The Presidential report on the intelligence failure during the buildup to the war in Iraq is out.  It appears to be very critical of the entire intelligence community.  While I haven’t yet read the entire report I have looked at the summary.  I am hopeful that the conclusions of this report and the publicity it gets will mobilize the administration and the public to demand a robust intelligence capability.  

The commission concluded the intelligence while not distorting the facts was “dead wrong”.  Dead wrong folks.  That’s unacceptable.  It’s impossible to conduct a positive foreign policy if your information of threats is not correct.  But why was it so wrong.  The report says. 

“In the end, those agencies collected precious little intelligence for the analysts to analyze, and much of what they did collect was either worthless or misleading.”  

“The Intelligence Community is a closed world, and many insiders admitted to us that is has an almost perfect record of resisting external recommendations.” 

“The Community’s Iraq assessment was crippled by its inability to collect meaningful intelligence on Iraq’s nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons programs…..analysts and collectors fell back on old assumptions and inferences drawn from Iraq’s past behavior and intentions.” 

During the case studies it was learned that our Intelligence agencies didn’t have good target development.  Using traditional techniques the Intelligence community was unable to penetrate the threats of today.  The analysis procedures were found flawed and the report found that many finished products were “loosely reasoned, Ill-supported, and poorly communicated”.  

The report hit on something I’ve wondered about for years after watching Army intelligence at work, the analyst rely too much on classified material for their product and tend to overlook much of the open source information that is out there.  This is where you find the information on the culture and political trends of the threat areas. 

In my area of work we have very little faith in the entire Intelligence field.  While deployed I read so many Intelligence summaries that were nearly useless to us at a team level and some didn’t appear accurate in their conclusions.  Now this was not at the Strategic level but the lower tactical level.  Still the same issues seem to be in both places. 

Some of the reports recommendations are:

Strong leadership to manage the Intelligence Community

Organize around missions

Establish a National Counter Proliferation Center

Build a modern workforce

Create mechanism for oversight from inside or out

Create a new Intelligence Community process for managing collection as an integrated enterprise.

Create a new human Intelligence directorate

Develop innovative human intelligence techniques

Reconsider MASINT ( Measurements and signatures Intelligence)

And much more…… 

I’ll let those that take the time to read this document to determine if the recommendations are valid.  I find them somewhat bureaucratic.  

We must have faith in our intelligence community and we must give then the ability to do the job.  This can only be achieved if the Intelligence community is willing to change to fit the needs of the modern Intelligence environment.   Intelligence must be product/target based.  Conclusion must come after the fact and not before.  We must also be willing to rid the Intelligence community of “Elite” thinkers and get “boots on the ground” Intelligence people in the field and behind the desk. 

Anyway that’s my initial thoughts all subject to change at anytime for any reason….

Most movie bios are pretty lame.  I can’t name five movies about music legends that are any good but last night I finally saw Ray.  I think the hype that went with this movie was justified.  It was a damn good movie.  It was a good movie on its own not just that is was about a great musician.  

I grew up liking Ray Charles’s music, but what I realized while watching this film was how much good music he put out.  It was amazing.  I just don’t understand how it is that before this movie I could maybe name three Ray Charles songs yet every song in the film is a classic.  

I also didn’t know of the extent of his drug use.  A damn shame even though he freed himself from it.   

Well anyway it’s worth renting but be prepared its pretty long.  I like that since I think a good story just can’t be told in 90 minutes.

This guy from Tulsa Oklahoma has created the invention of the century.  It’s a device that filters out Fox News Channel.  Now this is really important. Sam Kimery believes Fox News is not news at all and wants to send a message to advertisers.  But I’m confused, since most modern televisions come with and on/off switch and on most you can program the channels and delete the ones you don’t want is he saying people that don’t want to watch Fox News Channel are to stupid to turn of the set or change the channel?  Humm He might have a point. 

:lol:  Just kidding folks..

I was watching one of the network news programs tonight and realized ( not just now) that the network news is really terrible.  I don’t mean the bias or the cheesy anchors but the content.  There are newsworthy items happening all over the world yet the networks and cable for that matter focus on a few stories that generally don’t mean much to me.  I can’t get a good feel for any particular issue watching the news these days.  I am forced to seek information though other outlets. 

As often as I criticize European news they do seem to have more stories that give a broader picture.  Yes most are somewhat biased but the truth can sneak through if you tell the story.  It cannot if the story never makes the show.

How many stories were related tonight on the networks?  Well I didn’t count, but it wasn’t very many.  It felt like maybe five.  I know there is a hell of a lot more going on in this country and the world than that.

I suppose it’s why I like blogs.  I get lots of information from everywhere that way.  Yeah you still must check them out.

I find the Terri Schiavo story pretty irritating.  I know that in this post I will seem pretty heartless, but I’m not really one to play it too safe.  The question seems to be who has the right to decide on removing artificial mechanisms to maintain the life of a seriously ill or persons in a vegetative state?  At what point should the plug be pulled?  There are so many groups involved in this case that have only their agendas at heart.  Their need to push their point of view seems to outweigh the needs of the patient and family.  Why would congress step in at this point?

Some say that we must value human life and to let someone die for any reason is immoral.  This argument is fine if one is a pacifist in all matters.  But everyday in places like Iraq we make those decisions for people whose minds are intact.  Well at least they are not comatose.  I can’t accept the idea that we cannot make decisions about life and death when the normal means are exhausted to bring individuals back to a livable state.  That fact is, to those making the decision it’s usually pretty hard to do.  But do we condemn those living to suffer for an undetermined time to satisfy some self righteous group pushing their morals and values on the rest of us?

In Terri’s case I have no doubt her Mother and Father want her to live.  I believe they are terrified to lose their daughter.  But others who don’t know Terri don’t have such things on their minds.

Michael Schiavo has been called a murderer and being interested in his new life above Terri.  This is ridicules.  Do complete strangers or even Terri’s family know the heart of her husband?  Think about this for a minute.  How would you feel if your spouse was put through this kind of attention while you could do nothing?

Some have stated that there are doctors that will testify that Terri is not brain dead and came be helped.  But after this long and knowing that in many court cases doctors can be found to support nearly every position I have little faith in this proof alone that Terri should live.  The courts have for once ruled on the bases of the law.  That is the right thing to do.  There is a time to let go.  That’s reality.

I do have trouble with the starvation method of letting Terri go but life isn’t always simple or easy.  There is one thing to be learned from this however, make your wishes known.  Wright down exactly what you want.  It may save your family from a lot of grief. 

Note: my views here are probably contrary to most of the news sites and blogs I read.  But then I don't recieve talking points or let political or religious parties decide my opinion. 

Sometimes good news just rolls in.  Police stormed a jail in the Philippines where members of Abu Sayyaf had staged a botched escape attempt. At least 22 inmates were killed.  "The terrorists got what was coming to them," Ignacio Bunye, press secretary for President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, said in a statement. "The crisis team gave them all the chances to peacefully surrender."

Abu Sayyaf has been linked to Al Qaeda but with the death of its former leader has not been very successful of late.  In fact has turned more to banditry and hostage for ransom than anything else. 

The news of dead terrorist is always welcome.

Having spent some time in Afghanistan I find this blog pretty interesting.  Lots of good things coming from there.

Afghan Warrior

I want to talk for a few minutes tonight about military pay.  While I think the military should be well paid with the best benefits of all government service I must say the pay isn’t nearly as bad as some would have you believe.  In fact the pay is really pretty good.  I’ll give some examples of course.  Let’s take a young stud at 18 years old.  He’s completed high school but that’s about it.  Where will be begin working and what will he make?  Lets say he’s a little better than a burger joint, not that a burger joint is bad, it’s not but say he’s not really a fast food type.  He goes and applies at a home improvement store and begins at roughly 6.50 and hour.  That’s a whopping $260 dollars a week or $1040 a month. 

Now let’s take the same 18 year old and enlist him in the army.  He begins at 1,142.70.  That is already more in just dollars.  But let’s take into account the first six months he will be in training and won’t pay for housing or food. Not bad for a start.  After 4 months his pay will automatically go up to 1,235.10.  Now let’s say this young fella gets married.  Will his home improvement pay go up?  Nope.  But in the military he will get an additional 267.18 for BAS (Basic allowance for sustenance) He will also receive BAH (Basic Allowance for Housing) this will be based on where he lives.  In Colorado Springs that would be an additional $855 per month.  Now that adds up to 2357.29.  Humm a bit better than the local Stock boy. 

Now fast forward to an E-7, SFC.  Let’s say he’s been in 15 years.  His base pay is 3,249.60 now add the BAS assuming he’s married and we have 3516.78.  Oh and his BAH is now $1139.  That a total of 4655.78 per month.  Not too bad but consider this.  He is not paying for health insurance.  That can be a considerable amount. 

Just for fun lets say he decided to go into Special Forces.  A motivated young troop would of course.  He will get hazardous duty pay (jump) $150 and Special Duty pay (SDAP) $375.  Now we are talking about 5180.78 per month.  He may even get language pay but we won’t add that.  That comes to about 62169.36 a year.  But again one must take into account he is taxed on Base pay and a few other items but not his entire check.  So his take home pay is a little more than Joe civilian making the same amount.  This is still with no college although many senior NCO’s I know have a minimum of a Bachelors and some a Masters Degree. 

This young man stays in until retirement.  That would be 38 years old at 20 years of service.  Still young enough to begin another career and all the while receiving a nice pay check for the rest of his life.  How much will that check be?  Well that’s tougher one as I’ve seen the percentage drop but I believe it’s currently at 40% of base pay.  Still not bad. 

Oh did I mention retirement benefits.  Health insurance.  No it’s not as good as it once was but still a deal.  Commissary privileges, this can be a pretty good savings on groceries.  The Montgomery GI Bill, This can save you thousands pursuing that degree. Veterans Group life insurance. Space A travel that can really save you a lot if you learn how to use it.  Disability programs, I seen guys get a hell of a lot more than they deserve from this one and yet I’ve heard of horror stories here also.  These are a few of the biggies.  Not a reason to join but not bad either. 

So what would be better for our young 18 year old?  I don’t know.  That really depends on a lot more than pay and benefits.  Will he make more or less in 20 years and how will his IRA do?  I don’t know.  But I would bet he will change jobs many times starting from scratch.  He may become the CEO of a Billion dollar company or he may change tires for a living and call a single wide trailer home (not that single wide trailers are bad).  It’s just hard to say.

My only real point to this is to show that while many will complain the pay really isn’t bad and if you play your cards right you can live a pretty good life on military pay these days. 

Of course there is that little issue of going to war when called.  Damn always a catch isn’t there? 

Saturday was a CH-47 jump.  We only had 29 jumpers and made multiple passes to get all the JM’s (Jumpmaster) a chance to have fun.  I was the DZSO and a jumping JM for a pass.  The weather couldn’t have been better.  We had 0-3 knot winds and a sunny sky.  By the last pass the temperature was in the mid 50’s. 

I hope to have actual pics of the jump up by the end of this week.  Video if we can get it converted to something I can post. Till then here is a CH-47 pic to look at.

The Draft has once again reared its head.  This as usual comes from those wishing to scare our draft age men and women.  I won’t get into the reasons much in this post but rather what I think of a draft.

First off I think a draft is a bad idea.  Some have said that if what we are doing around the world is really important than everyone should share the burden and that with a draft we would be asking the country to truly sacrifice.  This is the lefts idea to scare the hell out of college kids not meet the needs of the military.

The current all volunteer military has proven in battle to be the most effective military we have ever had.  This is a direct result of a volunteer military that has motivated members and leaders that don’t deal nearly as much with problem children that were produced by draft-time militaries ( no, not all draftees were bad, many were very good).  The resulting time and paperwork spent on individuals drafted that don’t want to serve would be one hell of a drain on the active force, a drain we can’t afford. 

I must admit there was a time I thought a draft might be a good idea.  The reason for a draft being if every economic and political class had sons and daughters as part of any fight they might think a little harder about sending troops into harms way.  But this line of thought really doesn’t work.  I have no doubts there would be a loop hole that would continue to allow Congress to defer their children and we would still not have an honest representation in the military. 

The most direct result of a draft would be on the current troops.  The majority of those I work with and speak to hate the idea of a draft.  The last thing they want is someone next to them that isn’t motivated and wants to be there.  We have a professional military now and they don’t want that destroyed.