Posts Tagged ‘military’

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Morning Read: Fort Drum faces uncertainty, as Army braces for lean times

March 8th, 2012 by Brian Mann

The Watertown Daily Times is reporting that Army Secretary John McHugh is planning significant cuts to the civilian work force, even as the military downsizes the number of active duty soldiers.

Fort Drum has already absorbed about a fifth of the civilian cuts across the Army, said Jeffrey W. Zuhlke, president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 400 at the post. But if the Army slashes as many 30,000 civilian slots, as some employees fear, Northern New York could be in trouble, he said.

“If they push for those additional reductions, it’s going to be really painful,” Mr. Zuhlke said.

Meanwhile, the WDT is reporting that Lt. Gov. Robert Duffy is working to make sure Fort Drum isn't hit by the proposed new round of base closures.

With military spending cuts looming in the next year and the threat of base closures beyond then, Mr. Duffy is visiting with New York lawmakers to discuss how to protect the state’s installations.

Mr. Duffy met with Rep. William L. Owens, D-Plattsburgh, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, on Tuesday. Meetings were also planned with Rep. Richard L. Hanna. R-Barneveld, and with Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand, D-N.Y., today.

“We’re very concerned about some of the projected cuts and the impact they would have on New York state,” Mr. Duffy said after meeting with Mr. Owens. “These areas have taken so many hits over the years.”

So what do you think?  Are these military cuts necessary and appropriate?  A risk to our national security?  And what about the North Country economy?  Comments welcome.

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Fighter planes practise this morning over Adirondacks

March 7th, 2012 by Brian Mann

The Albany Times Union is reporting that the Massachusetts Air National Guard is conducting training flights today in the skies over the Glens Falls-Ticonderoga area.

Two F-15 fighter planes from the Massachusetts Air National Guard's 104th Fighter Wing will train Wednesday morning over northeastern New York.

The fighters will be conducting maneuvers over the Glens Falls and Ticonderoga areas between 9 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

The National Guard says the training will be conducted in conjunction with the Civil Air Patrol, which will fly civilian aircraft and play the role of interception targets for the Air Guard fighters.

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Morning Read: War veteran treatment center faces opposition in Saranac Lake neighborhood

January 31st, 2012 by Brian Mann

The Adirondack Daily Enterprise is wrestling with news that neighbors of the St. Joseph's Rehabilitation Center in Saranac Lake are opposing plans to expand the treatment facility so that it can accommodate struggling veterans home from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

St. Joe's wants to build a new dormitory near their current facility and it turns out the addition would require a zoning change, one that many local residents — including two former Adirondack Park Agency employees — hope to block.

In Chris Knight's story on the case, former APA staffer Mark Sengenberger expresses concern about the kinds of issues that the veterans would be treated for.

"We have no knowledge whatsoever, nor has there been any public explanation of the degree of impairment or PTSD that these folks would have," Sengenberger said.

"As a general concern, sure, but one assumes St. Joe's would have programs and practices in place to deal with the kinds of clients they would be bringing in."

The larger issue appears to be anxiety that a large dormitory-like structure could erode the quality of life and property values in the neighborhood.  But in an editorial on Monday, the Enterprise chided the neighbors for their stance:

We have known and admired these individuals for many years, but they should back down on this one.

St. Joe's has been there since before their houses were built, so they already have people with addiction problems in their neighborhood. These neighbors don't have much to worry about now, and the veterans facility won't change that. Their property values shouldn't be affected in any meaningful way.

And any comprehensive plan that doesn't allow a facility needed this badly should be changed…these neighbors should step out of the way.

If they can't be happy to have this treatment center because it's noble, we hope they can accept it because it's necessary.

So what do you think?  PTSD, substance abuse and suicide have emerged as major issues for veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.  Would you welcome a facility like this in your neighborhood?

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Rep. Owens slams base closing proposal

January 26th, 2012 by Brian Mann

The Obama administration is proposing another BRACC-style base closings process to downsize the US military.  And while there's no evidence yet that Fort Drum near Watertown would be a target, the proposal is already drawing fierce condemnation from Rep Bill Owens (D-Plattsburgh).

Owens tells NCPR he was assured by the Pentagon that no base-closing initiative was being planned:

"The last time we asked it was about thirty days ago, we we're told it's absolutely not on the radar.  So, I'm not happy about htat as you can imagine.  To say the least, I'm really annoyed by this.  I think it was done really unprofessionally."

Owens, who sits on the Armed Services Committee, is himself a former Air Force officer who lived in Plattsburgh when the last major "BRACC" base-closure process torpedoed Plattsburgh Air Force Base.

Many locals, including Owens, thought that process was unfair and politicized.

"It was supposed to be non-political.  But it was very clear that the person who was the head of the BRACC commission was from New Jersey and, miraculously, that Air Force base was saved.  It really raised some very substantial questions in my mind about the fairness of the process and whether or not it was done on the up and up."

Owens says he doubts that closing military bases will achieve substantial cost savings, as the Pentagon has promised.  The congressman says he wants to see a plan for better efficiency first, before a major round of reductions is considered.

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We need a parade, Mr. President

January 7th, 2012 by Brian Mann

Dear President Obama,

You are — as you promised during your campaign in 2008 — bringing American forces home from Iraq after that long, tangled conflict.  The pull-out is essentially complete already.

The American people appear to be with you in this decision, with polls showing that voters and citizens are weary of war and foreign entanglements.

But as I've written here before, I think your administration is making a huge mistake in not giving the veterans (and their families) who sacrificed so much in this conflict a national day of recognition.

So here's my suggestion:

Pick a date for a national celebration, to fall after the 2012 election but before the inauguration in January 2013.  That way, the event will be as non-political as possible.

Schedule a national parade on that day in Washington DC and encourage city and state leaders around the US to hold as many local parades and celebrations as they can muster.

Order the Pentagon to call up Iraqi veterans one more time, reforming as many of our service members as possible into the original units that they served with when they deployed overseas.

These people served side-by-side, watching each others backs.  They should celebrate side-by-side.

But sure to include a big representative sample of all our military branches, including National Guard and Reserve units.

March them together through our nation's capital.  Put everything on hold for a day while we welcome them home, while we pause to honor their service and devotion.

This event should be — to put it bluntly — a hell of a lot of fun.  Yes we should acknowledge the painful losses, the men and women who didn't make it home.

But this would mostly be a day for ticker tape, for pageantry, for unity, and maybe even a little partying.

As things stand, we run the risk of not giving full and honorable closure to the hundreds of thousands of Americans whose lives have been altered forever by the Iraq conflict.

We are letting these men and women return home in dribs and drabs, to a nation that has already turned its attention to other problems, other conflicts.

This war has exposed a lot of moral failings in our politics, in our national culture.  Let's not add one more to the mix.

Granted, this is mostly a symbolic gesture.  But symbolism matters in war and at a time when our nation is gradually transitioning back into peacetime.

So hold a parade, Mr. President.  Make it a big one, with all the trimmings.  Bring them home in style.

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What will Pentagon's new Pacific focus mean for Fort Drum?

January 5th, 2012 by Brian Mann

The last decade, the United States has been embroiled in two major land wars and that has meant a huge emphasis on the kind of expertise and firepower that Fort Drum's 10th Mountain Division can muster.

But experts and pundits are expecting the Obama administration to roll out a new plan later today that would shift emphasis, to a substantial degree, away from that kind of boots-on-the-ground force.

To help balance China's growing authority in the Pacific, the Pentagon is planning to funnel more money into the carrier fleet.

At the same time, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is expected to push for deeper than anticipated cuts to the number of active duty soldiers, according to the New York Times.

The Army is already is slated to drop to a force of 520,000 from 570,000, but Mr. Panetta views even that reduction as too expensive and unnecessary and has endorsed an Army of 490,000 troops as sufficient, officials said.

The defense secretary has made clear that the reduction should be carried out carefully, and over several years, so that combat veterans are not flooding into a tough employment market and military families do not feel that the government is breaking trust after a decade of sacrifice, officials said.

A smaller Army would be a clear sign that the Pentagon does not anticipate conducting another expensive, troop-intensive counterinsurgency campaign, like those waged in Afghanistan and Iraq. Nor would the military be able to carry out two sustained ground wars at one time, as was required under past national military strategies.

That means 80,000 fewer soldiers in the Army's ranks.

This news comes as Fort Drum — and the Watertown area — are in the midst of a major construction boom designed to house larger numbers of service members, along with their families.

So far, New York's congressional delegation has expressed cautious optimism that the 10th Mountain Division won't face major cuts.

But as the Pentagon's attention shifts toward the Far East, and toward more naval and air power, the North Country will be watching closely to see how Army Secretary John McHugh — the former congressman from our region — will manage the transition.

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Restoring the 'Royal' to Canada's armed forces

August 16th, 2011 by Lucy Martin

To quote Shakespeare: "What's in a name?"

In 1968, Canada's service branches were brought under one central command, renamed the Canadian Armed Forces. Conservative Defense Minister Peter MacKay announced today that the Maritime Command and Air Command will again be known as the Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Canadian Air Force. The army will be called the Canadian Army, which is (arguably) easier to understand than what it was going under: Land Force Command.

Depending on one's point of view this change is either a welcome return to tradition – which honors and recognizes Canada's relationship to the monarchy – or a giant step backwards.

McKay called it the undoing of a historic mistake. The CBC reports NDP defense critic Jack Harris disagreed and characterized the move as:

… "unnecessary" and "divisive." He told CBC News in an interview Monday that Canadians have pride in their military institutions because they are Canadian, not because of their attachment to the monarchy.

Veteran's groups and military associations have reportedly supported the name change. According to this report in the Canadian Huffington Post, not all NDPers oppose restoring the word royal:

NDP veterans critic Peter Stoffer said he is full of praise for the Tories’ decision.

“Having the designation ‘royal’ … is a wonderful link to the past. It gives everyone who served in the army, navy and air force and served in various wars for King and Country and Queen and Country a real sense of pride,” said Stoffer.

“I think it is a great thing for the government to do and I thank them for it,” he added.

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Want a taste of American greatness? Watch this.

January 30th, 2011 by Brian Mann

It's possible in the constant churn of pessimistic news and recession-era self doubt to forget just how enduring and remarkable many  of our civic institutions are.

One of the most extraordinary is the professionalism and loyalty of the US military, which has supported and embraced the concept of civilian rule from the moment George Washington first set aside his own claims on power.

In this case, the test that we confronted as a society was the inclusion of gays and lesbians in the armed forces.

It was clear from the beginning that top brass in the Marine Corps were particularly uncomfortable with the idea of repealing don't ask don't tell.

That law required gay service members to remain closeted, hiding the truth about their personal lives from fellow service-members and their officers.

General James Amos, the four star general who serves as the Corps' commandant, made it plain publicly that he considered repeal to be misguided and perhaps even morally wrong, especially in a time of war.

But Congress and President Barack Obama, serving in his capacity as commander in chief, overruled reluctant military leaders. DADT was struck down.

Gen. Amos's reaction is typical of the military's behavior over the last two centuries, drawing on an ethos of professionalism, strict loyalty to the rule of law, and defense of democracy.

Remember that this is a military leadership being asked to do something that it doesn't think is right, during a time of war and intense institutional stress.

Many other societies, from Rome's empire to the European democracies in the 1930s, failed to navigate this kind of divide.

Yet Gen. Amos makes it clear that the larger principles at stake are far more important, even more sacred.

When our elected officials bicker and fail to find needed compromise, they should watch this video to see just what leadership in a democracy looks like.

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Soldiers's wife pens stories about the soldier's life

January 18th, 2011 by Brian Mann

The New York Times has a review of Siobhan Fallon's new collection of short stories about the lives of America's soldiers and their families in wartime.

Fallon is herself a soldier's wife and lives in the Middle East, where her husband is stationed.  According to the Times, the wrestles with the fears, the marital tensions, the betrayals and renegotiations that follow deployment.

The stories focus on Fort Hood, according to this video with Fallon, but it sounds like the book might be of interest to Fort Drum families as well.

Check out the review here.

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Do we mind military planes watching us, if it's just for training?

January 14th, 2011 by Brian Mann

Col. Chuck Dorsey, the vice wing commander with New York's Air National Guard 174th Fighter Wing, gave a fascinating presentation at yesterday's Park Agency meeting in Ray Brook.

He unveiled a plan to begin flying MQ-9 Reaper drones over the Adirondack Park.

(Dorsey prefers the term "remote-piloted" to "unmanned," given the fact that the planes will be crewed by trained aviators in Syracuse.)

One interesting bit is that the MQ-9s will be watching random Adirondackers, as a way for pilots and intelligence-gatherers to hone their skills.

"We pick the third house on the right past the blue silo and begin working there," Col. Dorsey said, pointing out that the "targets" are always chosen randomly.  (Targeting of specific civilians by these flights would be illegal.)

"One thing that's particular difficult training and very useful training is to pick the next car that drives north across the Black River out of Castorland and track that vehicle as it makes turns and goes underneath trees and behind barns and things like that and see where that thing ends up."

APA Commissioner Lani Ulrich asked whether people will know that they're being watched by circling MQ-9s.  "Are you far enough up that the third car is aware of being followed?"

Col. Dorsey said it's unlikely that people will know that they're being used as a practice bogey. All flights initially will be conducted above 18,000 feet. (The Air Guard hopes to eventually be allowed to fly low altitude practice runs down to around 5,000 feet.)

He also points out that similar training surveillance runs have been performed for years, using clumsier F-16 fighters. The MQ-9s are simply more efficient, able to stay aloft for up to 20 hours at a time.

So what do you think? A normal part of life given that we Adirondackers neighbor a large military base? A small contribution that we can make to help train pilots during a time of war?

Or does this raise concerns about privacy? Comments welcome.

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