A Secret War in 120 Countries: The Pentagon’s New Power Elite

[marmar]

from TomDispatch:



A Secret War in 120 Countries
The Pentagon’s New Power Elite

By Nick Turse


Somewhere on this planet an American commando is carrying out a mission. Now, say that 70 times and you’re done... for the day. Without the knowledge of the American public, a secret force within the U.S. military is undertaking operations in a majority of the world’s countries. This new Pentagon power elite is waging a global war whose size and scope has never been revealed, until now.

After a U.S. Navy SEAL put a bullet in Osama bin Laden’s chest and another in his head, one of the most secretive black-ops units in the American military suddenly found its mission in the public spotlight. It was atypical. While it’s well known that U.S. Special Operations forces are deployed in the war zones of Afghanistan and Iraq, and it’s increasingly apparent that such units operate in murkier conflict zones like Yemen and Somalia, the full extent of their worldwide war has remained deeply in the shadows.

Last year, Karen DeYoung and Greg Jaffe of the Washington Post reported that U.S. Special Operations forces were deployed in 75 countries, up from 60 at the end of the Bush presidency. By the end of this year, U.S. Special Operations Command spokesman Colonel Tim Nye told me, that number will likely reach 120. “We do a lot of traveling -- a lot more than Afghanistan or Iraq,” he said recently. This global presence -- in about 60% of the world’s nations and far larger than previously acknowledged -- provides striking new evidence of a rising clandestine Pentagon power elite waging a secret war in all corners of the world.

The Rise of the Military’s Secret Military

Born of a failed 1980 raid to rescue American hostages in Iran, in which eight U.S. service members died, U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) was established in 1987. Having spent the post-Vietnam years distrusted and starved for money by the regular military, special operations forces suddenly had a single home, a stable budget, and a four-star commander as their advocate. Since then, SOCOM has grown into a combined force of startling proportions. Made up of units from all the service branches, including the Army’s “Green Berets” and Rangers, Navy SEALs, Air Force Air Commandos, and Marine Corps Special Operations teams, in addition to specialized helicopter crews, boat teams, civil affairs personnel, para-rescuemen, and even battlefield air-traffic controllers and special operations weathermen, SOCOM carries out the United States’ most specialized and secret missions. These include assassinations, counterterrorist raids, long-range reconnaissance, intelligence analysis, foreign troop training, and weapons of mass destruction counter-proliferation operations. ............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175426/tomgram%3A_nick_turse%2C_uncovering_the_military%27s_secret_military/#more (story follows a brief intro)

[xchrom]

1. $$$ - how much do these bull shit operations cost?

I mean, we're all concerned about government spending, right?

& this IS a democratic admin, right?

I mean no congress skirts to hide behind here.

[blkmusclmachine]

2. It's like WW3

[bluesmail]

9. It's a Planet War. War for control of it. Class warfare

HA, all is out of control, there's no law, no regulations, no, well there's no nothing. I hope I'm wrong. Peace

[bhikkhu]

3. Looking at all the kleptocracies, corruption and evil actors in the world - two possibilities

Either our "new power elite" is fighting the wrong guys and needs to be reined in, or our "new power elite" is way outgunned and needs to be ramped up a couple of notches.

...or probably its something more complicated and case-by-case good or bad. But power corrupts easily enough; put power and secrecy together and its almost a guarantee.

[leveymg]

4. Coming to a theater of operation near you.

In a global war on terror, what's to stop them?

[Demeter]

5. War Crimes. Our Army Is NOT Meant for Mafia Hitmen

nor is our country to be ruled by a Pirate King.

[classysassy]

6. " Once upon a time in America"

when sanity prevailed before the merchants of greed took over our country our elected officials could be held accountable,now they are all owned by the greedy criminals,we are no longer a democracy,far from it we are all at the mercy of the money changers.(money changed from the wealthy crooks to the congressional crooks).

[Cobalt-60]

7. we need to purge congress

It's true that the Repulicans need to go and stay gone.
I submit that every DINO that has taken a dive needs to go too.

[Citizen Worker]

8. Capitalism's Invisible Army (CIA) is now bigger, more powerful and very, very secretive. Wonder

what Ike would say today about the MICC?