Posted by editor-at-large on 1 December 2011 at 8:13 pm UTC
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Brig. Gen. Larry Boyd, SCMD, received the Sir Winston Spencer Churchill Award by the U.S. Counterterrorism Advisory Team (USCTAT) during ceremonies at the S.C. State House, Thursday.
The award – signed by retired CIA operations officer Clare Lopez who today serves as the USCTAT deputy national director – was presented for tenacity and resourcefulness.
According to the citation, Boyd has demonstrated “tireless perseverance and personal sacrifice for the causes of public safety and state and national security, the recipient has served as a model for all members of our military forces and the global counterterrorism community.”
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Posted by editor-at-large on 1 December 2011 at 8:13 pm UTC
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Brig. Gen. Larry Boyd, SCMD, received the Sir Winston Spencer Churchill Award by the U.S. Counterterrorism Advisory Team (USCTAT) during ceremonies at the S.C. State House, Thursday.
The award – signed by retired CIA operations officer Clare Lopez who today serves as the USCTAT deputy national director – was presented for tenacity and resourcefulness.
According to the citation, Boyd has demonstrated “tireless perseverance and personal sacrifice for the causes of public safety and state and national security, the recipient has served as a model for all members of our military forces and the global counterterrorism community.”
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Goff named vice chair of Youth ChalleNGe Advisory Board
Posted by editor-at-large on 6 November 2011 at 4:10 pm UTC
[Brig. Gen. Darlene Marie Goff]
By W. Thomas Smith Jr.
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Brig. Gen. Darlene M. Goff – assistant adjutant general of the S.C. Army National Guard – has been named vice chair of the Youth ChalleNGe Advisory Board.
The board advises and provides volunteer-professional support to the Youth ChalleNGe Academy (the upper case “NG” reflecting the S.C. National Guard’s oversight), a program wherein at-risk kids ages 16–19 can enter a five-month “quasi-military” school and, upon successful completion of the program return home – beginning a one-year “mentoring phase” – with the values, skills, education, self-esteem and self-discipline to succeed as an adult.
“I am honored to serve as vice chair,” says Goff. “The Youth ChalleNGe program provides a chance for young people who’ve not been successful in high school to learn the skill-sets and self-confidence to achieve success. It provides a second chance, and we – as members of the board – want to enhance the program so that it offers a second chance to as many kids as possible.”
Goff – referred to by Gov. Nikki Haley as “a woman of great strength, dignity, and service” – is the first female general-officer in the S.C. Military Dept., which includes the S.C. Army National Guard, the S.C. Air National Guard, the Emergency Management Division, the S.C. State Guard, and the Joint Services Det., among other elements.
A native of the historic town of Ninety Six (in Greenwood County), Goff is a graduate of Lander University, the Palmetto Military Academy, Webster University, and the Army War College. Her previous post on the board was that of military committee chair.
– Visit W. Thomas Smith Jr. at uswriter.com
Quds Force in our own backyard
Posted by editor-at-large on 13 October 2011 at 11:53 am UTC
[Following is part of a briefing delivered yesterday, adapted for World Defense Review]
By W. Thomas Smith Jr.
As new information about the alleged Iranian plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in the U.S. continues to surface, keep in mind many of the seemingly unrelated particulars many counterterrorism analysts and experts have pointed to for years – and politicians have far too-often dismissed as unimportant fear-mongering – regarding the Iranian-Hizballah threat in the Western Hemisphere, particularly as regards the threat of the Iranian Quds Force (tasked with directing this latest plot) and Hizballah terrorists operating in central and South America.
Politics aside, let’s examine the facts and connect a few of the dots.
FIRST, what is the Quds Force?
The Quds (Jerusalem) Force is the special-operations arm of Iran’s Pasdaran or what we generally refer to as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Remember, Iran essentially has two sets of armed forces: They have the state armed forces – which includes army, navy, and air forces – and they have the Islamic armed forces under absolute control of the mullahs, which is the IRGC.
Like the regular state armed forces, the IRGC maintains ground, naval and air units. But it also is responsible for the strategic missile forces. The IRGC commands the Basij militia, an all-volunteer paramilitary force fiercely loyal to the revolution. And the IRGC maintains the Quds Force, which is
responsible for the IRGC’s foreign activities.
The Quds Force was directly involved in deadly attacks against U.S. soldiers in Iraq (during the height of the war), even Afghanistan. They have threatened our ships in the Persian Gulf; and they are directly responsible for organizing, training, equipping, funding, and providing operational-support to Lebanon-based Hizballah.
SECOND, we know that Quds Force and Hizballah operators, supporters, and sympathizers have received direct support from – and they have enjoyed incredible freedom-of-movement within – the Mexican drug cartels and from within some of the most notorious gangs operating in both central and North America like Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13).
According to Businessweek, “The plotters, one of whom is in U.S. custody, also targeted Israel’s embassy in Washington, as well as the embassies ofIsrael and Saudi Arabia in Argentina, according to a federal law enforcement official familiar with the matter.”
Argentina is key.
Recall that my colleagues and I have discussed at length the tri-border area of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay that has – according to a 2009 study by the Rand Institute – “emerged as the most important financing center for Islamic terrorism outside of the Middle East.”
These facts – as well as this latest plot – speak to the threat we are facing south of the border. And they demonstrate just how important an understanding of these threats in the Western Hemisphere really is.
– W. Thomas Smith Jr. is a New York Times bestselling military technical advisor and editor. Visit him online at uswriter.com.
Green reappointed to top U.S. Defense Dept. post in S.C.
Posted by editor-at-large on 5 October 2011 at 10:17 pm UTC
[Maj. Gen. John V. Green]
By W. Thomas Smith Jr.
Maj. Gen. John V. Green was reappointed state chairman of the South Carolina Committee for the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) during ceremonies held in Washington, D.C., Sept. 21, 2011.
Green, the ranking U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) official for ESGR in S.C., is responsible for all matters regarding corporate relations and employer support for Reserve Component Forces in the state.
ESGR is a DoD organization with a primary mission of gaining and maintaining employer support – both public and private employers – for the men and women of the National Guard and Reserve.
A former probate judge and chairman of Richland County Council, Green retired from the U.S. Air Force after 30 years of service. He also is a retired commander of the Joint Services Det., S.C. Military Dept.
IS THE U.S. MILITARY IN DANGER OF BECOMING A HOLLOW FORCE?
Posted by editor-at-large on 3 October 2011 at 8:31 pm UTC
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By Bill Connor
On Sept. 22, 2011 while testifying in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, stated, “If you took a trillion dollars out of Defense, that would break us.” He was referring to the mandatory cuts in Defense if the “Super Committee” failed to reach a plan for a budget.
At the same hearing, Adm. Mullen warned that further cuts going past the planned $315-billion “has forced us to look into the abyss.”
The new Sec. of Defense, Leon Panetta, testified that further cuts would cause “catastrophic damage to military and ability to protect this country.”
Unfortunately, the new military drawdown and Defense cuts are the most drastic seen since the post-Vietnam period of the 1970’s. While the media and presidential candidates put all focus on the nation’s economic problems, they ignore a gathering storm on the horizon: A “hollow” military.
The term “hollow,” in reference to the military, was first used by Army Chief of Staff Gen. “Shy” Meyers when he described the post-Vietnam 1970’s Army as the “hollow Army”. At this time, many units existed on paper, but were not prepared, manned or equipped to defend the nation.
Having grown up as the son of a career Army officer (and Vietnam veteran) in the 1970’s, I can personally remember the poor state of our nation’s military due to the lack of support by our politicians. That is in comparison to my own time of military service from the 1980’s until today.
The hollow Army was not only due to the massive cut in funds, but also the rapid drawdown in personnel. Major Garry Thompson, in his thesis for a Master of Military Arts and Sciences described the infamous Hollow Army of the 1970’s:
“By the mid-1970s the Army was not a pleasant place to be. Drug use, racial tensions, low quality troops, and inexperienced NCOs left the Army in a state of disarray.
”Officers and NCOs were occasionally mugged by their own troops and some were even murdered. Many officers and NCOs were reluctant to enter barracks alone, or without a pistol on their hip. Troubles were made worse by the efforts of many senior officers to cover up or play down the incidents. Thus many guilty soldiers were not court-martialed and were often quietly let out of the service (and sometimes not).
“One battalion commander stated, ‘If they didn’t like being in the Army, all they had to do was badmouth an officer (or worse) and then be rewarded with their walking papers.’
”Master Sergeant (retired) Richard C. Cox recalled of the conditions of the Army in 1976 and 1977 thus: ‘The only reason I stayed in the Army was the fact that I knew it couldn’t get any worse. As crazy as it sounds I had a high school diploma and a few college credits so I was one of the smart ones. I knew that I would be promoted. The only thing that nearly drove me out was the inconsistent disciplinary practices. Receiving a DUI was almost a right of passage in some units. In others you were kicked out right away. I also remember seeing a platoon leader stuffed in a wall locker and thrown down a flight of stairs. I wasn’t particularly proud to wear the uniform back then.’”
By the mid-1970’s, reenlistment rates fell to the lowest levels in history.
First term attrition rate was 26 percent in 1971 and steadily peaked 38 percent in 1974.The results of the “hollow” Army were obvious.
During the Carter years we were helpless as Iranians took our fellow countrymen hostage, and we failed miserably during the “Desert One” rescue attempt of those hostages. We were also helpless to stop the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan, which came partly from the Soviet analysis of our weakness and inability to fight back. Thank God the Cold War did not become “hot” during the late 1970’s.
The way out of that terrible period was with the support of the Reagan Administration after Reagan took office in 1981. Ronald Reagan was a true “comprehensive” conservative, who believed that despite conservative “small government” values, it was the obligation of conservatives to ensure our national defense. National defense was the most important function of the federal government and one of the only functions only government could provide. Under Reagan, Defense spending rose dramatically, as did the salaries and benefits to keep the best people in uniform. The Army Reagan built deterred any direct confrontation with the Soviets, and was proven during Desert Storm. It is the military that has defended us since the attacks of 9/11.
Having rebuilt the military of the 80’s, 90’s and today, are we now taking it back to the hollowness of the 1970’s? Similar to the 1970’s, we are now redeploying from a long war.
In the case of Vietnam, we had substantial numbers of troops deployed from 1964 until 1973. We are all aware of the decade of sustained combat during operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. This period of recovery from sustained periods of combat is a critical time and one of the worst times to make massive cuts and rapid drawdowns.
If, as happened during the 1970’s, we cut benefits, salaries and support, we will see a similar dynamic as then. Many of the best officers and non-commissioned officers will opt to leave the service. Those remaining will be stuck with sub-standard training, equipment, and personnel. We will have “paper” units, which are only a shadow of the authorized strength.
From my own experience over the last few years, those within the military are already becoming concerned that promised benefits, like health care and pension, are becoming open to the chopping block. These are benefits promised to those who have put their lives on the line and given their best years to the nation. Our nation keeps its word, and will end up paying a price if it fails to honor these types of commitments.
America should have the proper debate about the future of our armed forces. We may make the conscious decision to sacrifice national security for a period of time due to the perceived economic crisis. Though I would disagree with this decision (at least if there is any entitlement left to cut), at least we would know and could control the risk. It’s absolutely wrong to continue down the road we are heading: The neglect of our great military to the point it becomes hollow. If that happens, economic concerns will be the least of our problems.
- Visit Bill Connor at billconnoronline.com
S.C. State Guard Foundation awards $12,500 to Patriots Point for Museum Study
Posted by editor-at-large on 23 September 2011 at 11:28 pm UTC
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CHARLESTON, SC – The S.C. State Guard (SCSG), on behalf of the SCSG Foundation, presented a check for $12,500 to the Patriot’s Point Foundation to help “re-image” the famous Naval & Maritime Museum in Mount Pleasant, Sept. 19.
The presentation was made by Col. Frank Taylor, commander of the SCSG’s 3rd Brigade, to Patriots Point Foundation Pres. Bob Simons during a brief ceremony (pictured here) in the courtyard of The Citadel Alumni House.
Maj. Gen. James E. Livingston, USMC (Ret.) a Medal of Honor recipient, was in attendance.
“It is important to ‘re-image’ – and I use that word ‘re-image’ – Patriots Point to get the community involved and make Patriots Point what it was intended to be,” says Livingston. “We need to move beyond the past and make Patriots Point the place to be, and a study focused on the museum is the catalyst.”
The Patriot’s Point Foundation is currently funding a study by PGAV Destinations (which has worked with the Biltmore Estate in N.C., Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia, and Gettysburg National Park, Pennsylvania) to “improve the depth, scope, and appearance of the museum and its close proximity to the National Medal of Honor Museum,” according to a statement issued by Patriot’s Point.
The money was generated by the national Medal of Honor convention which was held in Charleston last fall. The S.C. State Guard Foundation and The Citadel co-hosted the convention.
“This money is a direct result of the success of the 2010 Medal of Honor convention and the hard work of its co-sponsors,” says SCSG Command Sergeant Major Edwin McGowan. “We are glad to be able to use these funds to support the Patriots Point Foundation for this museum-specific study, because the museum is a magnet for all military people.”
Brig. Gen. Joe Hudson, SCSG Foundation treasurer, agrees. “The study is important not only for the Mount Pleasant–Charleston region, but for the entire state,” he says.
Patriots Point is home to several retired warships, including the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown, as well as the headquarters of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society and the official Medal of Honor Museum.
– Visit W. Thomas Smith Jr. at uswriter.com.
Counterterrorism Advisory Team presents awards
Posted by editor-at-large on 19 September 2011 at 6:07 pm UTC
By W. Thomas Smith Jr.
Terrorism analysts Chris Carter and Clare Lopez were awarded the U.S. Counterterrorism Advisory Team’s (USCTAT) Combatant’s Cross during ceremonies at the S.C. State House in Columbia, Monday.
Carter, based in Missouri, is the deputy director for the USCTAT’S Region II, which encompasses the geographic region within the U.S. Central time zone as well as a designated location in Region I (Eastern).
Lopez, a CIA operations officer (ret.), is deputy director of the USCTAT. She resides in Virginia.
A 20-plus member council composed of nationally recognized military, counterterrorism, and intelligence experts; the USCTAT is an initiative of the Family Security Foundation, Inc. (FSFI), a national security non-profit. The team also serves in ongoing affiliations with the American Public Policy Alliance and the Center for Security Policy among other national security initiatives.
Since 2009, the USCTAT has provided analysis to military units and many of the world’s leading news agencies. Additionally, the USCTAT’s Task Force India has tested and reviewed tactical equipment with reviews appearing in general consumer and law enforcement publications.
The Combatant’s Cross – the highest recognition by the USCTAT - was presented to both Carter and Lopez, neither of whom were present. The awards were accepted on behalf of both recipients by former White House advisor DeWitt Zemp.
– W. Thomas Smith Jr. is a New York Times bestselling military technical advisor and editor. Visit him online at uswriter.com.
God’s Will in a military maxim
Posted by editor-at-large on 4 August 2011 at 11:38 am UTC
By W. Thomas Smith Jr.
Years ago, I wrote a piece entitled, “Spirituality and military service,” wherein I said service in the military is something akin to a religious experience.
Writing then I said, “It is important that this is so.” After all, to be a good soldier one needs to embrace the soldierly virtues (those ‘religious’ intangibles like loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage), because soldiers in combat have to deal with the weighty responsibilities of life and death. Who leads? Who follows? Who lives? Who dies? And why?
This relationship between spirituality and military service has existed as the proverbial heart-and-soul of all combat forces since the beginning of recorded military history – with all belligerents believing God was (or is) on their side, and Napoleon himself once musing that “God is on the side of the biggest battalions.”
What I did not address in that piece was that the relationship between spirituality and military service may also be seen and appreciated in the light of how we – in a very personal, perhaps primal sense – thwart the corrupting influence of man’s fallen nature. In other words how the relationship between spirituality and military service gives us strength to overcome the pitfalls of that particular soldierly drive we know to be ambition.
Make no mistake, a good soldier needs to be ambitious (in a measured degree). Ambition is a reflection of his competitive nature, and without it he has no fire within him to win.
Just as fire is necessary to fuel life, ambition is needed to fuel competition. But like fire, ambition can quickly rage out of control, begin to overwhelm the aforementioned soldierly virtues, and ultimately do more damage than good.
This drive (or ambition) must be tempered.
As a means of tempering this drive this we have a military maxim: The mission first, then the men, lastly me. It is simple albeit perfect formula which, not only ensures the greatest chance of success in a given mission, but it acknowledges the importance of the personal drive, yet keeps it under control.
In my opinion, the mission and the men (both being first) are everything by God’s own design.
Problem is, even though we all understand this, the fallen-nature-of-ourselves tries to sidetrack us into that ugly selfishness – when ambition begins to overheat to the point that the military leader becomes consumed with the desire to be appreciated and recognized. This is not a good thing for a military leader.
The maxim – a tool to be applied in every instance of sound military leadership – protects the military leader from himself. The maxim reminds the military leader that he must always put the mission first, then take care of the men. That does not mean the men are taking a backseat to the mission. In fact, many of us like to say, “The mission first, the men always.”
When we look at the maxim’s “me” element, we understand that “me” does take a backseat to the mission and the men. As U.S. Marine Maj. Gen. James E. Livingston, a Medal of Honor recipient, once told me, “The ‘me’ part of the maxim must be far removed from the mission and the men.”
But the military leader must never interpret “me” – being distanced from “the mission and the men” – to mean that he should neglect himself. To neglect “me” would be just as irresponsible as putting it in a status equal to the mission and the men.
The best interpretation of the “The mission first, the men always” should be that leaders eat last, and they put the mission and their people first.
This is not only a perfect maxim for success, it is a simple outline for righteous living. It is – I believe – one of the few articulated expressions of God’s perfect Will.
God wants us to always serve the mission and the men. And the devil himself (yes, I know it is not fashionable today to refer to the devil in serious commentary) tries to disrupt or destroy God’s Will by demanding we give the selfish “me” the same attention we give the mission and the men.
But we know this is wrong.
This is just another reason I so-love the military. Right and wrong stand so clearly in contrast to one another. Just like courage (in its many forms) and cowardice. Sacrifice and selfishness. Truth and untruth. Good and evil.
In the military, we cannot escape these antitheses of one another. Which is why the great Swedish battle captain Gustavas Adolphus said in 1630, “A good Christian will never make a bad soldier.”
Indeed, for here we begin to see God’s perfect Will in a simple military maxim.
– W. Thomas Smith Jr. is a New York Times bestselling military technical advisor and editor. Visit him online at uswriter.com.
Patriots Point to receive funding from S.C. State Guard Foundation
Posted by editor-at-large on 20 July 2011 at 8:32 pm UTC
By W. Thomas Smith Jr.
CHARLESTON, S.C. – July 20, 2011 – The board of directors of the S.C. State Guard Foundation today voted to award $12,500 to assist Charleston’s Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum in its ongoing development of a 36-acre tract of land surrounding the site at Mount Pleasant.
Patriots Point officials say they need approximately $200,000 by year’s end. And the S.C. State Guard Foundation – which co-hosted (along with The Citadel) the national Medal of Honor convention in Charleston last fall – hopes its donation will not only help toward that goal, but inspire other South Carolinians to do the same.
“This is one way in which we are demonstrating our support of those who serve – and who have served – our state and nation,” says Michael Graham, vice pres. of the S.C. State Guard Foundation, a serving officer in the U.S. Army Reserve, and an attorney at Rogers Townsend & Thomas in Columbia where today’s foundation meeting was held.
Maj. Gen. F. Eli Wishart, a former U.S. Army Special Forces officer who retired as commander of the S.C. State Guard, agrees with Graham.
Monies raised to support Patriots Point is “an investment in the state,” Wishart says. “Charleston is already a tourist destination point,” he adds. “Developing Patriots Point will only strengthen that fact. It also will increase jobs, and the end result will be a tremendous source of pride for all South Carolinians for generations to come.”
Development of Patriots Point is a project of PGAV Destinations, which has worked with the Biltmore Estate in N.C., Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia, and Gettysburg National Park, Pennsylvania. PGAV Destinations is also involved in a development project to create a master plan for Fort Ticonderoga in upstate New York.
Patriots Point is home to several retired warships, including the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown, as well as the headquarters of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society and the official Medal of Honor Museum.
– Visit W. Thomas Smith Jr. at uswriter.com
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