Defense Department identifies U.S. soldiers killed in helicopter crash

Defense Department identifies U.S. soldiers killed in helicopter crash

Killed were:

Chief Warrant Officer 3 Stephen R. Dwyer, 38, of Clarksville, Tennessee.

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Shane M. Barnes, 34, of Sacramento, California.

Staff Sgt. Tanner W. Grone, 26, of Gorham, New Hampshire.

Sgt. Andrew P. Southard, 27, of Apache Junction, Arizona.

Sgt. Cade M. Wolfe, 24, of Mankato, Minnesota.

Previously:

US to cut military presence in Niger + Pentagon lied to Congress

The Pentagon reportedly plans to pull out some of its troops from the African country

The US has begun “repositioning” the troops it has in Niger and plans to cut their number “nearly in half” over the next several weeks, Politico reported on Friday citing two Defense Department officials.

US to cut military presence in Niger

Related:

Pentagon Misled Congress About U.S. Bases in Africa

Rand Paul: Why do we still have troops in Niger?

GOP debate bloodbath over Ukraine leaves room for agreement — on China

GOP debate bloodbath over Ukraine leaves room for agreement — on China

For all the talk about a divided GOP on foreign policy, it should be clear that when it comes to China, these eight candidates are more in agreement about where the country should be training its firepower, than not. Pinning them each down on what exactly they are proposing, and how far they will go to meet the threat, would be an interesting next exercise, sans the bloodletting.

Why the U.S. Government Cares About the Coup in Niger + More

Let us travel back in time to April 9, 1999. It was the middle of hot season in the West African country of Niger and 120 degrees in the shade. Jocelyn, one of the authors, was a newly minted Peace Corps volunteer and had recently arrived in a rural community 60 miles south of Niamey, the capital, where she would spend the next two years. That day, President Ibrahim Bare Mainassara and five other people were shot dead at the airport, a mutiny by his presidential guard. But there was no international outcry, no evacuation of Americans and Europeans. Jocelyn was told to stay put in the small community where she was living. Life went on as usual.

Why the U.S. Government Cares About the Coup in Niger | Opinion

Related:

“Divide and Rule”: Italy’s PM Giorgia Meloni Is Biden’s “Political Asset”. U.S. Behind Niger Coup d’Etat. America’s Hegemonic Wars Against Europe and Africa

A Bad Idea Resurfaces: Using the US Military Against Mexico’s Drug Cartels

There has been a recent flurry of proposals to have the U.S. military launch a full-scale war against Mexican drug cartels – primarily to stem the alleged fentanyl crisis. Former Attorney General William P. Barr initiated the latest campaign with an op-ed in the March 2, 2023, Wall Street Journal. “America can no longer tolerate narco-terrorist cartels,” Barr raged. “Operating from havens in Mexico, their production of deadly drugs on an industrial scale is flooding our country with this poison. The time is long past to deal with this outrage decisively.”

A Bad Idea Resurfaces: Using the US Military Against Mexico’s Drug Cartels

Leaked Document Appears to Show NATO Special Operations Forces are in Ukraine

SOF = Special Operation Forces. Pax = Personnel. DoS = Department of State, DoD = Department of Defense. DAO = Defense Attaché System. ODC = Office of Defense Cooperation. MSAU = Marine Security Guards (Marine Security Augmentation Unit). USSOF = United States Special Operation Forces.

A Pentagon document that has appeared on the internet as part of a trove of leaks shows the number of NATO special operations forces that are inside Ukraine, according to The Guardian.

Leaked Document Appears to Show NATO Special Operations Forces are in Ukraine