The use of troops on US soilI have never been a conspiracy addict that sees one behin

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Gale McMillan

Member In Memoriam
I have never been a conspiracy addict that sees one behind every bush but the reorganization of the Military which expands its roll in civil affairs is to say the least scary. It is supposed to be so that they can be used in the event of terrorism. Having served in a black unit which had total disregard for international law I realize how it can run amuck when given its head. The claim that this reorganization is to aid the police who can not handle the job in the event of chemical and biological terrorism is a total scam. The state, city and county law enforcement and the numerous federal law agencies amount to tens of thousands of law enforcement agents available for any task that comes up. You must just consider who initiated this action to have it send alarm bells ringing. The Commander in Chief is the one that gave the order for this reorganization and that is enough to warn anyone.

One only has to remember the last time that US troops were used against American civilians during the veterans march on Washington DC to understand that there was a reason that US troops were never to be used against the people of this country. While I have no idea what can be happen to reverse this action I think that our congressional representatives would be a starting place
 
Gale,
What reorganization are you referring to? The formation of the RAID units in the National Guard? Or the urban warfare experiments being conducted by the Army and USMC?

We can take some comfort in the fact that the present administration has chosen to draw the military down to the point that large scale operations anywhere would be unfeasible. There simply aren't enough troops left to really control much.

I know a little about the National Guard RAID units (we have one in my state and one of my former commanders is now in it). They have no combat capability. No combat arms MOSs. They are all NBC, medical and communications specialists. They also will not be on line in time because of problems with professional schooling, equipment etc.

The urban warfare training doesn't scare me the way it does others. The past few conflicts (Desert Storm being the exception) have been fought largely on urban terrain. It is only natural for the military to react to this and change their training focus.

The administration is also being contradictory on it support for civil authorities policies. Equipment can no longer be routinely loaned to civilian agencies. A lease agreeement must now be executed and payment must be made by the borrowing agencies. This took effect 1 August 1999.

There are some disturbing trends in this area though. The National Guard has established and manned a SWAT team school for civilian law enforcement agencies at Ft Indiantown Gap PA. The danger I see here is that all the state and local law enforcement officers trained there will come out with the same mindset. I think we need to fear the federaliztion and militarization of our local law enforcement. They are accomplishing this through training programs and strings they attach to grants etc. Once they defacto Federalize the local police agencies they won't need the military to control things from the federal level.

But you are right to be concerned. The Bush administration started us down that slippery slope when they started using troops in the "drug war". this has expanded from use of radar and fighter aircraft to shadow drug runners to LRSU soldiers patrolling the Southwest border. We should put these resources into the civilian agencies that are charged with enforcing these laws. Maybe the use of radars and aircraft to protect our airspace is a legitimate use of the military, but the other is a dangerous precedent.
Jeff
 
This mornings TV news cast said that the pentagon was restructuring the military for the battle of terrorism . It was not real lengthy but left the impression that it was a law enforcement task that the civilian law enforcement couldn't handle which any way you look at it is a scary thing. This coming from some one who spent the first half his life in uniform. I am aware that it isn't difficult to have the Military get out of hand. This was not a N Guard operation but the regular.
 
Haven't seen any news today. If what you heard is true, it is indeed scary. There is a big debate amoung military planners now about all the emphisis that is being put on Operations Other the War (OOW). Some see it as detracting from the primary mission of fighting and winning the the nations wars, and some see it as the future of warfare.

I'm not sure which faction will win, but as you well know change doesn't come fast to our military. Hopefully this present administration will be out of office before they can do too much more damage. If you link the report you heard to Defense Secretary Cohen's remarks about the American people having to be willing to give up some of the freedoms they enjoy in exchange for security, this is truly scary.

I am writing my congressman today asking for an explanation and assistance in keeping the military focused on war fighting.
Jeff
 
Yes, the militrization of local police forces worries me also. Why are police agencies around the nation getting automatic rifles, bayonets(I think LAPD), armoured vehicles(austin Texas a good example of this), and other military equipment from the Federal government? No one in the Federal government has answered this question in my opinion. Fighting a local two bit drug dealer with auto weapons, tanks and copters? I think not. The equipment has been and is being issued daily to the local coppers. Why?
 
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