When I read the news (via PJMedia, Jawa Report and Clarity & Resolve) of a certain rather large Air National Guard deployment, I immediately thought a message was being sent to the new President of Iran (or his handlers). Writes F-16.net:
The Indian[a] ANG 122nd wing will be deployed in upcoming days to Southwest Asia, officials announced. Col. Jeffery A. Soldner, 122nd commander, did not give specific numbers, but said it is the largest single deployment for the wing since it was called to Chambley, France, in 1961 during the Berlin Crisis.
It’s interesting, though not surprising, that the MSM hasn’t picked this up yet. Perhaps they don’t consider it news, but I’m sure these folks do. No doubt they paid particular attention to these paragraphs:
Where soldiers in the unit will be sent for the Operation Iraqi Freedom deployment won’t be released until they have arrived, said Lt. Lauri Turpin, community manager with the 122nd. It’s unknown how long they will be gone, she said.
The deployment date is classified, he said, and a specific location would not be disclosed until the unit comprising fighter pilots, maintenance and support personnel is in place.
We’re winding down in Iraq, but we’re making the biggest deployment of ANG F-16s since the Berlin Crisis? Doesn’t compute, except for this… As for whether it’s any more than saber rattling, your guess is as good as mine.
UPDATE: Didn’t realize these units were quite as small as noted below. Still, it’s interesting (anomaly with F-16 and Berlin date also noted).
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