Military – Page 74 – Public Intelligence Blog

HOUSE AMENDMENT WOULD CUT NSC BUDGET BY A THIRD

The House of Representatives yesterday approved an amendment to cut the budget for the National Security Council by one third in response to NSC moves to block congressional access to information.

“Over the last few months, we have had several instances in which the National Security staff has mandated that the Department of Defense and other agencies selectively withhold information from congressional oversight committees,” complained Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ), who introduced the amendment. It was not immediately clear which instances of withholding he was referring to.

Continue reading “Steve Aftergood: House Moves to Cut NSA Budget by One Third”

2014/07/162014/07/14

Marcus Aurelius: US Army’s New Enemy Is Itself

Cultural Intelligence, Ineptitude, Military

Article below started to circulate in the office on Friday and appears in today's Washington Post. LTG (R) Barno is spot-on. He describes the Army I retired from and, substantially, the Army I was commissioned into in 1971. In Iraq and Afghanistan, the threats were IEDs, snipers, etc. In the Army to return, the threats will be Semi-Annual Training Briefs, PT tests, maintenance inspections, barracks inspections, shortages of white paint for rocks, etc. For the junior officers and, to a significant extent for the Soldiers, during the 13 years of combat, they have been working within intent, with significant autonomy and opportunity to exercise initiative. And they have done well. Now they face infinite micromanagement with emphasis on uniforms, tatoos, police call, pulling Staff Duty Officer and Charge of Quarters, motor stables, area beautification, etc. Principal drivers of this future are a former Vice Chief of Staff of the Army and the current Sergeant Major of the Army, who have postulated that this new regime is the silver bullet to restoring discipline within the force and reducing Soldier suicides. As LTG Barno notes, it's also likely create unattractive command climates thus generating voluntary separations which will contribute to sequestration-driven reduction of end strength.

Continue reading “Marcus Aurelius: US Army's New Enemy Is Itself”

2014/07/162014/07/14

Owl: Israel’s Missile Defense is Failing — Media Avoiding the Story

05 Iran, 08 Wild Cards, Ineptitude, IO Deeds of War, Military

Some significant information here most mainstream is ignoring — Hamas / Iran now have the edge.

“Paper Dome” and Israeli/US propaganda

“For more on the rockets now used by Hamas and Hezbollah, Robert Siegel speaks with Ted Postol, a professor of science, technology and national security policy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Postol also comments on Israel's pursuit of an upgraded defense system.

Continue reading “Owl: Israel's Missile Defense is Failing — Media Avoiding the Story”

2014/07/152014/07/13

Winslow Wheeler: F-35 – Huge Failure, More Funding

Corruption, Military

Things could be shaping up that way, even if past history says the program will march on unperturbed. If so, the inevitable is only being delayed. It is only a matter of time.

I attempt to explain in a blog at POGO's website and below.

A Big Week for the F-35?

Even if the mainstream U.S. media has been late in coming to the story, the largest defense program in U.S. history is facing two critical events this coming week.

Continue reading “Winslow Wheeler: F-35 – Huge Failure, More Funding”

2014/07/032014/07/03

Mini-Me: 50% of US Troops in Chronic Pain on Opioids

07 Health, Military

Huh?

Half of American Combat Soldiers in Chronic Pain Use Opioids

About half of the American soldiers deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan return home to the U.S. in chronic pain, according to a new study that also found about one in seven soldiers were using opioid pain relievers.

The study, the first to assess the prevalence of chronic pain and opioid use in the infantry after combat deployment, is being published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Continue reading “Mini-Me: 50% of US Troops in Chronic Pain on Opioids”

2014/07/022019/01/05

2014 Robert Steele On Defense Intelligence – Seven Strikes

Corruption, Director of National Intelligence et al (IC), DoD, Ineptitude, Military, Office of Management and Budget, Officers Call, Peace Intelligence, Threats, True Cost

On Defense Intelligence: Seven Strikes

I consider defense intelligence today to be incoherent and ineffective. It has no grasp of the totality of the threat; it is largely worthless in providing SecDef with evidence-based decision support relevant to strategy, policy, acquisition, and operations; and it does not help DoD within the Cabinet when decision-support is needed to keep the Department of State honest (on the Afghan run-off election, for example), or to make the case for Whole of Government (USG) alternatives to military employment, particularly in the critical peaceful preventive measures and post-war stabilization & reconstructions domains.

Continue reading “2014 Robert Steele On Defense Intelligence – Seven Strikes”

2014/06/302014/06/28

Marcus Aurelius: 1% of Youth Fit & Willing to Talk Enlistment in Military — Everyone Else is Fat, Tattooed, Uneducated, or Resistant

Cultural Intelligence, Military

Nothing surprising here but …

Pentagon: Young Adults Too Fat, Tattooed, Uneducated for Military

The American military is facing a serious personnel issue: More than two-thirds of today's youth are too uneducated, have behavior issues, and are not physically fit enough for
service.

“We're trying to make decision makers see this is a national-security matter — and they need to prioritize it,” retired Maj. Gen. Allen Youngman told The Wall Street Journal.

The major problem is obesity, reports military recruiters. But young adults are also being turned away because they lack high school diplomas, have felony convictions, and are on prescription drugs for ailments such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Continue reading “Marcus Aurelius: 1% of Youth Fit & Willing to Talk Enlistment in Military — Everyone Else is Fat, Tattooed, Uneducated, or Resistant”