Would they be wearing the woodland camo colors in Iraq too? It looks awfully green in the picture.

What a bunch of asshats. This is clearly training in CONUS.

Hey, I wore woodland cammies in Iraq! Of course, that was during Desert Storm.

Its a recent picture, they both have ACU's on. The reason for the woodland camo on the HUMVEE and kevlar cover is most like the result of being in the reserves or national guard. I am in the reserves and our vehicles and equipment are still woodland camo

Its most likely either a KFOR exercise or training at the JRTC at Fort Polk. I can't tell, but the Soldier to the right looks like he has the old PASGT helmet and not the ACH, so it is either an old photo or a reserve or NG unit.

No, the photo is real. These soldiers are part of Maybe President Obambo's new military exploratory committee. Bullets hurt people and cause pain so from now on no live rounds will be used and the soldiers will just yell "BANG"!

Guys -

Read the bumber numbers. That's 18th MP BDE, an active duty unit. Odds are 50-50 that this was taken at Ft Bragg or Ft Polk, during a training exercise. I highly doubt that picture is anywhere in the Gulf, given the presence of MILES gear. That's some unit training for their rotation to Iraq or Afghanistan.

In any event, there's no way in hell they're guarding anything with BFA's on their weapons.

Thanks for showing the right photo. I know when I link to the Yahoo photos and they add more, the wrong photo shows. I had faith you would find the right one. And that's some mighty fine foliage they got going on in the background.

Ok well actually in 2003-2004 and even up till 2005 there WERE units using woodland cammo vehicles, I deployed with the Hawai'i based 2nd Bde 25th ID, and ALL our vehicles were woodland cammo. RFI took care of the helmet covers and we got the ACHs in-country. The MILES gear can't be explained away though. I'm willing to bet its either a Guard unit, or an MP unit, judgeing by the 18th Bde. More likely an MP unit. As to where it was taken, well that's anyone's guess unless they can tell what unit it was and when it was taken

Nice catch. How prominent is AFP (i.e. Agence France-Presse) located at afp.com?

"Securing the area"... with blank deflectors (that's what those red things on the ends of the barrels are).

I don't think so.

To add just for fun: The vehicle itself: M-998 Variant with NO uparmor package. (Standard mil-spec class 2 glass, no extra armor visable, standard windshield wipers) Standard turrent ring, (new turret rings are armored up, powered, and called the 'turtle' cause thats what it looks like) No AC unit visable, (yeah just about all of the HMMWVs now have either integrated air conditioning or add-on units) Standard radiator (front grill shows no mdifications that I see on a daily basis) and FWIW, the lights aren't taped over as 98% of them are up north, and even down here in Kuwait (train the way you fight.) and lastly, That type of bumper grill is also VERY rare in Iraq... usually they have a MUCH heavier one. Just my 2 Cents.

Just read the Hotair updates. I could understand the French having problems telling the difference between training weapons and real weapons (what, too soon?), but not being able to tell the difference between Iraq and Romania?

There isnt even a Tulcea, Iraq

Maybe "Tulcea" is the mangled French pronunciation of "Tulsa".

I thought under the potential new ROE under the possible President Obama even yelling "Bang," was unacceptable unless it was first vetted by the lawyers and then only allowed to be spoken at no more than 60 decibels in case of those being "shot" at that are sensitive to noise?

Babadag is in Tulcea, ROMANIA. It's a V Corps training facility. This is a recent photo, but not in Iraq. See Hotair, Slublog.

Anyone familiar with firearms would recognize that the weapons had blank adaptors. Blank adaptors cover the end of the muzzle and allow a weapon firing blanks to retain enough back pressure to chamber another round. Without the blank adaptor each blank would have to be chambered manually. Firing live rounds through a weapon with a blank adaptor would cause the weapon to explode in the firer's face.

Keeping the barrel of weapon unobstructed is one of those day-one things you learn if you've ever been taught anything about guns. I think this would be called a "teaching moment" for some of the media.

Tulcea and Babadag are in Romania.

Like who cares? They pulled a file photo out so mental midgets like you can waste time complaining. Wow, we learn amazing pieces of trivia from bloggers, sure beats the dreaded MSM.

Jakester, if we're wasting time complaining, what are you doing when you're complaining about our complaining, hmmm?

Talk about a distinct lack of logic...

Good call, Jakester, this has absolutely nothing to do with the integrity or accuracy of the media, their high editorial standards, and their vaunted layers of fact checking.

As someone said earlier, that truck is a M998. To the reservist earlier, yes some reserve units do still have old trucks, and old uniforms, but when they are activated they get the new uniforms, and they fall in on the vehicles and equipment of the unit they are doing the RIP with in theater, they do not take their old trucks with them.

That is something you would know if you had deployed.

This isn't AFP or the photographer's fault. They correctly captioned the photo. The Yahoo editor is the one who altered the text.

Its never your fault, always blame it on someone else.

Yeah that sounds about right.

The only other thing that I noticed was that leaves are not found in any desert, unless they are non-native the only green comes from riverside tropical plants that resemble a tall aloe plant.

I also would like to note that it probably wasn't taken in the south. Ft. Benning and Ft Bragg are surrounded with weeping willows, and that looks more like an elm. I really can't tell for sure.

I would guess Colorado.