The Joint Unconventional Warfare Task Force Execute Order (AKA the JUnc WTF?)
On September 30, 2009–according to a big new story from Mark Mazzetti–David Petraeus signed a directive approving the deployment of small special operations teams to go into friendly (Saudi Arabia and Yemen) and unfriendly (Iran and Somalia) countries to collect intelligence.
Interestingly, Mazzetti makes it clear that he’s not covering this because CIA’s pissed about it (which sometimes appears to be the case for his reporting).
While the C.I.A. and the Pentagon have often been at odds over expansion of clandestine military activity, most recently over intelligence gathering by Pentagon contractors in Pakistan and Afghanistan, there does not appear to have been a significant dispute over the September order.
In fact, it appears DOD issued the directive because CIA wouldn’t do whatever JSOC is now doing: the directive…
calls for clandestine activities that “cannot or will not be accomplished” by conventional military operations or “interagency activities,” a reference to American spy agencies.
One would hope that Congress gets pissed about this, though. Mazzetti quotes the document using the code–“prepare the environment”–that Cheney used for JSOC activities that he claimed did not need to be briefed to the Intelligence Committees, which (Mazzetti lays out implicitly) is being claimed here, too.
Unlike covert actions undertaken by the C.I.A., such clandestine activity does not require the president’s approval or regular reports to Congress, although Pentagon officials have said that any significant ventures are cleared through the National Security Council.
In probably unrelated news, Esquire is previewing a story that Eric Massa claims Dick Cheney and Petraeus have met several times about the latter running for President–what Massa rather ludicrously (at least given the details thus far) calls “treason” or a “coup.”
But frankly, I believe Obama would embrace that “preparing the environment” all by himself if it meant further consolidation of power in the White House.
And in other probably unrelated news, Ray McGovern says one big reason Dennis Blair got fired is because he wasn’t amenable to a getting tough on Iran (Iran does feature prominently in Mazzetti’s story).
Some day there will be some f*ck-up on the ground during “preparation of the environment” and the US government will find itself in an act-of-war situation with respect to one of these countries.
That’s a risk. Maybe someone thinks it’s a risk the US military should be taking. But the consequences are for the nation as a whole, and the decision to take such risks needs to be made by someone who has been duly vested with that decision-making power by the nation as a whole.
It’s just beyond comprehension that possible acts of war do not require Presidential approval.
[Note: this is not an argument that these are acts I’d like to see the President actually approve. It’s an argument that, regardless of the merits or lack thereof, the process itself is profoundly anti-democratic and unaccountable. If the President were required to sign a document that might indict him later on, he might think twice about granting that approval…]
congressional
(Sigh) This is how our Constitution is eroded. The Founding Fathers wanted to make the decision to go to war a collective judgment. But it has seemingly become the solitary decision of the Commander in Chief.
And Republicans always seem to want to go to war, and Democrats are afraid of appearing weak, so they always go along with whatever phony excuse the CIC puts before them. So we have come to think that Presidents lead us into war. “A Republic, my dear, if you can keep it.” I think we’re losing it.
I wish the Democrats would start to appear strong by challenging the Chicken Littles for whom the sky is always falling, and by ridiculing their fearful pandering.
Bob in AZ
I get what you’re saying, but I think that ship sailed about 50 years ago.
It’s important that at least someone, some elected official somewhere, who at least has a colorable argument that they have the authority, sign off on this sort of stuff and know that they can be held accountable for that signature.
Shorter ProfF: this is provocation without representation. :)
Just like a lot of other stuff that gets done in DC these days.
I wish that Congress would remember that we’re the ones paying for their lifestyles, and represent us instead of the corp-rats, and that they’re supposed to be equal to the president, not his servants.
Boy that was good for a laugh.
The lobbyist supplies the lifestyle which they could never afford on the measly $ 130,000 +/- we pay them.
Well stated.
We the people have the right to demand accountability.
Interesting. You would think it might actually be in need of a declaration of war; but apparently it is so casual, and petty in the face of the convenience of Presidential deniability, the Chief Executive need not even be apprised, much less give the order. Wow.
Yeah, that “preparing the environment” phrase seems a slightly sanitized cover for the presumably more “old school” lingo of “preparing the battlefield.” And, if I recall correctly, that latter term is used in various neo-con arguments to justify sweeping executive actions in times of war (or “war”).
When did Caesar make the Senate dispensable?
We have no reason not to believe Special Forces have not been acting in this capacity for some time. Didn’t Sy Hersh already say Special Ops teams were in Iran some time ago? Somalia? Certainly they’ve been operating there for some time. If they are in Saudi Arabia, I suppose it is with the knowledge and perhaps gratitude of the Saudis, whose regime is unstable, and is fighting national insurgencies of their own in the south. The government of Yemen, likewise.
Wasn’t Gates recently reported to be “relaxing” by reading “Seven Days in May”?
The civilian leadership of the United States is not entirely in control of this country, it seems, and the extremely dangerous waters into which we were plunged after 9/11 are threatening to swallow us up.
It is interesting that this story is being released right now. It would seem to be an attempt to counter the growing power gathering behind Petraeus, executed by a certain opposition with the Pentagon, and perhaps by the CIA.
The Pentagon apparatus, left totally unaccountable for war crimes, like torture (the SASC investigation into torture amounted to more than a toothless reprimand) appears to be preparing to make a strong move in the Middle East and Central Asia, taking advantage of the fact Europe is weakened by internal crisis, and China not yet strong enough or committed to exerting its power far beyond its borders.
Should have read:
Why does the CIA have an obsession with the use of aberrant sex?
Crazy: Some in CIA wanted to create fake Saddam Hussein sex video, report asserts
LINK.
Because they know Huffington Post?
And didn’t Sy Hersh promise a book about the Bush Administration was going to come out last December. He had people lining up to discuss the issues. Right? Am I delusional?
I have been re-reading Caesar’s Gallic Wars for a talk I am giving in Paris next week. Although there are disturbing parallels here, I don’t think we are anywhere close to a Caesarian gambit. Caesar was able (on his own) to recruit several armies. You can’t do much with a handful of special ops. If they get got, the administration will simply say it was rogue operation. Still, it shows how far the militarization of our society has proceeded. I am surprised Obama has gone along with it. He may not be a free agent here.
Jeff Kaye @ 6:
“We have no reason not to believe Special Forces have not been acting in this capacity for some time. Didn’t Sy Hersh already say Special Ops teams were in Iran some time ago? Somalia? Certainly they’ve been operating there for some time. If they are in Saudi Arabia, I suppose it is with the knowledge and perhaps gratitude of the Saudis, whose regime is unstable, and is fighting national insurgencies of their own in the south. ”
And didn’t Dick Cheney just fly over to Saudi Arabia for a chat with the King?
Has Obama seemed aloof from the Gulf Oil situation because he’s fighting off some kind of internal coup? Seems to me that he needs to fire some people.
Bob in AZ
Petraeus leaked this. He was in DC yesterday.
I would be surprised if it was not illegal for commissioned officers to not inform Congress of covert activities by the military involving nations that we are not in an active state of war.
What worries me is whether or not the military is doing the same thing with their “special ops” guys inside the United States. All this craziness definitely points to one agency watching what another agency of the government is up to, all within the executive branch but will little, if any legal culpability from anyone.
For instance, was the Secretary of State aware of these operations? How about other people in the State Department, the National Security council, etc? This is about accountability and chain of command, not just about the law. Certainly it points to all sorts of problems with good governance and transparency and honest with regard to what America’s armed forces are doing on the one hand and what our diplomats and representatives are saying on the other.
D”ya think he means that active military officers ought not run for Pres because of the inherent challenge to the sitting C-in-C? Potential for insubordination and confusion of loyalties for anyone serving down the command chain? Etc.
Since BHO is the C in C can’t he just order P to stand down? I mean he is his boss!
heh heh
jh3
Honestly, I think based on the evidence thus far in the Esquire piece, Massa is being an idiot: Generals are allowed to run for President.
That said, I HAVE heard hints of Petraeus buddying up to Cheney since Obama took over, both at the handover of power and in the time period just leading up to this directive. So there might be something more there.
Is Petraeus heading toward his Douglas McArthur moment?
I realize that Obama is no Harry Truman, but what was reported seems to continue destabilization of the Persian Gulf region. And is as dangerous as ordering troops across the Yalu River.
Are the “actions” similar to what went on in South and Central America?
This is actually what I immediately thought of when this came out: Jonathan Alter’s telling of Obama dressing down the Generals over Afghanistan:
Note, Obama’s in the process of calling for even more troops for Afghanistan.
>Obama’s in the process of calling for even more troops for Afghanistan
Must be that 11-dimensional chess.
Funny, I’d have thought that, per his modus operandi, he would have offered Petraeus the SecDef job instead when coming into office. Maybe to much focus on potential 2012 contenders on his side of the aisle. Bipart!
That’s not going to be popular, but he may feel like he has to do it, to take away the “weak on defense” canard that the Republicans love to play.
We can’t really afford these wars. Obama needs to be looking for a way out.
Bob in AZ
Where’s General McClellan when you need him.
Yes, but don’t they have to resign or retire from their military positions first?
I have some fears about this military gambit with Petraus: I think there’s a big chess game going on wrt Iraq and Afghanistan that is aimed at forcing Obama’s hand to escalate our involvement (including the idiotic possibility of war against Iran) at a time when most of America wants out. There’s going to be gaming involving heavy use of the fear card, and the canard about the Democrats being weak on defense. Obama may have some severe discipline problems going on with the Bushie Generals in the Pentagon.
Bob in AZ
Remember General James Mattoon Scott?
Precisely.
If you remember the plot of the movie — and I do — it started with the formation of ECOMCON, a fictional emergency communications, command and control element that was to seize control of the physical assets of all the major media outlets.
Oh, yes, I do indeed. First saw it as a kid, maybe 1967-1968 or so. Was chilling even then. Immediately read the book by Knebel; gotta say the book is even more chilling than the movie. Has always stuck with me hard.
This from a list serve I sub to;
“I heard the the put put of the lawn mower
and I knew that my neighbor was back home from Iraq ,
A seargent major of an entire Division He was gone a year.;and it was
great to see him back home .
Were of the same age ; only he has not an oz of fat and has grand kids
peanuts age (boys) that dote on him and run in circles about him ;happy that
he is home .
So as the grand children wrestled the lawn and peanut and I sipped Lemon
aid watching his dogs nip at their heels and flying pant legs ; He and I
talked of home and garden ; kids and horses and well just plain peas and corn bread which is local speak for local
.In passing however he told me that both Haliburton and root were offering guys
like him $250,000-$300,000 a year to head up security programs in
Afganistan ………and “I just can’t afford to pass that up” .
“But I insisted that Obama sez their coming home ?;
That’s just the PR line he sez ; ; according to haliburton and Root and
the guys who will be paying my freight….. they ain’t going no where ;
…..He paused …..and then stared off at a distant golden white
thunderhead climbing thousands of feet high in the sky
….. ” they keep building bridges and making airfields…. only an hour
from Iran…”
jh3
Ike was able to order the military to pack it in, repeatedly, because he was a former general with cred who knew the ropes.
Maybe Petraeus could do likewise.
n/t
Just plain OUTRAGEOUS.
[My n/t comment above @18 was about my mistaken reading of “Executive” for “Execute” in the title above. Still…it’s…interesting.]
Congress MUST DEfund this CRAP.
But they won’t, as shown [once again] by powwow on yesterday’s Greenwald thread [emphasis added]:
Juan Cole has weighed in on this one. He sees two issues: (1) The blurring of the lines between intelligence gathering and the military endangered all members of them military relative to their Geneva Convention status. (2) Doing this as a directive from Petraeus circumvents the law in that it is an attempt to avoid oversight by Congress.
Thanks, TarheelDem. Here’s the link
Petraeus Memo Widens scope of US Military Covert Operations in ME
From the article:
I guess “missle strikes from Navy ships” has been added to the definition of “intelligence gathering” in their dictionary.
In “olden days” I would have interpreted this to mean the Vice President could approve such action.
Amazing Pat Tillman had that accident. Can’t think of anyone of that stature on the scene today. The wars would have died, if he was allowed to live.
That’s how it is today it’s not weather you do the crime rather did you get caught, plausible deniability or something.
omg! Just made me think. I heard a podcast on antiwar radio the other day, an interview with Will Potter, and it was about those new special prisons (CMUs – communication management units) coming to light to keep certain prisoners totally isolated, 1 letter 3 pages a week, one <15 minute phone call a month, 1 hour visit per month, no touching… It was absolutely insane. And Potter was following the legality of it back, like who can order such a thing, what's the law… we don't know, it doesn't seem to be judges, maybe a warden, maybe higher? You're assigned, you can't challenge it, you can't appeal it, it's done, and don't call us we'll call you…never. One example was a guy in prison for environmental "terrorism" — we're not talking Exxon or BP corporatepersons here, we're talking someone who did property damage in defense of the environment, and the phrase for determining who gets that kind of isolation was: someone of “inspirational significance.”
God knows where they would put Pat Tillman… oh wait.
Anyone else worried about North Korea?
“About” or for?
DW
It is only a matter of “when”, not “whether” the military attempts a coup in the U.S.
The military is acutely aware of the disintegration of traditional institutions in the U.S.
they will seize power in order to “save us” from chaos.
they will most likely also contrive the chaos.
‘Traditional institutions’ meaning that we have a president who’s not obviously white and thus can’t be ‘legitimate’?
That’s on the wrong side of the line between free speech and sedition.
See the forest?
Recall that Cheney, GHW and Kenny Boy conspired to CAUSE A CRISIS sufficient to influence the American Electorate to demand alleged “energy experts” be installed in the White House on the heels of the FAKE California energy crisis that they created pre-2000 election – purposefully.
Now they are at it again.
In order to get the electorate to DEMAND a military leader in the White House, this Shadow Government must first create so much global chaos that the sheeple see no alternative but to install “an EXPERT.”
Where such grand strategies are concerned, see the GHW Bush cabal.
See the forest? Got Conspiracy? Got Treason?