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Prosgeopax
Jaded, yethopeful?
Registered: 01/28/05
Posts: 1,258
Loc: Appearing at a mall near ...
Last seen: 18 years, 3 months
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Iraq war delayed Katrina relief effort, inquiry finds
#4749036 - 10/03/05 11:50 AM (18 years, 5 months ago) |
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Iraq war delayed Katrina relief effort, inquiry finds By Kim Sengupta Published: 03 October 2005 (link)
Quote:
Relief efforts to combat Hurricane Katrina suffered near catastrophic failures due to endemic corruption, divisions within the military and troop shortages caused by the Iraq war, an official American inquiry into the disaster has revealed.
The confidential report, which has been seen by The Independent, details how funds for flood control were diverted to other projects, desperately needed National Guards were stuck in Iraq and how military personnel had to "sneak off post" to help with relief efforts because their commander had refused permission.
The shortcomings in dealing with Katrina have rocked George Bush's administration. Michael Brown, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, has resigned from his post and polls show that a majority of Americans feel the President showed inadequate leadership.
The report was commissioned by the Office of Secretary of Defence as an "independent and critical review" of what went so wrong. In a hard-hitting analysis, it says: "The US military has long planned for war on two fronts. This is as close as we have come to [that] reality since the Second World War; the results have been disastrous."
The document was compiled by Stephen Henthorne, a former professor of the US Army's War College and an adviser to the Pentagon who was a deputy-director in the Louisiana relief efforts.
It charts how "corruption and mismanagement within the New Orleans city government" had "diverted money earmarked for improving flood protection to other, more vote-getting, projects. Past mayors and governors gambled that the long-expected Big Killer hurricane would never happen. That bet was lost with Hurricane Katrina."
The report concludes that although the US military did a good job in carrying out emergency missions, there were some serious shortcomings.
The report states that Brigadier General Michael D Barbero, commander of the Joint Readiness Training Centre at Fort Polk, Louisiana, refused permission for special forces units who volunteered to join relief efforts, to do so. General Barbero also refused to release other troops.
"The same general did take in some families from Hurricane Katrina, but only military families living off the base," the report says. "He has done a similar thing for military families displaced by Hurricane Rita. However, he declined to share water with the citizens of Leesville, who are out of water, and his civil affairs staff have to sneak off post in civilian clothes to help coordinate relief efforts." The report says deployment in the Iraq war led to serious problems. "Another major factor in the delayed response to the hurricane aftermath was that the bulk of the Louisiana and Mississippi National Guard was deployed in Iraq.
"Even though all the states have 'compacts' with each other, pledging to come to the aid of other states, it takes time, money and effort to activate and deploy National Guard troops from other states to fill in".
Mr Henthorne's report states: "The President has indicated several times that he wants the US military to take a more active role in disaster management and humanitarian assistance.
"There are several reasons why that will not happen easily. (1) Existing laws will not allow the police powers the military will need to be effective. (2) The military is not trained for such a mission and (3) the 'warfighter insurgency' within the US military does not want such a mission and will strongly resist it. Not one civil affairs unit was deployed for either hurricane."
The report concludes: "The one thing this disaster has demonstrated [is] the lack of coordinated, in-depth planning and training on all levels of Government, for any/all types of emergency contingencies. 9/11 was an exception because the geographical area was small and contained, but these two hurricanes have clearly demonstrated a national response weakness ... Failure to plan, and train properly has plagued US efforts in Afghanistan, Iraq and now that failure has come home to roost in the United States."
-------------------- Money doesn't grow on trees, but deficits do grow under Bushes. You can accept, reject, or examine and test any new idea that comes to you. The wise man chooses the third way. - Tom Willhite Disclaimer: I reserve the right to change my opinions should I become aware of additional facts, the falsification of information or different perspectives. Articles written by others which I post may not necessarily reflect my opinions in part or in whole, my opinions may be in direct opposition, the topic may be one on which I have yet to formulate an opinion or have doubts about, an article may be posted solely with the intent to stimulate discussion or contemplation.
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afoaf
CEO DBK?
Registered: 11/08/02
Posts: 32,665
Loc: Ripple's Heart
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Re: Iraq war delayed Katrina relief effort, inquiry finds [Re: Prosgeopax]
#4749173 - 10/03/05 12:29 PM (18 years, 5 months ago) |
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this disaster has demonstrated is the lack of coordinated, in-depth planning and training on all levels of Government, for any/all types of emergency contingencies
The article seems to take issue with the military, but how can (or should) the military have planned for something that it is not directly supposed to deal with?
Not one civil affairs unit was deployed for either hurricane.
Has any civil affairs unit anywhere, ever been deployed for a hurricane? What are the predicates for 'deploying' a civil affairs unit.
http://www.soc.mil/usacapoc/civilaffairsfs.shtml
Civil affairs units help military commanders by working with civil authorities and civilian populations in the commander?s area of operations to lessen the impact of military operations on them during peace, contingency operations and declared war. Civil Affairs forces support activities of both conventional and special operations forces, and are capable of assisting and supporting the civil administration in the area of operations.
Civil affairs specialists can quickly and systematically identify critical requirements needed by local citizens in war or disaster situations. They can also locate civil resources to support military operations, help minimize civilian interference with operations, support national assistance activities, plan and execute non-combatant evacuation, support counter-drug operations, and establish and maintain liaison or dialogue with civilian aid agencies and civilian commercial and private organizations.
The fact of the matter is that despite how bad all this was, I don't think I like the precedent of deploying the US military domestically everytime we uncover the corruption or ineptitude of the state/local authorities, no matter how badly.
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psilocyb0rg
Psilocyborg
Registered: 09/27/05
Posts: 131
Loc: New York
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Re: Iraq war delayed Katrina relief effort, inquiry finds [Re: Prosgeopax]
#4749178 - 10/03/05 12:30 PM (18 years, 5 months ago) |
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Figures...We can "save" a group of people an ocean away, but we can't save people on our own land
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Unagipie
Pilgrim -DBK鰻
Registered: 08/11/05
Posts: 6,300
Loc: The Trenches of France
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Re: Iraq war delayed Katrina relief effort, inquiry finds [Re: psilocyb0rg]
#4750511 - 10/03/05 05:19 PM (18 years, 5 months ago) |
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Quote:
psilocyb0rg said: Figures...We can "save" a group of people an ocean away, but we can't save people on our own land
Katrina is God's way of mocking an absurdity
-------------------- Don't fight it. Just let the illuminados take over your mind. You be at bliss soon.
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Catalysis
EtherealEngineer
Registered: 04/23/02
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Re: Iraq war delayed Katrina relief effort, inquiry finds [Re: Prosgeopax]
#4750804 - 10/03/05 06:27 PM (18 years, 5 months ago) |
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I was always under the impression that sending a full-scale US military operation into a state was not a trivial matter, legally speaking. Maybe those conditions need to be revised.
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afoaf
CEO DBK?
Registered: 11/08/02
Posts: 32,665
Loc: Ripple's Heart
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Re: Iraq war delayed Katrina relief effort, inquiry finds [Re: Catalysis]
#4750866 - 10/03/05 06:41 PM (18 years, 5 months ago) |
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maybe they don't and localities should just handle their business in the same fashion as mississippi and texas.
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Catalysis
EtherealEngineer
Registered: 04/23/02
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Re: Iraq war delayed Katrina relief effort, inquiry finds [Re: afoaf]
#4750925 - 10/03/05 06:55 PM (18 years, 5 months ago) |
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Well, that would be the most logical option. Unfortunatly, I think we are now beyond the point of rational logic.
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afoaf
CEO DBK?
Registered: 11/08/02
Posts: 32,665
Loc: Ripple's Heart
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Re: Iraq war delayed Katrina relief effort, inquiry finds [Re: Catalysis]
#4750984 - 10/03/05 07:09 PM (18 years, 5 months ago) |
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there's always time for rational thought.
just because New Orleans is fucking retarded doesn't mean we should be rewritting posse comitatus,
-------------------- All I know is The Growery is a place where losers who get banned here go.
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Redstorm
Prince of Bugs
Registered: 10/08/02
Posts: 44,175
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Re: Iraq war delayed Katrina relief effort, inquiry finds [Re: afoaf]
#4751005 - 10/03/05 07:13 PM (18 years, 5 months ago) |
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Quote:
afoaf said: maybe they don't and localities should just handle their business in the same fashion as mississippi and texas.
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