Marines Allowed To Smoke In Afghanistan

Be it Afghanistan or Saipan, Marines want their smokes.  Now Marines, and other servicemembers, will be allowed to smoke,

The Pentagon reassured troops Wednesday that it won’t ban tobacco products in war zones. Defense officials hadn’t actually planned to eliminate smoking — at least for now. But fear of a ban arose among some troops after the Defense Department received a study recommending the military move toward becoming tobacco-free — perhaps in about 20 years.

Press secretary Geoff Morrell pointedly told a Pentagon news conference that Defense Secretary Robert Gates is not planning to prohibit the use of cigarettes, chewing tobacco or other tobacco products by troops in combat.

“He knows that the situation they are confronting is stressful enough as it is,” Morrell said, noting the wars inIraq and Afghanistan. “I don’t think he is interested in adding to the stress levels by taking away one of the few outlets they may have to relieve stress.”

yojoe out

Pentagon Plans To Send 14 Brigades To Iraq In 2009

Despite the dramatic drop in violence, and resulting casualties, in Iraq over the past year, the Pentagon does not anticipate a dramatic drop in U.S. troops deployed to Iraq.

The planned deployments involve about 26,000 troops and would maintain 14 combat brigades in Iraq from about February to early fall. But the decisions do not rule out potential changes as military leaders assess the security there and eye more troop withdrawals.

Army Not Happy With The Size And Weight Of MRAP

The Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle have been life-savers on the battlefield.  But, they are just to big and bulky.

The 10-ton vehicle must be transportable on a C-130 cargo plane. It should have a minimum range of 300 miles, and a turning diameter of 49 feet, And the crew has to be able to get out quickly, in case of a rollover. (“Of the 38 MRAP accidents between Nov. 7 and June 8, only four did not involve a roll-over,” Army Times noted.)

Maybe the Army will be interested in the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, that was placed on hold last year.

yojoe out

General Petraeus To Command CentCom

Secretary of Defense Dr. Robert Gates has named General David H. Petraeus, USA, as the commanding general of United States Central Command.

Not that this makes up for the attack by Moveon.org, but it is a start.

yojoe out!

Video: Artillery In Action

For all the Cannon Cockers out there, here is a video fix from The Freeholder:

yojoe out

Air Force: No Blogs For You

The Air Force has determined that airmen will find no useful information on blogs. Thus, from this point forward the Air Force will block all websites with “blog” in the name. A spokesman for the Air Force explained that sites such as the New York Times will be authorized, because it is a reputable media outlet. Reputable? Does anyone remember Jayson Blair?

To suggest that any site with “blog” in its name has no useful information for servicemembers is preposterous. Take for example CAAFlog, a blog administered by a Marine Corps colonel dedicated to news and opinion on military justice and the latest developments in case law from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. No useful information there.

Also there is a bit of irony in the Air Force’s move vis-à-vis CAAFLog. The Marine Corps colonel who administers CAAFlog is employed by the Air Force as a civilian working for the Air Force Appellate Government Division representing servicemembers during their criminal appeals. Just to keep things straight, the Air Force has hired Col Sullivan, precisely for his education, experience, and opinions, yet members of the Air Force are prohibited from accessing a blog he administers, which relates to the subject matter for which he was hired. Is there a disconnect?

Let us hope that this does not spread to the other services.

yojoe (in protect-blogs mode) out

Army JAG Corps Advertises On Websites For Homosexuals

The Army JAG Corps posted advertisements on the website GLEE.com, a website targeted and gays and lesbians. Given the ban on openly gay service in the U.S. military – a policy known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” – it seems incongruous to advertise on a website targeting the gay and lesbian community.

yojoe out

Two Army Colonels Try To Fake Paternity Test And Get Caught

These two Army colonels tried to fake a paternity test by switching identities. They must have forgotten that they submitted D.N.A. samples to the Army.

 

Two former Army War College students are facing criminal charges after Cumberland County authorities accused them of swapping identities in a plot to try to fool a paternity test, authorities said.

Scott M. Carlson, 51, and Bruce S. Adkins, 44, colonels and members of the college’s class of 2007, were charged Thursday with tampering with public records, tampering with evidence, forgery, theft and obstruction of justice.

Adkins’ attorney, Gregory Abeln, said Thursday that his client, who is stationed in Georgia, will testify against Carlson if the need arises.

Way to end a career.

yojoe out

Joint Light Tactical Vehicle: Set to Replace Humvee Has Been Placed on Hold

 

The Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) is the purposed replacement for the HMMWV. That was until the requests for the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles became the top priority for the military. According to InsideDefense, the JLTV has been put on hold because,

The misgivings stem from questions about technical maturity, shifting requirements and adequate funding.