| Small Wars Journal

In late April, the military’s Special Operations Command presented the State Department and Congress with an urgent request for new authority to train and equip security forces in places like Yemen and Kenya…

But in a rare rebuke to the admiral and his command, powerful House and Senate officials as well as the State Department, and ultimately the deputy cabinet-level aides who met at the White House on the issue on May 7, rejected the changes…

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Will aircraft carriers really have a 168-year run?

Today is the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Midway, America’s Trafalgar and the greatest day in the history of U.S. aircraft carriers. It is a pure coincidence that I had a conversation with Rear Admiral Thomas Moore, the Navy’s Program Executive Officer for Aircraft Carriers, on this anniversary. Moore had read my recent column (“Does the U.S. Need More Aircraft Carriers?”) and had some clarifying comments.

I noted in the column that regional commanders like Centcom commander Gen. James Mattis demand more carriers strike groups for their operational needs than the Navy can supply. Moore noted that, “we have an eleven-carrier Navy for a world that needs fifteen.” But he acknowledged that there wasn’t much prospect of the Navy ever getting more than the eleven called for in the Navy’s long-term shipbuilding plan. Aircraft carriers are very expensive and the Navy will struggle to finance its current program.

For the Navy’s aircraft carrier fleet, this may be something of an ironic outcome. According to Moore, the lifetime costs of future aircraft carriers are actually falling, not rising. The total life-cycle costs (construction plus lifetime operations and maintenance plus disposal) of future Ford-class carriers will be $4 billion less per ship (adjusted for inflation) than the current Nimitz-class carriers. This is because the Ford carriers will require 800 fewer sailors to operate the ship, 400 fewer sailors to support the air wing, and because the all-electric ship design will be cheaper to maintain.

I also noted in the column that USS Gerald Ford will cost the Navy $15 billion to build. Moore noted that while this is true, it is the Navy’s practice to load one-time research and design costs on the first ship of a class. Ford will get stuck with $6 billion in such one-time charges. USS John F. Kennedy and future ships of the class will post a $9 billion price tag.

Moore explained that the Fords will hold more aircraft and ordnance and can generate 33% more sorties per day than a Nimitz carrier. That adds up to more performance with lower lifetime costs, in a platform regional commanders can’t get enough of.

Does this mean that the Pentagon should reconsider its decision to cap the carrier fleet at eleven? Nobody expects that to happen – many think the Navy is lucky to get what it’s getting. Others question whether the big carrier concept still has a future in a world that will soon bristle with anti-ship missiles. Moore has the Ford class penciled into his calendar for the year 2110. From Midway to then, 168 years, would be an amazing run.

Drone Worrier

Drone Worrier by Mark Thompson of Time’s Battleland. On Tuesdays, President Obama and his national-security team put together a "kill list" of suspected terrorists the CIA or U.S. military can target.

Thompson writes, "Call it the legacy of terror, where national armies – easily monitored, easily targeted – have often been replaced by small groups of individuals, far tougher to track but retaining the capacity to do great damage. It’s simplistic, but true: Congress doesn’t want to be engaged in the messy business of declaring war. Besides, terrorists can be fleeting targets where consultation between the two ends of Pennsylvania Avenue is impractical. The public has grown tired of tending to the national-security garden."

He goes on to say that the current state of affairs is a "slippery slope" when it comes to Presidential power and the military writing, "No one – at least no one with any chance of living in the White House in the foreseeable future – wants to find out precisely how the U.S. public would react to a second 9/11. So Obama is – under the post-9/11 authorization for the use of military force – methodically whittling away at those who would do American harm — as well as those the CIA and President believe might do the nation harm. 9/11 showed that suicidal zealots, no matter where they are today, can attack the U.S. tomorrow. That broadens the President’s rifle scope to include the entire world. It’s a slippery slope."

Thompson concludes by pointing out where the U.S. drones might end up next: "Timbuktu, that West African town on the southern fringe of the Sahara Desert — that for generations has meant in the middle of nowhere – has been taken over by Islamic militants waging war against the government of Mali."

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A Small Wars Journal-El Centro Anthology

Now available at Amazon.com: Mexico's Criminal Insurgency: A Small Wars Journal-El Centro Anthology by John P. Sullivan and Robert J Bunker.

In sum, this anthology represents some of the best and brightest scholars of today who are writing on the evolving security environment in Mexico and the implications this may hold for the United States. They have greatly enhanced our understanding of crime wars and criminal insurgencies-21st century war and conflict waged by non-state entities- and the impact this new form of warfare is having on states. For this, we embrace them and have established the new SWJ El Centro forum to further promote their professionalism and scholarship.

John P. Sullivan, Senior Fellow with SWJ El Centro, is a career police officer. He currently serves as a lieutenant with the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department. He is also a Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Advanced Studies on Terrorism (CAST) and Adjunct Researcher at the Scientific Vortex Foundation in Bogotá, Colombia. His current research focus is the impact of transnational organized crime on sovereignty in Mexico and elsewhere. Collaborative works include Global Biosecurity: Threats and Responses (Routledge, 2010) and Countering Terrorism and WMD: Creating a Global Counter-Terrorism Network (Routledge, 2006).

Dr. Robert J. Bunker, Senior Fellow with SWJ El Centro, is a past senior officer of the Counter-OPFOR Corporation. He is currently adjunct faculty with the School of Politics and Economics, Claremont Graduate University and an instructor with the Los Angeles High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (LA HIDTA). He has over two hundred publications, including edited and co-authored books, and specializes in terrorism, homeland security, and international security. Collaborative works include Criminal Insurgencies in Mexico and the Americas (Routledge, 2012), Narcos Over the Border (Routledge, 2011), Criminal-States and Criminal-Soldiers (Routledge, 2008), and Networks, Terrorism, and Global Insurgency (Routledge, 2005).

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4 June SWJ Roundup

Small Wars Journal Daily Roundup

US Naval Institute Daily - USNI

Real Clear World - RCP

Afghanistan

Intrigue in Karzai Family Clouds Afghanistan’s Fate - NYT

Bank Case Gets Tribunal at Behest of Karzai - NYT

Aid Workers Saved After Death Threat, Afghan Official Says - AP

Rays of Hope in Afghanistan - WT opinion

Pakistan

9 Militants in Killed in Suspected US Drone Strike - CNN

Officials: US Drone Strike in Pakistan Kills 8 - AP

Syria

Putin Hosts EU Chiefs for Talks on Syria - VOA

Clinton: Russia Needs to Back Syrian Transition to Remove Assad - VOA

Clinton Steps Up Pressure on Russia on Syria - AP

China's Top Paper Warns Against Armed Intervention in Syria - Reuters

Houla Massacre of 108 Marks New Low in Syria - WP

Syria's Assad Denies Responsibility for Houla Massacre - VOA

Assad Condemns Houla Massacre, Blaming Terrorists - NYT

Assad Denies Houla Massacre Role - BBC

Syrian President Blames ‘Outside Forces’ for Crisis - AP

A Peace Plan in Name Only - NYT opinion

Iran

US: Iranian Accusations Will Not Derail Moscow Talks - VOA

Khamenei: Sanctions Deepen Hatred of West - VOA

Iran's Khamenei: Israel Risks ‘Lightning’ Reply - AP

Egypt

Presidential Hopeful and Former PM Attacks Brotherhood’s Candidate - WP

Egypt Crisis: Shafiq Condemns Presidential Rival Mursi - BBC

Political Clashes and Vow of Appeal in Verdict on Mubarak and Aides - NYT

Egypt Prosecutor to Appeal Mubarak Verdict - VOA

Victims of Egypt's Old Regime Still Await Justice - AP

Middle East / North Africa

7 Wounded in Israeli Airstrike on Gaza Strip - VOA

Israel to Jail Illegal Migrants for Up to 3 Years - Reuters

Lebanon Sends Troops to Port City - BBC

Religious Edict Seen as Aiding Embattled Iraq PM - AP

Libya's Highest Court Hears Appeal on Speech Law - AP

Al Qaeda

Bin Laden Spent Wealth on Attacks, Guests - Reuters

Cyber Warfare

The Growing Cyber Arms Race - WP editorial

US Department of Defense

Some Lawmakers Look for Way Out as Defense Cuts Near - NYT

Delta Force: Army’s ‘Quiet Professionals’ - WT

Documentary Unveils Rape in US Military with Testimonials - S&S

Women in Combat - NYT editorial

Wanted: New Planes - WT opinion

United States

Lessons Learned From Eisenhower - IHT opinion

United Kingdom

Britain's Queen Joins Giant Flotilla for Jubilee Celebration - VOA

Queen's Pageant Cheered by Crowds - BBC

Queen's Diamond Jubilee: Happy and Glorious - TT

Britain Celebrates Queen’s 60-Year Reign - BBC

In Britain, the Queen Has Her Day - WP

British Queen Leads 1,000-Strong Jubilee Flotilla - AP

Drenched Crowds Laugh Off Deluge for Jubilee Party - Reuters

The Queen’s New Popularity - WP opinion

Vatican

As Vatican Manages Crisis, Book Details Infighting - NYT

Africa

Bomber Strikes Nigerian Church, as Attacks on Christians Mount - NYT

Church Bombing Kills 15 in Nigeria - VOA

Car Bombing at North Nigeria Church Kills 15 - AP

Deadly Blast Hits Nigeria Church - BBC

Passenger Plane Crash in Nigeria Kills All on Board - AP

Airlift Returns S. Sudanese Refugees Home - VOA

Thousands of Sudanese 'Flee to South Sudan' - BBC

Rwanda Military Aiding DRC Mutiny, Report Says - BBC

Rwanda Army Officials Supporting Congo Rebels - Reuters

Americas

Alleged Colombian Gang Leader Seized in Venezuela - AP

Venezuela Arrests Colombian Drug Lord Diego Rastrojo - BBC

Dozens of Guns Seized Inside Venezuelan Prison - AP

3 Paramedics, Salesman Killed in Western Mexico - AP

Mexico's Ruling Party Blasts Ex-President for Backing Rivals - Reuters

Honduras Sets Up Anti-corruption Body - BBC

Nicaragua ex-Contra Leader Adolfo Calero Dies Aged 81 - BBC

Asia Pacific / Central

Dempsey: Allies’ Reaction Shows Asia-Pacific Strategy ‘On Track’ - AFPS

Panetta Calls for More Access to Pacific Harbors - VOA

Dempsey Details Plan for ‘Singapore-managed’ Ships - AFPS

Panetta’s Cam Ranh Bay Visit Symbolizes Growing US-Vietnam Ties - AFPS

Defense Secretary Panetta Highlights US Ties to Vietnam During Visit - WP

Panetta Sends Message to China on Vietnam Visit - AP

Vietnam: First Top US Official Since War to Visit Old US Navy Base - S&S

Dempsey Arrives in Philippines for High-level Meetings - AFPS

US Urges China to Free Tiananmen Protesters - VOA

US Presses China over Tiananmen - BBC

Ex-Beijing Mayor Backs Away from Account of Tiananmen Crackdown - WP

Japan Arrests Fugitive Wanted in 1995 Gas Attack - NYT

Hints of a Rift Between Burma’s Political Reformers - NYT

Mongolia ex-Leader Condemns Trial - BBC

Europe

Clinton Says US Economic Recovery Needs Europe at "Full Speed" - VOA

Clinton: US Needs Europe 'Operating at Full Speed' - AP

France Says Determined to Improve Budget Credibility - Reuters

Europe’s Grim Choices - WP opinion

South Asia

India’s Anti-corruption Crusaders Try to Breathe Life into Campaign - WP

Read more about 4 June SWJ Roundup

3 June SWJ Roundup

Small Wars Journal Daily Roundup

US Naval Institute Daily - USNI

Real Clear World - RCP

Afghanistan

US-Pakistan Freeze Chokes Fallback Route in Afghanistan - NYT

China Steps Up Afghan Role as Western Pullout Nears - Reuters

4 Kidnapped Aid Workers Freed in Afghanistan - VOA

NATO Rescues Taliban Hostages - WP

Aid Workers Freed in Afghanistan - BBC

Aid Workers Who Were Held in Cave Are Rescued From Taliban - NYT

NATO Raid Rescues 4 Aid Workers in Afghanistan - AP

Afghan Mission Will Prompt NATO Reform - Reuters

Army Files New Charges Against Bales - WP

Pakistan

Pakistan Acquits Four Men in Times Square Bomb Plot - NYT

Pakistani Court Acquits 4 of Helping NYC Bomber - AP

Drone Attack in Pakistan Kills 10 - AP

Syria

Annan Warns of Looming 'All-Out War' in Syria - VOA

US Reaches Out to Syria's Allies in Russia - AP

France Says Military Action in Syria Only Under UN - AP

In a Lebanese City, Fighting Over Syria Conflict Is Deadly - NYT

Deadly Lebanon Clashes over Syria - BBC

In Houla, Shadows of Srebrenica - WP

Syrian President to Address Parliament - AP

US Faces Strategic Gamble in Syria - WPR opinion

Iran

Report: Obama Knew of Cyber Attacks on Iran - VOA

Stuxnet was Work of US and Israel - WP

Iran Builds New Space Center to Launch Satellites - AP

Khamenei: West Talks of Nuclear Iran to Hide Own Problems - Reuters

Deadline Set in Iran Terror Case - BBC

Egypt

Clinton Says Mubarak's Fate Up to Egyptian People - AP

Egypt's Mubarak Gets Life Imprisonment in Historic Trial - VOA

Egyptian Verdicts Fuel New Revolutionary Fervor - WP

New Turmoil in Egypt Greets Mixed Verdict for Mubarak - NYT

Egypt's Mubarak Gets Life in Prison - AP

Mubarak Verdict Resounds Through Divided Egypt - VOA

Protests Erupt over Mubarak Trial - BBC

Egypt's Mubarak: From War Hero to Convict - AP

Middle East / North Africa

US Drone Attacks in Yemen Raise Questions of Who’s Targeted and Why - WP

Oil Output Soars as Iraq Retools - NYT

US Demands Iraq Hand over Suspect in Deaths of 5 Troops - S&S

Iraqi Figures Show Slight Growth in Death Toll - AP

Official: Israeli PM to Remove West Bank Outpost - AP

Saudi Arabia Atop a Powder Keg - FP opinion

US Department of Defense

Panetta Confident Congress Will Act to End Sequestration Threat - AFPS

Terrorism-Crime Nexus a Growing Concern, DOD Official Says - AFPS

Lawmaker Asking for More Details on Burn Pits - S&S

United States

Foreign Policy: Obama Focuses on Economic Issues, not on Syrian Turmoil - WP

Risks of Boomerangs a Reality in World of Cyberwar - AP

Ex-Blackwater Executives Finger CIA in Weapons Trial - VP

Clinton Tours Arctic as Nations Vie for Resources - Reuters

Space Realities Require New Way of Thinking, Official Says - AFPS

Obama Announces Military-to-Civilian Skills Certification Program - AFPS

Mutually Assured Cyberdestruction? - NYT opinion

Obama Projecting Weakness Abroad - WS opinion

United Kingdom

Queen Starts Jubilee Festivities - BBC

After a 41-Gun Salute, Queen Spends Day at the Derby - NYT

Britain Sinks the Royal Navy - DT opinion

Canada

Canada Defends the Use of Military Drone Attacks - AP

UN Report Accuses Canada of Complicity in Torture - AP

Africa

Sudanese Refugees 'Flee to South' - BBC

Darfur Rebels Attack Sudanese Troops - Reuters

Somalia: Al Shabab loses Afgoye and Afmadow. Is Kismayo next? - CSM

Nigeria's Religious Leaders Work to Stop Violence - VOA

DRC Lawmakers Protest 'Secret Deal' With Rwanda - VOA

Mali Islamists Reopen Talks With Tuareg Rebels - VOA

Mali: In Timbuktu, Harsh Change Under Islamists - NYT

Sudan Starving Its Own Children - NYT opinion

Americas

Western Banks 'Reaping Billions from Colombian Cocaine Trade' - TG

Mexico’s Deepening Deficit of Trust - WP

Mexico Suspends, Probes Judges of Key Drug Cases - AP

Protest Mayor Remanded in Peru - BBC

Should Latin America End the War on Drugs? - NYT opinion

Asia Pacific / Central

Panetta Discusses New US Asian Strategy With Allies - AFPS

Panetta Reveals Plan Focused on Pacific - WP

Panetta: US to Put More Warships in Asia - VOA

Navy to Base Majority of Fleet in Pacific by 2020, Panetta Says - S&S

US Warships in Pacific Relocation - BBC

Panetta Responds to China Concerns During Dialogue - AFPS

Panetta: No China Threat from US Military in Asia - AP

US Tries Not to Make Waves With 'Pacific Pivot' - AP

Panetta Discusses Defense Cooperation With Philippine Minister - AFPS

Panetta Arrives at Former US Base in Vietnam - AP

Panetta to Visit American Ship in Vietnam’s Cam Ranh Bay - AFPS

In Occupied Tibetan Monastery, a Reason for Fiery Deaths - NYT

China Editor Leaves Amid Uproar Over Army Remark - AP

Burma’s Suu Kyi Visits Karen Refugees in Thailand - VOA

Fearing Harm to Burma Ties, Thailand Limits Visiting Opposition Leader - NYT

Burma: Suu Kyi Returns Home After 1st Trip in 24 Years - AP

Burma 'Abandons Nuclear Research' - BBC

Hun Sen's Party Poised to Win Cambodia Elections - AP

Malaysia Gov’t Losing Chinese Support, Putting Reforms at Risk - Reuters

Europe

Is Breivik Sane? Norway Can't Decide - CSM

History Offers Ugly News for a Greek Euro Exit - Bloomberg opinion

Serbia: New President, Old Problems - NI opinion

South Asia

Anti-Graft Activists Press Indian Gov't for Action - AP

Italian Sailors Freed on Bail in India Murder Case - Reuters

Read more about 3 June SWJ Roundup

Stuxnet was Work of U.S. and Israeli Experts

Obama Order Sped Up Wave of Cyberattacks Against Iran by David E. Sanger of The New York Times.

From his first months in office, President Obama secretly ordered increasingly sophisticated attacks on the computer systems that run Iran’s main nuclear enrichment facilities, significantly expanding America’s first sustained use of cyberweapons, according to participants in the program...

Stuxnet was Work of U.S. and Israeli Experts, Officials Say by Ellen Nakashima and Joby Warrick of The Washington Post.

A damaging cyberattack against Iran’s nuclear program was the work of U.S. and Israeli experts and proceeded under the secret orders of President Obama, who was eager to slow that nation’s apparent progress toward building an atomic bomb without launching a traditional military attack, say current and former U.S. officials…

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Leon's Most Excellent Asia Adventure

Accordingly, al-Qaeda, AQ’s surrogates, the Taliban, LATAM Cartels, other non-state actors, Iran, and other serious security threats get at least a temporary pass.

The very real and peristant threats are likely encouraged by our “retreat” from the tough battlegrounds as our nation seeks enemies that line up well with our economic and political goals and to boot - if the threat does not act we can claim success - warranted - or most likely not. While the focus on Asia is not totally off, it is seriously skewed and equates to a zero-sum game and we will lose on this one. - Dave D.

Panetta Discusses New US Asian Strategy With Allies - AFPS

“We heard, especially after the speech today from our allies and partners, that they believe this is not just American talk, but that we’re actually walking the walk on our rebalancing to the region…”

Panetta: US to Put More Warships in Asia - VOA

“Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says the United States will shift the bulk of its warships to the Asia-Pacific region in the coming years as part of a new military rebalancing to guarantee a strong and continued U.S. presence in the region.”

Navy to Base Majority of Fleet in Pacific by 2020, Panetta Says - S&S

“The Navy will shift 10 percent of its surface ships and submarines to the Pacific over the next eight years, moving toward a 60/40 split between the Pacific and Atlantic by 2020, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told leaders at the Shangri-La Security Dialogue on Saturday.”

US Warships in Pacific Relocation - BBC

“The US is planning to move the majority of its warships to the Asia-Pacific region by 2020, Defence Secretary Leon Panetta has revealed.”

Panetta Responds to China Concerns During Dialogue - AFPS

“Our relationship with China -- we approach it in a very clear-eyed way,” he said. “We both understand the differences we have … but we also both understand that there really is no other alternative but for both of us to engage, and to improve our communications.”

Panetta: No China Threat from US Military in Asia - AP

"We both understand the differences we have, we both understand the conflicts we have, but we also both understand that there really is no other alternative but for both of us to engage and to improve our communications and to improve our (military) relationship," Panetta said at a security conference in Singapore.”

Panetta Discusses Defense Cooperation With Philippine Minister - AFPS

“Building on momentum from the US-Philippine “Two-Plus-Two” talks held in Washington in April, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Philippine National Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin held talks here today. The two defense ministers discussed regional issues and ways the Philippine and U.S. military can exercise, train and operate together. The men were both attending the 11th annual Asia security summit known as the Shangri-La Dialogue.”

Panetta to Visit American Ship in Vietnam’s Cam Ranh Bay - AFPS

“During his trip to Vietnam tomorrow, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta will become the most senior U.S. official to visit the former US naval base at Cam Ranh Bay since the Vietnam War ended, senior defense officials said here today. It’s been 17 years since the United States and Vietnam normalized relations following the Vietnam War, which ended in 1975. The secretary’s visit to the country is a measure of the progress the two countries have made since then, said a senior defense official speaking on background.”

Panetta: US Strategy Aims to Build Peace, Stability in Pacific - S&S

“The United States will continue to build its military presence in the Pacific over the next five to 10 years, putting a larger percentage of troops in the region and developing more “innovative rotational exchanges and deployments” like those begun recently in Australia, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Thursday.”

Panetta Reveals Plan to Shift Military’s Focus Toward Pacific - WP

“The United States’ top defense official unveiled for his Asian counterparts on Saturday a plan for redirecting the US military’s focus toward the Pacific, at the start of a week-long trip seen as crucial to the Obama administration’s broader strategic pivot to Asia.

More US Warships in Asia-Pacific Under New Strategy - Reuters

“The United States will keep six aircraft carriers in the Asia-Pacific and move a majority of its other warships to the region in the coming years, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said on Saturday as he offered details of a new US military strategy for the first time.”

Panetta Travels to Asia to Discuss Refocus on Region - AFPS

“Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta will put meat on the bones of what the refocus on the Asia-Pacific region means to the U.S. military during a week-long trip to Asia that begins today. Panetta will speak about the new defense strategic guidance with friends and allies, senior defense officials speaking on background told reporters yesterday at the Pentagon. Panetta will repeat what has become a mantra: that the United States is a Pacific power and will remain one, and that the region’s nations have grown behind the shield of stability and security America has provided in the area, officials said.”

Western Banks 'Reaping Billions from Colombian Cocaine Trade'

Western Banks 'Reaping Billions from Colombian Cocaine Trade' by Ed Vulliamy of The Guardian.

The vast profits made from drug production and trafficking are overwhelmingly reaped in rich "consuming" countries – principally across Europe and in the US – rather than war-torn "producing" nations such as Colombia and Mexico, new research has revealed. And its authors claim that financial regulators in the west are reluctant to go after western banks in pursuit of the massive amount of drug money being laundered through their systems...

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