There are about 1,600-1,700 US ground troops in Iraq right now, but by the end of January it is expected to be nearly twice as many, according to the most recent Pentagon announcement.
Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby today announced that 1,000 paratroopers will be sent to Iraq in late January, and that another 300 troops from other services will be sent in January as well.
The paratroopers’ deployment is scheduled for nine months, and they will once again be labeled trainers, in keeping with the administration’s unwillingness to present them as combat troops, even when they are deployed into combat zones.
Pentagon officials did not make it clear where the troops will be deployed, but some 350 of the ground troops already in Iraq are in the Anbar Province, where ISIS holds over 80 percent of the territory.
"Trainers" Well, they can call them whatever they please. The majority of Americans know they really are combat forces but if the USG feels it necessary to perpetuate the fairy tale, let them. Falls into the same category as the lie of "spreading democracy" of which not many also believe.
In line with sending paratroopers to conduct training, perhaps division mottoes need updating:
The 101st Airborne could change their motto from "Screaming Eagles" to "Lecturing Quail."
The 82nd Airborne motto "All the Way" now becomes "Only as far as the Classroom."
Maybe they should swap body armor for tweed jackets with leather elbow patches, and trade their M-16s for laser pointers. Yeah, that'll fool ISIS…or at least the US public.
The obvious now that it's becoming clear that the US is losing control of Iraq. The obvious endgame right from the beginning, starting with Bush1's Gulf war for phony reasons too.
"Trainers", a term first used by JFK, continued by the ignorant LBJ, who believed in the "superior race", IE; the Harvard mob, so they must be right; being born much smarter than a Texas grammar school teacher. (and crooked as a barrel full of snakes, as they say down there).
> “Pentagon officials did not make it clear where the troops will be deployed…”
My guess is Syria, where they can help McCain’s ISIS buddies overthrow Assad.
To join an Airborne Division, you must first join the Army and prove that you the intelligence, strength and agility to be way above average in an ability to kill, not as skilled a warrior as Special Forces but almost.
So, to not compare apples with oranges, we need to multiply their number by a factor of five at least in order to get a clear picture of how this changes the dynamics of actual combat.
And so, a killing force of five thousand is the quantum leap we now take into the unknown, may destine have mercy on our souls.