Posted on 05/23/2010 12:13:09 PM PDT by Fight4Freedom1
Commanders have ordered a U.S. military unit in Afghanistan to patrol with unloaded weapons, according to a source in Afghanistan.
American soldiers in at least one unit have been ordered to conduct patrols without a round chambered in their weapons, an anonymous source stationed at a forward operating base in Afghanistan said in an interview. The source was unsure where the order originated or how many other units were affected.
When a weapon has a loaded magazine, but the safety is on and no round is chambered, the military refers to this condition as “amber status.” Weapons on “red status” are ready to fire—they have a round in the chamber and the safety is off.
The source stated that he had been stationed at the base for only a month, but the amber weapons order was in place since before he arrived. A NATO spokesman could not confirm the information, stating that levels of force are classified.
“Our overall aim is to defeat the insurgency which means we must gain and then maintain the support of the Afghan population,” said Lieutenant Commander Iain Baxter, a spokesman for NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in a statement to HUMAN EVENTS. “This must be the objective of every action taken by ISAF service members, and it calls for responses that de-escalate situations where the use of deadly force may not be necessary. In doing this, leaders at all levels make enormous efforts to ensure that troops balance their own protection with the protection of the Afghan population.”
If there was a spate of friendly-fire casualties, then perhaps a change in the company's rules would make sense. ISAF keeps no records of negligent discharges, however a search of casualties in Afghanistan showed only three fatalities due to friendly fire since January 2009...
(Excerpt) Read more at humanevents.com ...
“This foolishness is going to result in dead G.I.s.”
They had better hope and pray that it is not my son that gets killed for their stupidity. Or anyone else’s son for that matter.
yup.. inside the wire, had to have a red block of wood, that was carved just so, shoved into the magazine well, to fit between the bolt & chamber.
Obama wants US Men killed !They are at war !
I wear my piece hot when I’m out.Here !
Sheesh guys' they are just trying the create some "Courageous Restrain" ribbon candidates.
That’s not the issue. Anyone can make a fumble, trip or such.
L
Thank God I am not planning on joining the military.
That would be a dangerous condition to carry, with an AR bolt locked back over a loaded magazine. Well maybe not too dangerous if the safety is on, but any impact to the muzzle or the butt will likely cause the bolt to abruptly chamber a round, which at least will cause surprise and confusion. The bolt should be shut, all the way forward whether there is a round in the chamber or not.
Wow, are you ignorant. Having been in that situation personally, I can tell you that you’d have a tough time saying your name when someone opens up on you, much less remembering how to charge your weapon. I chose to side with Darwin on this ivory tower order, and I’m still alive.
Bullshit.
So what are they supposed to use, HARSH LANGUAGE?
If I remember correctly, there was an incident towards the end of the Rodney King riots, when some genius ordered California National Guard troops to patrol the streets with their M-16s - but no ammunition. Several of the troops had their automatic weapons (and their pants) stolen by armed gang members, who had firearms that were actually loaded...
Vietnam redux - remember “winning the hearts and minds” mantra?
Remember where that led?
“The Arab understands best power and vengeance”. Learn from history or repeat it.
PS Never allow a Manchurian Candidate from Mecca any command authority.
“An unarmed soldier is not a soldier, he is simply a target.”
I fully agree. However, in this case they are not unarmed. The magazine is inserted, they just haven’t pulled the charging handle yet and then go off safe. They are definitely going to respond slower to an attack, but they can still respond.
Now that being said, I do NOT agree with these restrictions on patroling soldiers. A few seconds of delay can get you killed, or others, very quickly. If our troops are going to “patrol” in areas where they could draw fire, then they need to be “locked and loaded.”
Many soldiers/sailors refused the watch under threat of Article. They said I will not walk out there with a gun and no ammo. Is this the American Military or are we the Boy Scouts?
You walk out there, you are issued a weapon, this means that there is a threat or a potential threat, by definition.
So you will send me into an area where I need to be armed, by your definition, and give me no ammo?
But I digress, I have been in a situation where American Military troops were put in hazardous areas and specifically not given ammo to ensure they would not ‘hurt anybody’.
This is the war time posture of Carter. This is war when it is being run directly from the White House and not from the Pentagon. I have seen it.
Win the War Soldiers! But Please, try not to hurt anyone...please. I have seen it.
You don't see disciplinary action for violating this BS rule, especially if there is an AD that injures someone, most especially if that someone is a local civilian?
Many of the National Guardsmen who were patrolling airports and such after 9-11, had no magazines in the weapons. Not everywhere though. Texas and Oklahoma (in San Antonio and OK City respectively) at least had magazines. Don't know if there were any rounds in them, or if there was a round chambered, but unlike photos I saw from California, they did have magazines in the weapons.
A coworker had a brother who was in the Kansas NG during the MLK riots. They too were not issued ammunition. He got a call from his brother to bring some .308/7.62 ammo down to the area they were patrolling.
You can charge the weapon, put it on safe, then lock a magazine in the well.
One technical issue with this article: The safety is on in ALL statuses, “Green”, “Amber”, and “Red.” Green has no magazine in the well, amber has the magazine in the well, and red has a round in the chamber (this is specifically for magazine-fed weapons). The safety does not change status.
On the FOB, all weapons are in green status. Service members carry their weapon and force protection ammo (one 30-rd magazine in the case of the M4/M16), but the magazine is not locked into the weapon.
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