By William Tucker

Over the last year, U.S. led troops have been conducting operations against the Taliban in Helmand Province, and yet the largest battle in that area appears to be on the Horizon. The city of Marja, located to the east of Helmand's capital Lashkar Gah, is a Taliban stronghold and also happens to be the center of opium trafficking. If the ISAF is able to successfully eject the Taliban from the area it could have a significant impact on Taliban funding.

Thus far, U.S. and British Special Forces have entered the city and begun targeting insurgent and Taliban leadership. Because of the terrain surrounding the city it would be extremely difficult for ISAF troops to cordon off the city prior to an all out assault making the use of Special Forces in this capacity necessary. Making matters worse the terrain favors the defenders thus necessitating the use of irregular warfare to preempt the use of conventional forces. This coming week has the potential to open up some options for the ISAF in the impending negotiations with insurgents wishing to reconcile with the internationally recognized government in Kabul.

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The remains of the first American lost in the Gulf War have been found in Iraq, the military said Sunday, a sorrowful resolution of a nearly two-decade old question about the fate of Navy pilot Capt. Michael "Scott" Speicher.

The Pentagon said the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology on Saturday positively identified the remains, buried in the desert and located after officials received new information from an Iraqi citizen about a crash.

"Mystery ends: Pilot's remains found in Iraq desert."

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Senate pulls an all-nighter to push for a vote on withdrawing troops from Iraq. Think Progress is live-blogging the filibuster.

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Timothy Brown, a 20-year veteran of the United States Army, wrote an interesting article for the Global Politician about the shifting sectarian dynamics in Iraq. It's a bit long, but a very interesting read.

Excerpt:
The March 2003 United States invasion of Iraq, Operation Iraqi Freedom, reversed 300 years of Turkish Ottoman, Sunni based monarchial and military rule in the country. The toppling of Saddam Hussein, the Baa’th Socialist Party of Iraq, and moreover, the total evisceration of the governmental structure, set in motion the decentralizing centrifugal forces of sectarianism.

Read the entire article at Global Politican online.

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Tysons Corner, VA – Active military personnel will receive video “thank you” messages due to a revolutionary staffing technology at Ultimate Staffing Services. Ultimate Staffing is a division of Roth Staffing Companies, LP, one of the largest privately-held staffing companies in the United States. The staffing company is inviting the local community to use the proprietary interviewing technology to create an Independence Day e-message thanking a loved one who is currently serving in the Armed Forces.

VideoSelect™ allows hiring managers to “meet” candidates in short video clips e-mailed directly to their inbox, virtually eliminating lengthy first interviews. These managers and other members of the community are now being invited to sit on the other end of the technology and create their own video clip.

“I think this is a great way for our office to celebrate Independence Day,” said Mayra Martinez, Ultimate Staffing Branch Manager in Tysons Corner. “Our company loves to create remarkable experiences for the people we serve and this is just another way we can do something extraordinary for our community.”

Ultimate Staffing Services invites the local community to please call their office prior to July 3, 2007, and arrange a time to record an Independence Day “thank you” clip for their military loved one. Ultimate Staffing Services’ Tysons Corner office is located at 1593 Spring Hill Road, Suite 110, Vienna, VA 22182 and can be reached at (703) 734-6080 or by e-mail at tysonscorner@ultimatestaffing.com.

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Reports of substandard conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center made its way to the Nation a couple of weeks ago. In the wake of the scandal, a few have stepped down and admitted fault. But is that enough?

What are your thoughts about our soldiers taking refuge in a space filled with moldy plaster and mice?

Click the "Comments" link to weigh in.

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Monetary, Staff Problems Suspected at Hospital

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By John A. Cote MSSI, CPP

In Iraq today the real problem is not the number of troops we need to complete the job there, but rather how to implement a strategic exit plan which takes into account the many complex issues which created the Iraq crisis in the first place.

Continue reading "The Real Problem of Iraq" »

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Update:
Bush to Send 20,000 More Troops to Iraq
Bush's Iraq Plans Break With Generals

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President Bush released a statement following his meeting with the Iraq Study Group Wednesday, saying that the report "gives a tough assessment on the situation in Iraq" and that he plans to "take every proposal seriously."

Calling the war in Iraq "grave and deteriorating" in their report, the group cautions that there's no clear path to success in this situation, but there's definite room for improvement.

Click here to read the report: The Way Forward
Watch or listen to congressional testimony on the report.
(source: C-SPAN)

Some recommendations found in the report:

On the Huffington Post, writer Bob Burnett provides some analysis on the delicate relationship between Bush and the troops.

Continue reading "Bush Losing Support of the Military?" »

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American Military University (AMU) professor John Moore presented an interesting study on coping with long-term deployments and post-traumatic stress disorders at the Air Force Association’s 2006 Air & Space Conference and Technology Exposition last month.

Continue reading "Coping with Long Term Deployment" »

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