Anniversary: Battle of Puebla

If you don't know that Cinco de Mayo celebrates the Battle of Puebla, and that it's not the Mexican Independence Day, then you don't get to drink Coronas 'til you're blind.

By: Brant

Anniversary: Battle of Puebla

If you don't know that Cinco de Mayo celebrates the Battle of Puebla, and that it's not the Mexican Independence Day, then you don't get to drink Coronas 'til you're blind.

By: Brant

Anniversary: Battle of Puebla

If you don't know that Cinco de Mayo celebrates the Battle of Puebla, and that it's not the Mexican Independence Day, then you don't get to drink Coronas 'til you're blind.

By: Brant

Inaugural Meeting of North American Defence Ministers Joint Statement

Hot off the Pentagon newswire, here's the Joint Statement from the inaugural meeting of North American Defence Ministers . OK, it's not that hot. It was yesterday.

The Honorable Peter MacKay, Canada’s Minister of National Defence, the Honorable Leon E. Panetta, U.S. Secretary of Defense, General Guillermo Galván Galván, Mexican Secretary of National Defence, and Admiral Mariano Francisco Saynez Mendoza, Mexican Secretary of the Navy, met today in Ottawa for the inaugural trilateral meeting of North American Defence Ministers. The Ministers issued the following statement on their meeting:

“By virtue of our geography, our peoples, and our trading relationship, our three nations share many defense interests. Threats to North America and the hemisphere are increasingly complex and require non-traditional responses. Building upon the trilateral collaboration under the North American Leaders Summit process, we share a determination to enhance our common understanding of those threats and of the approaches needed to address them.

“Our countries are committed to working together to address challenges in the region. We know that transnational threats require transnational responses. With this in mind, we have agreed to enhance our cooperation to support efforts to counter transnational criminal organizations and to respond to natural disasters in the hemisphere.

“Our meeting today has established the framework necessary to build North America’s resilience by pursuing a practical agenda built on sustained trilateral cooperation on issues related to defense. As part of our initial work plan, we intend to:

Develop a joint trilateral defense threat assessment for North America to deepen our common understanding of the threats and challenges we face.
Explore ways to improve our support to the efforts of civilian public security agencies in countering illicit activities in our respective countries and the hemisphere, such as narcotics trafficking.
Explore how we can collaborate to increase the speed and efficiency with which our armed forces support civilian-led responses to disasters.
Continue to work together to strengthen hemispheric defence forums.
“We have agreed to meet on a regular basis in order to build on today’s historic meeting and continue our cooperation in addressing shared continental threats.

“We will pursue this trilateral agenda respectful of national sovereignty and in coordination with other agencies in our respective governments. The results of our meeting will be conveyed to our respective leaders in advance of the upcoming North American Leaders Summit.”

By: Brant

An Unmanned Border Crossing With Mexico?

Yep, sounds bat-shit crazy at first, doesn't it? Truth is, after reading the article, I can completely understand their reasoning. I'm still not sure I think it's the best idea, but I can at least conclude that it's not a bad one.

This hardly seems a time the U.S. would be willing to allow people to cross the border legally from Mexico without a customs officer in sight. But in this rugged, remote West Texas terrain where wading across the shallow Rio Grande undetected is all too easy, federal authorities are touting a proposal to open an unmanned port of entry as a security upgrade.
By the spring, kiosks could open up in Big Bend National Park allowing people from the tiny Mexican town of Boquillas del Carmen to scan their identity documents and talk to a customs officer in another location, at least 100 miles away.
The crossing, which would be the nation's first such port of entry with Mexico, has sparked opposition from some who see it as counterintuitive in these days of heightened border security. Supporters say the crossing would give the isolated Mexican town long-awaited access to U.S. commerce, improve conservation efforts and be an unlikely target for criminal operations.

By: Brant

GI Jane, er... What's "Jane" in Spanish...?

Mexico' Navy has their first female in their special forces.

Mexico's navy says the first woman has joined the ranks of its special forces.
The unidentified woman graduated from special forces training along with 12 men.
The navy is giving no other details and doesn't say in its Friday announcement if women had previously been barred from joining its special forces units, or whether none had applied.
The navy's special forces have taken an increasing role in the Mexican government's fight against drug traffickers, but the navy hasn't specified what duties the woman will be performing.

So what's the "Mexican Navy Special Forces"? Here's what Wikipedia knows about the "Fuerzas Especiales".

By: Brant

Troubling Numbers on Securing US Southern Border

Although the article is mainly about political promises, the numbers cited in this article about securing the border are troubling, to say the least.

The U.S. Border Patrol says 873 miles of the border, about 44 percent, have been brought under operational control. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has said that "the border is better now than it ever has been."
Still, that means full control isn't even half met. And even getting this far required bolstering the ranks of the Border Patrol to the highest levels ever, from about 9,500 along the border in 2004 to 18,152 today. Immigration and Customs Enforcement also has a record number of agents on the border, and five Predator drones now patrol strategic parts of it, with a sixth coming by the end of the year. About 650 miles of fencing has been constructed, and 1,200 National Guard soldiers dispatched last year to Texas, California, Arizona and New Mexico have had their deployment extended through the end of the year.

There's open warfare on our southern flank, and we're only covering 45% of it? Wow.

By: Brant

Parallel Wars

The low-intensity conflict in the AfPak revolves around religious terrorism. The low-intensity conflict in Mexico revolves around apolitical mercantile interests. In either case, we have "partners" who are on the take for the other side, and turn a blind eye to incredibly large-scale mis-behavior by those they should be fighting, despite having truckloads of money dumped on them by us to fight on our side.

The tunnel discovered Tuesday was about 40 feet deep, 4 feet wide and 4 feet high. It featured a wooden staircase at the U.S. entrance, located inside a large, white building with a long line of trucking docks.
The Mexican warehouse was on the same block as a federal police office and sits next to a runway at Tijuana's main airport. It featured a hydraulic lift at the tunnel entrance that dropped about 30 feet. Its carpeted floors were found littered with garbage and dirty linen. The kitchen was stocked with tortillas and oranges, with a window painted black.
Six men were charged in federal courts in Southern California with conspiracy to distribute marijuana. No arrests were made in Mexico.

my emphasis
How big was this this most recent drug-tunnel bust?

Tuesday's find netted more than 32 tons of marijuana — nearly 17 tons at a warehouse in San Diego's Otay Mesa area, about 11 tons inside a truck in the Los Angeles area and 4 tons in Mexico. According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, it ranks as the second-largest pot bust in U.S. history if the drugs found on the Mexican side of the tunnel are counted and the third-largest without the Mexican stash.

By: Brant

Another Shock in the War on Drugs

Holy crap/ A 14-year-old hitman?

The defendant was transported to the courthouse compound in a military convoy. Because he is a minor, the public is not allowed inside the courtroom in Cuernavaca, Mexico. Only the judge, defense and prosecution attorneys, family members, and a human rights observer are allowed inside.
The defendant, known as "El Ponchis" ("The Cloak") is an American citizen who is 14 years old.
A video provided to CNN by the Mexican military shows the San Diego native after he was captured near Mexico City in December, as he allegedly was trying to flee. In an on-camera interrogation by Mexican military authorities, the youth admitted to brutally killing people -- the victims all were beheaded.
The video shows a military interrogator asking the slim teenager with curly hair several questions.
"How many have you killed?" he asks.
"Four," responds the accused, who seems calm and collected.
"How did you execute them?"
"I slit their throats."

By: Brant

Drug-Running in a Freakin' Tank?!

OK, it's not really a "tank" in the truest sense of the word, but the Mexican drug cartel that's sporting it's own armored fighting vehicle is a bit of challenge for the local constabulary.

The war in northern Mexico between drug cartels and the Mexican government has raged for 4 1/2 years, with little end in sight — especially with the cartels starting to build tanks like this one, nicknamed "El Monstruo 2011."

From jungle-built submarines to ultralights hauling marijuana, drug cartels have found ingenious ways to transport their goods. But the tanks of the northern Mexico cartels represent something different; a paramilitary response to a government crackdown that has made little progress in staunching the violence.

The Blog Del Narco reports that the tank was captured two weeks ago after a firefight outside Ciudad Mier in northern Mexico. The vehicle had a top speed of 68 mph, and could carry 12 people — but had no side shielding for its tires, which ultimately led to its end.

h/t Dan!

By: Brant

Missing the Point is Catching On

There seems to be an epidemic of people saying stupid things over the past few days.

Mexican officials are upset that a US official characterized their drug wars as an 'insurgency'.

The Mexican government on Wednesday condemned comments by a top U.S. Defense Department official characterizing the drug gang violence here as a "form of insurgency" — remarks the official later apologized for and retracted.
Mexico's Foreign Secretary Patricia Espinosa regretted that "outdated visions" on drug trafficking continue to be used and urged U.S. officials to refrain from commenting on issues they are not fully informed about.
"These unfortunate incidents should show that officials need to refrain from making statements, from giving opinions without having all the facts," Espinosa said.
Westphal made his initial remarks Monday at the Hinkley Institute of Politics Forum. In a statement Tuesday he said that in response to a question, he "mistakenly characterized the challenge posed by drug cartels to Mexico as 'a form of insurgency.'"

So Mexico has a problem with that term, eh?
Let's see what Dictionary.com says....

in�sur�gen�cy   [in-sur-juhn-see]
–noun, plural, -cies for 4.
1. the state or condition of being insurgent.
2. insurrection against an existing government, usually one's own, by a group not recognized as having the status of a belligerent.
3. rebellion within a group, as by members against leaders.
4. insurgence.

So the drug cartels subverting the judiciary, killing the police, and buying off politicians somehow isn't "insurrection against an existing government, usually one's own, by a group not recognized as having the status of a belligerent"? I mean really, if that's not - especially on the scale it is in Mexico - then what is?

Then there's the idiot patrol over at NDI. DNI James Clapper claims that al Qaeda is their top threat and they're catching a lot of criticism over 'missing' the signs of Arab revolts...

Amid criticism that intelligence services missed the signs of Arab revolt in Tunisia and Egypt, the nation's top intelligence official will tell Congress that the threat from al-Qaida and its affiliates remains his No. 1 priority, U.S. officials said.
In testimony scheduled Thursday before the House Intelligence Committee, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper will stress that counterterrorism to keep Americans safe is the focus of the intelligence community, according to one of those officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss matters of intelligence.
Clapper is expected to defend how the intelligence community tracked the revolts that have swept through two major American allies in the Arab world, toppling the leader of Tunisia and threatening the regime in Egypt, the officials said.
Lawmakers have questioned whether the focus on al-Qaida and its militant offshoots has weakened the intelligence community's attention toward other parts of the world.

This is sounding an awful lot like the first week of September, 2001, when the US intelligence directorate was alternately focused on China, Iraq, and the Balkans, and completely ignoring the existence of a bunch of camel jockeys in tents in Afghanistan.


By: Brant

GrogNews Weekend Headlines

WikiLeaks is fighting to keep the site live as people are wondering if/how they'd survive without Assange running the show.
Today's revelations? A US-Yemen bombing deal and Pakistan's army feeling the need to endorse democracy after the leaks made them look, well, Islamic.

Bombs in Baghdad targeted Iranian Shia pilgrims.

Uncomfortable moment? How about the President being serenaded by a soldier to the tune of Katy Perry's "I Kissed a Girl"? Don't ask, don't tell, indeed.

Iran is accusing the UN of sending spies instead of nuclear inspectors.

Mexico arrested a 14-year-old they accused of a being a hitman.

By: Brant

GrogNews Daily Headlines

Danger Room takes a quick swim through the latest WikiLeaks data dump as the State Department condemns the release and goes into
goes into full-on damage control. I gotta wonder tho - was an E3 really privy to State Department cables? Really?
Oh yeah, and Israel warned the US that engagement with Iran was pointless. We needed WikiLeaks to tell us that? Maybe they know who offed a nuclear scientist with a car bomb and wounded another.

The Brazilian favela shootout apparently netted a huge drugs haul, and at least one Justin Bieber mural.

A Mexican gang boss has admitted to a whole passel of murders. And isn't it cool that "passel" doesn't set off the spellchecker?

The South Koreans are vowing retaliation against any further attack. Hello? How many further attacks do you need? At least they're starting artillery drills - let's hope it's practicing counter-battery fire - against what Seoul has called an "inhumane crime".

The Japanese are still trying to move the US base off of Okinawa.

And how close have we gotten to capping al Qaeda's #2?

By: Brant

GrogNews Daily Headlines

The US military is increasing its cooperation with the Mexican military in their counterinsurgency against the drug cartels.

I'm sure there's someone at Vandenberg AFB chuckling about it right now, and that the someone in the military knows exactly what the "mystery missile" vapor trail off the California coast really is. But for whatever reason, they're still investigating.

How long will we be in Iraq? Secretary Gates says we're open to keeping troops in Iraq after 2011, if the Iraqis invite us.

Iran is pressing on with their nukes, and insisting they won't discuss it with the "big six".

Will START ever, uh... "start"?

By: Brant

GrogNews Weekend Headlines

Mission Essential Personnel, a translator company in Columbus, OH, is headed to court to face fraud charges.

The BBC has a report that Georgia has arrested most of a Russian spy ring.

A shootout on the border near Brownsville has left a Mexican drug lord dead.

A team of Latvians working for the World Food Progamme has be kidnapped in Darfur.

The Saudis started talking to the US about the UPS bomb plot several weeks ago.

By: Brant

GrogNews Morning Headlines

(post rain-soaked commute...)

The police have unearthed a drug-smuggling tunnel from Tijuana into the US. Great, now how long before they start importing their drug-war massacres, like the latest 18-body-count mass grave they've discovered. Shut the border now.

The US wants to boost still more aid to Yemen.

Darfur rebels have targeted Sudanese police and claim to have killed 50. Note, we said "claim"...

Human rights groups are claiming that the battle for Khandahar has destroyed hundreds of houses.

Iran says they've arrested four "terrorists", supposedly with UK connections. Are they "terrorists" or are they hikers? Or are they tourists? Or are the Iranians just nuts...?

The ghosts of the Balkans won't go away, but at least some efforts at healing are being attempted. Serb leader Boris Tadic is visiting the war graves at Vukovar in Croatia.

By: Brant

GrogNews Morning Headlines

Another day, another massacre in Mexico. This is at least 4 in the past 7 days.

Remember that "rogue hit squad" disguised as an OSINT program? Well, now the ringleader is under investigation for misleading military leadership about the purpose of the program.

Tense moments on the Korean border as as the two nations exchange shots. Ah, but who shot first?

The US and the Russians have teamed up for a joint drug raid in Afghanistan.

GEN Odierno is taking command of JFCOM. Will he be the last commander there?

By: Brant

GrogNews (Sorta-)Morning Headlines

On the heels of the birthday party massacre in Mexico comes a 15-fatality shootout at a carwash. Seriously folks, there's a war on our southern border and we can't be bothered to secure it?

I was just on the Metro for a good chunk of yesterday, and now we find out that the feds have arrested a man in a plot to bomb the system. Apparently he thought the metro offered a target-rich environment to target US troops.

A boatload of weapons (literally!) was seized in Nigeria, including artillery.

According to one of the UK's top intel officers, nukes pose a wider threat than just terrorism.

By: Brant

BUB: Weekend Headlines

Ah yes, WikiLeaks fallout. We'll be dealing with this for a while, eh?

So the AP says that the WikiLeaks archives show Iraq as a weak and divided nation. Of course,
Maliki's supporters are trying to claim that WikiLeaks is a giant plot to discredit their man. You know, because the US had nothing by the discrediting of him in mind when they were compiling daily SIGACTS reports for 5 years.
In other dysfunctional government news, an Iraqi court has ordered parliament back to work on forming a new government.

Pirates have seized a Singapore tanker off Kenya.

And Mexico's insurgency continues, with 13 dead in Ciudad Juarez at a massacre at a party.

By: Brant

BUB: Afternoon Headlines

The DADT tango is back in full swing, as the courts have frozen the elimination of DADT pending a government appeal.

How hard is it to prosecute battlefield crimes? Incredibly hard, according to The New York Times.

Is the Taliban on the run in Afghanistan? They might be, and the HIMARS rockets might have helped.

Running gun battles along the Mexican border continue to make American wonder why we can't close it.

Activity detected near the Nork nuke site is causing analysts to wonder if another 'test' is in the offing, maybe to 'celebrate' the 'young general' and his ascendency?

By: Brant