Operation Jade Helm 15

[hooplala]

What the shit is this shit?

From July 15th to September 15th of 2015, the U.S. military will be conducting a massive military drill throughout 9 states in an operation entitled Jade Helm.

This rather alarming drill across the entire American Southwest will include the US Army's Green Berets, US Marines Special Ops Command, US Navy Seals, and US Air Force Special Ops Command.

The stated purpose of the drill contradicts how this unprecedented exercise will actually be carried out.

Combine this with the document labeling entire U.S. states as 'hostile' leaves one with a sinking feeling.

hxxp://www.truthandaction.org/operation-jade-helm-massive-military-drill-across-7-states-unconventional-warfare/

Is there anything to this story?

[Cain]

Yes, and no

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2015/03/31/why-the-new-special-operations-exercise-freaking-out-the-internet-is-no-big-deal/
http://www.mintpressnews.com/the-truth-behind-jade-helm-15/203807/
http://www.inquisitr.com/2037309/jade-helm-15-special-ops-commanders-to-share-details-of-the-realistic-military-training/

It's the usual American conspiraloon "the army is secretly gonna takeover while doing a military exercise" freakout.   You'll notice all the sites pushing this - Infowards, Breitbart, Russia Today, NaturalNews etc - share a certain...ideological affinity.

[hooplala]

So, the usual... typical.  Every time I keep hoping something interesting will happen... I wonder if that is the impetus behind most interest in the weird?  Boredom.

[Cain]

Probably.  You could always start following actual wars....they tend to involve highly weird people.  Sub-Saharan Africa has some great conflicts, with warlords who have amazing nicknames, strange beliefs and often deal with equally weird arms dealers (Merex Arms International, for example.  Nazi arms dealers).

[hooplala]

Where would be the best place to start?

[Cain]

The War Nerd's archives, plus The Shadow World by Andrew Feinstein (I cannot recommend this book enough - it's great both as an intro to the arms trade and for those who follow the reporting on it)

[hooplala]

I will pick it up this weekend, thanks!

[Doktor Howl]

Rand Paul and Ted Cruz are claiming this is a means by which Obama intends to invade Texas.

Not shitting you.

Also, you don't occupy with special forces.  It would be like tasking 4 doctors to do the work of a thousand nurses. 

[Cain]

More importantly: how does Obama invade a state he already owns?

That's like claiming I illegally broke into my own house.  It's retarded.  I know Texas likes to think it's not America, at least when a black man is in charge, but it is. 

The South lost, and it really fucking needs to get over that.

[Cainad (dec.)]

More importantly: how does Obama invade a state he already owns?

That's like claiming I illegally broke into my own house.  It's retarded.  I know Texas likes to think it's not America, at least when a black man is in charge, but it is. 

The South lost, and it really fucking needs to get over that.

There's an interesting optical illusion, where if you look at the South from Northern states, it's the Confederacy. But if you look at it from Mexico, it's "AMERICA where we speak ENGLISH also please pick my vegetables." It's like the blue-black/white-gold dress meme, but for a hundred years.

[Doktor Howl]

More importantly: how does Obama invade a state he already owns?

That's like claiming I illegally broke into my own house.  It's retarded.  I know Texas likes to think it's not America, at least when a black man is in charge, but it is. 

The South lost, and it really fucking needs to get over that.

You're kind of giving Texas a little too much credit for brains, here.

[LMNO]

More importantly: how does Obama invade a state he already owns?

That's like claiming I illegally broke into my own house.  It's retarded.  I know Texas likes to think it's not America, at least when a black man is in charge, but it is. 

The South lost, and it really fucking needs to get over that.

There's an interesting optical illusion, where if you look at the South from Northern states, it's the Confederacy. But if you look at it from Mexico, it's "AMERICA where we speak ENGLISH also please pick my vegetables." It's like the blue-black/white-gold dress meme, but for a hundred years.

Both posts are brilliant.

[xXRon_Paul_42016Xxx(weed)]

Cain, do you think this has anything to do with all the riots going on?

[Cain]

I'd find it unlikely.  Like Roger says, spec ops guys are not cut out for holding territory, and riot/crowd control/restoration of order duties are similar enough in kind that I wouldn't expect commando units to be made to do it.  It's more of a National Guard thing, is my understanding.

Instead, I'd be looking at geography.  I'm no expert on US climates, but Texas, Utah and "parts of California" are all hot, arid and with some rugged/mountainous terrain.  Sound like anywhere the US may have an interest in?

And of course, it's also entirely possible that a training exercise is just a training exercise.  With the relative wind down of troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, now would be a good time to see what lessons have been learned in the field, in a large scale operation.  See if anyone has seen or come up with anything especially clever in the last few years.  That this may also help in future operations in the middle east against ISIS is, of course, entirely coincidence.

[LMNO]

Cain, if I haven't said it enough, I LOVE these kinds of posts from you.