News & commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and published by Duncan Moore.
My editorial comment for the election tomorrow.
For those considering violence following the election:
Whether on the radical or extreme left or the radical or extreme right, anyone who seeks to overthrow our government or who espouses unsanctioned violence to protect it is wrong. We should not make this a left versus right conflict, but we should be united in opposing both those who seek to destroy our federal democratic republic with force and violence as well as those who think they can use unsanctioned force to defend our republic outside of the law.
Those of us who believe in supporting and defending the Constitution of the United States know that Democrats, Republicans, and Independents believe in that common cause, even if we have different world views and views of how our government should function. To say or believe otherwise marks such a person as one on the extreme left or extreme right - not the traditional left or right. We need to make the distinction and call out the extremes - and not attack those who simply have different opinions and views than our own. We should welcome and applaud criticism and protest of all types from both sides of the traditional left and tight (but not the extremes). However, once the extremes call for violence against our nation, or against an opposing side, they must be stopped and the full force of the law must be brought to bear on them.
For those considering the use of violence from the extreme left or extreme right, I would like to know what effects you are seeking to achieve? What is your theory of “victory” or winning through the use of violence? What is your long-term strategy and what is your campaign plan to achieve your objectives?
One last point. I think conflict occurs when the paradoxical trinity gets out of alignment - passion, reason, and chance (or as Clausewitz wrote, primordial violence, hatred, and enmity, which are to be regarded as a blind natural force; … chance and probability within which the creative spirit is free to roam; and of its element of subordination, as an instrument of policy, which it subject to reason alone.) When passion dominates and is not constrained by reason, bad things can happen in the province of chance – the outcomes are unforeseen.
The fundamental question for all of us is: do we want this great American experiment to continue regardless of the outcome of the election?
1. Pentagon draw-down at U.S. embassies prompts concern about ceding field to global rivals
2. DoD canceled its diversity training audit to comply with new White House rules
3. The Pentagon is building a school to teach the force how to defeat drones
4. More veterans running for office as numbers dwindle in Congress
5. Cyber warriors are getting new teammates: information operators
6. Coronavirus hits brigade at NTC, as home post deals with surge in cases
7. Business in discarded US military goods is booming as Kandahar base empties out
8. US military battles silent enemy of Covid within its ranks
9. Covert, coercive, and corrupting: countering the Chinese Communist Party's malign influence in free societies
10. Beijing using political warfare to subvert free societies worldwide, State Department official warns
11. Senkaku Islands: could the U.S. military and Japan really land troops?
12. The terrorist threat from the fractured far right
13. Three-quarters of Americans concerned about post-election violence: poll
14. Election Day becomes doomsday scenario for militia groups
15. Trump COVID adviser Scott Atlas apologizes for appearing on Russian state TV
16. Deadly Taliban attack probably used drone, a worrisome shift
17. An assessment of the American national interest in Sino-American competition
18. Great power conflict has arrived, but asymmetric warfare isn’t going anywhere
19. Taiwan achieves record 200 days with no local coronavirus cases
20. Marines will help fight submarines
21. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the U.S. military
22. Let me finish: how to stop interrupting ... and change the world
1. Pentagon draw-down at U.S. embassies prompts concern about ceding field to global rivals
Wall Street Journal · Warren P. Strobel & Gordon Lubold · November 1, 2020
Are we being shortsighted? The crazy thing about this issue is China is operating globally and we have to compete globally, in every region. This is similar to the arguments I have heard that SOF has to shift more assets to Asia to compete with China. More than ever, we need them in Africa and Europe and the Middle East and Latin America. I wonder if this is a reflection of our propensity to prioritize geographic regions and think we have to physically shift resources to a specific region. What we really need to make sure of is that our military personnel (and, of course, diplomats, USAID professionals, and the intelligence community as well) around the world have a sufficient understanding of how China is competing with the US in the region and countries in which they are operating.
2. DoD canceled its diversity training audit to comply with new White House rules
Military Times · Meghann Myers · October 30, 2020
3. The Pentagon is building a school to teach the force how to defeat drones
Defense News · Jen Judson · November 1, 2020
Why is this not air defense? Or have we so neglected air defense that we cannot adapt to defend against unmanned aerial systems (drones).
4. More veterans running for office as numbers dwindle in Congress
Hill · Ellen Mitchell · November 1, 2020
5. Cyber warriors are getting new teammates: information operators
C4ISR Net · Mark Pomerleau · October 30, 2020
Recognition that cyber is not just 1s and 0s and only digital communications. It communicates information to humans and influences human behavior. Perhaps this is the merger of art and science.
I hope these information operators include PSYOP practitioners.
6. Coronavirus hits brigade at NTC, as home post deals with surge in cases
Army Times · Kyle Rempfer · October 30, 2020
We have to fight through the pandemic. While we have to protect the force, we must also treat the pandemics effects on the military as a rehearsal for biological warfare. Hopefully, we will learn important lessons.
7. Business in discarded US military goods is booming as Kandahar base empties out
Stars & Stripes · J.P. Lawrence · November 1, 2020
One man's junk is another man's treasure. This is a common occurrence wherever the US military is deployed. And, of course, the market increases when US forces are preparing to leave.
8. US military battles silent enemy of Covid within its ranks
Financial Times · Katrina Manson · November 2, 2020
Again, we must fight through the pandemic and learn lessons for future biological warfare defense.
9. Covert, coercive, and corrupting: countering the Chinese Communist Party's malign influence in free societies
US Department of State · David Stilwell · October 30, 2020
Important remarks from David Stilwell. I am surprised this has not received more media attention.
10. Beijing using political warfare to subvert free societies worldwide, State Department official warns
Epoch Times · Cathy He · October 31, 2020
Of course, the very anti-CCP Epoch Times picked up on David Stilwell's remarks. But I applaud David Stilwell's use of political warfare and the Epoch Times' choice on the use of political warfare to describe his remarks in its headline.
11. Senkaku Islands: could the U.S. military and Japan really land troops?
National Interest · James Holmes · November 1, 2020
12. The terrorist threat from the fractured far right
Lawfare · Bruce Hoffman & Jacob Ware · November 1, 2020
Emphasis on far right. Not the traditional right or the left or traditional conservatives or liberals. We are talking about far right (and, in other analyses, far left) extremists. We should not paint the traditional conservatives and liberals with the broad brush of the far right and left extremists.
13. Three-quarters of Americans concerned about post-election violence: poll
Fox News · Adam Shaw · October 31, 2020
Reporting from Fox News.
14. Election Day becomes doomsday scenario for militia groups
Politico · Tina Nguyen · November 1, 2020
15. Trump COVID adviser Scott Atlas apologizes for appearing on Russian state TV
Axios · Maria Arias · November 1, 2020
Sigh... What was this guy thinking? He did not know this? What about the White House Communications Office? They allowed him to do this interview?
16. Deadly Taliban attack probably used drone, a worrisome shift
New York Times · Thomas Gibbons-Neff · November 1, 2020
Quite an advance in capability. But it should not be unexpected.
17. An assessment of the American national interest in Sino-American competition
Divergent Options · Brandon Patterson · November 2, 2020
We must understand our interests (and understand fear, honor, and interest as well).
18. Great power conflict has arrived, but asymmetric warfare isn’t going anywhere
National Interest · Kris Osborn · November 1, 2020
Asymmetric warfare is an inherent part of all conflict. It is not new, has always been here, and certainly is not going away.
19. Taiwan achieves record 200 days with no local coronavirus cases
Time · Cindy Wang & Samson Ellis · October 29, 2020
Another success story from which we should learn. Taiwan was able to learn from the past experience, adapt, and anticipate the future pandemic.
20. Marines will help fight submarines
USNI · General David Berger · November 2020
21. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the U.S. military
War On the Rocks · Emma Moore · November 2, 2020
22. Let me finish: how to stop interrupting … and change the world
Guardian · Nancy Kline · October 24, 2020
Seems like such a simple concept. We are all guilty and we must all do better.
“Suffrage is the pivotal right."
-Susan B. Anthony
"The vote is a power, a weapon of offense and defense, a prayer."
- Carrie Chapman Catt
"In reality, there is no such thing as not voting: you either vote by voting, or you vote by staying home and tacitly doubling the value of some Diehard's vote."
- David Foster Wallace