There has been a lot of conspiracy chatter in regards to the two-month long domestic military training exercise known as Jade Helm 15. So what exactly is all the hoopla about?

Members of U.S. Army Special Operations Command will train with other units of the U.S Armed Forces over a two month period beginning July 15. The multi-state exercise, known as Jade Helm 15, has caused quite a stir in the media amidst increasing reports of militarized policekillings

According to an official U.S. Army press release

USASOC periodically conducts training exercises such as these to practice core special warfare tasks, which help protect the nation against foreign enemies. 

While multi-state training exercises such as these are not unique to the military, the size and scope of Jade Helm sets this one apart. To stay ahead of the environmental challenges faced overseas, Jade Helm will take place across seven states. However, Army Special Operations Forces (ARSOF) will only train in five states: Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado. 

You can see in the map below, which states have been deemed hostile, permissive, or uncertain for the purpose of the exercise.  

The diverse terrain in these states replicates areas that Special Operations Soldiers regularly find themselves operating in overseas, like in Afghanistan or Iraq. 

The training exercise will be conducted on private and public land with the permission of the private landowners, and from state and local authorities. In essence, all exercise activity will be taking place on pre-coordinated public and private lands.

The public can expect nothing much different from their day-to-day activities since much of exercise will be conducted in remote areas. The most noticeable effect the exercise may have on the local communities is an increase in vehicle and military air traffic and its associated noise.

While the military maintains that this is a standard training exercise, conspiracy theorists like Alex Jones and other paranoid Americans have expressed concerns over the government's intentions. Many have speculated that the exercise will lead to the establishment of martial law, or that it will lead to a military takeover in the state of Texas. So what exactly is the truth about Jade Helm 15?

For the record, I highly doubt Jade Helm is being used to establish a police state, create martial law, or takeover Texas. Instead, I believe it's simply one more way of feeding the military industrial complex. 

In fact, Justin Peters summed it up perfectly in a recent article for Slate when he wrote, 

"It’s a drawn-out, expensive military training simulation ostensibly designed to train soldiers to fight in wars that this country should not be fighting, supervised by a marginally accountable and lavishly funded Defense Department office that can afford to dick around in the desert for two months while countless other federal programs and agencies struggle to make do with their meager allocations."

What do you guys think? Do your opinions on Jade Helm lean more toward the side of Alex Jones or Justin Peters? We'd love to know, so leave a comment below. 

The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of Ora Media, LLC its affiliates, or its employees.

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