There's a Million Guns at Toys-R-Us That I Can Play With...

From H and K

And even AKs

It's the best gun store there is...

(ED NOTE: Tim Haggerty has been doing some investigative work with Toys-R-Us' customer service, who seems to be baffled by this product. However, one TRU customer service representative told Tim that it appears to be a legitimate item on their website. Searching for this item through other purchasing agencies also suggests that it's being sold at Toys-R-Us. Is this a disgruntled employee's joke?)

Thanks to my old pal Psychopath for forwarding me a link to the hottest toy at Toys-R-Us this season. Moms, Dads, you know all the kiddies are begging you for their very own Sightmark Accudot 300 Laser Boresight for their 7.62 mm assault rifle, available at the Toys-R-Us website! The Accudot 300 laser boresight is just the thing for adjusting the sights on your entire collection of assault, battle, and sniper rifles:

The Accudot™ 300 Laser Bore Sight by Sightmark® provides a convenient and accurate method for sighting in rifles of all types. Simply chamber the bore sight like a regular bullet and a laser dot will show exactly where the rifle is aiming. It's easy to use and will save both time and money by avoiding prolonged live fire tests at the range. A lightweight carrying pouch protects the laser for convenient use in the field.

But as a wise sage (LeVar Burton) once said, you don't have to take my word for it. Just look at the comments from satisfied Toys-R-Us customers:
By TexasFather from Houston, Tx on 4/27/2009

Best Uses:

Large Animals, Long Range, Short Range, Small Animals, Targets

Pros:

Accurate, Adequate Power, Clear , Easy To Adjust, Rugged

Describe Yourself:

Experienced Hunter

Bottom Line:

Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

WOW this boresighte laser really saved my 5 year old daughter a lot of 7.62x54 for her PSL sniper rifle. Range trips were sp frustrating because she could never get on paper. No more tantrums cause now she is right on target at 200 yds. Can't wait to sight in her ak-74s when i get my Kobra sight in from Kalinka optics. She has a ton of 5.45x39 tins just waiting to be blasted

By the great white hunter from northern california on 4/26/2009

Best Uses:

Large Animals, Long Range, Short Range, Small Animals, Targets, Two legged animals

Pros:

Accurate, Adequate Power

Cons:

No infrared offered

Describe Yourself:

Experienced Hunter

Bottom Line:

Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

this product is great!! my 8 year old son's precision 300 win mag rifle is already sighted in but we found another use for this. when we can't make it to the range for live fire, he can lay prone on our second story balcony and practice holds and dry firing on the neighbors and people walking down the street! i can observe where his point of aim is through a spotting scope while laying next to him. this made a great training aid! THANK YOU TOYS R US for carrying such a great product!

By BunkerDad from Idaho on 4/26/2009

Best Uses:

Large Animals, Long Range, Short Range, Small Animals, Targets

Pros:

Accurate, Easy To Adjust, Rugged

Describe Yourself:

Experienced Hunter

Bottom Line:

Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

Works perfectly. Other kids play with balloons. Mine are ready when the balloon goes up.

Thanks TRU.

Order today at Toys-R-Us.com. Again, Bravo Zulu to Psychopath for the link!

COIN Games

Despite my recent rants against the futility and obsolescence of AKO, I have to acknowledge that the Army does well when it uses or modifies commercial software. Nowhere is this more apparent than in gaming systems, such as the smash-hit First-Person Shooter (FPS) America’s Army, and a training simulations known as the Virtual Battle Space System (VBS2).

Released in 2003, America’s Army was designed as a recruiting tool, featuring realistic combat action. Surprisingly, the game was a smash-hit, with GameSpy consistently ranking America's Army among the top ten FPS games online. Featuring authentic military tactics and video documentaries of real Soldiers, America's Army was credited with having a greater impact on Army recruits than all other forms of Army advertising combined in 2008.

Another First-Person-Shooter, Bohemian Technology's Armed Assault, serves as the basis for the US Army's Virtual Battle Space System (VBS2), a program seeing service in the US Marine Corps, Australian Army, and the Army of New Zealand. Typically installed on networks consisting of over forty computers, VBS2 is used by troops to rehearse convoy ops and to take part in role-playing scenarios. After a brief tutorial, a platoon of Soldiers can plan and execute a mission in a virtual world similar to Iraq or Afghanistan. Troops can either fight as dismounted infantry, or they can hop into any one of a number of armored vehicles--HMMWVs or MRAPs--and serve as a driver or turret gunner. A seperate exercise control room contains operators who control enemy forces, US Air Force A-10 attack jets, and NATO medevac helicopters. Some installations have even hired linguists to portray civilians on the battlefield, speaking to Soldiers over a headset.

According to Voo Tatico, a blog run by a helicopter pilot in the Brazilian Army, VBS2 is also used to train crew chiefs--the enlisted crewmembers who man the door guns on helicopters like the UH-60 Black Hawk and CH-47 Chinook. Using virtual reality goggles and a few special controllers, crew chiefs can practice gunnery without ever leaving the ground.

While simulations can never fully replace real training, they do offer a few notable advantages. Simulators are relatively inexpensive and can be used when poor weather or maintenance issues prevent actual flying. They require minimal set-up time and are a safe way for novices to practice dangerous maneuvers, such as emergency procedures. VBS2 was recently released for home use for US service members at Military Gaming (CAC login required--which means you need a US government computer to download it).

First-Person-Shooters aren't the only commercial "off-the-shelf" products the US military has taken advantage of. Communication software such as mIRC—an Internet Relay Chat application—and Ventrilo—a Voice Over Internet Protocol program—are staples in modern-day tactical operation centers. However, it comes as a shock to many Soldiers that the mIRC they use to battle-track missions in Iraq and Afghanistan was originally a popular chat program in the mid-1990s. Likewise, Ventrilo is infamous for planning combat of a distinctly different nature:

(The most awesome combat mission ever planned over Ventrilo)

Modern video games are often designed to be easily modified, and many games might have great military application. A modified Command and Conquer: Generals might be a better wargaming simulation than the US military's JANUS computer system, nearly thirty years old. Microsoft Flight Simulator is an easy way to practice a few instrument approaches before a check ride.

Could Civilization IV be used to replicate the complex political, economic and military situation of Iraq in 2007? It might not be too far-fetched. The US Air Force has already begun looking into using Second Life, holding a Town Hall meeting yesterday.

Focus: There are plenty of other games with military application. What wargames would you want to play? Sound off in the comments section.

AKO Links of the Morning

Reach 364 tackles cybersecurity and "Psychopath" sent me a link to a video which lampoons AKO/NKO/DKO passwords. Check it out:

AKO Rehab

Yesterday’s tirade against Army Knowledge Online’s (AKO) personal security questions briefly touches upon a much larger issue concerning the US military’s information technology systems. Time and time again, I find myself turning to commercial applications instead of military-designed programs for productivity.

In 2005, I took part in the massive relief effort in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. When I couldn’t get detailed maps of New Orleans with the US military’s Falcon View program, I turned to Google Earth, which offered 3-D imagery of New Orleans taken just hours after the hurricane struck. Google Earth has been so popular among aviators that a C-17 pilot, “Reach 364”, created an application which linked the military’s flight planning software with Google Earth.

More recently, I’ve turned to Facebook to keep my friends and family abreast of my escapades. In doing so, I’ve forgone the Army’s official “Virtual Family Readiness Groups”, which require families to overcome so many authentication hurdles that many simply give up on registering. I’ve even started to rely on Gmail—which offers gigabytes of storage and great compatibility with mobile devices—instead of the US Army’s AKO network.

The recent addition of personal security questions—which compliment the 10-character passwords and Combined Access Card credentials—only frustrate service members, many of whom are simply ignoring AKO altogether. To them, the military’s paranoia over operational security (“OPSEC”) simply impedes legitimate information flow. In many ways, this parallels ISAF’s difficulty in communicating strategically in Afghanistan; with declassification procedures proving so cumbersome that Taliban forces are often able to report on battlefield events more quickly than the world’s most technologically advanced nations. (More here, here and here)

But you don’t have to take my word on the Department of Defense’s IT systems. A recent poll on Army Knowledge Online asked “How do you log into the AKO Portal (i.e., files, pages and groups) or into AKO Webmail?” One user appropriately responded:

I'm perplexed at why AKO posted this poll. Doesn't AKO have network monitoring software that can gather the statistics posed by the poll question?

Very true, but, of course, the question was designed to spur some comments on AKO’s login procedures. So, let’s ask again, how do you log in to AKO?

How do I log into the AKO Portal? PAINFULLY!

Want specifics? Over seventy replies so far are nearly unanimous in their loathing of AKO's new login procedures, and many of AKO in general. This isn't just the proverbial tilting at windmills, many of these are legitimate grievances. Take a look:

(Ed. note: A “CAC” is a “Combined Access Card”, which is a service member’s military ID, embedded with a small microchip. This chip allows them to log in to government computers, after inserting the card into a special “CAC Reader”.)

AKO is on the verge of becoming obsolete. With the continued strive to emplace more security restrictions (KBA questions) on the "Home" user and the overall annoyance with the hassle of logging you out every 30 minutes or so AKO has managed to annoy a majority of its users. Remember AKO, the only reason we have this account is because the Army mandates that we have one. If they took away the option Yahoo and Google would facilitate the Armys digital traffic with less hassle. Stop with the added security and ridiculous questions. There is not information on this low of a securtiy level server to compromise any National Security issues.

I will continue on the theme voiced by everyone else who has posted, AKO is too hard to access. CAC card login is starting to be extremely painful. I am a National Guard Soldier and work in the Financial AID office at a local College. I just had a student come in trying to get VA benefits and did not have their Notice of Eligibility. I could have got that Soldier on IPERMS, printed it off and resolved the problem, but now IPERMS takes CAC log in. So now this Soldier has to drive 2 hrs to get to the Operations Sergeant (because they don’t have a CAC card reader at home.) just to get on the computer and print off one piece of paper in order to get [VA] benefits.

The extra features of the KBA questions it makes logging into AKO a bigger headache then it is worth to use. A strong password is fine to protect my information and having knowledge based questions as a reference for the help desk to use to identify me if I forget my password. But having to answer them every time I log on to AKO is ridiculous. Please let's do away with it and go back to how it was before.

As a National Guardsman, the belief that we could take a CAC reader home, install it and be good to go was complete idiocy. Logging in with the CAC as noted above, is a major hassle. In my unit, we often have to take an entire day just to get our NCO's CAC's and AKO Login's fixed - unacceptable. Our higher headquarters has mandated that we will use MyForms (FCMS) to process all NCOER's and use digital signatures - virtually impossible without a working CAC card reader.

Not only has AKO become unreasonably difficult to access, but going into Mypay I have to click on the terms of agreement every time. Why?...AKO is the most non-user friendly interface ever designed! Do the Army and it’s soldiers a huge favor and contract out the AKO development with someone who has a clue… Or better yet, just kill the program and get Yahoo to make us one that works!

Bottom line up front the geek squad at AKO needs to stop trying to justify all of the security garbage by crying OPSEC…regular AKO, the one most of us use does not need to be so secure. We already have to input a new password in excess of 10 characters every 6 months, just to turn around and answer 3 or more silly security questions!

Why does AKO require so many (15) questions? This is the most of any log-in site that I've seen. I don't think it provides any real security, since I have to write down the questions and answers, which of course, could fall into the wrong hands. Also, the "favorites" form of question is not the best, since favorite things change over time for most people. Permanently defined/unchanging categories are better, such as "What is your first wife's middle name?"

I can never get the CAC reader to work with FireFox.

I can not stand the new KBA questions. You are required to select nearly all of the questions and then come up with a answer for the questions. The reality is that I did not have an answer for 90% of the questions and now I keep forgetting what my answers are for the KBA. Only a few do I know every time.

We are told that the KBA questions are to protect us from identity theft and that we should not share the answers with anyone. If you were truly interested in protecting soldiers from ID theft, you would not require them to give up yet more personal information to be stored in a venue outside of their personal control on a database that is at risk of being hacked or compromised. The more personal information that a soldier provides, the greater their risk of ID theft and that makes the KBA questions part of the problem, not part of the solution.

Since the KBA questions are out of the quesion for me, I am only able to use CAC log-in, and then only when I am at the one machine that will consistently handle my CAC card. However, since I also live 300 miles from the ID card facility, there have been several times when my card has failed/broken and I am left without AKO access for extended periods until I can get to a location that will re-issue or reset my CAC card.

To be useful, AKO log-in must utilize readily available technology that does not require me to compromise personal information and is available on every computer (not just military) or is issued to every soldier BEFORE it is implemented.

I won't be utilizing AKO any longer. The KBA questions are over the top, and ridiculous. I purchased a CAC reader at my own expense, and as I'm now retired I no longer have the ability to use the reader. Thanks a lot. It only took 2-3 hours of my time researching the web to find everything I needed to set up the CAC reader. You guys can't even get my rank correct. After 23 years of service, is it too much to have 1SG on my profile verses MSG?

The bottom line is that the system is so "secure" that legitimate users are unable to easily access their information. I think the problem might be that the people who design, maintain, and upgrade the system work in offices in fully technology integrated locations, and they have lost touch with the conditions most Soldiers actually live in. Only a small percentage of all Troopers actually access AKO through a government provided ISs, but the vast majority who access AKO from non-government ISs do not even have an option to have a card reader for CAC access.

As a company commander in the Army Reserve, I can tell you that the majority of my 171 Soldiers do NOT check AKO unless it is drill weekend. So they miss out on the company newsletter and -- more importantly -- their own medical readiness. Most of my Soldiers were unaware that of the medical readiness "stoplights" on the AKO main page because they never log in. That's one reason why my medical readiness is so low.

AKO has become a secondary e-mail system for me. As a reservist, accessing AKO is a real pain. I finally broke down and bought a CAC card reader for my personal computer, only to find it doesn't work (apparently) because I use Windows Vista. So, I'm back to the weekly (or is it bi-weekly?) password bingo game I have to play…After my ETS, AKO will rank right up there with the new ACU's as things I'll miss LEAST about the Army.

It is a good thing for AKO membership that theirs is a captive audience. If I had a commercial alternative, I would leave AKO forever. Between the absurd password requirements and the inane KBA questions which I never remember, it is getting nearly impossible to actually use the site without a CAC.

I see personnel now finding ways to circumvent these "good intentioned" security measures by committing the most fundamental security violations. Some people have just taken to adding a serial number on the end of their password, which they just bump up by 1 every time they have to reset their password. (Example: PA$$word01 becomes PA$$word02 and so on...) The other common security violation I hear about is writing down their KBA questions and answers. It's like hiding the arms room key under the mat because it's such a pain in the --- to get the key properly.

One of the things always brought up in IA training is how much of a threat is posed by disgruntled insiders. This is a perfect way to create those disgruntled insiders.

I understand the intent of the KBA questions is 1) to make it harder for hackers to get into your account and 2) to make it a hassle for users to access AKO without their CAC in order to push the CAC login. However, I have a Macintosh, and my CAC reader currently doesn't work (had it working for a while but currently won't work). Until AKO starts providing Mac support, I won't be able to use my CAC at home. Ironically, I'm currently using my personal Mac laptop in a multi-national operation (wasn't assigned a computer by my deployed unit) so I'm accessing AKO for work purposes daily without CAC access.

Yeah, but can the guy on the right use a CAC to log into AKO?

All this from the military that uses CD-ROMs to transport data, having banned USB drives. (Edit: has this policy since been rescinded?). Don't even get me started on AKO's attempts to create a Web 2.0-style environment. Sorry, but why would I go through the hassle of logging in and reading an AKO blog when I have far more awesome blogs popping up in my Google Reader feed all day long? And the social networking function that few people use? Sorry, but I don't use social networking sites for work. I use them for more, erm, primal reasons. Hate to say it, but I'm not trying to score off of the women of AKO. I know I can't be alone on that one.

The value of good "Red-Teaming"

Today, On Violence tackled the "canned" training scenarios we seem to always find ourselves partaking in. Training xercises are usually scripted to a certain degree, typically resulting in a resounding American victory. (Although, in fairness, training exercises have to be heavily planned and scripted so as to allow all participating units--be they infantry, artillery or aviation--to accomplish all of their training objectives.)

I have participated in countless training exercises, and every time the US plays the offense. And we always have three times as many troops as the enemy. Always. It's a guideline for high-intensity warfare, but now it is law. It doesn't make sense that we will always have three times as many Soldiers as our enemy, but somehow in training, we always do.

This “guideline” is so rigorously embedded in the Army's consciousness, we still use it when we plan counter-insurgency operations. Whenever my battalion conducted Company-sized operations, (or CONOPs, see the post here) during the brief our S2 always briefed the number of enemy he expected on an objective. I would listen in as the S2 briefed his portion, and as I calculated it, we had exactly three times as many troops. Either we could perfectly predict the enemy's size, or we jerryrigged our slides to meet an arbitrary guideline.

Come on, I'm certain there are plenty of good reasons for not properly red-teaming your scenario...

Why I'm switching to Gmail for all my work needs...

It’s no understatement to say that the military’s public information technology systems are atrocious, sacrificing utility in the name of security. Take, for example, the “Virtual Family Readiness Group” (vFRG)—an Army-sponsored network designed to connect families of deployed service members with their Soldiers. The sign-up process for vFRGs requires so many forms of authentication—to include the last four digits of a service member’s social security number and a follow-up phone call—that many families don’t even bother to sign up. Those who actually do sign up for these sites are limited to a small number of close family members, normally in close contact with a Soldier to begin with. As a result, many units have forgone the official vFRGs and create sites on Facebook, which offers easy access to pictures, video, and upcoming events. Facebook also reaches a larger audience, including extended family members, friends, local media, and community leaders.

The same is true for the Army’s e-mail service, Army Knowledge Online. In order for a service member to access their paltry 100MB inbox, he or she must either stick their military ID card into the computer and enter a personal identification number, or they must enter a password followed by multiple personal security questions. Smartphone access is still in its infancy.

I’m no luddite, but I’m more inclined to use Gmail than AKO—the login process is simple, I have gigabytes of storage space, and I can send and receive real-time e-mail on my Blackberry. Not to mention I don't have to put up with personal security questions like these. Just witness some of the honest-to-God preprogrammed personal security questions from Army Knowledge Online, along with the twenty "canned" choices.

1.) What is your favorite movie? Choices include:

• An Officer and a Gentleman
• McClintock (WTF?)
• Terms of Endearment
• The Matrix
• Batman (Wait, which Batman? Oh right, that Batman.)
• Gone With the Wind
• Pretty Woman
• The Birds
• The Notebook (This reminds me of one of my favorite obnoxious t-shirts, which says "Attention ladies, I enjoyed The Notebook")
• Pride and Prejudice (sans Zombies)
• The Bridges of Madison County (Any more chick flicks on this list and I'm seriously going to have to take a Midol PMS...)
• The Sixth Sense
• Lord of the Rings
• The Bucket List (WTF?)
• Terminator

Can anyone name a notable movie franchise that is missing from this list? Certainly, I can't think of any other movie franchises which have spawned millions of loyal fans, and occupy a prominent role in our cultural memory than the ones listed in the security questionnaire.


Next question: Who is your favorite entertainer? I'll run down the highlights from the top 20 choices here...

• Jody Foster (First of all, it's Jodie Foster. Secondly, if someone did select Jodie Foster as their favorite actress, would that send up a red flag or two? Just curious...)
• Justin Timberlake
• Robin Williams
• Samuel Jackson (Again, another misspelling. His real name is Samuel L. "I've had it with these motherfuckin' snakes on this motherfuckin' plane" Jackson)
• Matt Damon
• David Letterman
• Jay Leno (Is AKO collecting poll data for the networks?)

...and so on. Notably absent is her royal hotness, Megan Fox. You know, because there are no sex-starved troops in Iraq and Afghanistan watching Transformers just to see the veritable Megan Fox jiggle-fest.

But this last question really perplexes me. What is your favorite food?

• Chicken (Leeroy Jenkins, anyone?)
• Grapes and berries
• Ice cream
• Meat (Wait, just "meat"? Seriously? What if I like chicken? Do I pick "meat" or "chicken"?)
• Desserts (Because ice cream is not a dessert?)
• Jelly or Jam
• Peanut Butter (But peanut butter and jelly always go together. No one eats jam all by its lonesome. And what if I like grape jelly on my peanut butter and jelly sandwiches? Do I pick "grapes", "jelly" or "peanut butter" as my favorite food?)
• Sushi
• Chinese
• Fish (Not related to sushi. By the way, why isn't fish "meat"?)

What if my favorite food changes, based on what I'm in the mood for?

The sad thing is, this doesn't even hit half of the bizarre questions. While the Army claims that these questions will not slow down the log-in process, I remain skeptical. Anyone tried to check their pay stub recently? How's that "virtual keyboard" working out for you?

Get this man a blog!

I hope that Pakistani Major Mehar Omar Khan doesn't stop composing intriguing articles when he finishes his stint at the US Army's Command and General Staff College (CGSC). Last week, we were treated to his essay "Is There an Islamic Way of War?", apparently written in response to a CGSC class entitled "An Islamic Way of War?" (note the question mark). Major Khan posits the thesis that Islam is, in most cases, not the root cause of terrorism and insurgency throughout the Muslim world. In Major Khan's view, most insurgency is localized and fought for more pragmatic reasons. For example, while the insurgency in Iraq often used Islamic imagery and rhetoric, much of the violence was actually waged over cultural, economic, and political differences.

What is often referred to as an "Islamic" way of war is more correctly a rise of non-state movements, such as insurgencies and terrorist organizations, which are coincidentally located within the Islamic world. Indeed, these methods are little more than time-tested techniques which smaller organizations use to defeat larger organizations. The insurgency we see in the Muslim world doesn't differ too much from insurgencies in Asia and Latin America, nor does terrorism seem to be too far removed from the IRA in Northern Ireland. Major Khan notes:

The world may have changed its attitudes towards [liberation] movements, but people’s yearning for their right to freedom and self-determination in regions like Kashmir, Chechnya and Occupied Palestine has been documented in the annals of organizations like UNO and others as a legitimate aspiration. Their efforts have been both peaceful as well as violent. But that trend is no different from legendary American militias fighting for their independence against the colonial British or, more recently, people of Northern Ireland fighting against the English. Coincidentally, since in all these places, Muslim subjects are up against Hindu (Kashmir/India), Orthodox Christian (Chechnya/Russia) and Jewish (Palestine/Israel) occupiers, a tinge of religion is bound to appear in the politics surrounding these issues. Is it then fair to call subjects’ struggle as a religious war but stop short of attaching religion to the guilt of occupation? It hurts to even imagine that Jesus Christ inspired Sinn Fein to bomb Belfast and London or Lord Krishna taught Hindu Tamil Tigers of Sri Lanka to commit hundreds of suicide bombings or some God in the shining sky inspired Japanese Kamikazes to hurl themselves into allied ships sailing into their coasts to seal their independence. Why apply different terms of debate to different places and people?

Certainly, any religion can be warped into an instrument of hate, repression and ignorance; just witness the dark side of Christianity, which includes the Inquisition, slavery and geocentrism. As Major Khan summarizes:

For the sake of God, let’s keep God out of our games. No religion condones, let alone approves, bloodshed. Despite all the sublime words written in scriptures and said by Prophets, the so-called adherents of all ‘faiths’ have consistently done and said things that deserve the wrath of our Lord. Let’s admit that war is a necessary evil and there are weak sides just as there are strong ones. The tactics adopted is a function of relative power. Each side does a sprinkling of God to lift the spirits of stupid men and women about to die.

Well put. The 4GW world is far more complex than simple religious caricatures. Seriously, I hope Major Khan starts up a blog or gets a regular weekly roundup in SWJ. I'm really enjoying his work.

"Stolen Valor" is fraud, period

I read an article yesterday in USA Today (H/T Tim Haggerty) questioning the constitutionality of the Stolen Valor Act. Signed into law by President Bush in 2005, this act prohibits the wear of certain military decorations, and is named for the "Stolen Valor" website, where researchers expose impostors claiming to be Medal of Honor recipients, Navy SEALs and Army Rangers.

Says USA Today:

In pending cases, two men are challenging the constitutionality of the Stolen Valor Act. Water-district board member Xavier Alvarez of Pomona, Calif., made the mistake of claiming to be a retired Marine and recipient of the Medal of Honor during a public meeting in 2007. Rick Glen Strandlof claimed before his arrest in 2009 in Colorado to be a wounded Marine veteran who received a Purple Heart and Silver Star. Such "semper frauds" enrage actual Marines who take well-earned pride in the corps and its traditions.

We can all agree that false claims of military honors are repugnant and worthy of social condemnation. These men deserve to be social pariahs, but there remains a serious question over whether they deserve to be criminal defendants. We should spend our time and resources on creating easily accessible resources to uncover false claims. We also need to remember that, in the end, true valor cannot be stolen. It can only be earned. What is left are pathetic pretenders who should not add constitutional injury to social insult.

Unfortunately, "Stolen Valor" is no trivial matter--the US Justice Department has uncovered millions of dollars in fraud perpetrated by phony veterans. Phony vets have used their "credentials" for employment, political gain, and even to score with the ladies. Fortunately, dozens of volunteers run websites dedicated to uncovering phony veterans. With the ubiquity of digital cameras and social networking sites, phony veterans are becoming much easier to detect and expose.

Stolen Valor isn't a matter of freedom of speech. Impersonating government officials--be they police officers or military service members--has always been illegal.

Cheer up, Hugo...

The official Kings of War Twitter feed had a great link today regarding Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez' recent crackdown on Twitter and Facebook. Much like last year's elections in Iran, social networking sites are suspected of being used to organize protests against the Venezuelan government.

Still, relax, Hugo. According to some, Twitter and Facebook's role in protest organizing might be the least of your concerns. Many of the anti-Chavez tweets are in English, suggesting an appeal towards a foreign audience, not to ordinary Venezuelans. Nevertheless, there's still quite a few Spanish tweets, and Chavez doesn't have the control over the Internet that Iran seems to.

It will be interesting to see how, or if, this unfolds.

I want to be a contractor when I grow up...

Would you rather serve as an American service member, where you might have to feed your family with food stamps and you'll be forced to repay the US government should you misplace so much as a canteen? Or would you rather serve as a contractor, where you might get away with this:

Investigators looking into corruption involving reconstruction in Iraq say they have opened more than 50 new cases in six months by scrutinizing large cash transactions — involving banks, land deals, loan payments, casinos and even plastic surgery — made by some of the Americans involved in the nearly $150 billion program.

Some of the cases involve people who are suspected of having mailed tens of thousands of dollars to themselves from Iraq, or of having stuffed the money into duffel bags and suitcases when leaving the country, the federal investigators said. In other cases, millions of dollars were moved through wire transfers. Suspects then used cash to buy BMWs, Humvees and expensive jewelry, or to pay off enormous casino debts.

Some suspects also tried to conceal foreign bank accounts in Ghana, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Britain, the investigators said, while in other cases, cash was simply found stacked in home safes.

There have already been dozens of indictments and convictions for corruption since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. But the new cases seem to confirm what investigators have long speculated: that the chaos, weak oversight and wide use of cash payments in the reconstruction program in Iraq allowed many more Americans who took bribes or stole money to get off scot-free.

“I’ve had a continuing sense that there is ongoing fraud that we have not been able to nail down,” said Stuart W. Bowen Jr., who leads the Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, an independent oversight agency. “This spate of new cases is evidence that that sense was reasonably well placed.”...

Thanks, Master Yoda, for that amazing insight. No doubt a product of your highly-attuned Jedi senses. I don't think anyone else would have ever suspected that contractors might have been out to completely fraud the government.

Since Iraq’s economy collapsed after the 1991 Persian Gulf war, the country’s dealings with foreign companies and contractors have been laced with bribery, kickbacks and other fraud, Mr. White said, adding that weak oversight of the reconstruction efforts almost guaranteed that those problems would not be rooted out.

“That’s been very disappointing, and we’ve seen it in Afghanistan as well,” Mr. White said...

A senior federal official said that some of the new cases appeared to be closely linked to known networks of conspiracy and fraud and were likely to extend investigators’ knowledge of cases that had already ended with convictions. Many other cases seem to be entirely new, the official said.

Mr. Bowen said that many of the new cases involved bribes and kickbacks for awarding lucrative work to contractors, and that in a number of cases, spouses or other relatives of the suspects are accused of setting up fraudulent companies to hide the illicit gains.

I'd be looking for a new job if it weren't for the fact that the justice system is finally catching up with some of these crooks...

This is my rifle

(H/T JimmiePop and the Captain's Journal)

In Iraq, a Soldier's personal weapon is a status symbol. Officers and senior NCOs, for example, generally walk around the Forward Operating Base (FOB) with their Beretta 92F pistols. However, the true status symbol on any FOB is the M-4 carbine, the shortened version of the M-16 rifle, which is the weapon of choice for sweeping through urban environments, particularly while wearing body armor. Only the true "door-kickers" get the privilege of carrying the M-4 around the FOB; and for that reason, FOBbits will stab each other in the back just to get one. Bonus points if it has an ACOG sight. After all, not only does the M-4 look cool, but it's a lot easier to carry through the line in the dining facility.

But while the M-4 is great for close-combat urban fighting, firing from the pilot's seat of an OH-58D, and for "Geardos", it has some disadvantages in Afghanistan, where mountain firefights often take place at ranges over 300 meters. According to an influential paper written by Major Thomas Ehrhart, an infantry officer attending the US Army's School of Advanced Military Studies:

In conventional offensive infantry combat, the enemy is located and the elements of combat power are used to kill him, destroy his equipment or force his withdrawal. The enemy in Afghanistan blends into the environment, travels light and fast, and normally controls the high ground. The modern infantryman is burdened with heavy equipment to include weapons, communications gear, and protective armor. Additionally, he is not conditioned, acclimatized, or trained for operations at altitude and his performance in this terrain is reduced. Consequently, once the enemy is located it is difficult to maneuver against him.

Combat in Afghanistan has shown several trends. The enemy takes advantage of the terrain and engages patrols or convoys from high ground. He also combines this advantage with heavy weapons systems and mortars from a distance, typically beyond 300 meters. From the infantryman’s perspective, he attempts to fix the enemy, since his equipment limits his ability to maneuver, and attempts to kill the enemy through close air support (CAS), close combat attack, (CCA) or indirect fire. The infantryman’s ability to fix or kill the enemy with organic weapon systems at distances beyond 200 meters is limited by his equipment and training. The incapacitation mechanism of small caliber bullets, such as the 5.56-mm, comes primarily from bullet fragmentation.

Bullet fragmentation occurs only at a sufficiently high velocity. All 5.56-mm weapons are most effective when employed within 200 meters due to velocity limitations. Once contact is made, the fight is limited to machine gunners, mortars and designated marksmen. In the table of organization for a light infantry company only the six –M240B 7.62-mm machineguns, two- 60-mm mortars and nine designated marksman armed with either 7.62-mm M14 rifles or accurized 5.56-mm M16A4’s rifles are able to effectively engage the enemy. These weapons systems represent 19 percent of the company’s firepower. This means that 81 percent of the company has little effect on the fight.

Major Ehrhart recommends an "arms room" concept, where weapons can be customized with optics, buttstocks and barrels to accommodate the operating environment. He also recommends improving marksmanship training, little changed since the 1960s, when American troops were training to engage Soviet Forces in the Fulda Gap. Still others recommend upgrading to more accurate rifles, such as the HK 416, which jam less frequently, and are more easily customizable.

Focus: Do you love or hate your rifle?

Corrections, Apologies

I swear I didn't steal any portion of Nathan Hodge's article on Cartman and Blackwater. Maybe we just think on the same wavelength?

Same goes for this article on the Russo-Japanese War, which is unintentionally similar to "Learning from Foreign Wars" from Red Team Journal's Adam Elkus.

US, Colombia: Venezuelan Government Supporting FARC

Earlier today, the US Southern Command Blog posted an update on General Doug Fraser's testimony before the Senate Armed Services Comittee, which contains the following:

...I testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee and fielded a question from Senator McCain pertaining to the Government of Venezuela (GoV) facilitating contacts between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the Euskadi Ta Askatasuna or ETA (Basque Homeland and Freedom) during the planning and attempted assassination of Colombian officials, including President Uribe, during their recent visit to Spain...There is indeed clear and documented historical and ongoing evidence of the linkages between the Government of Venezuela and the FARC. We track this and continue to monitor the amount and level of direct support in the form of money, networks, and providing a safe haven for operations and personnel.

It's not surprising that Venezuela might be supplying narco-terrorists in Colombia, especially given the strained relationship between the two countries. But a plot to assassinate Colombian President Uribe, with cooperation from the Venezuelan government? Something tells me we haven't heard the last of this...

Blooper Reel Friday

This reminds me of my days as a lieutenant at Fort Bragg. On one notable afternoon, I received a call from a local infantry unit asking me if I had any aircraft that would be flying near Sicily Drop Zone. When I inquired why, they told the sad tale of a HMMWV that, unfortunately, was last seen falling from the belly of a C-130.

Without its parachute opening.

Could we lend a hand in the search?

Three Black Hawks and two OH-58Ds later, we finally found the wayward HMMWV, which had plowed through 30 feet of pine trees. Hey, as long as they found the serial number on the HMMWV, at least they could take it off the property book, right?

For those keeping score

Foreign Policy Online has a great roundup of the most recent deaths and arrests among Taliban and Haqqani operatives.

(H/T CourtneyMe109. Photo courtesy of the Telegraph)