RT.com
04 Jul 2022, 23:43 GMT+10
Washington has conducted at least 23 proxy wars around the world under the guise of counterterrorism
The US has reportedly used a secretive authority called '127e' to launch at least two dozen proxy wars since 2017, according to an article published on Friday by The Intercept. The outlet claims to have obtained never-before-seen documents and spoken to top officials with intimate knowledge of these programs.
The Intercept received the documents through the Freedom of Information Act, claiming these papers are the first ever official confirmation that at least 14 so-called '127e programs' were active in the greater Middle East and Asia-Pacific regions as recently as 2020. In total, the Pentagon reportedly launched 23 separate 127e programs across the globe between 2017 and 2020, which cost US taxpayers $310 million.
The Intercept explains that 127e is one of several virtually unknown authorities granted to the Department of Defense by Congress over the last two decades. It authorizes US commandos to conduct "counterterrorism operations" in cooperation with foreign and irregular partner forces around the world with minimal outside oversight.
The program allows the US to arm, train, and provide intelligence to foreign forces. However, unlike traditional foreign assistance programs, which focus on building up local capacity in partner countries, 127e "surrogate forces" are expected to follow US orders and conduct Washington-directed missions against US enemies to achieve American goals, essentially serving as the Pentagon's proxy armies.
According to the outlet, almost no information about these operations is ever shared with any members of Congress or State Department officials. It is generally unknown where these operations are conducted, their frequency, targets, or even the identity of the foreign forces the US cooperates with to carry them out.
Critics of the programs warn that they could lead to unanticipated military escalation and engage the US in over a dozen conflicts around the world, since 127e does not allow for any oversight or input from foreign affairs officials.
The outlet notes that although the latest batch of documents sheds more light on the 127e program, it still remains mostly unknown to both the public and members of Congress, who almost never receive any reports pertaining to the program.
A government official familiar with the program, who requested anonymity to discuss it, told The Intercept that most congressional staffers don't even have the clearance to view 127e reports, and those who do rarely ask for them.
"It was designed to prevent oversight," he explained.
Stephen Semler, a co-founder of a US foreign policy think tank, told The Intercept that the Pentagon prefers to run its operations with minimal oversight, input or bureaucracy from Congress and has done so for many years. "The Special Operations community likes autonomy a lot," he explained to the outlet, adding that "the problem is this stuff is so normalized."
"There should be more attention paid to these train-and-equip authorities, whether it's special forces or [Department of Defense] regular, because it's really kind of a PR-friendly way to sell endless war," Semler concluded.
(RT.com)
Get a daily dose of Iran Herald news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Iran Herald.
More InformationNEW YORK, New YorK - U.S. stocks closed mixed on Friday, with gains and losses modest, as investors and traders weighed up the escalation...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: Retail sales dropped sharply in May as consumer spending slowed after a strong start to the year, primarily due to...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: Mitsubishi Motors is the latest automaker to raise prices in the United States, joining a growing list of car companies...
INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana: Eli Lilly is making a bold play in cardiovascular gene therapy, announcing plans to acquire its partner Verve...
BEIJING/WELLINGTON: New Zealand's Prime Minister Christopher Luxon commenced his visit to China on June 17, seeking to strengthen trade...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks made only minor moves in both directions,Thursday, as investors fretted about the Israel-Iran conflict...
WASHINGTON, DC - In a bid to defuse speculation, U.S. President Donald Trump says he will make his decision on whether to have the...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: A quiet shift inside the Trump administration has stalled a key diplomatic initiative aimed at pushing Russia toward...
DUBAI, U.A.E.: As violence escalates between Iran and Israel, Tehran is turning to its Gulf neighbors to help broker a ceasefire —...
CALGARY, Alberta, Canada - U.S. President Donald Trump has announced he is leaving the G7 summit after just one day, and after refusing...
HOUSTON, Texas: Crude oil surged to multi-month highs this week, driven by escalating tensions in the Middle East after Israel launched...
SEOUL/LONDON: A wave of flight cancellations and diversions swept across the airline industry on June 13 after Israel launched strikes...