ISIS and Beyond: Army Training for the Fight

Posted by | October 16, 2014 13:18 | Filed under: Opinion Politics Russell Top Stories War & Peace

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David Wood of the Huffington Post has an absolutely outstanding piece today on paratroopers of the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division training for Ready Brigade status at Fort Polk, Louisiana. I highly recommend giving it a read, especially if you’ve never served in uniform and would like a snapshot of how the Army trains and, more importantly, of the complexity of higher-level military command.

The story’s headline, “Paratroopers Train to Fight ISIS Even as U.S. Pledges ‘No Boots on the Ground’,” is — at least from my point of view — quite misleading. It’s click-bait, intended to make readers think they’re about to learn that the troopers are getting ready to go to war with the so-called “Islamic State,” while President Obama dissembles. As I’ve noted here before, there will absolutely be “boots on the ground” against IS, at least if we take “boots” literally; Special Operations forces (Green Berets, Navy SEALs, Britain’s Special Air Service, etc.) wear boots. But when people say, “boots on the ground,” they’re referring to conventional forces — in other words, a large commitment of troops. President Obama, and the American people, are reluctant to engage in that kind of commitment. It may yet happen, and we should be prepared for it.

In any case, the troops in the story are not literally training to fight IS. The piece covers an exercise that concluded last month, the capstone in a training cycle for the newly designated Global Response Force ready brigade — the brigade of troops that will spend 8 months on alert status for emergencies worldwide. While it’s true that these troops could be among the first to engage IS forces, it’s also just as possible they’ll be ordered to perform a Non-combatant Evacuation Operation or bring supplies to an area stricken by a weather catastrophe.

Regardless of where, and even if, these troops are actually sent on alert, author David Wood has done an excellent job of pulling back the tent flaps on an Army operations center in the field. I highly recommend it.

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Copyright 2014 Liberaland
By: Russ Burgos

Interested in foreign affairs, global conflict, and political narratives and discourses

8 responses to ISIS and Beyond: Army Training for the Fight

  1. Budda October 16th, 2014 at 14:16

    Conservatives say we don’t have the money to educate our young, take care of our sick or to improve our infrastructure yet somehow they can find it necessary to borrow money to fight wars that we can’t win and don’t need.

    When they propose a tax to fund any war or military action then and only the will I even listen to them.

    • fancypants October 16th, 2014 at 15:21

      undeclared wars are in our future because our congress doesn’t want to know how its going to end

  2. Budda October 16th, 2014 at 14:16

    Conservatives say we don’t have the money to educate our young, take care of our sick or to improve our infrastructure yet somehow they can find it necessary to borrow money to fight wars that we can’t win and don’t need.

    When they propose a tax to fund any war or military action then and only the will I even listen to them.

    • fancypants October 16th, 2014 at 15:21

      undeclared wars are in our future because our congress doesn’t want to know how its going to end

  3. Pilotshark October 16th, 2014 at 14:22

    fawn memories!
    Airborne!

    With that said, training is what the 82nd does, it keeps them at the tip of the spear if and when needed.

  4. Pilotshark October 16th, 2014 at 14:22

    fawn memories!
    Airborne!

    With that said, training is what the 82nd does, it keeps them at the tip of the spear if and when needed.

  5. Bradley Forward October 17th, 2014 at 04:06

    Necedah bombing range in Necedah Wisconsin is awful active. You only see this when considering going in. As with all Necedah movement, it has always lead to going in thereafter.

  6. Bradley Forward October 17th, 2014 at 04:06

    Necedah bombing range in Necedah Wisconsin is awful active. You only see this when considering going in. As with all Necedah movement, it has always lead to going in thereafter.

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