Posted on Dec 26, 2014
COL Ted Mc
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635545931001240267 iraq train
http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/policy-budget/warfare/2014/12/19/iraq-isis-deploy/20643829/

1,000 82nd Airborne Troops Iraq-Bound in January

WASHINGTON — One thousand soldiers from the famed 82nd Airborne Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team will deploy to Iraq in January to begin training Iraqi and Kurdish brigades, Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. John Kirby announced Friday.

The 1,000 are part of 1,300 service members in total heading for Iraq next month, with the remaining 300 coming from multiple services and serving in counterintelligence, logistics and signals capacities, Kirby said.

Overall, 1,500 US troops are heading for Iraq in early 2015 to serve what are expected to be nine-month tours to train and assist nine Iraqi Army and three Kurdish Peshmerga brigades at several undisclosed sites across Iraq.

While those 1,500 US troops will bring the US contingent in Iraq to about 3,100 troops, they may be joined by as many as 1,500 additional forces from partner nations, according to senior US defense officials.

EDITORIAL COMMENT:- Now that the elections are all over, am I allowed to say "I told you so."? [PS - Tranches 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 will follow shortly.]
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SFC S2 Intelligence Ncoic
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We didn't see this coming, said no one ever. Looking forward to heading back to Afghanistan in 2017.
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COL Ted Mc
COL Ted Mc
10 y
As politically incorrect as it sounds, the Brits (finally) found the only productive way to deal with the Afghans.

Gather an overwhelming force and march it from A to B shooting anyone who shoots at you and destroying everything you come across while leaving signs that say "We are doing this because you have pissed us off.". When you reach B, turn around and go back to A shooting anyone who shoots at you and destroying anything that you missed the first time while leaving signs that say "And if you piss us off again we'll be back.".

That generally keeps the lid on Afghanistan for a generation or two.

PS - This is the way that everyone from Alexander the Great on forward has finally dealt with "The Afghan Issue" and it's likely to continue to be the only effective way to deal with it until the Afghans decide that they don't like living in a 10th Century tribal society.

PPS - Giving gifts to a tribal society only makes them think that you are {a} weak, {b} stupid, or {c} both weak and stupid.

PPPS - I have met some very well educated and civilized Afghans - unfortunately none of them lived in Afghanistan nor wanted to return.
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PV2 Abbott Shaull
PV2 Abbott Shaull
10 y
Uhm.. Sounds lot like the Soviet Doctrine while they were there too.

When you dealing with people who still live in Tribal organization such as in this part of Asia. You (us) as outsiders will never be totally accepted. Once 'we' accept that fact, and we keep that in mind, as we attempt in Nation building and bring these Tribes together. It kind of like bringing the various clans of Scotland together for a common cause. You have to find common ground, and to them, it getting our sorry asses out of their country is one objective most of them can live with. Even if they know after they achieve that objective, they will be at each other throat again, live will return back to 'normal' for them.
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PV2 Abbott Shaull
PV2 Abbott Shaull
10 y
Yes, once you have an education and seen what civilized live is like instead of the 'wild, wild west' life style they live in country. Why would one want to go back? Same thing people who have come from as far west as Iraq, to as far east as Vietnam and into the Koreas. In all those areas, there are some things that are very backwards, and some of the living is very rugged compared to what we considered civilized life. In many case, the black market is the only way to get much needed stuff to survive, local government and National Government is so corrupt, there may as well be no Government at all. We here talk how disgusting the current Administration and the previous one about being corrupt, but in many places, the corruption is so blatant it not even funny.
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COL Ted Mc
COL Ted Mc
10 y
PV2 Abbott Shaull Your comment reminds me of the "old" Russian proverb which translates (roughly) as - "There are always two governments, the one that says it is the government and the one that you go to when you need to get something done.".

There is almost never NO government - but there frequently may not be a "government of the people, for the people, and by the people which is chosen through free, fair, open, and honest democratic elections where universal suffrage is in place".

Mind you, "corruption" is a sort of funny thing. Sometimes it takes the place of taxes (and wages for the 'civil service'). At other times, "corruption" is just as pervasive but not as blatant (think "riders" and "tied spending").
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PO2 Corey Ferretti
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I called it like 6 months ago that we would have troops back on the ground by the end of the year. We should of never left in the first place like we did. We should of had a set number of troops stay back to help wiht security and training. I know it was not our call Iraq did not want to sign a SOFA agreement hope they are smart enough to now.
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CDR Mike Kovack
CDR Mike Kovack
10 y
Yeah, I wonder how they're going back in without the SOFA? I'm assuming Iraq asked for them.
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PO2 Corey Ferretti
PO2 Corey Ferretti
10 y
I think they signed a sort of SOFA when SF went in a couple months ago.
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CDR Mike Kovack
CDR Mike Kovack
10 y
Let's hope......
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SFC Mark Merino
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God Speed!
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SFC(P) Senior Instructor
SFC(P) (Join to see)
10 y
They are boots. They are on the ground. We have boots on the ground. God help us all.
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