Last fall, at an outpost in Kandahar, Afghanistan, Danny Chen, a 19-year-old Army private, was singled out for hazing by Sgt. Adam Holcomb and five other soldiers, all of whom were senior in rank to their victim. They believed Danny was a weak soldier, someone who fell asleep on guard duty, who forgot his helmet. So for six weeks, they dispensed “corrective training” that violated Army policy. When he failed to turn off the water pump in the shower, he was dragged across a gravel yard on his back until it bled. They threw rocks at him to simulate artillery. They called him “dragon lady,” “gook” and “chink.”… Seguir leyendo »
Since the start of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, there has been a large and steady rise in the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder among our troops. One recent study of 289,000 Americans who served in those countries found that the rates of the disorder jumped to 22 percent in 2008 from just 0.2 percent in 2002.
Given the duration of these wars and the length and frequency of deployments, when compared with other wars, perhaps such high rates of PTSD are not so surprising. Prolonged exposure to a perilous and uncertain combat environment might make trauma common.
But there is another factor that might be playing a role in the increasing rates of the disorder, one that has escaped attention: the military’s use of stimulant medications, like Ritalin and Adderall, in our troops.… Seguir leyendo »
Jack, my co-pilot, sleeps in the passenger seat. His chin rests on my upper leg. The car in front of us wears two Support Our Troops ribbons. One is yellow; the other red, white and blue. Both are made in China. On the rear bumper is a faded black MIA sticker. That driver probably means well, but by now I’ve seen too many ribbons. While the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq kill and maim, I think of how they are also shaping the future of returning veterans. Many of these men and women will come home and go missing, and you won’t even know it.… Seguir leyendo »
How good is the U.S. military at determining who is fit for battle?
Ten years into the war in Afghanistan, and after nearly nine years of war in Iraq, we know that the defining injuries of these conflicts for our service members include traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder. We also understand that the all-volunteer force is stretched thin and that multiple deployments to combat zones are routine.
What military physicians don’t have a good sense of, however, is how to tell whether a combat veteran is still qualified for the battlefield. And the tragedy this month in Afghanistan, where Army Staff Sgt.… Seguir leyendo »
Here we go again. President Obama made the same mistake Thursday in announcing his new military strategy that virtually all of his predecessors have made since the end of World War II. He said:
“Moreover, we have to remember the lessons of history. We cannot afford to repeat the mistakes of the past — after World War II, after Vietnam — when our military was left ill-prepared for the future. As commander in chief, I will not let that happen again. Not on my watch.”
Unfortunately, Obama’s plan does exactly that. It forgets the lessons of history. Some facts: Harry Truman seeking to never repeat the costs of World War II reduced the Army from 8 million soldiers to fewer than half a million.… Seguir leyendo »
Troops in Iraq will complete their withdrawal by the end of the year. Troops may no longer be stationed there, but they carry a piece of the war with them everywhere they go. While the nation may be moving on, for our troops, the Iraq War remains an ongoing battle as some work to overcome their injuries while others struggle to assimilate back into the workforce and with their families.
If you’ve turned on the television this month, you’ve seen the videos, sometimes more than once. A group of service members proudly marches into a gymnasium, salutes the U.S. flag, and then the troops are overwhelmed by the cheers and hugs of their friends and family members.… Seguir leyendo »
The failure of the US Congressional Joint Committee on Deficit Reduction to reach agreement on budget cuts now sets the stage for $1.2 trillion in automatic reductions to begin in January 2013. Should these cuts go into effect, the US Defense Department, which already must implement $450 billion in reductions over ten years, will take half the hit. But pushback has already begun, with Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta arguing that further reductions will impose “substantial risk” to America’s national security.
But, if history is a guide, global events, not deficit hawks or military promoters, will have the ultimate say over how far defense reductions go.… Seguir leyendo »
Top defense officials are grappling to find a unified position on whether to allow women in direct ground combat, as the Pentagon prepares a landmark report to Congress on the military's coed future.
In the wake of two wars in which women have exchanged fire with the enemy, the Pentagon is being pressed to scrap the ban on women serving below the brigade level in units whose main mission is direct ground combat. That means women may not be infantry members or Green Berets.
"It is the subject of ongoing discussions but not yet fully resolved," a senior Pentagon official said when asked whether Army Gen.… Seguir leyendo »
U.S. Army Pfc. Naser Jason Abdo, 21, first made the news in August 2010 when, arguing that his Islamic faith contradicts serving in the American military, he filed for conscientious objector (CO) status. Referring to current American wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Pfc. Abdo asserted that a Muslim "is not allowed to participate in an Islamicly unjust war. Any Muslim who knows his religion ... should not participate in the U.S. military." Further, he wrote: "I cannot be a soldier in the U.S. Army and continue to remain true to Islam."
Simultaneously, Pfc. Abdo made anti-American statements during Pashto language class and listed the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, on his Facebook page as one of his "activities and interests."… Seguir leyendo »
The military relationship between the United States and China is one of the world’s most important. And yet, clouded by some misunderstanding and suspicion, it remains among the most challenging. There are issues on which we disagree and are tempted to confront each other. But there are crucial areas where our interests coincide, on which we must work together.
So we need to make the relationship better, by seeking strategic trust.
How do we do that?
First, we’ve got to keep talking. Dialogue is critical.
A good bit of misunderstanding between our militaries can be cleared up by reaching out to each other.… Seguir leyendo »
Jeremy Morlock, an American soldier who confessed to murdering three Afghan civilians in 2009 and 2010, was sentenced Wednesday to 24 years in prison by a military judge. Four more soldiers face murder charges, and an additional seven are being held for lesser crimes. Some say the actions of Morlock and other members of his so-called “kill team” stand as a moral indictment of the war effort, but they have it backward. The U.S. government recognizes wanton killing of civilians as a war crime and responds accordingly. Had Morlock been working for the jihadists, he would be hailed as a hero.… Seguir leyendo »
In 2001, I was an Air Force lieutenant colonel and A-10 fighter pilot stationed in Saudi Arabia, in charge of rescue operations for no-fly enforcement in Iraq and then in Afghanistan. Every time I went off base, I had to follow orders and put on a black Muslim abaya and head scarf. Military officials said this would show "cultural sensitivity" toward conservative Saudi leaders and guarantee "force protection" - this in a nation where women couldn't drive, vote or dress as they pleased.
To me, the abaya directive, with its different rules for male and female troops and the requirement that I don the garb of a faith not my own, violated the the U.S.… Seguir leyendo »
A NATO oil tanker truck was blown up by insurgents at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border last week, and while no one was injured, the incident temporarily closed the Khyber Pass, the main supply artery for Western troops in the Afghan theater. This has become an all-too-routine occurrence; in the last nine years some 1,000 Americans have been killed on fuel-related missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Until the Defense Department develops battlefield policies recognizing that energy efficiency contributes to military effectiveness, more blood will be shed, billions of dollars will be wasted, our enemies will have thousands of vulnerable fuel trucks for targets and our commanders will continue to be distracted by the task of overseeing fuel convoys.… Seguir leyendo »
El presidente Obama debe de estar tentado de responder a sus críticos progresistas con una cita del rapero de la vieja escuela Kool Moe Dee: «¿Ya no soy tan molón?».
La derogación, tras una histórica votación en el Senado, de la intolerante y anacrónica política militar don't ask, don't tell relativa a los homosexuales en el ejército -una promesa de campaña que parecía escapársele de su alcance- no enmienda la relación entre Obama y el ala de izquierdas del Partido Demócrata. Pero es un estupendo punto de partida. Los progresistas necesitaban una victoria clara y contundente con la que aliviar el prurito de aquellas bajadas tributarias ampliadas a las rentas altas.… Seguir leyendo »
I am an active-duty U.S. Marine Corps infantry officer. I have deployed twice to Iraq and once to Afghanistan and have commanded infantry Marines in combat.
On Tuesday, Gen. James Amos, commandant of the Marine Corps, said he believes repealing "don't ask, don't tell" and allowing gay and lesbian Marines to serve openly could "cost Marines' lives" because of the "mistakes and inattention or distractions" that might ensue. I am not homosexual. And in this instance, I must respectfully disagree with my commandant.
The commandant cites the importance of cohesion within small combat units and warns against its disruption by allowing homosexuals to stop concealing their identities.… Seguir leyendo »
After 17 years, "don't ask, don't tell" may finally be on its way out. Even if the Senate resists the latest efforts to end the policy, it appears that most members of the military - from the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on down - support the law's repeal.
But there's one part of the military where resistance is greater than in any other: the United States Marine Corps.
That is clear from early reports about a survey sent to 400,000 active duty and reserve service members on "don't ask, don't tell" that will be officially released next month.… Seguir leyendo »
A federal appeals court on Wednesday granted the Obama administration’s emergency request for a stay against a lower court order lifting the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy barring openly gay service members.
The decision will strike some people as odd, since popular belief holds that the president, who has said he opposes the law, can make the policy go away by simply letting the lower court order stand. In fact, the administration is required to comply with the law and defend it in court, regardless of Mr. Obama’s personal views.
Fortunately, there is another, seemingly contradictory step the White House could take that would not only make its position clear, but deal a significant blow to the law’s prospects: while continuing to appeal the ruling, the administration could inform the courts that it believes “don’t ask, don’t tell” is unconstitutional.… Seguir leyendo »
Today the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in Snyder v. Phelps, a case about the nature and scope of basic rights -- those of free speech vs. those of privacy. But this case is fundamentally about wrongs and the law's imperfect ability to redress them.
The facts of the case are well known. Matthew Snyder, a Marine lance corporal from Westminster, Md., was killed in the line of duty in Iraq in 2006. The Rev. Fred Phelps and members of his Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church traveled more than 1,000 miles to Maryland to picket his funeral and draw attention to their view that society and the military are too tolerant of homosexuality.… Seguir leyendo »
For the past six months, we led a bipartisan panel of former national security and military leaders in reviewing the document laying out the Defense Department's plans for the next 20 years. The Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) released this year was prepared by a Pentagon focused on responding to the threats America faces and winning the wars in which America is engaged. We had some compliments and some criticisms of the QDR, as well as suggestions for crafting a broader longer-term vision for America's military and national power.
The issues in our report are sufficiently serious that we believe an explicit warning is appropriate.… Seguir leyendo »
La cultura estadounidense está saturada de imaginería, vocabulario, recuerdos y fantasías de carácter militar. Su militarismo no nació durante las guerras mundiales o en la guerra fría, sino que se remonta al origen de la propia República.
Muchos de los dirigentes de la insurrección antibritánica habían servido a la metrópoli en la guerra contra Francia anterior a la Revolución Americana. Aun siendo de gran importancia, esta fue un incidente dentro de la pugna europea por el continente americano, que precisaba de un esfuerzo bélico permanente. La nueva República dejó claro que su Ejército controlaría dicho continente, y desde el principio su Armada asumió una misión de alcance mundial.… Seguir leyendo »
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