FARK.com: (6951740) 10 things you didn't know about the president's secret army, like that he even had one, and that they can reconstruct burned documents

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		10 things you didn't know about the president's secret army, like that he even had one, and that they can reconstruct burned documents (mentalfloss.com)		91
		More: Interesting, secret army, General Stanley McChrystal, Naval Special Warfare Development Group, Branch Davidians, Joint Special Operations Command, Scud missile, Delta Force, Navy SEAL

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lenfromak		2012-02-20 09:14:07 AM

Because it's a secret.

Incontinent_dog_and_monkey_rodeo		2012-02-20 09:14:35 AM

The president's secret army, or the secret president's army?

smask		2012-02-20 09:14:53 AM

And that the book is on sale at Amazon.com.

farking advertisement.

LDM90		2012-02-20 09:15:50 AM

But did you know he was Kenyan? It's like a secret or something.

lazymojo		2012-02-20 09:16:10 AM

In 1980, Richard Marcinko, commander of SEAL Team 2, was tasked with forming a new U.S. Navy counterterrorist unit. He named it SEAL Team Six to trick Soviet intelligence into believing the United States had at least three other commando units completely unaccounted for.

OOOH, sneaky. but, I would've named it SEAL Team Eight to trick Soviet intelligence into believe we had at least FIVE (5) other commando units completely unaccounted for. gotta think big.

Philip Francis Queeg		2012-02-20 09:16:53 AM

Is there nothing ACORN can't do?

markfara		2012-02-20 09:17:13 AM

At last, the true motivation behind the repeal of DADT.

Karac		2012-02-20 09:17:16 AM

Computer algorithms to reconstruct documents burned beyond recognition? Yeah, they're called captchas.

lazymojo		2012-02-20 09:17:30 AM

smask: And that the book is on sale at Amazon.com.

farking advertisement.

yeah, but try getting it shipped to an address in China or Afghanistan. you can't because it's classified.

jjwars1		2012-02-20 09:19:08 AM

The President's secret army constructed Obama's birth certificate.

david_gaithersburg		2012-02-20 09:19:53 AM

Reconstructing burnt documents is easy. Now try creating a birth certificate, that takes years.

Antidamascus		2012-02-20 09:20:52 AM

Incontinent_dog_and_monkey_rodeo: The president's secret army, or the secret president's army?

Don't tell Washington. Don't tell secret President!

dittybopper		2012-02-20 09:23:01 AM

3. JSOC can reconstruct documents that have been burned.
When JSOC teams collect intelligence on the battlefield, they benefit from a quiet revolution in document exploitation (DOCEX) techniques. Algorithms assign values to data based on the probability that a faint "I" is indeed an "I." The upshot is that DOCEX specialists can even reconstruct documents that have been burned beyond recognition.

Which is why you always make sure to stir up the ashes, or if it's really important, use flash paper, which burns almost completely, leaving nothing behind to reconstruct.

The Irresponsible Captain		2012-02-20 09:23:11 AM

Well, interesting I guess. It's a bit overblown that it's secret; heck it's probably all on the Wikipedia article.

BitwiseShift		2012-02-20 09:25:17 AM

You made Chuck Norris cry.

T.M.S.		2012-02-20 09:25:36 AM

After the election we were told again and again that this was Obama's secret army in training.

Obama's secret Army

cgraves67		2012-02-20 09:25:44 AM

FTA:
"Specially modified helicopters carried Red Squadron of SEAL Team Six to Abbottabad, Pakistan, for the raid on Osama bin Laden's compound."

Red Squadron. Where have I seen that before?

OMG, SEAL Team 6 destroyed the Death Star!

Hivejive		2012-02-20 09:26:30 AM

lazymojo: In 1980, Richard Marcinko, commander of SEAL Team 2, was tasked with forming a new U.S. Navy counterterrorist unit. He named it SEAL Team Six to trick Soviet intelligence into believing the United States had at least three other commando units completely unaccounted for.

OOOH, sneaky. but, I would've named it SEAL Team Eight to trick Soviet intelligence into believe we had at least FIVE (5) other commando units completely unaccounted for. gotta think big.

Im starting seal team a billion.

Pants full of macaroni!!		2012-02-20 09:30:32 AM

And who commands the president's secret army?

You guessed it....

img.photobucket.com

darkscout		2012-02-20 09:31:17 AM

they can reconstruct burned documents

I saw MacGyver do this in the 80s.

SuperChuck		2012-02-20 09:32:18 AM

In 1980, Richard Marcinko, commander of SEAL Team 2, was tasked with forming a new U.S. Navy counterterrorist unit. He named it SEAL Team Six to trick Soviet intelligence into believing the United States had at least three other commando units completely unaccounted for.

I bet that fooled em good! They're probably still looking for the other 99 airborne divisions too.

thespindrifter		2012-02-20 09:33:25 AM

Good luck reconstituting my burned documents... I stir the ashes, then use them as compost in the garden.

Dick Gozinya		2012-02-20 09:34:48 AM

Hivejive: lazymojo: In 1980, Richard Marcinko, commander of SEAL Team 2, was tasked with forming a new U.S. Navy counterterrorist unit. He named it SEAL Team Six to trick Soviet intelligence into believing the United States had at least three other commando units completely unaccounted for.

OOOH, sneaky. but, I would've named it SEAL Team Eight to trick Soviet intelligence into believe we had at least FIVE (5) other commando units completely unaccounted for. gotta think big.

Im starting seal team a billion.

How about Seal Team Brazillian?

Seriously though, i doubt the soviets would have believed they missed 5 entire units. Three is a much more believable number.

fugeeface		2012-02-20 09:38:18 AM

Albert Lake		2012-02-20 09:40:52 AM

It's called the Medal of Honor. Nice research, whistle-tits.

topcon		2012-02-20 09:41:23 AM

" There is a JSOC base in a major European airport."

It's in Charles de Gaulle airport.

StRalphTheLiar		2012-02-20 09:41:53 AM

An army so secret that they were the subject of a major motion picture.

ecl		2012-02-20 09:42:21 AM

Dick Gozinya: Hivejive: lazymojo: In 1980, Richard Marcinko, commander of SEAL Team 2, was tasked with forming a new U.S. Navy counterterrorist unit. He named it SEAL Team Six to trick Soviet intelligence into believing the United States had at least three other commando units completely unaccounted for.

OOOH, sneaky. but, I would've named it SEAL Team Eight to trick Soviet intelligence into believe we had at least FIVE (5) other commando units completely unaccounted for. gotta think big.

Im starting seal team a billion.

How about Seal Team Brazillian?

Seriously though, i doubt the soviets would have believed they missed 5 entire units. Three is a much more believable number.

Seal Teams 3, 4, and 5 are the presidents TRUE secret army.

inflatedKarma		2012-02-20 09:48:01 AM

BitwiseShift: Norris

Chuck Norris dosen't cry... the tears are running away in fear.

annitabonghit		2012-02-20 09:48:35 AM

From the top of TFA:

10 Things You Didn't Know About the President's Secret Army
by D.B. Grady - February 20, 2012 - 12:06 AM

and from the bottom of TFA:

The Command: Deep Inside the President's Secret Army by Marc Ambinder and D.B. Grady (John Wiley & Sons, 2012) is now available at Amazon and the Apple iBooks store.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm..........

Blatant attempt by author to stir up interest in book is blatant.

bulldg4life		2012-02-20 09:48:36 AM

a highly classified roster of the men on the Abbottabad raid somehow leaked to the press. (It was never published.)

Well, that's nice of them.

Crewmannumber6		2012-02-20 09:49:00 AM

topcon: " There is a JSOC base in a major European airport."

It's in Charles de Gaulle airport.

I would have guess Heathrow.

red5ish		2012-02-20 09:51:25 AM

SIX secret SEAL teams. Ah! Ah! Ah!
img407.imageshack.us

Crewmannumber6		2012-02-20 09:51:27 AM

annitabonghit: Blatant attempt by author to stir up interest in book is blatant.

It's a PROFIT DEAL!

Jackpot777		2012-02-20 09:51:39 AM

lazymojo: In 1980, Richard Marcinko, commander of SEAL Team 2, was tasked with forming a new U.S. Navy counterterrorist unit. He named it SEAL Team Six to trick Soviet intelligence into believing the United States had at least three other commando units completely unaccounted for.

OOOH, sneaky. but, I would've named it SEAL Team Eight to trick Soviet intelligence into believe we had at least FIVE (5) other commando units completely unaccounted for. gotta think big.

media.skateboard.com.au

Hitchhiker: You heard of this thing, the 8-Minute Abs? Ted: Yeah, sure, 8-Minute Abs. Yeah, the excercise video. Hitchhiker: Yeah, this is going to blow that right out of the water. Listen to this: 7... Minute... Abs. Ted: Right. Yes. OK, all right. I see where you're going. Hitchhiker: Think about it. You walk into a video store, you see 8-Minute Abs sittin' there, there's 7-Minute Abs right beside it. Which one are you gonna pick, man? Ted: I would go for the 7. Hitchhiker: Bingo, man, bingo. 7-Minute Abs. And we guarantee just as good a workout as the 8-minute folk. Ted: You guarantee it? That's - how do you do that? Hitchhiker: If you're not happy with the first 7 minutes, we're gonna send you the extra minute free. You see? That's it. That's our motto. That's where we're comin' from. That's from "A" to "B". Ted: That's right. That's - that's good. That's good. Unless, of course, somebody comes up with 6-Minute Abs. Then you're in trouble, huh? [Hitchhiker convulses] Hitchhiker: No! No, no, not 6! I said 7. Nobody's comin' up with 6. Who works out in 6 minutes? You won't even get your heart goin, not even a mouse on a wheel. Ted: That - good point. Hitchhiker: 7's the key number here. Think about it. 7-Elevens. 7 dwarves. 7, man, that's the number. 7 chipmunks twirlin' on a branch, eatin' lots of sunflowers on my uncle's ranch. You know that old children's tale from the sea. It's like you're dreamin' about Gorgonzola cheese when it's clearly Brie time, baby. Step into my office. Ted: Why? Hitchhiker: 'Cause you're fired!

casual disregard		2012-02-20 09:52:18 AM

JSOC itself is not a secret. You know, since everyone knows about it.

JSOC's operations may be secret. JSOC's missions may be secret. Don't confuse OPSEC with secret societies. It will make you look like a child.

groppet		2012-02-20 09:52:30 AM

darkscout: they can reconstruct burned documents

I saw MacGyver do this in the 80s.

That was a good episode!

plcow		2012-02-20 09:52:48 AM

Consular Operations?

I_Can't_Believe_it's_not_Boutros		2012-02-20 09:58:23 AM

Crewmannumber6: topcon: " There is a JSOC base in a major European airport."

It's in Charles de Gaulle airport.

I would have guess Heathrow.

Too many people were worried about the baggage retrieval system they've got at Heathrow.

BigNumber12		2012-02-20 10:00:20 AM

That's why you mix the ashes with water to make a paste, Subby.

casual disregard		2012-02-20 10:02:39 AM

BigNumber12: That's why you mix the ashes with water to make a paste, Subby.

IMO the only truly secure way to deconstruct paper is by chemical decomposition. The paper and the ink (or toner or whatever) genuinely separate at that point and both become separate sludge. Expensive, though.

cgraves67		2012-02-20 10:04:36 AM

Crewmannumber6: topcon: " There is a JSOC base in a major European airport."

It's in Charles de Gaulle airport.

I would have guess Heathrow.

I was thinking somewhere in west Germany, considering our ongoing military presence there.

BigNumber12		2012-02-20 10:05:59 AM

Shortly after the mission, a highly classified roster of the men on the Abbottabad raid somehow leaked to the press. (It was never published.)

I'm quite surprised by this, but grateful to the press. It's good to see that they have at least a shred of patriotic decency left.

BigNumber12		2012-02-20 10:08:30 AM

casual disregard: BigNumber12: That's why you mix the ashes with water to make a paste, Subby.

IMO the only truly secure way to deconstruct paper is by chemical decomposition. The paper and the ink (or toner or whatever) genuinely separate at that point and both become separate sludge. Expensive, though.

If the government is spending the money to decode my black sludge, I probably have bigger problems and should probably get started selecting a nice non-extradition country.

KimNorth		2012-02-20 10:09:42 AM

T.M.S.: After the election we were told again and again that this was Obama's secret army in training.

Obama's secret Army

Wow they are even keeping it real with their gold combat boots!!

WTF is going on? Brainwashing boot camps next just camps for those who won't go along........

meanmutton		2012-02-20 10:12:08 AM

SuperChuck: In 1980, Richard Marcinko, commander of SEAL Team 2, was tasked with forming a new U.S. Navy counterterrorist unit. He named it SEAL Team Six to trick Soviet intelligence into believing the United States had at least three other commando units completely unaccounted for.

I bet that fooled em good! They're probably still looking for the other 99 airborne divisions too.

They're infantry divisions. They'd only have to look as far as wikipedia to find them.

Giltric		2012-02-20 10:13:01 AM

cgraves67: Crewmannumber6: topcon: " There is a JSOC base in a major European airport."

It's in Charles de Gaulle airport.

I would have guess Heathrow.

I was thinking somewhere in west Germany, considering our ongoing military presence there.

I can't imagne the French allowing us to station troops who might be dispatched to perform extreme violence of action.

My guess is Heathrow or Rhine-Main....but they probably call Rhine-Main something else now.

dj_spanmaster		2012-02-20 10:15:53 AM

topcon: " There is a JSOC base in a major European airport."

It's in Charles de Gaulle airport.

A surprising number of shopping malls are involved - you didn't hear that from me.

gbcinques		2012-02-20 10:16:06 AM

cgraves67: Crewmannumber6: topcon: " There is a JSOC base in a major European airport."

It's in Charles de Gaulle airport.

I would have guess Heathrow.

I was thinking somewhere in west Germany, considering our ongoing military presence there.

Yes, probably Frankfurt as it has a huge US Air base next door (Rhein-Main Air Base). Better central location than Heathrow and de Gaulle.

Rich Cream		2012-02-20 10:19:12 AM

Is this the thread where the people who think the ends justify the means laud and applaud secret death squads?

/then I'm out

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