Endless War! 5 Disturbing Things in America's Military Budget [View all]

[xchrom]

http://www.alternet.org/world/endless-war-5-disturbing-things-americas-military-budget


U.S. army soldiers on patrol in Sadr City, Iraq.
Photo Credit: Staff Sgt. Russell Klika/U.S. Army

1. More Special Forces

President Obama has wound down the Iraq War and plans to reduce troops levels in Afghanistan, though he’s also attempting to negotiate a prolonged troops presence in the latter country. At the same time, he has presided over an expansion of elite military units known as special operations forces, which operate secretly around the globe and have become crucial to the endless “war on terror.” Special Operations Forces, like the Navy SEALs, are used to train foreign militaries in counter-terrorism and execute raids like the operation that killed bin Laden.

***SNIP

2. The Drone War Continues

In addition to deploying Special Operations Forces, the other key aspect of the Obama administration’s approach to war has been drones. The U.S. has waged a relentless war via drone in Pakistan and Yemen, as well as other countries, though drone strikes have decreased in recent months. Still, the impact of drones on civilians has not lessened, as a December strike in Yemen that killed at least a dozen people, many of them civilians, showed.

***SNIP

3. Endless War

In 2001, the U.S. enshrined into law the Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF). The measure has come to justify many aspects of the “war on terror,” from Guantanamo to Afghanistan to drone strikes. And the House wants to keep it that way.

4. Indefinite Detention

One of the most controversial elements of the NDAA was signed into law by President Obama at the end of 2011: the ability to indefinitely hold American citizens suspected of terrorism.