| November 17, 2014 |
THE EARLY BIRD BRIEF |
Get the most comprehensive aggregation of defense news delivered by the world's largest independent newsroom covering military and defense.
|
ADVERTISEMENT
 |
|
ADVERTISEMENT
 |
TODAY'S TOP 5
1. Obama Condemns Islamic State's Killing of Peter Kassig
(New York Times) President Obama on Sunday confirmed the death of the American aid worker Peter Kassig, a former Army Ranger who disappeared over a year ago at a checkpoint in northeastern Syria while delivering medical supplies.
2. Prosecutors troubled by extent of military fraud
(Associated Press) Fabian Barrera found a way to make fast cash in the Texas National Guard, earning roughly $181,000 for claiming to have steered 119 potential recruits to join the military. But the bonuses were ill-gotten because the former captain never actually referred any of them.
3. Column: McCain's Shadow War Cabinet
(John T. Bennett in Defense News) Second-term presidents - lame ducks at home - spend ample time on foreign policy matters. Notch some trade deals, negotiate a cease-fire or two, take out some bad guys, isolate a US foe.
4. U.S. Navy Deploys Its First Laser Weapon in the Persian Gulf
(Bloomberg) The U.S. Navy has deployed on a command ship in the Persian Gulf its first laser weapon capable of destroying a target.
5. Hagel launches plan to maintain high-tech military
(Military Times) Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel unveiled an ambitious plan for maintaining the military' technological edge in a time of tightening budgets.
DEFENSE NEWS WITH VAGO MURADIAN
The Future Fighting Vehicle
(Defense News) Brig. Gen. Dave Bassett, Army program executive officer for land combat systems, on replacing the Bradley Fighting Vehicle.
Thales and the US Market
(Defense News) Alan Pellegrini, CEO of Thales North America, on the company's growth.
The Predator: A History
(Defense News) Richard Whittle, author of "Predator," on the history of the unmanned aerial vehicle.
Vago's Notebook: Space Industry Setbacks
(Defense News) Recent space industry incidents shouldn't dissuade commercial space providers.
CONGRESS
Fight over A-10 re-opens Hill, Air Force divide
(Air Force Times) After a relatively quiet summer, the battle for the future of the A-10 Warthog exploded in the last two weeks, reopening deep fissures between Congress and the Air Force that seem to show the two sides at a total stalemate.
Rep. Smith: With Calls for Ground Troops, Republicans Disconnected From Reality
(Defense News) A senior House Democrat says Republicans have lost touch with reality with their "incessant" calls for US ground troops in Iraq and Syria.
Chances for Sequester Relief Fade as Post-Midterm Showdowns Take Shape
(National Defense) Anyone who expects the new Republican majority on Capitol Hill to lift the lid on military spending is either naive or oblivious to the obvious, a panel of current and former lawmakers said Nov. 15.
Arizona congressional race moves to mandatory recount
(USA Today) The rematch in Arizona between Democratic Rep. Ron Barber and Republican Martha McSally is headed for a lengthy recount that won't start before Dec. 1.
ISLAMIC STATE
Hagel says US speeding up training of Iraqi forces
(Associated Press) Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel says the U.S. military is accelerating its efforts to train and advise Iraqi forces fighting Islamic State militants.
Top General Arrives in Baghdad to See U.S. Contribution in Fight Against ISIS
(New York Times) The top United States military officer arrived here Saturday on his first visit since the beginning of the American-led military campaign against the extremists who call themselves the Islamic State.
ISIS Keeps Getting Better at Dodging U.S. Spies
(The Daily Beast) There's a reason ISIS leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi has proven so hard to take out. He and his followers have become really good at keeping their communications covert.
Air-Sand Battle
(Foreign Policy) The fight against the Islamic State is forcing the Pentagon to rethink its plans for the future of warfare.
Islamic State Poaches International Aid for Syrians
(Wall Street Journal) Islamic State militants have been seizing foreign aid destined for the neediest Syrians to redistribute under the extremist group's black flag, the latest tactic in its quest for power.
Strikes by U.S. Blunt ISIS but Anger Civilians
(New York Times) American airstrikes on the Syrian city of Raqqa, the vaunted capital of the Islamic State's self-proclaimed caliphate, have scattered its fighters and disrupted the harsh system they had imposed, residents and visitors there say. But they see no gratitude toward the United States.
Can Islamic State keep control of Mosul?
(Al-Monitor) The most credible story available today about the Islamic State (IS) occupation of Mosul on June 9 reads that IS occupied Mosul several years before that date and has long ruled it as a state within the state. Al-Qaeda and IS have been present in Mosul since 2006, when they took control of it by force, according to reports published by Western and Arab news outlets.
U.S. weighs expanded CIA training, arming of Syrian allies struggling against Assad
(Washington Post) The Obama administration has been weighing plans to escalate the CIA's role in arming and training fighters in Syria, a move aimed at accelerating covert U.S. support to moderate rebel factions while the Pentagon is preparing to establish its own training bases, U.S. officials said.
A 26 Year-Old Woman Is ISIS's Last American Hostage
(The Daily Beast) The extremists didn't show her off in their latest snuff film. And her family doesn't want her name released. But what is known about ISIS's remaining U.S. captive is heartbreaking.
Italy To Send 4 Tornados for Recon in Iraq
(Defense News) Italy will send four Tornado aircraft to join coalition operations against the Islamic State in Iraq, a Defense Ministry spokesman said on Friday.
INDUSTRY
Honeywell to Supply Textron Scorpion Engine
(Defense News) Textron AirLand has selected Honeywell Aerospace to provide the engine for its new Scorpion jet, the companies announced Thursday.
U.S. Navy says looking at possible further orders of Boeing jets
(Reuters) The U.S. Navy is looking at possible additional orders of Boeing Co's EA-18G electronic attack planes, or Growlers, as it shapes its fiscal 2016 budget request, the Navy's top uniformed officer said Saturday.
Engine Maker 'At Risk;' Wants Navy Help
(Breaking Defense) An obscure change in an arcane statute could open a major Navy contract to lower priced components from South Korea. But America's last domestic manufacturer of ship-sized diesel engines, Fairbanks Morse, is fighting back. While a Navy spokesman told me the service has a plan to protect the industrial base - a major worry for the Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Jonathan Greenert - the company told me it was not enough.
U.S. Navy sees decision soon on follow-on for LCS warship
(Reuters) Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is expected to make a decision soon on how to make a new class of smaller warships more lethal and survivable, the Navy's top admiral said on Saturday.
Thales unveils new surveillance radar
(C4ISR & Networks) Radar can be mounted on airborne platforms.
US Document Riles Critics of Proposed Canadian F-35 Buy
(Defense News) A leaked US document has raised new questions about Canada's involvement in the F-35 program and given critics of the fighter jet as well as opposition members of Parliament new ammunition to accuse the Canadian government of misleading the public about the proposed acquisition.
General Dynamics wins Canadian surveillance contract
(C4ISR & Networks) Deliveries of LAV 6.0 vehicles equipped with the upgraded surveillance system will begin in December 2016.
With J-31 Flight, China Makes a Statement
(Defense News) When China's stealthy, twin-engine J-31 took to the skies over Airshow China in Zhuhai last week, the skies were cloudy, but the message the country wanted to send was clear.
Canada awards LAV surveillance contract to General Dynamics
(C4ISR & Networks) Canada has awarded a CDN$287 million (US$252 million) contract to General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada for an upgraded surveillance system on Canadian LAV armored vehicles.
Politics Pushing French Comeback to Turkish Market
(Defense News) In the early 2000s, French manufacturers, once big players on the Turkish market, were "red-listed" by Ankara in retaliation for a French parliamentary resolution recognizing the Armenian genocide of 1915-1919.
Submarine chief: Canberra to get recommendations in next 12 months
(IHS Jane's 360) The head of Australia's Future Submarine programme will begin passing recommendations to the government over the next 12 months, he said on 14 November.
NATO Industry Forum Highlights Capability Divide
(Defense News) During last week's NATO Industry Forum, a sharp contrast emerged between a wish for simple allied access to command-and-control (C2) information, and the high-tech capabilities in the pipeline for US forces.
VETERANS
New data show long wait times remain at many VA hospitals
(USA Today) More than 600,000 veterans - 10% of all the Veterans Affairs patients - continue to wait a month or more for appointments at VA hospitals and clinics, according to data obtained by USA TODAY.
Veterans group backs underdog Dem in committee race
(The Hill) An influential veterans group is backing the underdog Democrat in the race for the ranking member slot on the House Veterans' Affairs Committee in the next Congress.
Split verdict in case of ex-officer accused of illegally detaining war vet
(Philadelphia Inquirer) In a split verdict, a former Philadelphia police officer was acquitted Friday of falsely imprisoning a man in Center City last year.
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
2016 US Defense Budget Could Be $60B Over Spending Caps
(Defense News) As the White House and Pentagon pass drafts of the fiscal 2016 defense budget back and forth before submitting it to Congress early next year, the base budget request possibly could exceed congressionally mandated spending caps by as much as $60 billion, according to a former defense official with knowledge of the discussions.
U.S. military readiness for war, competitive edge worsening: officials
(Reuters) The U.S. military's ability to stay ahead of technology advances by other countries and respond to multiple crises around the world is already in jeopardy and will get worse unless mandatory budget cuts are reversed, top U.S. officials warned on Saturday.
Hagel prodded on status of exhumed USS Oklahoma sailors
(Stars & Stripes) A Connecticut senator prodded Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Thursday for specifics on when and how the exhumed remains of sailors who died on the USS Oklahoma in 1941 would be returned to their families.
Socom leaders interested in cloaking technology
(Tampa Tribune) Socom, headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base, is looking to research and development groups, academia, industry and individuals for technologies that can cloak, as much as possible, the electronic "signatures" coming from commandos and their equipment in the field. The harder it is for commandos to be found, the easier it is for them to do their job safely and come home.
ARMY
Army names new units that will deploy to Africa
(Army Times) The Minnesota National Guard's 34th Infantry Division headquarters and soldiers from 11 other states will deploy this spring to support U.S. Ebola response operations in West Africa, officials announced Sunday.
Fort Bragg soldier killed in Afghanistan in small arms fire
(Fayetteville Observer) A Fort Bragg soldier was killed in action in Afghanistan on Friday, the Department of Defense announced late Saturday.
ROTC program under review amid religion-based challenges
(Army Times) The Army's ROTC program is undergoing a "holistic review" after a religious-freedom group blasted the service for advertising a Christian-only officer position at an Illinois college and a 19-year-old Sikh student at a different school filed a lawsuit when he was denied entry over grooming standards.
Fort Bragg soldier faces more sexual assault charges
(Fayetteville Observer) More sexual assault charges were filed Wednesday against a Fort Bragg sergeant who formerly worked in a sexual assault prevention unit, arrest records show.
MP in Germany helps save local man's life
(Army Times) Sgt. Harry Nixon listened to his instincts and doubled back on a struggling biker, and it may have saved the man's life.
Serviceman accused of robbing store on Yadkin Road
(Fayetteville Observer) Charles Anthony Echols, 25, of the 700 block of Windy Hill Circle, was taken into custody after Fayetteville police said Echols walked into a Scotchman convenience store in the 6800 block, and with a silver handgun robbed the clerk at about 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, according to arrest records.
Kicked out captains lose promised college benefit
(Army Times) About 40 officers selected for involuntary separation this spring will be ineligible to attend graduate school on the Army's dime, as initially promised.
Baumholder quarantine site ready for troops returning from Ebola mission
(Stars & Stripes) The first group of U.S. troops scheduled to be isolated in Army barracks at Baumholder on returning from an Ebola-related mission in West Africa could arrive this weekend, Army officials said Friday.
Army families quiz leadership on Ebola deployment
(Army Times) A town hall meeting at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, also held on Facebook on Thursday, yielded the same questions military families have asked for ages before deployments: How long will the troops be gone? Where can I send care packages? Will the unit still deploy on its regular schedule after it returns?
US Army Works Toward Single Ground Robot
(Defense News) The US Army is pruning 40 percent of its ground robotics fleet, removing obsolete or excess robots before it goes to a single ground machine, according to Program Executive Office Combat Support and Combat Service Support (PEO CSandCSS).
In war on sugar, Army fitness expert wants standard for service
(Army Times) Tony Garcia vividly remembers his days as an addict: Craving that next fix after a stressful day on the job, pestering co-workers for a hit when he'd run out of his private stash, a series of bad decisions coming to a head as he was about to leave service that could've easy shortened his post-Army life.
Pilot sues to stop Army discharge after he tried to curb lesbian make-out session
(WCBD-TV; Mt. Pleasant, S.C.) An active duty Army aviator -- with three combat deployments under his belt -- has filed a lawsuit stemming from an incident in which he asked a pair of lesbian Army officers to stop French kissing during a formal Army event.
Colonel's daughter eliminated from The Voice
(Army Times) Bryana Salaz said earlier this week that if she were eliminated after her live national television debut Tuesday on NBC's "The Voice," "it'll crush me for about five minutes, and then I'll get up and keep going."
NAVY
Submarine Jefferson City marooned in Guam amid bizarre deployment
(Navy Times) The attack sub's crew has spent the past five months stranded in Guam. When it finally returns "home," it will be to a different home port then the one it left, much to the families' consternation.
Expanding the Reach of the Carrier Strike Group
(Breaking Defense) Naval Air Station Fallon trains the naval air wing for aircraft carriers; Rear Adm. Mike Manazir, director of Navy Air Warfare, works to improve its capabilities. Manazir is a battle-hardened carrier admiral.
Lifting the veil on SEAL history
(Navy Times) Navy operators seem to be everywhere this Veterans Day. The man who claims to have shot Osama bin Laden sat down for an interview with Fox News, and "No Easy Day" author Mark Owen dropped his second book, "No Hero." Many find these public accounts fascinating, but disconcerting.
Norwich man charged in sub base stabbing
(The Day; New London, Conn.) A Norwich man appeared briefly in U.S. District Court on Friday to be charged formally for his role in the Thursday night incident at the U.S. Naval Submarine Base in Groton that left two civilian police officers injured.
Navy boot camp launches probe into alleged fitness test cheating
(Navy Times) The Navy's boot camp has a great record of getting civilians into shape, but now an investigation is underway into whether some of those results may have been overstated.
Scores of naval aviators return to Hampton Roads
(Virginian-Pilot) As Cmdr. Michael Rovenolt's jet catapulted off the deck of the aircraft carrier George H.W. Bush cruising in the Atlantic, his teenage daughters huddled inside a drafty hangar at Oceana Naval Air Station on Friday morning, trying to keep warm while they waited.
F-35C shines in first carrier trials aboard carrier Nimitz
(Navy Times) After 10 days of sea trials here, the differences between the F-35C Lightning II and its predecessors are becoming readily apparent as the plane is launched, trapped and maneuvered topside.
Grandma who made it to sailor's homecoming dies
(Virginian-Pilot) Carol Hoffman, the Wisconsin grandmother who fended off cancer long enough to welcome her sailor grandson back from deployment two weeks ago, died Friday, a few days after returning home from her cross-country trip.
521 early out spots open for sailors
(Navy Times) Navy personnel officials have updated the early out offerings, seeking to relieve pressure in overmanned specialties across the force.
AIR FORCE
Hagel directs leadership changes, new funding for nuclear community
(Air Force Times) Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has directed the Air Force to elevate its top nuclear missile leadership, and authorized the Defense Department to request a 10 percent increase in funding for its nuclear enterprise every year for the next five years to address systematic issues across the nuclear triad.
Incriminating statements can be used in AFN murder trial, judge rules
(Stars & Stripes) A military judge on Friday denied a motion to suppress statements an Air Force staff sergeant made to officials investigating the death of a Navy broadcast journalist, allowing the incriminating statements to be used in his murder court-martial.
Former Air Force General Debarred by General Counsel
(Defense News) The US Air Force has barred a retired general from business dealings with the Pentagon through Feb. 1, 2016, following an investigation by the General Counsel's office over ties to a failed airship contract.
Individual religious expression allowed in revised Air Force rules
(Air Force Times) The Air Force's revised regulations governing religious expression contain a new clause guaranteeing airmen "the right to individual expressions of sincerely held beliefs."
Trail of nuclear woes began at North Dakota base
(Associated Press) The trouble began here, trouble that has torn at the core of the nuclear Air Force and compelled two of the last three secretaries of defense - first Robert Gates and now Chuck Hagel - to ask: Who is minding the store?
Air Force Association Head Stepping Down
(Defense News) Craig McKinley, the former Chief of the National Guard Bureau who retired as a four star general, has led AFA since October 2012.
MARINE CORPS
Corps to tackle gender bias as combat jobs open to women
(Marine Corps Times) New training will ask Marines to question their unconscious gender biases as the Marine Corps opens thousands of new positions to women.
Readiness worries: Marines looking for a few more resources
(CNN) Half of all U.S. Marine Corps units at their home bases are below the levels of required readiness, according to the new commandant of the Marine Corps.
Corps offers more money for off-base child care
(Marine Corps Times) Marines who live at least 15 miles from their duty station soon will see an increase in their off-base child care subsidy.
Marines prepare for deployment
(Jacksonville Daily News) Locate, lock and relief.
Marine's transition to a civilian rifle-making career
(Marine Corps Times) Marines who live at least 15 miles from their duty station soon will see an increase in their off-base child care subsidy.
Japan ruling party candidate loses Okinawa poll, setback for U.S. base move
(Reuters) A candidate backed by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's party was soundly defeated in a key local election on Sunday, a blow to plans to relocate a controversial U.S. air base on Okinawa island, home to the bulk of U.S. military forces in Japan.
Loaded for bear: New holster system adapts to what's out there
(Marine Corps Times) When Rob Leahy designed a holster system built specifically "for men doing manly things," it only seemed appropriate to name it after the legendary Marine Lt. Gen. Lewis Burwell "Chesty" Puller.
AFGHANISTAN/PAKISTAN
Well-known Afghan lawmaker and women's rights activist survives car attack
(Washington Post) A suicide bomber targeted a well-known Afghan lawmaker and women's rights activist on Sunday in the Afghan capital, killing at least three and injuring 22, officials said.
Why Putin Might Blame the U.S. for Russia's Drugs Problem
(Bloomberg) Another record poppy crop in Afghanistan, already the source of 90 percent of the world's heroin, threatens to exacerbate the drug problem in Russia and stoke tensions between President Vladimir Putin and the U.S.
In Shift, Pakistanis Fleeing War Flow Into Beleaguered Afghanistan
(New York Times) Through three decades of war, waves of Afghans have fled their homes along the eastern border areas, many of them seeking shelter in the Pakistani tribal regions next door.
MIDDLE EAST
Israel Air Force Hones Patriot Batteries for UAV Defense
(Defense News) With newly war-tested batteries of drone-killing Patriots, air defenders of Israel Air Force (IAF) Wing 168 are earning equal footing with F-16s in guarding the skies against new and growing unmanned threats.
Disillusioned, Fatah considers third intifada
(Al-Monitor) One of the leading members of the Fatah young guard from Hebron told Al-Monitor that Fatah will not object anymore to an intifada if the unrest in the West Bank and East Jerusalem continues.
Jerusalem unrest propelled by Palestinian teens
(Washington Post) His school pals call him "the Penguin," because he is beaky and round. He's 16 and dressed in the uniform of the Palestinian street warrior - skinny jeans, soccer tee, brand-name sneakers and a balaclava, except he keeps pulling the mask off, complaining it is itchy.
Liberman: 'We will never stop building in Jewish neighborhoods of Jerusalem'
(Jerusalem Post) Israel will not freeze construction in any Jewish neighborhood of Jerusalem, said Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman in response to continued international criticism of such activity over the pre- 1967 lines in Israel's capital.
Egypt reveals air defence upgrades
(IHS Jane's 360) Egypt has acquired new or upgraded versions of its Russian-made Buk medium-range and Tor short-range surface-to-air missiles systems, a video of a recent air defence exercise that the Ministry of Defence released on 2 November has revealed.
EUROPE
Russian troops hold drills in Serbia
(Associated Press) Camouflage-clad Russian soldiers parachute from the sky, armored vehicles fire live rounds on an open field after being dropped from military transport jets and helicopters fire missiles against enemy positions.
Putin leaves G-20 summit early, as world leaders turn on the heat over Ukraine
(Washington Post) Citing a long flight home and the need to catch a few hours of sleep, Russian President Vladimir Putin departed the Group of 20 summit in Australia early Sunday, after fielding a barrage of criticism from Western leaders over Russia's involvement in Ukraine.
Putin says sides not abiding peace deal in Ukraine
(Associated Press) Russia's president said he believes peace in Ukraine is possible but that neither side is fully holding up a truce struck in September.
Obama Says Russia's Arming of Separatists Breaks Pact With Ukraine
(New York Times) President Obama edged closer to describing Russia's military incursions in Ukraine as an invasion, saying on Sunday that the Western campaign to isolate Moscow would continue, though additional sanctions were unnecessary for now.
ASIA-PACIFIC
US, Japan, Australia agree to deepen security ties
(Associated Press) Eyeing Chinese assertiveness, President Barack Obama and the prime ministers of Japan and Australia committed Sunday to deepen their military cooperation and work together on strengthening maritime security in the Asia Pacific.
U.S. Intelligence Chief Describes Mission to Free Detainees in North Korea
(New York Times) The director of national intelligence, James R. Clapper Jr., described on Sunday his secret mission to seek the release of two Americans held in North Korea as a series of grim encounters with officials who expressed disappointment that he had not come bearing a "breakthrough" in relations.
India is the world's largest arms importer. It aims to be a big weapons dealer, too.
(Washington Post) For more than a decade, India shopped around the world in search of a deal for more than $1 billion worth of helicopters to replace about 200 of its military's aging light-utility aircraft.
AFRICA
S. Sudan soldier shot US Embassy vehicle: official
(Associated Press) A South Sudanese soldier fired two bullets at close range into a U.S. Embassy vehicle traveling in a convoy carrying the top U.S. official in the country, the American official said.
Nigerian Army Recaptures Chibok From Boko Haram
(Wall Street Journal) Nigeria's army said it has retaken the town where Boko Haram kidnapped nearly 300 schoolgirls in April, the latest in a back-and-forth struggle over the country's northeast.
Burkina Faso Names Ex-Diplomat as Interim Leader
(New York Times) After days of intense political wrangling, a committee of political, military, religious and traditional authorities in Burkina Faso named a former foreign minister and veteran diplomat on Monday to oversee a transition to new elections following the ouster of President Blaise Compaore.
COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS
American Military Superiority Is at Risk
(Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel at the Reagan National Defense Forum.) The Department of Defense is undergoing a defining time of transition. After 13 years of war fought by an all-volunteer force, we're facing a reshaping of our enterprise by a fiscal environment plagued by constant budget uncertainty and a large, continuing decline in resources, and by a historic realignment of interests and influences around the world.
Sending US troops to fight ISIS will end in failure
(Stephen Kinzer in The Boston Globe) HOW WONDERFUL that the United States wants to help victimized people in Iraq and Syria! We played no small role in casting their region into its present chaos, so trying to repair some of the damage makes sense. But sending more American troops there, as President Obama did last week, will repair nothing. It will do the opposite: prolong the war, guarantee more human suffering, and serve the interests of the Islamic State and our other extremist enemies.
America Doesn't Need to Lead the Free World
(Scott Beauchamp in The Atlantic) Should the U.S. bother responding to adversaries like Putin and ISIS? A military theorist and a war veteran discuss.
Column Americans rally 'round Obama's war on Islamic State, but not Obama
(Doyle McManus in The Los Angeles Times) Remember when pundits were worried that Americans had turned isolationist? As recently as August, polls showed big majorities opposed to military intervention in Iraq, Syria or anywhere else.
The A-10: America's Latest "Must Save" Aircraft We Simply Can't Afford
(Robert Spalding & Adam Lowther in Real Clear Defense) With a Republican Congress set to begin in January, the prospects for increased defense spending are certainly improved, but what remains uncertain is the future of the A-10 Warthog. When Congress rebuffed Air Force efforts to retire the A-10 in its 2014 budget, F-35 opponents saw an opportunity to attack the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) from a new direction.
When Politics and Intelligence Meet
(Chris Miller in Cicero Magazine) Over the course of the 20th century and into the 21st, modern states and their intelligence organs have gone from denying the existence of espionage to plausible deniability of their operations to an open secret and, finally, to daily front page news. Over the last decade, policymakers in the United States and elsewhere have used-some would argue abused-intelligence publicly to support their security policies. Pulling intelligence into the public sphere and its use to support policy has led to charges that intelligence has been "politicized." The distance which should be kept between those who make policy decisions and those who inform them with intelligence has been a source of debate since the beginning of the intelligence community and remains so today.
Opinion: Why the Turks Won't Help the Kurds in the Fight Against ISIS
(Marine Lt. Col. Donald Thieme in USNI News) Many are asking why the Turks are not doing more to enable the Kurds and their feared Peshmerga forces to more effectively attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS or ISIL) military forces. Surely the Turks see this through the ancient 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend" lens?
The Russian Military
(Jonathan Masters in Council on Foreign Relations) The Russian military suffered years of neglect after the Soviet collapse and no longer casts the shadow of a global superpower. However, the Russian armed forces are in the midst of a historic overhaul with significant consequences for Eurasian politics and security.
Putin's Brittle Iron Curtain
(Chrystia Freeland in Politico Magazine) The Russian president is sending tanks and troops into Ukraine, but the fall of the Wall is the more enduring model.
The Dangers of the Temple Mount
(Adam Chandler in The Atlantic) Clashes over the Jerusalem holy site can tip a political battle between Israelis and Palestinians into a religious battle between Jews and Muslims.
|
No comments:
Post a Comment