Obama announced a major shift in U.S. relations with Cuba, after the country’s communist leaders released Alan Gross, an American who had been imprisoned there for five years.

CTC Islamic State Report & Resources

Thrice bitten, once shy, we opt to bury our heads in the sand.

Some food for thought (and hopefully start some discussion) concerning prisons and radicalization.

"The American war against the Islamic State has become the most opaque conflict the United States has undertaken in more than two decades..."

A list of professional reading lists.

Robert B. Oakley, a career diplomat and three-time ambassador with a reputation for shrewdness in Washington and toughness in crisis zones.

Gen. John Allen must sometimes feel as if he’s navigating a maze as he organizes the coalition to defeat the Islamic State.

It was Voltaire who said that the Holy Roman Empire was neither holy, nor Roman, nor an empire. Some would say the same of IS - that it is neither Islamic, nor a state.

One of the Islamic State’s senior commanders reveals exclusive details of the terror group’s origins inside an Iraqi prison – right under the noses of their American jailers.

Jihadist attacks killed more than 5,000 people in just one month, an investigation by the BBC World Service and King's College London has found.

CTC Sentinel : Volume 7, Issue 11 (Nov/Dec 2014)

Rebuilding America’s Defenses – Highlights from the 2014 FPI Forum.

The U.S. military has established a new command that will oversee operations in both Iraq and Syria, military officials said Friday.

Your personal Drudge-like report...

After weeks of internal maneuvering to find new leadership for the Pentagon, President Obama on Friday announced his selection of a new defense secretary by nominating Ashton B. Carter.

Presenting the new Sainsbury’s Christmas advert. Made in partnership with The Royal British Legion. Inspired by real events from 100 years ago.

At this moment, the fiercest, most powerful criminal organizations in the world are located in Mexico.

The House on Thursday passed a defense budget that cuts troop benefits and clears the way for the Obama administration to continue its war strategy against the Islamic State.

Norwich University Call For Papers: Journal of International and Transnational Crime

Whoever the next Secretary is, the expectation is that the individual will have a wealth of experience within the Defense Department to draw from.

Presidents propose action, and then reality intervenes.

"President Barack Obama’s pick to lead the Pentagon hasn’t always been in sync with the tight messaging of the White House."

President Obama has settled on Ashton B. Carter to be the next defense secretary.

Our soldiers, diplomats and aid workers have paid a high cost. We should make sure that their lives have not been lost in vain.

Wanted: Thick-skinned candidate to oversee a sprawling bureaucracy bitten by budget cuts and join a national security team besieged by criticism.

"We must undo the excessive bureaucracy that has hobbled our ability to conduct effective night raids."

"America risks shoveling more troops into Iraq to replicate a strategy that never worked in the first place."

Don't forget the new SWJ News and Opinion Roundup.

What Kind of Pentagon Chief Does Obama Need? New York Times 'Room for Debate' (Four Op-Eds).