US Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

bd popeye said:

Gentlemen, lets not get political in nature in our discussion. Continue to post US military news only. limit your discussion to military matters only. You don't want to suffer the same fate as BLUEJACKET.

bd popeye super moderator

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our years into the war that opened with "shock and awe," U.S. warplanes have again stepped up attacks in Iraq, dropping bombs at more than twice the rate of a year ago.

The airpower escalation parallels a nearly four-month-old security crackdown that is bringing 30,000 additional U.S. troops into Baghdad and its surroundings - an urban campaign aimed at restoring order to an area riven by sectarian violence.

It also reflects increased availability of planes from U.S. aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf. And it appears to be accompanied by a rise in Iraqi civilian casualties.

In the first 4½ months of 2007, American aircraft dropped 237 bombs and missiles in support of ground forces in Iraq, already surpassing the 229 expended in all of 2006, according to U.S. Air Force figures obtained by the Associated Press.

"Air operations over Iraq have ratcheted up significantly, in the number of sorties, the number of hours" in the air, said Col. Joe Guastella, Air Force operations chief for the region. "It has a lot to do with increased pressure on the enemy by MNC-I" - the Multinational Corps-Iraq - "combined with more carriers."

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At the same time, the number of civilian Iraqi casualties from U.S. airstrikes appears to have risen sharply, according to Iraq Body Count, a London-based, anti-war research group that maintains a database compiling news media reports on Iraqi war deaths.

The rate of such reported civilian deaths appeared to climb steadily through 2006, the group reports, averaging just a few a month in early 2006, hitting about 40 a month by year's end and averaging more than 50 a month so far this year.

Those are maximum tolls based on news reports, and they count those killed by Army helicopter fire as well as by warplanes, Iraq Body Count's John Sloboda said.

The count is regarded as conservative, since it doesn't include deaths missed by the international media.

The U.S. military itself says it doesn't track civilian casualties.

"The reality of civilian deaths is a year-on-year increase," said Sloboda, a psychology professor at Britain's Keele University. "This particular part of it - airstrikes - have rocketed up more than any other."

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"Nothing could testify more powerfully to the failure of U.S. efforts on the ground in Iraq than a ramp-up in airstrikes. Calling in air is the last, desperate, and usually futile action of an army that is losing. If anyone still wonders whether the "surge" is working, the increase in air strikes offers a definitive answer: it isn't.

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szbd said:

What targets are they striking? To my understanding, the insurgents in iraq are just light infantries (if i can put in this way) in civilian clothes with very limited weapons. And moreover, they never concentrate together. So what targets to be striked?

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PEO Soldier to Unveil New Army Combat Shirt

Ft. Belvoir, VA (30 April, 2007) -- The US Army’s Program Executive Office (PEO) Soldier will soon provide an improved Army Combat Shirt (ACS) to Soldiers deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan.

New ACUSThe flame-resistant long-sleeved shirt, which retains the moisture-wicking capability, breathability, and durability of other components in the Army Combat Uniform (ACU), also has many of its other features, including cargo pockets, infrared identification tabs, and hook-and-loop fasteners for the American flag.

The new shirt, which has a foliage green torso and sleeves in the universal camouflage pattern, has seamless shoulders and side panels for comfort, integrated anti-abrasion elbow pads, and a small Army Strong logo centered on the chest.

The high performance shirt, designed to be a base layer, can be worn directly under the Interceptor Body Armor, according to MAJ Clay Williamson, Assistant Product Manager for Clothing and Individual Equipment.

The ACS is made of an anti-microbial cotton and rayon blend fabric treated with a new process that penetrates to the fiber level. It provides fire-resistance for the life of the garment. “It is completely safe, non-toxic, and allows us to treat fibers that were once not treatable,” Williamson said.

New ACSThe shirt integrates with other flame-resistant components, such as the Army Combat Pants, to provide head-to-toe protection against burns. The Army Combat Pants are the same as the ACU pants, except they are made of a flame-resistant material, according to Williamson. Soldiers’ hands are protected by flame-resistant gloves that have been a part of the Army’s Rapid Fielding Initiative since its inception.

This ensemble further complements the Army's system-of-systems approach to force protection, which integrates layers of protection for Soldiers on the battlefield.

"I want to assure the American public, the Soldiers, and their Families that they have the best equipment when and where they need it. If there were something better, we would buy it; and we’re always looking for something better,” said BG R. Mark Brown, Program Executive Officer Soldier.

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U.S. hosts 3 foreign navies in exercises off Atlantic coast

By LOUIS HANSEN, The Virginian-Pilot
© June 22, 2007

Off the coast of Virginia

The conversation on the bridge of the American destroyer Laboon on Thursday rang with French, Russian and English with a British snap.

The day's lesson - communication.

Four warships and several hundred sailors from France, Russia and Great Britain joined U.S. forces this week for a series of exercises off the Virginia and North Carolina coasts aimed at forging better relationships and operations among navies.

Royal Navy Rear Adm. Alan Massey said the five-day exercise - focused on basic maritime skills and communications - will help provide security and safety in several real-world settings.

"We're far better doing this as a team," he said.

The annual event, which began Monday with a ceremony at Norfolk Naval Station, is being held for the first time in the States. The training is held at sea and aboard four ships: the French frigate La Fayette, the Russian destroyer Admiral Chabanenko, Royal Navy frigate Portland, and the Laboon.

The exercises mimic actual situations - maritime interdictions, pirate attacks, and peace support missions - faced by naval forces around the globe. Officials also said the exercise furthers the goal of Adm. Mike Mullen, U.S. chief of naval operations, to create greater cooperation among foreign countries to create a virtual 1,000-ship navy.

The navies often operate together in task forces, particularly in the Indian Ocean, Persian Gulf and Mediterranean Sea.

Capt. John Gelinne, destroyer squadron commander, said the exercise has allowed the navies to understand each other's capabilities and limits. It's been a valuable training regimen for the sailors, he said.

"We use these operations to hone our skills," he said.

It also served as a cultural exchange, as a few sailors have been stationed aboard foreign ships.

Lt. j.g. Alexander Busch, a graduate of the French Naval Academy, is on a two-month deployment to the States aboard the La Fayette. He said the ships share many traits, although he had to adjust to one custom - Navy chow comes an hour earlier than the French noon serving, he said.

But he had no complaints about the chow. On the U.S. ship, "I was lucky to get burgers," he said.

Russian Capt. 1st Rank Alexey Strelnikov, a veteran of both the Soviet and Russian navies, said he always dreamed of boarding an American ship. This week, he spent three nights on the Laboon.

With an interpreter by his side, Strelnikov has witnessed his former American adversaries working in tandem with his Russian destroyer.

"I met real professionals," he said, "real sailors and real people in love with their ship."

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