Cap'n Bob & the Damsel

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CENTCOM Releases Terrorist Transcript

US Central Command (CENTCOM) released information on their website regarding the recent video from terrorist Abu-Mus’ab al-Zarqawi and his mob. The CENTCOM article points out a number of key assumptions that can be made from this new video, including the desperation of the terrorists in their losing cause in Iraq.

Image: Abu-Mus’ab al-Zarqawi rants in terrorist propaganda video.

From CENTCOM:

On 25 April, The Global News Network posted a statement issued by The Mujahidin Shura Council in Iraq [Majlis Shura al-Mujahidin fial-Iraq] announcing a new message from Abu-Mus’ab al-Zarqawi, leader of the Al-Qa’ida Organization in the Land of the Two Rivers (I.E. Iraq), and provided links to a 34-minute 4-second video statement titled, “This is a Declaration to the People.” In it, al-Zarqawi rages against the democratically-elected Iraqi government, encouraging Iraqis and foreign fighters to wage war within the country.

[read more from CENTCOM]

In view of this nonsense and the rantings the other day from Usama bin-Laden, my observation is that terrorists rant and lie in their political infomercials almost as much as Democrats!

26 Apr 2006 by Degenerates Islamic Terrorism Military

Sgt. Hook – No Tears in Heaven

First, read Sgt Hook’s No Tears in Heaven

The four Soldiers sat around an olive drab painted footlocker playing cards. Actually, the group was comprised of three Soldiers and one Marine, all wearing desert camouflage uniforms, their blouses removed exposing brown t-shirts, not because they were hot, rather it was just more comfortable to have them off.

[more]

Then watch this moving video he put together. Very well done and touching. Thank you Sgt. Hook.

12 Apr 2006 by Islamic Terrorism Military

Front Line Forum

Michael Yon has inaugurated a new feature on his weblog to enhance coverage of the War on Terror – FRONT LINE FORUM.

Greetings,

Today we open a new frontier. My site gets much traffic and exposure, making this an excellent venue for our people in harm’s way to tell their stories. Please click here http://flf.michaelyon-online.com/ for our first story from a soldier in Iraq. The story is well written and complete with photos.

If you know someone at war who would like to submit a story to FLF, many people are waiting to read it. Photographs are encouraged.

Please spread the word about the Frontline Forum–there are graphic links and related resources in the Press Room off the FLF main page.

Respectfully,

Michael Yon

(Clarification: Many people have assumed I am in Iraq. I am in Afghanistan. My first dispatch from Afghanistan will be published in about two days.)

Michael Yon

UPDATE: The first article in the new forum is a hit! A home run actually! Blogger TF Boggs submitted an excellent story about some Iraqi kids and families.

10 Apr 2006 by Blogosphere Islamic Terrorism Military Patriotism

Three Years In Iraq

Critics of Operation Iraqi Freedom often allege that little or no progress has been made since the invasion. The Secretary of Defense, the Honorable Donald Rumsfeld, has written an excellent article about our progress and addresses critics’ allegations.

From CENTCOM:

What We’ve Gained In Three Years In Iraq

By Donald H. Rumsfeld

Some have described the situation in Iraq as a tightening noose, noting that “time is not on our side” and that “morale is down.” Others have described a “very dangerous” turn of events and are “extremely concerned.”

Photo by Capt. Joe Vanty, 138th MPAD, US Army Reserve – Young children watch as U.S. Soldiers from Alaska’s 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team pass by.

Who are they that have expressed these concerns? In fact, these are the exact words of terrorists discussing Iraq — Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and his associates — who are describing their own situation and must be watching with fear the progress that Iraq has made over the past three years.

The terrorists seem to recognize that they are losing in Iraq. I believe that history will show that to be the case.

Fortunately, history is not made up of daily headlines, blogs on Web sites or the latest sensational attack. History is a bigger picture, and it takes some time and perspective to measure accurately.

Consider that in three years Iraq has gone from enduring a brutal dictatorship to electing a provisional government to ratifying a new constitution written by Iraqis to electing a permanent government last December. In each of these elections, the number of voters participating has increased significantly — from 8.5 million in the January 2005 election to nearly 12 million in the December election — in defiance of terrorists’ threats and attacks.

[read more]

07 Apr 2006 by International Islamic Terrorism Military

The Great Robot Race

The Great Robot Race will air on NOVA Tuesday Night (March 28, 2005). If you can’t watch it then, it will be available on-line Wednesday. Not only are Aerospace concerns competing for DoD DARPA funds, but some scrappy smaller outfits will be involved. Team entrants named “Sandstorm” and “Ghostrider” and 10 others will race across the Mojave Desert to prove their viability as robotic ground vehicles. Speed isn’t the main objective for the DARPA award.

NOVA’s ‘The Great Robot Race’ airs Tuesday

Join NOVA for an exclusive backstage pass to the DARPA Grand Challenge—a raucous race for robotic, driverless vehicles sponsored by the Pentagon, which awards a $2 million purse to the winning team. Armed with artificial intelligence, laser-guided vision, GPS navigation, and 3-D mapping systems, the contenders are some of the world’s most advanced robots. Yet even their formidable technology and mechanical prowess may not be enough to overcome the grueling 130-mile course through Nevada’s desert terrain. From concept to construction to the final competition, “The Great Robot Race” delivers the absorbing inside story of clever engineers and their unyielding drive to create a champion, capturing the only aerial footage that exists of the Grand Challenge.

Image: Some of the Robots entered in the race. NOVA

27 Mar 2006 by Aerospace Military Science

Toys

Due to rearrangement of the Defense Budget, a couple of the candidate Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV) programs will be replaced by more up-to-date technologies and mission requirements. From GovExec.com:

Replacing the Joint Unmanned Combat Air System –consisting so far of two Boeing X-45A prototype smart aircraft and a Northrop Grumman X-47A demonstrator –with a longer range unmanned aircraft will save $158 million next year.

Although NGC’s X-47A project is discontinued, it must have been great to be a part of the development team that flew the Pegasus prototype. What a rush a cool toy like this must bring . . .

Press the > button to play. The .wmv file size is about 4 MB.

UPDATE: I’ve been advised that some browsers can’t view the file. If you aren’t able to see the video, you can download it.

10 Mar 2006 by Aerospace Military

Focus at FOSE is War

FOSE stands for Federal Office Systems Expo, and is a yearly trade show held in Washington, D.C. FOSE is currently in progress at the D.C. Convention Center. EWeek notes that a big demand this year is for IT and information services. To put the article in perspective, recall Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld’s recent remarks about losing the media war. Last December, Rumsfeld also indicated a need to improve our military cyberspace capabilities.

The Focus at FOSE is War

The exhibition floor at this year’s FOSE, the annual technology fair for the federal government, is decorated with big, rugged gear, reminding attendees that we are still at war, and there’s money to be made.

The Department of Defense, which had an operating budget of $430 billion last year, reports that it manages more than twice the dollar volume of the world’s largest corporation, and it carries 500 times more inventory items than Home Depot. This year, the department’s IT needs are greater than ever.

[Read the rest]

07 Mar 2006 by Cyberspace Islamic Terrorism Military

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