Readers;

Interesting week as senior military leaders join to advise President about consequences on rapid withdrawal from Iraq. Also find interesting analyses about Gen. Petraeus, and how Afghanistan will prove a quagmire for Al Qaeda.

Of course, the latest news from Mexico and the GWOT as the U.S. is evicted by Kyrgyzstan, and the Somali Pirates finally release the Ukrainian ship loaded with weapons and tanks.

I think you'll enjoy the news on how increased combat loads are contributing to injuries along with an innovative solution for learning foreign languages.

Stay safe.

John Wrenn
Managing Editor, Tactical Weekly
Director, Corporate Communications

Ayn Rand

New course to promote safe weapons handling.

RALEIGH, N.C. - Blackwater Worldwide has started marketing a personal defense course for professional athletes, pushing firearms training just two months after NFL star Plaxico Burress shot himself in the thigh.

US-IRAQ: Generals Seek to Reverse Obama Withdrawal Decision
February 2, 2009
IPS News
Gareth Porter

Interesting analysis of dialogue between President and his military leaders.

WASHINGTON, Feb 2 (IPS) - CENTCOM commander Gen. David Petraeus, supported by Defence Secretary Robert Gates, tried to convince President Barack Obama that he had to back down from his campaign pledge to withdraw all U.S. combat troops from Iraq within 16 months at an Oval Office meeting Jan. 21.

Additional hazard experienced by troops as we continue to load them up with gear, and they are not prepared for the physical stress. Good news is that the hazard is recognized by leadership who is trying to leverage science and technology to remedy the problem.

Carrying heavy combat loads is taking a quiet but serious toll on troops deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, contributing to injuries that are sidelining them in growing numbers, according to senior military and defense officials.

Rising concern over the muscle and bone injuries -- as well as the hindrance caused by the cumbersome gear as troops maneuver in Afghanistan's mountains -- prompted Army and Marine Corps leaders and commanders to launch initiatives last month that will introduce lighter equipment for some U.S. troops.

Reason to keep an eye on technological solutions.

Drivers who made mistakes were caught on camera and fined.

Thousands of drivers in Italy are expected to seek compensation after it was revealed that a system to catch them jumping red lights was rigged.

Innovative way to teach languages along with increasing fitness.

The average English speaker already knows about 500 words of Arabic and can learn another handful easily while exercising. That's according to Betty Lou McClanahan, a senior staff member in the chemistry department at MIT.

The largest threat to national security may not be Islamic Terrorists, but Mexican Narco-Terrorists on our southern border.

In November, along the border with Texas, Mexican authorities arrested drug cartel leader Jaime "el Hummer" Gonzalez Duran - one of the founders of "Los Zetas," a paramilitary organization of former Mexican soldiers who decided there was more money to be made in selling drugs than in serving in the Mexican military.

As El Hummer was being transported to the airport in an armed vehicle, his fellow cartel members launched a brazen attack against the federales.

They were armed to the teeth. Their arsenal ranged from semi-automatic rifles to rocket-propelled grenades. When the smoke finally cleared and the government had prevailed, Mexican federal agents captured 540 assault rifles, more than 500,000 rounds of ammunition, 150 grenades, 14 cartridges of dynamite, 98 fragmentation grenades, 67 bulletproof vests, seven Barrett .50-caliber sniper rifles and a Light Anti Tank (LAW) rocket.

Bad news in the GWOT, as the country that supported the USS Cole terrorists is back in the news.

LAST March, al-Qaeda websites posted a message advising members to head for Yemen, the Arabian peninsula's unruly south-west corner. The call, it seems, has been answered. The global terror franchise has released a video showing fugitive Saudi jihadists and their Yemeni hosts proclaiming a merger between their two branches, plus images of combat training in Yemen's rugged mountains. Now other friends may soon be joining the fighters, by quite a different route. The Yemeni government says it expects most of the 100-odd Yemenis still held in the American prison camp at Guantánamo, where they now make up the largest national group of inmates, to be home by the spring. It is building a special camp where jihadist suspects will be allowed to live with their families, while undergoing reindoctrination to equip them for a peaceful return to society.

Interesting analysis of Afghanistan by Senator Lieberman.

Although President Barack Obama and all of us in Congress are understandably focused on the economic crisis, we also face multiple crises in the rest of the world -- beginning with the war in Afghanistan. Security there has been deteriorating as the insurgents have grown in strength, size and sophistication, expanding their influence over an increasing swath of territory.

Reversing the downward spiral will not be easy. But as Gen. David Petraeus once said of another war, "Hard is not hopeless." And we possess considerable strengths in this fight.

Innovative thinking by the Bobbies?

It was billed as the latest police tactic to combat crime and now the idea has taken off nationwide.

Police figures show that forces across the country have spent more than £20,000 on the flat-pack PCs.

To view the latest contract opportunities at Blackwater, visit our Contract Web Page

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Questions regarding Security Consulting or Training at Blackwater (252) 435-2488 or email webmaster@ustraining.com

Will soldiers soon be flying their HUMVEES?

Soldiers would like to control their vehicle-based technologies - sensors, communications, blue force tracking and weapons - from a single interface, just as civilians access multiple programs from their desktop computers.

The answer may come in the form of cockpit-like technology that could turn plain humvees into multimedia hubs. It also would allow soldiers to control sensors and weapons from the safety of their armored cabs.

New developments for the Corp’s unmanned aerial vehicles.

The U.S. Marine Corps is drafting a wish list of capabilities associated with two future unmanned aerial systems (UAS).

The first is notionally called the Group 4 UAS, the first of its kind as the Marine Corps shifts from its old "tiered" system of classifying into new groups, according to Maj. Thomas Heffern, of the service's UAS Capabilities Office. He spoke Feb. 3 at the AUVSI's annual Program Review conference in Washington.

Look for new security patches tomorrow.

Microsoft is set to issue four security updates next week including critical flaws in its Internet Explorer and Microsoft Exchange Server software.

The march of miniaturization continues.

A sleeker, smaller and more rugged satellite telephone - featuring an internally stowed antenna - has been introduced by Iridium Satellite LLC of Bethesda, Md. The device, which is called the 9555, also comes with an intuitive user interface, a brighter screen, speaker phone, improved short messaging service, email and an improved mini-USB (universal serial bus) data port.

Tactical Equipment Evaluation

A friend of mine - also a police veteran - once told me that for emergency response work what he really needed was "a small pry bar with a sharp edge". He also needed it to be small enough to comfortably carry in the center of his vest (where he could reach it with either hand) but large and heavy enough to chop through walls or doors if need be. Well, pry bars are easy to find. Cutting tools are easy to find. But a tool to do both that is small enough to put in that center chest position (on the average size guy)? Not so common. Enter the KA-BAR Becker TacTool or "BK3".

Full Story Can Be Viewed At:

Recreational Equipment Review

So I've been wearing hydration systems for work and play purposes for more than a decade now. I clearly remember carrying two aluminum 1-quart canteens in Basic Training (and MP school for that matter) and I now envy my children who get issued hydration systems that integrate into their web gear. The challenge I've always seen is, how do you dry the bladder and drinking tube after cleaning them? Because no matter how clean you think they are, if there's still moisture inside then there is the potential for something unwanted to grow while it's in storage. The solution? Enter the ZER0 GOO drying tool.

Full Story Can Be Viewed At:

http://www.borelliconsulting.com/recevals/campback/zerogoo.htm

Not geographically...
But mentally... emotionally... health wise... and spiritually?

Full Story Can Be Viewed At:

http://www.ustraining.com/tw2009/article/020909chaplain.htm

Good advice as the weather starts to warm up.

Most people realize they sweat more when they exercise and that in order to stay healthy, they need drink water. However, many people aren't aware of how much water they need to drink and why it's important to so.

When engaged in physical activity, body temperature rises as much as 3 degrees. Your body's natural cooling system, sweating, kicks in to lower body temperature. Under extreme exercise and heat stress, a body can lose 1/2 a gallon of water per hour. If the lost water is not replaced, dehydration occurs and serious consequences may follow.

Good advice with some great quick recipes.

Push that snooze button one less time and you could be doing something to help in achieving a healthier lifestyle, eating breakfast. Mom was right (even if you may not want to admit it); breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Although we have all heard it before, let's review the many concrete reasons to start your day off with a solid meal.

Here are some links for charitable organizations.

Blackwater does not endorse any organization over another nor encourage charitable contributions, we provide these links as a public service, and take no responsibility for the actual sites. Although we strive to validate the sites before linking we caution you to do your own research, as the internet is ripe with scams.

Welcome Back Veterans

Here is an organization sponsored by Major League Baseball that wants to help returning vets.

Ten thousand young men and women come home from Iraq, Afghanistan, and other zones of conflict every month. They've served our country well, and have made sacrifices - of health, of family, of livelihood - that most of us will never have to make.

IT'S OUR TURN

To step up to the plate and GIVE.

The players and owners of Major League Baseball have contributed their time and resources to help returning soldiers and their families through Welcome Back Veterans. Now it's up to us to join the effort and do our part by giving generously.

Keep My Soldier Safe
Packages for Soldiers

Here is a great site that is trying to organize a bill that would allow free postage for letters and packages mailed to our service people overseas. Very relevant during the holidays.

Please go here and sign the petition so that we can help get this bill passed and get more packages sent to your troops for FREE...

We ask you to join us in urging our U.S. Senators and Representatives to support the effort to pass a law that would allow for the free mailing of letters and packages to our military personnel in the Iraq and Afghanistan theaters of operation.

Full Story

Paw Prints Dog Sanctuary

Here's an organization that cares for dogs of deployed service personnel.

Welcome to Paw Prints Dog Sanctuary & Canine Corps!

We provide a loving "home away from home" for dogs whose owners are deployed overseas in the military, as well as a safe haven for Central Pennsylvania's senior and special needs dogs. To date, nineteen of our guest have been adopted into loving homes, and we are currently caring for seven senior and special needs dogs and sixteen military pets.

Project Healing Waters Flyfishing

Great way to help our wounded brethren.

Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, Inc. is dedicated to the physical and emotional rehabilitation of disabled active duty military personnel and veterans through fly fishing and fly tying education and outings.

I don't have A.D.D. It's just that, oooohh look a chicken!!!

The Tactical Weekly is a free weekly e-publication.

The BTW provides readers valuable information from diverse sources regarding tactical and strategic security issues.

Editor-in-Chief - Gary Jackson (btw@blackwaterusa.com)
Managing Editor - John Wrenn (btw@blackwaterusa.com)
Format Editor - Jennifer Granoff (JGranoff@blackwaterusa.com)
Frank's Review - Frank Borelli (frank@borelliconsulting.com)
Chaplain's Corner - Chaplain D. R. Staton (chpln1@verizon.net)
Advertising - Jennifer Granoff (JGranoff@blackwaterusa.com)

Questions regarding Security Consulting or Training at Blackwater (252) 435-2035

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