It's Been Fun

Hey guys-

I have not written for the past two weeks because of the end-of-semester crunch that normally comes about this time of year. As I sit at my desk tonight, I find that the end of the semester has come upon us already. This will be my final post for the Intro to American Government Blog Project. I would like to thank Professor Dubnick for providing this opportunity. Also, I would like to thank those who read my blog. I'm not sure yet if I will continue this blog. I may also start a new one, but I'm not sure about that either. Either way, this project has been fun and I hope it gets an A for the effort.

Thanks for reading.

Signing off,
John H.

The Infantryman's New Best Friend

The M-16 Service Rifle

Hey All-

As you may have guessed, this article is about replacing the M-16 service rifle. The M-16, which has been in service since 1964, was first used in combat during the Vietnam War. It has been modified through the years to be able to serve as a mount for secondary weapons, like the M-203 grenade launcher.

The M-16 was designed during the Cold War to surpass the Soviet AK-47 assault rifle in all means of comparison. The M-16 fires more quickly and more accurately than the AK-47, and is also lighter. However, the AK-47 is more durable than than its American counterpart, and its bullets cause more damage due to their tendency to tumble after being fired.

The most critical flaw of the M-16 is its tendency to jam and misfire, especially under less than perfect conditions. This flaw has caused some in the military to call for the replacement of the M-16. Many options have been considered, including the Special Forces Combat Assault Rifle, or SCAR. The SCAR is in its final stages of development and will enter initial service with U.S. special operations troops. The SCAR is lauded for its flexibility of variants (from Close Quarters Combat to Sniping). Whether or not it is more durable than the M-16 is yet to be seen.

The FN (Fabrique Nationale) SCAR Mk. 16 (top) and Mk. 17 (bottom)

al-Sadr Allies Leave Iraqi Government

Muqtada al-Sadr

Hey All-
Some more bad news from Iraq today. Radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has ordered Iraqi lawmakers loyal to him to leave the Iraqi government. The six lawmakers have resigned in response to Iraqi leader Nouri al-Maliki's refusal to push for a timetable for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. There is also speculation that al-Sadr's Mahdi Army insurgents could return to the streets. The Mahdi Army has not challenged coalition forces since August of 2006, but recent events may change this.

My feelings on a timetable are no secret, as you can see in my other posts. If the Mahdi Army wants to pick a fight, I believe that it will only justify our staying longer in Iraq. It seems counterproductive for both sides, really.

al-Maliki Rejects Calls for Withdrawal Timetable

Nouri al-Maliki

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki today dismissed calls for a timetable for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. Speaking from Tokyo, where Mr. al-Maliki was signing reconstruction loans, the Iraqi leader said that withdrawal of troops depends on "how confident we are in the handover process".

al-Maliki's statement comes as battles raged through central Baghdad today, resulting in the wounding of 16 U.S. soldiers. The statement is also in response to demonstrations Monday by Shiite protestors against the presence of U.S. troops. These rallies were sponsored by radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.

I do not believe that a timetable is the right way to approach the situation in Iraq. I have said it before, but here goes again. A timetable merely gives the terrorists a benchmark to try to beat. They will step up attacks on U.S. and Iraqi troops in an attempt to force U.S. troops to withdraw early. Also, though there is progress, Iraqi troops are not prepared to handle the security of their country yet. If we leave now, chaos will reign, and Iraq will become another Vietnam.

Taliban Stronghold Toppled

This news comes from today's Yahoo News bulletin, and from the Associated Press before that. NATO and Afghan forces have driven Taliban fighters from a stronghold in the southern region of Afghanistan today. The breakthrough came during a drive toward the Afghan city of Sangin, in Helmand Province. The drive is part of a larger NATO offensive, Operation Achilles, meant to clear Helmand Province of Taliban opposition to pave the way for work to continue work on a hydroelectric dam, which has the ptoential to power the entire southern part of the war-torn nation.
This latest progression is, hopefully, part of a new trend of progress in the nation that is the War on Terror's first battlefield. Afghanistan has the potential to prosper, if the wolves can be held off long enough for her to regain her legs.

A Belated Honor

Hey-
Last Thursday, a group of heroes from another time received recognition for their deeds from a grateful nation. The Tuskegee Airmen, were honored with the Congressional Gold Medal by President Bush and Congress. The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest honor that Congress can bestow on an individual.
President Bush saluted the men, a significant gesture because commanders do not salute their soldiers in the military, they merely return the gesture when saluted. Bush said that the purpose of the salute was to "atone for all of the unreturned salutes and unforgivable indignities" endured by the Airmen.
The Tuskegee Airmen were an all-black squadron of fighter pilots who served in the Army Air Corps, the predecessor to the Air Force, during World War II. They were not allowed to train or serve with their white counterparts. The nickname was earned because of the place where they trained, Tuskegee Field in Alabama. They were also called the "Red Tails" because they painted the tails of their aircraft red to distinguish themselves from other squadrons.
These airmen are true heroes to their country, not just because of their exploits, which are commendable, but also because they stepped up amidst discrimination and adversity to serve.

Deadline Set for Withdrawal From Iraq

Hey-
A news story just broke on cnn.com concerning the war in Iraq. The Senate has voted by a narrow margin (52 to 48) to establish a timeline for ending combat missions in Iraq and withdrawing troops from the war-torn country. The bill sets a deadline of March 31, 2008 for all combat missions by U.S. forces to cease and troops to be rotated out of Iraq. The House passed a similar bill setting a deadline of August 31, 2008. The Bush Administration threatened a veto on the Senate bill because of the deadline, something Democrats may not be able to override.
I believe that setting a deadline is a mistake. Yes, this war has dragged on for far too long, but setting a withdrawal date only serves to encourage stronger resistance. It will encourage the terrorists to attempt to push us out of Iraq earlier than our deadlines for propaganda reasons. I do, however, like that the Senate bill includes training goals and suggestions for the New Iraqi Army and other security forces.

The Iraq War began in March of 2003 and has cost the lives of over 3,200 U.S. servicemen.

A New Low

Hey all-
This story was posted today on cnn.com. It indicates a new tactic being used by terrorist forces in Iraq. In this instance, the terrorists in question used children in the backseat of a vehicle to lower suspicion of soldiers at a checkpoint. The soldiers waved them through, believing that the people in the car were merely a family going about their normal routine. Sadly, this proved not to be the case. Soon after passing the checkpoint, the adults parked the car and jumped out, leaving the children inside. the car then exploded, killing the children and three bystanders.

This attack represents a new low for a group that attacks the innocent as well as armed opponents. I did not think that it was possible to go much lower in honor than attacking women and children, but apparently I was wrong. Those two children were used as pawns and then were disposed of like yesterday's garbage. Surely, they were not jihadists giving their lives in a struggle against evil. No, these were children who probably did not know the sinister purpose of their final road trip. The terrorists who used these children effectively as human shields should not go to Paradise when they meet their end, but instead should burn eternally in Hell for this action. I do not know of any religion that condones the murder of children, or the use of children to murder others.

Russia Delivers an Ultimatum

Hey all-
This story comes from today's New York Times. Russia has threatened to cut off nuclear fuel for Iran's nearly-completed nuclear reactor if Iran does not comply with U.N. orders to cease enrichment of uranium. Iran has sent shock waves through the international community by enriching uranium, one of the early steps in the manufacture of nuclear weapons. The United States has been the loudest voice in calling for a halt to Iranian uranium enrichment. These calls have been ignored by the Iranian government. The Bush Administration has been talking to the Russians for many years, attempting to convince the government in Moscow to join the opposition to the actions of Iran. Hopefully, this action by the Russians will stop the Iranians from continuing their weapons program.

Marine Under Fire: The Verbal Assault on General Peter Pace

Hey All-

This news story just broke within the past 24 hours about the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Peter Pace. The buzz surrounds remarks that he made during an interview with the Chicago Tribune regarding the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy regarding gays in the military. The general called homosexual behavior an "immoral act," and goes on to say that "we [the military] should not condone immoral acts. He did not single out homosexuality as the only immoral act a soldier can commit, however. These were, according to the general, his "personal, moral views." For the record, the general supports the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, which allows gays to serve in the armed forces as long as they keep their sexual views private. Lawmakers and advocacy groups are calling upon General Pace to apologize for his comments, something that the general has, rightly in my opinion, refused to do.

I believe that the media has once again taken something of minute importance and blown it out of proportion. One man's opinion of homosexuality, even a man as senior as General Pace, is not the basis of policy, and thus nothing to get worked up about. I believe that General Pace has served his country long enough and with enough distinction to be allowed the same freedom of opinion that we take for granted. I agree with his views on the policy of the military not to allow open homosexuality because it is a divisive issue. We do not need this kind of division within the military, as it can lead to unrest from within, something that we do not need right now. The policy also, in theory, prevents anti-gay hate crimes from becoming a common occurrence. Furthermore, open homosexuality creates an unwanted and unneccessary source of differentiation within the military, something that is contrary to the ethos of the military, an ethos of order and discipline.

The quotes in this post were taken from CNN.com.

Walter Reed Update

Hello again!-

A small update on the controversy at Walter Reed. Lieutenant General Kevin Kiley, the Surgeon General of the Army, has resigned. Kiley was the commanding officer of Walter Reed Army Medical Center from 2000-2004 and had been placed in temporary command of the facility after the ousting of Major General George Weightman, the hospital's most recent commander. It has been said that Kiley had knowledge of the conditions of the outpatient faclilties during his tenure as hospital commander. I think that this is the truth, because these things do not happen overnight. Major General Gale Pollock will take over Kiley's duties as Army Surgeon General until a replacement is appointed.

Kiley's retirement brings the number of senior Army officials forced out by this scandal to three. An Army commissiion, as well as one working for the Bush Administration, are investigating the conditions at the facility.

This disgrace is a glaring example of what too much bureaucratic red tape leads to. I think that government should be as streamlined as possible to prevent an aberration like this from happening again.

The End (Hopefully) of North Korea's Nuclear Ambitions

Hey all-

On February 13 of this year, North Korea agreed to shut down its nuclear reactor and end its nuclear weapons program. In return, the Communist nation would receive 50,000 tons of fuel oil from the U.S. and the other nations in the 6-party talks. This story resurfaced yesterday when North Korea demanded a lifting of sanctions by the U.S.

In the summer of 2006, North Korea tested its first nuclear weapon, causing governments around the world to worry about nuclear weapons in the hands of such an unstable man as Kim Jong-Il. Hopefully, this most recent agreement is merely a hiccup in the momentum of these talks. It would serve the interests of not only the U.S., but the world if North Korea did not have nuclear weapons.

Inhospitable Conditions at Walter Reed

Lieutenant General Kevin Kiley (Left) and Major General George Weightman during congressional hearings on the Walter Reed scandal.

Hey all-
This story hit the news sometime last week, and it is disturbing. Witnesses have come forward reporting about "unsanitary" conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. These complaints have mainly involved one of the hospital's outpatient facilities, known as Building 18. In this facility, the witnesses testify, recovering soldiers share the living space with rats, cockroaches, and black mold. These organisms all have the potential to cause serious complications, especially in cases where the immune system is weakened, such as in patients recovering from war wounds.
This disgraceful situation has sent shockwaves through the army's chain of command, prompting the firing of both the hospital's commander, Major General George Weightman, and of the Secretary of the Army, Francis Harvey. Congress is now investigating the matter and the Bush Administration has promised a thorough investigation of the matter. These words do not seem hollow, as action is already being taken.
Walter Reed Army Medical Center is slated for closure as part of the military's 2005 round of base-closings. The duties of this facility will be taken up by the National Naval Medical Center at Bethesda, which will be expanded and renamed Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. This expanded and modernized facility is scheduled to be operational by the year 2011.
This entire situation is a disgrace to the military and to our government as a whole. To allow facilities for the wounded to fall into such disrepair and not take action to remedy the situation is an aberration that cannot be ignored any longer. It is an outrage and it shows a lack of honor that should be uncharacteristic of an institution such as the United States Army.

Big John's Last Hurrah

Hey, All!
The Boston waterfront has a historic weekend visitor this weekend. The aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy made port at Boston's Black Falcon Terminal on Friday, attracting the awed and curious gazes of many a Bostonian. Boston is the last stop for the 1,052-foot JFK before she is decommissioned after almost 40 years of service to America.
The JFK was commissioned in 1968 as CVA 67. CVA means that she was designed originally to support only air combat operations. This designation was changed to CV when she began to support antisubmarine operations as well as air combat. She is also one of only two active carriers in the United States Navy to be powered by fossil fuels. The other is U.S.S. Kitty Hawk, scheduled to be decommissioned in 2008.
Big John saw much service with the United States Navy during her 38 years. This includes regular flight operations as well as patrolling off Lebanon during the crisis there in 1983. Later in the decade, in 1989, JFK launched two F-14 Tomcats to respond to two MIG-23's flying near the battle group, which resulted in the second, and last, air-to-air engagement of the F-14's career. Big John also led the Red Sea Battle Force during Operation Desert Storm in 1990. Twelve years later, she would assist in airstrikes against al Qaeda and Taliban positions in Afghanistan. She will be decommissioned on March 23 in her homeport of Mayport, Florida and transferred to Philadelphia to sit in "mothballs", awaiting the day when she will be called back into service, converted as a museum, or sold for scrap metal.
I personally visited this great ship when she was in Boston in 2000, during the Parade of Sail. I had the opportunity to walk around the ship's flight and hangar decks. This was an exhilirating opportunity for a 13 year old boy who was, and still is, interested in the Navy and its ships. I think that this ship should be preserved for posterity as a museum. Like the battleships and older carriers that populate today's naval museums, the John F. Kennedy is a mark of the power of America on the world stage and should be preserved for future generations. I believe that it would be most appropriate to have this ship moored as a museum in Massachusetts, as this was the homestate of the ship's namesake, President John F. Kennedy.

The Final Patrol: The F-14 is Retired

Hey all-
This is a bit of old news, from September of last year, but it is significant nonetheless. We bid farewell to another Cold Warrior, this one a dominating force in the air. The F-14 Tomcat has been retired by the U.S. Navy, having been replaced by the F/A-18F Super Hornet, which entered service with the U.S. Navy in 1999.
The Tomcat was born into the midst of the Cold War with the Soviet Union. It's first deployment came in 1974, when two squadrons of these fighters were assigned to the U.S.S. Enterprise. The Tomcat would serve for the next thirty-two years in various roles with the U.S. Navy, including as a patrol fighter, fighter-bomber, and in a less utilitarian role as a public-relations figure. Tom Cruise starred in Top Gun in 1986 as a F-14 pilot. This movie made the Tomcat famous.
The Tomcat is considered the last of the true dog-fighters, the primary intention of its design. This is reflected with the speed and maneuverability of the Tomcat, able to reach speeds of over 1,500 miles per hour and a climb rate of 45,000 feet/minute. Its unique swing-wing design allowed for maximum aerodynamic performance, and also for stability. Unfortunately for the F-14, dog-fighting is now obsolete with the perfection of long-range missiles.
The Tomcat will be missed, as it was a legend in its own right, being faster and stronger than anything America's enemies could put into the sky. After 32 years of service, the F-14 will join in retirement other fighters like the F6F Hellcat, the F-86 Sabre, and the F-4 Phantom. Happy retirement to a true winged warrior.

HR Problems for the military: Boots on the Ground, or Lawfully Sound?

Hey all-
I would like to thank Professor Dubnick for suggesting this thread some weeks ago. Other stories and a busy schedule interfered with my posting the story.
Professor Dubnick provided the link for an interesting article that was in the New York Times about two weeks ago through his own blog, Accountability Bloke. The article discussed the increasing number of waivers being given out by the U.S. military to new recruits. This means that more new recruits, who would normally have not been taken into the military because of a conviction in their past. The same article also points out that people who would not have ordinarily have met the physical requirements of joining the military are also being signed up. This seems to signify recruiting problems in today's military. These waivers, along with increased enlistment bonuses and loosened restrictions on weight, age, and education, paint a gloomy picture of troop availability in today's military. The military has also been stop-lossing their personnel, keeping them in the military longer than normal.
Such shortages have prompted worries of a draft on the horizon, bringing back bad memories of 1973 and the Vietnam War. Hopefully, it will not come to this.

A New Face in D.C.

This past week, a new official was sworn in in Washington. His name is Vice Admiral John Michael "Mike" McConnell, and he is replacing John Negroponte as the Director of National Intelligence. One of McConnell's first challenges will be the continuing integration of America's intelligence-gathering agencies. The aim of this integration is to increase the efficiency of intelligence-gathering and to increase inter-agency cooperation. McConnell is the second man to hold the post, which was created in 2004.

McConnell has a resume that spans many years in the service of his country. He retired from the Navy in 1996 after 29 years of service, 26 of those spent in intelligence-gathering. He also served as the Intelligence advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the end of the Cold War and Operation Desert Storm.

The New Way Forward

I was logging onto the internet recently and I found this article on Yahoo News from the Associated Press. It involved the movement of about 20,000 more U.S. troops into Baghdad. This was the result of plans announced January 10, 2007 by President Bush. The "Surge Strategy" was also announced at the State of the Union Address.

This strategy is similar to the way that the U.S. dealt with the insurgent stronghold in Fallujah in November-December of 2004. The operation drove the insurgents from this city in central Iraq and turned a terrorist hotbed into a relatively stable city. Hopefully this operation will accomplish the same.

Personally, I think that this should have been tried earlier. An offensive that keeps the terrorists on the run gives them less time to set up ambushes or plan attacks.

This issue is being debated in the House of Representatives today. A resolution has been proposed in the House to oppose the plan set forth by the Bush Administration. What strikes me is the emptiness of the House Chamber on CSPAN on such an important issue. Lawmakers on both sides have harped upon the importance of this issue, and yet they cannot make time to show up to work to debate it. What does that say about our Congress, that they cannot give up part of their weekend to work out a solution to this crisis? I am interested in all opinions on this issue.

A Silent Warrior Retires

The U.S.S. Hyman Rickover made port in Kittery, Maine on Friday after completing its last tour of duty in a history that spanned twenty-two years. The story is significant news for the Portsmouth/Kittery area, which is home to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, a major manufacturing site for U.S. submarines. The ship, the only submarine of the Los Angeles class not to be named for a U.S. city, was named for a man veiwed by many as "The Father of the Nuclear Navy".

Hyman G. Rickover had a distinguished career in th U.S. Navy, starting in 1922 when he graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis Maryland. He was commissioned as an ensign, the beginning rank of naval officers. He served primarily on surface ships until 1929, when he assumed command of his first submarine. After World War Two, Rickover was trained in the ins and outs of nuclear power and began to explore the possibility of nuclear ship power. His efforts culminated in the first nuclear submarine, U.S.S. Nautilus, which was commissioned in 1954.

Rickover's efforts would lead to othe breakthroughs in nuclear ship development. Among later nuclear warships are the carriers of the Nimitz class and the U.S.S. Long Beach and other nuclear cruisers of the U.S. Navy, as well as the ballistic missile submarines of the Ohio class and the fast-attack submarines of the Los-Angeles class.

The U.S.S. Hyman G. Rickover will have her reactor de-fueled at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and will be towed to Puget Sound, Washington for decommissioning. Farewell to a proud ship of the Nuclear Navy, named for that navy's father.

First Post

Hey Everybody-
This is my first post on my first blog, so here goes. This blog will contain news about the military. This will vary from which technologies are being introduced and retired, to news from the front, and things in between.
My passion for history, especially the military side, comes from hearing stories about my grandfather. He served on the escort carrier U.S.S. St. Lo (CVE 63) during World War Two. This ship, along with many others, fought in the series of engagements now known as the Battle of Leyte Gulf in late October of 1944. St. Lo was involved in the Battle off Samar, where the U.S. lines were almost broken by a force of Japanese batttleships and heavy cruisers. These ships were turned back and St. Lo survived the engagement, only to become the first American warship sunk by kamikaze in World War Two later in the day.
My grandfather survived the battle, the kamikaze, and the sinking. He went on to be stationed on Okinawa after the war, then joined the army and became a drill sergeant. He married my grandmother and had nine children, the second youngest of which was my mother. I never met my grandfather. After surviving the largest war in human history, my grandfather died at a relatively young age from a heart attack in 1978. The stories of his time in the war come from my mother, who in turn heard them from him.
I am proud of this part of my family history because I believe that a person should serve their country when their country is in need. It reminds me of that famous line from JFK's inaugural address: "And so my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you-ask what you can do for your country." This country has given us so much, why not return the favor?