Article

2020-12-10 Government

Pentagon plans to cut most of its support to CIA's counterterrorism missions

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Posted by Besoeker 2020-12-10 02:25|| || Front Page|| [11129 views ] Top

Lots of "detailing" and "sheep dipping" going on. Has been for decades. The dirty work is left to knuckle draggers and contractors. Meanwhile the tweed suited, pipe smokers puff on in relative comfort back at Main.

Posted by Besoeker 2020-12-10 06:28|| 2020-12-10 06:28|| Front Page Top

#2 While we're on the topic of the Pentagon, I received this from a former colleague:

I was clicking around on the internet and ran on a picture of GEN Lloyd Austin. Saw he wears a Silver Star. Interesting. I got to wondering if he charged a machinegun position or something similar, back when he as a 2LT. Something heroic, you know? The Silver Star - pretty heady stuff.

A little more clicking around and I came on this:

"Austin became the one-star assistant commander for maneuver of the 3rd Infantry Division, of Fort Stewart, Ga., two months before the 9/11 terrorist attacks and played a key role in the U.S. invasion of Iraq in March 2003.

The division participated in “Thunder Run” strikes on Baghdad, in which infantrymen and tanks launched rapid operations. The city fell quickly, and Austin received a Silver Star — two steps down from the Medal of Honor in recognizing valor in combat — for his actions."

He was a BG at the time! A BG! No citation that I could find either. How many BG's go around charging the enemy in combat? Almost NONE I would say. Phoney POS.

Posted by Besoeker 2020-12-10 07:35|| 2020-12-10 07:35|| Front Page Top

#3 A raid in Germany,and now this?

Posted by b 2020-12-10 07:40|| 2020-12-10 07:40|| Front Page Top

#4 #2 Affirmative action?

Posted by g(r)omgoru 2020-12-10 08:11|| 2020-12-10 08:11|| Front Page Top

#5 I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, some remfs abuse the machinery for their own purposes, sometimes even profiting off CIA side-businesses [which may be necessary]; and then there's the security cover for your line guys, their assets and informers. The farm boys will never be hard pressed for muscle or logistics, they will just hire blackwater types and hand the bill to the taxpayer. This separation of the two arms is not necessary is it? Maybe I'm wrong.

Posted by Dron66046 2020-12-10 08:35|| 2020-12-10 08:35|| Front Page Top

#6 When my gummint ended military support to our external assets in '96, they effectively demoted us from influence projection to just intelligence. One result was Kargil. The only beneficiary was the ISI. An intelligence bureaucracy began to proliferate around the secret funds and means available, without delivering much in return. It wasn't until 2014 that the synergy was again reached. This time the agencies were detailed to work for the military, as should be.

Posted by Dron66046 2020-12-10 08:41|| 2020-12-10 08:41|| Front Page Top

#7 Ref #5-6: Excellent lead-in for a Rand study. BTW, I have no answers. I do know that if you have an unlimited, secret budget and a sympathetic congress, the sky is the limit.

Posted by Besoeker 2020-12-10 08:51|| 2020-12-10 08:51|| Front Page Top

#8 Why does the phrase "What Could Possibly Go Wrong" come to mind?

Posted by Sonny Black 2020-12-10 10:24|| 2020-12-10 10:24|| Front Page Top

#9 I miss the olden days when the CIA was busy overthrowing other countries besides ours and they made their money running drugs and guns to their 'clients'.

Posted by SteveS 2020-12-10 13:13|| 2020-12-10 13:13|| Front Page Top

#10 Affirmative action?

Was the Silver Star awarded to him in the age of W or during Obama time?

Posted by Heriberto Crang8367 2020-12-10 13:38|| 2020-12-10 13:38|| Front Page Top

#11 What about DOS and CIA links?

Posted by JohnQC 2020-12-10 15:02|| 2020-12-10 15:02|| Front Page Top

#12 /\ Don't understand your ques John.

Posted by Besoeker 2020-12-10 15:30|| 2020-12-10 15:30|| Front Page Top

#13 The CIA has links with the State Department. Every embassy usually has a CIA attache. If the CIA is a part of the Deepstate, then maybe these linkages should have some oversight. Off-book black funding should have some controls and oversight. Don't get me wrong, there is a role for the spook agency in intelligence. However, there do seem to have been abuses of power within the agency under Brennan and others in the past.

Posted by JohnQC 2020-12-10 16:20|| 2020-12-10 16:20|| Front Page Top

#14 Ref #13: I'll attempt to provide some 'according to me' perspective:

If China wants to penetrate a certain market in the US or elsewhere, but does not have the technology, they mobilize their intelligence services (Ministry of State Security or MSS) to penetrate and pirate the needed data. If China is prohibited from penetrating numerous US markets, they will support or assist a regime change within the US. The Chinese oligarchy, call it Deep State if you will, is ultimately in charge and directs the action. Their MSS is simply the action arm.

To one degree or another, the same methodology and relationships are in play with our Deep State and intelligence services, both overseas and domestically.

If the goals of both the Chinese and US oligarchies are simpatico or running parallel, the dynamics of change occur much more rapidly. One is simply Asian, the other western. The dual objectives of power and wealth are shared.

Posted by Besoeker 2020-12-10 17:07|| 2020-12-10 17:07|| Front Page Top

#15 Title 10, Title 50...how 'bout Title 60?

Posted by Clem 2020-12-10 17:46|| 2020-12-10 17:46|| Front Page Top

#16 If the goals of both the Chinese and US oligarchies are simpatico or running parallel, the dynamics of change occur much more rapidly. One is simply Asian, the other western. The dual objectives of power and wealth are shared.

Yes! Said more succinctly than my stab at it. Thx B.

Posted by JohnQC 2020-12-10 18:05|| 2020-12-10 18:05|| Front Page Top

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