05/10/2021 News & Commentary – National Security
News & commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and published by Daniel Riggs.
1. Biden admin declares state of emergency to keep fuel supply lines open after cyberattack
2. China Targets Muslim Women in Push to Suppress Births in Xinjiang
3. Indo-Pacific strategy signals renewed commitment: Top EU envoy
4. US military power comes from more than just the defense budget
5. Narcissism and National Security
6. Want better AI for the DOD? Stop treating data like currency
7. Former acting defense chief to testify on Pentagon’s response to Jan. 6 Capitol riot
8. The UN Commission on the Status of Women Lost All Credibility
9. DHS is gathering intelligence on security threats from social media
10. Cyberattacks on US are ‘here to stay’, Biden official warns
11. How an obscure Texas security company helped convince Americans the 2020 election was stolen from Trump
12. ‘Why Do We Deserve to Die?’ Kabul’s Hazaras Bury Their Daughters.
13. Air Force Special Operations Command competition solicits airmen’s ideas for U.S. security
14. Burma poet dies in detention, body returned to family with organs missing: reports
15. US Pacific Deterrence Initiative too little, too late to counter China
16. Navy SEALs And Army Night Stalkers Captured In Amazing Photos During Virginia Exercise
17. The Case for Restructuring the Department of Defense to Fight in the 21st Century
18. Smokejumpers CIA Clandestine Weapon in America’s Secret Wars
1. Biden admin declares state of emergency to keep fuel supply lines open after cyberattack
Axios · by Rebecca Falconer
2. China Targets Muslim Women in Push to Suppress Births in Xinjiang
The New York Times · by Amy Qin · May 10, 2021
More indications of the brutality and inhumanity of the Chinese government (and CCP).
3. Indo-Pacific strategy signals renewed commitment: Top EU envoy
koreanjoongangdaily.com · by Esther Chung
Excerpt: “Q. Several EU members had separate policy objectives towards the Indo-Pacific before. What does this latest announcement of a union-wide strategy mean for the Asian region?
A. The Covid-19 pandemic has shown that the global challenges that we are facing are even more challenging [than before] and that we need to secure partnerships and work more on multilateral platforms to resolve the pandemic. Asia is the center of economy, as 60 percent of the world’s trade passes through the waters of the region. For Europe, it is very important to secure the freedom of navigation, and oceans governance is one of the key areas of partnership outlined in the Indo-Pacific strategy of the EU. Additionally, we are seeing more events in the region that are undermining the universality of human rights, such as the events in Myanmar, Hong Kong and Xinjiang. We want to ensure development in protection of human rights in the region.
With Korea, we have a close cooperation on crisis management, which allows us to operate joint exercises and exchange naval officers, and cooperate on anti-piracy operations like the Atlanta Operation off the Somali coast. We expect to see expansions in these partnerships. Further details to the strategy will be announced in September.
4. US military power comes from more than just the defense budget
Defense News · by Miranda Priebe, Bryan Rooney, Grant Johnson · May 7, 2021
Excerpts: “The Biden administration proposes to finance the spending bill through a series of increases in corporate taxes. Some policymakers have expressed concern that such tax increases may harm growth by reducing incentives for corporate investment. However, changes to similar tax provisions through the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 had no discernable impact on business investment. This suggests that, taken together, the proposed infrastructure investments and tax increases should increase growth.
On net, infrastructure investments may have several security benefits. Such investments directly improve the resilience of military installations and infrastructure used for military deployments. Less directly, infrastructure investments promote economic growth, which enables future defense spending.
A rising China presents a sustained challenge for the United States that cannot be met by focusing narrowly on defense spending alone. To have the wherewithal to protect U.S. security against this challenge indefinitely, the country has to make a broader set of investments that support U.S. military power and promote continued economic growth. Therefore, the country should look beyond the annual defense budget to the broader set of ways to promote national security over the long term.
5. Narcissism and National Security
c4isrnet.com · by Jaime Coddington · May 7, 2021
interesting food for thought. We should reflect on this: “This is, of course, precisely what’s happening. Fueled by unchecked narcissism, we engage in activities that may seem pretty harmless in isolation but collectively undermine the security of our societies. On November 30, 1939, the Red Army invaded Finland, calculating that the neighbor – small to begin with – would be so riven by its recent civil war and the simmering internal strife that it wouldn’t put up a fight. How mistaken the Soviets were. Under the redoubtable Marshal Mannerheim, the Finns not only united but fought audaciously for a remarkable 105 days. Would our countries, divided as they are, be as courageous and united as the Finns of 1939? Sure, we all hope so.
But the figurative Soviet assault is unlikely to arrive. Instead, we’re constantly attacked in small ways, and it all seems pretty manageable. But just like narcissism in isolation is tolerable while collectively it is highly damaging, acts of aggression below the threshold of war are tolerable in isolation and collectively exceptionally damaging. A bit of incorrect information is part of life in a liberal democracy, but the large-scale spread of inaccuracies can dangerously undermine it. (Exhibit A: January 6.) The occasional Chinese VC investment is part of life the globalized economy, but concerted investments that lead to the best ideas being snapped up long before the startups enter the market deprive the startups’ home countries of invaluable innovation. One Western citizen arrested on bogus charges is manageable, but arrests of Westerners as a tool of coercion are a national security threat.
“You are exactly where you need to be”? I’m not suggesting we should deny ourselves individual pursuits. I am, however, suggesting that we ought to take our communities into account more frequently. Sure, we don’t need to ask the famous WWJD question before every decision, and it would be hubristic to stop to consider potential national security consequences of our every action. But at the very least, we would do well to spend a few more thoughts on those around us. As Putnam documented two decades ago, our social capital needs replenishing. And today that wouldn’t just be a good thing on a human level but for national security too.
7. Former acting defense chief to testify on Pentagon’s response to Jan. 6 Capitol riot
militarytimes.com · by Erick Tucker · May 9, 2021
8. The UN Commission on the Status of Women Lost All Credibility
algemeiner.com · by Naomi Grant
Excerpts: “…it recently elected Iran, Egypt, Pakistan, Lebanon, Mauritania, and Tunisia to four-year terms on the council.
…
Article 2 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women states that all parties “agree to pursue by all appropriate means and without delay a policy of eliminating discrimination against women,” one example of which is adopting “appropriate legislative and other measures, including sanctions where appropriate, prohibiting all discrimination against women.”
Allowing countries with rampant abuse of women to be part of this body’s decision-making process is the opposite of applying sanctions and an indication that words on UN websites may be just that. It’s simply good PR for these six countries that oppress women and could provide them cover to defend themselves against international censure. Not only do the above countries have no credibility on this issue; countries that previously served on CSW with credibility and voted for these new members also deserve international censure.
Because of such actions, the commission makes a complete mockery of why it was created in the first place, and has sold out young girls and women around the globe. Activists will have to make do without it.
9. DHS is gathering intelligence on security threats from social media
NBC News · by Ken Dilanian · May 10, 2021
A careful approach is necessary. The potential for blowback is large.
Excerpts: “DHS sparked outrage over its open-source intelligence collection last year when it emerged that analysts had been compiling dossiers about tweets by certain journalists covering border issues. The secretary of homeland security ordered analysts to stop collecting information about journalists, and the flap led to a pullback in all types of collection of public information, current and former DHS officials have said.
Officials say they are taking a careful approach.
“Our job is not to police thought and speech — our job is to prevent acts of violence,” Cohen told lawmakers.
However, he said later, “We have to understand the close proximity between constitutionally protected speech … and the threat of violence posed by individuals who use that speech or leverage that speech as a way to incite violence.”
10. Cyberattacks on US are ‘here to stay’, Biden official warns
Daily Mail · by Lauren Fruen · May 10, 2021
The genie cannot be put back in the bottle.
11. How an obscure Texas security company helped convince Americans the 2020 election was stolen from Trump
The Washington Post · by Emma Brown, Aaron C. Davis, Jon Swaine and Josh Dawsey · May 9, 2021
Long read. This will be pooh-poohed by certain factions and probably will not be read or objectively assessed. If accurate this explains a lot. This would be arguably one of the most effective psychological operations (whether witting or not) ever conducted against the United States and even worse because it was conducted by its own citizens.
It also shows how effective a slick briefing (probably PowerPoint) can be that appeals to the preconceived notions of political leaders. If this reporting is accurate this could be one of the most damaging acts against our Constitution and the American political system.
12. ‘Why Do We Deserve to Die?’ Kabul’s Hazaras Bury Their Daughters.
The New York Times · by Adam Nossiter · May 9, 2021
So tragic. Is this an indication of what is to come?
13. Air Force Special Operations Command competition solicits airmen’s ideas for U.S. security
americanmilitarynews.com · by Jim Thompson · May 9, 2021
I would bet that more good ideas could be generated by listening to members of the organization at all levels than could be generated by any think tank or consulting firm. Ironically perhaps, the biggest untapped intellectual capital exists among members of organizations. I hope this proves my arguments and that the “evil geniuses” will generate some valuable input.
14. Burma poet dies in detention, body returned to family with organs missing: reports
eastasiaforum.org · by Hugh White · May 10, 2021
I guess nothing should shock us any more. But still, this level of brutality seems unbelievable.
15. US Pacific Deterrence Initiative too little, too late to counter China
eastasiaforum.org · by Hugh White · May 10, 2021
Ouch. Strong criticism here: “Yet there is no sign that the United States has a plan to win a war with China that goes beyond a maritime campaign. A land invasion that aims to seize substantial Chinese territory can be ruled out as beyond US capability. History also suggests that a conventional bombing campaign or a trade blockade is unlikely to work.
This leaves nuclear weapons. The United States’ ‘nuclear first use’ doctrine envisages resorting to nuclear forces if conventional forces fail to deliver victory. But China has nuclear weapons too — which it could launch against US cities — and no president could afford to ignore the risk that they would be used to retaliate against any US nuclear attack on China.
Restoring credible deterrence of China is much harder than rebuilding US capabilities to fight and win a maritime campaign in the Western Pacific. It requires the United States to develop a credible military strategy that has a real chance of forcing China to concede on vital issues like Taiwan at a price that the United States is willing to pay. If that price includes a clear risk of nuclear attack on the United States itself, then no such a military strategy might be possible. In this case, the United States will lose the contest with China.
16. Navy SEALs And Army Night Stalkers Captured In Amazing Photos During Virginia Exercise
thedrive.com · by Tyler Rogoway · May 9, 2021
Photos at the link.
17. The Case for Restructuring the Department of Defense to Fight in the 21st Century
madsciblog.tradoc.army.mil · May 10, 2021
There is an awful lot to digest in this essay.
18. Smokejumpers CIA Clandestine Weapon in America’s Secret Wars
Thanks to a good friend for flagging this.
I have often come across mention of smokejumpers throughout my study of Special Operations history and other national security operations involving the IC (and some of the books are mentioned in this “documentary’). I know the rough terrain suits we jumped in 1st SFG were based on smokejumper design and our tree landing techniques (which I conducted once in the tall pines of Ft Lewis) were learned from smokejumpers. I even recall we used to once send SF soldiers to Montana to train with the smokejumpers. But I had no idea the extent of the smoker jumper contribution to national security and clandestine operations or the close relationship between smokejumpers and the CIA.
Although this appears to be a relatively low budget production documentary the 48 minutes of history in this video is really worth watching for any interested national security history. There is a lot to unpack here. Operations are covered in Taiwan and Laos and Tibet as well as Vietnam but also Africa and even the Arctic (spoiler alert -look for the first Fulton Recovery operations). Yes as the title says this about the Smokejumpers and the CIA (to include Air America) but it also touches on the connection to the OSS and includes George Sisler (A smokejumper, Green Beret, and Medal of Honor recipient). But more importantly it is a history of contributions by unsung American heroes to national security operations around the world.
There are many lessons for today. While we lament that a bunch of Americans can no longer conduct clandestine operations in places such as Asia because we cannot blend in – there are lessons from this history that show how Americans did and may still even be able to contact clandestine operations working with indigenous forces.
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“Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear.”
– George Addair
“We shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and success of liberty”
― John F. Kennedy
William Casey on the OSS: “You didn’t wait six months for a feasibility study to prove that an idea could work. You gambled that it might work. You didn’t tie up the organization with red tape designed …” “ … mostly to cover somebody’s rear end. You took the initiative and the responsibility. You went around end, you went over somebody’s head if you had to. But you acted. That’s what drove the regular military and the State Department chair-warmers crazy about the OSS.”
– OSS veteran and DCIA William Casey