US military conducting classified operation in Washington D.C. area
A recent funding request submitted to Congress by the Army has revealed an ongoing classified military operation in the greater Washington, D.C. area. The document, originally reported by Bloomberg News, requested $1.55 million for aircraft maintenance and a “Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility” at Davison Army Airfield at Fort Belvoir, Virginia 20 miles southwest of the nation’s capital. The information emerged as part of a broader $2.5 billion request to redistribute funds to high-priority programs during the 2019 fiscal year.
The operation, whose purpose remains unknown, involves Black Hawk helicopters backed by a force of active and reserve duty soldiers of an unknown size. “Soldiers from assault helicopter company and aviation maintenance units will be supporting the mission with 10 UH-60s [Black Hawks] and maintenance capabilities for four months,” states the request. “Without additional funding, the Army will not be able to perform this classified mission.”
The carrying capacity of 10 UH-60 Black Hawks can range between 110 to 200 soldiers, depending on whether or not the soldiers are equipped with combat gear or whether or not the seats in the helicopter have been removed. There may be additional ground personnel, however.
Unlike other “realistic urban warfare” training missions now routinely carried out by the military in virtually every major American city, up until now the operation has been completely shielded from the public. It was not until the military exposed its existence in its own budget request that knowledge of the mission’s existence became publicly available. Likewise, the scope of the operation dwarfs that of training exercises, which typically span between one to six days. It reportedly began around the beginning of the 2019 fiscal year, which started on October 1, 2018—meaning it may very well already be 8 months underway.
This development raises many important questions: Why is the US military conducting long-term classified operations within spitting distance of the capital? What is the strength of the forces deployed? What particular branches of the military are involved? And, most importantly, are these operations taking place within Washington, D.C. itself?
A long-term secret military operation involving a relatively small force in the nation's capital during a period of growing social and political ferment points to fears within ruling class of social upheaval. It is noteworthy that the Army submitted the request for more funding within the past few days, amidst the toppling of Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rosselló by mass protests numbering between 500,000 and 1 million people.
It is likewise no coincidence such a mission is currently taking place amidst the backdrop of an explosive ratcheting up of military tensions between the US and Iran, as well as between the US and China. Growing inter-imperialist rivalries between the US and EU countries also underscore the instability of current geopolitics.
Perhaps all the more significant is the placement of the mission. Davison Army Airfield, which historically has served as support for military aircraft carrying the US president, lies a mere 18 miles south of the White House. The operation’s designation as a “high-priority” program worthy of the reallocation of funds points to the importance of the mission's content. Given that the US military has already mapped an escape route for President Trump out of New York City back in 2016 (see below), it is possible the current mission is intended as a response in the event of a crisis, including mass popular protests, breaking out in the capital.
The revelation in the press seems to have caught Army officials off guard. Army spokesman Wayne Hall deflected questions from Bloomberg News as well as military news website Task and Purpose, insisting that it is a “real, actual mission” the purpose of which is classified.
While Hall admitted that the mission’s end date is “undetermined,” he declined to tell Bloomberg News whether or not the Pentagon’s Joint Special Operations Command is involved in the exercises, a branch of the military which includes the Army’s elite Delta unit and the Navy’s Seal Team Six.
Over the past eight years, the US military have staged dozens of “realistic” urban warfare exercises in major cities across the country. The sight of menacing attack helicopters whirring through densely populated urban areas, flak-jacketed commandos kicking down doors and throwing flash bang grenades, and the cacophony of explosions and automatic gunfire are an increasingly routine affair within the American city. As the American ruling class spirals further and further into outright recklessness, frightened residents are having their neighborhoods turned into mock war zones with little to no warning.
These drills, although widely opposed by the working class, have elicited virtually no comment at all from leading Democratic Party politicians, including “left” figures such as Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Ocasio-Cortez, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, endorsed the record $738 billion military budget resolution in a near party-line vote in the House on Thursday.
The full scope of such urban mock war zones are, of course, unknown. A timeline of some of the most high profile operation outlined below provides a brief picture:
• Miami, Florida (April 20, 2011): A military exercise included low-altitude helicopter flights through downtown.
• Boston, Mass. (August 3, 2011): Five helicopters practiced low-altitude military exercises over the city, flying over Boston Harbor and darting in between skyscrapers in the Financial District.
• Miami (May 8, 2012): US Special Operations Command stages a “realistic urban training” exercise involving helicopters and a 100 strong force of commandos storming the Grand Bay Hotel. Residents reported hearing explosions and gunfire and witnessed flares and smoke bombs.
• Miami (January 24, 2013): A military exercise took place involving Black Hawk helicopters flying over the city and hovering over a Metrorail station while commandos rappelled onto the platform.
• Chicago (April 23-24, 2013): The US Department of Defense (DoD) conducted urban warfare training drills in Tinley Park, a southwestern suburb of the city. The operation consisted of low-flying exercises with Black Hawk and special operations helicopters. This was accompanied by ground forces simulating “building breaching,” a practice involving breaking down doors and conducting room-to-room searches. The drills were conducted one week after the police shutdown of the shutdown of the city of Boston following the marathon bombings.
• Operation Jade Helm, Texas (Summer 2015): Military training operation involving personnel in simulated rural and urban combat environments, spanning counties from the eastern to western border of the state. The NSA and CIA blamed the leak of information about the exercise on “Russian bots” and warned that public information about military operations in the US would strengthen right-wing political tendencies.
• Chicago (July 20-25, 2015): Five-day military exercises were conducted involving aircraft activity, including low-altitude helicopter flights.
• Boston (August 24, 2016): The DoD conducted military exercise in the downtown area involving low-altitude helicopter flights. Military officials insisted that the exercise was “not in response to any world events.”
• New York City (December 13, 2016): An operation in Manhattan involved one HC-130 “search-and-rescue” plane as well as two HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters. Law enforcement officials explained the aircraft were conducting surveillance to map out potential escape routes for then president-elect Donald Trump in the event of having to evacuate him from the city.
• Boston (July 19-21, 2017): The DoD conducted another military exercise downtown with low-altitude helicopter flights, this time spanning three days. Again, officials told the public it was “not in response to any world events.”
• New York City (April 17, 2018): Lower Manhattan residents reported a six strong fleet of low-altitude Black Hawk helicopter flights containing military personnel. No information was given by either city or military authorities.
• Chicago (September 25-26, 2018): The military conducted a special operations commandos training exercise. Residents witnessed Black Hawk helicopters flying through city and hovering above buildings while gear-clad commandos fast-roped onto rooftops.
• Miami (December 22, 2018): A Black Hawk helicopter and stealth boats holding approximately 20 personnel were spotted in Port of Miami as part of an inter-agency exercise, possibly involving both military and police.
• Los Angeles (February 4-9, 2019): The military conducted a large-scale urban drill, involving low-altitude helicopter flights and loud explosions. Initial drills took place downtown, shifting to the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach in the middle of the week.
MEXICO K ILLS AMERICA TWICE OVER!
DHS Secretary: ‘ICE Interdicted Enough Fentanyl Last Year to
K ill Every American Twice Over’
Fentanyl is a synthetic opiate that according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is 50 to 100 times more powerful than morphine. The illicit drug has been attributed to the alarming increase in opioid overdose deaths throughout the United States.
https://mexicanoccupation.blogspot.com/2019/03/dhs-secretary-ice-interdicted-enough.html
“Mexican Border States Net 320 Pounds of Meth in Two Days” BREITBART
“Eight-Time Deportee Accused of Trafficking $850,000 in Meth, Cocaine.”
JUDICIAL WATCH:
“The greatest criminal threat to the daily lives of American citizens are the Mexican drug cartels.”
“Mexican drug cartels are the “other” terrorist threat to America. Militant Islamists have the goal of destroying the United States. Mexican drug cartels are now accomplishing that mission – from within, every day, in virtually every community across this country.” JUDICIALWATCH
Mexican Judge Saves Cartel Boss from U.S. Extradition
2:35
A Mexican federal judge saved a top leader of Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generation (CJNG) from extradition to the U.S., where he faces several drug trafficking and money laundering charges. The decision comes as rumors spread about a possible prison rescue.
This week, Mexican Federal Judge Rosa Maria Cervantes Mejia halted the extradition of Abigael “El Cuini” Gonzalez Valencia by granting an injunction or “amparo.” The ruling held that Gonzalez Valencia faces various charges at home which must be resolved before removal–even after Mexico’s Foreign Relations Office granted the transfer for the man believed to be the second-in-command of CJNG. Gonzalez Valencia is the brother-in-law of CJNG top boss Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera.
The CJNG is now a security concern for Mexican and U.S. authorities because of their extreme violence and recruitment of former members of the Colombian guerrilla terrorist group FARC. CJNG gunmen are often involved in fierce battles with Mexican military and police. They are also responsible for shooting down a police helicopter.
In recent days, social media messages and videos circulating throughout Mexico warned of a pending rescue attempt by CJNG under orders from El Mencho. Gonzalez Valencia is the leader of a criminal organization known as “Los Cuinis,” which is controlled by his relatives and considered the financial wing of CJNG. Los Cuinis previously went by the names “Cartel Milenio” and “Cartel Valencia” before adopting the current title.
Los Cuinis and CJNG were the target of several seizures and actions by the U.S. Department of Treasury, which outed music promoters, fashion photographers, and other culturally influential Mexicans for allegedly laundering money for the organizations.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Border / Cartel Chronicles. He co-founded the Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Border / Cartel Chronicles. He co-founded the Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.
Mexican Police Rescue 150 Migrants Locked in Produce Truck
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Mexican police rescued 150 migrants locked in a produce truck in sweltering heat. Authorities say smugglers locked the migrants, mostly women and children, in the back of the cargo truck without provisions for days.
The Mexican Public Safety Department said that police pulled over a truck on a Veracruz highway after the driver failed to maintain his lane. Authorities said the truck driver nearly struck the police car before being pulled over, according to the Associated Press.
When the officer pulled the truck over, he heard pounding on the walls of the cargo area and people calling for help, the article stated. When the officer searched the truck, he found more than 150 migrants. Authorities claim the group of migrants included 66 children and 36 women. Smugglers kept the migrants locked in the truck for days without food or water. The migrants came to Mexico from Guatemala, Honduras, Ecuador, and El Salvador, officials reported.
Mexican authorities have found a multitude of migrants being smuggled in inhumane and unsafe conditions in the back of trucks in recent weeks.
Earlier this month, Breitbart News reported on a tractor-trailer loaded with 228 migrants in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas. The article includes a video that illustrates the severity of how the migrants were being hauled on a “Pepsi truck.” Smugglers loaded the 228 migrants from Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala into the back of the truck in an attempt to move them northward to the U.S.-Mexico border. The group consisted of men, women, and children.
The Daily Mail published a video on July 4 showing 134 migrants being rescued from another tractor-trailer in Veracruz. The smugglers abandoned the trailer, leaving the Central American migrants to die. Fortunately, residents of the town of Ozuluama heard the cries for help and notified authorities.
In June, authorities in Veracruz stopped four semi-trailers carrying 782 migrants on the Acayucan-Isla highway. Of these, 368 were minors including 98 under the age of five, Mexico News Daily reported. The migrants told authorities they paid the smugglers $3,500 USD each to be transported to the U.S.
The increased discovery of the migrant human smuggling loads comes after Mexican President Andres Manuel López Obrador reached an agreement with U.S. President Donald Trump to step up its efforts to block migrants being smuggled through Mexico to the U.S.
Authorities recently reported the discovery of a “industrial-scale migrant smuggling ring” operating in Mexico. The ring uses trucks disguised as freight deliverers for major companies, the Associated Press reported last week. President López Obrador said found one truck loaded with 150 migrants with the logo of Soriana, a major grocer in Mexico. Soriana responded in a statement that the truck did not belong to their delivery fleet and is not owned by their company.
“The company has filed a complaint because it was fake, it was camouflage to transport migrants,” López Obrador told the reporters.
Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard told reporters they found four or five other trucks in June that belonged to the same trucking company as the truck loaded with 150 migrants.
“The risk they are putting people in, half of them are minors,” Ebrard explained. “They are locking them in trailers to cross the entire country. They leave them there for hours, they could die of asphyxia.”
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for the Breitbart Border team. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Face book.
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