» Stratfor analyst says Jade Helm is valuable,
A series of military exercises set to take place this summer in Texas and throughout the Southwest has provoked intense opposition from Texans wary of any display of federal force inside the state. Gov. Greg Abbott responded on Tuesday by directing the head of the Texas State Guard to monitor the exercises. To clarify the issue, the American-Statesman held an online chat with military analyst Paul Floyd of Stratfor, the Austin-based global intelligence advisory firm. Below are excerpts: Q: Paul, can you tell us what Jade Helm 15 is?
A: Jade Helm is an exercise being conducted by Special Operations Command over the summer. It is designed to be as realistic as possible, allowing these units to train in similar environments to where they might be fighting in the future overseas.
Q: Can you tell us more about the nature of the exercises? Logistics? Weapons training? Physical training?
A: They are designed for all of the above. Any military operation involves al l of these elements to execute in order to be successful. A realistic exercise will do the same. In this case, Special Operations soldiers will be focusing on unconventional warfare. This is the type of warfare that is outside the pitched battles of conventional fighting utilizing small specially trained units.
Q: How typical is it for the military to conduct exercises among civilian populations? A: It is relatively common. The militar y, despite al l of its resourc- es, can only replicate so many different scenarios. In order to cover a full spectrum of environments and eventualities, the military li kes to use the unique environments that can be found in civilian areas sometimes.
Q: People are very uncomfortable about this. Should they be?
A: No. The military is being publi c about its intentions and interfacing with local communitie s at various levels to both keep the public informed and deconflict potenti al safety issues.
Q: How much civilian contact are you expecting (personnel) to encounter?
A: If they execute the exercises correctly, you should see very little interaction. The nature of these units and their missions means they will try to be as circumspect as possible, avoiding civilian detection and working primarily at night.
Q: What types of scenarios is Jade Helm 15 designed to simulate? Do these scenarios exist in the world already?
A: The focus will be on working with friendly indigenous elements on the ground in both hostile
and friendly countries, direct-action raids against high-value targets, insertion and movement behind enemy lines and intelligence-gathering. Q: The idea that thi s is preparation for martial law came up during the Bastrop County Commissioners Court meeting Monday. Is there any part of Jade Helm that would actually train troops to employ martial law?
A: No. I believe that may
have generated initial ly
from repor t s that these exercises would be inter
facing with local law en--
forcement and was misinterpreted. That is done for safety, not training. Additionally, these are not the types of units you would use for a polici ng mission.
Q: To what do you attribute civilian resistance to the training?
A: In my opinion I think it is a combination of misunderstanding and certain vocal actors purposefully misinforming the public using the Internet and social media.
Q: What kind of “unfamiliar terrain” might soldiers encounter in Bastrop County?
A: It will be unfamiliar in the sense that it is not on your typical training post. ... Reaching out to both ot her bases and private areas allows for diversity in environment.
Q: Is there a contingency for civilians interfering with militar y exercises?
A. They will likely try to avoid interfacing with civilians as much as possible, but interaction is quite possibl e. The exercise participants will avoid confrontation, espec ial ly if they are aware that there are civilians in the area. I would al so emphasize that safety is al - ways a key consideration here; for example they will be carrying blank ammunition.
Q: Are the current rioting events (in Baltimore) a reason for the need to conduct training in civilian areas?
A: No. First, these exercises have been in the planning stages long before the events in Baltimore. Usually it takes a year or more to plan something of this order. Additionally, these units will not be practicing policing or the skills needed to control large-scal e riots.