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Report Will Make Every American Well Rehearsed In What Our Government & Military Is Prepared To Do If Ever Confronted With Homegrown Insurgents

For the past several months, a debate has been ongoing whether or not Tea Party members could actually instigate an all out rebellion against our government? Some say yes, most say no. According to their platform, Tea Party groups are focused only on advocating strict governments adherence to the United States Constitution, reducing U.S. government spending, taxes, reduction of the U.S. national debt and federal budget deficit. All through peaceful means.

To most Americans, that doesn't sound like a violent group of insurgents.

Some of the questions I have been asked are: Why is the military targeting the Tea Party agenda as the catalyst for a rebellion? What factual evidence exists that a possible homegrown revolution could happen in the US? Does the government believe front line Tea Party members are directly involved? Are militia extremists associated with the Tea Party capable of inciting a rebellion? Or, is this all just a mock form of "War Games" for the military, just in case?

I personally don't know the answers to those questions being raised, but there is one thing for certain, the military feels there is enough probability for a rebellion that they have adopted a mock operational training exercise. One that uses a combination of offensive, defensive and stability support by the Army & Marines. And, their declared enemy in this report is both extremist militia members and the Tea Party.

That report is titled" "Full Spectrum Operations In The Homeland: A Vision Of The Future." You may have read media accounts of it's existence, but have you actually examined the report and the depth of the strategy behind this mock military operation.

On July 15th 2012, Small War Journals published this 2010 Study written by former Army Colonel and military strategist Kevin Benson, and Ph.D History Professor Jennifer Weber. It details a mock training scenario for the Army that portrays an extremist militia, motivated by the goals of the tea party movement, physically taking over the entire city of Darlington SC, including the local government. There is also a very detailed outline of how the military and homeland security take action after the President enacts the Insurrection Act in order to regain control of the city.

It should be noted that the military did not enlist Benson or Weber to produce this study, but the Army did adapt and include it in the "U.S. Army's Operating Concept 2016-2028." TRADOC Pamphlet 525-3-1, dated 19 August 2010, p. iii. Hereafter cited as TD Pam 525-3-1. If for no other purpose, this report will allow every American to become well rehearsed in just what the military is prepared to do if confronted with a rebellion on US soil.

this 2010 Study. I recommend everyone read

About The Authors

Kevin Benson, Ph.D., Colonel, U.S. Army, Retired, is currently a seminar leader at the University of Foreign Military and Cultural Studies at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. His credentials are impressive and impeccable. He holds a B.S. from the United States Military Academy, an M.S. from The Catholic University of America, an MMAS from the School of Advanced Military Studies and a Ph.D. from the University of Kansas.

During his career, COL Benson served with the 5th Infantry Division, the 1st Armored Division, the 1st Cavalry Division, the 2nd Cavalry Regiment, XVIII Airborne Corps and Third U.S. Army. He also served as the Director, School of Advanced Military Studies.

Jennifer Weber, is an Associate Professor of History (Ph.D. Princeton, 2003) at the University of Kansas. She specializes in the Civil War, especially the seams where political, social, and military history meet. She has spoken extensively around the country on Lincoln, politics, and other aspects of the Civil War.





Introduction"How To Crush A Tea Party Motivated Uprising

In this section of the report, Benson first writes that" "The Constitution allows the president broad leeway in times of insurrection. Citing the precedents of Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War and Dwight D. Eisenhower sending troops to Little Rock in 1957, the president mobilizes the military and the Department of Homeland Security, to regain control."

He goes on to detail that "this scenario requires us to consider how domestic intelligence is gathered and shared, the role of local law enforcement (to the extent that it supports the operation), the scope and limits of the Insurrection Act --for example maintaining a military chain of command but in support of the Attorney General as the Department of Justice is the Lead Federal Agency (LFA) under the conditions of the Act--and the roles of the local, national, and international media."

Benson points out that, "While invoking the Insurrection Act must be a last resort, once it is put into play Americans will expect the military to execute without pause and as professionally as if it were acting overseas. The Army cannot disappoint the American people, especially in such a moment. While real problems and real difficulties of such operations may not be perceived until the point of execution, preparation will afford the Army the ability to not be too badly wrong at the outset."

The design of this plan to restore the rule of law and will include information/influence operations designed to present a picture of the federal response and the inevitable defeat of the insurrection.

The Scenario & Military Reaction (taken from the study)

The Great Recession of the early twenty-first century lasts far longer than anyone anticipated. After a change in control of the White House and Congress in 2012, the governing party cuts off all funding that had been dedicated to boosting the economy or toward relief. The United States economy has flat lined much like Japan's in the 1990s, for the better part of a decade. By 2016, the economy shows signs of reawakening, but the middle and lower-middle classes have yet to experience much in the way of job growth or pay raises.

Unemployment continues to hover perilously close to double digits, small businesses cannot meet bankers' terms to borrow money, and taxes on the middle class remain relatively high. A high profile and vocal minority has directed the public's fear and frustration at nonwhites and immigrants. After almost ten years of race-baiting and immigrant-bashing by right-wing demagogues, nearly one in five Americans reports being vehemently opposed to immigration, legal or illegal, and even U.S.-born nonwhites have become occasional targets for mobs of angry whites.

Then, in May 2016, an extremist militia motivated by the goals of the "tea party" movement, takes over the government of Darlington, South Carolina, occupying City Hall, disbanding the city council, and placing the mayor under house arrest. Activists remove the chief of police and either disarm local police and county sheriff departments or discourage them from interfering. In truth, this is hardly necessary. Many law enforcement officials already are sympathetic to the tea party's agenda, know many of the people involved, and have made clear they will not challenge the takeover. The militia members are organized and have a relatively well thought-out plan of action.

With Darlington under their control, militia members quickly move beyond the city limits to establish "check points" -- in reality, something more like choke points -- on major transportation lines. Traffic on I-95, the East Coast's main north-south artery; I-20; and commercial and passenger rail lines are stopped and searched, allegedly for "illegal aliens." Citizens who complain are immediately detained. Activists also collect "tolls" from drivers, ostensibly to maintain public schools and various city and county programs, but evidence suggests the money is actually going toward quickly increasing stores of heavy weapons and ammunition. They also take over the town web site and use social media sites to get their message out unrestricted.

When the leaders of the group hold a press conference to announce their goals, they invoke the Declaration of Independence and argue that the current form of the federal government is not deriving its "just powers from the consent of the governed" but is actually "destructive to these ends." Therefore, they say, the people can alter or abolish the existing government and replace it with another that, in the words of the Declaration, "shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness."

While mainstream politicians and citizens react with alarm, the "tea party" insurrectionists in South Carolina enjoy a groundswell of support from other tea party groups, militias, racist organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan, anti-immigrant associations such as the Minutemen, and other right-wing groups. At the press conference the masked militia members' uniforms sport a unit seal with a man wearing a tricorn hat and carrying a musket over the motto "Today's Minutemen." When a reporter asked the leaders who are the "red coats" the spokesman answered, "I don't know who the redcoats are"it could be federal troops." Experts warn that while these groups heretofore have been considered weak and marginal, the rapid coalescence among them poses a genuine national threat.

The mayor of Darlington calls the governor and his congressman. He cannot act to counter the efforts of the local tea party because he is confined to his home and under guard. The governor, who ran on a platform that professed sympathy with tea party goals, is reluctant to confront the militia directly. He refuses to call out the National Guard. He has the State Police monitor the roadblocks and checkpoints on the interstate and state roads but does not order the authorities to take further action. In public, the governor calls for calm and proposes talks with the local tea party to resolve issues. Privately, he sends word through aides asking the federal government to act to restore order.

Due to his previous stance and the appearance of being "pro" tea party goals, the governor has little political room to maneuver.

The Department of Homeland Security responds to the governor's request by asking for defense support to civil law enforcement. After the Department of Justice states that the conditions in Darlington and surrounding areas meet the conditions necessary to invoke the Insurrection Act, the President invokes it. By proclamation he calls on the insurrectionists to disperse peacefully within 15 days. There is no violation of the Posse Comitatus Act. The President appoints the Attorney General and the Department of Justice as the lead federal agency to deal with the crisis.

The President calls the South Carolina National Guard to federal service. The Joint Staff in Washington, D.C. alerts U.S. Northern Command, the headquarters responsible for the defense of North America, to begin crisis action planning. Northern Command in turn alerts U.S. Army North/Fifth U.S. Army for operations as a Joint Task Force headquarters. Army units at Fort Bragg, N.C.; Fort Stewart, Ga.; and Marines at Camp Lejuene, N.C. go on alert. The full range of media, national and international, is on scene.

The design and execution of operations to restore the rule of law in Darlington will be complicated. The Fifth Army will retain a military chain of command for regular Army and Marine Corps units along with the federalized South Carolina National Guard, but will be in support of the Department of Justice as the Lead Federal Agency, LFA. The Attorney General may designate a Senior Civilian Representative of the Attorney General (SCRAG) to coordinate the efforts of all Federal agencies. The SCRAG has the authority to assign missions to federal military forces. The Attorney General may also appoint a Senior Federal Law Enforcement Officer (SFLEO) to coordinate all Federal law enforcement activities.

Operations Pace To Restore Order (taken from the study)

The pace of the operation needs to be deliberate and controlled. Combat units will conduct overt "Show of Force" operations to remind the insurrectionists they are now facing professional military forces, with all the training and equipment that implies. Army and Marine units will remove roadblocks and check points both overtly and covertly with minimum essential force to ratchet up pressure continually on insurrectionist leadership.

Representatives of state and local government as well as federalized South Carolina National Guard units will care for residents choosing to flee Darlington. A focus on the humanitarian aspect of the effort will be politically more palatable for the state and local officials. Federal forces continue to tighten the noose as troops seize and secure power and water stations, radio and TV stations, and hospitals. The final phase of the operation, restoring order and returning properly elected officials to their offices, will be the most sensitive.

Movements must be planned and executed more carefully than the operations that established the conditions for handover. At this point military operations will be on the downturn but the need for more politically aware military advice will not. War and the use of federal military force on U.S. soil, remains an extension of policy by other means. Given the invocation of the Insurrection Act, the federal government must defeat the insurrection, preferably with minimum force.

Insurrectionists and their sympathizers must have no doubt that an uprising against the Constitution will be defeated. Dealing with the leaders of the insurrection can be left to the proper authorities, but drawing from America history, military advice would suggest an amnesty for individual members of the militia and prosecution for leaders of the movement who broke the law.

This fictional scenario leads not to conclusions but points to ponder when considering 21st century full spectrum operations in the continental United States.

Use Of Military Force (taken from the study)

All federal military forces involved in civil support must follow the standing rules for the use of force (SRUF) specified by the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff. Much like the rules of force issued to the 7th Infantry Division during operations in Los Angeles in 1992 the underlying principle involves a continuum of force, a graduated level of response determined by civilians' behavior. Fifth Army must assume that every incident of gunfire will be investigated.

All units involved must also realize that operations will be conducted under the close scrutiny of the media. Operating under media scrutiny is not a new phenomenon. What is new and newsworthy about this operation is that it is taking place in the continental United States. Commanders and staffs must think about the effect of this attention and be alert when considering how to use the media.





Study Cautions Local Law Enforcement May Have Sympathy For Tea Party (taken from the study)

Receiving support from local law enforcement is critical to restoring the rule of law in Darlington. City police officers, county sheriff deputies and state troopers can contribute valuable local knowledge of personalities, customs and terrain beyond what can be found in databases and observation. Liaison officers and non-commissioned officers, with appropriate communications equipment must be exchanged. Given the suspicion that local police are sympathetic to the tea party members' goals special consideration to operational security must be incorporated into planning.

In Closing

After reading the military scenario, are the feds singling out the Tea Party, the militia or both? It's evident that the military has plans in place to crush any disobedience or violent uprising by any members of any group using any means necessary. Up to and including deadly force.

To target the Tea Party's agenda for being the catalyst behind such a rebellion, the government must assume their members agenda has drastically changed between the Tea Party's beginnings and the May 2016 mock date of the uprising. Is there any evidence to support that? Possibly, the Tea Party is no longer made up of just peaceful protesters who just want to restore democracy through non-violent protests. Corporate and online social media reports are slowly surfacing that describe allegations of racism, bigotry and supporting of white nationalists by some Tea Party Organizations.

Hybrid Tea Party groups are popping up across the US that are actually alliances to groups like "The Patriot Movement" who define themselves as opposed to the New World Order, engage in groundless conspiracy theorizing, or advocate or adhere to extreme anti government doctrines. Many warn of impending government violence or the need to prepare for a coming revolution.

In 2010, the NAACP brought attention to the prejudice side of the mostly white Tea Party by both accusing and presenting evidence of members practicing racism. Studies also have been conducted that reflect that same contention. The Institute For Research & Education On Human Rights (IREH) concurred with the NAACP's in it's findings . The IREH report also details findings that militia and white nationalist are being welcomed by the Tea Party.

After the NAACP exposure, the Tea Party Federation expelled Mark Williams , then-president of the powerful and politically connected Tea Party Express for racially offensive public statements.

Law enforcement has announced arrests and convictions of violent tea party members. One example, Doug Story , who was a member of at least 2 different groups, "The Tea Party Fund" and the "Patriot Action Network" was convicted on weapons charges and for threatening the life of the President.

Times and beliefs in the Tea Party movement may be changing".

End Of Story

Jack Swint

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I am the publisher of an online news website and blog covering local, state and national news since 2007. Author of 4 cold-case murder books in the "Who Killed?" series published by Rooftop Publishing Company. Retired from mainstream media in 2007 ( more...

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