Surprised? Don’t be. Former President Trump said it last September: “The top people in the Pentagon…want to do nothing but fight wars so that all of those wonderful companies that make the bombs and make the planes and make everything else stay happy. But we’re getting out of the endless wars, you know how we’re doing.” Not any more.
Note also in this connection what happened in Syria. Trump’s former special envoy for Syria, Never-Trumper Jim Jeffrey, boasted in November that he circumvented Trump’s orders to withdraw American troops from Syria by lying to the President. Jeffrey explained: “We were always playing shell games to not make clear to our leadership how many troops we had there,” and said that “the actual number of troops in northeast Syria is ‘a lot more than’ the roughly two hundred troops Trump initially agreed to leave there in 2019.”
“More US troops in Afghanistan than publicly announced, news report says,” by Phillip Walter Wellman, Stars and Stripes, March 15, 2021:
KABUL, Afghanistan — The United States has about 1,000 more troops serving in Afghanistan than it has publicly acknowledged, a New York Times report said.
The number of American service members in the country was officially reduced to 2,500 in the final days of the Trump administration — the lowest level since the start of the war — but the number actually dropped to around 3,500, the newspaper reported Sunday.
The difference is the result of some special operations forces being “off the books” and some temporary and transitioning units being in theater, the report said. It cited unnamed American, European and Afghan officials.
The military’s method of reporting its overseas force numbers has drawn criticism before, including from then-Defense Secretary Jim Mattis in 2017, who pledged more straightforward accounting, shortly before the Trump administration began redacting numbers of troops in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan from quarterly reports.
The latest discrepancy comes as President Biden weighs whether to pull all remaining U.S. forces out in the next 45 days under the terms of a U.S.-Taliban deal signed last February.
Some of the uncounted troops include Army Rangers, who work simultaneously under the Pentagon and the CIA while in Afghanistan, the report said. Washington has historically assigned service members to the CIA and other agencies and classified information about their presence….
Wellington says
President Trump echoed what President Eisenhower stated well over half a century ago about the military-industrial complex.
Infidel says
The real tragedy about this is that any country needs to have a strong military to protect itself, even if it may be perfectly good and at peace w/ its neighbors. Yeah, there was that ‘peace dividend’ after the Cold War ended, but one does not tear down one’s entire military just b’cos one is at peace
However, thanks to this deception by the top military brass, they are eroding the public support that they have within the population. In fact, when they start crossing swords w/ Tucker Carlson, they risk doing what Corporate America has done by going woke: losing the support of patriotic Amerians who’d normally wholeheartedly support the military, no questions asked. That last bit – no questions asked – will only happen when there is a trust that the side not being asked questions hasn’t been lying to us thru their teeth in order to keep their pet projects goin’
James Lincoln says
One of my biggest fears, Infidel, is that we reach a point in the United States where there are not enough people who think that their country is worth fighting for.
As a 26 year US Navy veteran, I’m serious.
Infidel says
James, if the mission of the military is hijacked from defending the country and the constitution to defending just the elitists in the Capitol calling the shots, maybe that might end up not being such a bad thing. I mean – do we really want patriotic people lining up to defend the likes of Pelosi and Kamala while they keep issuing edicts that destroy the country?
James Lincoln says
Interesting point, Infidel…
abad says
Bingo, Infidel.
spiro says
Eisenhower was right and so was Trump
I guess Trump couldn’t be bought so he must be removed
gravenimage says
United States has about 1,000 more troops serving in Afghanistan than it has publicly acknowledged
…………….
Crazy. Can’t civilize this Islamic state.
James Lincoln says
gravenimage,
Even with many multiples of “a thousand troops”, the United States could not civilize Afghanistan…
gravenimage says
There aren’t enough troops in the whole of the West to accomplish this, James.
abad says
Very true Gravenimage, Afghanistan has been a lost cause for the past what, four decades. Yeah, somewhere around there. We should not have any troops over there at all.
spiro says
One thing Trump did and I’m not sure even he realizes it but he exposed how deep and wide the corruption. In government really is from elected to non elected all branches
I can’t believe what comes out the main
Steam media and now from Gov
C I A worked against Trump Pentagon hated him because no new wars
I don’t know how he tolerated his 4 years
He’s out of office and they still go after him with their hatred
Tells me he must know to much
James Lincoln says
spiro,
Pres. Trump try to fix things that the establishment elites, Deep State, etc., did not want fixed…
spiro says
Yes I know that
My point was his exposing the deep state inspire of risk
He deserves credit for his efforts
James Lincoln says
Understand, spiro.
And yes, Pres. Trump deserves immense credit for his efforts…
Relic says
The seven year war in Donbass, why are they still there.
Infidel says
The US only sold weapons to Ukraine: there are no US troops there. That would be treated by the Russians like Kennedy treated Soviet missiles in Cuba
Andrew Blackadder says
US Troops are defending the International Borders of countries all over the World, but for them to defend the Southern Border of the USA is racist…. WTF… Am I missing something here?.
Wyatt Rowe says
What is going on with our military is not surprising, and Biden could care less, and is probably encouraging to his administration, because he will always blame it on Trump. The border crisis is dubiously Trumps fault according to Psaki and Pelosi.
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Let’s look at more of Biden and his democratic socialism. I don’t think the MSM is getting it. The democrats are trying to to pack their constituency by way of our southern border. There is talk of the future, leading to immediate amnesty to immigrants that have crossed our borders illegally, that will eventually follow with them, having voting rights legalized, or at the very least, illegally by way of more election fraud. There is even more talk that Biden and his socialist agenda, will tear down the walls that were just installed. Biden has the power of an executive order to tear it down, just as Trump wisely used his power to build it. What did did Joe do in his 1st day or 2 in office? He executed an executive order to halt finishing the last few miles of the wall on our southern border.
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That same left, socialized agenda wants at no surprise to pack the SCOTUS, overwhelming by far conservatism for decades in the future of the court. It is going to happen.
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Our military is going to hell, our southern border is going to hell, our courts are going to hell, our elections are going to hell, our rights are going to hell, our Capitol is a war zone where there is no war, COVID is getting more of a joke than a safety issue at the expense of our children (our kids bother me the most) and Joe hasn’t been in office a 100 days yet. and at 60 days, at no surprise, he hasn’t even had a press conference yet. WTF is our country going to be like in the next 4 years…