News & commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and published by Ahyoung Shin.
1. Opinion | It's time to end China's 'United Front' operations inside the United States
2. Five Eyes spy-alliance countries to 'co-ordinate' Covid-19 economic response
3. U.S. seeks to house missiles in the Pacific. Some allies don't want them
4. U.S.-Germany crisis goes deeper than Trump's planned troop cuts
5. Dark Basin: Global Hack-For-Hire organization that targeted thousands over the years
6. Why the U.S. military hasn't made more progress on overcoming racism
7. Total Defense, Revisited: An Unconventional Solution to the Problem of Conventional Forces
8. What you need to know about private military contractors backing Libya's rebels
9. Army 4-Star highlights some U.S. plans for warfare in 2040
10. Aggressive tactics by National Guard, ordered to appease Trump, wounded the military, too
11. The coronavirus pandemic isn't ending - it's surging
12. Outgoing U.S. ambassador to Germany defends troop withdrawal plan
13. Top US General in Mideast: 'I do worry about China quite a bit'
14. Zoom catches heat for shutting down China-focused rights group's account
15. Chinese sporting power couple issues rare rebuke of ruling communist party
16. State Department rebukes China as one of the worst abusers of religious freedom
17. India denies visas to U.S. panel on religious freedom, says it has no standing
18. Bolton plans to move forward with book despite new White House warning that it contains classified material
19. Special Ops: 'Further behind than we know' on New Tech
20. For a Grander Army of the Republic: Better Names for Bases
1. Opinion | It's time to end China's 'United Front' operations inside the United States
The Washington Post · by Josh Rogin · June 10, 2020
I think since the end of the Cold War we have lost understanding of how communist regime's conduct subversion.
What is subversion?
* The undermining of the power and authority of an established system or institution.
* As in: "the ruthless subversion of democracy"
2. Five Eyes spy-alliance countries to 'co-ordinate' Covid-19 economic response
Stuff.co.nz · by Thomas Manch · June 10, 2020
Interesting. A view from New Zealand. Perhaps the Five Eyes is a concert of democracies. They are like minded and share the same values: freedom and individual liberty, liberal democracy, free market economy, and human rights. The Five Eyes offers an alliance of democracies to oppose authoritarian regimes. And opposition to authoritarian regimes (revisionist and rogue powers) must be conducted through effective political warfare and the economy system is one of the battlefields on which the competition will be contested.
3. U.S. seeks to house missiles in the Pacific. Some allies don't want them
Los Angeles Times · by David S. Cloud · June 10, 2020
This is a critical effort for future military capabilities, but it is a political minefield for us.
4. U.S.-Germany crisis goes deeper than Trump's planned troop cuts
Bloomberg · by Hal Brands · June 10, 2020
Professor Brands provides a very useful overview of troop withdrawals and the issues surround withdrawals.
Although he goes back to the US troop withdrawal from Korea in 2004 as part of a realignment to fight the war on terrorism, we should look further back in time. Yes there has been a very slow and steady withdrawal of troops from Korea going back to when Carter wanted to withdraw all troops in 1978.
But what I think we should consider is the withdrawal from Europe after the end of the Cold War and following Desert Storm. We brought troops back and had to shoehorn many of them into already crowded installations and because we did not have enough space, we inactivated units or split them up among multiple installations. We were hoping for a peace dividend, but two things happened. We lowered our capabilities (remember the base force analysis and then the QDR process) and we had to spend much more on MILCON for the units we did retain. Professor Brands points out Rep Gallagher's correct assessment that when we bring back the 9,500 troops to the US, we will no longer have German support for funding so 100% of the costs will be borne by the US taxpayer. One thing we should recognize is that there will be no immediate cost savings by bringing US troops home and if we retain the forces intact in the US the American taxpayer will be stuck with a larger bill than they are currently paying. We should think about that.
And one lesson we should remember is that we had to re-station forces in Europe again. Perhaps we should not have reduced the forces to the level we did. And one of the most important lessons is that when something we never anticipated (9-11) happened, bases and military units in Europe provided critical support and capabilities to prosecute the war on terrorism.
Now I am all for rightsizing our force levels and footprints around the world. But the size of our forces overseas (and locations) should be based on thorough analysis to answer the question of how do we best posture our forces to support US national interests? We should be striving to have the right forces in the right locations to accomplish the right missions to support US national security. That could be more and it could be less and sometimes even less might be more! But we should not be withdrawing forces for the wrong reasons which I fear we will do in Germany (and possibly Korea).
5. Dark Basin: Global Hack-For-Hire organization that targeted thousands over the years
NPR · by Hanna Rosin · June 9, 2020
The cyber battlefield is not contested just by the military and state or government organizations. We are all players on the cyber battlefield - from the corporate world to all of us as individuals. And hackers for hire are another form of the modern mercenary.
6. Why the U.S. military hasn't made more progress on overcoming racism
PBS · by Bob Christie, Associated Press · June 9, 2020
An interview with retired Major General Dana Pittard and retired Brigadier General Remo Butler.
7. Total Defense, Revisited: An Unconventional Solution to the Problem of Conventional Forces
mwi.usma.edu · by Sandor Fabian · June 10, 2020
This is a very important concept for both deterring and defending against revisit powers. An effective resistance capability can create insurmountable problems for occupying powers especially if the resistance force receives external support.
The author references the Resistance Operating Concept pioneered by SOCEUR. Here is a link to a 13 page presentation on the concept. https://nsiteam.com/social/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/U-SMA-Brief-SOCEUR-Resistance-Operating-Concept.pdf
Here is a useful article on the concept: https://sof.news/uw/resistance-operating-concept/#:~:text=The%20ROC%20is%20a%20concept,Russia's%20Military%20Advantage.
Here is a JSOU 286 page report on the Resistance Operating concept: https://jsou.libguides.com/ld.php?content_id=54216464
8. What you need to know about private military contractors backing Libya's rebels
smallwarsjournal.com · by Crispin Burke · June 10, 2020
An excellent survey of Libya and PMCs (mercenaries) from Crispin Burke. A very complex situation that seems to be under the radar (at least from my perspective).
9. Army 4-Star highlights some U.S. plans for warfare in 2040
defensemaven.io · by Land · June 10, 2020
10. Aggressive tactics by National Guard, ordered to appease Trump, wounded the military, too
The New York Times · by Thomas Gibbons-Neff · June 10, 2020
Politics aside this provides an interesting look at the National Guard in DC, command and control of the DC Guard and support from other states. Track the actions of First Lt. Malik Jenkins-Bey. This is another national security military event that will be studied in PME institutions for years to come.
11. The coronavirus pandemic isn't ending - it's surging
The Washington Post · by Adam Taylor · June 11, 2020
I wonder how the US and the countries around the world are going to handle this. The coronavirus seems to no longer be on the national and international agenda except as a minor story. Have we become numb to the coronavirus crisis?
12. Outgoing U.S. ambassador to Germany defends troop withdrawal plan
Reuters · by Paul Carrel · June 11, 2020
I think the Ambassador is mistaken. If those 9,500 troops return to the US and the units remain intact the cost to the American taxpayer will because 100% of the costs will be borne by Americans. And if there is no space on US military installations, there will be a rather large MILCON bill.
13. Top US General in Mideast: 'I do worry about China quite a bit'
defenseone.com · by Katie Bo Williams · June 10, 2020
The General is correct to be concerned with China. Great Power Competition is not confined to the geographic location of the competitor. And the competition is going to take (and is already taking) many forms: political warfare, subversion, support to proxies, resistance, insurgent forces, economic warfare, espionage, etc., and a range of activities short of war or direct conflict with US forces.
14. Zoom catches heat for shutting down China-focused rights group's account
WSJ · by Eva Xiao · June 11, 2020
But this is what we have to expect from Chinese controlled companies. This is what authoritarian regimes do.
15. Chinese sporting power couple issues rare rebuke of ruling communist party
WSJ · by Chun Han Wong · June 10, 2020
That is three I think. A former Chinese basketball star, a soccer star, and a badminton star have now criticized the Chinese Communist Party. I know the Chinese service of VOA and RFA will be broadcasting this news into China. I do fear for the safety of these courageous people.
16. State Department rebukes China as one of the worst abusers of religious freedom
The Washington Post · by Carol Morello · June 10, 2020
You have to suppress religion to maintain control and ensure the Chinese Communist Party remains unchallenged and in power.
17. India denies visas to U.S. panel on religious freedom, says it has no standing
Reuters · by Sanjeev Miglani and Nigam Prusty · June 11, 2020
India is protecting its sovereignty. Cannot fault them for that.
18. Bolton plans to move forward with book despite new White House warning that it contains classified material
The Washington Post · by Tom Hamburger and Josh Dawsey · June 10, 2020
A 592 page book. For all those former government and military officials who have had their manuscripts held up by classification reviews this one is for you. It will be interesting to see what they do to him if/when his book is published. I have re-ordered it from Amazon. It is scheduled for release on June 23, 2020. I wonder if the White House can/will block its release.
19. Special Ops: 'Further behind than we know' on New Tech
breakingdefense.com · by Paul McLeary · June 10, 2020
20. For a Grander Army of the Republic: Better Names for Bases
warontherocks.com · by Will Quinn · June 11, 2020
Another list of proposed names for US Army bases. However, it looks like the President will not even consider changing the names.
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"Without debate, without criticism no administration and no country can succeed and no republic can survive."
- John F. Kennedy
"The strongest bulwark of authority is uniformity; the least divergence from it is the greatest crime."
- Emma Goldman
"Evil does not just arise from nothingness, most of the time it is nurtured by society's failure to activate its moral standards"
- Aysha Taryam