Army Transfers Could Trigger A Gang War – March 16, 2006 – The New York Sun – NY News By JOSH GERSTEIN – Staff Reporter of the Sun
Law enforcement authorities fear that the planned relocation of thousands of Army soldiers in Texas could trigger a battle the military has not trained for – a turf war between violent criminal gangs.
Local police and FBI officials said they expect the transfer of between 10,000 and 20,000 troops to Fort Bliss near El Paso, Texas, to bring more members of the Folk Nation gang into contact with a criminal group that is already well-established in the area, Barrio Azteca. …
Ms. Simmons said Folk Nation, which was founded in Chicago and includes several branches using the name Gangster Disciples, has gained a foothold in the Army. “The Folk Nation has a presence with the military and/or their dependents,” she said.
NBC 17 – News – Gang Members Learn Deadly Skills In Military Story by Spc. Bradley Rhen
Some of America’s most notorious street gangs are turning up in the military. But they aren’t just serving their country. Instead, many are taking the opportunity to learn a very deadly trade.
NBC 17 has learned there is a growing concern with gang members enlisting in the military with the hope of learning the art of war.
Detective Hunter Glass is a an Army veteran and Fayetteville gang officer.
“We do know through intelligence that some gang members are actually sent into the military to learn about military tactics,” Glass said.
Glass showed NBC 17 footage of a known gang member just back from Iraq firing on two California police officers — he kills one quickly using tactics perfected on the battlefield.
“Using strictly military tactics he learned in the Marine Corps, he applies suppressive fire power right into the corner,” Glass explains. “He didn’t learn those tactics as a gang member.” …
Joshua Sharp is a full-time military investigator at Fort Bragg who also tracks gangs. He’s very worried about what gang members are learning.
“These guys with military tactics can use it for drug buys or during busts,” Sharp told NBC 17. “They know how to handle surveillance and have other useful skills.”
Gang members brag they now have a pipeline from the U.S. to Baghdad and are picking up new skills, such as war time medical training. …
“I can’t think of any problem we have as a law enforcement, other than drugs, that is this big of an epidemic,” Sharp said. …
NBC 17 has also learned that gangs are not the only groups the military is worried about. Officials are also concerned about extremist groups like skinheads and the Aryan Nation in the armed forces. …
“Gang activity is alive and well in the military — you just have to know what you’re looking for and where to look to identify it,” Schwind told the audience at the briefing.
There are several reasons gang members join the military, including getting away from the gang life, seeking legal employment and recruiting soldiers and family members. Also, combat tactics and weapons training can be taken back to the gangs once they get out of the military.
Once in the military, those gang members may recruit others — military and civilian — and form a clique, Schwind said. However, he pointed out that gangs usually aren’t formed within units, creating gangs like the “Alpha Company Mafia.”
“I would say that the gang situation within the military — not just the Army, but in the military in all — is a problem and it continues to grow every day,” Schwind. …
“It’s well known that gangs are specifically targeting the military for recruitment because of our vast ability to deploy and their outreach to different regions,” he said. “All the different regions that we deploy to, they can send their gang members, or their troops of their gang, to expand their territory, or their trafficking area.”