We know about the Russian thing……we consider the wiretapping thing…..we are amazed at the stupidity of the “Trumpcare” plan……and we shake our heads at the immature prattle on Twitter by the leader of the free world.
All that concern and NO one pays attention to the tasks our troops are asked to do…..and very fewer could care less…..
I have taken upon myself to keep my readers updated on what the country is asking our troops to do….
Initially having deployed to the general vicinity in October as part of a naval mission, US Marines from the 11th Expeditionary Unit have over the past few weeks quietly gone ashore in Syria and moved to the area around the ISIS capital of Raqqa, establishing an artillery base.
Details are still scant. Officials refused to confirm the size of the unit or other details, beyond them having a number of M777 howitzers, and a support unit of infantry Marines along with them, marking the first time US artillery has been deployed into Syria.
The idea in this case is to have advanced US artillery on hand, with US troops firing it, in support of the Kurdish YPG’s eventual invasion of the city of Raqqa. The US announced the invasion fo Raqqa last year, and so far Kurdish forces have only surrounded parts of the city.
It is unknown how many US troops are now active in Syria. When President Trump took office, estimates were around 300, but a number of Army Rangers were deployed over the weekend into Manbij, and these deployments apparently happened before that, though we’re only just hearing about them now.
(antiwar.com)
More troops to be sent to ME as a “reserve” force to be used as necessary……
In a dramatic shift away from the long-standing US policy of having the president decide directly on troop levels for various wars, President Trump is said to be considering a deployment of a substantial “reserve” force to Kuwait, which would them be available for commanders in Iraq and Syria to draw upon at will.
The deployment is estimated to be somewhere around 1,000 troops, and Pentagon officials say it would allow commanders to “respond to unforeseen opportunities” in the wars in Iraq and Syria, without having to ask the president for more troops.
This appears to be among the options being considered for ongoing escalation of the US war against ISIS, with reports that the Pentagon has recommended a large supplemental ground force for Syria, with an eye toward getting “rapid results” in fighting against ISIS.
(antiwar.com)
Source: Exclusive: U.S. weighs deploying up to 1,000 ‘reserve’ troops for IS fight | Reuters
Least we forget about Afghanistan……
Speaking today to the Senate Armed Services Committee, Centcom Commander Gen. Joseph Votel confirmed that he “expects” that more US ground troops will be deployed to Afghanistan soon, though he insisted the exact details are still being worked out.
Votel indicated that the additional troops, once sent, would be used to “improve” the capabilities of Afghan forces on the ground. He said he also agrees with Gen. Nicholson, who last month said he wants “a few thousand” more troops in Afghanistan.
This reflects the reality of how poorly the war is going, with recent assessments showing the Taliban has more territory now than at any time since the 2001 occupation began, and that Afghan security forces continue to lose ground at an alarming rate. US officials were previously hyping vague “progress” in Afghanistan, but are now more worried about preventing an outright loss of the country, which means continuing to throw more troops at the situation.
(antiwar.com)
More fodder for the fire…..our troops are being sacrificed to preserve the wealth and the greed of the M-IC….we are accomplishing nothing other than the waste of life…the lives of USA troops.
I wish Americans would care as much about our troops as they do about the Kardashians…..maybe that is too much to ask.