U.S. military exercise a lightning rod for suspicion, conspiracy theories

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Time and again, Joe Biggs returns to the idea of what he calls "conditioning" – the notion that the U.S. government, as a preface to some totalitarian dystopia, is slowly trying to get its citizens used to the idea of armed soldiers patrolling Main Street.

From his perch at a bar in Austin, Mr. Biggs presents this as a perfectly logical conclusion. Dressed in a defiantly patriotic American flag-patterned shirt and bandana, Mr. Biggs, the man at the centre of one of the most politically toxic conspiracy theories around, says he doesn't consider himself a conspiracy theorist. "But I'm definitely someone who's always questioning things when I see something that doesn't add up."

What he is questioning is Jade Helm 15, a massive military exercise that is scheduled to take place in Texas and six other southwestern U.S. states beginning in mid-July. The U.S. army calls it one of its normal periodic exercises "to practice core special warfare tasks ... and further develop tactics, techniques and procedures for emerging concepts in Special Operations warfare." It will involve myriad special forces units including Green Berets and SEALs, and be conducted on private and public land.

It's not the first time the U.S. military has conducted a training exercise on home soil. But Jade Helm stands out for its scope and ambition – and because it has become a lightning rod for a smorgasbord of suspicious critics, from Tea Party supporters to libertarians to members of the web vigilante group, Anonymous. At the fringes, the conspiracy theories strain plausibility past breaking point, framing the military exercise as part of an effort by a vaguely defined group of global elites to pave the way for martial law, send unco-operative Americans to what some conspiracy buffs darkly call "socialist re-education camps," allow a federal takeover of Texas and ultimately instigate civil war.

Many of the wildest Jade Helm theories spring from an old U.S. tradition of deep distrust of big government and from the same extreme margins that more recently produced the "birther" conspiracies that question President Barack Obama's religion and birthplace. Yet the frenzy in anticipation of the the eight-week training exercise illustrates not only the swelling ranks of America's disillusioned fringe but also the unprecedented political influence it now commands.

The controversy erupted in March after Mr. Biggs helped make public an unclassified but little-known U.S. army PowerPoint presentation that described the program, dubbed "Realistic Military Training."

The presentation indicates the military assumed there wouldn't be much civilian opposition to the exercise. One slide notes that the program will pump about $150,000 into the Texas economy. Another mentions the state was chosen as a staging ground "because Texans are historically supportive of efforts to prepare our soldiers, airmen, marines and sailors to fight the enemies of the United States."

But once Mr. Biggs posted the presentation on InfoWars – an online media site where he says he works and which caters predominantly to a far right-wing and libertarian audience – it ignited fierce protest.

Suspicions about Jade Helm at first buzzed around Internet videos and talk radio. Then in late April, Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered the Texas State Guard to keep an eye out on the exercise in order to "address concerns of Texas citizens and ensure that Texas communities remain safe, secure and informed about military procedures occurring in their vicinity."

The Governor's directive quickly gave credence and a bigger platform to the conspiracy theorists, as did promises from two Republican presidential hopefuls, Ted Cruz and Rand Paul, to look into the exercise. Both candidates were eager to capitalize on the overwhelming distrust of the current White House administration that powers much of the Jade Helm opposition – and many of the two candidates' supporters.

Now Jade Helm critics include a network of citizen groups dedicated to exposing the exercise as the nefarious government plot they believe it to be. Mr. Biggs and hundreds of other people have descended on the town hall meetings the military has held in Texas to inform local citizens about Jade Helm.

That a movement against a U.S. military exercise should find its core in Texas, home to military bases and multiple military history museums, might seem surprising.

"Texas is a military state," that has a long history of respect for the armed forces, said Manny Garcia, deputy executive director of the Texas Democratic Party. "We're quite used to military exercises."

But it's also a state whose "Don't Mess With Texas" ethos prioritizes personal freedom (except when it comes to gay marriage and access to abortion). Texas has one of the most dismal voter turnout rates in the country, regularly placing among the bottom five states. Voter identification restrictions here are among the strictest in the country. (A concealed handgun permit is considered valid ID for the purposes of voting; a student ID, even from a state school, is not.) As a result, a vocal minority, even if small in relative terms, can often have outsize influence.

The Jade Helm controversy is "indicative of Texas politics as they stand right now," said Mr. Garcia. "The right wing of the Republican party is pushing it over an ideological cliff."

The Jade Helm conspiracy theorists also benefit from suspicions, based in reality, about what the federal government is doing.

"For years and years, you were called a conspiracy theorist if you said the government is spying on you through your phone," said Mr. Biggs. "And it's only because [whistleblower] Edward Snowden has come out with these revelations that people now say, 'Okay, I guess you guys aren't talking crazy.'"

Mr. Biggs said the increased awareness of the exercise may well save lives by making it less likely that Texas residents, oblivious to what is taking place, could end up in a dangerous confrontation with a soldier.

And if all those warnings about martial law and government takeover ultimately prove unfounded?

"It's better to be well-prepared and at least have that in the back of your mind, instead of sitting there and going, damn I wish I'd paid more attention to that, now I'm screwed," he said.