Jade Helm 15 Begins: Military Exercise Taking Place In Seven States
Operation Jade Helm 15 began in seven southwestern states yesterday. The controversial realistic military training includes drills in 12 Texas counties. Jade Helm sparked heated debate in many areas where the drills were set to take place, and tempers flared to the extreme in Bastrop County, Texas.
Jade Helm 15 Texas concerns were raised after the public learned that the citizens in the seven southwestern counties were to be viewed as “hostiles” by the special forces teams engaged in the military exercises. A mass closing of Walmart stores, many in the Operation Jade Helm military exercise areas, increased anxiety even further. Some folks were worried that the Walmart stores would be used as FEMA camps or for some type of covert operation by the federal government. The possibility that marital law could be ordered was raised by many citizens, especially in Texas.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott addressed the Jade Helm 15 concerns voiced by his constituents and vowed to keep a close eye on both the realistic military exercises and the constitutional right to bear arms and the property rights of citizens.
In Bastrop, Jade Helm Begins With a Whimper: BASTROP — For four months, this pretty town along the… http://t.co/du7f5ndpZJ | @texastribune
— Austin Daily News (@austindailynews) July 16, 2015
Operation Jade Helm 15 map locations include the following Texas counties: Bastrop, Burleson, Brazos, Edwards, Howard, Hudspeth, Kimble, Martin, Marion, Real, Schleicher and Tom Green. It will also take place at Camp Bullis in San Antonio and Camp Swift in Bastrop County.
It’s still quiet in Bastrop tonight as many continue to wait for signs of #JadeHelm15. http://t.co/fNZxbSa6BL pic.twitter.com/w5UfPkWAPk
— KXAN News (@KXAN_News) July 16, 2015
“I think a lot of the questions have been answered since it first kind of hit Bastrop County Commissioners Court,” Republican State Representative John Cyrier said. “It seems like it’s been pretty quiet, at least on my end of it.”
Americans who live in the areas where Jade Helm 15 will take place should expect “little interference” in their daily lives, according to Army Special Operations Command spokesman Mark Lastoria. Even though military officials attempted to calm concerns about the summer training, officials did state that the drill was different in “size and scope” than past exercises. There will reportedly be 1,200 armed forces members participating in Operation Jade Helm 15.
“They [troops] will never all be at the same place, at the same time,” Lastoria said.
A total of 700 soldiers will reportedly be engaging in a 5-day exercise at Camp Bullis in San Antonio.
The Counter Jade Helm group formed to help keep a very watchful eye on the realistic military training. Members of the group have reportedly traveled to all the regions where the operation is scheduled to take place and will serve as watchdogs and report what is going on in the various communities.
What do you think about Operation Jade Helm 15?
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