To those who have served or are currently serving...

[Pico and ME]

Would you shoot down a fellow citizen in the street?

Its seems that as of Oct. 1st, the 3rd Infantry Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team is now stationed in the US with a new mission to help with civil unrest and crowd control, as reported in the Army Times.

The timing is ...odd, if not bothersome. Are they anticipating riots in our near future?

[Trilby]

The revolution is near, my friend.

[Cicero]

Yea...I was kind of for the war because it was keeping the Army from police-ing me at home. (not really but why not try and look at the bright side)This will not last long, however...and the time is drawing nigh. It's time for me to figure out where the logical places for the checkpoints are....

[classicman]

Training for homeland scenarios has already begun at Fort Stewart and includes specialty tasks such as knowing how to use the “jaws of life” to extract a person from a mangled vehicle; extra medical training for a CBRNE incident; and working with U.S. Forestry Service experts on how to go in with chainsaws and cut and clear trees to clear a road or area.

The 1st BCT’s soldiers also will learn how to use “the first ever nonlethal package that the Army has fielded,” 1st BCT commander Col. Roger Cloutier said, referring to crowd and traffic control equipment and nonlethal weapons designed to subdue unruly or dangerous individuals without killing them.

The package is for use only in war-zone operations, not for any domestic purpose.

“It’s a new modular package of nonlethal capabilities that they’re fielding. They’ve been using pieces of it in Iraq, but this is the first time that these modules were consolidated and this package fielded, and because of this mission we’re undertaking we were the first to get it.”

The package includes equipment to stand up a hasty road block; spike strips for slowing, stopping or controlling traffic; shields and batons; and, beanbag bullets.

Correction:

A non-lethal crowd control package fielded to 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, described in the original version of this story, is intended for use on deployments to the war zone, not in the U.S., as previously stated.

Hmm interesting article - seems like pre-planning to me. Whats wrong with this?

[Clodfobble]

The brigade will not change its name, but the force will be known for the next year as a CBRNE Consequence Management Response Force, or CCMRF (pronounced “sea-smurf”).

[glatt]

I have no problem with the military helping out in a disaster on US soil as long as they leave the weapons at home.

Armed troops, performing law enforcement, is a violation of posse comitatus.

This is the part that bothers me "They may be called upon to help with civil unrest and crowd control."

[Cicero]

When I was doing Katrina Relief work I heard some stuff....Not great. (about the troops and their behavior)

[Pico and ME]

Its very unnerving.

[classicman]

Originally Posted by glatt

I have no problem with the military helping out in a disaster on US soil as long as they leave the weapons at home.

Armed troops, performing law enforcement, is a violation of posse comitatus.

This is the part that bothers me "They may be called upon to help with civil unrest and crowd control."

from your link:

The act was a response to and subsequent prohibition of the military occupation by U.S. Army troops of the former Confederates States during the ten years of Reconstruction (1867-1877) following the U.S. Civil War (1861-1865).

[glatt]

Originally Posted by classicman

from your link:

I don't understand what you are trying to say. The use of troops lasted ten years, but the act is still in effect today.

[classicman]

The act was in response to a very specific situation for a specific time frame. That quote was from your link BTW

[glatt]

Originally Posted by classicman

The act was in response to a very specific situation for a specific time frame. That quote was from your link BTW

Did you happen to see the first three paragraphs of my link? It uses the present tense to describe how the act currently prohibits the military from acting as law enforcement on US soil except in very specific extreme circumstances.

The act may have been in response to a specific situation that occurred during a specific time frame, but the act was not in effect for a specific time frame. It is still in effect today.

It reads: "Whoever, except in cases and under circumstances expressly authorized by the Constitution or Act of Congress, willfully uses any part of the Army or the Air Force as a posse comitatus or otherwise to execute the laws shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both."

[classicman]

I was wrong - After rereading it again there is a bunch of legalese in there and it was actually modified in 1981 and as recently as 2006 & 2008 by our current fearless leader. The exceptions make me wonder.
Perhaps they are simply being prepared in the event they are needed. I see absolutely nothing wrong with being prepared.

[glatt]

Yeah, well, the Bush administration doesn't believe the act applies to them anyway, so it's not worth the paper it's written on.

The Salon has a decent article on it.

I'm not against the military doing humanitarian help. But I'm very much against the US military shooting US citizens under any circumstances, even riot.

[classicman]

What if those "citizens were deemed terrorists and were perpetrating an act of potential horrific proportions.

I think thats what this pretty much comes down to is having some troops prepped in case they are needed for a natural or unnatural disaster where the local law enforcement would be totally over matched and in need of some additional manpower and expertise.