News & commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and published by Daniel Riggs
1. Military weighing mandatory COVID-19 vaccine after full FDA approval
2. ‘China’s military budget much bigger than what it reveals’
3. Biden’s Asia Czar Says the U.S.’s Standing in Asia Has ‘Slipped’
4. DoD Kills JEDI, Pivots To Multi-Cloud
5. Remembering the Geography in Geopolitics and Indo-Pacific Discourse
6. China trying to ‘cut Australia out of the herd’ with diplomatic freeze, US warns
7. The Convergence of Man and Machine, But Better
8. It's Too Easy to Troll Like a Russian
9. These Legacy Aircraft Are Draining the Pentagon Budget. Is It Time to Cut Them Loose?
10. Orphans at the Ready: Toward the Unification of Joint Enablers
11. China's Drive for Power and Influence Around the World
12. Why China Keeps Sending Warplanes to Fly Near Taiwan
13. Domestic terrorism today more complex than threat after 9/11, says DHS counterterrorism chief
14. FBI infiltrates group whose members wanted to test homemade bombs, surveil Capitol, secede from US, court records show
15. Tiny terror: Army’s new SMG packs a compact punch
16. Army investigates culture and climate at School of Advanced Military Studies
17. Female Vets in Congress Decry Proposal to Disband Pentagon’s Advisory Panel on Women
18. What Would Clausewitz Read? Professional Reading with a Purpose
1. Military weighing mandatory COVID-19 vaccine after full FDA approval
militarytimes.com · by Davis Winkie · July 7, 2021
This is a no brainer to me. If there is FDA approval it should be mandatory. And of course anyone who is committed to protecting the force would get vaccinated voluntarily now.
2. ‘China’s military budget much bigger than what it reveals’
sundayguardianlive.com · by Cleo Paskal · July 3, 2021
Bottom line: “Q: Is military expenditure a good way to gauge Chinese military development? If not, why not?
A: No. Never.
Annual Chinese military budget figures revealed at their annual People’s Consultative Congress (itself an oxymoron) are all fiction. The CCP and the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) do not want us to understand the enormity of their budget, so they lie profusely.
3. Biden’s Asia Czar Says the U.S.’s Standing in Asia Has ‘Slipped’
Bloomberg · by Peter Martin and Philip J. Heijmans · July 6, 2021
Excerpts: “Some of the U.S.’s ability to compete with China will come from implementing its economic agenda at home and recovering from the coronavirus pandemic, Campbell said. He added that the U.S. would provide more vaccines to the region in the months ahead and continue with “high level” diplomatic engagements.
“We had a terrible first half, and anyone who tells you that we didn’t is just not paying attention,” Campbell said, comparing the U.S. virus response last year to a sports game. “You will see the United States much more actively involved in the second phase, the second half.”
4. DoD Kills JEDI, Pivots To Multi-Cloud
breakingdefense.com · by Brad D. Williams · July 6, 2021
Excerpts: “Greenwalt said the apparent lessens learned from JEDI entail inviting in multiple vendors, which gives DoD choices over time, access to the newest technological capabilities, and reduces the likelihood of timely and costly contract protests, as happened with JEDI. “To me, this has always been the way to do IT,” Greenwalt said. “Get the entire qualified US industrial base involved and have smaller awards until you figure out what you want to do.
”This is precisely the direction DoD seems to be moving with JWCC. “A single vendor cloud does not meet our requirements,” Sherman said.
As for the path forward, Sherman said direct awards for the October RFP will be announced in April 2022. JWCC contracts will not exceed five years, with a three-year base and two one-year optional extensions. Under the IDIQ, all qualified vendors will then compete for work on a task-order basis.
“What we’ve laid out here is a clear path to meet the mission needs of our warfighters,” Sherman said. “We’re determined to get there. Every day this waits is a day too long.”
5. Remembering the Geography in Geopolitics and Indo-Pacific Discourse
thestrategybridge.org · by Benjamin Mainardi · July 7, 2021
My thoughts: “Geography – one of the most overlooked and neglected subjects in PME today. "Military geography, one of several subsets within those broad confines, concentrates on the influence of physical and cultural environments over the political-military policies, plans, programs, and combat/support operations of all types in global, regional, and local contexts. Key factors directly (sometimes decisively) affect the full range of military activities: strategies, tactics, and doctrines, command, control, and organizational structures; the optimum mix of land, sea, air, and space forces; intelligence collection; targeting; research and development; the procurement and allocation of weapons, equipment, and clothing; plus supply, maintenance, construction, medical support, education, and training." (from Military Geography by John Collins, COL, US Army RET) The study of military geography is necessary to be able to bridge the civilian, cultural, physical and military divides in all forms of conflict. Geography is critical to understanding the human domain.
Excerpts: “While writers have long touched on the influences of physical geography, our modern understanding of geopolitics is largely rooted in nineteenth and early-twentieth century debates on interstate relations and grand strategy.[1] In the West, such debates were often influenced by the period’s pseudo-scientific and racist ideologies. Geopolitics’ intellectual poisoning by racist conclusions is prevalent in many contemporary works, perhaps none more notoriously than the idea of the Yellow Peril found throughout many of the period’s most popular works.[2] If one is able to separate the period’s racist conclusions from the fundamental aspects of how physical geography shapes interstate relations, there are some notable implications for modern policy.
...
As transportation by sea remains the primary means of shifting manpower and equipment abroad, it is primarily on the U.S. Navy that the burden of an American response to crisis or conflict abroad falls. The fact that, for example, the voyage by ship from San Francisco to the American military base at Okinawa may take anywhere from six to fourteen days is a significant factor in the ability of the United States to influence security shifts in the Indo-Pacific. It is for precisely this reason, contrary to a growing portion of the American public’s sentiments in recent years, that forward basing in allied countries such as Japan, the Philippines, and South Korea are of paramount importance to the United States’ ability to react to and influence regional affairs. This, in turn, serves to enhance the international credibility of American alliances and diplomatic guarantees. Nonetheless, the primacy of American sea power is eroding due to the emergence of China as a major contender in the naval arena as well as political neglect.
Thus—owing to its reliance on the navy as the primary means of maintaining its presence in the Indo-Pacific as well as growing competition for naval supremacy in the region—if the United States wants to retain its ability to influence and respond to events in the Indo-Pacific, it must reinvest in its navy whose force totals have reached a near-century low.[13] Doing so not only bolsters the great power competition capabilities of the United States in the region, but also furthers its ability to deepen security ties with regional partners and fulfill alliance commitments. Moreover, it is through such regional partners that the United States is able to maintain a sustained presence in the Indo-Pacific. In this way, it is essential to American security interests to maintain good relations with regional allies and continue to invest in international relationships.
6. China trying to ‘cut Australia out of the herd’ with diplomatic freeze, US warns
The Guardian · by Daniel Hurst · July 7, 2021
7. The Convergence of Man and Machine, But Better
defenseone.com · by Yi Se Gwon
The three parts: “One approach starts by breaking Convergence into three parts. First, get our main warfighting systems to autonomously exchange information. Second, use AI/ML to change how operational commands execute four types of decision cycles. Third, refocus Army corps and service component commands to use commercial technologies being considered by the military services.
The term “Convergence” is used to mean slightly different things across the service branches; let us define it here as the shift away from systems that depend on manual inputs, human-to-human distribution, and analog written procedures that help determine “who else needs to know.” These systems will be replaced by automated ones that continuously manage the data inputs, distribution, and exchanges in all of DOD’s realms: sensors, shooters, maneuver, sustainment, protection and information. Note that we are not talking about removing humans from decision loops, just changing their roles from inputting key strokes and assessing data entries to making decisions.
8. It's Too Easy to Troll Like a Russian
defenseone.com · by Ivana Stradner
Conclusion: "If open societies like that of the United States learn anything from the history of malicious actors interfering with democracies through the growing influence of social media, it is that the task of setting up an influence operation must be made more difficult. It is way past time for us to re-evaluate social-media platforms from a national security perspective and lay guidelines that will protect both user privacy and address national vulnerability to malicious foreign attacks."
My thoughts: We should understand that today's Memes are the traditional PSYOP leaflet of the old days. We need to empower our young PSYOP professionals to engage in and dominate the meme wars where appropriate (I say again, where appropriate) to support our US national security objectives.
9. These Legacy Aircraft Are Draining the Pentagon Budget. Is It Time to Cut Them Loose?
The National Interest · by Sebastien Roblin · July 6, 2021
A budget decision. But what about the capabilities? Are they still required and able to be accomplished by other platforms and systems?
10. Orphans at the Ready: Toward the Unification of Joint Enablers
warontherocks.com · by Sean Jenkins · July 7, 2021
I did not know we had a Joint Enabling Capabilities Command.
Conclusion: “From the establishment of the unified global command in the wake of World War II to the system of combatant commands as it exists today, organizational structures have been shaped by changing missions and priorities. Although Joint Forces Command ceased guiding this process a decade ago, its surviving “orphans” — specialized commands that comprised its “enablers” — continue to provide critical services when components of various branches should band together to achieve a common goal. Bringing them under a common command structure would improve their efficiency and responsiveness to their customers. It would also vastly improve coordination between the planners, communicators, analysts, and myriad specialists working for these commands currently scattered across the Department of Defense.
Some enjoy the challenge of finding just the right person to perform a needed service. Most don’t, particularly during an emergency. That’s why 911 came into being as a universal emergency number over 50 years ago. The Joint Enabling Capabilities Command, Joint Information Operations Warfare Center, Joint Personnel Recovery Agency, and Joint Warfare Analysis Center were created to help commanders to meet some of the most challenging problems they will face while responding to crises. But, like hospitals, fire services, and police departments, these specialized units respond more quickly when a single telephone number can reach them all. Consolidating these commands under a single organizational structure would help commanders to focus on meeting future challenges, rather than wasting precious time searching for those who can help them meet those challenges.
11. China's Drive for Power and Influence Around the World
rand.org · by Michael J. Mazarr
The 168 page paper can be downloaded here.
My personal summary of Chinese strategy: China seeks to export its authoritarian political system around the world in order to dominate regions, co-opt or coerce international organizations, create economic conditions favorable to China alone, and displace democratic institutions.
12. Why China Keeps Sending Warplanes to Fly Near Taiwan
Bloomberg · by Kari Soo Lindberg and Cindy Wang · July 7, 2021
Because they can?
13. Domestic terrorism today more complex than threat after 9/11, says DHS counterterrorism chief
Omaha.com · by Steve Liewer
Excerpt: “This is the most dynamic, complex and rapidly evolving threat I think we’ve faced,” said John Cohen, the Department of Homeland Security’s counterterrorism coordinator.
14. FBI infiltrates group whose members wanted to test homemade bombs, surveil Capitol, secede from US, court records show
CNN · by Hannah Rabinowitz and Katelyn Polantz
I hope we are not someday reading a Church Committee report Part II.
15. Tiny terror: Army’s new SMG packs a compact punch
asiatimes.com · by Dave Makichuk · July 6, 2021
A very interesting weapon.
16. Army investigates culture and climate at School of Advanced Military Studies
armytimes.com · by Davis Winkie · July 6, 2021
SAMS was the best school I attended in the US Army. It pains me to read this.
17. Female Vets in Congress Decry Proposal to Disband Pentagon’s Advisory Panel on Women
military.com · by Patricia Kime · July 6, 2021
It does not seem this committee was "targeted." It is part of a larger effort to look at all the boards and committees we have.
18. What Would Clausewitz Read? Professional Reading with a Purpose
mwi.usma.edu · by Matthew T. Archambault · July 7, 2021
Excellent essay with some good food for thought.
Here are some of my recommendations for professional reading with a purpose.
Recommended Readings
• In addition to Clausewitz, The Sun Tzu, ARIS, Mao, The USMC Small Wars Manual, Sam Sarkesian, Jack McKuen, and Military and Civilian Reading Lists:
- Ted Gurr – Why Men Rebel, 1970
- Eric Hoffer – The True Believer, 1951 (23d ed., 2002)
- Crane Brinton – Anatomy of a Revolution, 1965
- Anna Simons – “21st Century Cultures of War: Advantage Them,” (FPRI, April 1013)
- Montgomery McFate – Military Anthropology: Soldiers, Scholars, and Subjects the Margins of Empire (2018)
Psychological, cultural, and practical
- China’s Unrestricted Warfare (1999)
- Gene Sharp – From Dictatorship to Democracy, 2002
- Saul Alinksy – Rules for Radicals, 1971
- Mark Boyatt: Special Forces: A Unique National Asset "Through, With and By."
- Current USAJFKSWCS UW doctrine (Note: USSOCOM UW Doctrine is FOUO)
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"So, let me state this clearly: From where I sit, I see US foreign policy-makers inadvertently committing political warfare against themselves in a gray zone of their own making."
-Anonymous
"German GO at the Global SOF Conference: "There is no such thing as hybrid war, just reasonably good campaign design."
“Why spy? For as long as rogues become leaders we shall spy. For as long as there are bullies and liars and madmen in the world, we shall spy. For as long as nations compete, and politicians deceive, and tyrants launch conquests, and consumers need resources, and the homeless look for land, and the hungry for food, and the rich for excess, your chosen profession is perfectly secure, I can assure you.”
-John le Carre in the Secret Pilgrim