Making ourselves comfortable
October 25, 2010 11:02 AM   Subscribe

The documents reveal plans for large-scale, expensive Afghan base expansions of every sort and a military that is expecting to pursue its building boom without letup well into the future. These facts-on-the-ground indicate that, whatever timelines for phased withdrawal may be issued in Washington, the U.S. military is focused on building up, not drawing down, in Afghanistan.
posted by Joe Beese (14 comments total)

This post was deleted for the following reason: we've politely said "give it a rest" vis a vis this topic and you, this is not really giving it a rest, additionally, it's sort of a single link news article on the same old topic. -- jessamyn



 
yet another startling revelation from the case-files of the famed investigator: No-Shit Sherlock.
posted by ennui.bz at 11:09 AM on October 25, 2010


So much investment in a country with such an uncertain future. Afghanistan could easily wind up with a coalition government in which the Taliban participates, which won't even be friendly to the US. Seems like a classic case of "throwing money at the problem".
posted by grizzled at 11:15 AM on October 25, 2010


> Many sound fake-tough, like Ramrod, Lightning, Cobra, and Wolverine.

I think it's cute that they let the soldiers' kids choose the names of the bases.
posted by The Card Cheat at 11:18 AM on October 25, 2010 [2 favorites]


So… When'd we leave Germany?
posted by klangklangston at 11:31 AM on October 25, 2010 [2 favorites]


The US fell victim to one of the classic blunders - The most famous of which is "never get involved in a land war in Asia" - but only slightly less well-known is this: "the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex."
posted by carsonb at 11:32 AM on October 25, 2010


HA-HA! HA-HA!

*falls over dead*
posted by carsonb at 11:34 AM on October 25, 2010


I think it's cute that they let the soldiers' kids choose the names of the bases.

Lets name them after GI JOES and X-Men-

Beast
Storm
Gung-Ho
Duke
Cyclops
Metal-Head
Tunnel Rat
Tripwire
Slash
Short-Fuse
Snake Eyes
Wreckage
posted by T.D. Strange at 11:44 AM on October 25, 2010 [1 favorite]



So… When'd we leave Germany?


East or West?
posted by spicynuts at 11:46 AM on October 25, 2010


Or Japan. Or Korea. I mean, hell, we're still in the Phillipines and Cuba and that was a century ago.
posted by empath at 12:02 PM on October 25, 2010


Probably has more to do with DoD procurement personnel lining their golden parachutes than any long range plans the U.S. has for empire building. Also, some of these contracts have been quite some time in the making. You can bet the contractors are doing their damndest to get as much done and billed before the spigot gets shut off.

Don't be surprised if we either:
a) build a bunch of stuff, then abandon it, or
b) build a bunch of stuff, then quietly continue to operate it under a "non-combat" status, so the administration can say we have curtailed or stopped our combat operations in Afghanistan.

The same way we have done in Iraq.
posted by Xoebe at 12:03 PM on October 25, 2010


Which isn't to suggest that I think we should still be in any of these places. I think we should get the fuck out of all of them. We can't afford it any more.
posted by empath at 12:04 PM on October 25, 2010


Global superpower plans to maintain constant military presence in geopolitically strategic regions. Full story at 11.
posted by auto-correct at 12:14 PM on October 25, 2010


This is especially interesting contextualized with Karzai's decree that no longer allows for private contractors and what seems to be the draw-down of US-funded development projects (as well as Secretary Clinton's thoughts on the 3Ds - diplomacy, development, and defense).
posted by quadrilaterals at 12:19 PM on October 25, 2010 [1 favorite]


American Warscapes
posted by homunculus at 12:24 PM on October 25, 2010 [2 favorites]


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