I think there was a Marine version of that as well. It was called "The Men Who Date Goats."Originally Posted by Ski
I think there was a Marine version of that as well. It was called "The Men Who Date Goats."
Here's a slightly less sensationalized view of the same subject matter:
Unconventional Human Intelligence Support: Transcendent and Asymmetric Warfare Implications of
Remote Viewing
From 1972 until 1995, United States military and intelligence organizations conducted paranormal research and operations involving a process known as remote viewing. Remote viewing is generally recognized within the scientific community as the psychic ability to access and provide accurate information, regardless of distance, shielding or time, about people, places, objects or events inaccessible through any normally recognized means. Official confirmation of government participation in such research occurred in 1995 when a small portion of the voluminous classified research material was made publicly available via the Freedom of Information Act.
Paranormal research, involving parapsychological and psychical functioning (PSI), has been perceived as a controversial field by American academia and scientific communities who have met its reported results with outright dismissal, skepticism, or methodological criticism. Since both the military and the intelligence agencies pursue efforts deemed acceptable risks, their involvement with remote viewing, therefore, sparks curiosity. What made the risk of potential ridicule by association acceptable? This paper reviews remote viewing's evolution, examines why and how the United States military and intelligence agencies became involved in its controversial application as a unique HUMINT support method, and explores its, heretofore, unrecognized status as an important and possibly revolutionary form of warfare with asymmetrical implications.
BWAAAAHHAAAAA! LMAO! Nice one Steve!
"Speak English! said the Eaglet. "I don't know the meaning of half those long words, and what's more, I don't believe you do either!"
The Eaglet from Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland
Someone said T.X. Hammes lurks here, so I'm trying to smoke him out.BWAAAAHHAAAAA! LMAO! Nice one Steve!
Suspect X
There was a movie made about this called "Suspect Zero" with Ben Kingsley as an FBI agent that does this. Based loosely on allegations that the FBI was involved in (Remote Viewing) this also. Should be out on DVD. There is a website I found once where you can order the remote Viewing kits if you want to try it yourself. Just let the SWC know when you find out where Bin Laden is hiding.
Here is the link for your Remote Viewing supplies and training also a short video of a Remote Viewing test by a TV station.
http://www.remoteviewing.com/movies/...=wmv&speed=300
Correction: title of the movie is "Suspect Zero"
Last edited by slapout9; 06-28-2007 at 10:34 AM. Reason: fix stuff and post link
I just finished Malcolm W. Nance’s The Terrorist of Iraq which is excellent (he needs a better publisher though my copy had two chapter threes). Now I am reading that staring at goats book sort of comic relief.
Recent reading finished within the past two months or so:
Hot Zone by Richard Preston. Absolutely scary stuff about USARAMID folks out of Ft. Dietrick dealing with an Ebola outbreak in a primate clearinghouse in Reston, VA. I think it was the basis for the movie Outbreak.
Training and Leadership for the Fight by MSG (ret.) Paul Howe. The book has a focus on kinetic, snake-eater stuff and SWAT training techniques, but a great read nonetheless.
The Guts to Try: The untold story of the Iran hostage rescue mission by the on-scene desert commander by Col (ret.) James Kyle. Almost finished with this one, but it is a slow grind. Excellent so far in terms of providing insight into the incredible logistical hurdles tackled by the air component to support the planned Delta raid.
The Military Signal Corps Manual, MAJ J. Andrew White 1918, A History of Tactical Communications Techniques, David L. Woods, 1965 and the Liddell and Scott Greek-English Lexicon.
Some cutting edge computer science guys needed a liberal arts/history nerd for a project they are working on
For myself, I'm working through Baden-Powell's Aids to Scouting for N.-C.Os. & Men and My Adventures as a Spy. It's amazing what a military officer could do when he didn't have to worry about turning out a PowerPoint slide.
Thes last two might tie in with the 'pre WW I/1900 British Army' thing some other folks are following.
Last edited by Van; 08-16-2007 at 07:32 PM.
I read The Hot Zone. I might suggest The Coming Plague and Betrayal of Trust.
"But suppose everybody on our side felt that way?"
"Then I'd certainly be a damned fool to feel any other way. Wouldn't I?"
Going back to the basics
I've long sought an academic-oriented work to bring me back to my roots as an International Relations major, and I recently pinged the candidates and newly minted lieutenants at MarineOCS.com for a recommendation.
I wanted something that was currently in use in academia, and more theoretical in nature. While it was good to see that some of the old stuff by Waltz was still in play, I selected John Mearscheimer's The Tragedy of Great Power Politics from a list offered by a poster who also posts here.
http://www.amazon.com/Tragedy-Great-...7534857&sr=8-2
I'm only a few pages into the second chapter, but Mearsheimer has already impressed me with his ability to pull in the competing principles of realist and liberalist theory, as well as describe the various strains within each theory that argue against each other, and how the major theorists make their point. For you older hands here, if your college freshman or sophmore has thoughts on being a Poli sci major and this isn't on their gear list yet, I recommend it.
Due to the many sections where Mearsheimer delves into periods of great power muscle-flexing (i.e. war), I think it would still make for a good book for consecutive rainy weekend afternoons, no matter whether you read primarily for pleasure or more direct reasons like myself.
60yrs after Imperial India ended
Three books on the Indian Army and mindful of the Imperial era battleground of the North West Frontier re-appearing:
The Indian Army and the King's Enemies 1900-1947, by Charles Chenevix Trench (pub. Thames & Hudson 1988 in hardback)
The Frontier Scouts (the NW Fontier locally recruited units) by Charles Chenevix Trench (pub. Jonathan Cape 1985 in hardback)
A Matter of Honour: An account of the Indian Army, its officers and men, by Philip Mason (pub. Penguin Books 1974)
I've not checked Amazon for current availability and they maybe in a very good library.
davidbfpo
I recently finished George Tenet’s Centre of the Storm, which was actually better than I expected. It is, of course, at times self-serving “here’s why it’s not my fault” BS but not as much as I expected, certainly less so than Tommy Frank’s American Solider drivel.
Currently I am reading Rajiv Chandrasekaran’s Imperial Life in the Emerald City, which is good . . . if somewhat depressing.
I'm finishing Truman by McCullough. Simply one of the best biographies I've ever read about a fascinating man who really should be a role model for all, no matter what they seek to do.
On my desk, just checked out, are the Lester Grau companion works "The Bear Went Over the Mountain: Soviet Combat Tactics in Afghanistan" and "The Other Side of the Mountain: Mujahideen Combat Tactics." Nagl's "Learning to Eat Soup With a Knife" is in the pipeline.
To flip this around, here's a question: Anyone read or know of a good biography of George Marshall? The more I read of him in other sources, the more I realize both how great of a man he was and how little I actually know about him. Any recommendations would be appreciated.
Matt
"Give a good leader very little and he will succeed. Give a mediocrity a great deal and he will fail." - General George C. Marshall
Better than the title says
Just finished second reading of 'Traffiking and Terrorist Networks, Government Bureaucracies, and Competitive Adaptation' by Michael Kenney. Published by The Pennsylvannia State University Press 2007 (ISBN 0=27102931-5). Best chapters are on how "narcs" and terrorists learn.
Shown on Amazon at $45 and one brief review. Not looked at the other hits.
davidbfpo
War of Ideas Reading
I just finished rereading Dr. J. Michael Waller's exceptional How to Fight the War of Ideas Like a Real War. Required reading for all you information warriors out there.
Funny aside: Over my holiday on the beach this past weekend, I read World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks. It's a fictional account of the aftermath of a zombie invasion, and some of the IW/COIN stories in there are pretty good. It's funny to read and start thinking about how you'd apply conventional and unconventional tactics of war in the event of a zombie invasion. Trivia note-- the Marines are credited with inventing the single most useful tool in the whole zombie war: an E-tool with a steel battle axe on the end called the "Lobotomizer" or just the "Lobo."
If anyone's interested, I can post my counter-motivation bibliography that I use for work. Also have a poo-poo load of sources for MA thesis.
Du4
Last edited by St. Christopher; 09-07-2007 at 01:56 PM. Reason: new stuff
Tenere terrorum,
St. C
"True knowledge exists in knowing that you know nothing."
---Socrates
Go with Forrest C. Pogue
Pogue's 4 volume biography on Marshall is awesome. It's available in paperback from the George C. Marshall foundation, Lexington, VA.
http://www.marshallfoundation.org/pd..._gift_shop.pdf
Ed Cray's General of the Army: George C. Marshall, Soldier and Statesman is a good one volume bio, but not on Pogue's level.
Stoler's George C. Marshall Soldier-Statesman of the American Century
is a short read, but decent intro to the man.
"Law cannot limit what physics makes possible." Humanitarian Apsects of Airpower (papers of Frederick L. Anderson, Hoover Institution, Stanford University)
In the queue:
Robert D. Kaplan, Hog Pilots, Blue Water Grunts: The American Military in the Air, at Sea, and on the Ground.
John Robb, Brave New War: The Next Stage of Terrorism and the End of Globalization.
John J. Tierney, Jr., Chasing Ghosts: Unconventional Warfare in American History.
And on the fiction side, a book I'm very much looking forward to reading, Phillip Jennings' Nam-A-Rama.
Thanks - I actually just finished Cray's book yesterday. It was a pretty good one volume, but it had so many of those annoying little factual errors as to make it a bit trying. None of them were major issues, but they detract from the overall credibility of the work. As one of my professors once said, "I opened up a major biography of Jefferson Davis. The first sentence read, 'Jefferson C. Davis was the product of. . . .etc, etc.' and Jefferson C. Davis was a Union officer who murdered a fellow general. Jefferson F. Davis was president of the Confederacy. How can you trust a guy who can't get his subject's name right?" And the Cray George C. Marshall biography was the same way, though maybe not quite as bad. John Marshall is referred to as the first chief justice of the Supreme Court on the first page - he was the fourth. Ridgway is referred to as a Major General during his stint as CINC-Far East - he was a full general. Just annoying stuff like that which detracted from an otherwise readable and enjoyable biography.
I did see all four volumes of Pogue's massive work in the Cornell library, and it was enough to intimidate me thoroughly.
Interested in seeing how "Chasing Ghosts" is; I saw it at the library and might pick it up on my next run. I'm finally reading Galula's Counterinsurgency Warfare: Theory and Practice, with Shultz's Insurgents, Terrorists, and Militias also competing for time with my textbooks. . .
Matt
"Give a good leader very little and he will succeed. Give a mediocrity a great deal and he will fail." - General George C. Marshall
Posting Permissions
Bookmarks