The Air Force Special Ops Receives Its First C-130J Combat Shadow II [Military]

The C-130 is an old reliable. It's been hauling soldiers, dropping supplies and refueling planes for 60 years. And with the arrival of the new MC-130J Combat Shadow II, this model will be around for another 30.

The Combat Shadow II is lighter and more powerful than earlier C-130s. It has five turboprops and, at 91,000 pounds, is the lightest MC-130 ever produced. As a result, the plane has 25 percent more takeoff power and 20 percent more cruise power than previous models. It's a monster plane, but it'll run lean and mean.

The first MC-130J Combat Shadow II rolled off the Lockheed Martin production line and landed at Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico this week. It's the first of 20 planes on order for the Air Force Special Ops and the first of 10 expected to arrive at Cannon Air Force Base this year. [PNT Online]

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The Amazing Story of How Sgt. Dakota Meyer Rescued 36 Soldiers Under Heavy Fire [Military]

That guy having a beer with the President is Dakota Meyer. He works in construction now, but on September 8, 2009, he was a corporal in the US Marines. That day he saved 36 guys under heavy Taliban fire.

His act of selfless heroism has made him the first alive US Marine to receive the Medal of Honor during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

This is the story of that day, as told by President Obama himself on Sept. 15, 2011, during the Medal of Honor ceremony at the White House. It gives me goosebumps.—JD

Let me tell the story. I want you to imagine it's September 8, 2009, just before dawn. A patrol of Afghan forces and their American trainers is on foot, making their way up a narrow valley, heading into a village to meet with elders. And suddenly, all over the village, the lights go out. And that's when it happens. About a mile away, Dakota, who was then a corporal, and Staff Sergeant Juan Rodriguez-Chavez, could hear the ambush over the radio. It was as if the whole valley was exploding. Taliban fighters were unleashing a firestorm from the hills, from the stone houses, even from the local school.

And soon, the patrol was pinned down, taking ferocious fire from three sides. Men were being wounded and killed, and four Americans — Dakota's friends — were surrounded. Four times, Dakota and Juan asked permission to go in; four times they were denied. It was, they were told, too dangerous. But one of the teachers in his high school once said, "When you tell Dakota he can't do something, he's is going to do it." And as Dakota said of his trapped teammates, "Those were my brothers, and I couldn't just sit back and watch."

The story of what Dakota did next will be told for generations. He told Juan they were going in. Juan jumped into a Humvee and took the wheel; Dakota climbed into the turret and manned the gun. They were defying orders, but they were doing what they thought was right. So they drove straight into a killing zone, Dakota's upper body and head exposed to a blizzard of fire from AK-47s and machine guns, from mortars and rocket-propelled grenades.

Coming upon wounded Afghan soldiers, Dakota jumped out and loaded each of the wounded into the Humvee, each time exposing himself to all that enemy fire. They turned around and drove those wounded back to safety. Those who were there called it the most intense combat they'd ever seen. Dakota and Juan would have been forgiven for not going back in. But as Dakota says, you don't leave anyone behind.

For a second time, they went back — back into the inferno; Juan at the wheel, swerving to avoid the explosions all around them; Dakota up in the turret — when one gun jammed, grabbing another, going through gun after gun. Again they came across wounded Afghans. Again Dakota jumped out, loaded them up and brought them back to safety.

For a third time, they went back — insurgents running right up to the Humvee, Dakota fighting them off. Up ahead, a group of Americans, some wounded, were desperately trying to escape the bullets raining down. Juan wedged the Humvee right into the line of fire, using the vehicle as a shield. With Dakota on the guns, they helped those Americans back to safety as well.

For a fourth time, they went back. Dakota was now wounded in the arm. Their vehicle was riddled with bullets and shrapnel. Dakota later confessed, "I didn't think I was going to die. I knew I was." But still they pushed on, finding the wounded, delivering them to safety.

And then, for a fifth time, they went back — into the fury of that village, under fire that seemed to come from every window, every doorway, every alley. And when they finally got to those trapped Americans, Dakota jumped out. And he ran toward them. Drawing all those enemy guns on himself. Bullets kicking up the dirt all around him. He kept going until he came upon those four Americans, laying where they fell, together as one team.

Dakota and the others who had joined him knelt down, picked up their comrades and — through all those bullets, all the smoke, all the chaos — carried them out, one by one. Because, as Dakota says, "That's what you do for a brother."

Dakota says he'll accept this medal in their name. So today, we remember the husband who loved the outdoors —Lieutenant Michael Johnson. The husband and father they called "Gunny J" — Gunnery Sergeant Edwin Johnson. The determined Marine who fought to get on that team — Staff Sergeant Aaron Kenefick. The medic who gave his life tending to his teammates — Hospitalman Third Class James Layton. And a soldier wounded in that battle who never recovered — Sergeant First Class Kenneth Westbrook.

Dakota, I know that you've grappled with the grief of that day; that you've said your efforts were somehow a "failure" because your teammates didn't come home. But as your Commander-in-Chief, and on behalf of everyone here today and all Americans, I want you to know it's quite the opposite. You did your duty, above and beyond, and you kept the faith with the highest traditions of the Marine Corps that you love.

Because of your Honor, 36 men are alive today. Because of your Courage, four fallen American heroes came home, and — in the words of James Layton's mom — they could lay their sons to rest with dignity. Because of your Commitment — in the thick of the fight, hour after hour — a former Marine who read about your story said that you showed how "in the most desperate, final hours…our brothers and God will not forsake us." And because of your humble example, our kids — especially back in Columbia, Kentucky, in small towns all across America — they'll know that no matter who you are or where you come from, you can do great things as a citizen and as a member of the American family.

Therein lies the greatest lesson of that day in the valley, and the truth that our men and women in uniform live out every day. "I was part of something bigger," Dakota has said, part of a team "that worked together, lifting each other up and working toward a common goal. Every member of our team was as important as the other." So in keeping with Dakota's wishes for this day, I want to conclude by asking now-Gunnery Sergeant Rodriguez-Chavez and all those who served with Dakota — the Marines, Army, Navy — to stand and accept thanks of a grateful nation.

Every member of our team is as important as the other. That's a lesson that we all have to remember — as citizens, and as a nation — as we meet the tests of our time, here at home and around the world.

To our Marines, to all our men and women in uniform, to our fellow Americans, let us always be faithful. And as we prepare for the reading of the citation, let me say, God bless you, Dakota. God bless our Marines and all who serve. And God bless the United States of America. Semper Fi.

Read the full transcript of the ceremony here.

Official White House photo of President Obama and Sgt Meyer having a beer by Pete Souza.

US Marines photos by Lance Cpl. Daniel Wetzel and Sgt. Jimmy D. Shea.

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The CIA Really Wants to Make Hollywood's Next Blockbuster [Military]

Are you an aspiring filmmaker who wants to produce a spy thriller? Well, you're in luck because the CIA has a pile of script ideas lying around.

Ironic, you say, that an organization known for secrecy is doling out helpful hints to Hollywood? The CIA doesn't think so. For them it's all about image control. And they're just the start of it. The Department of Defense and just about every branch of the military has an entertainment industry liaison similar to the CIA's.

If you want to make a war film and need a fleet of F-22s, a crowd of Marines, or a Navy aircraft carrier, just call up the Department of Defense's entertainment media office and they'll tell you if the Army can spare that M1A1 Abrams tank you've always wanted for a day or two of filming.

"The scripts we get are only the writer's idea of how the Department of Defense operates," Vince Ogilvie, deputy director of the Defense Department's entertainment liaison office, told Danger Room. "We make sure the Department and facilities and people are portrayed in the most accurate and positive light possible."

Hollywood has been working with government organizations to make more credible films for years (for instance, Jerry Bruckheimer and Paramount Pictures worked closely with the Pentagon when filming the 1986 blockbuster "Top Gun"). But the phenomenon is under newfound scrutiny. There was a bit of a kerfuffle recently when some in the press and in Congress speculated about whether the government will give Sony Pictures any pointers while they make a film about the killing of Osama bin Laden.

In a letter to the Defense Department and CIA last month, Rep. Peter King expressed outrage at the Pentagon's relationship with the film's director, Kathyrn Bigelow. King claimed that she had already been made privy to sensitive information that could put American lives at risk. (King may have also have been thinking about the fact that the movie is scheduled to hit theaters one month before America decides whether or not to reelect President Obama.)

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney assured the media that the Pentagon does not discuss classified information and suggested that King could work on "more important things to discuss than a movie."

Ogilvie told Danger Room that until the Pentagon sees a completed script, they won't make a decision on whether they'll assist Bigelow. Standard procedure is to review the script, make notes on what the Defense Department would like changed, and kick it back to the producer. If the changes are made, the military will provide whatever help they can - declassified information, equipment, personnel, etc. - for a price. If an agreement can't be reached, the project is either scrapped or made without Pentagon help.

"We try to find a middle ground," said Ogilvie. "We want the portrayal of the military to show professionalism, cohesiveness, jointness, and dedication." He cited NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles, two shows the Pentagon has collaborated on, as examples of entertainment in which bad behavior in the military is often depicted, but at the end of each storyline, someone always takes action to correct it. In other words, the U.S. government wants us to know that the military is not made up of selfish rogues and the CIA doesn't exclusively employ people who look like Brian Cox.

"We want these movies to help us in terms of recruitment and retention," said Ogilvie.

OK, fair enough I guess, but why has the Defense Department recently partnered with 20th Century Fox to make an X-Men/U.S. Army ad or with explosion-enthusiast Michael Bay to make all three Transformers movies? In The Washington Post, David Sirota suggests entertainment like this is "government-subsidized propaganda."

Ogilvie assures Danger Room that the Pentagon's Hollywood ventures are much more innocent than that. Sure, they'd like to see a boost in military support, but it really all comes back to accuracy in terms of standard operating procedures - "whether it be a combat mission in Iraq or how we might fight a three-legged alien in outer space."

While our military is busy pondering defense strategies against Camaro-bots and aliens, I'll do something equally worthwhile and tweak one of the CIA's "inspirations for future storylines" into my first feature-length action flick: "The Ten Commandments of Counterintelligence." I'm thinking early-20th-century religious allegory with lots of explosions, fedoras, and Mel Gibson. But if Mel's busy, I'll just start an indie band called "Robert Fulton's Skyhook and Operation Cold Feet," named after one of the Agency's canned movie treatments. Thanks, CIA! You're my heroes!

Wired.com has been expanding the hive mind with technology, science and geek culture news since 1995.

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This Is How the Nazis Could Have Invaded the United States [Military]

March 2, 1942. The United States was already at war, fighting alongside British and Soviets to crush the Nazi and Japanese Imperial forces. That day Life magazine published six plans that the Axis could have used to invaded the US.

Titled "Now the US must fight for its life", the article began: "You are looking at the first German missile of this war to land on the soil of the Western Hemisphere. Before it is over, you will certainly see a lot more of the same." While it may seem sensationalistic in retrospective, barely a few months after the Pearl Harbor attack, the truth is that most people thought that Germans and Japanese forces could eventually try to invade the mainland.

The lack of public information, coupled with Pearl Harbor's psychological impact and the relentless U-boat attacks to US convoys in the Atlantic Ocean, made people believe in what we know now was practically impossible. Neither Germany nor Japan had the natural or human resources to commit to such a huge operation—but the fear was there.

But while the idea of an invasion seems crazy now, the truth is that the technology was gearing up to make an attack main cities in the North American continent possible, using long-range bombers with anti-radar and nuclear capabilities. It was the fear of a Nazi nuclear attack that eventually prompted the United States to push hard on their quest to obtain the fission bomb before their enemies.

Luckily, no nuclear attacks or invasions ever happened, the fabled Fifth Column—American Nazis who were supposed to help the Axis from the inside—never materialized, and everything ended on a good note despite crazy Nazi plans to re-rebuild the Third Reich using spies and saboteurs in US soil.

But that doesn't make these plans any less fun. This is what Life thought was possible at the time, along with some of their gloom and doom illustrations on the invasion.

Their first plan inclluded "Japanese hop-skip-and-jump across the northern Pacific in great force." The insane strategy included an attack on Dutch Harbor, on the Aleutian Islands, using Japanese carriers and German battleships. Then their forces would advance through the West Coast until they reached Los Angeles, stopping on Seattle for a latte. On the East Coast, Germans would make "hit and run raids" using submarines, bombers and warships. Never mind that no axis countries had the men to actually occupy anything on the West, or that—except for their submarines—the Kriegsmarine was a pathetic force that couldn't even pass British Islands.

Plan two was a frontal attack, first invading Pearl Harbor and then entering San Francisco. Meanwhile, I guess they imagined the entire Pacific Fleet would be playing cards somewhere in the Bikini islands. Life saying that the "big water jump" would be "difficult" is a huge understatement, to say the least.

Plan three would came from the south, with Japanese forces reinforced by Germans given them "presumably" naval superiority over the US Fleet. The plan included a surprise bombing of the Panama Canal.

The fourth plan included the Japanese fleet "fighting its way across the Indian Ocean and going through Suez—which would have been taken by German forces. Then advancing from Dakar to Natal in Brazil, and up to New Orleans, where Nazi soldiers would have showed everyone their moobs in exchange for fake pearl collars.

For the fifth plan, Life imagined a frontal attack taking Madeira, the Azores, the Canary Islands and Cape Verde. From those bases, the combined Japanese and German navy would have met in the middle of the Atlantic, taken over Bermuda and attack Norfolk.

Plan six from out-of-your-fucking-mind included the Japanese fleet traveling all through the Mediterranean to the Northern Sea, joining the Kriegsmarine there and sailing for an Iceland invasion while the Royal Navy was being kept busy by Nazi u-boats. After taking Iceland and Greenland, the fleet would have advanced all the way through the St. Lawrence river and Hudson Bay to the Great Lakes.

Man, those journos really hit the bottle hard those days. And here I was, thinking I was hard core. [Life]

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Top Secret America Looks At The Dark Side Of The War On Terror [Military]

Ever wonder how we went from carefree flying to mandatory groping at airport gates in less than ten years? Or how the Joint Special Operations Command grew from an unknown hostage rescue team into the crew that killed Bin Laden?

PBS Frontline is airing, Top Secret America, a documentary that explores how the government manipulated the public and expanded its powers all in the name of homeland security. This documentary and its accompanying book is the work of Washington Post reporters Dana Priest and William M. Arkin who spent two years investigating these secret government operations. You can find out when this show will air by checking your local listings here. [PBS Frontline]

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Why Are US Army Soldiers' Pants Breaking? [Military]

Our soldiers just got one more enemy in Afghanistan: their own pants. It seems their pants—which are completely new and supposed to be more durable than previous models—can't survive the rigors of the desert. They're ripping apart seemingly at random.

The new pants seemed perfectly fine. They use tightly stitched flame-resistant Defender M fabrics and Christian at Kit Up! says their "crotch design" is fine! But they can't survive up to the daily life of Army soldiers, and they get ripped right, left and center. The problem is so bad that the Army had to get back to select a new fabric, 40% stronger than the current material. They are currently making 100,000 new uniforms in Union City, Georgia.

Hopefully they will finish and ship those 100,000 new uniforms soon. I hate the idea of soldiers fighting on the battlefield and getting a big rip on their pants just at the wrong time and place.

Are you a soldier stationed in Afghanistan? Are your pants breaking? Tell us in the comments. [KitUp!]

Photo by Michael Yon

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