Secretive Military Operation 'Jade Helm' Gets Underway Across Seven States - as Conspiracy Theorists Who Fear it Signals Imminent Martial Law Flock to Monitor 'War Simulation' Exercise
- Jade Helm 15, a two-month, seven state war simulation began on Wednesday in central Texas
- The scale of the operation raised suspicions which intensified after a map was released that labelled Texas and Utah as hostile territory
- The Army has said that exercise locations were selected to replicate foreign combat zones
- Conspiracy theorists seized on the exercise and fear the operation is a Federal invasion of Texas and the imminent imposition of martial law
- Groups have formed to shadow the military's activities in their own 'intelligence gathering' exercise
- Governor Abbott of Texas ordered the State Guard to monitor events
- The exercise launched with little fanfare, out of sight of the general public and many took to Twitter to mock the reaction in Texas
- As yet there have been no reports of mass arrests or tanks on the streets
Daily Mail UK, 16 July 2015
The U.S. military began its secretive two-month, seven-state military exercise on Wednesday in Texas, as conspiracy theorists prepared for the worst. The massive scale of the operation raised suspicions among right wing groups, many of whom fear the imminent imposition of martial law.
'Jade Helm 15', as the war simulation is known, is acknowledged by the Army as unique given its size and scope, but they insist there is nothing to fear.
Parts of Arizona, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Texas and Utah, were selected for the operation as their topography is ideal to replicate diverse foreign combat zones.
However, suspicions intensified after some conservative political websites seized on an Army map that labeled Texas and Utah as 'hostile' for the purposes of the simulation.
What should have been a routine training exercise has since spawned bizarre conspiracy theories concerning a Federal invasion of Texas, gun seizures, mass arrests, shuttered Wal-Marts being turned into internment camps and giant secret tunnels criss-crossing the country.
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A convoy of National Guard troops moves on Camp Swift, which is hosting part of the Operation Jade Helm 15 military exercise, in Bastrop, Texas
A warning sign is posted at a gate entrance at Texas Army National Guard Camp Swift, on Wednesday as Jade Helm operations commenced to the alarm of archconservative Texans
Eric Johnston, the Texas organizer for the civilian volunteer group monitoring Jade Helm 15 military training exercises, talks on the phone on Wednesday
Texas Governor Gregg Abbott's office was flooded with calls from fearful constituents.
Fears spilled into public view in April when about 200 people packed a community meeting in Bastrop County, Texas, and questioned an Army commander about whether martial law was imminent.
Despite the geographic range of the exercise, only 1,200 troops will be involved.
Ironically, Texas was chosen because historically Texans are 'supportive of efforts to prepare our soldiers, airmen, marines and sailors to fight the enemies of the United States'.
Nevertheless, groups have formed to monitor the military's activities.
On Wednesday, as the training exercise began, Eric Johnston, a retired Arizona sheriff's deputy and the Texas organizer of a national group called Counter Jade Helm, wore his handgun on his hip as he monitored activity near Bastrop.
Johnston admits that he does not really believe the soldiers are coming to take his gun away, but nevertheless he is ready.
'I would like to think that if the situation were to turn afoul, many more of our people would stand up and come to assist.'
Johnston, who has a white handlebar moustache and conceals his gun beneath his untucked shirt, has 27 volunteers — some armed— positioned across Texas.
Among their number is a monitor he described as a retired Army ranger. He also described their role as that of a neighborhood watch.
Derrick Broze, who describes himself as an activist journalist (left) with friend Mark Jankins (right) takes video at the main gate at Texas Army National Guard Camp Swift in Bastrop, Texas
Preparations under way at Camp Swift for Jade Helm 15
Conservative political websites seized upon this map of the training exercise, included in an Army handout, to whip up suspicions that the military was up to something, as both Texas and Utah were labelled as hostile
The group's website states that Counter Jade Helm is a 'training exercise for the people', 'to practice counter-insurgency, organizational and intelligence gathering and reporting skills'.
The 'objective is not to stop or countermand the military's training, but to practice our own skills'.
Johnston emphasized that Counter Jade Helm is not 'radical' like other groups and doesn't believe a military takeover is around the corner.
But he still has his concerns.
'It doesn't make sense that if they're going to practice infiltration skills if they're going to be in uniform,' he said. 'I don't think this is a prelude to martial law. But they're just not being transparent on what they're doing.'
It is not just private citizens that are suspicious about the massive military operation, as Governor Abbott has ordered the State Guard to monitor the military's movements.
Military vehicles prepare for the multi-state summer military training exercise, that has caused alarm among some citizens
Volunteers for Counter Jade Helm are monitoring the military exercise, and groups have sprung up on Facebook, including in states that are not part of the training operation
A convoy of National Guard troops moves on Camp Swift near Bastrop, Texas
Governor Gregg Abbott called on the State Guard to keep an eye on the military's operations
Governor Abbott's actions drew sharp rebuke from critics who accused the new Republican governor of pandering to fringe theorists. At least two people mailed tinfoil to his office, with one note reading,
'For your hat!'
No other governor greeted Jade Helm with similar actions, and Abbott has deflected the mocking as overblown. His office had received 15 calls by lunchtime about Jade Helm, and aides were ready to answer.
Bastrop Mayor Ken Kesselus has spent weeks trying to dampen impressions that his city of 8,000 people is a hive of 'wackos and conspiracy theorists.'
'The last few weeks I've had 22 calls. One was from a guy in South Texas who thinks [President Barack] Obama is a communist, a Muslim and evil person and wanted me to warn everybody to hold onto their guns,' Kesselus said. 'The other 21 calls were from press.'
The exercise launched on Wednesday in the exact manner Army officials have spent months patiently describing to conspiracy theorists:
With no fanfare or cause for alarm, but almost entirely out of sight to the general public.
Pops of gunfire echoed beyond the front gates of Camp Swift near Bastrop, Texas, though that hardly seemed out of the ordinary on what is a training ground for the Texas National Guard.
As conspiracy theorists took to social media to report power outages and sightings of trucks and other military vehicles, Twitter seized on the opportunity to mock the reaction in Texas.
No citizens were rounded up and imprisoned at Wal-Mart. Tanks didn't rumble down city streets in a declaration of martial law.
This latest exercise is supposed to end on September 15.
Texas judge denies Operation Jade Helm is martial law plot;
Twitter was quick to mock the reaction in Texas to the first day of Jade Helm 15
People on Twitter played upon some of the crazier conspiracy theories
Others were more direct with their reaction
Counter Jade Helm states that it is a training exercise for the people in response to the military's multi-state training, in which citizens will practice 'counter-insurgency' and 'intelligence gathering skills'
The group is mapping out confirmed locations of the Jade Helm 15 military exercise. The website states that its objective is 'not to stop or countermand the military's training, but to practice our own skills'
Despite the fears of some Texans, Main Street in downtown Bastrop, Texas, is quiet on the first day of the Operation Jade Helm 15 military exercise
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