29 Aug, 2012

National Security? Or Job Security for the Security Apparatus?

=========

The following press release issued following an American Legion National Security Symposium makes clear that hyping up the threat to U.S. national security is all about creating job security for the defense and military apparatus which is becoming increasingly worried about the consequences of a reduced military budget. The transport, travel & tourism industry is one of the key customer targets of the military-defence complex as it seeks to drive up sales in the civilian sector to compensate for the looming cutbacks in military budgets. Be prepared for more false-flag “terrorist attacks”. One of these days, hopefully, the travel & tourism industry will wake up to how it is being taken for a royal ride.

INDIANAPOLIS- August 28, 2012-(BUSINESS WIRE)–Going to war, or planning for defense, without concerted, careful, intelligent and non-emotional deliberation is dangerous and unproductive. That was a common message communicated by four speakers at a National Security Symposium staged by The American Legion during the organization’s 94^th national convention on Aug. 27.

Four defense experts spoke before an audience of about 100 members of the organization’s National Security and Foreign Relations (NS/FR) Commission and other interested parties at the convention in Indianapolis. The three-hour session also featured the honoring of former House Armed Services Committee chairman Ike Skelton with the Legion’s 2012 Patriot Award.

First to speak was Lt. Col. Joseph Gallagher, advancing arguments he presented in his Army War College Master’s Thesis. In recent times, according to Gallagher, Congress has repeatedly surrendered its constitutionally intended power to declare war in favor of ill-conceived, poorly planned and hastily executed military adventures directed by presidents. “Since the end of World War II,” said the former Marine F/A-18 pilot, “an assertive executive branch has run roughshod over an abdicating Congress, which has compromised U.S. military efficacy. It has repeatedly resulted in the expenditure of national blood and treasure for strategically hollow ends.”

Skelton, a now retired 34-year veteran of the House of Representatives, lauded Legionnaires from the World War II “greatest generation” and the Legion’s continuing concern for military readiness. “We need that courage and commitment today because we continue to live in a dangerous and uncertain world,” Skelton said. “George Washington had it right when he said: ‘if you want peace, prepare for war.’”

Skelton then talked at length about the grave dangers to national security presented by sequestration, the planned massive, across-the-board cuts to defense spending designed to help deal with the nation’s budget-deficit crisis. He spoke of weakening national defenses while still in battle and as enemies and potential enemies pose rising threats.

This same point was made by Mackenzie Eaglen, a military readiness and defense strategy expert with the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy, which claims to be a non-partisan think tank in Washington. “This is unprecedented in our history,” she said, pointing to the fact that the reductions were not the work of the president or his operatives alone. “So now, here we are with the specter of sequestration. And, I tell you, it is quite a long shadow that looms over Washington. But, the president did not propose anything in isolation. He pushed on an open door with the other party and that’s the dirty secret. This was not a proposal that was anathema to the majority of Congress, which is unfortunate.”

Retired U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Ed Dyer was the last to speak. Dyer is now vice president of military programs for Allison Transmission, Inc. Allison is the world’s largest manufacturer of automatic transmissions for ground combat vehicles. After making a strong case in favor of preserving the industry supporting the development and manufacture of military ground vehicles, Dyer addressed the specific issue of sequestration: “As you heard recently from Mackenzie, a study released last month by George Mason University concludes that the automatic spending cuts… will decrease the nation’s GDP by $215 billion. They will decrease personal earnings in the entire workforce by over $109 billion. And, they will cost the economy 214 million jobs.”

=========

Editor’s Note: Another Press release shows what’s next for the security-defence-military apparatus: “Human Geography” which is all about identifying “personality profiles, daily routines, languages, cultural identities, potential hideouts, and places of cultural and religious significance.” Those who fail to see the significance of these corporations taking over the world without any checks and balances will one day find themselves robbed of their fundamental freedoms. Don’t expect anyone in the travel & tourism industry to say a word, however.

IDGA Explores The Missing Link Between Military Operations and Human Geography

NEW YORK- August 24, 2012 -(BUSINESS WIRE)–As Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom (OIF & OEF) in Iraq and Afghanistan created a need for a fundamental shift in the way we fight wars, it became clear that conventional warfare was insufficient for this particular set of operations. We were being beaten by an unconventional force that had no state backing and did not play by the rules.

In order to adapt, many theories of war have been put into place. Throughout this process, one aspect that was previously overlooked has come to the forefront: knowing exactly who you are fighting and not merely the simple identification and geographic data; but rather, personality profiles, daily routines, languages, cultural identities, potential hideouts, and places of cultural and religious significance.

In anticipation of keeping up with these matters within the human geography community, IDGA’s Human Geography Summit will bring together all relevant stakeholders and professionals from Human Terrain Systems at TRADOC, Special Operations Commands, Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) and industry partners to exchange and share best practices and explore potential paths to fortifying the United States’ maritime security.

For more information about IDGA’s Human Geography Summit,  November 12-14 in Washington, DC,  visit: www.humangeographyevent.com. Or click here: http://www.idga.org.