DoD Joint Chiefs and Army war collage Brace for Civil Unrest

I at first doubted the veracity of reports stating that the Army War college in Ft Leavenworth had advised that U.S. Troops will be needed to maintain or restore civil unrest due to possible riots because of the collapsing economy, unemployment and growing dissatisfaction over the way our government is being run.  These reports are indeed true . Initially the troops were to be used as a rapid reaction force to respond in the case of a chemical, nuclear, or biological attack. More recently there mission seems to be changing to more of a peace keeping role in the event of wide spread civil unrest. Translation: Americans decide they have had enough not being fairly represented by the congress and the federal government and actually do something about it for a change.

This story was originally reported in the Washington post (see the whole story).

Pentagon to Detail Troops to Bolster Domestic Security

By Spencer S. Hsu and Ann Scott Tyson

Washington Post Staff Writers

December 01, 2008 "Washington Post" -- The U.S. military expects to have 20,000 uniformed troops inside the United States by 2011 trained to help state and local officials respond to a nuclear terrorist attack or other domestic catastrophe, according to Pentagon officials.

KBR a halliburton subsidiary a private security contractor (read mercenary) has been awarded a contract to build detention camps for a supposed sudden influx of illegal immigrants. The key phrase in this story is:


The contract may also provide migrant detention support to other government organizations in the event of an immigration emergency, as well as the development of a plan to react to a national emergency, such as a natural disaster.


Given halliburtons track record and KBR , do we really want these types of non governmental soldiers for hire running detention camps . Think WWII what do Japanese Americans think of this as they have already had a taste or our gentle government stripping away there rights there possessions and goods and being thrown into prison for countless years during WWII.  

More concerning is the fact that these plans are orchestrated and conducted almost off the radar with little or no public scrutiny or over site. We have seen what happened in the banking and economic sector  in the absence of government or public scrutiny. I have great concerns about these plans as from my experience in the military , we only hire contractors to do things that are too  dirty too questionable for regular U.S. forces.

This is the whole story from the WSJ:
By Katherine Hunt HAL




SAN FRANCISCO (Market Watch) -- KBR, the engineering and construction subsidiary of Halliburton Co. said Tuesday it has been awarded a contingency contract from the Department of Homeland Security to supports its Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities in the event of an emergency. The maximum total value of the contract is $385 million and consists of a 1-year base period with four 1-year options. KBR held the previous ICE contract from 2000 through 2005. The contract, which is effective immediately, provides for establishing temporary detention and processing capabilities to expand existing ICE Detention and Removal Operations Program facilities in the event of an emergency influx of immigrants into the U.S., or to support the rapid development of new programs, KBR said. The contract may also provide migrant detention support to other government organizations in the event of an immigration emergency, as well as the development of a plan to react to a national emergency, such as a natural disaster, the company said.

I include the whole story here because its important to realize that the report and story would not have been released had the Army War Collage not been allowed to. The further issue is that even the suggestion of using U.S. troops on American soil is totally contrary to the military mindset and the fact that the war college the premier think tank and training center for all high ranking military commanders  is  working  to develop plans and training guidelines of this type or scenario is disturbing to say the least .

I was in the Army during the Waco incident and I remember the controversy that the use of combat troops form Fort hood in the attack on the compound caused. I do not now nor did I believe that the use of us combat troops used against American citizens was right justified or legal under the Constitution. 

December 29, 2008


McClatchy-Tribune Information Services

A U.S. Army War College report warns an economic crisis in the United States could lead to massive civil unrest and the need to call on the military to restore order.

Retired Army Lt. Col. Nathan Freir wrote the report "Known Unknowns: Unconventional Strategic Shocks in Defense Strategy Development," which the Army think tank in Carlisle, Pa., recently released.

"Widespread civil violence inside the United States would force the defense establishment to reorient priorities ... to defend basic domestic order and human security," the report said, in case of "unforeseen economic collapse," "pervasive public health emergencies," and "catastrophic natural and human disasters," among other possible crises.

The report also suggests the new (Barack Obama) administration could face a "strategic shock" within the first eight months in office.

Fort Bliss spokeswoman Jean Offutt said the Army post is not involved in any recent talks about a potential military response to civil unrest.

The report become a hot Internet item after Phoenix police told the Phoenix Business Journal they're prepared to deal with such an event, and the International Monetary Fund's managing director, Dominique Strauss-Khan, said social unrest could spread to advanced countries if the global economic crisis worsens.

Javier Sambrano, spokes-man for the El Paso Police Department, said city police have trained for years so they can address any contingency, but not with the military.

"The police (department) trains on an ongoing basis as part of its Mobile Field Force Training," Sambrano said. "As a result, the police will be able to respond to emergency situations, such as looting or a big civil unrest. The police (department) does not train with Soldiers."

Earlier this year, Pentagon officials said as many as 20,000 Soldiers under the U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM) will be trained within the next three years to work with civilian law enforcement in homeland security.

Joint Task Force-North, a joint command at Biggs Army Airfield, which conducts surveillance and intelligence along the border, comes under NORTHCOM. No one was available at JTF-North to comment on the Army War College's report. NORTHCOM was created after the 9-11 attacks to coordinate homeland security efforts.

Soldiers under the former Joint Task Force-6 (now JTF-North) supported the Border Patrol in El Paso with its drug-interdiction operations.

In case civilian authorities request help or become overwhelmed, El Paso has several National Guard and military reserve units that can be called on. In 1992, National Guard and active Marine and Army units were deployed to help police control riots and looting in Los Angeles.

Charles Boehmer, political science professor at the University of Texas at El Paso, was skeptical about the Army War College report.

"The military was not called out during the Great Depression, and I don't think our economic problems are as bad as they were then," he said. "The military always has contingency plans. It's a think tank's job to come up with scenarios, but that doesn't mean it represents an active interest on the part of the (Pentagon)."