Thousands of Americans Forgotten in Afghanistan

Thousands of Americans Forgotten in Afghanistan

Mark Clouse February 8, 2022

A Republican-led Senate Report suggests that the hasty Biden evacuation of Afghanistan ended up leaving perhaps thousands of Americans behind. The Senate Committe on Foreign Relations’ GOP Members issued the report, which was called “Left Behind: A Brief Assessment of the Biden-Administration’s Strategic Failures during the Afghanistan Evacuation.”

Senate report estimates thousands left behind in Afghanistan

From www.christianpost.com
2022-02-07 19:42:16

Excerpt:

A new report from U.S. Senate Republicans estimates that the Biden administration left hundreds, if not thousands, of Americans behind in Afghanistan, casting doubt on the official statistics compiled by the U.S. State Department.

The Republicans on the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, led by Ranking Member Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, released a report last week titled “Left Behind: A Brief Assessment of the Biden Administration’s Strategic Failures during the Afghanistan Evacuation.”

The report elaborated on the consequences of the Biden administration’s withdrawal of the remaining U.S. troops from Afghanistan last summer, which followed nearly two decades of consistent military…

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Ukrainian Official Downplays Russian Invasion Threat

Mark Clouse February 7, 2022

Even as the Ukrainians gather to train for war, from soldier to store clerk, the Foreign Affairs Department is downplaying both the concerns for an invasion (though preparations must continue) and the potential outcome for Russia should she tangle with Ukraine.

Ignore ‘apocalyptic predictions’ on possible Russia invasion, urges Ukraine foreign minister

From www.cbc.ca
2022-02-06 17:45:04
The Associated Press
Excerpt:

Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Dmytro Kuleba urged people on Sunday to ignore “apocalyptic predictions” about an imminent Russian invasion, saying his country was strong and had unprecedented international support.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said a week ago that Ukraine was not a sinking Titanic, and he accused Washington and the media of fuelling panic that weighed on the economy when there were “no tanks in the streets.”

“Today, Ukraine has a strong army, unprecedented international support and Ukrainians’ faith in their country,” Kuleba said on Twitter.

“The enemy should be afraid of us, not us of them.”

A day earlier, two U.S. officials said that Russia may be ready for a full-scale invasion of Ukraine by mid-February, as it had in place about 70 per cent of the combat power it believed it would need and was sending more battalion tactical groups to the border.

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is an Axis of Putin and XI Forming Against America?

Freedomist Curator February 7, 2022

Xi and Putin tout a ‘redistribution of power in the world,’ and they aren’t shy about their ambitions

From www.cnbc.com
2022-02-06 16:51:54

Excerpt:

This is big.

The two leading authoritarians of our time have declared unprecedented common cause, perhaps even a de facto security alliance, with aspirations of shaping a new world order to replace the one fashioned by the United States and its partners after World War II.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to make sure the world didn’t miss the importance of their 38^th personal meeting in Beijing on Friday, just hours before the opening of the Winter Olympics and with more than 100,000 Russian troops threatening Ukrainian independence and sovereignty.

So, they publicly released the entirety of their audacious, 5,300-word joint statement in English this weekend, declaring that “a trend has emerged towards redistribution of power in the world” – namely toward them and away from the U.S. and its democratic partners and allies.

There’s a lot in the statement worth reading and digesting, but here’s my rough executive summary: Russia and China are…

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US Citizens in Ukraine Abandoned by Biden

Mark Clouse January 25, 2022

Joe Biden Just Told Americans in Ukraine to Go Jump in a Lake – RedState

From redstate.com
2022-01-23 21:00:17

Excerpt:

Are you ready for some more of that foreign policy “expertise” Joe Biden is supposedly famous for? As RedState has reported, tensions between Ukraine and Russia are nearing a boiling point, with the latter possibly invading at any moment. On Saturday, the State Department moved to evacuate all embassy personnel and their families.

Now, the call to leave the country has extended to all Americans. Unfortunately, because absolutely no lessons were learned from Afghanistan, the Biden administration isn’t planning on offering any help. In fact, they basically told Americans still in Ukraine to go jump in a lake.

From State Dept call: “Given that the President has said military action by Russia could come at any time. The US government will not be in a position to evacuate US citizens. So US citizens, currently present in Ukraine should plan accordingly.” Arrange commercial flights.

— Jennifer Griffin (@JenGriffinFNC) January 24, 2022

Telling Americans to “plan…

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Watchdog Warned Biden Before Pullout that Afghan Air Force Would Collapse

Mark Clouse January 19, 2022

It appears the Biden administration plainly knew that the Afghan Air Force would soon collapse after a US troop pullout, but the warnings were ignored by Team Biden, and the withdrawal went forward, unchanged, with no lingering US Air support left behind. The result was one of the greatest military disasters in American history. In terms of the wealth lost, and the resources given to our enemies, the failure is near the top.

Now, with evidence coming from a watchdog within the Department of Defense, we know that Biden, or whatever constitutes whatever the Biden decision group really is, had every reason to believe a pullout would lead to the rap[id collapse of the Afghan state and all that such a result would entail (including losing hundreds of millions of dollars worth of American arms and military vehicles to the Taliban, a fascistic Islamist cult that murders even Muslims for not being the right kind of Muslims).

Before pullout, watchdog warned of Afghan air force collapse

From www.washingtonpost.com
2022-01-18 17:10:47
By Kathy Gannon | AP
Excerpt:

Even as the U.S. Department of Defense touted the Afghan air force’s progress “in combat operation capabilities, pilot and ground crew proficiency, as well as air-to-ground integration,” Sopko said, they continued “to struggle with human capital limitations, leadership challenges, aircraft misuse, and a dependence on contractor logistic support.”

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Veterans Harmed by Toxins to Get Careful Look by US Congress

Parker Davis January 17, 2022

U.S. House committee wants to hear from veterans with toxic exposure

From www.jdnews.com
2022-01-17 10:31:14

Excerpt:

Veterans who experienced toxic exposure in the military now have a chance to tell their stories to people who can make a difference.

U.S. Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA), chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, announced last week the committee wants veterans to participate in an online survey about the effects of toxic exposure.

“Your responses will help the Committee better understand veterans’ experiences with toxic exposure and how Congress can help ensure these veterans receive the benefits they have earned and deserve,” Takano wrote in a Jan. 11 newsletter.

The survey asks about exposure, health conditions, VA benefits and how Congress can help.

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Zero American Capital Ships in Middle East

Mark Clouse January 13, 2022

The US Military moved a Capital ship, the Carrier USS Essex, out of the Middle East, sending it to the Philippine Sea. This move means that, currently, the Middle East has no US Capital ship at present, and the 5th Fleet is also now without any carrier in support of it.

No U.S. capital ship in Middle East after Essex group departs for Philippine Sea

From www.upi.com
2022-01-11 17:39:11

Excerpt:

The Middle East has no U.S. capital ship since the three-ship Essex Amphibious Ready Group and the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit recently left the area.

After deploying on Aug. 12 and operating in the Middle East region since late September, the Essex ARG, and the 11th MEU left the region last week, according to USNI News’ Fleet and Marine Tracker.

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What is Emerging in China’s Military AI World?

Paul Collier January 11, 2022

China is scrambling to catch up to AI governance as it has already launched numerous military AI projects. The types of governance models that a Chinese Communist Party run office might develop might be more about assuring continued control of the AI by the elite party members, foremostly, control by Chairman Xi. Considerations of violations of rights to privacy, speech, etc. are not factored into the governance the Chinse Communist Party state will create.
The telegraphing of this need for AI governance by the Chinese State seems, at least to this analyst, to be more about attempting to pretend they are earnestly seeking to build an ethical, rule-of-law based governance model in harmony with the world around her than to share with the world they have a huge deficit in AI development (pressing x to doubt on that claim).
Everyone, I would surmise, to some degree, has major AI governance issues, but these issues are most likely more about agit prop, more about sneaking in a non-direct claim of China being a country you can build your AI dependence on. Trust us, we won’t spy on you or become digital saboteurs.

Regulating Military Application of AI in China – OpenGov Asia

From opengovasia.com
2022-01-10 20:18:22

Excerpt:

China proposed a position paper on regulating the military applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The position paper is China’s first proposal to regulate the military application of AI and the first of its kind under the framework of the United Nations (UN) Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons.

The document focuses on important issues, such as the research and development, deployment and use of AI for military applications, and proposes solutions on how to develop and use AI technology in the military field.

The rapid development and broad application of AI technology have profoundly changed the way people work and live, bringing “great opportunities as well as unforeseeable security challenges to the world. One particular concern is the long-term impacts and potential risks of military applications of AI technology in such aspects as strategic security, rules on governance and ethics.

AI-related security governance is a common challenge. With the wide application of AI in various fields, there are widespread concerns regarding the risks of military applications and even AI’s weaponisation. As the world has multifaceted challenges, countries need to embrace a vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable global security, seek consensus on regulating military applications of AI through dialogue and cooperation, and establish an effective governance regime to prevent serious harm or even disasters caused by military applications of AI to mankind.

China needs to enhance the efforts to regulate military applications of AI to forestall and manage potential risks. Such efforts will help promote mutual trust among countries, safeguard global strategic stability, prevent an arms race and alleviate humanitarian concerns. It will also contribute to building an inclusive and constructive security partnership and striving for the vision of building a community in the AI field.

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China Looks to be Targeting Its Neighbors for Expansion

Paul Collier January 10, 2022

Chairman Xi of the People’s Republic of China is moving to prepare his forces to expand into land areas all around her. A new land boundary law, coupled with new types of military training focus are leaving many of China’s neighbors wondering if they’re next in China’s efforts to expand her territory and take resources from her direct neighbors, as opposed to the colonization method of harvesting resources from her distant neighbors (Africa, looking hard at you, my friend).

As the Beijing Olympics are being prepared, China appears to be preparing for something quite opposite to world peace, even as she brutalizes her own people from within she hopes to extend that same authority over the lives of hundreds of millions of humans living just outside their hungry borders.

China’s new land boundary law fits in with its expansionism

From indianexpress.com
2022-01-08 02:00:48

Excerpt:

…..Another factor, a Training Mobilisation Order (TMO) issued by Xi Jinping in January 2020 called for “confrontational training” for its troops and officers to assess their preparedness, especially in light of the new reforms undertaken by the PLA. Both these factors seem to be the tactical beginnings of China’s grand strategy which also saw China flexing in the South China Sea and Taiwan, almost simultaneously. The latest in the series of aggressive Chinese actions is the use of lawfare through the passing of the “Land Boundary Law” on October 21 which became effective this week.

The law formalises and legalises China’s geographic creep towards Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh and parts of eastern Ladakh and creates conditions for using newly-constructed border villages close to the LAC for claiming sovereignty over disputed areas. The import of the law is most critical for India but will affect China’s disputes with other countries too. What China has done, therefore, is convert a territory dispute over borders into a sovereignty dispute which precludes any give or take of territory.

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Latest US Navy Destroyer Prepares to be Fitted Out

Freedomist Editor January 10, 2022

At long last, the much-maligned, but still eagerly anticipated, next generation of Destroyer, the Zumwalt class, is about ready to make its debut as it has just been declared ready for the final fitting out.

Future USS Lyndon B Johnson DDG 1002 Zumwalt-class destroyer is ready for the final fitting out – Navy Recognition

From www.navyrecognition.com
2022-01-09 13:20:04

Excerpt:

According to a Tweet published by General Dynamics Bath Iron Works (GDBIW) on January 8, 2021, the future USS Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG 1002) Zumwalt-class destroyer (DDG-1000) for the U.S. Navy is ready to leave GDBIW Bath Iron Works in Maine and head to Ingalls in Mississippi for the final fitting out.

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