In another development, officials said Marines from the 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, attached to Task Force Tarawa, are patrolling the Iraqi border with Iran along the length of the Wasit province east of Kut.
Mr. PELTON: Blackwater has always prided themselves on their aggressive stance, their ability to show force, and whether it's using armored vehicles or using heavy weapons.
President Barack Obama landed safely in Brazil Saturday morning, where he was later driven to the Presidential Palace in Brasilia by armored Chevrolets and Cadillacs which flew with the president along Air Force One Friday evening.
The reductions made in the U.S. force structure ensures that even if the United States decided to deploy its remaining four heavy divisions and one armored cavalry regiment, there would be no reserve comparable to that it enjoyed during Desert Storm -- four heavy divisions (two each in the United States and in Germany) and two armored cavalry regiments.