About those Chicago military exercises

Maybe this week's military training exercises only got scant play in mainstream media, but before wrapping up yesterday, they caught the attention of people on the ground in Chicago - and elsewhere - who posted on social media.

From Twitter:

Blackhawk helicopters flying over my condo in the loop and all news stations are covering the royal birth - what's up? #helicopters #chicago
— Heather Stammen (@HeatherStammen) July 23, 2013

Seeing unmarked helicopters around town? No worries — they're just for military training http://t.co/V8lqvoGjRN
— DNAinfo.com Chicago (@DNAinfoCHI) July 24, 2013

More "battlespace preparation" by the emerging tyranny.... http://t.co/82B0g95yu8
— Matthew Bracken (@MattBracken48) July 24, 2013

Similar military exercises were reportedly conducted in Chicago last year.

Whether in Los Angeles, Miami or Chicago, these exercise are always described in the media as urban training intended to give American fighting forces an advantage when deployed on overseas ops. But how often do military pilots need to buzz America's major cities to be proficient overseas? How many cities the size of Chicago does the military anticipate sweeping into for something other than training?

In an era of tight military budgets when the branches are being told to save every round possible, seems to me these flashy urban displays are a huge waste of money. Or, as Matt Bracken suggests, is there more to these exercises than we're being told?