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Tag: US Military

  • Microsoft President: We Want the People Who Serve This Country to Know That We Have Their Back

    Microsoft President: We Want the People Who Serve This Country to Know That We Have Their Back

    Microsoft wants people to know that that they consider it their civic responsibility to provide the very best technology possible to the United States military. Microsoft President Brad Smith says that we want this country, especially the people who serve this country to know that we at Microsoft have their back.

    Brad Smith, Microsoft President, recently discussed Microsoft selling technology and services to the US military on Fox Business:

    Will Provide the Best Technology to the United States Military

    This country as has always relied on having the best access to technology, certainly the best technology that American companies make. We want this country, especially the people who serve this country to know that we at Microsoft have their back. We will provide the best technology to the United States military.

    We’ll Be Engaged But We’ll Be Engaged As a Civic Participant

    We have also said that we recognize the questions and at times the issues and concerns that people are asking about the future. We see artificial intelligence entering the world of the militaries around the world where people are asking questions about things like autonomous weapons. We’ll be engaged but we’ll be engaged as a civic participant.

    We Just Need To Move Forward Into This New Age

    We’ll use our voice, we’ll work with people, we’ll work with the military to address these issues in a way that will show the public that we live in a country where the US military has always honored the importance of a strong code of ethics. We just need to move that forward into this new age.

  • Chelsea Manning Wins Fight to Be Called “She”

    In a legal fight overs pronouns, chalk one up for gender rights.

    Chelsea Manning, the Wikileaks leaker formerly known as Bradley Manning, will now be referred to as “she” or a gender-neutral pronoun in all future court proceedings.

    “This is an important victory for Chelsea, who has been mistreated by the government for years,” said Manning’s attorney Nancy Hollander in a statement. “Though only a small step in a long legal fight, my co-counsel, Vincent Ward, Captain Dave Hammond, and I are thrilled that Chelsea will be respected as the woman she is in all legal filings.”

    What this means, in effect, is that the US military must stop referring to Chelsea Manning as a man.

    In September of last year Manning sued the US Department of Defense, claiming she had been “denied access to medically necessary treatment” in connection with a gender disorder.

    “She brings this action to compel defendants to treat her serious medical needs consistent with their obligation under the Constitution,” said the lawsuit. Manning’s lawyers claimed that lack of hormonal treatment would cause Manning to “suffer continued pain, depression and anxiety” and that she “is at an extremely high risk of self-castration and suicidality.”

    Manning accused the military of stalling.

    But then last month, the DoD gave in.

    “After carefully considering the recommendation that (hormone treatment) is medically appropriate and necessary, and weighing all associated safety and security risks presented, I approve adding (hormone treatment) to Inmate Manning’s treatment plan,” wrote Col. Erica Nelson in a memo.

    Above: Army Image of Chelsea Manning, in 2012, when known as Bradley Manning

  • Female Officers Filmed While Showering

    Female Officers Filmed While Showering

    An investigation is currently underway to determine who secretly filmed female officers of a submarine crew while they were showering and changing clothes. CNN and several other media sources are reporting that tapes of at least three different female officers were filmed over the course of one year while they were using the submarine’s unisex bathrooms. The tapes were then reportedly passed around among crew members of the USS Wyoming.

    Navy Vice Adm. M.J. Connor wrote in a letter obtained by CNN that an investigation is underway. “Incidents that violate the trust of our sailors go against every core value we hold sacred in our naval service,” he wrote. “We go to war together with the confidence that we can rely on each other in ALL circumstances, and incidents of sailors victimizing other sailors represent an extreme breach of that trust!”

    Connor did not go into the exact details of the incident because the investigation is currently ongoing. “The Navy has successfully integrated women into our aviation, surface warfare and expeditionary warfare communities,” Connor also wrote in the letter. “It would be inaccurate to say that we achieved this without incident, but I can say unequivocally that we are a better force because of that integration.”

    The USS Wyoming is one of the first submarines to allow women to serve. Females first began submarine training four years ago. The USS Wyoming is currently in deployment.

    According to The Navy Times, “A ballistic missile sub typically has 15 officers and 140 enlisted on board, with unisex heads in officer country. When a woman is using the shower, for example, she puts up a sign to indicate the head is in use by a female officer and men must wait to enter until it’s unoccupied.”

  • USS Iwo Jima Relocated to Jacksonville, Florida

    In 2001, the United States Navy built its last ever conventionally powered steam ship, the USS Iwo Jima. Along with featuring two geared steam turbines which churn out 70,000 horsepower, the ship was equipped with four missile launchers, two .50-caliber machine guns, and two 600 pound boilers. The USS Iwo Jima is the seventh Wasp class ship of its particular design, meaning that it is a multipurpose amphibious assault ship capable of landing up to 800 Marines in hostile territory via landing craft or helicopters. On Friday, this “40,000 tons of American fighting steel” (as coined by ship Captain Jim McGovern) left its port in Norfolk, Virginia and made its way to Jacksonville, Florida to settle in its new home at the Mayport Naval Station.

    For some, this transition is like coming home. Executive Officer of the ship, Captain Dana Gordon, stated, “For us it’s like a second home, so once the announcement was made – I was probably the biggest advocate of going down there.” The move even seems natural for those who have never been stationed in Mayport, as exhibited in the statement made by sailor Christopher Starmer: “All my instructors always said they tried most of their careers to get to Mayport, so it seems like a very exclusive place to get to.”

    While a simple move down the eastern coastline may not seem like a big deal, it is. Militarily, the move gives the US a leg-up in terms of response time: “Strategically, what it does it is places an ARG 2 days closer to action should be there something that goes on,” explained Captain McGovern.

    Along with bettering troop readiness, the move is expected to bring great economic boons to the Jacksonville, Florida area. “We have a lot of mom-and-pop stores along Mayport Road that have been waiting for such an infusion… We’re here to serve,” stated Atlantic Beach Mayor Carolyn Woods.

    “It’s a great opportunity. More businesses will open, more people will move here, it’s going to boost everything,” said the owner of Bongirno’s Philly Steak Shop, Deanna Bongirno.

    The USS Iwo Jima did not make the move alone. Three ships total have been relocated to the Mayport Naval Station – the USS Iwo Jima, the USS Fort McHenry, and the USS New York. In total, nearly 2,000 new people have moved to the area, bringing great economic benefits to Jacksonville. These three ships will be joined by six littoral combat ships in 2016, displaying the military’s concerted effort to create a more readily available naval force to deal with an ever-shifting political climate.

  • Bowe Bergdahl: Was It A Mistake To Free Him?

    Obama is facing backlash for his decision to free Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl in exchange for the release of five top Taliban leaders from Guantanamo. The initial reaction was relief, but now many are questioning the President’s decision.

    Bergdahl had been in Taliban custody for almost five years before his release. When Bergdahl was released on Saturday, soldiers came forward and stated that Bergdahl abandoned his Army unit in Afghanistan in 2009 during a combat deployment.

    Bergdahl disappeared from his observation post on June 2009. Three men from his 30-man platoon said that they found his night-vision goggles, body armor, helmet, and rifle neatly stacked inside his tent.

    Before his disappearance, several soldiers said that Bergdahl had expressed his dissatisfaction with the Army, and had made statements about walking to India or China. Fellow soldiers have called Bergdahl a deserter, and say he should be charged with violating the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

    The military is now investigating Bergdahl’s reason for leaving his post. According to Army General Martin Dempsey, the U.S. military is being accused of turning their eyes away from misconduct. However, Dempsey said that Bergdahl’s case is “premature.” “Like any American, he is innocent until proven guilty. Our Army’s leaders will not look away from misconduct if it occurred,” he said.

    Obama officials are defending their decision to release Bergdahl by saying that he could have soon been killed by his captors.

    Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby said that the Pentagon does not qualify whom they try to recover. “It doesn’t matter how he was taken captive. It doesn’t matter under what circumstances he left. It doesn’t matter what his persuasions were, political or otherwise. We have an obligation to recover all of those who are missing in action.”

    The soldiers insisted that Bergdahl is a deserter, and many lives were lost while searching for him over the past five years. “More than a handful of soldiers got Purple Hearts looking for him,” former Army Spc. Cody Full, a former roommate of Bergdahl said.

    According to Full, Bergdahl mailed home all his personal effects before moving to the observation post in Afghanistan. “Why would you mail your stuff home unless you were not going to ever need it again?” he asked.

    The investigation was not completed, since Army officials were not yet able to talk to Bergdahl. He is being treated at a military hospital in Germany. In the investigation, military officers have gathered information that Bergdahl may have walked off voluntarily, but they are still open to the idea that he may have been taken prisoner while using the latrine.

    Andy Andrews, whose son was killed while looking for Bergdahl said, “Where is the honor in any of this?” His wife said, “Honorable soldiers risked their lives for someone who was a deserter, a traitor. It devalues their lives.”

    Many are now asking if the five Taliban leaders were released in exchange of a hero, or a deserter.

    If hard evidence of desertion is found, Bergdahl could face court-martial. If convicted, Bergdahl could face a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a dishonorable discharge.

    The five Guantanamo detainees swapped for Bowe Bergdahl

    Image via YouTube

  • Chelsea Manning: Pentagon Considering Transfer To Civilian Prison For Gender Treatment

    Pentagon is weighing the option to transfer Chelsea Manning to a civilian prison in order for her to get treatment for gender disorder.

    Manning, born Bradley Edward Manning, is a soldier who was convicted of violating the Espionage Act. Manning, who was an intelligence analyst for an army unit in Iraq, leaked classified information to WikiLeaks in 2010. She was arrested on May 2010, and was charged with 22 offenses.

    According to Read Adm. John F. Kirby, the spokesman for the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel approved a request from the Army to assess potential treatments for inmates who are diagnosed with gender dysphoria. Chelsea Manning, who is housed in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, may be transferred to a federal prison.

    Manning entered the Army as Bradley, but has since then been diagnosed with gender dysphoria – the sense of being a woman in a man’s body. The transfer would allow Manning to decide if she wants to be completely transformed into a woman. However, transgender people are not permitted to serve in the military.

    The request for transfer now poses a problem for the department. The military said that they do not have the medical expertise to offer treatment for Manning’s condition. She also cannot be discharged from military service until she serves her 35-year prison sentence.

    Manning’s lawyer, David Coombs, said that moving to a civilian prison would be a risk for his client’s safety. He said, “It is common knowledge that the federal prison system cannot guarantee the safety and security of Chelsea in the way that the military prison system can.”

    Kirby said that the Pentagon has not made a decision regarding the matter. However, they will make sure that whatever decision they make will accommodate Manning’s medical needs, as well as make sure that she remains in prison.

    Manning openly stated that she wanted to change her name to Chelsea and live as a woman after she was convicted.

    Image via YouTube

  • Hellfire Missiles: U.S. Government Sends Ammunition To Iraqi Forces

    To show its continued support to the Iraqi forces against their ongoing campaign against terrorism, the United States has sent 100 Hellfire missiles and other ammunition to Iraq, officials of the U.S. Embassy to Iraq announced on Sunday.

    According to the Embassy’s official statement, the shipment was sent earlier this month with the purpose of reinforcing the Iraqi Security Forces who are currently battling al-Qaeda splinter group ISIL or Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

    The statement also expressed the U.S. government’s intention to send more weapons to Iraq within the next several weeks because of its belief in the importance of having “modern and effective weaponry” in facing the potential danger that the ISIL can bring to Iraq and the region. According to Embassy officials, the U.S. has already given the Iraqi security forces thousands of assault rifles, grenades, machine guns, sniper rifles, as well as more than 11 million rounds of ammunition since mid-January.

    The Associated Press reported that militant positions in the war-torn province of Al Anbar are frequently targeted by Iraqi warplanes, which use Hellfire missiles to eliminate the camps. For the past couple of months, Iraq’s western cities have experienced intense clashes between the combined forces of the Iraqi government and their allies from the Sunni militia, and militant groups associated with al-Qaeda along with other insurgents. The rebel groups hold the city of Fallujah and parts of Al Anbar capital of Ramadi.

    In a related story, two police officials – who spoke on condition of anonymity – reported that a suicide bomber allegedly crashed his explosive-filled car into a joint security area near Ramadi on Sunday. The explosion killed three police officers and two soldiers. Another casualty involved a car bomb that went off in the southeastern region of Baghdad. Four people were reported killed on the spot, and surrounding shops and vehicles were also damaged.

    The AGM-114 Hellfire Missile

    http://youtu.be/byIsaZ5WYyM

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • USS Somerset Commissioned In Honor Of Flight 93

    On March 1, the USS Somerset was commissioned to become a Navy warship to honor Flight 93, which was hijacked and headed for Washington D.C., but crashed in Pennsylvania killing 40 passengers and crew. The plane was one of the four that was hijacked in September 11, 2001.

    The Navy ship was sponsored to be built on December 2007 by Mary Jo Myers, wife of General Richard Myers who is the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The ship was named USS Somerset after Somerset county in Pennsylvania where Flight 93 crashed in 2001. USS Somerset is the third ship to commemorate lives lost to the 9/11 attacks, the first and second ones are the USS New York and USS Arlington. It took $1.2 billion and four years to build the USS Somerset.

    According to Senator Pat Toomey, the ship was built in commemoration of the day America began to fight back.

    USS Somerset carried Marine Corps and the Navy during the ceremony. After hours of waiting, Mary Jo Myers finally said the words “Man this ship and bring her to life.”

    The sailors were stationed on the upper decks and the brow of the ship, looking like dwarves in the vessel that weighed 25,000 tons. Also in attendance were the shipbuilders, politicians, the military, and families of those who were killed in Flight 93.

    The President of Families of Flight 93, Gordon Felt, reminded the Marines and sailors to use the tragedy as motivation to serve the country. He also said that “heroism is not achieved, it is revealed.” – just like the passengers and crew of Flight 93 who set out on the morning of 9/11 not knowing what was going to happen.

    A lifeboat emerged as a door on the ship was opened and the ship’s horn then boomed loudly.

    The ship is set for leaving its homeport in San Diego on Tuesday morning. Reports say that the USS Somerset will also be utilized for humanitarian efforts. Captain Thomas Dearborn, the ship’s commanding officer, told his crew that they will be helping those in need in any way they can – through typhoons, volcanic eruptions, and even piracy.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Chuck Hagel: U.S. Defense Secretary Discusses Pentagon Budget Cuts

    United States Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel has outlined the Pentagon’s priorities based on 2015’s defense budget. He recommends downsizing the Army to a smaller size in order to meet the budget and balance postwar defense requirements.

    At present, the Army has about 522,000 soldiers on active-duty. This number is slated to shrink down to 490,000 in 2015. Hagel also suggested lowering the number to around 440,000.

    With the targeted figure, the Army will be at its lowest number since after World War II. The lowest number post-World War II was recorded at 480,000 in 2001. Army chief of staff General Ray Odierno says that the ideal number is at about 450,000. He says the number poses a high risk, but it would be sufficient.

    This decision is the result of Hagel’s talks with the Defense Department, and together they have decided that the country needs advanced military instead of having a larger force that is less modern. The proposed budget cut will involve reducing benefits, pay increases, and housing allowances, which is sure to stir controversy when is it brought before Congress next week.

    Joint Chief Chairman General Martin Dempsey states that he believes Congress should retain the existing military benefits that the soldiers signed up for. Paul Rieckhoff, CEO and founder of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, also stated that cutting budgets for benefits would make it harder to draw and keep military personnel.

    According to Army leaders, they have long been expecting the Army’s size to decrease since the country is preparing to end combat in Afghanistan by this year.

    Defense analysts say that Pentagon budget priorities stated by Hagel would help the Army move in the right direction on several issues, such as removing wasteful spending and reforming military compensation. However, lawmakers who are running for mid-term elections to Congress might find it difficult to support the idea.

    Pentagon press secretary, Rear Admiral John Kirby, says that Hagel’s proposal was done with the country’s defense strategy and the service of soldiers in mind, and the chiefs are willing to push through with tough decisions.

    Hagel Proposes Troop Reduction

    Image via YouTube

  • John Eisenhower, Son Of Former President, Dies At Age 91

    John Eisenhower, the son of former President Dwight D. Eisenhower, has passed away at the age of 91. In his career, Eisenhower spent time in the U.S. army, and then chronicled the history of the U.S. military throughout several books.

    He was a historian, and author, coming off of his father’s legacy in the military, and his time during the presidency.

    His family has not revealed the cause of death, but it was reported that he died on Saturday. He lived on the Eastern Shore in Maryland, in the Trappe, Maryland community.

    John Eisenhower’s father, Dwight D. Eisenhower, was a five-star general in the army, and later served as the president from 1953 until 1961. John was born John Sheldon Doud Eisenhower in Denver, Colorado on August 3rd, 1922.

    He was the second child born to Dwight D. Eisenhower and Mamie Eisenhower, although their first child had died the year before at the age of 3 from scarlet fever.

    Speaking on his career in the military, and having it built into his system at a young age, John Eisenhower spoke in an interview in 1998 when saying “I was raised in a military manner, and it was a given that Army brats went to West Point, so I went to West Point in 1941. And being in the military has been my life.”

    John graduated from West Point on June 6th, 1944, on the same day that his father oversaw the Allied invasion of Europe. He served on his father’s White House staff during the later years of his presidency, before going on to help him write his memoirs, after his presidential term had finished.

    John Eisenhower wrote General Ike: A Personal Reminiscence about his father in additional to several other books including The Bitter Woods: The Battle Of The Bulge and So Far From God: The U.S. War With Mexico, 1846-1878.

    He is survived by his second wife, Joanne, and his four children: daughters Anne, Susan and Mary, and a son, David.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Military Strike Syria: Britain Says No

    Since the last WebProNews update on the crisis in Syria, there has been a lot of breaking news.

    The British parliament voted “no” on the decision to use military force against Syria. The British government had gathered intelligence and published a landmark assessment to provide evidence that the Syrian government had used chemical weapons on its people, thus killing hundreds of Syrian civilians.

    However, this assessment was not enough to sway British parliament in the favor of British Prime Minister Cameron.

    “…it is clear to me that the British parliament, reflecting the views of the British people, does not want to see British military action – I get that and the government will act accordingly.”  ~ British Prime Minister David Cameron

    If the U.S. does decide to take military action against Syria, it may now be unilateral:

    With strong resistance to military action and the latest news that Britain would not be joining the U.S. in the strikes, the U.S. government is scrambling to make a strong case for military force:

     

    Since breaking news regarding possible military strikes on Syria are coming out by the minute, Mashable just released an outstanding interactive map to make sense of it all:

    http://youtu.be/eEV6ySlsAmk

    [British Prime Minister Cameron, Main Image and Video Source: BBC and YouHotNews]

  • NORAD Evacuated Over Suspicious Packages

    NORAD Evacuated Over Suspicious Packages

    The Associated Press is reporting that the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) headquarters near Colorado Springs was evacuated for around four and a half hours on Thursday. The evacuation of around 1,500 people took place because of five “suspicious” or “out of place” packages that were found at the site.

    Personnel were called in to examine the packages and determined they were not filled with any potentially harmful substances. UPI later reported that military dogs were brought in to stiff the packages, which were subsequently moved to another location.

    According to UPI, when officials finally opened the package they found only “office supplies.” NORAD stated that its essential operations were not disrupted by the event, and that the control room team was able to operate at a nearby backup location.

    NORAD is a joint organization that provides aerospace defense for the U.S. and Canada. The Royal Canadian Air Force and the U.S. Air Force use the facility to coordinate aerospace warning systems and air sovereignty throughout North America.

  • ACLU: Marine Has 1st Amendment Right To Criticize President

    Sgt. Gary Stein is in serious hot water. The now famous marine got into the proverbial hot water after he made comments that the President, his commander-in-chief, was an enemy of the state and said that he would refuse any unlawful orders from Obama. While this is not the first time that he has been in hot water for politically charged comments, these comments are probably going to get him kicked out of the Marine Corps.

    In steps the ACLU which is historically anti-military on nearly every issue. David Loy, legal director for the ACLU Foundation of San Diego & Imperial Counties and legal council for Sgt. Stein has come out and issued a statement on Stein’s behalf. While his argument that merely stating your beliefs in no way constitutes a violation of the ACLU is valid in a black and white sense, neither David Loy nor a lot of other people are taking into consideration the breakdown in the command structure that this causes. With a breakdown in the command structure the United States military loses the one thing that tends to separate it from any other fighting force in the world. They will lose the ability to fight for the flag they fly and start to question the people who give them their orders. Unfortunately, this cannot be allowed to stand.

    Here is the issued statement by David Loy:

    Though the First Amendment applies differently to the civilian and military worlds, the Corps is not exempt from the Constitution. Servicemembers retain First Amendment rights to political speech. In U.S. v. Wilcox, the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces held that the First Amendment protected a soldier who identified himself online as a “US Army paratrooper,” spouted white supremacist ideology and proclaimed, “This government is not worth supporting in any of its components.”

    Sgt. Stein’s speech was far less extreme. He initially responded to a report that American soldiers might be turned over to the Afghan government for trial with some intemperate language about the president. But then he apologized and repeatedly clarified that he was speaking in general about defending the Constitution and not following unlawful orders, as military law itself requires.

    Under Wilcox, this case does not present the “clear danger” to loyalty, discipline, mission or morale necessary to justify censorship. At worst, Sgt. Stein blew off some steam, but later cooled down and affirmed his belief in the Constitution and military law. If the military were to discharge every servicemember who has ever done the same, the armed services would be decimated.

    The Corps also cannot legally discharge Sgt. Stein for operating the “Armed Forces Tea Party” Facebook page, which carries a prominent disclaimer that it does not speak for the military or the government. Therefore, it does not violate Department of Defense policy on political speech by servicemembers.

    Even if it did, the policy is so confusing and overbroad that it cannot be enforced against Sgt. Stein. For example, it defines “partisan” activity as “relating to … issues specifically identified with” political parties. There is virtually no issue not “identified with” a political party. The military could thus prosecute any servicemember who speaks on any issue. That violates the First Amendment, even in the military.

    So as you can see, there is some legal precedence as to why he should be allowed to keep wearing his uniform. He makes the case that a white supremacist’s(U.S. v. Wilcox) was overturned because he did “not present the “clear danger” to loyalty, discipline, mission or morale necessary to justify censorship.” He also makes the argument that “If the military were to discharge every servicemember who has ever done the same(spoke out against the President), the armed services would be decimated.”

    Here is an interview of Sgt. Stein from a few days ago where he is explaining why he did the things he did.