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This Week in the Blackwater Tactical Weekly…We apologize for the delay in delivery. We were experiencing technical difficulties.
Afghanistan–Pakistan Developments
Homeland Security–First Responder
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| QUOTE OF THE WEEK |
“We are never prepared for what we expect.” –James A. Michener |
| WEEKLY SECURITY DEVELOPMENTS |
Suicide Pilot Crashes into Building in Texas Housing IRS OfficesLos Angeles TimesHe was a 53-year-old software engineer who played bass in a local band and lived what by all appearances was a quiet suburban life here with his wife, who taught piano at home, and her young daughter. But, for several decades, Joe Stack also had been battling the Internal Revenue Service -- and nursing a grudge. And on Thursday morning, he acted. |
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| U.S. DEFENSE NEWS |
Marine Corps to Use More Lethal Ammo in AfghanistanMarine Corps TimesThe Marine Corps is dropping its conventional 5.56mm ammunition in Afghanistan in favor of new deadlier, more accurate rifle rounds, and could field them at any time. The open-tipped rounds until now have been available only to Special Operations Command troops. The first 200,000 5.56mm Special Operations Science and Technology rounds are already downrange with Marine Expeditionary Brigade-Afghanistan, said Brig. Gen. Michael Brogan, commander of Marine Corps Systems Command. Commonly known as “SOST” rounds, they were legally cleared for Marine use by the Pentagon in late January, according to Navy Department documents obtained by Marine Corps Times. Full StoryNew Unmanned Aerial System Tests Advanced MissileDefense TalkThe Army's newest and most advanced Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), the Extended Range/Multi-Purpose (ER/MP) UAS, has successfully completed a series of tests with the HELLFIRE® II UAS --- a missile specially engineered to fire from a UAV with a 360-degree targeting ability, service officials said. The tests, involving nine perfect or near-perfect missile firings, took place at the Naval Air Weapons Station, China Lake, Calif., and demonstrated the missile's ability to engage a wider target envelope than a typical Hellfire missile, said Tim Owings, Deputy Project Manager, Army Unmanned Aircraft Systems. Full StoryFor Roving US Army Unit, Strykers are Their HomesAssociated PressThey call themselves gypsies, the men of Bravo Company. Right now, the 140 American soldiers are living out of their Stryker infantry carriers, part of a force assisting a U.S. Marine offensive in the Taliban stronghold of Marjah by blocking any insurgent movement near a canal to the northeast. They sleep up to six to a vehicle, crammed into a metal shell with hatches and only narrow windows in the "Hellhole" — the driver's compartment. Full StoryArmy Weighs Future of Unmanned HelicoptersNational Defense MagazineThe Army’s recent cancellation of the Fire Scout remotely piloted helicopter has left some wondering whether there is a future for unmanned vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft in the service. Possibly, said Tim Owings, deputy project manager for Army unmanned aircraft systems, but only for niche missions. “When I talk about niche missions — a very special capability — that’s where I think the vertical-lift component will have added value,” he told National Defense. “But the vast majority of our [unmanned] needs are still on the fixed-wing side.” Full StoryPressure as BAE Loses £1Billion US Army DealBusiness 7Bae Systems has reported a massive drop in profits after losing a near £1billion contract with the US Army. The defense contractor, headed by chief executive Ian King, said income rose to £22.4bn in 2009 which was an increase from the £18.5bn in the previous year. Underlying earnings were up to £2.2bn but pre-tax profits, including fines and writedown, fell from £2.3 billion to £282million. Full Story |
| INTERNATIONAL MILITARY NEWS |
Eurofighter: A Time to ShineDefense TalkMMRCA (Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft) testing begins this month for Eurofighter Typhoon in India as speculation rises as to who may win the new fighter jet deal to supply the Indian Air Force with 126 aircraft. The Hot and High trials which kicked off last year with Boeings F/A-18 are taking place in Bangalore, over Jaisalmer in the Rajasthan desert under hot weather conditions and in the Leh area of Ladakh – Ladakh meaning "land of high passes" - for high altitude testings. Full StoryUnited States Delivers Field Artillery Cannons to Pakistan ArmyDefense TalkThe United States government officially delivered 48 self-propelled field artillery cannons to the Pakistan Army today at the Malir Cantonment in Karachi. U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Michael Nagata, U.S. Office of the Defense Representative-Pakistan deputy commander, officially handed over the M1095A5 Howitzer self-propelled cannons to Pakistan Army Brigadier Farrukh Saeed, 25th Mechanized Division Artillery Commander, during a ceremony in Karachi. The event was attended by Mr. Steve Fakan, U.S. Consul General to Karachi, and more than a dozen U.S. and Pakistani military representatives. Full StoryIran Launches 1st Domestically Made Missile DestroyerBusiness WeekIran has put into service the country’s first domestically produced guided-missile destroyer, the Jamaran. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei launched the 94-meter (308-foot), 1,400-ton vessel at a site in the Persian Gulf, state-run Press TV said. Full StoryWhy the Arms Industry Wants to Sell Weapons to IndiaTIMEThe Indian Defense Minister, A.K. Antony, called this week's massive defense industry trade show, Defexpo 2010, "an endeavor to showcase India's capabilities in land and naval systems, as well as its emergence as an attractive destination for investment in the defense sector." His junior minister, M.M. Pallam Raju, was a little more blunt. He called the event, which attracted more than 600 companies from 35 countries, "a one-stop shop." India is emerging as one of the most important defense markets in the world, with billions to spend, and the global defense industry is only too happy to help it do so. Full StoryThe Case for an Israeli Strike Against IranAsia Times OnlineThe fact that Ha'aretz, Israel's left-leaning daily, found it necessary on February 17 to warn the Benjamin Netanyahu government not to attack Iran strongly suggests that the option is on the table. It seems clear that the administration of US President Barack Obama never will use force against Iran, despite the Iranian regime's open contempt for Washington and the international community. US Secretary of State Clinton this week responded with a direct "no" - not "all options are on the table" - when asked if America was planning a military strike. Full Story |
| AFGHANISTAN–PAKISTAN DEVELOPMENTS |
Troops Face Pockets of Resistance in MarjahWall Street JournalAfghan and NATO forces continued to push through the Taliban stronghold of Marjah Friday, and were encountering "determined pockets of resistance" in northern and eastern parts of the city, the NATO coalition said. Six coalition soldiers were killed in shootouts or in explosions in the past day, bringing the total to 11 casualties since the beginning of the Marjah operation nearly a week ago. Full StoryMarines in Marjah Focus on Sniper ThreatLos Angeles TimesFollowing the deadliest day yet for coalition forces seeking to drive the Taliban from the town of Marja in southern Afghanistan, U.S. Marines took aim Friday at the threat posed by insurgent snipers. Surprisingly accurate fire by Taliban marksmen, together with intricate webs of improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, has slowed the progress of the offensive, now in its seventh day. Commanders say key goals are being met, but acknowledge that clearing operations will probably take weeks. Full StoryBritish Army Uses Python Against Roadside Bombs For The First TimeTelegraph.co.ukRoyal Engineers fired the Python rocket-powered mine clearance system to blow up improvised explosive devices (IEDs) lined along a route in Helmand Province as part of the ongoing Operation Moshtarak. The Python is mounted on a trailer pulled behind a Trojan armoured engineer tank. It is then propelled back like a catapult, shooting a snake of high explosives high into the air and on to a minefield, where it detonates. Full StoryAre Pakistan’s Top Spooks Finally Playing Ball?Wired Defense BlogNews that Mullah Baradar, the Taliban’s top military commander, was captured in Karachi, Pakistan, has touched off major speculation about what it all means for the war in Afghanistan and Pakistan. “A major coup,” says the U.K. Guardian. “Huge news,” says Democracy Arsenal’s Michael Cohen. Even the ever-skeptical Joshua Foust suggests that it might be game-changing. How important is Baradar, and how significant is his arrest? Very and very. In a profile last year, Newsweek reporter Ron Moreau depicted Baradar as the operations chief for the Taliban — the man who hired and fired the insurgency’s commanders and shadow governors. Full StoryCaught in the Open: A Firefight with the TalibanAssociated Press"Medic!" Bullets cracked through the dry grass. "Medic!" "Who's hit?" someone yelled. The American soldiers were pinned down in a ditch Sunday, bodies prone in the mud. "I don't know!" another voice shouted in the din of gunfire. A U.S. soldier was down, shot in the chest by an insurgent near the besieged Taliban stronghold of Marjah. A Canadian soldier in the same patrol took a bullet in the front of his helmet, right where the center of his forehead was, like a bull's-eye. He was stunned, but unhurt. Full StoryProfile: Mullah Baradar - Father of the Roadside IEDTimes OnlineRegarded as brilliant and charismatic, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar was the second most powerful figure in the Afghanistan Taliban. The military commander who is said to have developed the Taleban tactic of planting "flowers" - improvised explosive devices (IEDs) - along roadsides has been described by terrorism experts as even more cunning and dangerous than Taleban supreme leader (his old friend) Mullah Omar. Full Story |
| HOMELAND SECURITY–FIRST RESPONDER |
RAW DATA: Joseph Stack Suicide ManifestoFoxNewsFederal authorities are investigating the following Web posting linked to Joseph Stack, the pilot of the single-engine plane that crashed into an Austin, Texas, office building that housed IRS offices. Full StoryPut the 'H.S.' Back in DHSNational Defense Magazine“We need to put homeland security back in the Department of Homeland Security,” said former DHS inspector general Clark Kent Ervin. Part of the reason the department is still getting its “sea legs” seven years after its creation is that so much of what it does has nothing to do with homeland security and counterterrorism, Ervin said at a Cato Institute panel discussion. Full StoryIn a Doomsday Cyber Attack Scenario, Answers are UnsettlingLos Angeles TimesWhat if a crippling attack struck the country's digital infrastructure? Experts including current and former officials tackle the question. The results show that the peril is real and growing. Full StoryAl Qaeda Looking to Recruit English Speakers, WomenFox NewsAl Qaeda in Yemen is actively recruiting English-speaking individuals, intelligence officials told Fox News on Monday, saying that investigators are looking for people who are more like Americans, having been born in the United States or Canada. Al Qaeda in Yemen is actively recruiting English-speaking individuals, intelligence officials told Fox News on Monday, saying that investigators are looking for people who are more like Americans, having been born in the United States or Canada. Full Story |
| FROM OUR FRIENDS AT TOTAL INTELLIGENCE SOLUTIONS |
Terror Strikes German Bakery Cafe in Pune, IndiaHighlights
On February 13, 2010 a bomb targeted the German Bakery café in Pune, killing 10 people and wounding at least 60. The bombing is causing serious concern within India, as German Bakery is a soft target, which raises speculation that similar locations popular with civilians will be targeted in the near to medium-term. While an unknown group claimed responsibility for the attack, Indian officials immediately suspected a Pakistani-based militant group conducted the bombing. We believe it is highly likely the attack was linked to a Pakistani-based militant group, specificallyLashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), but conducted by Indian nationals from the Indian Mujahideen (IM). We believe the attack was also meant to derail the February 25, 2010 peace talks between India and Pakistan. However, the attack is unlikely to result in either the cancellation or postponement of talks, despite Indian nationalists expressing anger toward the Pakistani government. We believe the Pune attack suggests that India is largely as vulnerable today as it was on November 26, 2008, when LeT fighters stormed seven locations throughout Mumbai, killing over 170 people. In the coming months, despite Indian security forces remaining on high alert, we believe the government will fail in preventing similar attacks against soft targets, as militant networks remain well-entrenched and capable within India’s major cities. However, we believe it is premature to suggest that the Pune attack signals the beginning of a new wave of terrorist attacks by Pakistani-based militant groups and their Indian counterparts.Full Report The preceding article is part of subscription service created byTotal Intelligence Solutions (TIS). For additional information, please contact Brad Slade at bslade@totalintel.com. Follow Total Intelligence Solutions on Facebook and Twitter (search TIS Online) |
| BUMPER STICKER |
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| FRANKS REVIEW |
Tactical Equipment EvaluationBlizzard Bug Out UpdatesAbout once each year I’ll do an article / review about Bug Out Bags (or “Go Bags”) based on whatever new kit I’ve found in the previous year that has proven valuable. In this case I’ve been presented with a new challenge: given the winter weather our country has enjoyed lately, what would I change in my Bug Out Bag? I found myself putting together a couple different bags for travel through the sometimes treacherous conditions. So, I figured it would be a good idea to take a look at the bare minimums for venturing out in the winter driving conditions. The rest of the review http://www.newamericantruth.com/reviews/other/2010bugout.htmRecreational Equipment Review“Tactical” Pants Wear ReportAcross the span of the last few years I’ve reviewed my share of “tactical” pants from various manufacturers to include 5.11 Tactical, BLACKHAWK! Warrior Wear, EOTac and others. Recently I had a conversation with a relatively new uniform manufacturer and one of the major points of discussion was fading and wear spots. The conversation made me go and get out several pair of pants to see how they had faded and where / if those wear spots were a concern. Since clothing is, to some extent, an investment I thought it would be worth sharing. The rest of the review: http://www.newamericantruth.com/reviews/clothing/tacpantwearreport.htm |
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