US Special Forces Are Operating in More Countries Than You Can Imagine

[eridani]

http://www.thenation.com/article/195409/us-special-forces-are-operating-more-countries-you-can-imagine?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=email_nation&utm_campaign=Email%20Nation%20%28NEW%29%20-%20Most%20Recent%20Content%20Feed%2020150120&newsletter=email_nation

During the fiscal year that ended on September 30, 2014, US Special Operations forces (SOF) deployed to 133 countries—roughly 70 percent of the nations on the planet—according to Lieutenant Colonel Robert Bockholt, a public affairs officer with US Special Operations Command (SOCOM). This capped a three-year span in which the country’s most elite forces were active in more than 150 different countries around the world, conducting missions ranging from kill/capture night raids to training exercises. And this year could be a record-breaker. Only a day before the failed raid that ended Luke Somers life—just 66 days into fiscal 2015—America’s most elite troops had already set foot in 105 nations, approximately 80% of 2014’s total.

Despite its massive scale and scope, this secret global war across much of the planet is unknown to most Americans. Unlike the December debacle in Yemen, the vast majority of special ops missions remain completely in the shadows, hidden from external oversight or press scrutiny. In fact, aside from modest amounts of information disclosed through highly-selective coverage by military media, official White House leaks, SEALs with something to sell and a few cherry-picked journalists reporting on cherry-picked opportunities, much of what America’s special operators do is never subjected to meaningful examination, which only increases the chances of unforeseen blowback and catastrophic consequences.

“The command is at its absolute zenith. And it is indeed a golden age for special operations.” Those were the words of Army General Joseph Votel III, a West Point graduate and Army Ranger, as he assumed command of SOCOM last August.

[Electric Monk]

1. Here's a better, and much shorter, url for it

http://www.thenation.com/article/195409/us-special-forces-are-operating-more-countries-you-can-imagine
(you don't need the question mark and everything after it)

and here's a similar piece from a year ago
http://www.thenation.com/article/177797/why-are-us-special-operations-forces-deployed-over-100-countries

[ND-Dem]

2. "secret global war across much of the planet" makes me want to cry

[newfie11]

3. No wonder the worlds a mess

Perpetual wars!
Our military is wanting an increase in their budget, go figure! Did they miss a country or two!!!!

[Orrex]

4. It would probably be simpler to list the countries in which they aren't operating.

I imagine that we can count those countries on part of one hand.

[Electric Monk]

5. kick nt

[Jesus Malverde]

6. They are not so special any more. Maybe just forces.

They work with some of the scummiest of the scum.

The government of Uganda top of the list. If there is a humanitarian hashtag movement. US troops aren't far behind.

#KONY2012 #SAVEOURCHILDREN #FREELIBYA #EBOLA

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-15317684

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/22/world/africa/us-sends-troops-to-aid-hunt-for-nigerian-schoolgirls.html

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/09/obama-notifies-congress-of-troops-deployed-to-libya-and-yemen/

http://www.christianpost.com/news/obama-says-he-will-send-us-troops-to-west-africa-to-help-ebola-epidemic-as-deaths-top-2100-126048/

[woo me with science]

7. That's a terrifying article.

Good god.

[woo me with science]

8. kick Military INDUSTRIAL complex