A sincere and humble thank you to our tried and true ally from across the pond as you celebrate the United Kingdom's Armed Forces Day. More on Armed Forces Day at the BBC.

Border School Training Conference Held in California

Border School was held 26-27 June 2012 in Rancho Cucamonga, California. Sponsors of this training were the Los Angeles High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (LA HIDTA) in coordination with the Southwestern Border Sheriff’s Coalition, Texas Border Sheriff’s Coalition, Coalition for a Drug Free California, and Chabot Strategies, LLC.

The training conference was attended by over one-hundred representatives from local, state, and federal police in California, New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas as well as cleared personnel engaging in US national policy formulation.  Topics addressed included Mexican cartel history and symbol identification; the role of plazas (illicit economy distribution points into the US); cartel use of physical violence (torture/killing), psychological operations taking place in Mexico and the spillover into the US; linkages between transnational gangs, the cartels, and terrorist organizations; international (black market) cartel weapons sources; the early years of gang enforcement on the streets of Los Angeles; and countermeasures and response strategies derived from law enforcement operations and use of technology.

A public corruption panel was convened to address how to identify cartel takeover of cities within the United States through the corruption of individual public servants, US law enforcement, politicians, and judges. A special evening screening of the documentary Drug Wars: Silver or Lead and a question and answer session with the producer and other panelists also took place.

The speakers at the training conference were Sgt. Richard Valdemar, Ret. Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD); Dr. Robert Bunker, Los Angeles High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (LA HIDTA); Dr. Paul Chabot, Chabot Strategies, LLC; Sheriff Sigi Gonzalez, Southwestern Border Sheriff’s Coalition; Donnie Reay, Texas Border Sheriffs’ Coalition; Rusty Fleming, Drug Wars producer; Mr. Ian Rainsborough, Chabot Strategies, LLC; and Sheriff Larry Dever, Southwestern Border Sheriffs’ Coalition.

Key high points and lessons learned from the training conference were as follows:

• What happens on the border doesn’t stay on the border.
• The Mexican cartels and their associate drug and street gangs now have operations in well over 1,000 US cities throughout the country. Public corruption on the US side of the border is increasing and almost invisible in media stories. Concerns regarding the ‘Colombianization of Mexico’ and the paramilitary, terrorist, and criminal insurgent tactics of the Mexican cartels were evident in many of the training sessions.
• Training now exists to help allow patrol officers to identify the presence of Mexican cartel personnel that they may encounter during traffic stops and during domestic disputes in their homes. Also training exists to help identify businesses that are fronts for cartel activities in neighborhoods and towns that have been corrupted by the cartels.
• Stretches of the Southwestern US border are being increasingly called ‘Almost America’ by many of the ranchers and rural residents whose families have lived there for generations. US law enforcement is increasingly unable to protect those residents from armed cartel enforcers and operatives leading narcotics loads and human trafficking groups over their private lands. If those residents attempt to report such Cartel intrusions to law enforcement or defend their property rights, they face lawsuits by deep pocket interests, or even worse, physical violence directed at themselves and their families in retaliatory Cartel paramilitary operations.
• US residents in border towns and cities occasionally hear gunfire and explosions taking place on the Mexican side of the border. In some extreme cases, heavy caliber (50 cal) and smaller arms fire (7.62 and 5.62 mm) bullets have struck buildings on the US side from firefights taking place in Mexico. In another instance, an entire town was burned down on the Mexican side of the border by the cartels, and the glow from the fires and smoke from the burning structures could be seen from the US. They had given the residents 72 hours notice of this event, which created a massive refugee traffic jam on a small bridge leading to the United States.
• A special guest appearance by actor Steven Segal, a Sheriff’s Deputy with Hudspeth County, Texas, served as a reminder that some Hollywood stars fully back the work of US law enforcement.

Border School will be held in El Paso, Texas on September 22, 2012. Over five-hundred attendees are expected.  There are discussions about Border School returning to California later in the fall.

For US law enforcement, governmental, and military inquiries, contact Mrs. Pam Faraone, Director, via <linkamerica@sbcglobal.net>. For information on this and other counter-narcotics/counter-cartel training programs in Southern California go to www.lahidtatraining.org.

US Military Plans Operations in Africa

by Luis Ramirez, Voice of America

In my Foreign Policy column, I apply CSBA's latest report on coping with defense austerity to the Pentagon's current predicaments.

The reality of defense budget "sequestration" -- the threat of an across-the-board 10 percent cut to most of the Pentagon's spending accounts -- is now beginning to rattle policymakers in Washington. This week, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) called on defense contractors to issue hundreds of thousands of layoff notices to their workers, as a statute requires them to do 60 days before plant closings occur. Graham's openly expressed intent was to create political pressure on Congress to avert sequestration. Pentagon officials, who have so far refused to discuss any details concerning sequestration, may now be starting to open up a little. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has recently met with defense industry executives to discuss their plans for sequestration.

In a recent column, I discussed one effort to cope with defense cuts triple the size of those that have already been imposed. That analysis attempted to fashion a rational balance among cuts to force structure, modernization, readiness, and research spending.

The Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA), a defense think tank, recently submitted its own advice to struggling policymakers, "Strategy in Austerity," which examines two case studies of leading global powers coping with relative decline while facing a rapidly rising competitor. At the turn of the twentieth century, the British Empire was passing its peak just as Kaiser Wilhelm's Germany was rapidly ascending and asserting its strength. And in the 1970s, the United States had to deal with its failure in Southeast Asia and political and economic turmoil at home just as Soviet military power was swelling. The authors extract seven strategies policymakers in these two cases used to cope with the geostrategic challenges they faced.

The seven strategies include not only defense reforms but also diplomatic gambits and calculated risk-taking. How might the current generation of U.S. policymakers apply each of these strategies?

In the decades before World War I, Britain employed a new diplomatic strategy that outsourced a portion of its security burden to new allies and partners. France and Russia, formerly long-time rivals, became Britain's partners in an attempt to match Germany's growing power. In the 1970s, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Jimmy Carter developed an increasingly deep relationship with China in an effort to balance the Soviet Union and complicate its defense planning. Today, U.S. policymakers hope that a deepening relationship with India will offset China's growing influence and also help stabilize Afghanistan during the second half of the decade. U.S. policymakers are also counting on America's extensive network of alliances and partners in the western Pacific to share the security burden and provide diplomatic synergy against possible Chinese assertions.

In the 1970s, the United States negotiated with its principal rival, the Soviet Union, in an attempt to stabilize a strategic nuclear arms race. The resulting agreements on offensive nuclear forces and missile defenses possibly freed up some resources the Pentagon might have otherwise been forced to spend keeping up with expanding Soviet missile arsenals. If so, the United States benefited from these negotiations by having more funding for research on stealth aircraft technology and precision-guided munitions, which would later become substantial U.S. advantages. The United States and China might, in theory, find it economical to negotiate a halt to the escalating Pacific arms race. Regrettably, the track record of such attempts is poor, most often because one side sees a comparative advantage in weapons production.

The Pentagon will no doubt continue its perennial quest to employ defense resources more efficiently. At the turn of the twentieth century, Britain instituted substantial money-saving reforms to both its navy and army. The Royal Navy retired 150 obsolete ships that institutional interests had previously protected. A new manpower plan retained only skilled sailors on active service and relied on quickly filling unskilled crew positions after wars broke out. After the draining Boer War in South Africa, the British Army saved money by increasing its reliance on a reformed reservist system. Some defense analysts similarly believe the Pentagon could save money by shifting much of its ground combat power, especially tank-heavy units, to the reserves -- since these are the forces least likely to be needed on active duty after the withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2014. As for finding savings in the rest of the Pentagon's sprawling bureaucracy, workers in the building regularly report sightings of waste, but somehow these ghosts always seem to elude the auditors.

Before World War I, the Royal Navy enhanced the effectiveness of its forces by successfully betting on some new technologies that allowed it to sustain its dominance over Germany's rapidly growing fleet. These new technologies included big naval guns, oil-fired turbine engines, submarines, and a global communications system based on undersea cables and radios. Applying these technologies to new warships, the Royal Navy was able to increase its power even while it shrank its ship count and manning. In the 1970s, even in the face of restrained budgets, the Pentagon invested in research that led to stealthy fighter and bomber aircraft, a global satellite-based navigation system, and precision-guided weapons that threatened the Soviet's numerical superiority. Over the past decade, improvements in surveillance drones, other intelligence-gathering techniques, and intelligence analysis software has allowed the United States to improve the effectiveness of its counterterrorism and man-hunting efforts. In the future, troops will be counting on scientists to master directed energy, cyber, and electronic warfare weapons to counter the rapid proliferation of precision-guided weapons in the hands of adversaries.

Some procurement strategies use comparative advantages to impose costs on an adversary. The CSBA authors note that Britain's shipbuilding industry before World War I was superior to Germany's. Germany was foolish to attempt to match Britain's shipbuilding program, but did so anyway. In the 1970s, the United States upgraded its bomber force with investments in long-range cruise missiles and tools to suppress enemy air defenses. These investments forced the Soviet Union to pour more money into its air defense system, which was tasked with defending a 12,000 mile border. Today's drone campaign hopes to force terrorist adversaries to spend all of their resources on survival rather than planning future attacks. As mentioned above, U.S. defense planners hope that advantages in electronic warfare and directed energy weapons will ruin the investments adversaries are making in guided missiles.

During a period of austerity, policymakers will have to take risks and shed low priority commitments. The Royal Navy made a successful gamble on new warship technology, just as did the Pentagon with its bets on stealth aircraft technology and precision-guided weapons. Today, the Pentagon has placed a huge wager on the troubled F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, which is horribly over budget and very late arriving into service. To cover the unplanned gap until the F-35 is operational, the U.S. Navy wants to continue buying the legacy F-18 fighter-bomber for its aircraft carriers. At the risk of not having enough naval air power for a contingency that occurs over the next few years, the Pentagon could save money by forcing the Navy to wait for the F-35 to arrive later. Beyond that one example, the Pentagon's defense guidance released in January acknowledges numerous other such risks it is accepting with a more austere budget. These risks include insufficient ground combat power later this decade and the inability to cope efficiently with certain combinations of simultaneous crises.

The ultimate risk is a breakdown in deterrence, induced by a perception of weakness brought on by defense austerity. Whether such a perception played a factor in the Soviet decision to invade Afghanistan in 1979 remains open for debate. There is no question that that move, combined with the Islamist takeover of Iran at the same time, resulted in the beginning of a defense buildup in the United States, begun by President Jimmy Carter and rapidly expanded by the Ronald Reagan administration. That leads to the CSBA's final strategy: increase defense spending as necessary, and impose austerity elsewhere. As U.S. diplomats meet with their counterparts around the world, they will have to assess to what extent U.S. plans for defense austerity are inducing hedging behavior by allies and aggressiveness by adversaries. U.S. defense planners may legitimately believe that a $487 billion cut over 10 years adds only a minimal and acceptable level of risk. But friends and adversaries get their votes and their opportunities to miscalculate. U.S. diplomats and policymakers should pay attention to the responses they hear and ensure that austerity today does not lead to something much more expensive later.

Small Wars Journal Daily Roundup

US Naval Institute Daily - USNI

Real Clear World – RCP

Afghanistan

Afghan Officials Hail Talks With Insurgents - NYT

Afghan Taliban Deny Taking Orders From Pakistan - Reuters

Troop Immunity Likely to Be Focus of US, Afghanistan Deal - Reuters

India Presses for More Private Investment in Afghanistan - VOA

India Seeks Larger Role in Stabilizing Afghanistan - WP

India's Growing Stake in Afghanistan - BBC

ISAF Operations Summary - AFPS

Search and Destroy - Slate “Little America” book excerpt

Syria

With Strikes, Syrian Rebels Showcase Their Reach - NYT

US: Damascus Violence Is Sign Assad Losing Control - VOA

Explosions Shake Heart of Damascus - CNN

Blast Hits Damascus, Turkey Sends Troops to Border - Reuters

Turkey Boosts Forces at Syrian Border - VOA

Turkey Reinforces Border with Syria - WP

Syrian Tanks Amass Near Turkish Border - Reuters

Assad Rejects External Solution - BBC

Assad, in Taped TV Interview, Calls Iran a Wise Friend - NYT

Russia Favors Syrian Solution to Political Crisis - VOA

Russia Says Transition Needed But Cannot Be Imposed - NYT

Clinton, Russia’s Lavrov Set for Syria Showdown - AP

Russia Proposes Changes to Annan's Syria Proposal - Reuters

Annan 'Optimistic' Talks Will Have Acceptable Outcome - Reuters

Activists: Dozens Killed in Syria Shelling - AP

UN Seeks More Money to Help Syrian Refugees - VOA

Hamas Says Militant Killed in Syria - WP

Forging Peace - WP opinion

Russia Is to Syria What the US Is to Bahrain - MT opinion

Middle East / North Africa

EU Oil Embargo on Iran Goes into Effect Sunday - VOA

Iran Warns EU About 'Illegitimate Measures'  - AP

US Exempts China, Singapore From Iran Oil Sanctions - VOA

US Clears China, Singapore from Iran Oil Sanctions - AP

21 Are Killed in Iraq in the Latest Attacks of a Deadly Month - NYT

Strategic Dividends of Iraq Efforts Within Reach, Official Says - AFPS

Iraq's Commitment to US Mission Questioned in Congress - Reuters

National Service Proposal Riles Israeli Arabs - AP

Illegal West Bank Settlement Outpost Cleared - AP

UAE: US Raises New Concerns Over American Hunger Striker - AP

US Urges UAE to Free American Businessman on Bail - Reuters

Bahrain's Police Action Unjust, HRW Says - UPI

In 'Islamist' Egypt, Generals Still Have Final Say - Reuters

Rooted in the Land, Egypt's President Has Huge Task - Reuters

Egyptian First Lady-to-Be Sparks Debate - WP

Libyans Remember Jail Massacre - BBC

Libya: Detained ICC Lawyer Speaks with Family - UPI

Libya: Gaddafi Loyalist Seeks UK Asylum - BBC

Religion Not Arab Women's Problem? - CNN report on poll

Iran's Nuclear Static - UPI opinion

Islamists, US Power and Kuwait - AC opinion

The Egyptian Military Wins Again - FA opinion

Could Islamic Democracy Surprise Us? - TT opinion

Don't Ignore Mideast's Hunger for Change - ES opinion

US Department of Defense

US Military Seeks to Spread Skills Around World to Ease Burden - CNN

Honored Montford Point Marines Recall Breaking Racial Barriers - S&S

Drill Sergeants Compete for Recognition as Army's Best - S&S

Air Force Identifies 31 Alleged Victims in Lackland Sex Abuse Scandal - S&S

Air Force Investigates Sex Scandal - WP

Sergeant, Vet Convicted in Corruption Probe Surrounding Iraq War - FO

Military Contractor Cited for Treatment of Goats - VP

Navy Recruiter Charged with Wearing Unearned Awards - NT

Dempseys Discuss Challenges, Benefits of Military Moves - AFPS

United States

Attorney General Eric Holder in Contempt of Congress - VOA

US Attorney General Holder 'in Contempt' - BBC

United Technologies: Cover-up of Military Software Sales to China - WP

Military Contractors Are Fined Over Aid to China - NYT

United Technologies Sent Military Copter Tech to China - Reuters

US Supreme Court OKs Obama's Health Care Plan - VOA

Supreme Court Rules Stolen Valor Act Unconstitutional - S&S

Panetta Commends Jacoby for NORTHCOM Fire Assistance - AFPS

US Strategy for 21st Century Needed - UPI opinion

A Pyrrhic Victory - NYT opinion

United Kingdom

British Police Demand that WikiLeak’s Assange Report to Station - AP

UK Police Serve Notice on WikiLeak’s Assange - CNN

Report: Ex-British Minister Sold Secrets to Czechs - AP

British Police Arrest Spanish ETA Pair - BBC

Two Men Arrested in London Terror Probe - CNN

British Memorial Honors World War II Bomber Crews - NYT

Australia

Australian Lawmakers Reject Asylum Seeker Bill - VOA

Australia Votes Down Asylum Bill - BBC

Australia Debates What To Do With Asylum Seekers - CNN

New Zealand

27-year US-New Zealand Nuclear Feud Rears its Ugly Head - FP

Old Diplomatic Spat Keeps Kiwis Out of Pearl Harbor - HSA

United Nations

July UN Meeting to Discuss Global Arms Trade Treaty  - VOA

Africa

Coups Hand ECOWAS Huge Challenge - VOA

US Ambassador to Kenya Resigns Over 'Differences' - AP

Force Won't Fix Economy, US Tells Sudan - UPI

Amnesty International: Arms Imports Fuel S. Sudan Violence - VOA

Islamist Militants Stream into Northern Mali Town After Victory - VOA

Northern Mali Protesters Earn Government Praise - VOA

Heritage Sites in Mali Under Threat - UPI

Mali: Timbuktu on UNESCO Danger List - BBC

Somali and Somaliland Presidents Meet in Dubai - BBC

Somalia: Piracy Conference Urges Public-Private Solutions - AP

Women as Human Pack Horses in DR Congo - NYT

Ivory Coast: Gbagbo Loyalist 'Fears for Life' - BBC

Nigerian President's Call for Birth Control Sparks Debate - VOA

Africa Benefits from Chinese 'Colonialism' - NYT opinion

Americas

Mexico Election Campaign Wraps Up - BBC

Mexico Offers Reward for Airport Killer Police - Reuters

Venezuela: Court Defeat for anti-Chavez TV - BBC

Mercosur Bloc 'to Suspend Paraguay' - BBC

Mutinous Police, Bolivia Reach Deal - CNN

Bolivian Police End Salary Strike - BBC

Army Reserve Vets Make House Calls in Guatemala - AFPS

Mexico's Election and the Drug War - FA opinion

Asia Pacific / Central

South Korea Postpones Military Data Pact With Japan - NYT

S. Korea Puts Off Japan Military Pact at Last Minute - AP

Pacific Exercise to Feature More Participants, Biofuel Use - AFPS

Chinese Police Crack Down on Guangdong Protesters - VOA

China: Xinjiang 'Hijack Attempt Foiled' - BBC

Plane Hijack Foiled in West China's Xinjiang - AP

Space: China Conquers Final Frontier - CNN

China Spacecraft Returns to Earth - BBC

China: Hong Kong Faces an Identity Crisis - WP

15 Years After China Takeover, Hong Kong Uneasy - AP

China Blocks Bloomberg Site After Report on Leader - AP

China Blogger Says Court Overturns His Conviction - AP

NY Times Launches Chinese Web Site - VOA

N. Korean Claims South Agents Tricked Her to Defect - AP

Burma Opposition Leader Finds Support as European Tour Ends - NYT

Myanmar (Burma) Tells Suu Kyi Not to Call Country 'Burma' - AP

Aid Workers Detained in Burma - NYT

Thai Official Informs US Envoy over NASA Issue - S&S

US Postpones Thai Weather Project - BBC

Cambodian Villagers Protest Controversial Laos Dam - Reuters

Uzbekistan Quits Russia-Dominated Security Pact - AP

Mongolia Vote Snags as Ruling Party Seeks Recount - AP

Europe

EU Leaders Agree on Bank Rescue Fund - VOA

Eurozone Agrees on Banks Rescue - BBC

EU Deal Buoys Markets Despite Sketchy Details - Reuters

War Crimes Court Drops One Genocide Count Against Serb Karadzic - VOA

UN Court Acquits Serb Karadzic of 1 Genocide Count - AP

Ex-Leader of Bosnian Serbs Fails to Get War Crimes Trial Halted - NYT

Turkish Generals Look to Life Beyond Prison Bars - Reuters

Further Integration Won’t Fix Club Med States - UPI opinion

Weak Turkey Suddenly Loves the West - TG opinion

South Asia

India Police Kill '17 Maoists' - BBC

Indian Man Freed After 30 Years in Pakistani Jail - VOA

India Spy Returns from Pakistan - BBC

ICG Questions Military Aid to Pakistan - UPI

Taliban Video Shows 17 Beheaded Pakistani Soldiers - CNN

Pakistanis View US as the Enemy, Poll Finds - LAT

Pakistan: Shia Strike over Quetta Attack - BBC

Now Obama Just Has to Worry About Pakistan's Supreme Court - FP opinion

Pakistan Collapsing from Within - CNN opinion

In a recent report the US House Armed Services Committee found that academic freedom was a major concern at professional military education (PME) institutions around the country. The committee discovered that there are a variety of procedures in place among the nation’s military colleges regarding faculty publications.  While some institutions choose to allow faculty to publish freely, others require a thorough content review to ensure publications fit a certain style and viewpoint.  On its face, it would appear that administrative interference with faculty freedom of expression is a clear violation of the common standards of academic freedom.  But the desire for academic freedom must be balanced against both the need for information security and the desire to maintain and sustain publication quality.  Often times PME faculty and administrators view these two objectives as contradictory.  But with proper guidance the desire for open academic inquiry and quality enhancement be can mutually reinforcing, ultimately resulting in a better research product.

According to the 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure faculty “are entitled to full freedom in research and in the publication of (their) results.”  Additionally, when speaking or writing as citizens “(faculty) should be free from institutional censorship or discipline.”  The cause, of course, is noble.  Allowing faculty to engage in groundbreaking research and offer up critical, thoughtful analysis of controversial findings encourages scientific advancement.  Researchers are free to question common knowledge and develop new ideas and concepts in an environment of open intellectual contestation.  The rights conferred upon a faculty member by tenure codify their protection from retaliation for politically unpopular opinions.

Yet, in professional military education there are several complicating factors that make academic freedom in the traditional sense difficult to apply.  First and foremost is the lack of a tenure system.  PME schools have long debated the merits of adopting tenure for experienced faculty but have ultimately chosen to eschew the practice in favor of flexibility.  This is for good reason. The demand for expertise in a particular region or technical specialty fluctuates with changes in the international security environment.  A tenure process would inhibit the ability of PME institutions to shift intellectual resources to new fields more pertinent to today’s missions.  It does little good, for instance, to have a PME school staffed with an aging contingent of Kremlinologists when the military is focused on counterinsurgency campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

Second, PME faculty members are academic practitioners but also federal employees.  As such, the views and opinions expressed by professors through publication can be construed as official US government policy.  The line between official policy and personal opinion is often difficult to discern.  Lastly, as with any national security agency, there are issues with divulging classified information.  Often professors at military institutions have access to documents and data that is not intended for open dissemination.  While this information may inform one’s research there is always the risk that such material could inadvertently be released to the public.

The tension between the military and civilian education traditions manifests itself in the schizophrenic nature of PME academic freedom practices.  Some schools allow all views and opinions to be published openly, albeit with the requisite classified information review.  Others review publishable material to ensure that official US policy is stated correctly, and that the author’s opinions are clearly delineated from government official policy.   A few schools conduct informational reviews meant as an informal means of keeping up with faculty viewpoints and ensuring “no surprises” when the publication hits the press.  Finally, there are at least rumors of institutions that review the content of their faculty’s work with the intent of suppressing opinions and policy recommendations that run counter to the interests of their service or the institution.  Often it can be challenging as a faculty member to determine which type of review one’s work is undergoing.

It is unclear how much these activities inhibit faculty research.  But the mere illusion of censorship can cast a dark shadow over the aspirations of young faculty members.  Though overt suppression may be rare, there is at least the fear that professors are “self-censoring” their own research findings in order to strip away controversial, and potentially innovative, ideas.  Herein lies the real problem.  If faculty members perceive that their work will go unpublished, they have little incentive to “think outside the box” by taking on difficult issues and proposing novel solutions to national security problems.  Instead, what we are left with is a group of institutions sitting on a wealth of intellectual capital unable, or unwilling, to tap these resources to solve the myriad of national security challenges facing our military.

Ultimately it is up to the leaders of each institution to decide how to balance their academic and military responsibilities.   But PME leaders need to recognize the value that comes with allowing open, honest discussions on what are inevitably sensitive political subjects.  This type of attitude is already readily accepted inside their classrooms where non-attribution policies protect the students from recrimination from their superiors.  This same attitude needs to be applied to faculty publications as well.

At the very least, it is incumbent upon the administration of each school to develop and adhere to their own standardized publication guidelines.  These guidelines should include a clear definition of academic freedom, a precise explanation of the publication review process, and a broad commitment to the principles of open and honest intellectual inquiry.  The policy should be shared across the institution in order to encourage transparency among those involved in the review process. Clarifying the rules of the road (and adhering to these rules) will encourage faculty to be creative within the institutional framework.  This will inevitably lead to more innovative policy recommendations and hopefully more successful national security solutions. 

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the National Defense University, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.

Search and Destroy by Rajiv Chandrasekaran, Slate. An excerpt from Little America: The War Within the War for Afghanistan, out this week from Knopf.

One Stryker battalion lost more men in Afghanistan than any other. Who was the gung-ho colonel in charge?

Okay, we have not been irrelevant for quite some time now and that has to end. On that note here are the real lyrics to the Kingsmen’s “Louie Louie”:

Small Wars Journal Daily Roundup

US Naval Institute Daily - USNI

Real Clear World – RCP

Afghanistan

Pentagon: Afghan Improvised Bombs Kill Fewer US-led Troops - USAT

Deadly Day for Afghan Police - NYT

Afghan Women Entrepreneurs Look to India for Opportunities - WP

Afghan Rape Case Focuses on Local Police - NYT

Afghanistan Wants Its Cultural Heroes Back - Reuters

Cross-Border Raid: Video Shows 17 Beheaded Pakistani Soldiers - AP

ISAF Operations Summary - AFPS

Dysfunctional Decade in Afghanistan - WPR opinion

Syria

Inside Syria's Civil War - FP

Syrian Opposition Rejects Annan Plan if Assad Stays - Reuters

Clinton to Attend Meeting on Syria - WP

Syria Talks Won’t Include the Saudis or Iranians - NYT

Russia 'Backs Annan's Syria Plan' - BBC

Russia Backs Annan Idea of Syria Unity Government - Reuters

UN: Human Rights Violations in Syria Escalating - VOA

Syria Violence Escalates as US Seeks Turning Point - AP

Syrian Arrests Are Said to Have Snared Tens of Thousands - NYT

Gunmen Attack Pro-Assad Syrian TV Station - VOA

Attack Destroys Pro-Government TV Station Near Damascus - NYT

Hamas Says Militant Assassinated in Damascus - AP

Report: Syria May Have Mistaken Turkish Jet's ID - AP

Turkey Steps Up Syria Defenses - BBC

Turkish Troops, Anti-Aircraft Guns on Syrian Border - Reuters

Turkey Deploys Anti-Aircraft Guns at Syria Border - AP

Egypt

Morsi Ushers in New Era in Egyptian Politics, Relations with US - VOA

Israel-Egypt Ties Face New Challenge - WP

Practical Concerns, Not Ideology, May Keep Egypt-Israel Peace - VOA

In Divided Egypt, US Plays All Sides - Reuters

Egypt's Generals Eye Turkish Model - AP

Egypt’s Everywoman Finds Her Place Is in the Presidential Palace - NYT

Egyptian Officials: Mubarak's Health Worsens - AP

No More Illusions in Egypt - G&M opinion

Middle East

Navy Chief: Iranian Navy in Gulf Quiet Lately - AP

Palestinian President to Meet Israeli Vice PM - Reuters

Palestinian Leader, Israeli Vice PM to Meet - AP

US Money Remains in Iraq - WP

Police: 9 Killed in Bombings Around Iraqi Capital - AP

Car Bombs Kill 8 in Iraq, Many Wounded - Reuters

The Hidden Palestinian Revolution - JP opinion

Time to End the Turkey-Israel Cold War - CSM opinion

US Department of Defense

Fire Crews Fight to Save US Air Force Academy - AP

Dempsey Details Challenges in Visit to Nebraska Base - AFPS

Panetta Commentary Focuses on War’s Unseen Wounds - AFPS

Navy Continues to Lean Forward, Evolve, Ops Chief Says - AFPS

NORTHCOM Continues Fire Suppression Efforts - AFPS

Payouts to Jobless Troops Exiting Military Approach $1Bn - USAT

Officials Outline Progress in Protecting Troops Financially - AFPS

Logistics Director Lauds Workforce, Notes Challenges - AFPS

Panetta Announces $60M in Grants to Military Schools - AFPS       

Panetta: Educating Military Children a National Security Issue -S&S

National Park Service Offers Military, Families Free Annual Pass - AFPS

Two More Air Force Trainers Charged in Growing Sex Scandal - S&S

United States

‘Fast and Furious’ Creator Calls Accusations ‘Absurd’ - WP

Holder Faces House Contempt Vote on Gun Probe - Reuters

Future of an Aging Court Raises Stakes of Presidential Vote - NYT

US Leaders See Fallout if Joint Missile Funds Nixed - Reuters

Frequent Flier Secretary of State Clinton Hits 100-Country Mark - AP

Thousands Flee Colorado Springs Area as Winds Fuel Wildfire - NYT

Study: Taxpayers Paying Twice for Veterans' Health-care Plans - USAT

Saudi Is Convicted in Bomb Attempt - AP

VA Finally Opens Doors to Licensed Counselors - S&S

The Hubris of the Obamites on Vietnam - FP opinion

United Kingdom

British Queen Meets Former IRA Leader - WP

Ex-Guerrilla and Queen Briefly Bridge a Divide - NYT

History Unfolds: Queen, ex-IRA Chief Shake Hands - AP

'Money Wasted' on MoD Stockpiles - BBC

Africa

Arms Trade 'Fuels South Sudan Unrest' - BBC

Ethiopia Convicts 24 of Terrorism - VOA

Nigerian President Replaces Top State Oil Firm Officials - VOA

UN Extends Congo Peacekeeping Mission - AP

Rwanda 'Launched DR Congo Rebels' - BBC

Tuareg Rebels, Islamist Militants Clash in Northern Mali - VOA

Islamists Seize Key town in Mali - BBC

Rebel Groups Clash in Northern Mali - AP

Ivory Coast: Gbagbo Loyalist 'Fears for Life' - BBC

Beijing, a Boon for Africa - NYT opinion

Americas

Mexico Election Campaign Wraps Up - BBC

For Mexicans in Lawless City of Tampico, Election Offers Little Hope - WP

Mexico Focuses on Man Expected to Lose Election - AP

Mexico's Pena Nieto Wraps Up Campaign With Victory Near - Reuters

Mexico Would Need Major Reforms for Better Credit Rating - Reuters

Venezuela Poll Shows Tight Race for Chavez - Reuters

SOUTHCOM’s ‘Beyond the Horizons’ Strengthens Bonds in Guatemala, Honduras - AFPS

Guatemala Sends Dozens of Drug Traffickers to Prison - Reuters

A Dutch Ally in War on Drugs in The Caribbean Islands - MH

UN Chief Wants Paraguayans to Resolve Differences - AP

Lugo Says Paraguay's Democracy Is 'Broken' - AP

Bolivian Police End Salary Strike - BBC

Bolivian Police End Rebellion After Pay Deal Reached - Reuters

Ecuador Quits Former DOD School of the Americas - AP

Unions Stage One-Day General Strike in Argentina - AP

Asia Pacific / Central

US to Highlight China Cooperation at ASEAN Forum - Reuters

Chinese Military Pledges to Strengthen Ties with US - ANN

Chinese Paper Slams US Candidates for Playing 'China Card' - Reuters

Islam Flourishes in China's Ningxia Region - VOA

China: Attack Raises Fears of a New Gang War in Macau - NYT

Philippines Says Chinese Boats Back in Disputed Lagoon - AP

Philippine Massacre Witness Dead - BBC

130 Rescued After Shipwreck South of Indonesia - NYT

US Envoy Urges Continued Engagement with Burma - VOA

Mongolia Votes; Spending Mining Windfall at Issue - AP

Slippery Slope into Burma - WP editorial

Why China Can't Pick Good Leaders - TD opinion

Can India Push Burma Toward Freedom? - Bloomberg opinion

Europe

Eurozone Divided Ahead of Summit - BBC

Germany Pushes Federalism for European Union - WP

German Government Source Plays Down EU Summit Expectations - Reuters

From Nazi to Terminator, Europe's Media Target Germany’s Merkel - Reuters

Europe's Debt Crisis: The Key Milestones - VOA

Brussels Summit Meeting: One Thing Missing Is Confidence - NYT

Troubled Europe Summit: Germany’s Merkel vs. Everyone Else - AP

Spain Warns of Increasing Debt Costs - VOA

Italy Warns of Euro Disaster as Debt Costs Rise - AP

Italy Passes Labor Laws Before Talks - NYT        

Moscow Vows Retaliation Over Russian Lawyer Death Bill - VOA

Russia "Outraged" over Senate Passing Magnitsky Bill - Reuters

Graft-ridden Russian City Taken Over - WP

Polish Leader Hails Reconciliation with Germany - AP

Turks Seek Freedom to Travel to Europe Without Visas - NYT

Norway Builds Psychiatric Ward for Mass Killer - AP

Greeks Lacking Cures - WP opinion

South Asia

Mumbai Attack Suspect Confirms State Support, India Says - VOA

India Says Pakistan Aided Planner of Mumbai Attacks - NYT

Lawyer: Pakistan Releases Alleged Indian Spy - AP

India 'Spy' Returns from Pakistan - BBC

Pakistani High Court Targets New PM - WP

Pakistan Collapsing from Within - CNN opinion

In an article in Foreign Policy, Milton Bearden, former CIA case officer and station chief in Pakistan from 1986-1989 during the Soviet war in Afghanistan, writes a requiem for the spy that was his Karla.

On the second-to-last day of March, Leonid Vladimirovich Shebarshin, the former head of the KGB's foreign intelligence arm and chairman of the KGB -- for a single day in the turmoil of the August 1991 coup attempt against Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev -- died in his central Moscow apartment, apparently taking his own life. ...

His death marks the end of an era, the passing of one of the most thoughtful, cultured, and effective leaders of the redoubtable Cold War KGB. He was a master spy, a central figure in the tumultuous half-century contest between the CIA and the KGB, and a true believer in the Soviet dream until the very end. He never wavered; he never apologized.