US sends 100 troops to Uganda

Chockstock

The Stars and Stripes Forever
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http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/oct/14/obama-sending-troops-aid-africa-anti-insurgency/

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States is venturing into one of Africa’s bloodiest conflicts, sending about 100 U.S. troops to central Africa to support a years-long fight against a guerrilla group accused of horrific atrocities.

The Obama administration said the troops will advise, not engage in combat, unless forced to defend themselves.

In a letter to Congress, President Barack Obama said Friday that the troops will assist local forces in a long-running battle against the Lord's Resistance Army, considered one of Africa’s most ruthless rebel groups, and help to hunt down its notorious leader, Joseph Kony.

The first of the troops arrived in Uganda on Wednesday, the White House said, and others will be sent to South Sudan, the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

While the size of the U.S. footprint is small, Obama’s announcement represents a highly unusual intervention for the United States. Although some American troops are based in Djibouti and small groups of soldiers have been deployed to Somalia, the U.S. traditionally has been reluctant to commit forces to help African nations put down insurgencies.

It demonstrates the Obama administration’s escalating attention to and fears about security risks in Africa, including terror networks, piracy and unstable nations. The move was intended to show some engagement to lessen the impact of one of the worst protracted wars in Africa.

Obama declared his decision to send troops as in keeping with the national security interests of the United States. The White House announced it in a low-key fashion, releasing the Obama notification and justification of the troop deployment that the president sent to congressional leaders.

Pentagon officials said the bulk of the deployment will be of special operations troops, who will provide security and combat training to African units. The move raises the profile of U.S. involvement on the continent — and represents an apparent victory for administration officials who have argued for more robust intervention in humanitarian crises.

The change in policy could reflect the long-standing concerns of a number of high-ranking Obama advisers left scarred by the U.S. failure in the 1990s to intervene to stop the genocide in Rwanda and the belated action to finally halt the violence in Bosnia. For a current parallel, the Lord's Resistance Army’s 24-year campaign of rebellion, rape and murder represents one of the world’s worst human rights crises today.

Coming off the administration’s successful, if limited, intervention in Libya, the Uganda deployment represents a continued effort by Obama to use military force for humanitarian protection in areas where atrocities are occurring. Sending 100 troops may not be significant in terms of military numbers, but the composition of the force gives the United States a new counterterrorism foothold in a region of the world with terrorist networks, pirates and unstable nations.

A special forces unit can be highly effective beyond what the number of soldiers might suggest. They are highly skilled in disrupting insurgency networks by discovering where rebels are based and how they procure guns, money and other logistical support.

The Lord's Resistance Army has been pushing westward since it began its attacks years go, and the administration and human rights groups say its atrocities have left thousands dead and have put as many as 300,000 Africans to flight. They have charged the group with seizing children to bolster its ranks of soldiers and sometimes forcing them to become sex slaves.

Kony is wanted by the International Criminal Court under a 2005 warrant for crimes against humanity in his native Uganda. A self-styled prophet, who mixes Christian mysticism with politics, he is believed hiding along the Sudan-Congo border.

Most of the troops will deploy to regional capitals to work with government officials and military commanders on countering the rebels and protecting civilians, Pentagon officials said.

In recent months, the administration has stepped up its support for Uganda, which has played a key role in battling extremists in Somalia.


What do you all think? I find it hard to believe that these troops are just "advisors"...first thing I thought of was the "advisors" we sent to Vietnam before sending ground troops. I am uneasy with President Obama's decision and do not think this will be good in the long run.

CS
 
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/oct/14/obama-sending-troops-aid-africa-anti-insurgency/




What do you all think? I find it hard to believe that these troops are just "advisors"...first thing I thought of was the "advisors" we sent to Vietnam before sending ground troops. I am uneasy with President Obama's decision and do not think this will be good in the long run.

CS

You are a West Point cadet and subject to the UCMJ. Your only authorized public opinion in response to President Obama's decision is "roger, sir."

Rest assured that you understand about 1% about how and why SOF soldiers are employed. That is by design. Your best bet is to accept that people with knowledge and experience far greater than that of a cadet have analyzed this course of action and made their recommendations.
 
Interesting. A friend at the State Department has the same unease, and that friend certainly knows about this area.
 
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/oct/14/obama-sending-troops-aid-africa-anti-insurgency/




What do you all think? I find it hard to believe that these troops are just "advisors"...first thing I thought of was the "advisors" we sent to Vietnam before sending ground troops. I am uneasy with President Obama's decision and do not think this will be good in the long run.

CS
Even if I don't agree with my boss's decision and/or command, I will obey it no matter what! I know it's very hard to be in the President's spot but he knows what he's doing better than us and he never wants to hurt our country or our troops. We fight for freedom and peace!!
 
John Smith, Brian Jones, Bill Mitchell, etc... might be cadets at Westpoint. As far as I'm concerned, ChockStock is simply an anonymous poster on a forum. "Chockstock" is allowed to have any opinion he wants. As long as "Chockstock" maintains his anonymity.

I know this is a testy subject. But government officials routinely comment on the condition that they remain anonymous. The founders of our nation routinely wrote with "Pen Names" to maintain anonymity. Who knows: Maybe "Scoutpilot" and "Chockstock" are actually one and the same; and he uses one screen name for commenting what is politically correct or proper, and the other screen name for how he really feels.

Gotta LOVE Al Gore for inventing the internet. :thumb::thumb::thumb:
Definitely worth a 3 thumbs up. Mike; or is it Fred; or Steve; or Sarah........ Things that make you go hmmmmmmmmmm
 
I remember hearing that in SOUTHCOM. That said, they know far more about their regions than the troops that rotate through, especially into something like this.

And we all know how much "concern" DOD has for AFRICOM.
 
John Smith, Brian Jones, Bill Mitchell, etc... might be cadets at Westpoint. As far as I'm concerned, ChockStock is simply an anonymous poster on a forum. "Chockstock" is allowed to have any opinion he wants. As long as "Chockstock" maintains his anonymity.

I know this is a testy subject. But government officials routinely comment on the condition that they remain anonymous. The founders of our nation routinely wrote with "Pen Names" to maintain anonymity. Who knows: Maybe "Scoutpilot" and "Chockstock" are actually one and the same; and he uses one screen name for commenting what is politically correct or proper, and the other screen name for how he really feels.

Gotta LOVE Al Gore for inventing the internet. :thumb::thumb::thumb:
Definitely worth a 3 thumbs up. Mike; or is it Fred; or Steve; or Sarah........ Things that make you go hmmmmmmmmmm

And speeding isn't against the law unless a cop clocks you, right?
 
And speeding isn't against the law unless a cop clocks you, right?

Whatever you want to believe.

I admit that there are some that can't separate personal opinions with their professional lives. But some can. I had no problem serving honorably and following every order. Even ones I didn't agree with or understand. I continue that today in civilian life. Doesn't matter if I agree with my boss or the company. I can still do my job without my personal feeling being involved. Then again, I can have heated debates about sex, politics, and religion; and when it's all over, still be friends and not hold any negative feeling against the person I was debating. Some people can't. They take everything so personal.

But this begs a certain question to be asked. "Why have screen names"? Why not just use our "Real Names"? There's obviously a reason for anonymity.

But this isn't the subject of this thread, so I believe we should let it go. The purpose of this thread was to say that President Obama has sent 100 troops to Uganda. And that these troops with not engage in combat, except for self defense. I personally don't buy it; but then, who the hell am I? But you are correct. We probably don't know that much about this. "I would say that it's probably MORE than the 1% you think a cadet knows". But the truth is, we have to have faith in those over us that they do know what they're doing. And if I was still on active duty, and I was one of the 100 sent, I would go willingly and with that faith. I might still have an opinion, based on historical data and evidence, but I would indeed have faith. You have to. If you can't have faith in those above you, then the military is definitely not the right occupation for you. I truly believe that. If a cadet or active duty military person doesn't have faith in the officers over them, or in the President or secretary of defense/service branch, etc... Then you really shouldn't be in the military. It's really that simple.
 
Christcorp said:
Whatever you want to believe.

I prefer to believe that cadets and West Point officers subscribe to and abide by an Honor Code, the purpose of which is to instill and maintain the utmost integrity. Your "it's ok to do something wrong since you're doing it anonymously" doesn't jive my sense of integrity, or with that of West Point and the U.S. Army. Though, I do recognize that USAFA treats honor differently.

Simple test: if you wouldn't want LTG Huntoon, the Superintendent, to know you were the one posting it...you probably ought not be posting it. Screennames or not, this is a public forum.

As for the "1%" he knows about SOF employment, I was being generous. Cadets don't even know how Big Army works yet.
 
The only difference we have, is I don't believe he is doing anything wrong by expressing his feelings. Just like being able to go to a rally or other politically charged event.

Now, if he can't keep performing his military duties out of it, or he brings discredit to the military, that's a whole different matter. Some people can keep this separate. Some can't. If he can't, and his beliefs will interfere with his performance, then he needs to rethink what he's doing. Remember, just because a person doesn't say something about a topic, doesn't mean they condone it. And just because this is a forum occupied predominantly by military people, doesn't mean we always agree with our leaders. Head in the sand in no excuse either. But its up to the individual to determine if they can follow orders and do their job, even if they dont agree. For anyone to think that military members are robots and agree 100% with their leaders is naive. But as long as they can and will perform their duties without question, that is all that matters.
 
Respectful disagreement is a sign of maturity in my book.

Hunting down Joseph Kony is something that should have been done a while ago, by us or someone else, IMO. He is a Grade A Monster, from what I've seen. Now, increasing military involvement with advisers in an unstable region does have a certain rhyme within history. I can see being uneasy with that idea.


Saying "I don't think this is a good idea," can be a healthy thing within any organization. On the other hand, saying, "I think President X is a sniveling little ***** and should be dragged out and shot" would be a violation of the UCMJ and a very bad thing for a military member to say! Obviously, there is a big difference here.
 
And speeding isn't against the law unless a cop clocks you, right?

Correct! :thumb:


There're things that only the President is fully aware about, for example, he promised to get the troops out of Afghanistan and Iraq, but once he took office he couldn't. Because he knew the real reasons as to why.


This may start out like it did with Vietnam, a handful of troops, then it grows to a thousand, then in 1966 it exploded. But again, we can't be sure of that until it happens. It might, or it might be a short-term assignment.


For this action of the President though, wouldn't Congress need to approve of this?
 
Respectful disagreement is a sign of maturity in my book.

Hunting down Joseph Kony is something that should have been done a while ago, by us or someone else, IMO. He is a Grade A Monster, from what I've seen. Now, increasing military involvement with advisers in an unstable region does have a certain rhyme within history. I can see being uneasy with that idea.


Saying "I don't think this is a good idea," can be a healthy thing within any organization. On the other hand, saying, "I think President X is a sniveling little ***** and should be dragged out and shot" would be a violation of the UCMJ and a very bad thing for a military member to say! Obviously, there is a big difference here.
+1 perfect position and philosophy. Wish I could have been as articulate.
 
Your "it's ok to do something wrong since you're doing it anonymously" doesn't jive my sense of integrity, or with that of West Point and the U.S. Army. Though, I do recognize that USAFA treats honor differently.

A little unnecessary and frankly rude dig there at the end, scout. You REALLY want to go down that path?

I get it. You find it distasteful for a cadet, regardless of which academy they are currently attending, to use anonymity or no chance of getting caught as an excuse. But your analogy was poor. One (speeding) is most certainly an illegal act. The other, Chockstock discussing his opinion about US policy in a setting that is in no way officially associated with the US military, is not only perfectly legal, but is also his right as a US citizen AND protected by UCMJ. Chockstock was neither rude nor disrespectful to the Chain of Command, and was simply voicing his opinion on current US policy. In a forum similar to him being in a coffee shop down the street from the Point in civilian clothing.

I could continue the flame war and say something like: "I guess the USAFA values critical thinkers in their ranks more than West Point", but that would just be rude and I wouldn't want to go there, would I? :rolleyes:

As to Chocstock's level of knowledge about what the SF team will do there, and his knowledge of their mission being less than 1%? Sure, I can assume that is correct. Just like I can also assume that NO ONE on this forum has the full story on what they are doing there or what their mission really is; like FightClub, if they knew about it, they wouldn't talk about it. Even anonymously on an internet forum... :wink:
 
The sad truth that everyone wants to ignore is that there has been sectarian/ethnic violence and wholesale genocide going on in Central Africa for years and the USA has continued to ignore it for reasons only the Bush/Obama administration(s) know. Mass rape, kidnapping, mutilation, etc (estimates of over 1 MILLION have been killed in Rwanda, and 400,000 in Darfur, Sudan).

This deployment to Uganda to hunt down and kill Joseph Kony makes no sense as long as Omar al-Bashir is still free.
 
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