More Thought Needed On Removal Of US Military From Middle East

[From article]
The long U.S. military presence in the Persian Gulf, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt is likely drawing to a close. What once worked to assure stability in the region and keep the oil flowing will not work in the face of Iranian nuclear capability, and the administration is disinclined to rethink a workable strategy. The United States will likely reengage, but only when the resulting chaos spreads to our shores, as it surely will.
[. . .]
But no responsible American planner can overlook the fact that Iran can achieve an operational capability in perhaps as little as five years. Not for nothing did the Obama administration keep the Pentagon out of the Iran negotiations. President Obama and Secretary Kerry were seeking a political -- not a military -- deal. The JPCOA is not an arms control agreement.
[. . .]
The U.S. is gone from Iraq and nearly so from Afghanistan. It is no longer either the protector of European and Asian energy supplies or the strategic partner of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, or Israel. Middle Eastern oil is no longer essential to the United States, which is nearly energy independent. Americans generally see no reason to protect oil resources for other countries, and are horrified by a culture war in the Middle East that is entirely alien to American values.
[. . .]
The spread of chaos under Iran’s nuclear shield will ultimately require a return of U.S. power, but it will happen under conditions far less favorable.

http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2015/08/the_writing_is_on_the_wall_for_the_us_military_in_the_persian_gulf.html

August 8, 2015
The Writing is On the Wall for the U.S. Military in the Persian Gulf

By Stephen Bryen and Shoshana Bryen

Taxpayers Via Department of Defense Provides Viagra For Troops

[From article]
The Department of Defense (DoD) spent more than a half a million dollars on the male enhancement drug Viagra last year, according to government contracts.
The Pentagon issued 60 contracts worth $504,816 for the drug in 2014. All 60 contracts were awarded to Cardinal Health Inc., a pharmaceutical distribution company based in Dublin, Ohio.
Last year DoD also ordered $3,505 worth of Levitra, and $14,540 of Cialis, other popular erectile dysfunction drugs.
The contracts were filed under “Troop Support.”

http://freebeacon.com/issues/pentagon-spent-504816-on-viagra-last-year/

Pentagon Spent $504,816 on Viagra Last Year
Analysis: 80,770 hours of sexual enhancement
BY: Elizabeth Harrington
@LizWFB
February 6, 2015 3:50 pm

No Plan to Treat US Troops In West Africa Who May Get Ill With Ebola

[From article]
First of all, if they need to be protected from Ebola, then they need to be protected. Period. Gloves and masks don’t cut it. Either they’re at risk, or they’re not. Obviously they’re at risk while they’re over there, no matter what their job description. And being at risk, they need full protection.
There is no reason a single service man or woman should become ill. None. If any of them do become sick, it will be from negligent government policies.
And the statement that any service member who becomes ill “will be flown home immediately for treatment” contradicts prior statements put out by the Department of Defense.
[. . .]
So they will not be flown home immediately for treatment. They will remain in Liberia where they will be quarantined and stabilized before being sent to a proper hospital for treatment. Where they will be sent remains up in the air as details are still being worked out, as noted in this exchange from a recent DOD press conference:
[. . .]
So we’re sending troops to West Africa without proper protection and there is no concrete plan in place for getting them the care they will need should they fall ill.
Instead we’ve got confirmation there are “non-governmental organizations” involved and that the military “fell in on a host of folks” (whatever that means) while operating in a “complex environment.” Eventually service men that have been exposed to Ebola will be transferred to medical facilities for treatment – facilities that have not yet been identified. But rest assured the facilities will be “appropriate.”
Right now, however, those in charge are still “coordinating,” “synchronizing,” and “working those pieces.” Stay tuned.
It’s Obama to a tee.

http://americanthinker.com/blog/2014/10/soldiers_headed_to_west_africa_left_hanging_out_to_dry.html

October 20, 2014
Soldiers headed to West Africa left hanging out to dry
By Carol Brown

Pentagon Admits US Troops Sent to Africa Will Have Contact With Ebola

[From article]
Specialized U.S. troops setting up mobile labs in Africa to test for Ebola are likely to come into contact with the deadly virus, the Pentagon said Tuesday.
U.S. troops already have set up three mobile labs, and there are plans to set up four more.
The Pentagon said the troops are highly trained and that those working in the laboratories will wear protective suits. They will also receive pre-deployment training and be constantly monitored, Army Gen. David Rodriguez, commander of U.S. Africa Command, said at a Pentagon briefing.
“I am confident that we can ensure our service members' safety and the safety of their families and the American people,” he said.
The labs were not initially a part of the Obama administration’s plan for fighting Ebola in Africa, however. The announcement illustrates the dangers for U.S. troops being sent to the front line to fight the outbreak,
[. . .]
President Obama has said as many as 4,000 troops could be sent to the region, and the Pentagon said the majority would not arrive until mid-November.

http://thehill.com/policy/defense/220014-pentagon-us-troops-to-have-contact-with-ebola-virus

Pentagon: US troops to have contact with Ebola virus
By Kristina Wong and Sarah Ferris -
10/07/14 01:30 PM EDT

White House Sends 3000 Troops To Fight Ebola

[From article]
The United States government is sending thousands of military troops to the west African nation of Liberia as part of the Obama administration's Ebola virus-response strategy, the White House said late Monday night.
'U.S. Africa Command will set up a Joint Force Command headquartered in Monrovia, Liberia, to provide regional command and control support to U.S. military activities and facilitate coordination with U.S. government and international relief efforts,' a statement from the White House press office said.
'A general from U.S. Army Africa, the Army component of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), will lead this effort, which will involve an estimated 3,000 U.S. forces.'
Liberia is the hardest-hit of the four west African nations that have confirmed Ebola cases, accounting for more than one-half of the fatalities. The others are Sierra Leone, Guinea and, to a lesser extent, Nigeria.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2757360/US-send-3-000-troops-Ebola-danger-zone-Obama-administration-shuffles-military-s-mission-Africa.html

US to send 3,000 troops to Ebola danger zone as Obama administration shuffles military's mission in Africa
The Obama administration said late Monday night that the U.S. military will set up a command post in Monrovia, Liberia, the Ebola outbreak's epicenter
'This effort ... will involve an estimated 3,000 U.S. forces,' according to the White House
Pentagon official says military will 'be the lead dog, and that will make a lot of people nervous. ... No one wants U.S. personnel enforcing someone else's martial law if things go south and the entire region is at risk'
U.S. Africa Command warns servicemen and women: 'Avoid nonessential travel to Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia'
Pentagon is drawing flak for sending 25-bed 'field-deployable hospital' that is meant to treat health care workers, not civilian victims
The U.S. president will travel to the CDC in Atlanta on Tuesday for a briefing about his government's efforts to stem the tide overseas
By DAVID MARTOSKO, US POLITICAL EDITOR FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 23:01 EST, 15 September 2014 | UPDATED: 23:07 EST, 15 September 2014

Obama Sent Uniformed Troops To Somalia

[From article]
The previously undisclosed deployment — of fewer than two-dozen troops — reverses two decades of U.S. policy that effectively prohibited military “boots on the ground” in Somalia. Even as Somali pirates and terrorists emerged as the top security threat in the region, successive presidential administrations and the Pentagon shied away from sending troops there for fear of a repeat of the Black Hawk Down debacle.
In recent years, the Obama administration has slowly and cautiously become more directly involved in Somalia.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-has-deployed-military-advisers-to-somalia-officials-say/2014/01/10/b19429f2-7a20-11e3-af7f-13bf0e9965f6_story.html

U.S. has deployed military advisers to Somalia, officials say
By Craig Whitlock
Friday, January 10, 3:38 PM

Washington Post

No Fly Equals Many Years

[From article]
"In two years over Bosnia, our aviators flew no less than 100,000 sorties; the no-fly zone in Iraq lasted 12 years until we finally removed Saddam Hussein. Unless we are committed to do the same with Moammar Khadafy, our service personnel are going to be going in harm's way in Libya for a long time to come.
[. . .]
When the time comes to remove Khadafy from power, expect at least a brigade-size force of American boots on the ground to help out."

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/expect_troops_soon_m9avylV5ibxQbaNMNywR3H

Expect troops soon
The trouble with no-fly zones
Arthur Herman
New York Post
Last Updated: 9:50 AM, March 21, 2011
Posted: 10:57 PM, March 20, 2011

Contractors Hired Taliban to Guard US Troops

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/us-contractors-hired-iranian-spies-taliban-warlords-guard/story?id=11825774

Report: US Contractors Hired Iranian Spies, Taliban, Warlords To Guard US Troops In Afghanistan
Senate Investigators Say Chaotic Security Contracts Pose 'Grave Risk' To US Troops
By MATTHEW COLE
ABC News
Oct. 7, 2010