Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Jade Helm 15: Controversial military exercise starts Wednesday



Jade Helm 15: Controversial military exercise starts Wednesday
By Kyle Jahner, Staff writer 1:47 p.m. EDT July 15, 2015
ArmyTimes
Starting Wednesday, U.S. Army Special Operations Command will take point on a large-scale training exercise in Texas — or if you believe some fringe outlets, they'll take point on the Pentagon's preparation for civil war.

Jade Helm 15, as the exercise is called, will run through Sept. 15 and will involve unconventional warfare involving Army special operators, as well as representatives from the other services.

It will focus on enhancing team-level elements' abilities to operate in unconventional warfare well-removed from company- and battalion-level organization, said USASOC spokesman Lt. Col. Mark Lastoria.

The months leading up to Jade Helm were peppered with various conspiracy theories on fringe websites. The outrage even led to town hall meetings in Texas communities with Army representatives.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott responded by publicly assigning the Texas State Guard to keep an eye on Jade Helm. Abbott's office later downplayed the move, saying it fit in with the guard's advisory role in the state. Abbott also reaffirmed the state's history of support for the military — a reason the Army cited for choosing the state to conduct the exercise. The training will occur in six other states: Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi.

USASOC will supply the vast majority of the roughly 1,200 personnel in the joint exercise, according to Lastoria. Limited special operations forces units from the Navy, Marines and Air Force will also participate.

On the eve of Jade Helm, Lastori dismissed the conspiracies and suggested opposition to the exercises
has waned.

"This overall training exercise is designed to ensure that Army special operations forces are trained, equipped and organized to meet future threats," Lastoria told Army Times. "Even a lot of the journalists in Texas have said a lot of the controversy has died down."
Jade Helm 15 kicks off on July 15. (Photo: Staff Sgt. Osvaldo Equite/SOCOM)

About four to five members of the Texas State Guard will act as a liaison for citizens and coordinate with the Army from Camp Mabry, headquarters of Texas Military Forces, according to the governor's office. A spokesman said the state should have no reason to worry or distrust the military, and said most communications between the Texas State Guard and constituents have dealt with simple logistics.

Lastoria said the biggest inconvenience to residents will be noise from military vehicles passing through. Most activities will occur in remote settings, and any use of private land has been coordinated and agreed to in advance, he said.

Outside events have been tied to the conspiracy. Temporarily-closed Walmarts were seen as concentration camps being prepared in the minds of some, while Blue Bell ice cream trucks allegedly traveling near military vehicles were theorized as mobile morgues.

Journalists are not permitted to embed in the operation. Lastoria cited "the scope and scale and complex nature of the training exercise," which he said was not uncommon among training exercises.
Jade Helm ends in September. (Photo: DoD)

"We look at all request for media visibility, and grant when and where possible. In this case it just wasn't possible," Lastoria said. "We have to take a balance of communication with the public and preserving operation security as well."

The training will take place, according to USASOC, in the following locations:

• Arizona: National Guard Training Centers and at an Army Reserve Center

• Florida: Eglin Air Force Base

• Louisiana: Camp Beauregard

• Mississippi: Camp Shelby, Naval Research Laboratory – Stennis Space Center, and U.S. Navy Seabee Base at Gulfport/Biloxi

• New Mexico: Cannon Air Force Base, and tentatively in Otero County

• Texas: Camps Bullis and Swift, and in Bastrop, Burleson, Brazos, Edwards, Howard, Hudspeth, Kimble, Martin, Marion, Real, Schleicher and Tom Green Counties

• Utah: Carbon and Emery Counties

U.S. Army Special Operations Command
U.S. Special Operations Command is a division of the U.S. Department of Defense.

Note: U.S. Department of Defense oversees the U.S. Army, the U.S. Navy, and the U.S. Air Force.
Chuck Hagel is the secretary at the U.S. Department of Defense for the Barack Obama administration, was a sergeant in the U.S. Army, and a chairman for the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank).
Open Society Foundations was a funder for the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank).
George Soros is the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations. 
Daniel W. Christman was a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank), and a lieutenant general in the U.S. Army.
Wesley K. Clark is a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank), and was a general in the U.S. Army.
George A. Joulwan is a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank), and was a general in the U.S. Army.
Barry R. McCaffrey was a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank), and a general in the U.S. Army.
Robert W. RisCassi was a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank), and a general in the U.S. Army.
Carl E. Vuono is a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank), and was a general in the U.S. Army.
Eric K. Shinseki was a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank), a general in the U.S. Army, and the secretary at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for the Barack Obama administration.
Togo D. West Jr. is a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank), the secretary for the U.S. Army, the secretary at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and the general counsel for the U.S. Department of Defense.
U.S. Department of Defense oversees the U.S. Army, the U.S. Navy, and the U.S. Air Force.
Herbert M. Allison Jr. was a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank), and an officer in the U.S. Navy.
Edmund P. Giambastiani Jr. is a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank), and was an admiral in the U.S. Navy.
Charles R. Larson was a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank), and an admiral in the U.S. Navy.
Norman W. Ray was a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank), and a vice admiral in the U.S. Navy.
James G. Stavridis is a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank), and was an admiral in the U.S. Navy.
R. James Woolsey is a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank), and was the undersecretary for the U.S. Navy.
U.S. Department of Defense oversees the U.S. Army, the U.S. Navy, and the U.S. Air Force.
Charles F. Wald is a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank), and was a general in the U.S. Air Force.
Joseph W. Ralston is a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank), and was a general in the U.S. Air Force.
Richard L. Lawson is a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank), and was a general in the U.S. Air Force.
Michael V. Hayden is a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank), and was a general in the U.S. Air Force.
John A. Gordon is a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank), and was a general in the U.S. Air Force.
Michael P.C. Carns was a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank), and a general in the U.S. Air Force.
Miranda A.A. Ballentine is the assistant secretary for the U.S. Air Force, and was a director of sustainability for the Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
Hillary Rodham Clinton was a director at the Wal-Mart Stores Inc, and a director at the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation.
Open Society Foundations was a funder for the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation, the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank), and the Center for American Progress.
George Soros is the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations, was a supporter for the Center for American Progress, and the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.    
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Center for American Progress, and the Aspen Institute (think tank).
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. was a funder for the Center for American Progress.
Esther M. Olavarria was a director of immigration policy for the Center for American Progress, and is a deputy assistant secretary for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is a division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Clark Kent Ervin was the inspector general for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, a deputy attorney general for the Texas state government, and is the commissioner for the Commission on Wartime Contracting.  
Jose H. Villarreal is a director at the Center for American Progress, and was a director at the Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
Stephen Friedman was a director at the Wal-Mart Stores Inc, an advisory board member for the Center for a New American Security, and is a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank).
Center for a New American Security was a contributor for the U.S. Army, the U.S. Navy, and the U.S. Air Force.
Madeleine K. Albright was a director at the Center for a New American Security, is a professor at Georgetown University, an honorary director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank), and a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank).
Chuck Hagel was a professor at Georgetown University, the chairman for the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank), a sergeant in the U.S. Army, and is the secretary at the U.S. Department of Defense for the Barack Obama administration.
U.S. Department of Defense oversees the U.S. Army, the U.S. Navy, and the U.S. Air Force.
U.S. Special Operations Command is a division of the U.S. Department of Defense.
Miranda A.A. Ballentine is the assistant secretary for the U.S. Air Force, and was a director of sustainability for the Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
Dov S. Zakheim was a undersecretary for the U.S. Department of Defense, is a commissioner for the Commission on Wartime Contracting, and a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank).
Clark Kent Ervin is the commissioner for the Commission on Wartime Contracting, a deputy attorney general for the Texas state government, and the inspector general for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is a division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

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