-Caveat Lector- WJPBR Email News List [EMAIL PROTECTED] Peace at any cost is a Prelude to War! ARTICLE 4 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SFTT Question - How To Deal With Our Southern Front ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ed.: Thank you for all the comprehensive responses to my question if we should use Federal or preferably National Guard troops, to control our Southern Border. Based on your input, 60% favor increased involvement while 40% say that more troops or Border patrol will not make a difference. While we're already involved in limited military (TF 6) and paramilitary activities (Border Patrol) with questionable success, several responses clearly point to more comprehensive solutions. They include: Allowing workers to stay for seasons and return with their earnings to their homeland and an overhaul of the welfare system that induces illegals to stay without repercussions. We'll expand on the discussion in the near future. ******************************************************** PRO Military Action: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A). A Real Problem - Time For Action ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We have been and are being invaded from Mexico. Our Border Patrol has been engaged in shooting incidents, allegedly with Mexican Troops. Every year more illegal aliens permanently enter the USA from Mexico than Citizens that reside in the State of Montana! These illegals are periodically granted amnesty by our National Government as a reward for their illegal acts. That diminishes all of our Rights as Americans, reduces the value of the labor of the working man, increases costs of Welfare, Criminal Justice and Education and changes our voting demographics forever! As Ronald Reagan said: "A Nation that fails to protect and control it's Borders is not really a Country anymore." If we are to remain a country we must stop the invasion and repatriate those illegals that are here. We must do so by whatever means necessary. RJ B. - Montana ----------------------------------------------------------- B). It's An Invasion!!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As 'prime' among the very few responsibilities the Constitution gave to the Federal Government was "Repelling Invasions" of our territories (Article I section 8). Since 1933, hundreds of new responsibilities have been 'assumed' by that Government, however, it has done a totally inadequate job of performing its primary responsibility of repelling the invasion from south of the border. Anyone who thinks the situation on our spread in Arizona - 5 miles from the Mexican border - is anything other than an "INVASION" has a lot to learn. The Census says they counted about 21,000,000 foreign-born residents in the U.S. The best guess is that's only a small fraction of the number are actually here, since illegal aliens are pretty adept at disappearing whenever anyone who looks 'official' shows up. Even those who were actually documented represent almost 10% of all U.S. residents. That's a higher percentage of aliens than we've had for over 150 years. If one chooses to believe the expert estimates instead, we're perilously close to the 1/3 of the population dissatisfied with the present social system that are usually found when a Revolution occurs. Unfortunately, the vast bulk of the foreign-born residents know 'HOW', or more importantly "WHY" to be an American. We are making no significant effort to identify and systematically Americanize these people. Without being taught to be Americans, it's only a matter of time until this group will decide they would rather be a part of Mexico, or establish a Banana Republic type of Government instead of the form we have had in this nation. The question is NOT should the National Guard or Regulars 'assist' in controlling immigration, but "When is the Federal Government going to start repelling this invasion - as the Constitution says it must." Why shouldn't the existing Military be used for this purpose instead of trying to turn the Border Patrol into another Army? J.C.B., Arizona =========================================================-- The CON/CAUTION Side: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ C). Keystone Kops Worse Than Illegals ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I'd like to tell you that the current law enforcement activities here on the Border are a Keystone Kops exercise in futility, not to mention being contributory to the erosion of fundamental Constitutional rights for U.S. citizens. The Border Patrol has to be one of the most ignorant, careless, heavy-handed organizations that I've ever seen; their "occupation" down here (I live twenty miles off of the Border in S.E. AZ) is resulting in increasing tensions with the local population, while doing precious little to stem the tide of illegal immigration and cross-border commerce. The agents that they are putting into this sector are largely ill-trained, ill-prepared recruits from God-knows-where; most of them have never been in this part of the country before, and they have no idea of the simplest customs, like closing gates or respecting private property or how to orient themselves on the cardinal points of the compass. Last month a Border Patrol unit was driving down a secondary road N.E. of Wilcox, AZ (Seventy miles off of the border) and they "saw possible U.D.A.'s cross the road." They stopped, exited their vehicle, and "came under fire." They took cover, returned fire, and radioed for backup. Fifty-eight rounds later, somebody with a lick of sense finally arrived on the scene and sorted things out; the first unit had stopped proximate to some large apple orchards that are out that way, and what they took for hostile gunfire was in fact propane cannons; "scare guns" that fire on a timer in order to run deer and javelina and coyotes away from the apples. Lest you think that this is an aberration, I can also relate the story of a Border Patrolman who emptied his Glock in the direction of a cow that "charged him in the darkness." The funniest part of the whole thing is that the cow was crippled; she'd been laying beside a tank where she could get water. Folks had been feeding her every day, because they were trying to wean a calf that she had had before. She couldn't have gotten up if she had wanted to." I don't know if you've even had the dubious pleasure of encountering an internal checkpoint in the United States of America, manned by uniformed Federal agents who ask your nationality or destination or business while peering into your vehicle through the glass, but I've got three of them within twenty miles of here, and I'm not amused. If there is a question of National Defense down in this part of the world, I fail to see it; we've had migrant workers crossing the border and looking for employment in the fields and kitchens for as long as I can remember, and I've never felt threatened by them or their activities. The Border Patrol, on the other hand, scares me blue; ignorant and arrogant Feds with guns tilting at windmills in a self-declared "High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area" (H.I.D.T.A.) are not calculated to confer peace of mind on the hapless civilian populace that has to deal with them. J.H. ----------------------------------------------------------- D). Exploitation And The Welfare System ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Simply put -- no, we do not need to be concerned about our southern border. I am living in northern Missouri and I was raised in Santa Barbara County, California. When I was a child the only people seen working "in mass" in the fields were migrant families from south of the border. Today, January of 2001, as I drive through the agricultural land of these United States I still only see migrant families from south of the border. Our problem is not the migrant worker. Our problem is that the land owners, many of them of Mexican decent, 1. Can't find anyone else to work the fields. 2. Want to feed our demand for cheap food. 3. No longer have the Brasero program of the 1950's. If migrant field workers were once again allowed to enter our country to work and return to their homes with their earnings knowing they could return again we would not have the border problem that exists today. Of course, we would lose federal and state jobs if we re-instituted the Brasero Program. Cynical - yes, but truthful. A small problem, relative to the overall size of welfare, is that some of these illegals end up on our welfare rolls. Can we blame them? We put the system in place. Clean up the welfare system. Again, eliminate federal and state jobs. And our families will still have food on their tables without getting their hands dirty. When I refer to "getting their hands dirty" I am not just talking about working in the fields. We want the food, but we are not willing to pay attention to how many illegals have to die each year to feed us. Maybe we should. Steve H., proud American from Missouri =========================================================== ARTICLE 5 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Army: The Interim Brigade Combat Team ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ed.: Phil is doing a fine job explaining what the interim Brigade Concept is all about. I totally agree with him that we need a more agile and hard-hitting Army that reaches trouble spots quicker and without extended build-ups. My concerns, even for the "interim" solution: 1) How to optimize firepower, protection and mobility; 2) Ensuring reliability for extended operations; 3) Simplicity to be able to quickly address operator shortfalls; 4) Training and toughness of the troops constituting the force; 5) Flexibility and overall quality of the leaders. ********************************************************* By Phil Logan I am a believer in the new "transformation" and here is why: I am an armor officer, which appears today to mark me as either a "traitor" to the traditions of tankers, or a "heretic". I would submit that I am neither; just a soldier who has been around long enough to know that something must be done to move the army forward into the 21st Century. Is the IBCT an answer? Maybe not, but is not designed to be THE answer. Rather, it is designed to address a current need, and begin molding what our army needs to look and fight like in the next decades. As you may know, there are few feelings in the world like sitting in the Tank Commander's hatch on an M1, looking out at the other tanks in formation...you're pretty much "God" on that field. But, where we are likely to see conflict over the next decades, are areas that may not necessarily resemble Iraq, or "Australia" at NTC, or even Yakima Training Center. Most likely, the terrain is going to look more like Tuzla, or Port au Prince, whether we want it to or not. A 2LT looking at the terrain and road network in Bosnia knows it is not a great place for the Abrams. Yet, we take them there, and don't use them in the tasks for which they were designed (though, there is a certain shock effect, when they are used for that purpose). The IBCT is designed to be more deployable than a mechanized or armor BDE, with more tactical mobility and firepower than a light BDE. Unlike most of the assertions made in the popular media, (and in some circles of the army) the IBCT is not designed to fight against armor units, nor is it designed to force entry into an area. The army already has forces to deal with those contingencies. Also, the IBCT will not fight by itself: it is not an Armored Cavalry Regiment and will always be part of a Division, Corps or other larger structure. Lastly, the IBCT starts us down the road to the Objective force. By working on the Doctrine, and procedural issues now, the feedback on the success (and failures) of the IBCTs can be incorporated into the Objective Force units. Computer modeling, simulations and "think-tank" knowledge can never completely overtake putting troops and equipment in the field to see what works. The simple view, and that most prevalent in the media, focuses on the Interim Armored Vehicle (IAV) -- "Wheels" versus "Tracks". Like many issues, this one gets simplified to the lowest common denominator. Once the political rhetoric and lobbying is stripped away, the bottom line is this: It is not about the vehicle. Although the LAV is pretty, and has lots of bells and whistles, ultimately it comes down to something much more complex. The vehicle is a troop mover, and a network platform for the Infantry squad, platoon and companies. It is not designed to kill tanks, it is designed to protect the infantryman, move the infantryman, and enable the infantryman to understand the tactical situation. An example: as a company team commander in a movement to contact, my unit would move along an axis until it bumped into bad guys. Maybe I would know they were there before hand, but most likely not. At contact, the classic "return fire, maneuver, report and develop the situation" would begin. Now, through the use of technology, units will know the situation, and be able to maneuver prior to making contact, at the moment the commander chooses to do so. This is revolutionary, and is really what the IBCT is all about. The vehicle, and it's imbedded Situational Understanding technology makes it possible. You don't necessarily need an M1 to do that, and if the commander assesses that the firepower of an M1 (or other system) is needed, they can be called for. Okay, Heinlein warned about technology in "Starship Troopers". Relying too much on technology is a bad thing. How many navigate with a map and compass? Well, what happens when the GPS gets jammed? The technology is there, and advancing every day (as is the enemy's abilities to counter it, or use it to his own end), but in order to get to the future, we have to take advantage of emerging technology, leverage it to our advantage, and develop it for the future of our force. Not using the current technology is shortsighted...the enemy is, and will continue to use it in new and surprising ways. A hedge against relying too much on the techno side of these units, are the infantrymen, cavalrymen and other soldiers themselves. Tough, realistic training in different conditions and scenarios, will breed tough, smart soldiers. >From what I have seen in my unit, that is what is happening: Soldiers patrolling, shooting, clearing buildings, and it appears that the soldiers are happy with the training. Unlike some places in the army, they are doing what they signed up to do. Our intent is to focus on training the soldier to shoot, to think and act within his or her commander's intent. It is not perfect yet, but that is part of the Transformation. It will affect everyone in the army eventually. Phil Logan =============================================================== ARTICLE 6 ~~~~~~~~~~~~ We CAN Do It! ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ed.: I have received several of these lately. Junior officers are rearing to make things better and create a brighter future. Yes, we'll always need a military and yes, it is time to rebuild. We need to help these young pioneers in their quest. *********************************************************** By a US Army Captain To all the NCOs and Enlisted Members of the US Army, We, the officer corps, in my opinion, failed you. Senior officers, looking out for their own careers, opened the gates and let the behaviorists and social scientists run amok in the training compound. We let them invade Ft Jackson and call the 'Warrior Spirit' barbaric and unjust, and we did nothing to stop them. We didn't point out 5000 years of organized warfare, nor our success in the last 200. We let them weaken us, slash our budget, increase our op-tempo, and said not one word of truth to stop it. Oh, we lied and blew sunshine. Readiness reports 'showed' the Army was well maintained and 'fully manned' even though many vehicles could only go a few miles before breaking, and most tanks only had 2-3 man crews. We said we were wrong and sorry barbarians, and don't worry, we'll change basic and AIT to make it easier to implement your social experiments, even though we know these poorly thought through policies will kill these kids in the next real war. We stifled young Lieutenants and Captains who tried to question and stop these changes when they used those 'hateful', 'bigoted' things called truth and reality. Many of us young officers just simply got out and left you (the NCO and EM). We, your officers, failed MISERABLY! But as with many of our wars, though we lose the first battles, we come back to win the war. We, the young officers who remain, CAN stop this insanity. The few generals who are not blind CAN change policy. This requires that we actually read and act upon the Army Values card we make you memorize in lieu of the 3 General Orders. For even the most careerist senior officer, I will make it simple. * Show LOYALTY to your soldiers by fighting for their right to be able to fight, survive, and destroy (that means kill violently) the enemy on the modern battlefield. Show LOYALTY to you country by giving them the best Army in the world and let no misguided policy stand in your way. * Do your duty to support and defend the Constitution by providing the nation with the best Army EVER. Let your NCOs have the power to do their duty without micromanagement. * RESPECT your junior officers and NCOs and let them train their units. RESPECT the judgment of your Drill Instructors and let them do their DUTY to weed out and strengthen trainees so they just may earn the right to be soldiers. RESPECT your soldiers' ability to think and act and they will know they are the best without needing new headgear. * Provide SELFLESS SERVICE by standing up to the divisive, misguided rhetoric from the academics who never leave their ivory towers. Be prepared to stand up and stop these policies, even if it means giving up your chance for another star, or retiring with HONOR early. * Show HONOR by being the voice of the soldier who slogs through the mud, breaks track, fights the tank, and fixes anything or anyone. There is no dishonor in telling leaders they are wrong and to show them the correct path. * Have the INTEGRITY to stand up to the name-calling from those who wish us to be a grand social experiment. When they threaten you career, have the INTEGRITY to push forward and show the values stated previously. * Have the PERSONAL COURAGE to persevere through the slings and arrows of idiots who want to turn the Army into 1-800-FLOWERS. Have the courage to lay everything you value in your career on the line in order to save the Army and the country that means more than you and I could ever be worth. I and other young officers will strive to do no different. Soon, I will be eligible to command an armored company. I hope and pray I will exceed the expectations of my NCOs and soldiers. They will trust me with their lives and welfare, as I must trust mine to senior leaders. We can fix what we failed to stop 10 years ago. The path is not easy, but we owe it to our NCOs and EMs to succeed in the attempt. ============================================================ ARTICLE 7 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Sergeant's Corner - "Ruck Up And Move Out!" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ed.: It's all about doing what's right. C.N. Fish is a former Platoon sergeant who retired in 1997. I asked him to fire up the Sergeant's corner, an article in which NCOs to speak out about their service and what they think needs to be done to improve readiness. *********************************************************** By C.N Fish, retired in '97. I won't argue with you about politics today, but... There were two distinct crowds in June of 1997: Those who trained the troops, and those who saw them as a means to get ahead. If you'll admit that you are a member of the latter group, then there is hope for you. You know who you are. You know that in order to attain that next position, you have to have a "command" under your belt. I feel sorry for you! You had better wake up. The soldiers you leave behind will someday have to be led by someone's example, so we better hope it's not yours. Then there is that other group. I don't care if you are a brand new 2LT or a buck Sergeant. You're the kind of guy that wakes up in the morning, takes a deep breath and exhales "Army." My hat is off to you, Sergeant, and I remain confident that there are a lot of people out there that feel as I do. Mom and Dad do not mind that you are rough on Johnny or Suzie if you are a professional soldier, and train them to survive. You believe in tough, realistic training. It does not matter if you are a gunner on a tank or a section/squad leader. All you need is some time to make a plan, and a few hours every day to execute that plan. We're not talking about a full-blown Maneuver Training Exercise (MTX) or daylong romp in the Local Training Area. Take a good look at where you are today. What do you know about the level of training of your soldiers? What is the yearlong training calendar for your unit from the next higher headquarters? Do us a favor -- ask and find out. With these simple tools, you can create training that will lead up to those day/week long MTX drills. You know the ones that you live for: Hohenfels, Graf, Wildflicken, Munsingen. I was not a part of the "constantly deployed all over the world year round" generation. And you cannot convince me that guarding the border between Czechoslovakia and the DDR and then going to Graf, Hohenfels and doing it all over, was not the same thing. If this catches you griping about deployments, GET OVER IT. Take advantage of what you have. Lead by example, from the FRONT. Train, and train well. Evaluate what you did, and work on improvements. Then do it again, maybe not today but in a month, to see if it's retained. Ohhh -- and one last thing. A simulator is good for some things, but is still an expensive video game that some pencil pusher can use to justify their miserable existence. Do it in the mud. Hard to simulate a broken track in a minefield under file in a simulator, aint it? *COPYRIGHT NOTICE** In accordance with Title 17 U. S. C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for nonprofit research and educational purposes only.[Ref. http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ] Want to be on our lists? Write at [EMAIL PROTECTED] for a menu of our lists! <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. 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