Pentagon Orders Military Families Out of Turkey

 

The “JV team” continues to rattle the most powerful military on earth:

The U.S. military has ordered military family members to evacuate southern Turkey, primarily from Incirlik Air Base, due to security concerns, the Pentagon said Tuesday.

Family members will also be evacuated from facilities in Izmir and Mugla, according to a Pentagon statement.

“The decision to move our families and civilians was made in consultation with the Government of Turkey, our State Department, and our Secretary of Defense,” Gen. Philip M. Breedlove, commander of U.S. European Command, said in the statement.

A U.S. defense official told CNN that the base had been placed under Force Protection Condition Delta for weeks, the highest level of force protection for U.S. military bases. Delta level means that either a terrorist attack has just taken place in the immediate vicinity or “intelligence has been received that terrorist action against a specific location or person is imminent,” according to military guidelines.

A U.S. official said the evacuation decision was made because of the ongoing threats concerning possible ISIS attacks.

Published in Foreign Policy, Military
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  1. Spin Inactive
    Spin
    @Spin

    Are there any tankers there?  Probably not.  That’s why there’s so much trouble, no tankers.  They need tankers, as everyone knows.  “Two old ladies was lyin’ in bed!”

    • #1
  2. Bucky Boz Member
    Bucky Boz
    @

    Our president thinks the “power of our example” is a “weapon” in the war against ISIS:

    That’s why we have to reject any attempt to stigmatize Muslim-Americans, and their enormous contributions to our country and our way of life.  Such attempts are contrary to our character, to our values, and to our history as a nation built around the idea of religious freedom. It’s also counterproductive. It plays right into the hands of terrorists who want to turn us against one another; who need a reason to recruit more people to their hateful cause.

    I think the power of our armed forces, unleashed to pursue victory against this band of thugs, should receive the most emphasis from the President.  He should talk about 1) How we wipe them out and 2) How we partner with non-terrorists to restore order, security, and stability in the long-term.

    Instead, the President says we are going to defeat the thugs in part by not offending American Muslims.  The President says not that we will destroy the thugs, but that we will destroy their safe havens.

    I think the families of the fallen civilians probably don’t care whether an American Muslim is offended by political rhetoric.  We are so far from the consensus of 2002 it’s not even funny.  How many civilians have to die before the public and those in office realize that we must meet suicidal force with overwhelming force and a long-term plan to prevent future safe-havens from emerging?

    • #2
  3. Trajan Inactive
    Trajan
    @Trajan

    Turkey has become the malignant nexus; we just ok’ed a $680 Million  arms purchase for them, yet they support ISIS. Erdogans son is their Oil broker, Erdogan allows them to transport supplies etc. through their territory etc. They are openly bombing and ravaging Kurd villages and towns ala Putins , see: Armenian Genocide light.

    The sorry fact is via Obamas total and complete mislaying of every card he had,we are stuck, with no good option……..pull our people out? Sure, no sense in them being targets, collaterally or otherwise.

    • #3
  4. Bucky Boz Member
    Bucky Boz
    @

    Trajan:Turkey has become the malignant nexus; we just ok’ed a $680 Million arms purchase for them, yet they support ISIS. Erdogans son is their Oil broker, Erdogan allows them to transport supplies etc. through their territory etc. They are openly bombing and ravaging Kurd villages and towns ala Putins , see: Armenian Genocide light.

    The sorry fact is via Obamas total and complete mislaying of every card he had,we are stuck, with no good option……..pull our people out? Sure, no sense in them being targets, collaterally or otherwise.

    I think the point of the post is to point out how bad Obama mis-assessed the threat.  I don’t think anyone is criticizing our decision to protect civilian family members of military personnel.

    • #4
  5. Cow Girl Thatcher
    Cow Girl
    @CowGirl

    Mr. Cow Girl has spent considerable amount of time in the Middle East (including Israel). I trust his opinion. He observed to me once, years ago, that most people there only respect action, not words.

    • #5
  6. Chris Campion Coolidge
    Chris Campion
    @ChrisCampion

    Can’t the Pentagon order sissies out of the White House, too?

    • #6
  7. Aelreth Member
    Aelreth
    @

    Good, military personnel and their families were vulnerable here and locally forces lacked the political cover to mitigate the risks for these troopers well being.

    • #7
  8. Douglas Inactive
    Douglas
    @Douglas

    Cow Girl:Mr. Cow Girl has spent considerable amount of time in the Middle East (including Israel). I trust his opinion. He observed to me once, years ago, that most people there only respect action, not words.

    Mr. Cow Girl is simply observing reality of the area.

    “When people see a strong horse and a weak horse, by nature, they will like the strong horse.” – Osama Bin Laden

     “Bin Ladenism is not drawn from the extremist fringe but represents the political and social norm of the Arabic-speaking Middle East…violence is central to the politics, society, and culture”. – Lee Smith, author of The Strong Horse: Power, Politics, and the Clash of Arab Civilizations

    • #8
  9. Fake John/Jane Galt Coolidge
    Fake John/Jane Galt
    @FakeJohnJaneGalt

    we need to bring them all home. Troops, soldiers, contractors, families, etc., bring the whole bunch of them home. Then let the world choke on itself.

    • #9
  10. Metalheaddoc Member
    Metalheaddoc
    @Metalheaddoc

    Bless your hearts. Don’t you know that Islam is a religion of peace? Don’t you know the Islam translates as “peace, love, happiness, puppies, rainbows, freshly baked cinnamon rolls with extra icing and no calories?” Don’t you know that the terrorists pervert Islam and are probably really closeted gay Christian Tea Partiers?

    Islam is peace! Diversity is our strength! Keep saying it until you believe it…or else…

    • #10
  11. Flapjack Coolidge
    Flapjack
    @Flapjack

    If the base has been at FPD Delta for weeks, as reports state, sending families home is no surprise and a good move.  I’ve been to Incirlik a few times (though that has been many years ago); being required to leave, as opposed to being locked down on base, would probably be a welcome release for the families.

    • #11
  12. Susan Quinn Contributor
    Susan Quinn
    @SusanQuinn

    Turkey should continue to be very, very worried. I’m glad our folks are out of there.

    • #12
  13. Ball Diamond Ball Member
    Ball Diamond Ball
    @BallDiamondBall

    Cow Girl:Mr. Cow Girl has spent considerable amount of time in the Middle East (including Israel). I trust his opinion. He observed to me once, years ago, that most people there only respect action, not words.

    Actually, I find that this is true everywhere, although in a luxury society you can make a great deal of money pretending otherwise.

    • #13
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