Army

reposted:

I have had a few emails from regular readers, subscribers and commenters who are in the military.

They all relate to their ability to get either via RSS or email (which is powered by RSS) the full text of each post.

For those on deployment, especially on ships or in Afghanistan and other regions, I’m told they have email access but little or no ability to browse.

I have now found a solution for you all.

If you are in our armed forces, or operate from a remote location where email or RSS the only way to enjoy Whale Oil Beef Hooked then please email me with your details so I can add you to the subscriber list. You can then commence to receive all my pearls of wisdom direct in your inbox, or the full RSS feed.

At this stage this facility is only available for those in the services. A short explanation of your current service/rank will suffice. Special exceptions will be made for those outside the services, but the explanation really does need to be exceptional.

The blog started Saturday by having a look at a number of Christchurch people taking pictures up women’s skirts at malls.  And wouldn’t you know it?  A teacher was arrested as well.  Iain Lees-Galloway shows he is a slimy git by opening a Burger King and then refusing to take a bite, preferring to preach sensible food choices.  Cam then called for nominations for Worst Political Journalist, and Barry Soper and John Campbell appeared hot favourites.   Next we had a vote on Best Political Journalist, which Larry Williams took out with a massive 47% of the vote.  Graham McCready withdrew litigation against John Banks because it made no sense to anyone – as in – they couldn’t understand what it said.  Whale then claims a win on his Hekia Parata predictions and wonders why Key has let this train wreck happen.  We raise our eyebrows about Nelson looking for a scooter riding bottom pincher and then watch a video of what happens to a pig at the bottom of the sea over 7 days.  Next a post where Greens are fighting Greens over the Google solar plant.  On the one side: solar energy.  On the other? Turtles.   Charles Krauthammer explains why gun control alone isn’t the solution to mass shootings.   A MENSA spokesperson calls people with low IQs carrots and the BBC feels they have to apologise.  There is a property for sale next to Kim Dotcom‘s place.  Cam suggests the GCSB or the US should have bought it to set up spying operations.   WOBH is calling for The Whale Army to send in their holiday snaps, in a new feature called Snapped!  Cam takes a brief look at who will enter parliament if Tim Groser leaves for the WTO.  To close the day, a WhaleTech post looks at a the cull-de-sac that’s the QII roll-up keyboard. Read more »

ᔥ Stuff.co.nz

Willie Apiata had left the Army to invest his considerable skills with at-risk youth:

New Zealand’s only living recipient of the Victoria Cross, Corporal Willie Apiata, is leaving the military.

Prime Minister John Key has revealed Apiata is leaving the SAS to work for the youth charity High Wire Trust.

The Trust, which has an outdoor pursuits centre in Papakura, helps at-risk young people.

“I’m sure he’ll do a great job out there,” Key said.

“He’ll be a great role model for them.”

Apiata had advised the Defence Force several months ago that he intended to leave the regular force but he would remain a member of the reserves.

ᔥ SunLive

The Army is holding come cockamamie conference about non-lethal weapons.

The SunLive editorial makes a couple of suggestions they could use:

We recommend they talk to David Shearer’s speech writer, who has the ability to bore people on a wide scale ranging from ‘mild discomfort’ to ‘near death’ with just a microphone. There are unconfirmed reports from our contacts in Hollywood that Shearer has ousted Mel Gibson in the latest in the movie series, “Non-Lethal Weapon 6: The politically correct movie.” We’ve voted Jacinda into the partner role, if only because she looks good on the cover. Watch for the special cameo appearance by Nick Smith, doing all his own stunts, when he shoots himself in the foot.

ᔥ Xinhuanet

Stop wasting money on crap like this:

The Army will be promoting understanding of non-lethal weapons and technology in the Asia-Pacific region when it hosts a major international seminar later this month.

About 75 participants from 19 countries will attend the 2012 Non-Lethal Weapons Executive Seminar (NOLES) in Wellington on March 28-30, said a statement from the New Zealand Defence Force ( NZDF).

Non-lethal, also known as “less lethal” systems, were weapons and devices designed to incapacitate a target while minimizing fatalities or permanent injury, it said.

NZDF Land Component Commander Brigadier Mark Wheeler said in the statement that NOLES was an annual multilateral seminar sponsored by the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Pacific.

Keynote speakers this year would discuss international human rights law, the laws of armed conflict, and planning considerations for the employment of less lethal weapons.

“It is becoming more commonplace for military forces to be operating in conflict zones where they are required to maintain law and order, control civil disturbances, or respond to rapid changes in levels of violence, where the use of lethal force may not be justified or permissible,” said Wheeler.

“Less lethal weapons provide military commanders with more options. They can be used to disperse large groups of hostile people, stop or disable vehicles, or deny access to important facilities.”

The use of less lethal technologies enabled security forces to counter non-traditional threats, while mitigating the effects on civilians and the environment, said Wheeler.

Tv3 ran a news story last night about a supposed alcohol problem amongst our troops in the NZDF.

They cited 500 drinking related offences over 5 years. That is just 100 per year out of total of 10,000 troops or just 1%. They have 61 bars, that’s one and half bar incidents a year per bar. What a massive beat-up of a non-problem. Who are the wowsers that fed this crap to to 3News?

It is a massive over reaction and actually poor reporting on the part of 3 News.

When you compare the NZDF with the rest of New Zealand it is actually the rest of New Zealand that has the drinking problem not the NZDF.

In New Zealand a third of crimes in 2007-2008 were carried out by a person affected by alcohol and in serious offences, such as homicides, it was about half of cases.

Each year police here take 21,000 drunk people home or to the cells because they cannot remember where they live.

In fact if you look at Police crime statistics you can see public disorder offences (like disorderly conduct) which are highly likely to involve alcohol for the past year were well over 40,000, for just one year.

500 offences by the NZDF over 5 years seems small beer if you ask me. A total beat-up by 3News, they should actually apologise to the NZDF.

via Andrew Sullivan

Nasty stuff.

The upward blast of an IED often rips off lower limbs as high as the hip, as well as the genitals. … In some cases the perineum, the seam at the bottom of the torso, is ripped open and the intestines and other organs spill out, a Navy combat corpsman told me. One out of five Americans whom the Army medically evacuated from Afghanistan last October suffered such wounds, which the military calls genitourinary, or “GU,” wounds. … According to the Army task force report on severe IED wounds, a number [of troops] have developed “do not resuscitate” pacts in case they suffer traumatic genital amputation.

Not sure I’d be wanting to continue on after suffering “traumatic genital amputation”.

via The Brigade

Interesting load out, especially on Steyr AUG.

Phil Goff really does have a faulty memory. He can’t remember SIS briefings, he can’t remember 6 soldiers before a court martial for drug offenses and now he can’t remember a Colonel who abused duty free privileges who smuggled vast quantities of liquor, all on his watch as Defence minister.

A senior army officer who abused his duty free privileges while serving as a military attache at the United Nations in New York has been reprimanded and fined $1500.

Colonel Selwyn Heaton, who bought 100 bottles of gin, rum, vodka, whiskey, liqueur and wine and more than 200 packets of cigarettes for a friend just three weeks before his posting was due to end in 2006, pleaded guilty at a court martial at Trentham yesterday to two charges of bringing discredit to the army.

He pleaded not guilty to two alternate Crimes Act charges of deception, which could have carried a much stiffer sentence. Those charges were withdrawn.

The charges follow a major inquiry after an anonymous letter to the UN alleged he had sold duty free goods to a friend.

An audit of Heaton’s activities while a military adviser to the UN from 2002 till 2006 found e-mails from a Canadian friend, Rick Schwartz, asking Heaton to order large quantities of liquor. Heaton signed a form saying it was for personal use.

Duty and taxes of $1180 were avoided on two transactions involving more than 100 bottles of liquor and 200 cartons of cigarettes.

A far cry from his claims that “he could recall nothing similar during his tenure as Defence Minister between 2005 and 2008.”

We are fast getting a picture of Phil Goff’s powers of recall.

Why is it when faced with the opportunity for a stand up in the media Phil Goff has to lie?

The Navy are currently in the news for the actions of a drunk. Quite apart from Iain Lees-Galloway suggesting the drunkenness is because of low morale due to civilianisation of some job we have Phil Goff making an extraordinary claim:

Speaking of the April incident, Mr Goff told the Herald he could recall nothing similar during his tenure as Defence Minister between 2005 and 2008.

“Our Defence Force are our ambassadors internationally and they’re generally excellent for us, but we’ve got to take this sort of behaviour seriously. It’s very clear that whatever the factors are, it’s not a good look. The navy and the Defence Force has to address this.”

Really Mr Goff?

So you missed this then?

Six New Zealand soldiers have been pulled out of Afghanistan to face court marital for alleged drug use at their base, the Defence Force says.

Describing them as “junior personnel” they were part of the New Zealand Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Bamyan Province.

The statement said they allegedly used a Class B drug at the base.

The army says the drug involved was hashish.

In the civilian world a conviction of possession of a Class B drug can attract a sentence of up to six months imprisonment.

The six will be disciplined if they are found to have used drugs. Disciplinary action may result in a punishment being imposed pursuant to the Armed Forces Discipline Act, including a fine, a period in the Services Correction Facility or dismissal from the NZDF.

It certainly looks like Phil Goff’s memory is on the wane. I bet he can’t remember being briefed on this episode either.