Free Republic

Illegal Immigration: The government puts the brakes on a problem-plagued "virtual" fence on our border with Mexico. Whatever happened to the old-fashioned kind? If ever there was a shovel-ready project, this is it. The much-ballyhooed "virtual" fence that was supposed to monitor and control illegal immigration doesn't work and is being scrapped as we evaluate alternatives and rely on existing technology. After years of delay and billions of dollars already spent, Secretary Napolitano on Tuesday halted work on SBInet. The system involves cameras, sensors and radars designed to let a small number of dispatchers watch the border on computer monitors...

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is planning to move several hundred Border Patrol agents away from the U.S.-Mexico border and will not secure a single additional mile of the U.S. border in fiscal 2010, according to the department’s annual performance report. 
 
The document—“Department of Homeland Security Annual Performance Report: Fiscal Years 2008-2010”—was originally published by the Bush administration on Jan. 15 and was updated by the Obama administration on May 7. 
 
Excluding the border between Alaska and Canada, the combined length of the U.S. borders with Mexico and Canada is about 6,000 miles (with almost 2,000 miles along the...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 12, 2009 – Hours into the new Operation Eastern Resolve II in Afghanistan’s Helmand province, defense officials report that U.S. Marines and Afghan soldiers are confronting “some resistance” as they work to secure the area for the Aug. 20 elections. The Marines and Afghan soldiers launched the offensive earlier today in Helmand province’s Now Zad district. Much of the operation is centered on Dahaneh, a Taliban-held southern Afghanistan town, and the surrounding mountains. The mission was ordered to disrupt insurgent violence and intimidation campaigns and provide freedom of movement for Afghans to vote in upcoming provincial and national...

TAJI, Iraq, May 6, 2009 – Pennsylvania Army National Guard soldiers and their Iraqi counterparts have been hitting the streets to maintain security in Taji Market, one of the busiest sectors of the 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team’s area of operations, north of Baghdad. Army Spc. Adam Feldon talks with an Iraqi boy May 4, 2009, as a patrol of Pennsylvania Army National Guard soldiers and Iraqi police officers moves through Taji Market, north of Baghdad. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Doug Roles  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The market is a lynchpin in the security effort because...

Local Sons of Iraq security volunteers greet Lt. Col. Ayoob (right), commander, Commando Battalion, 17th Iraqi Army brigade, during Operation Al Sakar in the Owesat area, April 12. Photo by Pfc. Evan Loyd, 1st Armored Division. BAGHDAD — The Iraqi Army (IA) took the lead in conducting Operation Al-Sakar, a combined Iraqi/U.S. counterinsurgency operation in the Owesat area southwest of here, April 12. The purpose of the operation was to clear weapons, find any hidden explosives and capture insurgents in the area. "The Owesat area is void of a Coalition forces presence and is a potential location to move accelerants...

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama says treasury secretary is one job that's not up for grabs. In an interview with CBS' "60 Minutes" Obama said that if Treasury chief Timothy Geithner offered his resignation, the answer would be, "Sorry buddy, you've still got the job."

The myth that to delete data really securely from a hard disk you have to overwrite it many times, using different patterns, has persisted for decades, despite the fact that even firms specialising in data recovery, openly admit that if a hard disk is overwritten with zeros just once, all of its data is irretrievably lost. Craig Wright, a forensics expert, claims to have put this legend finally to rest. He and his colleagues ran a scientific study to take a close look at hard disks of various makes and different ages, overwriting their data under controlled conditions and then...

ALBU HASSAN — The Iraqi Army (IA) provided security while U.S. Engineer Soldiers performed much needed maintenance on a road outside of Albu Hassan, Feb. 3. The road is a shortcut for Iraqi citizens to travel from various villages to bigger cities like Hillah and Karbala. The 9th Engineer Battalion coordinated the project and contacted the IA to provide security for U.S. Soldiers on the ground. IA Soldiers secured the surrounding area while Cpl. Bracy L. Bahm, a heavy construction equipment operator, filled in holes, graded mud and smoothed out the road with a D7 Dozer. “The IA know what...

Iraqis walk through a market patrolled by 3rd Battalion, 5th Brigade, 2nd Iraqi Army Division in the southeastern region of Mosul, Iraq, Oct. 9, 2008. Photo by Sgt. Kyle Richardson, 11th Public Affairs Detachment. MOSUL — Soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, 5th Brigade, 2nd Military Transition Team conducted an assessment on how the markets in the southeastern region of Mosul have changed, Oct. 9. In January 2007, the markets here were barren and plagued by terrorist activities, said Maj. Chad Arcand, team chief for 3-5-2 MiTT.“Our first mission, we came down here for a good neighbor mission, the parents were...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER — Members of the Narhwan emergency response team (ERT), specially trained police officers from Narhwan and Al-Ma’amil, cleared homes in the abandoned town of Sha Buu’t, Jan. 3. Scouts from Troop B, 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, attached to the 1st Battalion, 10th Field Artillery, provided security for the operation. Iraqi policemen, accompanied by the 59th Military Police Company, from Fort Carson, Colo., searched the houses for insurgents and weapons caches. Lt. Col. Mark Sullivan, from Huntsville, Ala., commander of the 1-10th FA estimated more than 1,500 citizens in small villages around Narhwan have been displaced...

CAMP LIBERTY — Community leaders, Iraqi Police and supporting Coalition forces met recently here to celebrate securing Aqur Quf, a town in the district of Abu Ghraib near Baghdad. The town has seen a dramatic decrease in the levels of violence since earlier this year, said Louisville, Ky. native Capt. John Nelson, commander of Company D, 2nd Squadron, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. “Before we came to the area,” he said, “there were a lot of improvised explosive devices directed against Coalition Forces as well as a high level of sectarian violence between the Shia...

BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan, Oct. 23, 2007 – Afghan national security forces planned and secured the 3rd Annual Chamkani Peace Games in the Chamkani district of Afghanistan’s Paktia province in mid-October, where 45 sports teams participated in events that included soccer, cricket and volleyball. Afghan youth compete in volleyball during the 3rd Annual Chamkani Peace Games in the Chamkani district of Afghanistan’s Paktia province, Oct 13, 2007. Afghan security forces worked through local leaders and youth groups to coordinate the event. U.S. Army photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “The Peace Games are very important for the mindset...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 10, 2007 – Iraqi citizens are reaching across sectarian lines and volunteering in unprecedented numbers to drive out terrorists and reconcile their country, a coalition military commander said today. “These are Iraqi volunteers who are stepping forward at the local level in different villages and different cities,” Army Maj. Gen. Kevin Bergner said. “They are most importantly taking a stand to fight the extremists and take a direct role in improving security in their communities.” Bergner, the Multinational Force Iraq deputy chief of staff for strategic effects, spoke with online journalists and “bloggers” shortly after conducting an operational...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 5, 2007 – Afghan soldiers and police are increasingly taking the lead to bolster security in their country, U.S. military commanders said today from the Afghan capital of Kabul during a conference call with online journalists and “bloggers.” “The Afghans are a noble people who strongly desire to defend their own nation,” said Army Maj. Gen. Robert W. Cone, commanding general of Combined Security Transition Command Afghanistan. “Our job is to provide the coaching, teaching and mentoring, as well as the critical resources to make that a reality.” “We're just proud of everybody,” said Army Col. Bill Wenzler,...

BAGHDAD, June 25, 2007 — Iraqi and U.S. soldiers from the Multi-National Division-Baghdad are now fortifying a western Baghdad gas station that has been the target of recent insurgent attacks in the neighborhood of Yarmouk. The gas station, which serves the residents of southeastern Mansour, has come under small arms fire and two car bombs exploded within 100 meters of the gas station in recent weeks. These attacks prompted leaders from the 2nd Battalion, 5th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Division and 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery to take action. “We’ve already begun to see an improvement in the traffic flow. Black-market...

JALALABAD AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, May 7, 2007 — Most people spend the last few moments of their work day cleaning up their desk and organizing their materials in preparation for the next day with one foot out the door. One company of dedicated engineers in Nangarhar Province, however, is working well after its expected punch-out date. The engineers are even exposing themselves to danger in a manner that exemplifies the Army’s values and all the while keeping their composure. Due to the mission at hand, the soldiers of Alpha Company, 3rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, Task Force Spartan are patrolling and...

HAWIJAH, Iraq, May 7, 2007 — The local government approves a building project and provides the land. Local businesses supply the materials. Residents perform the work, and the community reaps the short-term and long-term economic benefits. Several months ago, that was a vision for economic success in this predominantly Sunni Arab town. Now, with the assistance of coalition forces, that vision of the future is becoming reality in Hawijah, Iraq. On April 24, coalition force representatives of 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, conducted the final pre-construction meeting for the Hawijah Industrial Park Security Wall --...

WASHINGTON, April 9, 2007 – President Bush today thanked National Guard members deployed across Texas, California, Arizona and New Mexico for helping the Border Patrol crack down on illegal entry across America’s southern border. “We’ve worked with our nation’s governors to deploy 6,000 National Guard members to provide the Border Patrol with immediate reinforcements,” Bush said during a speech on immigration policy in Yuma, Ariz. “It’s called Operation Jump Start, and the Guard down here is serving nobly.” Announced by the president May 2006, Operation Jump Start deployed National Guard members to assist the Border Patrol in protecting the...

CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq, April 6, 2007 — While U.S. presence continues to increase throughout Baghdad neighborhoods, one unit has taken on the added responsibility of repairing and securing part of Baghdad’s road system. "The missions are difficult and a lot of planning is required, but the increased mobility and safety is worth it." U.S. Army 1st Lt. Maya Lowell Capt. Matthew Davis and his soldiers from Headquarters Company, 9th Engineer Battalion, spend their days conducting the tasks of repairing the task force’s fleet of vehicles, or providing fuel and logistical support at various locations around Baghdad. The “headhunter” company sets...

WASHINGTON, March 31, 2007 – Coalition and Iraqi forces are working with city leaders to secure the Iraqi city of Tal Afar after a bombing at a market killed more than 80 people earlier this week, a military official said today in a briefing from the city. “It’s been a tremendously busy four days, tremendously stressful four days,” Army Lt. Col. Malcom Frost, commander of 3rd Squadron, 4th U.S. Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, told journalists from Forward Operating Base Sykes in Tal Afar. “But … the city is now secure and going back to...