The present-day U.S. military qualifies by any measure as highly professional, much more so than its Cold War predecessor. Yet the purpose of today’s professionals is not to preserve peace but to fight unending wars in distant places. Intoxicated by a post-Cold War belief in its own omnipotence, the United States allowed itself to be drawn into a long series of armed conflicts, almost all of them yielding unintended consequences and imposing greater than anticipated costs. Since the end of the Cold War, U.S. forces have destroyed many targets and killed many people. Only rarely, however, have they succeeded in accomplishing their assigned political purposes. . . . [F]rom our present vantage point, it becomes apparent that the “Revolution of ‘89” did not initiate a new era of history. At most, the events of that year fostered various unhelpful illusions that impeded our capacity to recognize and respond to the forces of change that actually matter.

Andrew Bacevich


Tuesday, June 26, 2012

War News for Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Reported security incidents
#1: Pakistani military officials said militants from Afghanistan crossed in the northwestern Pakistan's Upper Dir region Sunday night and clashed with Pakistan forces on a patrol. The military said six Pakistani troops were killed outright. Seven who went missing were beheaded, while four of the missing have not been found. The military's statement also said Pakistani troops killed 14 of the militants. The military's account could not be independently verified.

#2: Authorities say a roadside bombing in southern Afghanistan has killed six police officers. Uruzgan provincial government spokesman Abdullah Emat says the policemen were driving in a pickup truck through the province’s Charcheno district on Sunday when the vehicle struck the explosive. He did not provide further details.

#3: Up to 33 insurgents have killed during military operations in different Afghan provinces within the past 24 hours, the country's Interior Ministry said on Tuesday morning. "Afghan police, army and coalition forces have conducted seven joint cleanup operations in Helmand, Uruzgan, Wardak, Logar, Ghazni, Khost and Paktia provinces killing 33 armed insurgents and detaining 12 other suspected insurgents over the past 24 hours," the ministry said in a statement providing daily operational updates.

#4: Insurgents killed five civilians in Sangin district of southern Helmand province on Saturday, accusing them for supporting the government and foreign troops, said a statement issued by provincial government earlier Tuesday.


DoD: Maj. Paul C. Voelke

DoD: Pfc. Steven P. Stevens II

DoD: Lance Cpl. Hunter D. Hogan

Posted by whisker at 2:59 AM

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