The fact that we are hearing about previously secret US "operations" in the middle east during a time when every country that opposes US interests is being described as either Iran or Russia-backed (or both), is, of course, not disturbing and upsetting at all.
Maybe they are just fighting ISIS. Or maybe things are slowly building toward another kind of conflict, one which won't be so easy for us to pretend we can win.
The idea that one is confused by one's own drones is mind-boggling in the lying level, or if it actually were true, is an admission of abysmal training standards! Do Russia and Ukraine claim to be confused by drones like this?
So, like the occasional Ukrainian missile that attacks Poland, do we have a shitload of malfunctioning drones? Bad anti-drone defenses rather than "confusion"? Iranian anti-anti-drone technology? (They have downed US drones before, after all.)
Then there's the lie by euphemism. The "Jordanian Defense Network." Yeah, right; Jordan needs to be defended from Iranians. Only because the US military presence is "flypaper." I'm sure, per Ken, the US military wordsmiths will complain about me saying that, too.
Maybe another question is: How much does the US bribe the Jordans of the world to allow bases like this?
==
Otherwise, is this a Biden "vs" Trump issue? No. After all, vis a vis Iran, Trump had Gen. Soleimani assassinated. Vis a vis Israel, it was Trump who moved the US embassy. The deep military state is a duopoly-backed one.
I would imagine that drone use would be for gathering intel and having more than one base, facility allows for a more concentrated coverage in areas of interest.
Because the deaths is a pretext. Pretend that three US troops were killed in a random shooting in Nevada - would the Pentagon be demanding airstrikes on Reno?
Note also that the DoD was quick to show photos of the dead soldiers, presumably because all three were black. Biden is already hemorrhaging black votes, in large part because he is seen as taking the black vote for granted and instead focusing on war and empire.
"The company is assigned to the Army Reserve’s 926th Engineer Battalion of the 926th Engineer Brigade headquartered at Fort Moore (Fort Benning) in Southwest Georgia."
926th Engineer Battalion is in Birmingham, Alabama
"If you’ve never heard of Spartan Shield, you are not alone. It is one of a half dozen “operations” taking place right now in the Middle East. Those include Operation Enduring Freedom..."
7 October 2001 – 28 December 2014
Ken, with all due respect, do better. When I send your article to a conservative friend who's currently serving as a commissioned officer in the ARMY and they call out 2 errors immediately, they become highly skeptical (and rightfully so) of any other information contained in the article. I'm trying to expose this person to great journalists to follow to counter the BS right-wing Facebook and conservative media is putting out there.
I'm a huge fan of your work, but these 2 errors are a set back for me in recommending articles to him to read in the future. If WE are in error here, please demonstrate and I'll become a paid subscriber.
"In 2023, Rivers was assigned to the 718th Engineer Company, 926th Engineer Battalion, 926th Engineer Brigade, Fort Moore, Georgia."
"Spc. Kennedy L. Sanders, a resident of Waycross, enlisted in the Army Reserve in 2019 as horizontal construction engineer (12N). She was first assigned to the 381st Engineer Company in Tifton, Georgia, after completing advanced individual training. In 2021, Sanders completed an eight-month rotation to Djibouti in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. In 2023, Sanders was assigned to the 718th Engineer Company, 926th Engineer Battalion, 926th Engineer Brigade, Fort Moore."
"Spc. Breonna A. Moffett, a resident of Savannah, enlisted in the Army Reserve in 2019 as a horizontal construction engineer (12N). She was first assigned to the 381st Engineer Company in Tifton, after completing advanced individual training. In 2023, Spc. Moffett was assigned to the 718th Engineer Company, 926th Engineer Battalion, 926th Engineer Brigade, Fort Moore."
Pretty sure this has to do with the classified documents Trump stole then sold. Last I heard, and correct me if I'm wrong, they haven't even recovered all of them. Maybe it's just me but this stinks of covering their asses.
Trump sold them the Intel of the base, er "tower". Them claiming it was some sort of mishap smells rotten. In fact this whole thing sounds sketchy. Bad actors, Nixon, Reagan to name a couple, have done some atrocious things. Mike Flynn and his brother Charles (currently commanding the South Pacific Fleet) are traitors. Traitors are like roaches, if you see ones, 20 are in hiding. Mike served under Trump.
I left this comment on another Substack essay and feel it might help you understand the feelings of the Iranians and why the Arabs might know where every secret or otherwise base is located. American deception masks what took place in Iran in 1953. Mohammad Mosaddeq came to prominence in Iran in 1951 when he was elected Premier . A fierce nationalist, Mosaddeq immediately began attacks on British oil companies and US interest. The coup set up by the CIA and British Secret Services ( SIS ) inserted their puppet the Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. The history is there wide open to read, if one wants to find the truth. Savark, torture and tyranny were the Shar’s offerings to his nation. The reaction to this duplicity is an independent Nation, Iran that has never bowed since 1979 to America or its sidekick UK, and the thirst of vengeance ( US & UK ‘ is the motivation that drives the government’s of the west to this insane moment in time. The same madness that exists in Ukraine is because of western interference that claims the Holy Grail of protecting Democracy. I openly say, “ How blind do you think I am ? “ The Truth is Eternal / Veritas est aeterna
A. Our military could indeed be as incompetent as the IDF.
B. As an actual leftist, ie, non-duopoly leftist, I don't know if you're a Democrat or not, but I take at least one-third of Democrat-generated comments about Trump's actions in office, setting aside J6 itself, of course, at about 50 percent of face value.
Oh for sure! When there's so many things to call Trump out for that are easily proveable, why say something that there is no evidence for, making it SO much easier for Trump Supporters to make you look like a fool. It's insane! I just don't get why people feel the need to do this
And, it's the same people who claim these things who also claim that Jill Stein was a Russian asset in 2016. Or, as Ken shared on Twitter yesterday, Pelosi claiming that Russians are behind pro-Palestinian protestors. (We already know that China is behind Iran, which is of course behind every Shi'a movement in the Middle East.)
And, it's not just Dem talking heads. As I posted on Andrew Cockburn's Substack?
Also yes, the US military is incompetent. What allows us to be in control is technology. When you spend the most on your military, you're able to make technology that others can't, and that is expanding, especially with AI. Plus when you treat employees like shit (the US Army def does) they work like shit.
What makes you think he sold it? Just says he hasn't returned it. This feels more like a conspiracy then laid out in truth. That document was about a US plan to attack Iran made under Trump's admin. This has nothing to do with The Biden administration, and everything to do with Trump's own cabinet and it's idea on how to move forward with Iran, and it should be mentioned, policy wise, Biden and Trump looked at Iran much differently in 2020, Bidens position is moving right on that (or now it's easier to be hawkish) but again, I don't see Trump ever selling info to Iran. He literally killed one of their top sitting officials, those men would want nothing to do with him, and even on top of that, the information is probably really outdated.
Trump and people like him operate transactionally. Their is no honor nor loyalty among criminals. Trump would sell out his family if it would benefit him. Same goes for the other side. Why wouldn't Iran want Intel they could use to potentially harm Biden's chances of being re-ellected? Maybe someone in Iran wanted that official killed. Nixon fucked with the peace accords in Viet Nam to hurt Johnson's campaign and Reagan fucked around in Iran to hurt Carter's. Why wouldn't Trump sell Intel that could harm Biden's campaign?
Do you understand the difference between speculation and an actual source to back up your claim? I'm sure we all dislike trump here. But this is the same BS people on the right do. "Why wouldn't...", "Why wouldn't..."... This is a flawed epistemology. There's a difference between knowing something and speculating on something. You don't seem to understand the difference.
Send me your source Right now that says Trump sold documents to Iran. Unless your direct friends with the guy, there is NO source stating so. Do you realize that fabricating stuff like this makes it so much easier for Trump supporters to just write you off as a TDS liberal, and that being untruthful makes that argument so much more easier to make? Source, or admit your speculating.
Hi all, will answer your questions here. PLEASE become a paid subscriber to support this work. - Ken
The fact that we are hearing about previously secret US "operations" in the middle east during a time when every country that opposes US interests is being described as either Iran or Russia-backed (or both), is, of course, not disturbing and upsetting at all.
Maybe they are just fighting ISIS. Or maybe things are slowly building toward another kind of conflict, one which won't be so easy for us to pretend we can win.
The conflict defining the region is clearly Iran vs. US now
The idea that one is confused by one's own drones is mind-boggling in the lying level, or if it actually were true, is an admission of abysmal training standards! Do Russia and Ukraine claim to be confused by drones like this?
So, like the occasional Ukrainian missile that attacks Poland, do we have a shitload of malfunctioning drones? Bad anti-drone defenses rather than "confusion"? Iranian anti-anti-drone technology? (They have downed US drones before, after all.)
Then there's the lie by euphemism. The "Jordanian Defense Network." Yeah, right; Jordan needs to be defended from Iranians. Only because the US military presence is "flypaper." I'm sure, per Ken, the US military wordsmiths will complain about me saying that, too.
Maybe another question is: How much does the US bribe the Jordans of the world to allow bases like this?
==
Otherwise, is this a Biden "vs" Trump issue? No. After all, vis a vis Iran, Trump had Gen. Soleimani assassinated. Vis a vis Israel, it was Trump who moved the US embassy. The deep military state is a duopoly-backed one.
The pentagon wordsmiths drive me up a wall haha
Is that container on the tank for wine coolers do you know?
That was gallows humor btw.
Lol
I would imagine that drone use would be for gathering intel and having more than one base, facility allows for a more concentrated coverage in areas of interest.
This is exactly what I’m hearing from military sources. Good inference, Stephen.
Excuse me but TDS is a madness
TDS?
Because the deaths is a pretext. Pretend that three US troops were killed in a random shooting in Nevada - would the Pentagon be demanding airstrikes on Reno?
Note also that the DoD was quick to show photos of the dead soldiers, presumably because all three were black. Biden is already hemorrhaging black votes, in large part because he is seen as taking the black vote for granted and instead focusing on war and empire.
I do not think this
"The company is assigned to the Army Reserve’s 926th Engineer Battalion of the 926th Engineer Brigade headquartered at Fort Moore (Fort Benning) in Southwest Georgia."
926th Engineer Battalion is in Birmingham, Alabama
"If you’ve never heard of Spartan Shield, you are not alone. It is one of a half dozen “operations” taking place right now in the Middle East. Those include Operation Enduring Freedom..."
7 October 2001 – 28 December 2014
Ken, with all due respect, do better. When I send your article to a conservative friend who's currently serving as a commissioned officer in the ARMY and they call out 2 errors immediately, they become highly skeptical (and rightfully so) of any other information contained in the article. I'm trying to expose this person to great journalists to follow to counter the BS right-wing Facebook and conservative media is putting out there.
I'm a huge fan of your work, but these 2 errors are a set back for me in recommending articles to him to read in the future. If WE are in error here, please demonstrate and I'll become a paid subscriber.
Thanks
You should get your friend to correct the US Army Reserve website, too.
From https://www.usar.army.mil/News/News-Display/Article/3659705/army-reserve-identifies-casualties/
"In 2023, Rivers was assigned to the 718th Engineer Company, 926th Engineer Battalion, 926th Engineer Brigade, Fort Moore, Georgia."
"Spc. Kennedy L. Sanders, a resident of Waycross, enlisted in the Army Reserve in 2019 as horizontal construction engineer (12N). She was first assigned to the 381st Engineer Company in Tifton, Georgia, after completing advanced individual training. In 2021, Sanders completed an eight-month rotation to Djibouti in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. In 2023, Sanders was assigned to the 718th Engineer Company, 926th Engineer Battalion, 926th Engineer Brigade, Fort Moore."
"Spc. Breonna A. Moffett, a resident of Savannah, enlisted in the Army Reserve in 2019 as a horizontal construction engineer (12N). She was first assigned to the 381st Engineer Company in Tifton, after completing advanced individual training. In 2023, Spc. Moffett was assigned to the 718th Engineer Company, 926th Engineer Battalion, 926th Engineer Brigade, Fort Moore."
I sent that to him. But he's not responsible for the army reserve website.
Pretty sure this has to do with the classified documents Trump stole then sold. Last I heard, and correct me if I'm wrong, they haven't even recovered all of them. Maybe it's just me but this stinks of covering their asses.
Don’t see how this relates to Trump
Trump sold them the Intel of the base, er "tower". Them claiming it was some sort of mishap smells rotten. In fact this whole thing sounds sketchy. Bad actors, Nixon, Reagan to name a couple, have done some atrocious things. Mike Flynn and his brother Charles (currently commanding the South Pacific Fleet) are traitors. Traitors are like roaches, if you see ones, 20 are in hiding. Mike served under Trump.
Do you have a source for this?
I left a comment polite by the way for her on this thread
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/unmitigated-liars-charles-michael-flynn-jan-6-earl-matthews_n_61ae9740e4b0f76117b2a654
https://www.thedailybeast.com/guardsman-says-army-generals-including-michael-flynn-brother-are-absolute-liars-about-jan-6-riot-response
I left this comment on another Substack essay and feel it might help you understand the feelings of the Iranians and why the Arabs might know where every secret or otherwise base is located. American deception masks what took place in Iran in 1953. Mohammad Mosaddeq came to prominence in Iran in 1951 when he was elected Premier . A fierce nationalist, Mosaddeq immediately began attacks on British oil companies and US interest. The coup set up by the CIA and British Secret Services ( SIS ) inserted their puppet the Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. The history is there wide open to read, if one wants to find the truth. Savark, torture and tyranny were the Shar’s offerings to his nation. The reaction to this duplicity is an independent Nation, Iran that has never bowed since 1979 to America or its sidekick UK, and the thirst of vengeance ( US & UK ‘ is the motivation that drives the government’s of the west to this insane moment in time. The same madness that exists in Ukraine is because of western interference that claims the Holy Grail of protecting Democracy. I openly say, “ How blind do you think I am ? “ The Truth is Eternal / Veritas est aeterna
So much of government secrecy is only secret to the public: our government knows, adversary governments know, it’s ordinary Americans who are cut out
I'm aware of the history. The US has committed many atrocities.
Did you ever think that maybe the big drone that flew into the base first, the american one, could of, uh, idk, been followed?
Because of Hollywood people often assume the Pentagon is omniscient but they’re human and make mistakes just like anybody else
Believe what you want. Trump sold some of the Intel we had on Iran. Or are you saying our military is incompetent?
A. Our military could indeed be as incompetent as the IDF.
B. As an actual leftist, ie, non-duopoly leftist, I don't know if you're a Democrat or not, but I take at least one-third of Democrat-generated comments about Trump's actions in office, setting aside J6 itself, of course, at about 50 percent of face value.
Oh for sure! When there's so many things to call Trump out for that are easily proveable, why say something that there is no evidence for, making it SO much easier for Trump Supporters to make you look like a fool. It's insane! I just don't get why people feel the need to do this
And, it's the same people who claim these things who also claim that Jill Stein was a Russian asset in 2016. Or, as Ken shared on Twitter yesterday, Pelosi claiming that Russians are behind pro-Palestinian protestors. (We already know that China is behind Iran, which is of course behind every Shi'a movement in the Middle East.)
And, it's not just Dem talking heads. As I posted on Andrew Cockburn's Substack?
They’re called Nat-Sec Nutsacks™, Andrew (talking about the national security state). https://socraticgadfly.blogspot.com/search/label/Nat-Sec%20Nutsacks%E2%84%A2
Also yes, the US military is incompetent. What allows us to be in control is technology. When you spend the most on your military, you're able to make technology that others can't, and that is expanding, especially with AI. Plus when you treat employees like shit (the US Army def does) they work like shit.
What makes you think he sold it? Just says he hasn't returned it. This feels more like a conspiracy then laid out in truth. That document was about a US plan to attack Iran made under Trump's admin. This has nothing to do with The Biden administration, and everything to do with Trump's own cabinet and it's idea on how to move forward with Iran, and it should be mentioned, policy wise, Biden and Trump looked at Iran much differently in 2020, Bidens position is moving right on that (or now it's easier to be hawkish) but again, I don't see Trump ever selling info to Iran. He literally killed one of their top sitting officials, those men would want nothing to do with him, and even on top of that, the information is probably really outdated.
Trump and people like him operate transactionally. Their is no honor nor loyalty among criminals. Trump would sell out his family if it would benefit him. Same goes for the other side. Why wouldn't Iran want Intel they could use to potentially harm Biden's chances of being re-ellected? Maybe someone in Iran wanted that official killed. Nixon fucked with the peace accords in Viet Nam to hurt Johnson's campaign and Reagan fucked around in Iran to hurt Carter's. Why wouldn't Trump sell Intel that could harm Biden's campaign?
Do you understand the difference between speculation and an actual source to back up your claim? I'm sure we all dislike trump here. But this is the same BS people on the right do. "Why wouldn't...", "Why wouldn't..."... This is a flawed epistemology. There's a difference between knowing something and speculating on something. You don't seem to understand the difference.
So Nixon didn't illegally interfere in the Vietnam peace accords during an election year, right🤦♀️
And Reagan most assuredly didn't fuck around with the hostage crisis in Iran either, right🤦♀️And Iran Contra didn't happen either.
Do you not learn from history?
Jfc.
Send me your source Right now that says Trump sold documents to Iran. Unless your direct friends with the guy, there is NO source stating so. Do you realize that fabricating stuff like this makes it so much easier for Trump supporters to just write you off as a TDS liberal, and that being untruthful makes that argument so much more easier to make? Source, or admit your speculating.
🤡