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12/31/2020 News & Commentary – National Security

  |  
12.31.2020 at 02:58pm

News & commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and published by Daniel Riggs.

1. Hicks Is Biden’s Pick For Pentagon Deputy; Kahl For Policy

2. The Nashville Bombing and Threats to Critical Infrastructure: We Saw This Coming

3.  Is the military paying troops too much? Yes and no, study finds

4. Biden national security adviser criticizes Obama’s foreign policy for not focusing on middle-class Americans

5. Bracing for a possible Iranian-linked attack in Iraq, U.S. officials warn ‘the threat streams are very real’

6. Actions taken by Army secretary, Congress after Spc. Vanessa Guillen’s death are insufficient

7. US defense officials divided over potential for Iranian attack on eve of grim anniversary

8. 2 Japan-Based Destroyers Conduct Second Taiwan Strait Transit This Month

9. Special Forces doctor awarded for saving lives despite his own injuries following a motorcycle accident

10. Foreign Aid and Why America Still Needs To Exert ‘Soft Power’

11. Trump administration declassifies unconfirmed intel on Chinese bounties

12. The U.S. General Who Steered China Right

13. North Korea claims all targets reached in ’80-day campaign’

14. Commanding Ideas: Think Tanks as Platforms for Authoritarian Influence

15. Rural Pastors Tend to Flocks Divided and Isolated by Covid-19

16. Death of Merrill’s Marauder veteran leaves only seven survivors of the famed WWII unit

17. Give the Rambo who got Ghosn out of Japan a medal

 

1. Hicks Is Biden’s Pick For Pentagon Deputy; Kahl For Policy

Bill Gates?  I wonder if they meant Robert Gates or Bob Gates?

breakingdefense.com · by Colin Clark and Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.  December 30, 2020

 

2. The Nashville Bombing and Threats to Critical Infrastructure: We Saw This Coming

warontherocks.com · by Audrey Kurth Cronin · December 31, 2020

From one of our leading scholars and experts on terrorism (as well as Thucydides!) 

 

3. Is the military paying troops too much? Yes and no, study finds

militarytimes.com · by Meghann Myers · December 29, 2020

I know this is hyperbole, but can you pay someone who is signing a blank check for his/her country enough?

 

4. Biden national security adviser criticizes Obama’s foreign policy for not focusing on middle-class Americans

foxnews.com · by Morgan Phillips

Interesting critique:

“He recently told NPR that the Obama administration did not do enough to tie foreign policy to domestic concerns, particularly concerning economic initiatives.

“I believe that the fact that we did not elevate and center middle-class concerns in our foreign policy and national security meant that we were not delivering for the American people as well as we should have, that we can learn from that, and then we can do better as we go forward,” he said.

Biden national security adviser criticizes Obama’s foreign policy for not focusing on middle-class Americans”

 

5. Bracing for a possible Iranian-linked attack in Iraq, U.S. officials warn ‘the threat streams are very real’

The Washington Post· by Dan Lamothe · December 30, 2020

Time to fasten our seatbelts?

 

6. Actions taken by Army secretary, Congress after Spc. Vanessa Guillen’s death are insufficient

armytimes.com · by Michelle J. Gradnigo · December 30, 2020

We failed a soldier.  There is no greater shame.

 

7. US defense officials divided over potential for Iranian attack on eve of grim anniversary

CNN · by Jim Sciutto, Ryan Browne, Barbara Starr and Nicole Gaouette· December 31, 2020

 

8. 2 Japan-Based Destroyers Conduct Second Taiwan Strait Transit This Month

news.usni.org · by Megan Eckstein · December 30, 2020

 

9. Special Forces doctor awarded for saving lives despite his own injuries following a motorcycle accident

taskandpurpose.com · by Jared Keller · December 30, 2020

Another inspirational story about a great American that will hopefully offset slightly recent tragedies within our ranks.

 

10.  Foreign Aid and Why America Still Needs To Exert ‘Soft Power’

coffeeordie.com · by Carl Forsling · December 29, 2020

Not a popular argument within the meme wars on social media.

 

11. Trump administration declassifies unconfirmed intel on Chinese bounties

Axios · by Jonathan Swan,Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian

Excerpt: “Why it matters: If this intelligence were to be confirmed, it would represent a dramatic strategic shift for China, and sharply escalate tensions between China and the U.S. If the intelligence does not prove accurate, it raises questions about the motivations of the sources behind it as well as the decision to declassify it.”

 

12. The U.S. General Who Steered China Right

WSJ · by Thomas J. Campanella· December 31, 2020

Some more interesting history.  I guess this is a “whole of society approach.”

As an aside I have always wondered why MacArthur did not make the Japanese change from driving on the left to the right.

 

13. North Korea claims all targets reached in ’80-day campaign’

upi.com· by Elizabeth Shim · December 30, 2020

Will Kim admit any failure?  He seemed to in his October 10th speech though he had external blame for the root causes.  Or is the 80 day campaign meant to show improvement and to make up for those failures?  We are waiting patiently for the speeches announcements, and texts from New years and the 8th Party Congress.

 

14.  Commanding Ideas: Think Tanks as Platforms for Authoritarian Influence

NED · by Nadège Rolland

The 16 page report can be downloaded at the link above.

 

15. Rural Pastors Tend to Flocks Divided and Isolated by Covid-19

WSJ · by Ian Lovett · December 30, 2020

In Montana, a Lutheran church tries to stay together, despite spotty internet, long distances and fights over face masks

 

16. Death of Merrill’s Marauder veteran leaves only seven survivors of the famed WWII unit

Stars and Stripes· by Wyatt Olson · December 30, 2020

And then there were seven.

 

17. Give the Rambo who got Ghosn out of Japan a medal

asiatimes.com · by Roger Schreffler · December 30, 2020

Ughhhh…

 

———

 

“The many are more incorruptible than the few; they are like the greater quantity of water which is less easily corrupted than a little.”

– Aristotle 

“We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution.” 

– Abraham Lincoln

“To think that because those who wield power in society wield in the end that of government, therefore it is of no use to attempt to influence the constitution of the government by acting on opinion, is to forget that opinion is itself one of the greatest active social forces. One person with a belief is a social power equal to ninety-nine who have only interests.”

– John Stuart Mill, Considerations on Representative Government

 

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