Military using civilian space for covert troop training

Daily Mail, UK - Seven Southwestern states will soon be infiltrated by 1,200 military special ops personnel as part of a controversial domestic military training in which some of the elite soldiers will operate undetected among civilians.

Operation Jade Helm begins in July and will last for eight weeks. Soldiers will operate in and around towns in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah and Colorado where some of them wil drop from planes while carrying weapons loaded with blanks in what military officials have dubbed Realistic Military Training.

But with residents of the entire states of Texas and Utah dubbed 'hostile' for the purposes of the exercises, Jade Helm has some concerned the drills are too realistic...

The Houston Chronicle reports that, among the planned exercises, soldiers will attempt to operate undetected among civilian populations.

Residents, in turn, will be asked to report suspicious activity in order to gauge the effectiveness of the soldiers.

Military officials say they've gotten the go ahead for the operations from local authorities such as mayors and county commissions.

And sheriff's deputies told the Houston Chronicle they would ensure residents living near where aircraft were slated to create disturbances and drop soldiers, civilian and military vehicles will barrel through and where blank rounds would be fired.

Jim Stewart with the Brazos County, Texas Sheriff's Office told the Chronicle that such exercises are far from anything new.

'Special ops for years have trained off-post for years, where they go out and have folks that are role players out on the economy,' said the Army intelligence veteran. 'They'll have a scenario they'll be following and they'll interact with these role players as if they're in another country.'

However, the U.S. Army Special Operations Command themselves say Jade Helm is different.

Sheriff's deputies say they will ensure residents living near where aircraft were slated to create disturbances and drop soldiers, civilian and military vehicles will barrel through and where blank rounds would be fired.