THE WEATHER 43,359

* All art and photography courtesy of "Google Images". Titling by Felicity Blaze Noodleman.
Special thanks to wikipedia.com and www.bobthealien.co.uk/earthyear.htm  



As the foundation of the NWS Digital Services Program, the National Digital Forecast Database (NDFD) consists of gridded forecasts of sensible weather elements (e.g., cloud cover, maximum temperature). NDFD contains a seamless mosaic of digital forecasts from NWS field offices working in collaboration with the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP). The database is available for members of the public to use in creating text, graphic, gridded and image products of their own. Over time, NWS will offer a wider array of gridded forecast elements and a larger set of graphical presentations.

BLOG  POST

by Felicity Blaze Noodleman

Los Angeles, CA

9.12.14

Since here in California we have entered into our "shake and bake" season ( very hot triple digit heat with a high possibility for earth quakes) and because hurricane season seems to be getting an early start in the south eastern US; I thought it might be useful to know how meteorologist prepare their weather forecasts.  Most people can usually agree about the weather!  There isn’t a wide variety of opinion.  It for the most part is an absolute.  The weather can’t be changed but will change of its own accord in the near future.  Ether you like it or you don’t.  But everyone agrees on what it is for the day.  Too hot or too cold.  Too wet or too dry.  This article will look at the forces behind out weather and how it is predicted, both in the past and up through today.

Bob Dylan wrote “you don’t need to be a weather man to know which way the wind blows” but if you want to know from which direction and at what speed the wind is going to blow from you will need more than a song.  Ancient weather prediction looked to the heavens for clues and can be traced back to the ancient Greeks and the Chinese.  Babylonian records date back to 650 BC as they applied astrology and examined cloud formations to predict the weather.  Tables and charts were kept tracking many different areas of celestial patterns and annual earthly conditions.  These records were assembled into an “Almanac” which was the standard for centuries in weather predicting until 1835 with the invention of the "Telegraph".



Three examples of 20th. century almanacs.  These almanacs were the farmers
handbook as they pertained to forecasting the agricultural conditions for the
farming seasons.  Almanacs have been used for centuries since their conception
by the ancient Babylonians in 650 BC.

Thermometers or “Thermo Scopes” were developed in the early part of the 1600’s and the barometer was developed in the mid 1600’s.  As measurements were incorporated into the record keeping for almanacs other instrumentation was developed to calculate wind speeds and atmospheric data which all aided in tracking current and past conditions to predict future occurrences.

Early examples of thermometers from the 1600's (Galileo Galilei)
and barometers (Giovanni Baliani).

Oddly enough, it was the British Royal Navy which led the way in modern weather recognition and prediction.  Naval Officers need information on weather patterns to assist them in plotting their courses to navigate their wind powered sailing ships.  They need favorable wind conditions to fill their sails and they needed to know where bad or unfavorable weather conditions were so they could avoid them.  It was the Navy, both British and United States who would lead the way in "Meteorology" up until today.

The Telegraph was a revolution in information communications.  It allowed people to transmit information of all kinds from one area to another.  From east coast to the west, telegraphers could now dispatch weather conditions from one location to the next expected area or direction of a weather front. 

One other significant benefit of the telegraph which would come about was the unification of the country into what we now refer to as “time zones”.  Before the telegraph almost every town established its own time zone.  There was no central authority anywhere to organize what the time of day was!  This presented the Rail Road’s many problems in creating time tables and schedules for arrivals and departures to travel destinations.  You can imagine the resulting chaos. 



Fine example of a 19th. century train station from Chicago, IL

Soon “Regulator” clocks were initiated by the Rail Road Company’s bringing uniformity to the nation.  The time in New York, for example, could be telegraphed to all the train stations along the east coast by which the Station Master would set the stations Regulator clock.  If people wanted to know what the time was they could set their watches by their stations Regulator clock.  The train station was the information center for a community dispatching the time, weather, mail and news of the day.



Satellites as they orbit earth.  We have littered our planet with them.

Satellites of many different varieties.

So now to quickly bring us up to date, as technology advanced, scientist and the military developed new instrumentation for gathering data about meteorological conditions and were able to track storms beginning with the old “Observation Balloons” predating the Civil War up through manned flight by airplane in WWII up to the “Weather Satellites” and "Doppler HD Radar" of today.  Meteorology has come a very long way.  I remember when the news weather forecast was a guy standing in front of a chalk board writing in temps. and that was it!  Today the "National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration"  of the US Department of Commerce is responsible for collecting all weather data across the US, compiling a weather data base and issuing our national forecasts.

Today's digital array of weather forecasting equipment:  Top left to bottom right

Doppler Radar station, Barometer & Atmospheric Pressure Gauge, Rain Gauge,

Thermometer, Anemometer (Wind Gauge) and Weather Satellite.  Many instruments
can be combined together as seen here.  Data all feeds to the meteorologists
computer for analysis to produce a visual weather report.


I think we all understand how satellites can improve weather prediction but what about Doppler HD radar?  This is a ground based radar system which has been finely tuned to recognize weather phenomenon such as cloud formations and atmospheric storms.  Trained Meteorologist then interpret this data and make their predictions.  Combining this information with data produced from satellites the Meteorologist can highly focus their forecasts for what will be happening in their area. 

Calipso 4 which stands for (Cloud - Aerosol - Lindar and Infrared - Pathfinder - Satellite Observation) weather satellite launched in 2006 operates with four other satellites and

operates as a "train" configuration.

Now on to the driving force behind the weather.  It is the Sun.  The Sun is the star of our solar system.  The “sky bull”!  The Sun dictates not only what will happen on earth but all of the other planets and celestial bodies in our solar system, the “Milky Way”.  It is a very big player determining planet rotations, seasons and atmospheric conditions for all the planets.  Actually “Meteorology” is a misnomer.  It would more correctly stated as “Sunology"; it's not even a correct word!  The ancient Egyptians worshiped the Sun believing it was responsible for everything which occurred in their world and spurring their succession of Goddesses, the most notable being “Isis” who gave birth to “Ra”.

Once we understand the basics of heating and cooling the weather becomes very simple.  It can be easily illustrated with a tea kettle.  By heating and cooling the atmosphere, wind is generated.  Water is changed from a liquid state to a gas or frozen into its solid ice form.  When warm moist formations of air collide with cool dry areas storms of all kinds can occur. Throw in the earth’s rotation and presto!  Track the winds forces pushing cloud formations and we can see what’s going to happen.

Satellite views of earth. Always fascinating to see!  Satellite composite

of hurricane systems.



Why Do We have Seasons?

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/lmk/?n=seasons

As the image shows, the rays received from the Sun vary at different times of the year. In June, the Northern Hemisphere (containing places like North America, Europe, Russia and China) is tilted towards the Sun. This means that the Sun shines more directly on this part of the planet in June, meaning that the Sun's rays are more intense and the temperature is hotter. The days are also long because more of the Northern Hemisphere is pointing towards the Sun so the Sun is able to cover a large area. At the same time, the Southern Hemisphere (containing countries like Australia, New Zealand, Argentina and South Africa) is pointing away from the Sun. This causes the Sun's rays to be less direct, resulting in colder and shorter days. This means that in June, it is summer in the Northern Hemisphere but winter in the Southern Hemisphere. The complete opposite happens in December when the Northern Hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun and the Southern Hemisphere is pointed towards it. This causes it to be winter in the Northern Hemisphere and summer in the Southern Hemisphere. 

http://www.bobthealien.co.uk/earthyear.htm

As the earth spins on its axis, producing night and day, it also moves about the sun in an elliptical (elongated circle) orbit that requires about 365 1/4 days to complete. The earth's spin axis is tilted with respect to its orbital plane. This is what causes the seasons. When the earth's axis points towards the sun, it is summer for that hemisphere. When the earth's axis points away, winter can be expected. Since the tilt of the axis is 23 1/2 degrees, the North Pole never points directlyat the Sun, but on the summer solstice it points as close as it can, and on the winter solstice as far as it can. Midway between these two times, in spring and autumn, the spin axis of the earth points 90 degrees away from the sun. This means that on this date, day and night have about the same length: 12 hours each, more or less.

Why should this tilt of the Earth's axis matter to our weather? To understand this, take a piece of paper and a flashlight. Shine the light from the flashlight straight onto the paper, so you see an illuminated circle. All the light from the flashlight is in that circle. Now slowly tilt the paper, so the circle elongates into an ellipse. All the light is still in that ellipse, but the ellipse is spread out over more paper. The density of light drops. In other words, the amount of light per square centimeter drops (the number of square centimeters increases, while the total amount of light stays the same).

The same is true on the earth. When the sun is overhead, the light is falling straight on you, and so more light (and more heat) hit each square centimeter of the ground. When the sun is lower in the sky, the light gets more spread out over the surface of the earth, and less heat (per square centimeter) can be absorbed. Since the earth's axis is tilted, the sun is higher when you are on the part of the earth where the axis points more towards the sun, and lower on the part of the Earth where the axis points away from the sun.

For the Northern Hemisphere, the axis points most toward the sun in June (specifically around June 21), and away from the sun around December 21. This corresponds to the Winter and Summer Solstice (solstice is Latin for "the sun stands"). For the Southern Hemisphere, this is reversed.

For both hemispheres, the earth is 90 degrees away from the sun around March 21 and then again around September 21. This corresponds to the Fall and Spring Equinox (equinox is Latin for "equal night"). Everyplace in the world has about 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night. 

So Why Are Sunrise And Sunset Not Exactly 12 Hours Apart On The Equinox?

Day and night are not exactly of equal length at the time of the March and September equinoxes. The dates on which day and night are each 12 hours occur a few days before and after the equinoxes. The specific dates for this occurrence are different for different latitudes.

On the day of the equinox, the geometric center of the Sun's disk crosses the equator, and this point is above the horizon for 12 hours everywhere on the Earth. However, the Sun is not simply a geometric point. Sunrise is defined as the instant when the leading edge of the Sun's disk becomes visible on the horizon, whereas sunset is the instant when the trailing edge of the disk disappears below the horizon. At these times, the center of the disk is already below the horizon. Furthermore, atmospheric refraction (or bending) of the Sun's rays cause the Sun's disk to appear higher in the sky than it would if the Earth had no atmosphere. Thus, in the morning, the upper edge of the disk is visible for several minutes before the geometric edge of the disk reachs the horizon. Similarly, in the evening, the upper edge of the disk disappears several minutes after the geometric disk has passed below the horizon.

For observers within a couple of degrees of the equator, the period from sunrise to sunset is always several minutes longer than the night. At higher latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere, the date of equal day and night occurs before the March equinox. Daytime continues to be longer than nighttime until after the September equinox. In the Southern Hemisphere, the dates of equal day and night occur before the September equinox and after the March equinox.

When Are The Times And Dates Of The Next Equinoxes And Solstices?

The chart shown below shows the dates and times for the equinoxes and solstices through 2012. Times listed are in Eastern Time.  Subtract one hour for Central Time.

Year	Spring Equinox	Summer Solstice	Fall Equinox	Winter Solstice
2014	Mar 20 -- 12:57pm	June 21 -- 6:51am	Sept 22 -- 10:29pm	Dec 21 -- 6:03pm
2015	Mar 20 -- 6:45pm	June 21 -- 12:38pm	Sept 23 -- 4:21am	Dec 21 --  11:48pm
2016	Mar 20 -- 12:30am	June 20 --  6:34pm	Sept 22 -- 10:21am	Dec 21 --  5:44am
2017	Mar 20 -- 6:29am	June 21 -- 12:24am	Sept 22 -- 4:02pm	Dec 21 -- 11:28am
2018	Mar 20 -- 12:15pm	June 21 -- 6:07am	Sept 22 --  9:54pm	Dec 21 -- 5:23pm
2019	Mar 20 -- 5:58pm	June 21 -- 11:54am	Sept 23 -- 3:50am	Dec 21 -- 11:19pm
2020	Mar 19 -- 11:50pm	June 20 -- 5:44pm	Sept 22 -- 9:31am	Dec 21 -- 5:02am

Is It True That You Can Stand An Egg On End During The Spring Equinox?

The answer is YES. However, you can stand an egg on end, with a large amount of patience, on any day of the year. This myth seems to pop up every year around the equinox. The thought that an egg can only stand on end on the spring equinox due to gravitational forces of the sun being aligned with the earth sound like science, but it isn't. According to Chinese tradition, an egg can be made to stand on end at the precise moment winter ends and spring begins. But, the Chinese calender had this transition occurring at a variable time each year, determined partly by the Chinese lunar month, usually in early February. More recently, this myth became fixed to the time of the spring equinox.

The underlying assumption relating to standing eggs on end is that there must exist some special gravitational balance. There are many forces acting on an egg when you try to stand it on end on a flat surface. Some people think that the gravitational pull of the Sun becomes balanced with that of the Earth to allow for this phenomenon to occur. However, the moon exerts a much stronger gravitational effect on the Earth than the Sun, dominating the ebb and flow of the ocean tides. The moon's effects are different at each of the equinoxes however. The most dominant force of gravity on a standing egg is the one between the Earth and the egg itself. This is determined by the weight of the egg and the force pulling the egg to the counter top. To assume that some celestial balance occurs only on the spring equinox (but not on the fall equinox!), is to fall prey to bad science.

If you want to prove this to yourself, take a fresh, uncooked egg and hold it with the larger end resting on a table or counter top. Wait for the fluid content of the egg to settle, then carefully test the balance. Be patient as you find the point where you can ever so gently let it go to remain standing on end.

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/lmk/?n=seasons

Can the Sun cause other effects on the earth's surface?  Yes it certainly can.  Solar “flares” can cause a great deal of trouble to earth and the surrounding atmosphere.  An excerpt from Wikipedia explains why:

"Solar flares strongly influence the local space weather in the vicinity of the Earth. They can produce streams of highly energetic particles in the solar wind, known as a solar proton event, or "coronal mass ejection" (CME). These particles can impact the Earth's magnetosphere (see main article at geomagnetic storm), and present radiation hazards to spacecraft, astronauts, and cosmonauts.

Massive solar flares are sometimes associated with CMEs which can trigger geomagnetic storms that have been knownto knock out electric power for extended periods of time. According to Matthew Stein, many hundred thousands of miles of high voltage lines would act like an antenna drawing the electro-magnetic pulse from a solar flare toward thousands of transformers on the world's power grids. Many transformers could burn out and be difficult to replace.

The soft X-ray flux of X class flares increases the ionization of the upper atmosphere, which can interfere with short-wave radio communication and can heat the outer atmosphere and thus increase the drag on low orbiting satellites, leading to orbital decay. Energetic particles in the magnetosphere contribute to the aurora borealis and aurora australis. Energy in the form of hard x-rays can be damaging to spacecraft electronics and are generally the result of large plasma ejection in the upper chromosphere."

wikipedia.com

Solar flares have also been known to pass into the earth's atmosphere and trigger forest fires in the western US.  Lightning generated high in the atmosphere has also been known to ignite forest fires as well.

The United States is situated between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans which gives us some of the most unusual weather patterns in the world.  With a variety of regional weather patterns we see meteorological systems which are not seen in other parts of the world.  Here in California we have something which is known as “the pineapple express” bringing rain from the Pacific ocean and dispersing moisture from coast to coast.  In California its rain but as it moves across the continent to the east it turns to snow.



The United States as seen from space with the Moon in the background, between
the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

In the mid west from Michigan to Texas we have a swath of country which is known as “Tornado Ally”.  Every spring cold air collides with warmer air producing Tornadoes.  In the south eastern US Hurricanes develop as warm air moving from Africa over the cooler Atlantic Ocean creating Hurricanes which head north ward to North America and can ride up the east coast to New York battering everything in their way and they can devastating the Gulf coast from Florida to Texas.  We have all kinds of twisters in the US: Hurricanes, Tornadoes, Cyclones and Waterspouts!

So the next time you see the weather forecast on TV,  see it on the home page of your favorite computer web browser on look it up on your hand held you will know the evolution of the meteorological science and the billions of dollars that are spent to bring you a quality weather forecast!  I'm Felicity Blaze Noodleman hoping you will have a wonderful day as we begin to head off into the Autumn.

If you don't like the weather, well, stick around because it always changes!

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OBAMA AND THE TERRORIST ISIS PART 2 42,757

OBAMA  AND

THE  TERRORIST

ISIS  PART  2

*  Special thanks to "Google Images", "The New York Daily News,

"News Week", "The New York Times" and "The Daily Beast"

BLOG  POST

by Felicity Blaze Noodleman

Los Angeles, CA

9. 5.14

President Barack Obama speaks about the situation in Iraq in the State Dining Room at the White House in Washington, on Thursday. US fighter jets dropped bombs on Islamic militants in Iraq on Friday, the Pentagon said.   (AP Photo)  (left)

http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/world/us-fighter-jets-bomb-militant-targets-in-iraq/article6296186.ece

Video Purportedly Shows First Public Appearance of ISIS Leader in Iraq 

The Associated Press reports that a man purporting to be the leader of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria has made what would be his first known public appearance in a video promoted on social media sites tied to ISIS.

The video claims to show Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in Mosul, Iraq's third-largest city which fell last month to the Islamist insurgents, leading prayers at the Great Mosque of al-Nuri. He wears black robes and a black turban, according to the AP, "a sign that he claims descent from the Prophet Muhammad."  (right)

http://gawker.com/video-purportedly-shows-isis-leader-in-iraq-1600641602

Last week we began a discussion of the terrorist group “ISIS” and President Obama and the President’s plan for Iraq as he has now once again actively engaged the United States in military actions in Iraq.  The United States has now been involved with or in Iraq now for over 25 years. This week we will conclude this article as we complete “Obama And The Terrorist ISIS” in part two.

To conclude this two part series we have selected four articles for your consideration:  (1) ISIS Seizes Chemical Depot Near Baghdad, May Have Access To Deadly Sarin Gas Rockets, "New York Daily News"  (2) Bombing Iraq Is Already Costing $7.5 Million A Day, "Newsweek"  (3) Airstrikes On ISIS Should Expand To Syria  "The New York Times" and  (4) Obama's Iraq Plan Has A Killer Flaw And Airstrikes Alone May Not Save It "The Daily Beast".  We are not including a lot of commentary for this story - you are a member of the "Noodleman Group" and are capable for doing it yourself!    

Iraq crisis: the bare faced ISIS executioner who spreads terror with his open killing

Shakir Wahiyib is a feared enforcer for the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham who does not cover up his face in videos of his killings

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iraq/10899901/Iraq-crisis-the-bare-faced-ISIS-executioner-who-spreads-terror-with-his-open-killing.html  (Telegraph Photo)

ISIS Seizes Chemical Weapons Depot Near Baghdad, May Have Access To Deadly Sarin Gas Rockets

The Islamic terrorist group took over the facility, which dates back to Saddam Hussein's regime and could contain 2,500 degraded rockets filled with the gas, but U.S. officials say the materials are too old to be useful.

BY Bill Hutchinson

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Wednesday, July 9, 2014, 5:25 AM

US MILITARY/AP

The terrorist group captured a chemical weapons depot near Baghdad – similar to this one in northern Iraq – but U.S. experts have downplayed risk posed by the rockets within.

US MILITARY/AP The terrorist group captured a chemical weapons depot near Baghdad – similar to this one in northern Iraq – but U.S. experts have downplayed risk posed by the rockets within.

A terrorist group bent on turning Iraq into an Islamic state has seized a chemical weapons depot near Baghdad stockpiled with sarin-filled rockets left over from the Saddam Hussein era.

The Islamic State of Syria and Iraq, better known as ISIS, captured the facility in Muthanna on June 11, according to a letter made public Tuesday at the United Nations.

The site, about 35 miles southwest of Baghdad, was once operated by Saddam’s army and is believed to contain 2,500 degraded rockets filled with potentially deadly sarin and mustard gas.

But U.S. officials have played down the seizure, saying the degraded chemical remnants date to the 1980s and were stored at the facility after being dismantled by UN inspectors.

 “Whatever material was kept there is pretty old and not likely to be able to be accessed or used against anyone right now,” U.S. Defense Department spokesman Rear Adm. John Kirby said.

In a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Mohamed Ali Alhakim, Iraq’s ambassador to the world body, said the facility was overrun by “armed terrorist groups” who detained soldiers guarding the sprawling complex.

“The project management spotted at dawn on Thursday, 12 June 2014, through the camera surveillance system, the looting of some of the project equipment and appliances, before the terrorists disabled the surveillance system,” Alhakim wrote in the letter dated June 30.

SIMON WALKER/AP  Iraq's ambassador to the UN said the country could not 'fulfill its obligations to destroy chemical weapons' because of deteriorating security conditions.

He informed Ban that Iraq is unable to “fulfill its obligations to destroy chemical weapons” because of the deteriorating security conditions.

In his letter, Alhakim cautioned that the seizure included bunkers 13 and 41 at the complex.

UN weapons inspectors reported in 2004 that Bunker 13 housed 2,500 sarin-filled chemical rockets and about 180 tons of sodium cyanide, “a very toxic chemical and precursor for the warfare agent tabun.”

The report, made after weapons inspectors left Iraq in 2003, said Bunker 41 contained 2,000 empty artillery shells and 605 1-ton containers with mustard residue, which can’t be used for chemical warfare.

ISIS, an Al Qaeda splinter group, has taken over large swaths of Iraq and Syria, including oil and gas fields, in recent weeks. It recently declared one of its fanatical leaders, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, to be caliph, or leader of the world’s Muslims.

With News Wire Services

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/isis-seizes-chemical-weapons-depot-baghdad-sarin-gas-rockets-article-1.1859934#ixzz3BFJolmdd

Since President shut down the American involvement in Iraq earlier than anticipated by the military ending combat missions in 2010 and declaring the war over in 2011, the President did not insure the Iraqi government would be strong enough and capable enough to protect the country from terrorists returning to Iraq.  Muslim Jihadists were easily able to resume operations in Iraq almost immediately upon the US military pulling out.

The United States has always maintained a policy of "nation building" after conducting a military campaign such as the Iraq war with as much determination by the military and us aid as used during the war.  With President Obama's preemption to the US Government's and Militarise exit strategy the success for the Iraq war was sold short and handed over  to future terrorism and extremists.  Problems in Syria are also possibly traceable to President Obama's lack of commitment in the region. 

"Newsweek"

Bombing Iraq Is Already Costing $7.5 Million A Day

By Reuters

Filed: 8/29/14 at 4:00 PM

Flight deck crew member confirms the deck is all clear before a F/A-18C Hornet of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA-87) take offs the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77), in the Gulf August 12, 2014. Planes have been taking off from the USS George H.W. Bush (CVN77) to strike key positions taken over by the Islamic State fighters in Iraq. Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters

Filed Under: U.S., Iraq, Islamic State, Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. military operations against Islamic State in Iraq have cost an average of $7.5 million per day since they began in mid-June, the Pentagon said on Friday, a figure that means the department has spent more than $500 million on the conflict.

Rear Admiral John Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary, told a briefing the expense of U.S. operations against Islamic State in Iraq had varied since U.S. forces became involved on June 16 but on average "it's costing us about $7.5 million per day."

"As our op (operational) tempo and as our activities have intensified, so, too, has the cost," Kirby said, noting that the figures were based on a snapshot of expenses between June 16 and Aug. 26.

He did not offer an estimate of the Pentagon's total costs so far, but an average cost of $7.5 million per day for 71 days would mean the department has spent roughly $532 million.

By comparison, the Pentagon has been spending roughly $1.3 billion per week on Afghanistan, analysts said.

The estimate includes like fuel for flying reconnaissance and strike missions, the cost of missiles and other weapons fired, as well as some payments for personnel, defense officials said.

The military so far has carried out 110 air strikes while flying about 60 reconnaissance aircraft sorties per day, defense officials said. In addition, it has sent more than 800 troops to evaluate the situation.

The operation is being paid for from the Pentagon's war-spending budget, which included some $80 billion in 2014, mainly for the conflict in Afghanistan.

"We're well within the limits that we need for 2014," Kirby said, noting that Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has previously said the Pentagon would not require additional funds to cover the costs of Iraq this year.

But he said Hagel has noted the Pentagon might have asked Congress for more money in the 2015 fiscal year, which begins in October.

"Right now, in Iraq and elsewhere around the world, we've got resources sufficient to the military tasks that we're accomplishing," Kirby said.

"Once you get into '15, if we're still involved at this level or a higher level, then we've got to have another discussion about what the funding levels might be," he added.

He noted that the Pentagon was facing a larger budget problem in 2016 if automatic, across-the-board budget cuts return. The department is currently under orders to cut nearly $1 trillion in projected spending over a decade.

Congress agreed on a two-year deal for the 2014 and 2015 budgets that gave the department some relief from the financial uncertainty it has faced since being ordered to implement the cuts. But the automatic reductions are due to return in 2016.

The National Defense Panel, a group of former military and defense officials, warned in a recent report that the defense cuts ordered in 2011 constituted a "serious strategic misstep" that threatened to undermine U.S. security and global leadership.

“Newsweek”

http://www.newsweek.com/bombing-iraq-already-costing-75-million-day-267619

"The New York Times"

Airstrikes On ISIS Should Expand To Syria

Ryan Crocker, a former ambassador to Syria and Iraq, is the dean of the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University.

UPDATED AUGUST 22, 2014, 6:21 PM

The rise of ISIS presents the gravest threat to United States national security since 9/11. Although disavowed by Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri as too extreme, ISIS shares the same agenda: the establishment of a twisted version of the Prophet Muhammad’s Islamic caliphate in the heart of the Middle East. That ISIS is a mortal enemy of ours is beyond question after the vicious murder of journalist James Foley.

This doesn't mean an alliance with Assad. We simply need to fight an enemy of the United States and not get involved in Syria's civil war.

But ISIS has a much broader agenda. In spite of some setbacks in northern Iraq, thanks in large part to U.S. airstrikes, they continue to make gains. In the region, Saudi Arabia and Jordan are at risk. The Saudis know it; that is why they have mobilized troops near their border with Iraq. There is nothing between ISIS and them except sand.

We too are at risk. This Al Qaeda mutant is far better armed, equipped and financed than the original. Unlike any variant of Al Qaeda since 9/11, it controls significant territory where, secure from attack, it has the space and time to plan its next set of operations. Anyone who believes the U.S. is not on that list is delusional.

So this is not just about protecting refugees or helping allies in Iraq secure limited objectives. This is war. The Obama administration has said our aim is to disrupt, degrade and defeat Al Qaeda. This is Al Qaeda Version 6.0. A sustained, focused air campaign supplemented by a significant number of Special Forces advisers, and including help from Iraqi tribes, can make a difference. But we cannot limit ourselves to Iraq. The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria has declared the Iraq-Syria border nonexistent – the caliphate cannot be divided. We should carry our air campaign to targets in Syria. This is a unified enemy and must be met by a unified strategy.

What this does not mean is any form of coordination, let alone an alliance, with the brutal regime of Bashar al-Assad. We need to fight an enemy of the United States, not involve ourselves in the Syrian civil war. But it might be that the systematic degradation of ISIS will allow the secular opposition to gain some momentum. After all, these terrorists probably have done more damage to them than to Assad.

But we need to move forcefully and quickly. As Senator Diane Feinstein rightly said, using an alternative name for ISIS, “It takes an army to defeat an army… we either confront ISIL now or we will be forced to deal with an even stronger enemy in the future.” And it may be on American soil.

"The New York Times"

http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2014/08/22/should-the-us-work-with-assad-to-fight-isis/airstrikes-on-isis-should-expand-to-syria

"The Daily Beast"

Obama’s Iraq Plan Has A Killer Flaw—And Airstrikes Alone May Not Save It

WORLD NEWS

08.08.14

The U.S. gambled on local militias to keep ISIS in check. The president’s authorization of airstrikes is an admission that bet didn’t pay off.

Jacob Siegel is a reporter and editor at The Daily Beast and an Army veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was an author and editor of Fire and Forget: Short Stories From the Long War, the first anthology of fiction written by Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.

Friday morning, with a humanitarian mission already underway, the United States began airstrikes on ISIS in northern Iraq. What had been the U.S. policy—to rely on local forces to contain ISIS while waiting for a new Iraqi government to reach a political solution—is finished. The new policy is still taking shape, but it may eventually lead to more involvement from the special operations troops who have been in Iraq for weeks.

President Obama said Thursday night he had authorized airstrikes to protect American personnel and the Yazidi minority group stranded by ISIS on top of Mt. Sinjar. A senior administration official later stressed to reporters that U.S. forces were not launching a “sustained campaign” against ISIS in Iraq.  

But with the Kurds, America’s closest allies in the fight, recovering from heavy losses, some analysts and military veterans say that airstrikes alone may not be enough to turn the tide. A sustained—if small-scale—campaign may be the only way to achieve that.

The Peshmerga, the Kurdish military, had been acting as a bulwark against ISIS, keeping the group tied up on a northern front while it also battled against the Iraqi military in the south and west.

Then, starting on Saturday evening, came the waves of ISIS attacks on positions in northern Iraq. A senior administration official described it as “a multi-pronged attack across hundreds of kilometers in northern Iraq.” This official said ISIS “acted with tremendous military proficiency.”

The Kurds were overrun. The surviving religious minorities and other vulnerable groups who had lived under their protection fled into the mountains to escape ISIS.

And now these vulnerable groups—especially the Yazidi, trapped around Mt. Sinjar without food or water before an American airdrop—are at risk of being slaughtered.

That’s what triggered the current humanitarian crisis and the growing threat that impelled the U.S. to act. The airdrop mission consisted of a C-17 and two C-130 aircraft that were escorted by two F-18 fighters. The cargo planes dropped food and water for 8,000 people, according to a senior administration official, who added that there were no U.S. personnel on the ground on Mt. Sinjar. 

No one questions the Kurds’ willingness to fight, but their military prowess appears to have degraded in the years since the U.S. military stopped training them and withdrew from Iraq.

Though the Kurds have begun a counteroffensive with assistance from the Iraqi Air Force, ISIS has continued its march, seizing new towns and critical infrastructure—including a major dam near Mosul. For the first time, some observers believe that the Kurdish homeland itself, where the U.S. embassy and military forces are stationed, is under threat.

President Obama said late Thursday that he would authorize air strikes to protect those personnel. “When the lives of American citizens are at risk, we will take action,” Obama said. “That’s my responsibility as commander in chief.”

The Peshmerga have long been considered the fiercest fighting force in the region.

Since ISIS began its rampage through Iraq in early June, both the U.S. and Iraqi governments have tacitly bet on the Kurds’ ability to repel ISIS advances in the north. But betting on the Peshmerga to hold the line now looks like a riskier proposition after ISIS broke through Kurdish defenses and set in motion the current crisis.

In truth, it was never that safe of a bet. Since early June, representatives of Iraq’s Kurdistan Regional Government have warned the United States that the Kurdish Peshmerga were not positioned to protect the Yazidi and Christian minorities in the Kurdish region.

“We have significant interests and assets in the region,” one senior Kurdish official told The Daily Beast in June, describing the message to the U.S government. “But also more worryingly, we have a Yazidi and Christian populations that are gravely under threat right now.”

At the time, the Kurdish Peshmerga did take up positions in the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, where they remain to this day. But in the case of Kirkuk, there was a strong Kurdish interest in repopulating the city with Kurds who were driven from it by Saddam Hussein.

The consensus among ex-CIA analysts, former military officers, and Iraq veterans who spoke with The Daily Beast is that the Peshmerga’s abilities were overrated. No one questions the Kurds’ willingness to fight, but their military prowess appears to have degraded in the years since the U.S. military stopped training them and withdrew from Iraq.

Douglas Ollivant, a former Army officer who advised Gen. David Petraeus in Iraq and served under two presidents in the National Security Council, expressed a view common among military and intelligence officers: “I think the general consensus among the American military people in country is that the Kurds just aren’t any better than any other military force in Iraq, and we shouldn’t be surprised that they’re having the same lack of success as the rest of the Iraqi army.”

A former Special Forces officer in Iraq who maintains extensive contacts among the Kurdish forces points out another factor affecting their performance. “The Kurds’ biggest weakness is the size of the border they have to protect from ISIS and the imperative they are under to yield nothing,” he said. “ISIS can give up territory, but the Kurds cannot.”

Air strikes against ISIS targets can weaken the group, buy time, and prevent it from massing on Kurdish forces, but according to military and CIA veterans, air power alone will not be decisive.

“The advisors need to be pushed out, if they haven’t been already,” said Nada Bakos, a CIA veteran who led the team analyzing the terrorist network that was ISIS’s predecessor in Iraq. The advisors she referred to are the special operations troops who have so far stayed away from the battlefield, offering intelligence and advice from headquarters in areas remote from the fighting.

A former Special Forces officer and Iraq veteran described how the troops currently on the ground, some 800 elite special operations soldiers, could impact the battle: “If SOF [special operations forces] advisors moved to the front, they would be able to help organize and plan the maneuver of Peshmerga, provide up-to-the-minute intelligence to protect line units, and give greater speed and fidelity to close air support. It would also give a tremendous morale boost to Peshmerga units under fire.”

That could be a great boon to the Peshmerga, but not without costs. Moving U.S. special operations forces onto the battlefield, even as advisors, “greatly raises the profile of American involvement and will eventually lead to highly visible American casualties,” according to the Special Forces veteran.

President Obama made his political career, in part, on his opposition to the Iraq war. Those casualties are something he is desperately trying to avoid. But the situation on the ground in Iraq may leave him no choice.

— with additional reporting by Eli Lake

"The Daily Beast"

No matter how you feel about President Obama, no matter how much you support his agenda, the policy in the Middle East is beginning to become clearer with each new out break of violence in the region.  As in the days of the Roman Empire, This region of the world must receive constant attention and should not be left to it's own devices.  Anarchy and chaos will surely follow without a strong Government to keep the Jihadists in check.  

Unfortunately the Obama administration has decided to undertake this operation alone making the United States the sole financial supported.  During the First Iraq War, also known as "Operation Iraqi Freedom" the US was part of a five member nation coalition participating in the removal of the Hussein Regime and the destruction of al Qaeda.  The United Nations also participated in inspecting Iraq for WMD's.

A big part of the problem in Iraq and throughout the Middle East where terrorism advances is North Korea.  Selling weapons to those eager to spread their holy war throughout the world North Korea is a supplier which must be eliminated.  Again the United Nations needs to become more actively engaged before the process will be able to move forward effectively. Until nations such as Iraq, Syria and so many others are able to police their countries and check terrorism.  This has been Felicity again with the "Noodleman Group"!

http://www.cagle.com/2014/06/iraq-jihadists/

http://fbnoodleman.blogspot.com/

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