Earlier this month, ArmyTimes.com reported that the 3rd Infantry Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team (1st BCT) is being trained as an on-call federal response within the US.
Their new domestic mission, called a “dwell-time” mission, is set to begin Oct. 1.
This will mark “the first time an active unit has been given a dedicated assignment to NorthCom, a joint command established in 2002 to provide command and control for federal homeland defense efforts and coordinate defense support of civil authorities.”
After spending 35 months in Iraq, the 1st BCT has been training at Ft. Stewart, Georgia. In addition to responding to “potentially horrific scenarios such as massive poisoning and chaos in response to a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or high-yield explosive, or CBRNE, attack,” the 1st BCT may be called upon to “help with civil unrest and crowd control.”
According to the Army Times, the soldiers have also “learned how to use ‘the first ever nonlethal package that the Army has fielded,’ 1st BCT commander Col. Roger Cloutier said, referring to crowd and traffic control equipment and nonlethal weapons designed to subdue unruly or dangerous individuals without killing them.”
This is not the first time that active duty units have been called upon for a domestic assignment.
During Hurricane Katrina, units of the Army National Guard were mobilized in New Orleans.
Historians point out that if mobilization of soldiers leads to Martial Law, or the US Military policing the citizenry, constitutional rights are often violated, such as when soldiers went door-to-door confiscating legally-owned firearms during Hurricane Katrina.
Army Times notes that “after 1st BCT finishes its dwell-time mission, expectations are that another, as yet unnamed, active-duty brigade will take over and that the mission will be a permanent one.”
Top photo: Preparing for Hurricane Gustav in New Orleans, by soldiersmediacenter
Right-hand photo: Soldiers patrol flooded streets after Hurricane Katrina, by pingnews.com
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why are we letting this nonsense take place
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Ha, ha, ha! Keep believing in "America." That glorious idea that was "America" is dead. Now there's only the United States. And the United States is nothing.
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Because the majority of Americans really don't know what's going on. The two major candidates do not oppose this. They both want more spending, they both want more war, and neither of them gives a damn, about the constitution. The fact is that the constitution is no longer the law of the land. UCC (Uniform Commercial Code) is by the fact that it is what officers and courts enforce. If this were not the case, than the Supreme Court would not be the one to define the constitution, the first and second amendment would be (if you don't believe me look it up in Article III the one that covers the powers of the Judicial Branch). As for the argument that it would bring slavery back, the constitution had a timeline to phase out slavery, we just didn't follow it. The other thing we would be doing differently is we would have a backed currency of gold/ silver, and we would be using the Swiss' foreign policy instead of Imperial Rome's.
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I would be enraged too, but their mission seems more geared towards disaster response than "public control". The Posse Comitatus act of 1874 specifically prohibits the use of federal troops for Law Enforcement activities. This includes their own self-defense (e.g.: If an angry mob start throwing rocks at U.S. Army soldiers, they need to contact local National Guard or law enforcement personnel)
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There was an article posted at the Army site. Look up what Hitler did prior to the war! I heard that one of them was confiscating all of the firearms owned by individuals. Is this not part of an agenda?
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Thanks OB for mentioning the Posse Comitatus act. We'll keep our eyes on the shape of this new mission.
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Did you expect that the government would come out and announce this new ability to impose martial law at the drop of a hat? Of course it seems benign, until it isn't.
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Go to ArmyTimes or Military.com, that brigade is pre-positioned against "Home-Grown" terrorists. I was Army, that "Brigade" has the same Firepower as a WWII Division, Read your history. There is something going on in this country that is not right. Fema came out with new guidelines for the 3-14 days without help that included BIO/Chemical Protection, and now the Government say they have "lost track of" several types of chemical and bio hazard agents. Folks talk to your family and neighbors, and get ready for it to get ugly. If I am wrong, you can eat for free for a few months and sell your guns and ammo. If I am right those things will be worth they're weight in gold.
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im currently i the united states army. and if someone was throwing rocks at me. i would without hesitation shoot them in the leg or arm. . i would not stand by trying to protect people and preforming my duties if some ass hole is throwing rocks. and if i was in the hurricane katrina national gaurd force. i would be right next to them taking weapons out of peoples houses. becasue if one of my brothers in arms was shot by someone. theres no precaution too unnecessary to protect my other brothers. you all say tey are taking your rights and stepping on your freedoms. but without the govrnment and without the military none of you would be free at all. so take a step back from the big picture and look at how much you actually get and how much you actually bitch about.
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