Blogs of WarBlogging the war on terror, intelligence, politics, military, science, and technology issues since 2002Video: Texas National Guard Prepares for Hurricane Gustav - Helicopters and C-130s Requested- August 30, 2008 Texas is not alone. There are 65,000 troops on standby along the Gulf Coast: Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau, said there are 65,000 guardsmen on standby across the region. &8220;Any response required will be rapid and effective,&8221; Gen. Blum said during a press conference at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) ...http://www.blogsofwar.com/2008/08/30/video-texas-national-guard-prepares-for-hurricane-gus... MQ-9 Reaper UAV Drops First Bomb in Iraq- August 25, 2008 The Reaper is off to a good start in Iraq: During an overwatch mission over southeast Iraq, Reaper operators with Balad&8217;s 46th Expeditionary Reconnaissance and Attack Squadron discovered a suspicious vehicle. The Airmen immediately relayed the information to personnel in a local ground unit, said Lt. Col. Micah Morgan, the 46th ERAS commander. After the suspicious ...http://www.blogsofwar.com/2008/08/25/mq-9-reaper-uav-drops-first-bomb-in-iraq/ NATO: Russia is Not Honoring Cease-Fire - Will Work to Deny Russias Strategic Objectives- August 19, 2008 I&8217;m continuing to see hopeful signs of life from NATO and Rice: NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said on Tuesday that the Russians are not now honoring the terms. &8220;There can be no business as usual with Russia under the present circumstances,&8221; Scheffer said. The announcement came after foreign ministers from NATO member nations gathered in ...http://www.blogsofwar.com/2008/08/19/nato-russia-is-not-honoring-cease-fire-will-work-to-d... United States and Poland Agree on Missile Defense System- August 15, 2008 This is certainly happening at an interesting time: Poland and the United States have signed a preliminary deal to place part of a U.S. ballistic missile defense system in Poland, a plan that has drawn sharp objections from Russia. &8220;We believe that missile defense is a substantial contribution to NATO&8217;s collective security,&8221; said White House spokeswoman Dana ...http://www.blogsofwar.com/2008/08/15/united-states-and-poland-agree-on-missile-defense-sys... U.S. Humanitarian Airlift to Georgia Underway- August 13, 2008 I just received an interesting press release from Project HOPE: Project HOPE, an international health education and humanitarian assistance organization, today sent more than $400,000 of antibiotics to the people of Georgia through a U.S. Department of State airlift that will arrive in the Georgian capital city of Tbilisi later this week. Nearly 4,000 bottles of the ...http://www.blogsofwar.com/2008/08/13/us-department-of-state-humanitarian-airlift-to-georgi... Transcript: President Bush Sending Troops to Georgia - Will Rally Free World in Defense- August 13, 2008 Good morning. I&8217;ve just met with my national security team to discuss the crisis in Georgia. I&8217;ve spoken with President Saakashvili of Georgia, and President Sarkozy of France this morning. The United States strongly supports France&8217;s efforts, as President of the European Union, to broker an agreement that will end this conflict. The United States of ...http://www.blogsofwar.com/2008/08/13/transcript-president-bush-sending-troops-to-georgia-w... 174th Fighter Wing to Switch from F-16s to MQ-9 Drones- August 12, 2008 The unit recently returned from Iraq where they flew their last manned missions. I&8217;m sure that some will miss the F-16s but the MQ-9 offers many advantages: Strafing and &8220;intimidation&8221; (coming in low and fast) attacks have been very useful in Iraq and Afghanistan, so the Reaper is not going to put the F-16s out of ...http://www.blogsofwar.com/2008/08/12/174th-fighter-wing-to-switch-from-f-16s-to-mq-9-drone... Georgia Declares War- August 9, 2008 The scale of this event is deeply troubling: Georgia declared a state of war Saturday as fierce battles with Russia military over the breakaway region of South Ossetia entered their second day. Russia has launched a full-scale military invasion of Georgia, President Mikhail Saakashvili said during a brief news conference Saturday afternoon. &8220;We are dealing with absolutely ...http://www.blogsofwar.com/2008/08/09/georgia-declares-war/ International Red Cross Seeks Safe Corridor in South Ossetia to Treat and Evacuate the Wounded- August 8, 2008 There are conflicting reports about the number of casualties but given the intensity of the fighting it&8217;s possible that a large number of people need assistance. In fact, it sounds quite bad: Red Cross spokeswoman, Anna Nelson, says it is too dangerous for aid workers to move around freely, so it is difficult to get an ...http://www.blogsofwar.com/2008/08/08/international-red-cross-seeks-safe-corridor-in-south-... |