--Joseph Collins - Small Wars Journal
US DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Anticipating Cuts in Military Spending, Budget Planners Sharpen Their Pencils - Thom Shanker and Christopher Drew, New York Times
After years of unfettered growth in military budgets, Defense Department planners, top commanders and weapons manufacturers now say they are almost certain that the financial meltdown will have a serious impact on future Pentagon spending.
Across the military services, deep apprehension has led to closed-door meetings and detailed calculations in anticipation of potential cuts. Civilian and military budget planners concede that they are already analyzing worst-case contingency spending plans that would freeze or slash their overall budgets.
The obvious targets for savings would be expensive new arms programs, which have racked up cost overruns of at least $300 billion for the top 75 weapons systems, according to the Government Accountability Office. Congressional budget experts say likely targets for reductions are the Army’s plans for fielding advanced combat systems, the Air Force’s Joint Strike Fighter, the Navy’s new destroyer and the ground-based missile defense system.
More at The New York Times.
AL QAEDA / SYRIA
Duplicity in Damascus - David Schenker, Weekly Standard opinion
When it comes to al Qaeda, Syria gets it coming and going. This past Sunday, US helicopters targeted an al Qaeda operative on Syrian territory who shuttled terrorists into Iraq. Syria condemned the strike as a violation of its sovereignty and a "serious aggression." Earlier in October, a massive car bomb detonated in Damascus, killing 17. Even before the smoke cleared, Syria's Assad regime accused Sunni Muslim fundamentalists from abroad--i.e., al Qaeda--of perpetrating the attack. Meanwhile, regime spokesmen described Syria as a "victim" of international terrorism.
The characterization of Syria as "victim" was ironic not only because Damascus has been a proactive member of the State Department's list of state sponsors of terrorism since 1979--sponsoring Hamas and Hezbollah, among others--but because just one day before the attack, the US District Court of the District of Columbia levied a mammoth civil judgment against Syria for "providing material support and resources to Zarqawi and Al Qaeda in Iraq."
More at The Weekly Standard.
IRAQ
US Weighs UN Option to Remain in Iraq - Nicholas Kralev, Washington Times
The Bush administration is looking to the UN Security Council to extend a mandate for US troops to remain in Iraq beyond Dec. 31 - a move that would require Iraqi government cooperation but not Iraqi acceptance of a bilateral accord with Washington.
The shift in strategy follows the Iraqi government's submission last week of several proposed changes a draft status of forces agreement (SOFA) being negotiated with the US.
Several of the proposed amendments, US officials said, "crossed red lines."
More at The Washington Times.
CONGO
In Congo, a Little Fighting Brings a Lot of Fear That Chaos Is Returning - Jeffrey Gettleman, New York Times
When Congo shakes, Africa trembles.
This vast linchpin of a country at the green heart of the continent, covering 905,000 square miles and bordering nine nations, never goes down alone.
When the Congolese state began to collapse in 1996, it set off a regional war. When it imploded again in 1998, it dragged in armies from a half-dozen other African countries. The two wars and the mayhem since have killed possibly five million people, a death toll that human rights groups say is the worst related to any conflict since World War II.
The worry now is that Congo is on the brink again, with neighbors poised to jump in, which is why the relatively small-scale bush fighting last week attracted some of the most intense diplomatic activity Congo has seen in years. The French foreign minister, the British foreign minister, top United Nations diplomats and the State Department’s highest official for Africa all jetted in to the decrepit but important lakeside city of Goma.
More at The New York Times.
British Troops May Join Aid Convoys in Congo - Michael Evans and Catherine Philp, The Times
United Nations peacekeepers made their first attempt to reach hundreds of thousands of refugees trapped behind rebel lines yesterday as Britain pressed on with its diplomatic efforts to bring peace to eastern Congo.
The head of the peacekeeping mission in the region gave a warning that his forces were dangerously overstretched on four fronts and begged for urgent reinforcements.
Britain is considering military options, but only to protect the delivery of humanitarian aid as part of a European Union force.
David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, called for the UN force to be supplemented but played down suggestions of European involvement, urging a diplomatic solution.
More at The Times.
More:
UN Peacekeepers in Congo Need Reinforcement - Voice of America
Britain and France Call for Urgent Action on Congo - The Times
Analysis: Hutu Militias Key to Congo Conflict - Associated Press
Lord's Resistance Raids DRC Village - Voice of America
Thousands of Congolese Refugees Flee to Uganda, Rwanda - Voice of America
Congo Refugees Forced Back into Danger Zone - Daily Telegraph
1.6 Million Displaced in Congo Crisis - Agence France-Presse
Aid Convoy Delivers Medical Supplies in Congo - Associated Press
Aid Convoy Sets Out in DR Congo - BBC News
Heart of Darkness - The Australian editorial
Misery in Congo - Washington Post editorial
NEWS & OPINION NOTES
Afghanistan / Pakistan Tribal Areas
Situation Normal, All Fouled Up - The Australian
US Forces Kill 19 Militants in Eastern Afghanistan Raids - Voice of America
Suicide Bomber Kills 8 in Pakistan - Voice of America
Brother of Afghan Minister Kidnapped in Pakistan - Associated Press
Wanted: Falcons and Handlers in Afghanistan - Washington Post
AQ Leader Thought Killed in North Waziristan Strike - Long War Journal blog
Concerning Special Operations Forces - Captain's Journal blog
Taliban Infiltrates Afghan Army and Police? - Military Watch blog
Paying Pakistan's Police - Military Watch blog
Pakistan
Petraeus Visits Shaky Anti-terror Ally Pakistan - Associated Press
US Military Chief Visits Pakistan - BBC News
Iraq / OIF
Iraq Expects Answer on Security Deal After US Vote - Associated Press
In Iraq's Diyala Province, US Forces Anticipate Exit - Christian Science Monitor
Death Toll Down for US Troops in Iraq - Voice of America
For Family in Iraq, Drop in Deaths Is Not Enough - New York Times
Questions Raised Over Syrian Complicity in US Raid - The Times
Syrian Raid a Favor to the Next US President - Westhawk blog
Sneaking Around In Syria - Strategy Page blog
Iraqi Troops Find EFP Factory in Sadr City - Long War Journal blog
Really, Really Trusting Iraqis - Strategy Page blog
Iran
New Beltway Debate: What to Do About Iran - New York Times opinion
The Long War
Next President Will Face Test on Detainees - New York Times
Aesop von Kissinger: Lessons from Vietnam - Kings of War blog
US Department of Defense
Gates Describes Challenges Facing New CentCom Commander - AFPS
Gates's Nuclear Brief - Boston Globe editorial
The Threshold for War - Westhawk blog
UK Ministry of Defence
Battle Troops to Get New Hi-tech Body Armour - The Times
Australia Department of Defence
Minister Wants ADF Ready for Operations - The Australian
New Vehicles to Shield Soldiers From Bombs - The Australian
US Intelligence Community
Partnering for Cyberspace Security - Washington Post
United States
Entering a New Era - ThreatsWatch blog
Civilian National Security Force - Captain's Journal blog
Africa
Aid Group Says Zimbabwe Misused $7.3 Million - New York Times
ANC Dissidents Defect to Form New Rival Party - The Times
ANC Splinter Group to Launch New Party in December - Los Angeles Times
In South Africa, Defectors Seek to Topple a Legacy - New York Times
S. Africa: A Two-Party State? - The Times editorial
Libya: Qaddafi Discusses Energy Ties With Russia - New York Times
Rupiah Banda Sworn in as Zambian President - Voice of America
Zambia Swears in a New President - Reuters
Gulf of Aden Declared Warlike Operations Area - Information Dissemination blog
Americas
Most-wanted Mexico Drug Trafficker is Found Everywhere - Los Angeles Times
Cuba Embargo Slips as South Florida's Top Priority - Washington Times
Argentina Impoverishes Itself Again - Wall Street Journal opinion
Over the Border - ThreatsWatch blog
Asia Pacific
Taiwan and China in Landmark Talks - The Times
New Twist in Bali Bombers' Execution - The Australian
Indonesia Fights its Reputation for Graft - Christian Science Monitor
Howard Fear for Diggers in Timor - The Australian
North Korea Releases New Photos of Kim Jong Il - Toronto Star
WWII Apologists Persist Despite Japan's Policy - Washington Post
Tibet: Shangri-La, or Not - Wall Street Journal opinion
Middle East
A Bomb Kills 8 Pakistanis, and It Is Seen as a Warning - New York Times
Israeli Security Chief Warns of Possible Assassination Attempt - VOA
Israel Raises Security Concerns Amid Settler Unrest - Los Angeles Times
Security Chief Cites Threat to Top Israelis - Washington Post
Israel Will Halt Funds to Illegal Settlements - New York Times
Israel Cuts Aid to Outposts Amid Rising Settler Violence - Agence France-Presse
Saudi Arabia Claims it Foiled US Terror Attack - Daily Telegraph
South Asia
61 Killed in Multiple Bombings in India - Long War Journal blog
BOOKS
Why Vietnam Matters: An Eyewitness Account of Lessons Not Learned - Rufus Phillips
Phillips details how the legendary Edward G. Lansdale helped the South Vietnamese gain and consolidate their independence between 1954 and 1956, and how this later changed to a reliance on American conventional warfare with its highly destructive firepower. He reasons that our failure to understand the Communists, our South Vietnamese allies, or even ourselves took us down the wrong road. In summing up US errors in Vietnam, Phillips draws parallels with the American experience in Iraq and Afghanistan and suggests changes in the US approach. Known for his intellectual integrity and firsthand, long-term knowledge of what went on in Vietnam, the author offers lessons for today in this trenchant account.
Baghdad at Sunrise: A Brigade Commander's War in Iraq - Peter Mansoor
This is a unique contribution to the burgeoning literature on the Iraq war, analyzing the day-to-day performance of a US brigade in Baghdad during 2004-2005. Mansoor uses a broad spectrum of sources to address the military, political and cultural aspects of an operation undertaken with almost no relevant preparation, which tested officers and men to their limits and generated mistakes and misjudgments on a daily basis. The critique is balanced, perceptive and merciless - and Mansoor was the brigade commander. Military history is replete with command memoirs. Most are more or less self-exculpatory. Even the honest ones rarely achieve this level of analysis. The effect is like watching a surgeon perform an operation on himself. Mansoor has been simultaneously a soldier and a scholar, able to synergize directly his military and academic experiences.
The Strongest Tribe: War, Politics, and the Endgame in Iraq - Bing West
From a universally respected combat journalist, a gripping history based on five years of front-line reporting about how the war was turned around - and the choice now facing America. We interpret reality through the clouded prism of our own experience, so it is unsurprising that Bing West sees Iraq through the lens of Vietnam. He served as a Marine officer there, and he thinks politicians and the media caused the American public to turn against a war that could have been won. Now a correspondent for the Atlantic, West has made 15 reporting trips to Iraq over the last six years and is almost as personally invested in the current conflict as he was in Vietnam; this book, his third on Iraq, is his attempt to ensure that the "endgame" in Iraq turns out better than in his last war.
Tell Me How This Ends: General David Petraeus and the Search for a Way Out of Iraq - Linda Robinson
After a series of disastrous missteps in its conduct of the war, the White House in 2006 appointed General David Petraeus as the Commanding General of the coalition forces. Tell Me How This Ends is an inside account of his attempt to turn around a failing war. Linda Robinson conducted extensive interviews with Petraeus and his subordinate commanders and spent weeks with key US and Iraqi divisions. The result is the only book that ties together military operations in Iraq and the internecine political drama that is at the heart of the civil war. Replete with dramatic battles, behind-doors confrontations, and astute analysis, the book tells the full story of the Iraq War’s endgame, and lays out the options that will be facing the next president.
The War Within: A Secret White House History 2006-2008 - Bob Woodward
Woodward interviewed key players, obtained dozens of never-before-published documents, and had nearly three hours of exclusive interviews with President Bush. The result is a stunning, firsthand history of the years from mid-2006, when the White House realizes the Iraq strategy is not working, through the decision to surge another 30,000 US troops in 2007, and into mid-2008, when the war becomes a fault line in the presidential election. As violence in Iraq reaches unnerving levels in 2006, a second front in the war rages at the highest levels of the Bush administration. In his fourth book on President George W. Bush, Bob Woodward takes readers deep inside the tensions, secret debates, unofficial backchannels, distrust and determination within the White House, the Pentagon, the State Department, the intelligence agencies and the US military headquarters in Iraq. With unparalleled intimacy and detail, this gripping account of a president at war describes a period of distress and uncertainty within the US government from 2006 through mid-2008. The White House launches a secret strategy review that excludes the military. General George Casey, the commander in Iraq, believes that President Bush does not understand the war and eventually concludes he has lost the president's confidence. The Joint Chiefs of Staff also conduct a secret strategy review that goes nowhere. On the verge of revolt, they worry that the military will be blamed for a failure in Iraq.
We Are Soldiers Still: A Journey Back to the Battlefields of Vietnam - Harold Moore and Joe Galloway
In their stunning follow-up to the classic bestseller We Were Soldiers Once... and Young, Lt. Gen. Hal Moore and Joe Galloway return to Vietnam and reflect on how the war changed them, their men, their enemies, and both countries - often with surprising results. It would be a monumental task for Moore and Galloway to top their classic 1992 memoir. But they come close in this sterling sequel, which tells the backstory of two of the Vietnam War's bloodiest battles (in which Moore participated as a lieutenant colonel), their first book and a 1993 ABC-TV documentary that brought them back to the battlefield. Moore's strong first-person voice reviews the basics of the November 1965 battles, part of the 34-day Battle of the Ia Drang Valley. Among other things, Moore and Galloway (who covered the battle for UPI) offer portraits of two former enemy commanders, generals Nguyen Huu An and Chu Huy Man, whom the authors met - and bonded with - nearly three decades after the battle. This book proves again that Moore is an exceptionally thoughtful, compassionate and courageous leader (he was one of a handful of army officers who studied the history of the Vietnam wars before he arrived) and a strong voice for reconciliation and for honoring the men with whom he served.
In a Time of War: The Proud and Perilous Journey of West Point' Class of 2002 - Bill Murphy
The West Point cadets Murphy follows through their baptism by fire are an admirable sample of young American men and women: intelligent, ambitious and intensely patriotic. Most come from career military families and hold conservative opinions. Murphy describes their four years at West Point with respect even when discussing their love lives and marriages. All yearn for battle, and most get their wish. The book's best passages describe the confusion of moving to Iraq or Afghanistan and fighting insurgents, for which they lack both training and equipment. All feel something is not right but concentrate on the job at hand; some inevitably die or are grievously wounded.
Iraq and the Evolution of American Strategy - Steven Metz
Today the US military is more nimble, mobile, and focused on rapid responses against smaller powers than ever before. One could argue that the Gulf War and the postwar standoff with Saddam Hussein hastened needed military transformation and strategic reassessments in the post–Cold War era. But the preoccupation with Iraq also mired the United States in the Middle East and led to a bloody occupation. What will American strategy look like after US troops leave Iraq? Metz concludes that the United States has a long-standing, continuing problem “developing sound assumptions when the opponent operates within a different psychological and cultural framework.” He sees a pattern of misjudgments about Saddam and Iraq based on Western cultural and historical bias and a pervasive faith in the superiority of America’s worldview and institutions. This myopia contributed to America being caught off guard by Saddam’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990, then underestimating his longevity, and finally miscalculating the likelihood of a stable and democratic Iraq after he was toppled. With lessons for all readers concerned about America’s role in the world, Dr. Metz’s important new work will especially appeal to scholars and students of strategy and international security studies, as well as to military professionals and DOD civilians. With a foreword by Colin S. Gray.
EVENTS OF INTEREST
6-7 December - Boyd Conference 2008 (Conference). Charlottetown, Prince Edward, Canada. There is an opportunity to hold a short, intense seminar on the applicability of Boyd’s ideas, particularly operating inside the OODA loop and grand strategy (sustaining our own morale and attracting the uncommitted), on the weekend of December 6-7 at the University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, PEI. Canada. The theme would be applying these ideas to conflict in the post-Iraq era, and more specifically to the types of diffused, networked, “open source” armed conflicts that some have called “fifth generation warfare.” We are also interested in exploring solutions, such as the role of “resilient communities” (RC), for countering them. As Oil and food prices have climbed and the mortgage crisis has grown, the need to think more about Resilient Communities has become more urgent. We may have to re-invent our world! We envision this as a working seminar to help shape the policy agenda in the first year of the new administration.
13 January - The Smith-Mundt Act of 1948: Past, Present, and Future (Symposium). Washington, D.C. Mark your calendar for January 13, 2009. That is the confirmed date for “The Smith-Mundt Act of 1948: Past, Present, and Future”, a symposium to discuss the legislation on which America’s arsenal of persuasion is anchored. The one-day event will be hosted in Washington, D.C., with the location and co-sponsor all but confirmed. The format is four 90 minute panels and will emphasize Q&A, discourse, and debate and not presentations or monologues. The four panels will focus on past, present, future, what to do, respectively. Panelists will be drawn from practitioners (State and Defense Departments), academics, Congress, and the media. The event is free and open to the public but registration will be required (see below). This is a first of its kind in-depth discussion into the legislation that continues to set the parameters of our global engagement. Enacted at the beginning of the First War of Ideas, it is long past time to discuss it ten or more years into the Second War of Ideas, a struggle that goes beyond terrorism and insurgency and into economic and financial power.
