The Los Angeles Times:
The number of U.S.-paid private contractors in Iraq now exceeds that of American combat troops, newly released figures show, raising fresh questions about the privatization of the war effort and the government’s capacity to carry out military and rebuilding campaigns.
More than 180,000 civilians — including Americans, foreigners and Iraqis — are working […]

Here are a couple of interesting video interviews of troops on the ground in Iraq taking part in current operations southwest of Baghdad.
Note how young the captain appears.
Soldiers talk to a military reporter about securing a main supply route for coalition forces and Iraqi nationals, Operation Crazyhorse Thunder, and working with Iraqi local nationals.

SSG Todd […]

The major offensives (Phantom Thunder, Arrowhead Ripper, et cetera) in Iraq continue today. The Washington Post has a story here that’s okay. I’m assuming it’s rather hard to find and report “both sides” of the story when the subject is changing so quickly — that is to say, I’m not certain that all the “naysaying” […]

Are these guys working together?
The House Oversight Committee is demanding that Vice President Cheney explain himself. Is his office part of the executive branch? Part of the legislative branch? Or is Cheney suggesting that as far as federal rules are concerned, his office essentially doesn’t exist?
The issue at hand is Cheney’s insistence that his office […]

I can see Cheney now: For the first time in seven years, he lifts his head, his face brightens and takes on — who knew his face could do this? — a look of complete shock and awe. A look of total innocence.
“What?” he asks. “Us? Classified information? The law? Huh?”
House Democrats on Thursday denounced […]

In 1999, while stationed at Keesler AFB for technical training, a friend of mine, Airman Eberhart, randomly mentioned to me in line for chow one day that 16 people had been killed by pirates the year before. I remember my reaction as being, first, “Pirates!?” and, second, “Where did you find that out?”
Sure enough, it […]

The Tank picks up on something I’ve been pissed (and concerned) about for quite some while: private security companies guarding military installations. When we don’t have enough troops to guard our own bases, we’ve got a serious problem.

In terms of security, there were military policemen everywhere, except the main gate.
.
When I pulled up, the only […]

Badger’s Forward thanks American taxpayers for the delivery of Mine Resistant Ambush Protective (MRAP) vehicles to replace the HMMWVs currently used in Iraq:
Anyone who has been in the military can give you a litany of complaints. The saying “a bitchy Soldier, is a happy Soldier” exists for a reason. But I would be hard pressed […]

This is very, very bad news.

U.S., Germans Fear Imminent Terror Attack

My sister informed me of this not long after she and her husband went back to Germany after taking leave here in the States a couple of months ago. We’re to keep it quiet from my mom. But the perceived threat level is one thing […]