Chairman Of Joint Chiefs: US Ready For “Military Response” In Ukraine Zero Hedge March 12, 2014
With diplomacy having failed miserably to resolve the Russian annexation of Crimea, and soon East Ukraine (and with John Kerry in charge of it, was there ever any doubt), the US is moving to the heavy artillery. First, moments ago, the US DOE announced in a shocking announcement that it would proceed with the first draw down and sale of crude from the US strategic petroleum reserve, the first since June 2011, in what it said was a “test sale to check the operational capabilities of system infrastructure“, but is really just a shot across the bow at Putin for whom high commodity prices are orders of magnitude more important than how the Russian stock market performs. And now, as Bloomberg just reported, the US has escalated even further, citing the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey, who “has claimed that in the case of an escalation of unrest in Crimea, the U.S. Army is ready to back up Ukraine and its allies in Europe with military actions.” So much for those peaceful hour long phone calls between Obama and Putin. From Bloomberg: According to the Web site of the Atlantic Council, Dempsey said that “he’s been talking to his military counterparts in Russia, but he’s also sending a clear message to Ukraine and members of NATO that the U.S. military will respond militarily if necessary.” “We’re trying to tell [Russia] not to escalate this thing further into Eastern Ukraine, and allow the conditions to be set for some kind of resolution in Crimea. We do have treaty obligations with our NATO allies. And I have assured them that if that treaty obligation is triggered [in Europe], we would respond,” Dempsey said. According to the General, the incursion of Russian troops into the Crimea creates risks for
all the countries of Europe and NATO allies. “If Russia is allowed to do this, which is to say move into a sovereign country under the guise of protecting ethnic Russians in Ukraine, it exposes Eastern Europe to some significant risk, because there are ethnic enclaves all over Eastern Europe and the Balkans,” Dempsey said. And with that, the USDJPY ramp takes the pair to overnight highs, and futures are set to go green. BTFWWIIID! More seriously, the real question is how Putin will react to this quantum escalation in verbal hostilities: wild guess here, but somehow we doubt he will pick up and leave.
Cheney Urging Obama For ‘A Nuclear Winter’ Press TV March 12, 2014
A political activist and author says former US vice president Dick Cheney is urging “a nuclear winter” in his remarks against Russia. “We could have mass annihilation. We could have a nuclear winter. We could have literally Armageddon, and this is what Dick Cheney is urging. It is absolute lunacy,” said Stephen Lendman, syndicated columnist and activist in a phone interview with Press TV Monday. As tensions between Was hington and Moscow continue to rise over the crisis in Ukraine, Cheney, who was one of the major architects of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, appeared on CBS News’ Face the Nation on Sunday and said the US should not take “military options” against Russia off the table. “I worry when we begin to address a crisis, the first thing we do is we take options off the table,” Cheney said on TV. “I don’t think the administration should do that.” He also urged the Obama administration to boost its missile systems in Poland and the Czech Republic.
Lendman criticized Cheney’s warmongering remarks on TV. “It’s astonishing that any official – present or past – would make a public statement urging stepped up belligerence against a major nuclear power,” he said. “America an d Russia have well over 90 percent of the world’s nuclear weapons – powerful nuclear weapons. They could wipe out vast areas, each one of them,” Lendman warned. “They have long range delivery systems with pin-point accuracy.” Lendman also criticized CBS, “a major US broadcaster,” for giving airtime to Cheney, “who I call very justifiably an unindicted war criminal, multiple times over, not just in the Bush administration, [but also] in previous administrations,… to voice sentiments likes this.” Cheney has been accused of violating United Nations Convention against Torture over his support for the CIA’s torture techniques, like water-boarding, as the US vice president under George W. Bush. Cheney’s remarks come as 12 US F-16 fighter jets and 300 American troops are set to arrive in Poland this week in response to the crisis in Ukraine. A US Navy guided-missile destroyer has already entered the Black Sea.
Involved Since 2001, Canada Wraps Up Its Mission In Afghanistan CTV News March 12, 2014
Canada's military efforts in Afghanistan will end this month, with the withdrawal of the last 100 soldiers from Kabul, where they had been wrapping up training of Afghan National Security Forces. Canada’s involvement included efforts in diplomacy, education, women’s rights and even dam building. The five years of heavy combat cost the lives of 158 Canadian soldiers, two consultants, one diplomat and one journalist.
With security deteriorating in many rural areas of Afghanistan, a number of foreigners have faced tighter security measures. As the country approaches the presidential elections next month, authorities expect to see more violence and instability. Against a backdrop of heightened security, the Canadian flag will be formally lowered on Wednesday and Canadian troops will leave Afghanistan by the end of the week. Here's a timeline of Canada's role in Afghanistan: October 2001: Following the 9-11 attacks in the United States, the UN Security Council adopts a resolution supporting efforts to root out terrorism in Afghanistan. On Oct. 8, a day after the U.S. begins operations against al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan, Canada announces that it will contribute sea, land and air forces to the operation. October 2002: Canadian troops deploy to Afghanistan as part of U.S.-led Operation Enduring Freedom. July 2003: Operation Athena begins: Then-Brigadier-General Peter Devlin arrives in Afghanistan for a six-month tour in command of ISAF’s Kabul Multi-National Brigade. Canadian Forces begin deploying to Kabul to take part in a NATO-led mission to help maintain security in Kabul and the surrounding areas. August 2003: Canada opens its embassy in Kabul. August 2005: Canada assumes leadership of the Kandahar Provincial Reconstruction Team and the Canadian Armed Forces in Kabul begin to transition to Kandahar Province. January 2006: CAF members begin combat operations in Kandahar. At its height, nearly 3,000 CAF members were deployed at any one time in Kandahar.
August 2007: A stretch of Highway 401 running from Trenton, Ont., to Toronto is officially renamed the Highway of Heroes in remembrance of Canada's fallen soldiers. February 2008: Parliament votes to extend the combat mission in Kandahar to 2011. June 2008: Additional Canadian troops are deployed to Kandahar following a prison break that freed about 400 Taliban fighters. November 2009: A senior diplomat tells a House of Commons committee that Afghan prisoners transferred by Canadians to local authorities in Kandahar were all likely tortured. March 2010: Documents show the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) played a role as interrogators of captured Taliban fighters. July 2010: At the Kabul Conference, the international community and the Government of Afghanistan agree to the country's transition plan that will see Afghans assume leadership of security, governance and economic development. November 2010: Ottawa announces Canada's role in Afghanistan will continue until 2014. May 2011: Canada contributes the second-largest contingent to the NATO Training MissionAfghanistan, which delivers training and professional development support to the national security forces in the country. July 2011: Canada ends its combat mission in Kandahar province. A task force arrives in Afghanistan to prepare and ship vehicles, equipment and material elsewhere in Afghanistan or back to Canada; Canada begins a new mission based in Kabul that focuses on investing in Afghan children and youth, advancing security and human rights, promoting diplomacy and delivering humanitarian assistance. September 2011: CSIS is cleared of wrongdoing in connection with the abuse of Afghan detainees. November 2011: Tim Hortons closes up shop in Kandahar. In the outlet's five-and-a-half years in business it served up about four million cups of coffee, three million donuts and 500,000 iced coffees. May 2012: Prime Minister Stephen Harper announces Canada's military mission in Afghanistan will come to a firm, final end on March 31, 2014. June 2012: The Military Police Complaints Commission releases its long-awaited Afghan detainees report, concluding that complaints its officers mishandled allegations of post-transfer torture were "unsubstantiated." June 2013: The final rotation of CAF members to Afghanistan begins deploying, including the mission closure team to pack-up and recover equipment to be returned to Canada. March 2014: Canadian training troops will be out of Afghanistan by mid-March, with a formal lowering of the flag on Wednesday, March 11. 100 Years of War Lies DEBUNKED VIDEO BELOW http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZNXt_u7Cr0#t=35
INFOWARS.COM BECAUSE THERE'S A WAR ON FOR YOUR MIND