From: mccoy@io.com (Jim McCoy)
Date: Wed, 11 Jan 95 01:11:56 PST
To: lmccarth@ducie.cs.umass.edu (L. McCarthy)
Subject: Re: Storm Signals
In-Reply-To: <199501110842.DAA07468@bb.hks.net>
Message-ID: <199501110911.DAA05932@pentagon.io.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


L. McCarthy writes:
> Sam Kaplin writes:
> > Todd Masco writes:
> > > 	1: Somebody's roommate (a Green Beret) has been called back into
> > > 		6 months of active service.  He was not told where he'd be.
> > Perhaps Bosnia?
> 
> I doubt it. [...]
> 
> Frankly, I'm quite puzzled by these signs. I can't think of any country that
> seems due for a quick invasion by the USG, but the increase in granularity of
> the GPS information suggests an operation of greater magnitude than just a
> strike against terrorists, drug cartels etc.

Military action also requires political will, and with the recent change
in power in the US govt there is no way anything is going to happen for at
least six months.  Freshmen congressmen do not sign off on a war the first
month they get into Washington unless the populace is frothing at the mouth
to kill someone, and that isn't happening.  Clinton does not have the
political pull to get anything related to military action through Congress
at this time, and he can't afford to challenge a legislature he no longer
controls so any call to arms is probably not coming from the Executive
branch.  I also doubt he would be stupid enough to try a "Commander in
Chief" action and hope that the Republicans would forget who scores the
popularity points in such an activity and back him up, the legislature
would crucify him with the electorate for trying move like this.

OTOH, Green Berets are not the kind of troops used for "strike" actions.
Thier primary specialty is low-intensity conflict and working with
indigenous armies.  Given the current geopolitical situation it seems that
Bosnia is the only conflict that the US population cares about at all that
would call for the use of Green Berets.  Then again, maybe the military is
just trying to increase its readiness in the hopes that a Republican
legislature will let them use thier toys again...

jim