National Defense Briefs – 04/20/16

By W. Thomas Smith Jr.

NATIONAL DEFENSE BRIEFS is a series produced by National Defense Consultants, LLC, aimed at informing readers with timely military and homeland security news updates, trends, definitions, and short commentaries. Defense issues are inextricably connected to business. In that, MidlandsBiz.com and National Defense Consultants presents the “National Defense Briefs” that matter.

• The branch of armed service which has most-vigorously resisted the White House’s (and by proxy, the Navy Secretary’s) demand that women be allowed to serve in infantry and special operations units, has been the U.S. Marine Corps. Unfortunately, the demand to comply has forced the Corps’ hand. This, despite the fact that not one single, extremely fit female-Marine has been able to complete the grueling Marine infantry officer’s course in over two years of trying to get them through the pipeline. Despite the fact that multiple tests have absolutely proven that as a group – and individually, in most cases by far – male Marines outperform females in terms of physical strength, speed, quickness and the ability to carry heavy loads over great distances and then be able to fight tooth-to-eyeball with a tough male enemy combatant in close quarters (all vital to ground-combat supremacy). And despite the counsel of experienced Marine leaders, combat veterans and actively serving Marines in the rifle companies. Logic, reason, combat efficiency, and a hard-earned (over 240-plus years) reputation as the most respected combined-arms expeditionary force in the world have all collapsed. Political correctness wins.

• Will ground-combat-training standards be lowered to accommodate female Marines? For the time being, no. That’s the official line. But a lowering-of-standards is definitely on the table. The Defense Dept. has put the burden of proof on Marine leaders who are being required to have an explanation as to why standards shouldn’t be lowered if they are too tough for women. Experts say, some ground-combat training standards have already been unofficially lowered in some quarters.

• The Marine Corps has for years prided itself, not only on training, equipping, and fielding the toughest, most-feared amphibious-infantry regiments on earth, but there was the equally important benefit of building American manhood. Indeed, previous recruiting slogans were, “The Marine Corps builds men,” and “The Marines are looking for a few good men.” As late as this year, the Washington Times and FOX News referred to as the Marines as the “Macho Marine Corps.” Like it or not, no more.

• The Marine Corps remains the only branch of service that continues to train males and females separately during recruit training (boot camp).

• The death toll continues to rise in the wake of yesterday’s suicide-bombing attack which was followed by a fierce gunbattle in Kabul, Afghanistan. The dead, including soldiers and security-force officers (though the majority of the dead are civilians), are now said to number 28. Another 329 people have been wounded. The Taliban has claimed responsibility. According to the BBC, the attack “comes a week after [the Taliban] said it was launching its ‘spring offensive,’ warning of large-scale attacks.”

• U.S. special-operations forces reportedly killed a senior ISIS commander during a raid this week as part of a broader offensive against the ISIS-held city of Mosul, Iraq. According to Kurdish officials as reported in The (UK) Times, American special forces have launched two attacks in three days. In an attack Monday, “American and Kurdish commandos killed the commander of ISIS forces defending the eastern approaches to Mosul.” The ISIS commander is said to be Abd Shabib al-Jabouri, also known as Abu Saif. He is believed to have been a member of ISIS’ war council.

• In Syria, yesterday, ISIS fighters seized Syrian-government-held territory in the eastern Syrian city of Deir ez-Zor. “The group had taken complete control of the city’s industrial district following fierce clashes with government troops. ISIS captured nearly all of Deir ez-Zor province, which borders Iraq, after it seized the Iraqi city of Mosul in June 2014, but the Syrian government still controls parts of the city,” according to reports.

• As we have reported, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and al Sham (also ISIS), the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), and the Islamic State (IS). Many Arab-speaking people refer to ISIS as Daesh, an acronym for Al Dawla al-Islamiya al-Iraq al-Sham (the Arabic translation of the Islamic State of Iraq and al Sham). ISIS originated with Al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) in 2006. But AQI formally severed ties with ISIS in 2013-2014. AQI is also known as Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia or AQM.

– W. Thomas Smith Jr. – a former U.S. Marine rifleman – is a military analyst and partner with NATIONAL DEFENSE CONSULTANTS, LLC. Visit him at http://uswriter.com.