The US has at least 60 drone bases

originally posted by: Xtrozero

originally posted by: boomer135
So back to my first point, if opium is around 50% of their GDP, what else do they do?

So that opium goes to Europe and Russia, so who is wagging the dog here?

Actually in the same article you will see that the United States gets 60 percent of its opium from afghanistan

originally posted by: boomer135

Actually in the same article you will see that the United States gets 60 percent of its opium from afghanistan

I highly doubt that, but I could be wrong. The reason I doubt it is because the only way it would come into America would be though Mexico mainly and the drug cartels there do not need Afghan opium, and so they would be the middle man (expensive) and not the wholesaler. Plus, there is enough demand in the rest of the world where they would not need to spend the higher cost and risks to do it. I also know that drug boats go from South America all the way to Africa and on to Europe with Cocaine and Opium. Below is a map I found and I drew in another route that is big, that I personally know about.

So how does it get to America, and around Mexico drug cartels that don't need it? Plus, Why do those same cartels use drug boats to get it to Africa and on to Europe if they want Afghan opium?

a reply to: Xtrozero

KAF, Train Kowt, Dwyer, Bastion, are all RC south and south west. All of which I operated from. All can handle large aircraft and all can certainly handle drones.

I'll let you guess which one they were launching stealth drones from.

originally posted by: IntastellaBurst
a reply to: boomer135


Well said,

Thanks for straightening the kid out.

Except it was a long diatribe about opium production in Afghanistan. Which I don't care about, and none of my missions had anything to do with it.

originally posted by: projectvxn
a reply to: Xtrozero

KAF, Train Kowt, Dwyer, Bastion, are all RC south and south west. All of which I operated from. All can handle large aircraft and all can certainly handle drones.

I'll let you guess which one they were launching stealth drones from.

I spend a good amount of time at KAF, Dwyer and Baston/Leatherneck and none of these are FOBs. The 20 plus FOBs I been at have been small teams with mainly helo support.

originally posted by: boomer135

So back to my first point, if opium is around 50% of their GDP, what else do they do?

That's always been my response. What else even grows there that they could possibly compete with against a country with actual infrastructure?

originally posted by: framedragged

originally posted by: boomer135

So back to my first point, if opium is around 50% of their GDP, what else do they do?

That's always been my response. What else even grows there that they could possibly compete with against a country with actual infrastructure?

Lots of minerals in Afghanistan. Of course, no infrastructure to get them out. Supposedly China will be building rail to aid in extracting these minerals. This won't be easy given the short construction season.

a reply to: Xtrozero

What?

All of them are FOBs.

All of em. They might be huge ones but fobs they are.

My unit shut down TK. All that's left there is the ANA and a small group of SF. Same with Camp Dwyer.

Please explain how they are not fobs.

originally posted by: projectvxn
a reply to: Xtrozero

What?

All of them are FOBs.

All of em. They might be huge ones but fobs they are.

My unit shut down TK. All that's left there is the ANA and a small group of SF. Same with Camp Dwyer.

Please explain how they are not fobs.

Actually no they are not.. they are camps, airfields...

A FOB is a small forward operating base (combat outpost) from these main camps/airfields. They are actually called FOB XXX

You do not call Dwyer "FOB Dwyer", you call it "Camp Dwyer" (but it did start out as a FOB) ... just saying

a reply to: Xtrozero

Eh. The hescos and t walls all looked the same to me.

originally posted by: projectvxn

originally posted by: IntastellaBurst
a reply to: boomer135


Well said,

Thanks for straightening the kid out.

Except it was a long diatribe about opium production in Afghanistan. Which I don't care about, and none of my missions had anything to do with it.

Yeah and i wasnt trying to straighten anyone out. lol. Just stating facts about a report i had recently read is all.

originally posted by: projectvxn

Eh. The hescos and t walls all looked the same to me.

Most never go to an actual FOB since it is typically a very focused team of about 100 people. Double stacked Hescos is about all you get the rest is tents and primitive buildings if you are lucky. If a person that spends their deployments at one of the main bases I can see where the confusion would be.

They do have drones at the FOBs in support of the teams when they head out and many have the Aerostats blimps now for base protection, but nothing that takes a runway to launch and recover.

a reply to: Xtrozero

I went from place to place.

I'm a crew chief in an air assault unit so I've been to most of the FOBs out there. Never really thought of the difference.

Worst one I ever saw and thanked god I didn't have to stay was Shawalli Kot. That place was depressing.

Best dfac by far Apache...


Never was a big fan of the blimps on ropes.

a reply to: Xtrozero

Uh.....what do you think Pharmaceutical companies make pain drugs out of? Opium. It is not just used for illegal purposes

Well Coca Cola is the largest importer of Coca leaves in the USA. They're "de-cocaized" or whatever for use as a flavoring agent in their colas:

Stepan Company plant in Maywood, New Jersey.[2] The facility, which had been known as the Maywood Chemical Works, was purchased by Stepan in 1959.[3] The plant is the only commercial entity in the USA authorized by the Drug Enforcement Administration to import coca leaves, which come primarily from Peru. Approximately 100 metric tons of dried coca leaf are imported each year. The coc aine-free leaves are sold to The Coca Cola Company, while the coc aine is sold to Mallinckrodt, a pharmaceutical firm, for medicinal purposes.[4]

Wikipedia

I wonder if everything is done 100 percent by the book. I mean, that's a LOT of narcotic being sold to a pharmaceutical company...

originally posted by: cardinalfan0596
a reply to: Xtrozero

Uh.....what do you think Pharmaceutical companies make pain drugs out of? Opium. It is not just used for illegal purposes

We are talking illegal trade, and I'm sure the Afghan opium is not use mostly in Pharmaceuticals, maybe, but they do make a crap load. I do stand by my statement that Afghan opium does not end up as heroin in America.