For some time, the U.S. military has been offering conflicting statements on its presence in Syria. In October, for example, a general said the U.S. had 4,000 troops in the war-torn Middle Eastern country, or about eight times the official number of roughly 500, before correcting himself and giving that official figure. The Washington Post … Continue reading U.S. officials deny Syrian ‘presence patrols’
Tag: special operations
Last week, following U.S. President Donald Trump's speech on Afghanistan, Erik Prince, founder of the controversial mercenary contractor firm Blackwater, said that Trump would soon have to rethink what he described as "a kind of Obama-lite policy." Now, however, it appears that it is Prince who is rethinking his policy proposal, or at least his … Continue reading After Trump speech, Blackwater founder still pushing Afghanistan mercenary plan
Nearly three years after the U.S. began bombing the Islamic State extremist group in Iraq and Syria, and just in time for Memorial Day weekend, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle called for a new Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) in the ongoing conflict on Thursday, echoing past proposals. "Congress should be … Continue reading Lawmakers renew push for counter-terrorism military force authorization
Less than a year after U.S. special operations forces sparked an international controversy when they were photographed wearing patches representing a Syrian Kurdish militia group, it has emerged that this same militia is now armed with sensitive U.S. weaponry and equipment in its fight against ISIS, though the Pentagon denies supplying it. The militia in … Continue reading Syrian Kurds armed with U.S. special ops gear the Pentagon denies supplying
The U.S. Army's "Special Forces Guide to Information Operations" comes complete with a "destruction notice" on its cover, urging the reader to get rid of it "by any method that will prevent disclosure of contents or reconstruction of the document." Dramatic disclaimers aside, though, a 2013 edition of this document surfaced this week on the … Continue reading Leaked information ops guide reveals psychological warfare tactics
Ever since Donald Trump's election win took the national media and much of the country by surprise, much has been written in the press and on social media about "The Resistance" to his presidency. The phrase has been embraced by the likes of comedian Sarah Silverman and former ESPN anchor Keith Olbermann, who has adopted … Continue reading ‘The science of resistance’ and the Trump administration
A linguist, left, shares a smartphone device with a Afghan Army command sergeant major during a security meeting at the Qara Bagh district's center in Afghanistan's Ghazni province, July 16, 2012. Smartphone devices are increasing in use on the battlefield in Afghanistan. Photo courtesy of U.S. Department of Defense. In 2015, the U.S. officially ended … Continue reading A military-grade ‘Wikipedia’ app for cross-cultural understanding?
The U.S. reached some new military milestones last year. America dropped at least 26,171 bombs in 2016, for example -- over 3,000 more than the year before, averaging about one bomb every 20 minutes. And that number includes only bombs dropped in some of the better known conflict areas where the U.S. is involved -- … Continue reading Trump promises more for less military spending, experts expect budget hikes
Following an incident in May when U.S. Special Forces were photographed near Raqqa, Syria, wearing patches representing what is considered a terrorist group by Turkey - and, technically, by the U.S. as well - a representative of the international press freedom organization Reporters Without Borders has been arrested by Turkish authorities on "terrorist propaganda" charges. … Continue reading Arrests in Turkey Show War on Terror Ambiguity
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