tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12796551.post8760285537335982105..comments2024-03-26T05:18:53.709-04:00Comments on Pen and Sword: The Tailor of MumbaiJeff Huberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14146644937683409726noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12796551.post-13175401340697296472008-12-23T09:40:00.000-05:002008-12-23T09:40:00.000-05:00Commander,Off topic, but time presses.Merry Xmas!Commander,<BR/>Off topic, but time presses.<BR/>Merry Xmas!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12796551.post-21828827138675885092008-12-23T09:11:00.000-05:002008-12-23T09:11:00.000-05:00Heh; when are combat troops not combat troops? Whe...Heh; when are combat troops not combat troops? <BR/><BR/>When they're support troops in a combat zone with no combat troops to support or to support them. <BR/><BR/>JeffJeff Huberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14146644937683409726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12796551.post-51930247074324840402008-12-23T08:45:00.000-05:002008-12-23T08:45:00.000-05:00Commander - brilliant observation about Pakistan -...Commander - brilliant observation about Pakistan - the truth is the opposite of any denial or confirmation they may publicly pronounce.<BR/><BR/>Perhaps if they reclassify combat troops as not combat troops, they won't have to pony up the hazardous duty pay, the combat pay, the hardship pay, etc. <BR/><BR/>SFAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12796551.post-56907785721319555262008-12-22T14:15:00.000-05:002008-12-22T14:15:00.000-05:00EL,Good for the college kid. GQ, Amazing, though, ...EL,<BR/><BR/>Good for the college kid. <BR/><BR/>GQ, <BR/><BR/>Amazing, though, that what they're actually doing now is putting troops in a combat zone and saying they're not combat troops. <BR/><BR/>JeffJeff Huberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14146644937683409726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12796551.post-80310544096654487782008-12-22T12:00:00.000-05:002008-12-22T12:00:00.000-05:00Jeff/EL et al,Reclassifying billets to get around ...Jeff/EL et al,<BR/>Reclassifying billets to get around the law has been going on for a long time in DoD. I served at a very large shore organization in the mid 1990's that by mission/function should have been classified as a joint command, probably in the form of a Joint Task Force. Establishing joint billets was not possible due to fiscal constraints and congressional caps on joint billets, so each service merely ponied up separate commands of about 500 people, each administratively/nominally under its own CO. However, the people worked together in a "joint" environment under the operational control of a "commander" (no such official billet existed), who was separate from, and senior to, all of the service commanding officers, whose mission was simply to provide trained people to execute the operational mission. Voila! Bastardized jointness. We don't need no stinkin' laws. We will have ersatz combat "support" too.<BR/><BR/>GQAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12796551.post-470988855477726522008-12-22T10:47:00.000-05:002008-12-22T10:47:00.000-05:00So, instead of just "burrowing" (re-classify from ...So, instead of just "burrowing" (re-classify from Presidential appointments, to civil servants,) people in the federal beauracracy, they are going to "burrow" troops? (Reclassify from combat to support.)<BR/><BR/>Some of those poor guys may never get home. <BR/><BR/>This time of year is depressing enough -- without all the bad news. <BR/><BR/>Hard to know what to tackle first, if you are a new President -- trying to undo the most recent damage, or trying to undo all the last eight years worth. Tough call either way.<BR/><BR/>My new hero is a student from Utah who went into an auction for oil leases,(another Bush last minute environmental disaster.) Auctioning off public park land for drilling.) (Kid had no money to bid - but they didn't know that.) So they gave him a bidding paddle thingy. <BR/><BR/>He sent the bidding up so high, on some parcels, that it discouraged some of the majors, and actually bought himself 22,000 acres of public park land in Utah (which he can't pay for.)<BR/><BR/>Feds will file charges sometime later today. Lots of folks have made the offer of pro bono legal help. <BR/><BR/>Meanwhile --- none of the land he (bought) can be put up for auction again for 30 days.<BR/><BR/>My kind of college kid.<BR/><BR/>Meanwhile Al Jazeera says Pakistan is on "high" alert, expecting some military action from India. <BR/><BR/>Happy Holidays Everybody!Elderladyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02268520056042293783noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12796551.post-57141627959192617412008-12-21T22:15:00.000-05:002008-12-21T22:15:00.000-05:00Ed, I fear they have the stamp of the imperator as...Ed, <BR/><BR/>I fear they have the stamp of the <BR/>imperator as well.Jeff Huberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14146644937683409726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12796551.post-44925281524932117172008-12-21T21:30:00.000-05:002008-12-21T21:30:00.000-05:00Sorry, forgor to link:http://firedoglake.com/2008/...Sorry, forgor to link:<BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://firedoglake.com/2008/12/21/we-wanna-stay-in-iraq/" REL="nofollow">http://firedoglake.com/2008/12/21/we-wanna-stay-in-iraq/<BR/></A>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12796551.post-22717439544034008952008-12-21T21:29:00.000-05:002008-12-21T21:29:00.000-05:00Jeff,Is this essense of the following post correct...Jeff,<BR/><BR/>Is this essense of the following post correct:<BR/><BR/>http://firedoglake.com/2008/12/21/we-wanna-stay-in-iraq/<BR/><BR/>i.e. Gates, Petraeus, Odierno, etc plan to violate the SOFA by simply reclassifying combat troops as support troops? If so, I would think they absolutely have Obama's buy in...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12796551.post-63399090914486075302008-12-21T07:12:00.000-05:002008-12-21T07:12:00.000-05:00Oh, my golly gosh. That is nuts, jp. Thanks, Jeff...Oh, my golly gosh. That is nuts, jp. <BR/><BR/>Thanks, <BR/><BR/>JeffJeff Huberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14146644937683409726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12796551.post-86485815087815403352008-12-21T03:36:00.000-05:002008-12-21T03:36:00.000-05:00I'd happily settle for India and Pakistan being me...I'd happily settle for India and Pakistan being merely incompetent and crooked, it's the evidence that they're <A HREF="http://www.truthout.org/121708M" REL="nofollow">stark raving nuts</A> that keeps me up at night. <A HREF="http://www.nrdc.org/nuclear/southasia.asp" REL="nofollow">Unholy narrative</A>, indeed.<BR/><BR/>Somebody in Bollywood should probably look into an Indian remake of <I>The Day After</I>. Preferably, at least a day before.jpwhitehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17975430453557627368noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12796551.post-73800330814640152982008-12-20T18:42:00.000-05:002008-12-20T18:42:00.000-05:00Thanks, A. Yeah, I'm glad Gareth is keeping on to...Thanks, A. Yeah, I'm glad Gareth is keeping on top of this stuff. JeffJeff Huberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14146644937683409726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12796551.post-70188229362580699252008-12-20T18:18:00.000-05:002008-12-20T18:18:00.000-05:00Jeff,In keeping with your banana republic politics...Jeff,<BR/>In keeping with your banana republic politics theme, I thought you might want to have a gander at this article from Gareth Porter, http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=45167<BR/><BR/>It describes an act "of open defiance [to] an agreement which the US military has never accepted," namely the withdrawal agreement recently signed between Iraq and the US. I'm not so naïve as to believe that that agreement is worth much but it makes you wonder who's in charge here when Odierno and Petraeus are openly defying the commander-in-chief's plans, whatever they are.<BR/><BR/>My take on the matter http://www.zcommunications.org/blog/view/2279<BR/><BR/>Best<BR/><BR/>AAdityahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13777320537956842763noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12796551.post-35168772805669525012008-12-20T07:02:00.000-05:002008-12-20T07:02:00.000-05:00Just one. To the best of my knowlege, VADM Dennis...Just one. To the best of my knowlege, VADM Dennis Brooks, who was CARGRU on my first cruise, retired out of his job at COMMIDEASTFOR (now 5th Fleet) and just went home. <BR/><BR/>I served with his son, who is a great guy, in CAG 9. <BR/><BR/>JeffJeff Huberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14146644937683409726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12796551.post-57350884270354141812008-12-19T20:27:00.000-05:002008-12-19T20:27:00.000-05:00Do you know a single retired Admiral who is not a ...Do you know a single retired Admiral who is not a military-industrial warrior? I cannot think of one who just went home after a long, satisfying career.<BR/><BR/>GQAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12796551.post-28392093855059116442008-12-19T17:16:00.000-05:002008-12-19T17:16:00.000-05:00Blair is another military industrial warrior:"As p...Blair is another military industrial warrior:<BR/><BR/>"As president of the Institute for Defense Analyses, Mr. Blair was involved with a study of a contract for the F-22 fighter jet while sitting on the board of a subcontractor on that program, EDO Corp. The inspector general found in a 2006 report that Mr. Blair violated the institute's conflict-of-interest standards but didn't influence the outcome for the study. IDA is a nonprofit corporation that administers federal research programs. Mr. Blair was forced to resign from IDA over the matter and he also stepped down from the EDO board."Jeff Huberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14146644937683409726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12796551.post-3951758835261043782008-12-19T17:10:00.000-05:002008-12-19T17:10:00.000-05:00Boy, did I mess up my post.The Admiral is Dennis B...Boy, did I mess up my post.<BR/><BR/>The Admiral is Dennis Blair.<BR/><BR/>And, he's not going to be just a plain ole Director of anything.<BR/><BR/>He's going to be an intel czar.<BR/><BR/>Kinda like a drug czar, or a car czar. Or something like that. <BR/><BR/>(Too much rushing around everywhere, trying to get ready for the holidays.) <BR/><BR/>And, too many pups. Another hurricane. Another animal rescue. <BR/><BR/>Some days my halvesheimers is worse than others.Elderladyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02268520056042293783noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12796551.post-10239133925444916002008-12-19T12:15:00.000-05:002008-12-19T12:15:00.000-05:00Gee, the Pentagon needs a bailout too? Thanks for ...Gee, the Pentagon needs a bailout too? <BR/><BR/>Thanks for bringing this to my attention. So much raw material, so little time...<BR/><BR/>JeffJeff Huberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14146644937683409726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12796551.post-23390722594652443392008-12-19T11:34:00.000-05:002008-12-19T11:34:00.000-05:00From Best of Both Worlds:MR. DeMUTH [AEI president...From Best of Both Worlds:<BR/><BR/>MR. DeMUTH [AEI president]: You mentioned the word stimulus. And as you know, your successor is thinking about a big new stimulus program emphasizing public works, I believe. An issue that has interested a lot of people at AEI recently is this: While we're looking for public expenditures to help stimulate the economy, we're also at a point where defense expenditures are I think something like 3.4 or 3.5 percent of GDP -- very, very constrained. A lot of weapons systems that a lot of people like to buy from us are being closed down, even after we've only produced fewer of the weapons than had been anticipated. <BR/><BR/><BR/>(Me: "Very constrained"? AHHAHAHA!)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12796551.post-60728156953227376402008-12-19T10:51:00.000-05:002008-12-19T10:51:00.000-05:00Jeff:Correction: "I anxiously await your next essa...Jeff:<BR/><BR/>Correction: "I anxiously await your next essay on the Somali pirates." <BR/><BR/>They seem to me a perfect metaphor for the times.<BR/><BR/>GQAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12796551.post-77034532733381741592008-12-19T10:50:00.000-05:002008-12-19T10:50:00.000-05:00I believe that the answer to the second question--...I believe that the answer to the second question--no--is independent of the answer to the first question. ;-)<BR/><BR/>JeffJeff Huberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14146644937683409726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12796551.post-49966820055394120502008-12-19T09:46:00.000-05:002008-12-19T09:46:00.000-05:00A query Commander.Did the former Admiral, (Blair H...A query Commander.<BR/><BR/>Did the former Admiral, (Blair Harris, I think ) that Obama is proposing to run the CIA -- really try to waterski behind a destroyer?<BR/><BR/>And, if he did -- can we expect our intelligence services to improve to any degree?Elderladyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02268520056042293783noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12796551.post-80206053298102962322008-12-18T21:36:00.000-05:002008-12-18T21:36:00.000-05:00GQ, I can't remember if we discussed this, but did...GQ, <BR/><BR/>I can't remember if we discussed this, but did you read "Shiver Me Neocons?"Jeff Huberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14146644937683409726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12796551.post-46748604442638580482008-12-18T21:04:00.000-05:002008-12-18T21:04:00.000-05:00Jeff,I anxiously await your essay on the Somali pi...Jeff,<BR/><BR/>I anxiously await your essay on the Somali pirates.<BR/><BR/>GQAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12796551.post-31133573128283722772008-12-18T17:10:00.000-05:002008-12-18T17:10:00.000-05:00I'm thinking Blackwater can rent the Army enough v...I'm thinking Blackwater can rent the Army enough vehicles to keep them going until we contract out to the Germans and Japanese to make our Hummers for us. <BR/><BR/>JeffJeff Huberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14146644937683409726noreply@blogger.com