Small Wars Journal

1/19/2021 News & Commentary - National Security

Tue, 01/19/2021 - 1:07pm

News & commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and published by Duncan Moore.

1. They did their jobs well

2. Biden to bring back fired Pentagon official who led anti-ISIS effort

3. Van Hipp: retired Gen. Lloyd Austin would be outstanding defense secretary in Biden administration

4. More than 40 Guard troops in DC for Biden inauguration test positive for COVID; up to 25,000 troops now authorized

5. Gen. Mark Milley key to military continuity as Biden takes office

6. Parler website is back online after Amazon brought it offline

7. Biden's national security Cabinet nominees face Senate tests

8. Rotten to the core? How America’s political decay accelerated during the Trump era

9. The real threat to civilian control of the military

10. Forecasting the new administration's impact on defense

11. This teacher was called to protect the U.S. Capitol as a National Guard member. He now holds class from a Humvee.

12. Building immunity to disinformation

13. Amal Clooney decries 'legal charade' after journalist Maria Ressa charged again with libel

14. The Islamic State stopped talking about China

15. ‘A place to fund hope’: how Proud Boys and other fringe groups found refuge on a Christian fundraising website

16. QAnon adherents discussed posing as National Guard to try to infiltrate inauguration, according to FBI intelligence briefing

17. Biden’s CIA director signals a shift to the left

18. Competing for influence: operations in the information environment

19. Special operations news update - Monday, January 19, 2021

 

1. They did their jobs well

Wall Street Journal · January 18, 2021

I am not qualified to comment on many of these but to the foreign policy team I would add Steve Biegun, Harry Harris, Marc Knapper, Alex Wong, Marc Lambert and their deputies, action officers, and staff. When the Korea-US relationship is studied, I think it will reveal that they had very complex issues to manage with both the ROK/US Alliance and, of course, with North Korea. Although North Korea was not denuclearized, they managed the issues better than anyone could have expected.

 

2. Biden to bring back fired Pentagon official who led anti-ISIS effort

Politico · Lara Seligman · January 18, 2021

Potential future ASD SO/LIC.

 

3. Van Hipp: retired Gen. Lloyd Austin would be outstanding defense secretary in Biden administration

Fox News · Van Hipp · January 17, 2021

 

4. More than 40 Guard troops in DC for Biden inauguration test positive for COVID; up to 25,000 troops now authorized

Military Times · Howard Altman · January 17, 2021

A survey of National Guard activities and which states the troops are coming from.

 

5. Gen. Mark Milley key to military continuity as Biden takes office

Military Times · Robert Burns · January 17, 2021

Quite a description.

 

6. Parler website is back online after Amazon brought it offline

CNET · Sareena Dayaram · January 18, 2021

Go figure.

 

7. Biden’s national security Cabinet nominees face Senate tests

Associated Press · Robert Burns, Lolita C. Baldor, & Matthew Lee · January 19, 2021

Five hearings today. Should be an interesting day.

 

8. Rotten to the core? How America’s political decay accelerated during the Trump era

Foreign Affairs · Francis Fukuyama · January 18, 2021

I hope we are not at the end of history (again).

 

9. The real threat to civilian control of the military

Foreign Affairs · Risa Brooks · January 18, 2021

I do not think the officer corps has ever ignored politics. Politics are a fact of life. Most understand it (some more than other perhaps), respect it, and learn to operate within political constraints. But the officer coups should remain apolitical always.

 

10. Forecasting the new administration's impact on defense

National Defense · John C. Johnson · January 18, 2021

 

11. This teacher was called to protect the U.S. Capitol as a National Guard member. He now holds class from a Humvee.

Washington Post · Sydney Page · January 18, 2021

Another example of a great American serving on multiple levels.

 

12. Building immunity to disinformation

EEAS · January 18, 2021

There is terrible disinformation about COVID.  We all need to inoculate ourselves against it.

Some useful advice (for use beyond COVID disinformation).

 

13. Amal Clooney decries ‘legal charade’ after journalist Maria Ressa charged again with libel

Guardian · Rebecca Ratcliffe · January 19, 2021

Duterte is one of the biggest threats to the free press. 

 

14. The Islamic State stopped talking about China

War On the Rocks · Elliot Stewart · January 19, 2021

 

15. ‘A place to fund hope’: How Proud Boys and other fringe groups found refuge on a Christian fundraising website

Washington Post · Amy Brittain & David Willman · January 18, 2021

Follow the money.

 

16. QAnon adherents discussed posing as National Guard to try to infiltrate inauguration, according to FBI intelligence briefing

Washington Post · Carol D. Leonnig & Matt Zapotosky · January 19, 2021

It will never cease to boggle my mind about how much influence QAnon has.

But there seems to be an aggressive IO effort to undermine trust in the national guard and the military.

 

17. Biden’s CIA director signals a shift to the left

Asia Times · MK Bhadrakumar · January 19, 2021

 

18. Competing for influence: operations in the information environment

Modern War Institute · Andrew Milburn · January 16, 2021

Another Podcast worth listening to at this link.

 

19. Special Operations News Update - Monday, January 19, 2021

SOF News · January 19, 2021

A long roll-up of interesting SOF news.

 

“Science investigates; religion interprets. Science gives man knowledge, which is power; religion gives man wisdom, which is control. Science deals mainly with facts; religion deals mainly with values. The two are not rivals.”

- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

"The character of a President colors his entire administration."

- Clark Clifford

"The presidency is not merely an administrative office....It is pre-eminently a place of moral leadership."

- Franklin D. Roosevelt

Categories: News