Blog Posts

Dave Kilcullen discusses the challenges in Africa, to include urbanization, at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies.

The US military is prepared to support a train-and-equip mission to fight the thousands of IS militants in Libya when the Libyan government is ready for it.

"The sudden rise in ISIS attacks, U.S. officials believe, signals that the terror group no longer is committed to territorial expansion."

"It is Phases IV and V that the United States has recently had more difficulty with, both as a military and as a nation."

World powers say they will back Libya’s new government in its bid to lift a U.N. arms embargo.

In small wars of a thousand cuts, time is not an American or European ally.

The pact, signed amid World War I, divided the Ottoman Empire into spheres of imperial control, and is often held responsible for establishing the current borders of the Middle East.

“Today, a major in the Army knows nothing but fighting terrorists and guerrillas, because he came into the Army after 9/11.”

“The reforms (officer promotion) were opposed by many leaders in the Army and the Marine Corps, where the service cultures focus more on traditional leadership.”

“The need for help is particularly great this year as the U.S. military has reduced its presence in Afghanistan.”

Here are two images that depict far better than any writing what our Nation and our people are all about.

“If the U.S. truly wishes to assist Afghanistan it must end the debate over semantics and remove lawyers from the war room. It's time to take the handcuffs off American airpower.”

Drones being used in Iraq and Syria range from state-of-the-art military hardware used by the US-led coalition to rudimentary consumer products used by IS and various militias.

"As Islamic State loses territory in the grinding war in the Middle East, it is turning to less elaborate but lethal direct attacks on civilian targets."

Continue on for the agenda and links to the panel discussions.

"Until recently, the Army believed WAS to be as important a mission as classic combined arms maneuver, what most civilians would call combat."

Pakistan is hesitant to take action against the Afghan Taliban on its soil because of concerns the group will re-direct its violence against Pakistan and Afghan intelligence will support it.

“You know you’re in trouble when success produces more problems than failure.”

“Pakistan’s double game has long frustrated American officials, and it has grown worse.”

“American Special Operations troops have been stationed at two outposts in eastern and western Libya since late 2015.”

“Rather than preserve human engagement capabilities that do more to win wars of today and peace of the future, the Army is divesting itself of a large number of civil affairs forces.”

“A new unit run by Afghanistan's main intelligence agency has begun operations in southern Helmand province with a mission to exploit divisions within the Taliban insurgency.”

CIA’s Intelligence Art Gallery recently added another unique work of art to its collection. “A Contingency for Every Action” is the first still-life painting in the Agency’s collection.

Efforts to hack away at the Islamic State terror group's wealth are making good progress but are not yet close to crippling its finances.

"The role of influence is often more important than anything."