TF 373 dedicated thread

[Jan Klimkowski]

Meaning of F4:

Under the leadership of GeneralBryan D. Brown, who took over the Special Forces Command in September 2003, the doctrine came to be known as F4, which stood for "find, fix, finish, and follow-up" -- a slightly euphemistic but not hard to understand message about how alleged terrorists and insurgents were to be dealt with.

Why TF 373?

Fast forward to 2007, the first time Task Force 373 is mentioned in the Wikileaks documents. We don't know whether its number means anything, but coincidentally or not, chapter 373 of the U.S. Code 10, the act of Congress that sets out what the U.S. military is legally allowed to do, permits the Secretary of Defense to empower any "civilian employee" of the military "to execute warrants and make arrests without a warrant" in criminal matters. Whether or not this is indeed the basis for that "373" remains a classified matter -- as indeed, until the Wikileaks document dump occurred, was the very existence of the group.

Hmmmm

"Civilian employees"? Private military contractors?

Analysts say that Task Force 373 complements Task Force 121 by using "white forces" like the Rangers and the Green Berets, as opposed to the more secretive Delta Force. Task Force 373 is supposedly run out of three military bases -- in Kabul, the Afghan capital; Kandahar, the country's second largest city; and Khost City near the Pakistani tribal lands. It's possible that some of its operations also come out of Camp Marmal, a German base in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif. Sources familiar with the program say that the task force has its own helicopters and aircraft, notably AC-130 Spectre gunships, dedicated only to its use.

Its commander appears to have been Brigadier General Raymond Palumbo, based out of the Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Palumbo just got sent to Alaska...

Gen. Palumbo takes command of Army in Alaska
Juneau Empire Wednesday, July 14, 2010
ANCHORAGE - Brig. Gen. Raymond Palumbo took command of the U.S. Army in Alaska in a ceremony Monday at Fort Richardson.

Palumbo replaces Maj. Gen. William J. Troy, who leaves to take the position of director of the Army staff at the Pentagon.

Palumbo is 50 and comes from Fort Bragg, N.C., where he has served as the deputy commanding general of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command. He served under Gen. Stanley McChrystal and describes his firing as commander of forces in Afghanistan as unfortunate.

Palumbo also told The Anchorage Daily News he supports making mental health a key component of Army fitness and treatment programs for post traumatic stress.

http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/0714...4632.shtml

There's a photo of him at Bagram here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bg-pal...n-2008.jpg