11/19/2020 News & Commentary – National Security
News & commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and published by Daniel Riggs
1. Acting Defense Secretary Visits Fort Bragg – Makes a Historic Advance for Special Operations
2. Pentagon shakeup means more civilian oversight for special operations
3. Identifying Organizations Engaged in Anti-Semitic BDS Activities – United States Department of State
4. Beyond Disinformation: Seeing Russia Holistically
5. Pentagon Risks ‘Paralyzing Ourselves’ as Tech Priorities Keep Shifting
6. USA Rare Earth: Round Top Mountain Project, Texas
7. US Hero Of Bosnia War Named To The Pentagon
8. Ex-Green Beret Admits He Betrayed U.S. While Spying for Russia
9. Securing the China Dream: The PLA’s Role in a Time of Reform and Change
10. Army Secretary admits the service is failing to protect soldiers from sexual assault and harassment
11. The End of the Pandemic Is Now in Sight
12. Joint Statement on Hong Kong – United States Department of State (US, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the UK)
13. 5G and compromised sovereignty
14. Should America Still Police the World?
15. US military reports record 1,300 coronavirus cases in one day
16. Balancing China at the United Nations
17. The Department of Defense Needs to Relearn the (Almost) Lost Art of Net Assessment
18. Al-Qaida ‘On the Ropes’ After 2 Decades of War
19. The story of the first special-ops mission deep inside Afghanistan just weeks after 9/11, from troops who were there
1. Acting Defense Secretary Visits Fort Bragg – Makes a Historic Advance for Special Operations
Acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller marks another milestone in SOF history with action to implement Congress’ intent in the 2017 NDAA Section 922 to improve civilian oversight and place ASD SO/LIC in the ADCON chain of command giving it service like oversight and improve advocacy for SOF by making the ASD SO/LIC report directly to the SECDEF and no longer under the purview of the USD(P). He could not have chosen a better location than on SOF hallowed ground at Fort Bragg. Chris gave a great speech (as always) and explains the importance of this action that had languished in the Pentagon for the past two SECDEFs.
The 13 minute video can be accessed HERE.
It was an honor to participate in the event. I have been on relaxed grooming standards since March.
Transcript is at the link.
2. Pentagon shakeup means more civilian oversight for special operations
militarytimes.com · by Meghann Myers, Howard Altman · November 18, 2020
3. Identifying Organizations Engaged in Anti-Semitic BDS Activities – United States Department of State
state.gov · by Michael R. Pompeo, Secretary of State · November 19, 2020
4. Beyond Disinformation: Seeing Russia Holistically
realcleardefense.com · by Giselle Donnelly
Good advice here: “The consequence of this schizophrenia is that in focusing on what our adversaries are doing, we lose sight of the outcome we want and what we should be doing. Threats should be considered in light of goals, not vice versa. We are on a dangerous path involving China and Russia. To neglect one while tending to the other would have dire consequences for U.S. global leadership and the alliances that help us secure peace, liberty and prosperity.”
5. Pentagon Risks ‘Paralyzing Ourselves’ as Tech Priorities Keep Shifting
defenseone.com · by Patrick Tucker
A lot to unpack here from Rep. Thornberry but this excerpt stands out for me: “Our adversaries do not have ethical concerns, but we can paralyze ourselves by misinformation or lack of understanding when it comes to artificial intelligence, robotics, human performance enhancement, all sorts of issues,” he said. “I believe it’s important to have a little inoculation with hearings, think tank seminars, papers, about these technologies and what they mean or don’t mean to help prevent this sort of paralysis in the future.”
We will miss the Congressman.
6. USA Rare Earth: Round Top Mountain Project, Texas
Someone flagged this for based on the previous rare earth element articles I have distributed.
7. US Hero Of Bosnia War Named To The Pentagon
Barron’s · by AFP – Agence France Presse
8. Ex-Green Beret Admits He Betrayed U.S. While Spying for Russia
The New York Times · by Adam Goldman · November 18, 2020
Bringing shame on the regiment and the US military. But there were a lot of failures to allow him to do this.
9. Securing the China Dream: The PLA’s Role in a Time of Reform and Change
nbr.org · November 14, 2020
The 150 page report can be downloaded here:
Securing the China Dream: The PLA’s Role in a Time of Reform and Change | The National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR)
10. Army Secretary admits the service is failing to protect soldiers from sexual assault and harassment
taskandpurpose.com · by Haley Britzky
This is so troubling. But it is important that he admit this.
11. The End of the Pandemic Is Now in Sight
The Atlantic · by Sarah Zhang · November 18, 2020
A positive article for a change.
12. Joint Statement on Hong Kong – United States Department of State (US, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the UK)
state.gov · November 18, 2020
13. 5G and compromised sovereignty
opinion.inquirer.net · by Gamaliel Pascual · November 18, 2020
A view from the Philippines.
Conclusion:
“In the face of rapidly changing technology, will the balance of power post-World War II remain? A cyberattack can completely cripple a country’s entire financial system. A small but technologically advanced country, even without a large military, can now aspire to influence in ways previously reserved for superpowers. Entire spheres of influence can now be dismantled as countries and entire regions are frozen out of their own systems.
The victors of 1945 have much to discuss.”
14. Should America Still Police the World?
The New Yorker · by Daniel Immerwahr · November 18, 2020
Another depressing conclusion: “Such a world view leads easily to the conclusion that Something Must Be Done. Bush started Middle Eastern wars in the name of freedom-wars that, in different forms, Obama and Trump continued. The titles of the military missions read like tombstones in a graveyard of liberal ambitions: Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, Operation New Dawn. We’re now at Operation Inherent Resolve, the ongoing mission to extirpate the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. It’s the first one whose name makes no reference to freedom or transformation, yet it would be optimistic to interpret this as a backing down. Recent years have shown Washington’s military commitments to be wedged tightly in place. This past September, on the same day that Trump declared “we are out of Syria” other than to guard its oil fields, the Pentagon announced that it was increasing troop levels by twenty per cent.”
15. US military reports record 1,300 coronavirus cases in one day
The Hill · by John Bowden · November 18, 2020
16. Balancing China at the United Nations
warontherocks.com · by Henrik B. L. Larsen · November 19, 2020
We should not cede the UN competition battlespace to China.
17. The Department of Defense Needs to Relearn the (Almost) Lost Art of Net Assessment
thestrategybridge.org· by Bryan Clark, Dan Patt, and Timothy A. Walton · November 19, 2020
Conclusion: “The U.S. national security establishment needs to reacquaint itself with the art and science of net assessment. Without the creativity and prioritization it enables, the U.S. position in great power competitions will erode despite historically high federal spending. We have to start thinking.”
18. Al-Qaida ‘On the Ropes’ After 2 Decades of War
voanews.com · by Jeff Seldin · November 17, 2020
19. The story of the first special-ops mission deep inside Afghanistan just weeks after 9/11, from troops who were there
Business Insider · by Stavros Atlamazoglou
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Heart is that by which the general masters. Now order and confusion, bravery and cowardice, are qualities dominated by the heart. Therefore the expert at controlling the enemy frustrates him and then moves against him. He aggravates him to confuse him and harasses him to make him fearful. He thus robs the enemy of his heart and his ability to plan.
– Chang Yu, 1000
“An expert is a person who has made all the mistakes which can be made in a very narrow field.”
– Niels Bohr
Once a wrong idea about reality has been formed, it becomes more difficult to discover the truth.
-Unknown
“Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.”
-Unknown