. Obviously, that courage was lacking for Benghazi. The safety of your personnel always remains paramount. With all the technology and military capability we had in theater, for our leadership to have deliberately ignored the pleas for assistance is not only in incomprehensible, it is un-American.
Somebody high up in the administration made the decision that no assistance (outside our Tripoli embassy) would be provided, and let our people be killed. The person who made that callous decision needs to be brought to light and held accountable. According to a CIA spokesperson, “No one at any level in the CIA told anybody not to help those in need.” We also need to know whether the director of CIA and the director of National Intelligence were facilitators in the fabricated video lie and the overall cover-up. Their creditability is on the line. A congressional committee should be immediately formed to get the facts out to the American people. Nothing less is acceptable.
That's from retired ADM James A. Lyons who was commander in chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet and senior U.S. military representative to the United Nations. He knows, given his former position, how much BS the current administration line is. And he is right --- nothing else is acceptable.
Reminder: Obama to Russians "After my election, I have more flexibility."
Posted By Blackfive
President Obama states to Russian President Medvedev (and sexy Vlad) that he will be more flexible to their needs after the election. Who knows? Maybe he'll be more flexible in giving embassies under attack the assets that they need to survive...or not.
Posted By Crush1918: Famous World War I flying ace Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker
shoots down his 26th - and final - enemy aircraft over Rémonville,
France.
1940: The Royal Air Force's First Eagle Squadron, consisting
of volunteer pilots from the United States, becomes operational.
Thousands of Americans would apply, but only 244 were chosen for service
during the early days of World War II.
1950: Gen. Douglas A. MacArthur orders U.S. forces north of the 38th Parallel to "mop up" the North Korean Army.
1954: The last racially segregated unit in the U.S. Armed Forces is abolished; the military is officially desegregated.
Medal of Honor: On this day in 1944, Pvt. Wilburn K. Ross
almost single-handedly fought off a German attack that devastated his
company. Pvt. Ross killed or wounded dozens of enemy soldiers, forcing
their retreat
Mr. President, Is this naval game with China "Battleship"?
Posted By Blackfive
Over at Foreign Policy, John Arquilla - the professor and chair
of the defense analysis department at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School - writes about Game Theory with regards to the state of our Navy and recent overly-confident statements by our own President. Instead of using complex algorithms, Professor Arquilla uses games we all know - Battleship and Stratego - to demonstrate the lack of strategic understanding at the highest levels of the Obama Administration.
...In the final
candidates' debate last week, President Obama delivered a telling, somewhat
snarky zinger in response to Governor Romney's call for naval expansion: "This
isn't ‘Battleship.'" He then went on to school Romney about how having some
aircraft carriers and submarines means we don't need more ships. The governor
had no adequate reply.
But the fact of
the matter is that the old "Battleship" board game -- not the more recent movie
flop that was somehow based on it -- offers exactly the right metaphor to
describe strategic affairs in the information age. "Battleship" does so by
capturing the distilled essence of naval operations today: the hider/finder
dynamic...
A Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) launches from the guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) as apart of a recent joint ballistic missile defense exercise. (U.S. Navy photos)
"Grab it before the Pentagon orders it burned..." - Vanity Fair
"...nonpartisan patriotism is the common thread tying together these reflections, love letters and stories of combat. They make for riveting reading." - The Washington Post
Winner of the 2006 Gold Medal for Anthologies - Military Writer's Society of America
"This collection is an excellent introduction to an emerging form of war reporting." - Booklist
"...there is much to tell, and celebrate, in the tough, day-to-day work that our soldiers are doing in one of the most challenging environments any army has ever faced..." - The Philadelphia Inquirer
"...the collection is riveting...a worthy tribute." - The American Prospect
Click here
for more information and list of blogger/authors
Former Paratrooper and Army Officer, "Blackfive" started this blog upon learning of the valorous sacrifice of a friend that was not reported by the journalist whose life he saved. Email: blackfive AT gmail DOT com
Retired Special Operations Master Sergeant, Jim Hanson ("Uncle Jimbo") is now focused on writing about the military, politics, intelligence operations and foreign policy. Email: jimbo AT unclejimbo DOT com
Writer, photographer, and raconteur C. Blake Powers is the Laughing Wolf. He is independent in politics and covers topics including journalism, military, weapons, preparedness, space, science, cooking, food and wine, product and book reviews, and even spirituality. Email: wolf1 AT laughingwolf DOT net Laughing Wolf's Amazon Wish List
Grim -- an Old Norse name that means 'one who wears a mask' -- blogs on issues of intelligence, information operations, and foreign relations. Email: grimbeornr AT yahoo DOT com
Instapinch
Bill Paisley, otherwise known as Pinch, is a 22 year (ongoing) active and
reserve naval aviator. He blogs over at www.instapinch.com on a veritable
cornucopia of various and sundry items and will bring a tactical naval
aviator's perspective to Blackfive. Readers be warned: any comments of or
about the F-14 Tomcat will be reverential and spoken in low, hushed tones.
Email: wpaisley AT comcast DOT net
Mr. Wolf has over 26 years in the Army, Army NG, and USAR. He’s Airborne with 5 years as an NCO, before becoming an officer. Mr. Wolf has had 4 company commands. Signal Corp is his basic branch, and Public Affairs is his functional area. He recently served 22 straight months in Kuwait and Iraq, in Intel, PA, and senior staff of MNF-I. Mr. Wolf is now an IT executive. He is currently working on a book on media and the Iraq war. Functional gearhead.
In Iraq, he received the moniker of Mr. Wolf after the Harvey Kietel character in Pulp Fiction, when "challenges" arose, they called on Mr. Wolf...
Email: TheDOTMrDOTWolfAT gmail DOT com
Deebow is a Staff Sergeant and a Military Police Squad Leader in the Army National Guard. In a previous life, he served in the US Navy. He has over 19 years of experience in both the Maritime and Land Warfare; including deployments to Southwest Asia, Thailand, the South Pacific, South America and Egypt. He has served as a Military Police Team Leader and Protective Services Team Leader and he has served on assignments with the US State Department, US Air Force Security Police, US Army Criminal Investigation Division, and the US Drug Enforcement Administration. He recently spent time in Afghanistan working with, training and fighting alongside Afghan Soldiers and is now focused on putting his 4 year Political Science degree to work by writing about foreign policy, military security policy and politics.
McQ has 28 years active and reserve service. Retired. Infantry officer. Airborne and Ranger. Consider my 3 years with the 82nd as the most fun I ever had with my clothes on. Interests include military issues and policy and veteran's affairs.
Email: mcq51 -at - bellsouth -dot- net
Chris Carter is a former USAF firefighter and now civilian firefighter who covers military history, national security, and baseball. Find out more at his website.
Twitter: @CrushingChris EMAIL: crushnik AT yahoo DOT com
Tantor is a former USAF navigator/weapon system officer (WSO) in F-4E Phantoms who served in the US, Asia, and Europe. He is now a curmudgeonly computer geek in Washington, DC, picking the taxpayers pocket. His avocations are current events, aviation, history, and conservative politics.
Twenty-three years of Active and Reserve service in the US Army in SF (18B), Infantry and SOF Signal jobs with operational deployments to Bosnia and Africa. Since retiring he's worked as Senior Defense Analyst on SOF and Irregular Warfare projects and currently ensconced in the emerging world of Cyberspace.
Major Pain --
A Marine who began his blog in Iraq and reflects back on what he learned there and in Afghanistan. To the point opinions, ideas and thoughts on military, political and the media from One Marine’s View. Email: onemarinesview AT yahoo DOT com
Uber Pig was an Infantryman from late 1991 until early 1996, serving with Second Ranger Battalion, I Corps, and then 25th Infantry Division. At the time, the Army discriminated against enlisted soldiers who wanted use the "Green to Gold" program to become officers, so he left to attend Stanford University. There, he became expert in detecting, avoiding, and surviving L-shaped ambushes, before dropping out to be as entrepreneurial as he could be. He is now the founder of a software startup serving the insurance and construction industries, and splits time between Lake Tahoe, Boonville, and San Francisco, CA.
Uber Pig writes for Blackfive a) because he's the proud brother of an enlisted Civil Affairs Reservist who currently serves in Iraq, b) because he looks unkindly on people who make it harder for the military in general, and for his brother in particular, to succeed at their missions and come home in victory, and c) because the Blackfive readers and commenters help keep him sane.
COB6 spent 24 years in the active duty Army that included 5 combat tours with service in the 1st Ranger Battalion and 1st Special Forces Group . COB6 was enlisted (E-7) and took the OCS route to a commission. COB6 retired a few years back as a field grade Infantry officer.
Currently COB6 has a son in the 82nd Airborne that just returned from his third tour and has a newly commissioned daughter in the 4th Infantry Division.
