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This Week in the Blackwater Tactical Weekly…
Afghanistan–Pakistan Developments
Homeland Security–First Responder
From Our Friends at Total Intelligence Solutions If you are having trouble viewing this please Click Here |
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| QUOTE OF THE WEEK |
| “Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out..” – Anton Chekhov |
| WEEKLY SECURITY DEVELOPMENTS |
Congressional Push to Drop Charges Against Three Navy SEALsFox NewsA second letter of support from members of Congress has been sent on behalf of three Navy SEALs charged with mistreating an Iraqi detainee. The latest letter written by Indiana's Dan Burton and signed by 40 of his Republican colleagues asks a Special Operations commander to drop all charges against the men. |
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| U.S. DEFENSE NEWS |
New Magazine Increases Reliability for M-16 and M-4 WeaponsDefense TalkThe Army has begun fielding a new 5.56mm 30-round "improved magazine" that delivers a significant increase in reliability for M-16 and M-4 weapons. Bolstering the already high reliability ratings of the M-16 and M-4, the improved magazine reduces the risk of magazine-related stoppages by more than 50 percent compared to the older magazine variants, according to officials at Program Executive Office Soldier. Full StoryLive-Fire Demo Showcases Future WeaponsDefense TalkThe Small Arms Branch of the Soldier Requirements Division rolled out more than 30 weapon systems - including pistols, rifles, sniper weapons, machine guns and grenade launchers - for a special live-fire demonstration Tuesday at Red Cloud Range. The weapons, including new sniper technology, weapons upgrades and an air burst rifle prototype, represent 60 percent of the Army's small arms strategy, said Lt. Col. Thomas Henthorn, chief of the small arms branch. Full StoryArmy Tests ‘Universal Remote’ for Future TrooperWired Danger Room – Defense BlogOn future battlefields, the Army wants to have an all-seeing array of drones, robots and sensors that will be tied together over a common network. But the real challenge will be bringing all that digital information down to the lowest level: the individual soldier. Full StoryMore Powerful Strykers to Address Afghanistan Mobility ProblemsDefense Industry DailyOne complaint heard about the 8×8 wheeled Stryker armored vehicles in Afghanistan was that they had difficulties with the rough, mountainous off-road terrain. The Canadian forces in particular found that their Strykers’ mobility limitations created unacceptable difficulties. Full StoryHUMAN EVENTS Petition To Free the SEALsHuman EventsWe, the editors and staff of HUMAN EVENTS, and the many Americans who have attached their signatures to this petition, hereby request your personal intervention to dismiss the charges against Navy SEAL operators SO2 Jonathan Keefe, SO1 Julio Huertas and SO2 Matthew McCabe. Full Story |
| INTERNATIONAL MILITARY NEWS |
Iran Tests New Sajjil-2 Missile That Can Reach Europe and IsraelWall Street JournalIranian state media reported Wednesday that Tehran successfully test-fired an enhanced version of a solid-fuel medium-range missile, as U.S. and Western powers prepare to push for new economic sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program. Iran said it fired an "optimized" version of its Sajjil-2, a medium-range missile capable of hitting Israel, according to Iranian media.. Full StoryVietnam and Russia Sign Major Arms DealAgence-France PressVietnam's major arms deal with Russia, reported to involve the purchase of six submarines, aims to bolster claims against China over potentially resource-rich islands in the South China Sea, analysts say. While much of Vietnam's military hardware is antiquated, it has decided to devote substantial resources to developing an underwater fleet as concerns mount over tensions with its giant neighbor over the Paracel and Spratly archipelagos. Full StoryJ-10: The New Cornerstone of Sino-Pakistani Defense CooperationJamestown FoundationChina and Pakistan have forged a formidable partnership in high-tech defense production. This partnership is born of their ever-deepening military and strategic cooperation that is also reflective of the burgeoning capacity of China's defense industries and the budding Sino-Pakistani defense relationship. Full Story |
| AFGHANISTAN–PAKISTAN DEVELOPMENTS |
Marines Blast Through Now Zad With Assault Breacher VehiclesDefense TalkA vehicle that looks like a hybrid of a tank and bulldozer comes to a stop. An enormous blast shrieks through the air and delivers 1,750 pounds of C4 on the road ahead. The Marine Corps newest vehicle, an assault breacher vehicle, has detonated a route clearing, line charge, making its first combat assault in Marine Corps history. Full StoryMarines Prepare For Key Taliban Offensive in Southern AfghanistanChristian Science MonitorBrig. Gen. Larry Nicholson is prepping his Marines to launch a major offensive against the Taliban in southern Afghanistan – in what could be a game-changer in the operations here. Nicholson, the senior Marine commander in Afghanistan, will in the coming weeks receive hundreds of reinforcements, the first wave of forces to deploy as part of President Obama’s surge. That will allow Nicholson to pierce the Taliban stronghold of Marjeh – a 100-square-mile region that must, in the words of another senior Marine officer, be “cracked open.” Full StoryWidening the Pakistan Drone War: On To-Do List, Or Nixed?Wired Danger Room – Defense BlogWith a wink and a nod from Pakistan, the U.S. government has been carrying on a clandestine drone war over Pakistan for nearly two years. Now the question is whether those operations may expand to include drone strikes to the southern province of Baluchistan, where the Taliban’s Quetta Shura maintains a leadership base. Full StoryIraq to Afghanistan: A Radical AdjustmentStars & StripesSometimes in Iraq, it almost felt like a normal job for the soldiers of the 4th Engineer Battalion: Fieldwork for six to eight hours with little action and then back home, where high-speed Internet, reliably hot showers and real beds with a roof overhead awaited them. Three months into their tour, however, they were transferred and faced frontline fighting in southern Afghanistan, days that regularly stretched for 15 hours or more, and a cot in the dust during chilly desert nights for the little sleep they were afforded between missions. Four Cited for Heroism in AfghanistanStars & StripesAs members of the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment start a new deployment in Afghanistan, soldiers who served with the unit during its last rotation continue to receive recognition for acts of heroism. Three soldiers who were with "The Rock" in 2007-2008 received medals in a ceremony Monday at Fort Benning, Ga. All are currently members of the 75th Ranger Regiment. |
| HOMELAND SECURITY–FIRST RESPONDER |
Arrest Early or Risk Potential Terrorist AttackNational Terror AlertIt’s a rather big dilemma for law enforcement and national security. At what point does continued surveillance outweigh the risk of letting a potential terror plot go too far? It’s a fine line. Move in too soon and you may not have a case. Wait too long and lives, perhaps many lives, could be lost. Full StoryPre-Massacre Concerns About Hasan May Have Been Off Limits to FBIDallas NewsFBI agents who discovered Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan's extremist ties before the Fort Hood massacre may not have had access to key Army records on the psychiatrist, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins said. The Maine Republican said some information that terrorism investigators need stays in military education or training files "and does not make its way to the personnel files" – the records that intelligence agencies would see when deciding whether to investigate someone. Homegrown Terror on the Rise in 2009Fox NewsThe five young Americans accused last week of traveling from Washington to Pakistan to wage jihad cap what appears to be a record year for homegrown terror plots, exposing a dangerous trend that experts say poses the biggest challenge America's security officials have ever faced. Not including the Pakistan case, the Rand Corporation says that of the nearly 30 homegrown terror plots uncovered in the U.S. since Sept. 11, 2001, 10 surfaced in this year alone, including two actual attacks — in Little Rock, Ark. and Fort Hood, Texas. |
| FROM OUR FRIENDS AT TOTAL INTELLIGENCE SOLUTIONS |
Adam Gadahn Releases "We do not kill innocent Muslims"Highlights
On December 12, 2009, al-Qaeda’s as-Sahab Media released a video featuring infamous American jihadist Adam Gadahn on several prominent jihadist sites, including TIS-591985. Adam Gadahn, known as Azzam al-Amriki, is an American born member of al-Qaeda. Since 2004, when he first appeared in a number of al-Qaeda videos, al-Qaeda has used Gadahn to send messages to the English-speaking world. Gadahn begins the message, entitled “The Mujahideen Don’t Target Muslims” by declaring that the mujahedeen are defeating the US in Afghanistan, and that the Pakistani government offensives in Waziristan and Swat are “futile.” He boasts that the mujahedeen are dealing “decisive blows to the apostate regimes in Kabul and Islamabad.” Gadahn then launches into a lengthy tirade alleging that the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency, the Indian Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), andAmerican security company Blackwater are responsible for the recent suicide bombings targeting innocent civilians in crowded marketplaces, schools and mosques. According to Gadahn, these agencies perpetrate the attacks and then blame them on the mujahedeen to discredit them. He denounces global media outlets for propagating this “conspiracy” against the mujahedeen. To support this allegation he claims that the mujahedeen are already so successful at penetrating the highest levels of the Pakistani and Afghan regimes that they have no need for desperate suicide attacks on soft targets like civilians. The preceding article is part of subscription service created byTotal Intelligence Solutions (TIS). For additional information, please contact Brad Slade at bslade@totalintel.com. |
| BUMPER STICKER |
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| FRANKS REVIEW |
Tactical Equipment EvaluationSelf Education: DVD LibraryOver the course of the past six years I’ve realized that quite a bit of the information I’ve gained having to do with self-defense and/or operational tactics has come from sources OTHER than my fellow officers, instructors, soldiers, etc. Much of what I’ve learned has come from reference books and an assortment of DVDs. I didn’t realize just how varied this source of information could be until I recently had to clean up the assortment that had been occupying space in my office. Going through and sorting them all gave me the idea of reviewing some of what’s available and from where.. Full Story Can Be Viewed At: http://www.newamericantruth.com/reviews/other/trainingdvds.htm Recreational Equipment ReviewAmericanSnipers.orgNo, this isn’t actually a “review” of a product. Instead it’s a review (and reminder) of the organization known as AmericanSnipers.org; what they do; how long they’ve done it; why they do it and who they are. AmericanSnipers.org first came to my attention a few years ago and since I first became aware of them, their efforts to support deployed military snipers has continued to grow even as support and belief in our war efforts is reported to be sliding (if you believe the popular media hype). So, as Christmas approaches, I write this “review” as a reminder that this non-profit organization exists purely to serve our brothers who serve at the tip of the spear. I encourage you to keep them in your plans this holiday season.Full Story Can Be Viewed At: http://www.newamericantruth.com/reviews/other/amsnipers.htm |
| CHAPLAINS CORNER |
LESSONS LEARNEDI was in sixth grade. The teacher asked for people to volunteer for a special project of their own choosing for extra credit and a gift. I volunteered to make a map book of the groupings of the States of the United States. I had not finished it and became too tired to complete it before falling asleep. I awakened about 3 AM to find the bright ceiling light on and my mother drawing a map page. I asked why she was doing this. She said, "When you give your word to do something, keep that promise if you are capable of doing it. Do not just quit because you are too tired or too busy or too anything else! Now get up and finish this map book!" I did and I was the only boy in the whole class to turn in a project. One girl did one also. That was it… Two out of forty. The lesson was branded into my being forever. Thanks Mom.Full article can be seen at: http://www.ustraining.com/new/btw/chaplain/122109chaplain.htm |
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| CONTACT INFORMATION |
The Blackwater Tactical Weekly is a free weekly e–publication. The Mission of the Blackwater Tactical Weekly is to provide readers with valuable information from diverse sources regarding tactical, strategic, and geo–political security issues. Editor–in–Chief – N Conley (btw@ustraining.com) Questions regarding US Training (252) 435–2035 To subscribe to the Blackwater Tactical Weekly, Click Here To view an archived edition of the Blackwater Tactical Weekly, Click Here |
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