Nov 25
Defense Secretary Robert Gates. (AP Photo/Lawrence Jackson)
Citizen Soldiers May Need More Training On Homeland Operations, Defense Secretary Says
(AP) Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Monday ordered his top department leaders to conduct a broad review to determine whether the military, National Guard and Reserve can adequately deal with domestic disasters and whether they have the training and equipment to defend the homeland.
The 41-page memo signaled an acknowledgment that the military must better recognize the critical role of the National Guard and Reserves in homeland defense, but stopped short of requiring many specific policy changes.
His memo comes in the wake of a stinging 400-page independent commission report that concluded the military isn’t ready for a catastrophic attack on the country, and that National Guard forces don’t have the equipment or training they need for the job.
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Tags: Military, National Guard, New World Order, Pentagon, Politics, Robert Gates, U.S.
Sep 10
Tens of thousands of people fled coastal areas of Texas on Wednesday after Hurricane Ike spun off Cuba, roared into the Gulf of Mexico and headed toward the state with growing strength.
After pummeling Haiti, Cuba and other parts of the Caribbean, Ike refueled in the Gulf of Mexico and headed toward landfall near Corpus Christi, where it is expected to hit early Saturday as a Category 4 hurricane with winds exceeding speeds of 131 miles per hour.
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Tags: Cuba, Environment, George Bush, Government, Haiti, Hurricane, National Guard, Texas, U.S.
Aug 31
AP changed the title to “New Orleans residents get out of Gustav’s way”
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(AFP/Matthew Hinton)
NEW ORLEANS - As dawn broke Sunday over a city under siege, bumper-to-bumper traffic was reported in nearly every direction as residents heeded orders to flee an only partially rebuilt New Orleans. Police and National Guard troops were on the streets, preparing to patrol evacuated neighborhoods. And officials nervously watched the track of Hurricane Gustav, a Category 3 monster that threatens a city still recovering nearly three years after Hurricane Katrina.
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Tags: Caribbean, Cuba, DHS, Government, Homeland Security, Hurricane, Michael Chertoff, Military, National Guard, NEW ORLEANS, Police, U.S.
Aug 22
Aug. 22 (Bloomberg) — Two U.S. cities will become virtual fortresses during the Democratic and Republican nominating conventions, protected by airplanes, helicopters, barriers, fences and thousands of police officers, National Guard troops and Secret Service agents.
In Denver, where Democrats assemble next week, police are spending $18 million on equipment alone and will be bolstered by National Guard troops and hundreds of officers from surrounding suburbs. In St. Paul, Minnesota, site of the Sept. 1-4 Republican nominating convention, police are calling on 80 law- enforcement agencies to provide 3,000 officers to supplement the city’s 500-person force.
Congress earmarked $100 million for security at the two meetings, where federal and local authorities are trying to guard against any dangers to candidates or convention-goers.
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Tags: ACLU, Barack Obama, Congress, Democrats, Denver, DHS, FBI, Government, Homeland Security, John McCain, National Guard, NORAD, Police, Politics, Republicans, Secret Service, U.S.
Jul 22
Blagojevich wants National Guard helicopters to patrol gun control capital of America
The gun control capital of America - Chicago - where only the criminals are allowed to own firearms - has been hit by a fresh wave of crime and violence, prompting Governor Rod Blagojevich to call for National Guard helicopters to be used in law enforcement operations.
Blagojevich plans to form an “elite tactical team” to help the city fight crime, according to a speech he gave last week.
“Violent crime in the city of Chicago is out of control,” Blagojevich said at the bill signing ceremony. “I’m offering resources of the state to the city to work in a constructive way with Mayor Daley to do everything we can possibly do to help stop this violence,” said the governor.
Citing the fact that a child has been shot nearly every day since the end of June, Blagojevich called for National Guard helicopters to be used in high crime areas.
However, as police department spokeswoman Monique Bond noted, the actual number of homicides in the city is significantly down.
“2008 may end with fewer than 500 homicides and that it is expected to be one of the least deadly years in the city in the last 40 years,” reports NBC5.com.
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Tags: Chicago, Constitution, Government, Martial Law, Military, National Guard, Rod Blagojevich, U.S.
Apr 29
FEMA announced recently that they will be conducting a national disaster exercise called National Level Exercise 2-08 (NLE 2-08) from May 1st through May 8th. The purpose of this exercise is to prepare and respond to multiple incidents including natural disasters and terrorist incidents. Specifically the exercise involves a Category 4 hurricane impacting the Mid Atlantic Coast and the National Capitol Region as well as multiple terrorist attacks in Washington State, an accidental chemical agent release in Oregon and assorted aerospace events in North American airspace. Considering that the U.S. government conducted drills and exercises like Operation Northern Vigilance, Tripod II, among others to serve as cover for the government sponsored false flag terror attacks of 9/11, we need to pay close attention to these government sponsored drills and exercises. A similar scenario also occurred during the 7/7 terror attacks in London. On that day, drills depicting events mirroring the actual terror attacks were run at the exact same time the bombings took place. The odds of these being two completely random events is so incredibly unlikely that it boggles the mind. NLE 2-08 is a wide ranging exercise that will include not only FEMA but the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Transportation Command, the National Guard, USNORTHCOM, NORAD and Canada Command. Much like TOPOFF-4/Vigilant Shield 08 a martial law exercise that took place last year involving many of the same government institutions, we definitely need to keep track of NLE 2-08.
Below is taken from FEMA’s press release on this upcoming drill. Continue reading »
Tags: Al-Qaeda, Canada Command, CIA, FEMA, Homeland Security, Iran, Martial Law, National Guard, NORAD, Terrorism, Terrorist Attack, Terrorists, U.S., U.S. Transportation Command, USNORTHCOM
