Combat Camera Video: Operation Eastern Resolve, Now Zad, Afghanistan; Part 6 of 7

News readers click here to watch the video.

Dispatches from the Front:

WASHINGTON, May 7, 2009 -- Embedded above is a b-roll video of U.S. Marines of Company L, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines (Reinforced) conducting Operation Eastern Resolve from Forward Operating Base Now Zad, Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Scenes include explosives being detonated and a Marine watching through binoculars. Part 6 of 7. (Video by Lance Cpl. Paul Miller; Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force - Afghanistan. Length: 5:34.)

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Wire: CIA Documents Show Pelosi Was Briefed on Use of Enhanced Interrogations

Off the Wire:

WASHINGTON, May 7, 2009 -- Newswires have reported that Intelligence officials released documents this evening saying that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was briefed in September 2002 about the use of harsh interrogation tactics against al-Qaeda prisoners, seemingly contradicting her repeated statements over the past 18 months that she was never told that these techniques were actually being used.

The Washington Post reported that in a 10-page memo outlining an almost seven-year history of classified briefings, intelligence officials said that Pelosi and then-Rep. Porter Goss (R-Fla.) were the first two members of Congress ever briefed on the interrogation tactics.

Then the ranking member and chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, respectively, Pelosi and Goss were briefed Sept. 4, 2002, one week before the first anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

The Washington Post also noted the following details:

In a 10-page memo outlining an almost seven-year history of classified briefings, intelligence officials said that Pelosi and then-Rep. Porter Goss (R-Fla.) were the first two members of Congress ever briefed on the interrogation tactics. Then the ranking member and chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, respectively, Pelosi and Goss were briefed Sept. 4, 2002, one week before the first anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

The memo, issued by the Director of National Intelligence and the Central Intelligence Agency to Capitol Hill, notes the Pelosi-Goss briefing covered "EITs including the use of EITs on Abu Zubaydah." EIT is an acronym for enhanced interrogation technique. Zubaydah was one of the earliest valuable al-Qaeda members captured and the first to have the controversial tactic known as water boarding used against him.

Pelosi's office said today that she had never been briefed about the use of waterboarding, only that it had been approved by Bush administration lawyers as a legal technique to use in interrogations the Washington Post said.

Pelosi's statement did not address whether she was informed that other harsh techniques were already in use during the Zubaydah interrogations.

(Report from newswire sources.)

Source: CIA Says Pelosi Was Briefed on Use of 'Enhanced Interrogations'

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Pentagon Discuses Creation of 20,000 Acquisition Jobs

News in Balance:

WASHINGTON, May 7, 2009 -- Defense Department officials want to increase acquisition jobs by 20,000 over the next five years, Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III told Congress yesterday.

Speaking to the House Armed Services Committee, Lynn cited a “lack of critical skills” as a major consideration while the department reforms its process for purchasing weapons and defense systems.

“These new positions will ensure that [the Defense Department] knows what it is buying and gets what it pays for,” he said.

The Defense Department budget, expected to be submitted to Capitol Hill today, includes funding to increase acquisition personnel by 20,000 positions over the fiscal years 2010 to 2015, Lynn said.

The breakdown includes roughly 9,000 jobs at the Defense Contract Audit Agency and the Defense Contract Management Agency, the Pentagon components responsible for estimating contracting costs and contract oversight.

The remaining 11,000 new hires will be created when roles currently carried out by contractors -- jobs in systems engineering, program and business management, and logistics -- are converted to federal positions.

“One of the critical reasons for some of our shortcomings in the acquisition process is the lack of critical skills in the acquisition work force,” Lynn said. “Over the last 10 years, defense contract obligations have nearly tripled, while our acquisition work force has fallen by more than 10 percent.

“In the absence of these personnel, we have outsourced too many functions that should be performed inside the department,” he added.

Lynn acknowledged the challenge in attempting to enhance a system as complex as defense purchasing, noting that nearly 130 studies of acquisition reform have been completed since World War II.

“Many very smart people have tried and have met with only limited success,” he said. “In this regard, we need to keep in mind the importance of not making the system worse in our efforts to achieve reform.”

Describing other areas in need of improvement, Lynn stressed a need for clearer, more realistic contract requirements and cost estimates, and the importance of shortening the development cycle.

(Report by John J. Kruzel, American Forces Press Service.)

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Pentagon Discuses Fiscal 2010 Budget Proposal

News in Balance:

WASHINGTON, May 7, 2009 -- The Pentagon’s chief financial officer today described the Defense Department’s fiscal 2010 funding request as a “reform budget.”

Comptroller Robert F. Hale and Navy Vice Adm. P. Stephen Stanley, the Joint Staff’s budget expert, unveiled a defense budget request that supports Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates’ recommendations.

“If approved, I think it will change the way we manage the Department of Defense,” Hale said during a Pentagon briefing.

The budget includes $533.8 billion in the base budget and $130 billion to support overseas contingency operations, primarily in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The budget, 4 percent more than that for fiscal 2009, is 4.3 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product.

The proposed 2010 base budget represents an increase of $20.5 billion over the $513.3 billion enacted for fiscal 2009. The 4 percent increase represents 2.1 percent real growth after adjusting for inflation, Hale said.

The budget is firmly rooted in taking care of the department’s most precious resource – its people. “This is the highest priority for our nation,” Stanley said. “It’s strongly supported by all the service chiefs -- clear recognition that the strength of our nation is based on the ability of our people to go forward and defend our way of life.”

The $663.8 billion request proposes a 2.9 percent pay raise for servicemembers and a 2 percent raise for Defense Department civilians. There will be more servicemembers, too. The budget fully funds the increase in Army and Marine end strength and halts decreases in the Navy and Air Force.

The request also takes care of military families. It fully funds the military medical accounts with $47 billion, and provides $11 billion to fund military housing and support programs for single and married servicemembers.

The budget also provides $3.3 billion for care for wounded, ill and injured servicemembers and their families. If approved, this money would go toward creating an expedited disability evaluation system, 12 more Wounded Warrior facilities and help for servicemembers with post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries.

Gates wants to reshape the force, and this budget begins the process. The aim is to build a military to fight the wars America is most likely to fight – irregular and unconventional. Gates has said the nation needs a balance of forces, and the Defense Department must modernize with this balance in mind.

The proposed budget includes additions to help to build partnership capability and train and equip allies. The budget request seeks to add 2,400 special operations forces who are key to irregular and unconventional war.

Helicopter aviation is a premium in the wars today, and the budget calls for training 150 more crews starting in fiscal 2010. The budget calls for buying littoral combat ships and a joint high-speed vessel that will serve well in irregular warfare.

“And we've stopped the growth of Army brigade combat teams at 45, rather than going to 48,” Hale said, “to fully man these units within a given end strength, so that they're ready at a moment's notice to fight.”

Modernizing conventional capabilities is also important. The budget ends the F-22 fighter jet program at 187 aircraft. “We believe that is enough of these high-capability aircraft to meet the high-end threats,” Hale said. The budget also ends the C-17 airlifter program at 205, which, with the C-5 Galaxy aircraft, provides enough lift for the force, officials said.

The department will beef up cyber-defense capabilities and increase intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities. “We’ll make a variety of increases; for example, in our unmanned aerial vehicle programs,” Hale said.

The comptroller said he hopes the pending Air Force aerial refueling tanker purchase will remain on pace for contract award by spring 2010.

The Army’s Future Combat System will be restructured, with its technological spin-offs in network-centric warfare going to all units, but the vehicle portion being terminated, Hale said. “The Army will relook at that program and start it again at some point, with that thought in mind and taking into account the more than $25 billion we’ve spent buying mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles,” he said.

The budget gets away from asking for emergency supplemental funding for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. “We’re asking for $130 billion to fund wartime activities in fiscal year 2010 [in the base budget],” Hale said. Eighty percent of it or so is for operations – added tank miles, paying mobilized reserves and so on.

“This request is where you’re going to first see the swing of not only dollars or resources, but [also] combat capability, from the Iraq theater into the Afghan theater,” Stanley said. “Actually, you’ll see in this request that the money requested here, about $65 billion for Afghanistan, actually exceeds the $61 billion that we're requesting for Iraq.”

Supporting troops in the field is the backbone of the budget request. Building an all-terrain vehicle version of the mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle for operations in Afghanistan is part of the $130 billion war-funding portion of the request.

Another $7.5 billion is slotted to train added Afghan soldiers and police. The overseas contingency operations fund also has $1.5 billion for the Commanders’ Emergency Response Program, and $700 million for the Pakistani Counterinsurgency Capabilities Fund.

The budget calls for reducing the percentage of contractors working in the department from 39 percent today to 26 percent, Hale said. The budget also funds more manpower positions for contracting officials.

Overall, the budget request breaks out the $136 billion for military personnel, $185 billion for operations and maintenance accounts, $107.4 billion for procurement, $78.6 billion for research and development, $21 billion for military construction and $2 billion for family housing.

The Army would receive $142.1 billion, the Navy $156.4 billion, and the Air Force $144.5 billion.
(Report by Jim Garamone, American Forces Press Service.)

Related:
Overview
Summary
http://www.budget.mil/

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OEF Summary, May 7, 2009: Troops in Afghanistan Capture Insurgent Financier

Dispatches from the Front:

KABUL, Afghanistan, May 7, 2009 -- In a combined operation, Afghan national security forces and International Security Assistance Force troops captured an insurgent financier, on May 6 in Kabul.

The financier, a well known insurgent, was wanted for providing funds for purchasing Improvised Explosive Devices components. IEDs kill and injure Afghans and security forces personnel, and placing such devices undermines the safety and security of all people in Afghanistan.

During the ANSF-led operation, local security forces and ISAF troops raided a compound in Kabul and arrested the insurgent without resistance.

This arrest successfully used minimal force to remove an insurgent posing a threat to all Afghans and security forces personnel.

"This operation demonstrates the resolve of the ANSF and ISAF to remove insurgents supporting the production of IEDs," said Brig. Gen. Richard Blanchette, ISAF spokesperson. "Once again, this operation shows the professionalism of ANSF soldiers dedicated to the security of Afghanistan."

(Report from an International Security Assistance Force HQ news release.)

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Wire: Holder Says Obama Administration Won't Free Terrorists

Off the Wire:

Attorney General punts when asked if Obama administration has authority to release terrorists into U.S.

WASHINGTON, May 7, 2009 -- Newswires reported this afternoon that the Obama administration will not release Guantanamo detainees the administration believes are terrorists into the United States, Attorney General Eric Holder told Congress Thursday.

"We don't have any plans to release terrorists," Holder testified at a Senate hearing on the administration's budget for the Justice Department, the Associated Press reported.

But Holder also said some of the detainees at the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, facility will be let go as the Obama administration believes some held there are not terrorists.

The wire report did not specify the criteria the Obama administration used for deciding who is and who is not considered a terrorist.

Lawmakers critical of Obama's plan claim Guantanamo detainees cannot legally be brought to the United States because federal law bars entry to anyone who has received terrorist training.

AP reported that Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., pressed Holder to say whether he believed he had the authority to release someone with terrorist training into the United States. The attorney general did not directly answer Shelby's question.

There are currently 241 detainees held at the detention center at the U.S. military base in Cuba.

(Report from newswire sources.)

Source: Holder: Administration won't free terrorists

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OIF Summary, May 7, 2009: Troops in Iraq Nab Suspects, Find Weapons

Dispatches from the Front:

WASHINGTON, May 7, 2009 -- Coalition and Iraqi forces swept up weapons and insurgents during three days of operations in Iraq this week, military officials said.

During operations May 5 in southern Iraq’s Maysan province, Iraqi forces found a weapons cache containing more than 300 munitions and various military equipment. Troops discovered the contraband inside a house in the city of Amarah.

The Iraqi security units are partnered with the 1st Cavalry Division’s 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, in Maysan in efforts to rid the region of illegal weapons and criminal activity.

In the Mansour and Abu Ghraib districts of northwestern Baghdad on May 4, coalition and Iraqi forces detained two suspects. Troops suspect one of the men of planning attacks against coalition and Iraqi forces as a member of al-Qaida in Iraq. The other is suspected of training and equipping insurgent operations involving grenades. The suspects have been turned over to Iraqi authorities for further questioning, military officials said.

During a joint operation in the Mansour district May 3, coalition and Iraqi forces discovered an RKG-3 armor-piercing grenade while conducting a reconnaissance mission in the area. An explosive ordinance disposal team called to the site disposed of the weapon.

(Compiled from Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)

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Pentagon Releases Fiscal 2010 Budget Proposal

News in Balance:

WASHINGTON, May 7, 2009 -- The following news release made available Thursday by the U.S. Department of Defense is the text of a statement regarding the proposed 2010 U.S.Defense Department budget:

President Barack Obama today sent to Congress a proposed defense budget of $663.8 billion for fiscal 2010. The budget request for the Department of Defense (DoD) includes $533.8 billion in discretionary budget authority to fund base defense programs and $130 billion to support overseas contingency operations, primarily in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The proposed DoD base budget represents an increase of $20.5 billion over the $513.3 billion enacted for fiscal 2009. This is an increase of 4 percent, or 2.1 percent real growth after adjusting for inflation.

The fiscal 2010 budget proposal will end the planned use of supplemental requests to fund overseas operations, including Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. The inclusion of these expenses as a separate category in the department's annual budget request will ensure greater transparency and accountability to Congress and the American people. The budget will also request funds in the base that were previously in supplementals for programs such as those supporting our military families and providing long-term medical care to injured service members.

"This budget provides the balance necessary to institutionalize and finance our capabilities to fight the wars we are in today and the scenarios we are most likely to face in the years ahead, while at the same time providing a hedge against other risks and contingencies," said Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

(Report from a U.S. Defense Department news release.)

Related:
Overview
Summary
http://www.budget.mil

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Combat Camera Video: US Soldiers on Patrol in Mosul

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Dispatches from the Front:

WASHINGTON, May 7, 2009 -- Embedded above is a b-roll video of U.S. soldiers on patrol and meeting with local shop owners in Mosul, April 27. (Produced by Tech. Sgt. Adrienne Brammer; Joint Combat Camera Center Iraq. Length: 2:39.)

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Combat Camera: SWCCs, SEALs Bring Key West to Hollywood

KEY WEST, Fla. (April 27, 2009) A Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewman (SWCC) assigned to Special Boat Team (SBT) 20 navigates the MARK V Special Operations Craft for a scene in the upcoming Bandito Brothers production titled ¨I Am That Man", due in theaters in 2010. SWCC operate and maintain the Navy's inventory of state of the art, high-speed boats in support of special operations missions worldwide. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Kathryn Whittenberger.)

KEY WEST, Fla. (April 27, 2009) Navy SEALs from a West Coast based SEAL team board a yacht for a scene in the upcoming Bandito Brothers production tentatively titled ¨I Am That Man", due in theaters in 2010. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Kathryn Whittenberger.)

KEY WEST, Fla. (April 28, 2009) A Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewman (SWCC) assigned to Special Boat Team (SBT) 20 navigates a rigid-hull inflatable boat for a scene in the upcoming Bandito Brothers production ¨I Am That Man", due in theaters in 2010. SWCC operate and maintain the Navy's inventory of state of the art, high-speed boats in support of special operations missions worldwide. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Kathryn Whittenberger.)

KEY WEST, Fla. (April 28, 2009) A Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewman (SWCC) assigned to Special Boat Team (SBT) 20 navigates the MARK V Special Operations Craft for a scene in the upcoming Bandito Brothers production ¨I Am That Man", due in theaters in 2010. SWCC operate and maintain the Navy's inventory of state of the art, high-speed boats in support of special operations missions worldwide. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Kathryn Whittenberger.)

KEY WEST, Fla. (April 28, 2009) A Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewman (SWCC) assigned to Special Boat Team (SBT) 20 navigates a rigid-hull inflatable boat while SEALs from a West Coast based SEAL team board a yacht for a scene in the upcoming Bandito Brothers production ¨I Am That Man" due in theaters in 2010. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Kathryn Whittenberger.)

KEY WEST, Fla. (April 28, 2009) A Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewman (SWCC) assigned to Special Boat Team (SBT) 20 prepare to take down a yacht for a scene in the upcoming Bandito Brothers production ¨I Am That Man", due in theaters in 2010. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Kathryn Whittenberger.)

KEY WEST, Fla. (April 28, 2009) A Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewman (SWCC) assigned to Special Boat Team (SBT) 20 navigates a rigid-hull inflatable boat while SEALs from a West Coast based SEAL team board a yacht for a scene in the upcoming Bandito Brothers production ¨I Am That Man" due in theaters in 2010. SWCC operate and maintain the Navy's inventory of state of the art, high-speed boats in support of special operations missions worldwide. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Kathryn Whittenberger.)

KEY WEST, Fla. (April 28, 2009) A Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewman (SWCC) assigned to Special Boat Team (SBT) 20 prepare to take down a yacht for a scene in the upcoming Bandito Brothers production ¨I Am That Man", due in theaters in 2010. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Kathryn Whittenberger.)

KEY WEST, Fla. (April 28, 2009) A Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewman (SWCC) assigned to Special Boat Team (SBT) 20 navigates a rigid-hull inflatable boat while SEALs from a West Coast based SEAL team board a yacht for a scene in the upcoming Bandito Brothers production titled ¨I Am That Man" due in theaters in 2010. SWCC operate and maintain the Navy's inventory of state of the art, high-speed boats in support of special operations missions worldwide. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Kathryn Whittenberger.)

KEY WEST, Fla. (April 27, 2009) A Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewman (SWCC) assigned to Special Boat Team (SBT) 20 navigates the MARK V Special Operations Craft for a scene in the upcoming Bandito Brothers production ¨I Am That Man", due in theaters in 2010. SWCC operate and maintain the Navy's inventory of state of the art, high-speed boats in support of special operations missions worldwide. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Kathryn Whittenberger.)

KEY WEST, Fla. (April 27, 2009) A Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewman (SWCC) assigned to Special Boat Team (SBT) 20 navigates a rigid-hull inflatable boat while SEALs from a West Coast based SEAL team board a yacht for a scene in the upcoming Bandito Brothers production ¨I Am That Man" due in theaters in 2010. SWCC operate and maintain the Navy's inventory of state of the art, high-speed boats in support of special operations missions worldwide. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Kathryn Whittenberger.)

KEY WEST, Fla. (April 27, 2009) A Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewman (SWCC) assigned to Special Boat Team (SBT) 20 navigates a rigid-hull inflatable boat while SEALs from a West Coast based SEAL team board a yacht for a scene in the upcoming Bandito Brothers production ¨I Am That Man" due in theaters in 2010. SWCC operate and maintain the Navy's inventory of state of the art, high-speed boats in support of special operations missions worldwide. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Kathryn Whittenberger.)

Related: Aug. 20, 2009 Article - Combat Camera: SWCCs Film Hollywood Action Scenes

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US Navy Ship Prevents Suspected Pirate Attack

News from U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, U.S. 5th Fleet Combined Maritime Forces.
Dispatches from the Front:

MANAMA, Bahrain, May 7, 2009 -- At approximately 10:30 a.m. local time May 6, Military Sealift Command ship USNS Lewis and Clark was approached by suspected pirates off the eastern coast of Somalia and took evasive action to prevent a successful attack.

While transiting north to provide logistics support for U.S. Navy and coalition ships operating in the area, two pirate skiffs pursued Lewis and Clark for more than an hour, closing to a distance of approximately one nautical mile.

Once shipboard lookouts spotted the two suspected pirate skiffs, Lewis and Clark conducted evasive maneuvers and increased speed to elude the pirates. The ship's embarked security team also used a long range acoustical device to issue verbal warnings to the approaching skiffs.

Suspected pirates then fired small arms weapons from approximately two nautical miles toward Lewis and Clark, which fell one nautical mile short of the ship's stern. Lewis and Clark continued to increase speed and the skiffs ceased their pursuit of the U.S. ship.

"The actions taken by Lewis and Clark were exactly what the U.S. Navy has been recommending to prevent piracy attacks - for both commercial and military vessels," said Capt. Steve Kelley, Commander, Task Force 53, to which Lewis and Clark is operationally assigned. "Merchant mariners can and should use Lewis and Clark's actions as an unequivocal example of how to prevent a successful attack from occurring."

Despite recent successful pirate attacks off the coast of Somalia, merchant mariners have proven successful as first-line defenders against pirates. Along with Lewis and Clark, a number of merchant vessels have conducted evasive maneuvers and other pro-active defensive measures, including embarked security teams, to protect their ships and their cargoes.

More than 30,000 vessels transit the Gulf of Aden annually. In 2009, there have been 97 attempted attacks on merchant vessels, 27 of which have been successful.

Lewis and Clark, home ported in Norfolk, Va., is part of MSC and assigned to CTF 53 while deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. CTF 53 is responsible for providing operational logistics support for the entire U.S. 5th Fleet and coalition forces both ashore and afloat. The ship also provided support to the counter piracy task force, Combined Task Force 151, as an afloat staging base earlier this year.

U.S. merchant mariners have a long and storied history of providing direct support to U.S. military operations ashore. From re-supplying Navy ships at-sea to delivering combat cargo to deployed troops in war zones, merchant mariners have played an integral logistics support role in U.S. military operations.

(Report from a Combined Maritime Forces Public Affairs news release.)

Tags: DOD, Military, War, United States, U.S., NAVCENT, Maritime Security Operation, Fifth Fleet, Navy, Dispatches from the Front
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Combat Camera Video: US Soldiers on Patrol in Afghanistan

News readers click here to watch the video.

Dispatches from the Front:

WASHINGTON, May 6, 2009 -- Embedded above is a b-roll video of U.S.soldiers on patrol in Afghanistan. Scenes include soldiers walking around a steep hill, a soldier meeting local Afghan children and an interview with Chief Warrant Officer Jerry Carlson discussing the patrol and helping the local Afghans. (Courtesy Video; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Afghanistan Engineer District. Length: 7:51.)

More Combat Camera Imagery on THE TENSION

Tags: DOD, Military, War, United States, U.S., Afghanistan, Operation Enduring Freedom, OEF, al Qaeda, al Qaida, GWOT, terrorism, Taliban, Dispatches from the Front, photography, photo, photos, pictures, images, photojournalism, Combat Camera, video, multimedia
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Commentary: The Justice Department’s Torture Hypocrisy

Commentary:

WASHINGTON, May 6, 2009 -- As part of the blog's ongoing coverage of national security issues, I'd like to bring attention to the Justice Department’s hypocrisy concerning torture.

Columnist Andrew C. McCarthy says it is a case where the Obama Justice Department investigates Bush lawyers’ torture analysis one day, then cites it favorably the next.

Let me start by telling you about McCarthy.

Andrew C. McCarthy is a former Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York.

He was most notable for leading the 1995 terrorism prosecution against Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman and eleven others. The defendants were convicted of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and planning a series of attacks against New York City landmarks.

McCarthy also contributed to the prosecutions of terrorists who bombed U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, resigning from the Justice Department in 2003.

McCarthy is currently a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, serving as the director of the FDD's Center for Law and Counterterrorism. He has served as an attorney for Rudy Giuliani, and is also a conservative opinion columnist who writes for National Review and Commentary.

In an article published on the National Review Web site today, McCarthy says even as the Justice Department considers the discipline of former Bush administration lawyers over their legal analysis drafted to justify harsh interrogation techniques, the Justice Department is relying on the very same legal analysis in order to urge a federal appeals court to reject torture claims.

Paraphrased in part, I have included below pertinent segments of McCarthy's article:

The case involves John Demjanjuk, a Nazi collaborator who has been fighting his removal from the United States for years. In a last gasp, Demjanjuk now claims that his extradition would violate U.S. and international torture law. Given his advanced age, failing health, and expectations of abuse, he contends that extradition to Germany for trial and incarceration will cause him severe pain and suffering.

This claim may seem frivolous, but the government nevertheless undertook to respond to it. In so doing, prosecutors argued to the court that even if Demjanjuk were put in severe pain, there could be no torture unless he could establish that government officials had an evil motive to inflict severe pain and suffering on him.

The Justice Department says that, even accepting for argument’s sake all his claims of anticipated physical abuse, Demjanjuk had failed to state a legal torture claim because he had not shown that German officials had deliberately created and maintained conditions that were specifically intended to cause severe pain and suffering.

This is precisely the theory that Bush lawyers outlined in the memos that the Justice Department is now citing as a premise for subjecting them to ethical rebuke -- and that Obama and Holder have intimated may be grounds for prosecution.

McCarthy concludes that given that the Bush DOJ memos in question display a careful effort not to cross the line into torture -- i.e., they demonstrate the very opposite of the evil motive to inflict torture that the Obama DOJ has just told a top federal court is necessary to establish a violation -- it is simply shameful for the Justice Department to be pursuing this partisan witch-hunt.

Source: The Justice Department’s Torture Hypocrisy

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OEF Summary, May 6, 2009: Troops in Afghanistan Nab 6 Suspected Militants

Dispatches from the Front:

KABUL, May 6, 2009 -- Afghan and coalition forces detained six suspected militants in Afghanistan’s Logar province during an operation early this morning to disrupt extremist activity in eastern Afghanistan.

The combined force, acting on intelligence information, searched several compounds in a village in the province’s Baraki Barak district that is known to be a Taliban sanctuary.

Forces detained six suspects believed to be connected to a foreign-fighter network operating in the eastern Afghan province.

All adults and children on the compounds followed the instructions of the Afghan forces, resulting in the detention of the suspects without incident, officials said.

(From a U.S. Forces Afghanistan news release.)

Tags: DOD, Military, War, United States, U.S., Afghanistan, Operation Enduring Freedom, OEF, al Qaeda, al Qaida, GWOT, terrorism, Taliban, Open Thread, Wire, Headlines, Dispatches from the Front
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Combat Camera: Aboard USS John C Stennis, May 6, 2009

PACIFIC OCEAN (May 4, 2009) An F/A-18C Hornet from the Death Rattlers of Marine Strike Fighter Squadron (VMFA) 323 launches from the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74). John C. Stennis and Carrier Air Wing Nine (CVW) 9 are on a scheduled six-month deployment to the western Pacific Ocean. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Walter M. Wayman.)

PACIFIC OCEAN (May 5, 2009) An F/A-18C Hornet from the Blue Diamonds of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 146 lands on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) during an airborne change of command. Stennis and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 9 are on a scheduled six-month deployment to the western Pacific Ocean. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Josue L. Escobosa.)

PACIFIC OCEAN (May 5, 2009) Two F/A-18C Hornets from the Blue Diamonds of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 146 launch from the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) during an airborne change of command. Stennis and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 9 are on a scheduled six-month deployment to the western Pacific Ocean. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Josue L. Escobosa.)

PACIFIC OCEAN (May 4, 2009) Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Equipment) 1st Class Brandon Benedict, from Tulsa, Okla., performs final checks on an aircraft catapult prior to flight operations aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74). Stennis is on a scheduled six-month deployment to the western Pacific Ocean. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Kyle Steckler.)

PACIFIC OCEAN (May 4, 2009) During the airborne change of command of the Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 146, Cmdr. Jeffrey Czerewko pulls away from the three plane formation, transferring command of the squadron to Cmdr. Todd Marzano. Stennis and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 9 are on a scheduled six-month deployment to the western Pacific Ocean. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Walter M. Wayman.)

PACIFIC OCEAN (May 4, 2009) Aircraft from Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 9 fly over the mast of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) during flight operations. Stennis and CVW 9 are on a scheduled six-month deployment to the western Pacific Ocean. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Walter M. Wayman.)

SINGAPORE HARBOR, Singapore (April 24, 2009) The aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) transits Singapore harbor before mooring pier side at Changi Naval Base, Singapore. John C. Stennis is in Singapore for a scheduled port visit during a scheduled six-month deployment to the western Pacific Ocean. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jon Husman.)

PACIFIC OCEAN (April 24, 2009) Quartermaster Seaman Britney Benigno, from Wichata Falls, Texas, stands the forward bearing watch on the island structure aboard the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) as it transits Singapore harbor before pier side at Changi Naval Base, Singapore. John C. Stennis and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 9 are on a scheduled six-month deployment to the western Pacific Ocean. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jon Husman.)

PACIFIC OCEAN (May 4, 2009) Commanding Officer, Cmdr. Jeffrey Czerewko of the Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 146 is greeted by his plane captain Aviation Electrician's Mate 3rd Class Adedamola Durojaiye, from Baltimore, on the flight deck aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) prior to an airborne change of command. Stennis and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 9 are on a scheduled six-month deployment to the western Pacific Ocean. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Walter M. Wayman.)

SINGAPORE HARBOR, Singapore (April 24, 2009) Gunner's Mate 3rd Class Collin Naylor, from San Jose, Calif., stands a .50-caliber machine gun force protection watch aboard the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) as the ship transits Singapore harbor. John C. Stennis and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 9 are on a scheduled six-month deployment to the western Pacific Ocean. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Walter M. Wayman.)

PACIFIC OCEAN (May 4, 2009) Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Handling) 1st Class Richard Smith, from Fort Worth, Texas, watches as an F/A-18C Hornet from the Death Rattlers of Marine Strike Fighter Squadron (VMFA) 323 launches from the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74). John C. Stennis and Carrier Air Wing Nine (CVW) 9 are on a scheduled six-month deployment to the western Pacific Ocean. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Walter M. Wayman.)

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