Tag: AFRICOM

Militarism after all – Season 1 finale – Ep 31

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Today is our final episode for the year.  We discuss the HUGE pile of recent military news that has occurred within the last week, to include Jim Mattis’ resignation, 4k troops departing Syria, half of the current deployment in Afghanistan redeploying, and so on.

For that who haven’t heard, Fortress On A Hill has a new cohost: BT Hampton.  He’s an OIF / OEF veteran like Danny and myself and we’re pumped to have him as part of our tiny circle of self destruction.  You can find his blog and personal podcast here.  

2:23– The death and crimes of George H.W. Bush

20:00– Niger investigation update

35:33– Syria redeployment \ cutting Afghanistan troops in half

38:40– Mattis resignation

1:08:20– Patron questions

1:45:08– An outrageous amount of militarism in a small package

An operation in Niger went fatally awry.  Who is the Army punishing? – Thomas Gibbons-Neff – NYT

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Contact us direct by email at fortressonahill@gmail.com

Leave us a voicemail at 860-598-0570.  We might even play it on the podcast!!!

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A special thanks to our honorary producers Matthew Hoh, Will Ahrens, Gage Counts, Fahim Shirazee, and James Higgins!!  Without you guys, we couldn’t continue our work.  Thank you so much!!!

Not up for something recurring like Patreon, but want to give a couple bucks?!  Visit Paypal.me/fortressonahill to contribute!!

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FOH is hosted, written, and produced by Chris ‘Henri’ Henrikson and Danny Sjursen

Intro / outro music “Fortress on a hill” written and performed by Clifton Hicks.  Clifton’s Bandcamp page; Clifton’s Patreon page

Cover and website art designed by Brian K. Wyatt Jr. of B-EZ Graphix Multimedia Marketing Agency in Tallehassee, FL

Note: The views expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts alone, expressed in an unofficial capacity, and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.

Keagan Miller interview – former Navy-NSA intel analyst – Ep 15.0 – Part 1

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Military operations grind to a halt without intelligence.  Both the human side (HUMINT) and the electronic side (SIGINT for signal intelligence) must be pursued relentlessly to give military operational forces their picture of the battlespace.  Yes, it’s a lot of jargon and bullshit to say intelligence speaks to people and gets info from them, along with listening to cell phones and other electronic devices.

Today, we’re going to focus on the analyst side and speak with Keagan Miller.  Keagan is a former CTT (Cryptologic Technical Technician) who served in the Navy from 2009-13. He worked at NSA Georgia in support of 5th fleet and intelligence agency operations in North Africa and Middle East such as the Libya mission in 2011, the anti-piracy mission in Somalia, as well as other intelligence support given to operations in Yemen and Syria. Since getting out of the military he has been working with homeless veterans in the non profit and at the county level as a Case manager for Supportive Housing programs.

Here’s part 1.  Enjoy!!!

Enjoy the show?!  Please leave us a review right here.

Got news to share about our military or veterans?! Or just need to cuss at us for a bit?! Contact us direct by email at fortressonahill@gmail.com

Leave us a voicemail at 860-598-0570.  We might even play it on the podcast!!!

Not a contributor on Patreon? You’re missing out on amazing bonus content! Sign up to be one of our contributors today! – www.patreon.com/fortressonahill

A special thanks to our honorary producers Matthew Hoh and Will Ahrens!!  Without you guys, we couldn’t continue our work.  Thank you both so much!!!

Facebook – Fortress On A Hill

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FOH is hosted, written, and produced by Chris ‘Henri’ Henrikson and Danny Sjursen

Cover and website art designed by Brian K. Wyatt Jr. of B-EZ Graphix Multimedia Marketing Agency in Tallehassee, FL

Music provided royalty free by Bensound.com

Note: The views expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts alone, expressed in an unofficial capacity, and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.

Africa on fire and too many military brats – Ep 11.5

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As a prolific news junkie, there are some stories that I’m tired of reading about and the Niger investigation has become one of those stories.  Not because the news about Niger is especially horrible or specifically newsworthy, or because we’re seeing more and more expansion by AFRICOM into new corners of Africa; obviously, both those things are true.  My frustration with this is because of the fallout people connected to this news must live through.

The families of these soldiers deserve to fully understand how their loved ones died and what reason the US government says is the prevailing rationality for these soldiers to be in Africa at all.  But the lies and subterfuge continue, most recently in attempting to largely lay the blame of the ambush on the soldiers who died. And I expect more from our military leadership; I shouldn’t, but I do.  These men died being told they were serving their country, but all I see here is lies and propaganda.

Here, Danny and I break down recent headlines out of Africa and discusses the immense number of military members who have family that served.  You wouldn’t think that would be a problem, but for diversity of thought and experience, it’s really important.

00:50 – Danger pay for areas in AFRICOM, new base in Somalia and updates on the Niger ambush

18:06 – Vice chief comments on the US military becoming a caste onto itself through multi generation service

DoD approves danger pay for Niger, Mali, Cameroon – Tara Copp – Military Times

EXCLUSIVE: MASSIVE MILITARY BASE BUILDUP SUGGESTS THE U.S. SHADOW WAR IN SOMALIA IS ONLY GETTING BIGGER – Christina Goldbaum – Vice News

Military Leaders Sent Them On A Hasty, Ill-Planned Mission — And Are Now Blaming Them – Paul Szoldra – Task and Purpose

Enjoy the show?!  Please leave us a review right here.

Got news to share about our military or veterans?! Or just need to cuss at us for a bit?! Contact us direct by email at fortressonahill@gmail.com

Leave us a voicemail at 860-598-0570.  We might even play it on the podcast!!!

Not a contributor on Patreon? You’re missing out on amazing bonus content! Sign up to be one of our contributors today! – www.patreon.com/fortressonahill

A special thanks to our honorary producers Matthew Hoh, Will Ahrens, Ron Unger, Gage Counts, and Bashir!!  Without you guys, we couldn’t continue our work.  Thank you all so much!!!

Facebook – Fortress On A Hill

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FOH is hosted, written, and produced by Chris ‘Henri’ Henrikson and Danny Sjursen

Cover and website art designed by Brian K. Wyatt Jr. of B-EZ Graphix Multimedia Marketing Agency in Tallehassee, FL
Music provided royalty free by Bensound.com

Note: The views expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts alone, expressed in an unofficial capacity, and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.

AFRICOM under the microscope – Ep. 8.0

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In Ep 8.0, Danny and Henri take the FOH lens back to Africa, as they attempt to make sense of new information (and lack thereof) on both the Niger ambush and the overall AFRICOM mission.  They also dig into new developments involving foreign born service members, suspected ‘foreign born terrorists,’ and the US government’s failings toward badly needed reconstruction funds for rebuilding Iraq.

00:35 – The pursuit of ‘foreign born terrorists’ / Closing of USCIS offices near Army bases

17:06 – The dangers of America’s ever expanding mission in Africa

31:00 – Iraq reconstruction

41:53 – Niger ambush command failures

Foreign born terrorists – TomDispatch – Arnold R. Issac

The destabilizing dangers of American counterterrorism in the Sahel – Nathaniel Hale – War on the Rocks

After destroying Iraq, US won’t commit a dime to reconstruction – TruthDig – Juan Cole

Allies promise Iraq $30 billion, falling short of Baghdad’s appeal – Reuters – Maher Chmaytelli, Ahmed Hagagy

Command Failures Led to Niger Ambush, Explosive Report Shows – Military.com – Richard Sisk

U.S. MILITARY OPENED SECRETIVE DRONE BASE TO VISITORS (AFTER THE INTERCEPT WROTE ABOUT IT) – Joe Penney – The Intercept

Enjoy the show?!  Please leave us a review right here.

Got news to share about our military or veterans?! Or just need to cuss at us for a bit?! Contact us direct by email at fortressonahill@gmail.com

Not a contributor on Patreon? You’re missing out on amazing bonus content! Sign up to be one of our contributors today! – www.patreon.com/fortressonahill

A special thank you to our honorary producers, Matthew Hoh and Will Ahrens.

Facebook – Fortress On A Hill

Twitter – Fortress On A Hill

Soundcloud – Fortress On A Hill

FOH is hosted, written, and produced by Chris ‘Henri’ Henrikson and Danny Sjursen
The show was mixed and edited by Chris Henrikson
Cover and website art designed by Brian K. Wyatt Jr. of B-EZ Graphix Multimedia Marketing Agency in Tallehassee, FL
Music provided royalty free by Bensound.com

Note: The views expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts alone, expressed in an unofficial capacity, and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.

50th anniversary of the Tet Offensive – lessons of Vietnam revisited with Greg Daddis Part 2 – Ep 6.5
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We recently passed the 50th anniversary of the Tet Offensive.  As such a pivotal point in time to understand, we continue our sit down with COL (ret) Greg Daddis and discuss the factors that led to America’s losses in Vietnam and how those lessons are still so important today.
4:50 – Nation building in Syria
14:37 – Veteran sizzle reel
19:05 – Trump admin’s new national security strategy
28:40 – Changing the rules about VA Individual Unemployability – Check out Ep 5.0 for recent news on the VA involving medical marijuana and using veterans as props.
38:00 – The use of special operations forces in the war on terror
52:52 – Part 2 of our sit down with COL (ret) Greg Daddis on the anniversary of the Tet Offensive and the lessons Vietnam can teach us about the War on Terror.
America in search of an un-Geneva on Syria – War on the rocks – Sam Heller
Military investigating shooting in newly leaked Afghan combat video – Politico – Wesley Morgan
Fact Check: Did Donald Trump’s 2018 Budget Proposal Cut Support for Disabled Veterans? – Snopes
Trump’s National Defense Strategy Has the Pentagon Popping Champagne – The American Conservative – Andrew Basevich
Tomgram: Nick Turse, The Coming Year in Special Ops
Enjoy the show?!  Please leave us a review right here.
Got news to share about our military or veterans?! Or just need to cuss at us for a bit?! Contact us direct by email at fortressonahill@gmail.com
Patreon – Fortress On A Hill
Facebook – Fortress On A Hill
Twitter – Fortress On A Hill
Soundcloud – Fortress On A Hill
FOH is hosted, written, and produced by Chris ‘Henri’ Henrikson and Danny Sjursen
 The show was mixed and edited by Chris Henrikson
 Cover and website art designed by Brian K. Wyatt Jr. of B-EZ Graphix Multimedia Marketing Agency in Tallehassee, FL
 Music provided royalty free by Bensound.com
Note: The views expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts alone, expressed in an unofficial capacity, and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.
MeToo when you wear the uniform – Sexual assault in the military – Ep 4.0
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Ep 4 is here.  Hope you enjoy it.
I did want to make a note for people about SGT Johnson, the SF soldier who died in Niger back in October.  I said his name a number of times in this episode and I’m pretty sure most of them were SGT La Johnson.  His name is SGT La David Johnson and I apologize for not saying his name correctly.  I have memory issues and sometimes things don’t get out quite right.  But, a person’s name is an important thing and I aim to do it right.
We are starting a bonus program for anyone contributing to $3+ to us on Patreon!  There will be bonus podcast content not shown on ordinary episodes, original writings from Danny and myself, some collaborations with other creators and some other surprises we have cooked up.  Stay tuned!
00:40 – Jerusalem becoming location of US Embassy
08:38  – Gas line explosion at Camp Pendleton 
11:09  – Niger updates
42:20  – Analyzing recent deployments of Raytheon Patriot missile defense systems
51:00  – Three sisters, three academies, four generations of service
105:13 – Sexual assault in the military
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/05/…/american-embassy-israel-trump-move.html
https://news.vice.com/en_us/article/bjddq8/everything-we-know-about-u-s-special-ops-are-doing-in-33-african-nations
https://www.militarytimes.com/off-duty/military-sports/army-navy-game/2017/12/05/army-navy-week-3-sisters-3-academies-and-4-generations-of-service-3/
‘Got news to share about our military or veterans?! Or just need to cuss at us for a bit?! Contact us direct by email at fortressonahill@gmail.com
Patreon – www.patreon.com/fortressonahill/
Facebook – www.facebook.com/fortressonahill
Twitter – www.twitter.com/fortressonahill
FOH is hosted, written, and produced by Chris ‘Henri’ Henrikson and Danny Sjursen
 The show was mixed and edited by Chris Henrikson
 Cover and website art designed by Brian K. Wyatt Jr. of B-EZ Graphix Multimedia Marketing Agency in Tallehassee, FL
 Music provided royalty free by Bensound.com
Note: The views expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts alone, expressed in an unofficial capacity, and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.
The Last Days of SGT La David Johnson – Ep 1
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Why are US troops deployed in Africa?  If you’re confused why, you’re not the only one.
In FOH’s first episode, Henri and Danny break down major stories from the military / veteran community, including updates about Bowe Bergdahl, whistleblower and recently released former soldier Chelsea Manning, and the deaths of four US Special Forces soldiers in Niger.
00:30 – Russian missile testing
02:05 – Kurdish MG on the US’s failings in Iraq, Newsweek article by Kurdish general.
03:40 – II MEF stretched thin.
06:50 – Yemen humanitarian crisis
11:25 – Cameroon torturing terror suspects
13:30 – SF deaths in Niger / US military mission in Africa
42:05 – Bowe Bergdahl and his current status
1:01:00 – Chelsea Manning
1:21:00 – Total
http://taskandpurpose.com/chelsea-manning-harvard/
http://taskandpurpose.com/general-marines-stretched-thin/
http://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-has-betrayed-kurds-and-iraq-will-suffer-it-694575
http://www.newsweek.com/what-lies-behind-accusations-abuse-cameroon-troops-fight-boko-haram-410421
 
Got news to share about our military or veterans?! Or just need to cuss at us for a bit?! Contact us direct by email at fortressonahill@gmail.com
Patreon – www.patreon.com/fortressonahill/
Facebook – www.facebook.com/fortressonahill
Twitter – www.twitter.com/fortressonahill
FOH is hosted, written, and produced by Chris ‘Henri’ Henrikson and Danny Sjursen
 The show was mixed and edited by Chris Henrikson
 Cover and website art designed by Brian K. Wyatt Jr. of B-EZ Graphix Multimedia Marketing Agency in Tallehassee, FL
 Music provided royalty free by Bensound.com
Note: The views expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts alone, expressed in an unofficial capacity, and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.