House Armed Services Committee – ZERO ANTHROPOLOGY

Justifying Corporate Welfare for the Military: What the Logic Sounds Like

Now that Obama has handed victory to a slew of pro-war Republicans, having betrayed and abandoned the grassroots anti-war left that helped bring him to power, this is what Americans get as a reward for their wishes for fiscal responsibility and small government: the presumptive new chairman of the House Armed Services committee, Representative Buck McKeon […]

by Maximilian C. Forte

Saving Lives, or Ending Them? Martin Schweitzer on Special Operations and the Human Terrain System

Previously we read here of the testimony by a Col. Martin Schweitzer, Commander, 4 / 82 Airborne Brigade Combat Team, United States Army, before the House Armed Services Committee, Terrorism & Unconventional Threats Sub-Committee and the Research & Education Sub-Committee of the Science & Technology Committee , on 24 April 2008. He repeats statements there that have […]

by John Stanton

Center for Naval Analysis to Run HTS Independent Investigation: McFate Says, “We All Have Red Blood”

Tony Bartuca, writing for Inside the Army (pay for read), reports that the Center for Naval Analysis, (CNA Analysis & Solutions) has been contracted by the Pentagon’s Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence to conduct the Independent Assessment requested by the US House Armed Services Committee (HASC). The remainder of the article features sweetness and […]

by Maximilian C. Forte

Human Terrain System Criticized by U.S. Congress

The U.S. House of Representatives Armed Services Committee (HASC) has issued a criticism of the Human Terrain System, limiting its funding until the U.S. Army can submit a formal review that addresses “certain concerns.” (Thanks as well to “Napkin Chagnon” for the update.) In a document titled, “H.R. 5136 – Nation Defense Authorization Act for […]

by Maximilian C. Forte

John Stanton: US Congress Rewards Failure, Puts Personnel in Harm’s Way

This is John Stanton’s 20th article on the Human Terrain System, with his previous ones available here at: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19. John sent this article a few days ago, my apologies for being late. It is reproduced here with his permission, and has already been published in CounterPunch, which is also featuring an extended […]

by Maximilian C. Forte

U.S. Congress and the Human Terrain System

To supplement the report by John Stanton, “US Congress Requests Assessment of Army‘s Human Terrain System: Independent Assessment Due from SECDEF by March 2010,” one should note the following background documents to which the request for the assessment refers. The NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2010 points out that, In the committee report […]

by Maximilian C. Forte

John Stanton: U.S. Congress to Assess Human Terrain System

This is John Stanton’s 19th article on the Human Terrain System, with his previous ones available here at: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18. Once again, this article was sent in by John and is gratefully reproduced here with his permission. I am also happy to advertise the fact that John has published a book of his work […]