Life In The Barracks Is Going To Change For The U.S. Military

U.S. Marines with 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment relax at Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan, on June 3, 2009. The Marines are currently deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. DoD photo by Lance Cpl. James Purschwitz, U.S. Marine Corps. (Released)

Garrison Life Is Getting A Lot Worse For The Shrinking US Military -- Business Insider

Being in the military during the past decade of war has been tough for many service members, but the life of peacetime service soon to hit combat-tested troops will present its own challenges.

The military will be cut substantially in the next few years, with a reduction of 80,000 from the Army and roughly 20,000 from the Marines.

But the brass can't just hand out pink slips. Instead, top leaders are making changes that will make garrison life pretty annoying — at least for junior enlisted troops — so they leave the service at the end of their contracts without even the thought of reenlistment.

Read more ....

My Comment: It's better than sleeping in tents.

Read More

Why Are America's Soldiers Wary Of A Military Campaign Against Syria

General Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, presents the administration's case for U.S. military action against Syria to a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing in Washington September 3, 2013. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

After Seeing Iraq Up Close, Top U.S. General Wary On Syria -- Reuters

(Reuters) - America's top military officer General Martin Dempsey has already seen one Middle Eastern civil war. He is much more cautious about involvement in another.

While Dempsey, 61, has argued in favor of the White House's idea of limited military strikes against Syria and arming moderate rebels, he has made clear his lack of enthusiasm for widening America's role in the conflict much beyond that.

A decade ago, Dempsey was a brigadier general commanding the 1st Armored Division in Baghdad. The United States had toppled President Saddam Hussein, expecting to bring stability to Iraq. But Iraqi insurgents took advantage of a power vacuum to launch a bombing campaign that targeted mosques, hotels and embassies - including a blast that killed the U.N. envoy.

Read more ....

The U.S. Military's Views And Plans On A Military Operation Against Syria

Troops oppose strikes on Syria by 3-1 margin -- Military Times
Forces Ready for Syria Contingencies, Dempsey Says -- US Defense Department
Pentagon Is Ordered to Expand Potential Targets in Syria With a Focus on Forces -- New York Times
Dempsey Outlines Strike Goals, Potential Retaliation -- Washington Free Beacon
The White House’s top military officer can tell you his objective in Syria just fine -- Washington Post
The Pentagon’s Own Road to Damascus -- Nathan Freier, Breaking Defense
Why America's veteran generals are ambivalent over Syria -- Mark Perry, Al Jazeera
Michael O’Hanlon: No military consensus on Syria -- Michael O’Hanlon, Washington Post

Read More

U.S. Military Personnel Are Speaking Out Against A Syria Strike

Image from facebook.com

‘I Did Not Join For This’: US Military Men Speak Out Against Syria Strike -- RT

Many US servicemen are against the looming strike on Syria, Republican Congressman Justin Amash said on Twitter, in an attempt to counter the idea that the country might be overwhelmingly in favor of military action.

Amash made his comments after President Barack Obama’s statement, in which he all but promised a strike in retaliation for the supposed use of chemical agents by the Syrian government.

The Congressman for Michigan backed up his comments with a multitude of retweets from servicemen.

Amash said he had been “hearing a lot from members of our Armed Forces" and said that "the message I consistently hear [is]: Please vote no on military action against Syria."

Read more ....

More News On Reports That U.S. Military Personnel Are Speaking Out Against A Syria Strike

‘I didn't join the Navy to fight for al Qaeda in a Syrian civil war': Chief Petty Officer's anti-war selfie goes viral... but is it real? -- Daily Mail
U.S. Soldier Says He Didn’t ‘Join The Navy To Fight For Al Qaeda In Syria’ [Photo] -- Inquisitr
Soldiers, Veterans Speak Up Against Any Syria Action -- Newsmax
SOLDIERS SPEAK OUT ON SYRIA: 'We Are Stretched Thin, Tired, And Broke' -- SFGate/Business Insider

Read More

Why Was A U.S. 'Doomsday Plane' On The Ground In Turkey On Tuesday?

Kokpit.Aero

A 'Doomsday Plane' Was On The Ground In Turkey Yesterday -- Business Insider/Aviationist

Everybody knows E-4Bs are extremely important.

In the event of a war, a terrorist attack, an alien invasion and so on (hence the “doomsday plane” nickname), these aircraft are destined to keep the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other “decision makers” alive to direct nuclear (and conventional) forces, by receiving, verifying and relaying EAM (Emergency Action Messages).

One aircraft is usually airborne every 12 hours, with another one ready for departure with a 5-minute notice. If national command centers on the ground are attacked or unavailable, an E-4B is immediately scrambled: that’s why a “doomsday plane” was seen orbiting above Washington DC minutes after a hijacked plane had crashed into the Pentagon on 9/11.

Read more ....

My Comment: This plane probably had the U.S. Secretary of Defense on board (he was in the region during this time). But it's presence .... considering how tense the Middle East is right now .... must have raised some eyebrows.

Read More