COIN is Dead: U.S. Army Must Put Strategy Over Tactics

by Gian Gentile

World Politics Review

There is perhaps no better measure of the failure of American strategy over the past decade than the fact that in both Iraq and Afghanistan, tactical objectives have been used to define victory. In particular, both wars have been characterized by an all-encompassing obsession with the methods and tactics of counterinsurgency. To be sure, the tactics of counterinsurgency require political and cultural acumen to build host-nation governments and economies. But understanding the political aspects of counterinsurgency tactics is fundamentally different from understanding core American political objectives and then defining a cost-effective strategy to achieve them. If it is to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past decade, American strategic thinking must regain the ability to link cost-effective operational campaigns to core policy objectives, while taking into consideration American political and popular will.

To most Iraqis who suffered for three decades under Saddam Hussein, the Baa’th Party apparatus is viewed in much the same way as the Nazi Party is now viewed in Germany—a repressive, inhumane, crony-ridden power structure that dominated the state’s entire political apparatus and stunted societal growth.  Similar to Germans in the 1930’s, Iraqis who hoped to secure a decent paying job were forced to register with the Baa’th Party, even if they truly did not believe in the organization’s outdated pan-Arab socialist agenda.  Those who refused ran the risk of being fired from their careers, imprisoned, tortured, or tracked down by Saddam’s security services and executed for disloyalty.

The US and coalition invasion of Iraq in March 2003, and the quick collapse of Saddam Hussein’s Baa’thist regime, put that entire system out of business in less than three weeks.  After American and British forces entered the capital city of Baghdad in early April, the last remnants of Saddam’s Government either fell apart in the face of military pressure or melted away—its members chucking their uniforms and blending into the civilian population.  The disintegration of the Baa’th Party system was a blessing for millions of Iraqi Shia, the sect that comprises around 60 percent of the Iraqi population yet the one that experienced the sharpest reprisals from Saddam’s Sunni-dominated government. 

But to millions of Iraq’s Sunnis who decided to join the Baa’thists for the sake of survival, their personal lives and careers were suddenly compromised by the removal of what they knew and depended upon.

Close to nine years later, the Baa’thist issue is still one of the most controversial and explosive in Iraqi politics, cutting across social, economic, and sectarian lines.  Men and women who were suspected by coalition forces and the Shia-led Iraqi Government of belonging to the group in the past—which was not uncommon—were either demoted, tossed aside for new candidates, or forced to resign from jobs which many of them had held for decades.   Thousands of Baa’th Party suspects have been arrested and thrown into prison by the Iraqi Security Forces during Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s two-terms.  And far worse from a humanitarian perspective, the wives, husbands, and children of some of the detained are left foundering about where their loved ones are, or whether they are even alive.

None of this would be a problem if each and every Baa’th Party member (or suspected Baa’th Party member) were ideologically connected to the former Iraqi dictator in some way or complicit in the Saddam regime’s most inhumane crimes.  Indeed, the average Sunni in Iraq today is hard pressed to oppose the arrest and trial of one of Saddam’s henchmen, particularly if the accused worked in Saddam’s presidential guard or in the elite Republican Guard fighting unit—two branches of the security forces that were responsible for most of the torture and killing of Iraqi civilians. 

The problem, however, is far more complicated than that.  There is never an absolute guarantee that every Baa’th member swept up in a security raid is a morbid torturer or an unrepentant killer.  Rather, what is often the case—at least in the minds of many Sunni Iraqi political leaders—is that the men and women ushered into prison cells are more likely technocrats, school teachers, construction workers, or in some cases, public servants can could be utilized to build a better and brighter post-war Iraq. 

It is this reality why the recent arrest of 140 employees at the University of Tikrit in late October is so troubling from a post-war reconciliation standpoint.  The latest batch of arrests over the past few weeks are nominally associated with the Iraqi Government’s anti-Baa’thist security campaign, concentrated in central and southern Iraq, where at least 615 people have been taken into custody.  The campaign has provoked a harsh response from Sunni communities in Salahuddin Province, where provincial officials symbolically declared autonomy from the central Iraqi Government.  Officially, the declaration of autonomy will not effect the Iraqi Government in any significant way—only a public referendum in the province, supported by a majority of the province’s voters, can grant autonomy.  Yet Salahuddin’s gesture nonetheless exemplifies the seriousness to which the province’s Sunni leaders are feeling increasingly disenfranchised from Iraq’s political institutions.  It is not Baa’thists that Baghdad cares about, but rather sidelining its opponents and strengthening the position of its sectarian constituents. 

With Iraq in 2011 still very much a violent place, the last thing the country needs right now is another episode of Sunni-Shia turbulence—let alone one that is perpetrated by the Iraqi Government.  This statement rings especially loud now that US soldiers are packing up their gear and heading home—removing the insurance card that Iraqi political leaders have grown accustomed too.

Unfortunately, Prime Minister Maliki’s rhetoric suggests that the university case is only the starting point in a deeper set of arrests.  In a November speech in the city of Basra, Maliki ordered all Baa’th Party sympathizers to go to their closest police station and sign a document spelling out their total disassociation from the Saddam-era organization.  The appeal is likely viewed by Maliki as a soft-handed approach to weed out more Baa’thists in Iraqi society—an alternative to the hard-nosed law enforcement operations he has relied upon for the past few years.  Sunnis, however, are not taking the bait.  

As is expected, Maliki and his allies in the Shia-led Muslim National Alliance are defending the anti-Baa’thist campaign as a program necessary for national security—all the while arguing that the Iraqi Security Forces are simply enforcing a decree that is spelled out in the Accountability and Justice Law (legislation that permits the removal of former Baa’thists from positions of influence).  The Iraqiya bloc in the Iraqi Parliament, headed by former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi—a party supported by Iraq’s Sunni population—has derided this argument as nonsense.  In their minds, the latest crackdown is not a national security operation at all, but instead a sneaky way for Maliki to strengthen his sectarian credentials ahead of the US military withdrawal. 

No one knows for sure whether the employees from the university were in fact ideological supporters of Saddam, despite statements from the Prime Minister’s office to the contrary.  But for outsiders concerned about Iraq’s future course, it is hard to believe that a bunch of professors and teaching aids at a single university would be powerful enough to usher in some sort of Saddam-rejuvenation that would pose an existential threat to the Iraqi Government.

This, of course, is an assumption.  The University of Tikrit may in fact hold some Saddam sympathizers in prestigious positions.  Tikrit was, after all, Saddam Hussein’s hometown. 

Yet with sectarianism in Iraq still at an extremely high level—and with the disease constantly affecting the Iraqi Parliament from electoral campaigning to debates over legislation—the Iraqi Government cannot merely use assumptions as the main basis for its anti-Baa’th security operations.  In order to alleviate any concerns that the Sunni community may have over the recent arrests, Prime Minister Maliki should authorize his colleagues in the Interior and Justice Ministries to publicly release the criteria it uses to go forward with an arrest and an eventual imprisonment, as well as why those conditions hold up in each of these specific 140 cases.  Call it an exercise in transparency and public justice, the essence of a democratic system of governance.

Over the longer term, the Prime Minister must show courage and leadership by relinquishing his powers as the interim Interior and Defense Minister, nominating competent and consensus individuals as replacements.  Choosing a candidate that is truly independent, without overt sectarian loyalties, would be the quickest and surest way to alleviate many of the worries that the Sunni community has with respect to Maliki and his allies.  The good-faith gesture could also serve as the spark plug for a new era of cooperation in Iraqi politics, bringing in Iraqiya from the cold and allowing the movement to have a greater say in the nation’s decisionmaking.  Such a transformation from Maliki will be difficult, particularly when all of Iraq’s political factions are zero-sum in their calculations.  But it is a decision that Maliki needs to make if he is genuinely interested in promoting a peaceful, democratic, and functional Iraq.

During the height of Iraq’s insurgency, Al’Qaeda capitalized on the resentment that millions of Iraqi Sunnis had towards the Shia-dominated national government.  The strategy proved remarkably successful in attracting nationalistic Iraqis who were pushed to the outer fringes of Iraq’s domestic politics.  The United States and a newly sovereign Iraq cannot afford to let a bloodied Al’Qaeda exploit the same mistake again.

In writing this article I consulted senior DEA Special Agents who have worked extensively with the Junglas in Colombia. Their identities have been withheld by request.

The Jungla Commandos, or Compañía Jungla Antinarcóticos (Counter-narcotics Jungle Company; JUNGLA), as they are properly known, are Colombia’s premier national counter-narcotics (CN) interdiction unit. Falling under the Dirección de Antinarcóticos (Directorate of Counter-narcotics; DIRAN) of the Policía Nacional de Colombia (National Police of Colombia; PNC)[1], the Junglas were formed from 120 men in 1989, with the support of both the US and UK. The first course, in 1989, was conducted with training from the British Special Air Service[2] (SAS), although the US Army’s 7^th Special Forces Group (7^th SFG(A)) provided some behind-the-scenes support and translators. The SAS continued to take the lead until 1991, when US Special Forces took over primary responsibility. In 1998, training responsibility was handed off to the JUNGLA cadre, with ongoing US support.  

In recent years, training has been supported primarily by the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and US Army Special Forces. DEA agents embed with the Junglas during HVT capture and interdiction missions, as well as providing specialised tactical and firearms training, and the US Army provides specialised land warfare training. Funding comes primarily from the US State Department’s Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) and the Narcotic Affairs Section (NAS) at the US Embassy in Bogotá. The US Department of Defense, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE)[3], and other US government entities have also been involved in training and providing support for the Junglas. According to sources I spoke with, the Junglas have very little crossover with the Colombian military; however they have conducted some joint operations with the Fuerza Aérea Colombiana (Colombian Air Force; FAC).[4] It is also believed that British MI6 agents[5] (and possibly SAS and SBS personnel[6]) continue to support interdiction efforts in Colombia.

The DEA has a specialised jungle group based out of Colombia that operates with the Junglas, the  Narco-Terrorism/Jungle Operations Group.  The unit is located the Bogota Country Office, and is responsible for DEA activities throughout Colombia. The unit is made up of only seven agents, all with specialised training and/or military experience. Their primary mission is to investigate narco-terrroist organisations such as FARC and ELN.  To this end, members collect intelligence, work cases, and produce intelligence packets for capture operations conducted by the Junglas and/or various other Colombian special operations units. They not only work towards issuing US indictments to terrorist targets, but also embed DEA agents with the Junglas during missions, particularly capture missions targeting HVTs, and interdiction missions, such as targeting cocaine processing labs. This allows the agents to assist in conducting Sensitive Site Exploitation (SSE) and intelligence gathering. The DEA also maintains an indicted list of HVTs, including narco-terrorists, who are constantly on the operational target list of the Junglas, and the wider PNC. One of the DEA agents I spoke with indicated that the presence of DEA agents on the scene during these operations contributes significantly to the success of the judicial process. DEA agents operating in Colombia do not have the power to seize assets or conduct arrests, however they may gather information and collect evidence to be used in US courts, or to support global narcotics seizures[7]. DEA Special Agents regularly share intelligence with the PNC and the Departamento Administrativo de Seguridad (Administrative Department of Security; DAS), the Colombian national intelligence agency.

The Junglas’ are primarily tasked with CN interdiction missions, particularly those in jungle terrain, where most narcotics production in Colombia takes place. The PNC’s high-risk urban operations are typically handled by the Grupo de Interdiccion Urbano (Urban Interdiction Group). Interdiction missions typically target processing labs, traffickers, narcotics caches, and stockpiles of precursor chemicals. Additionally, the Junglas often conduct raids aimed at capturing High-Value Targets (HVTs), including designated narco-terrorists[8] from such groups as the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People's Army; FARC[9]), Ejercito de Liberacion Nacional (National Liberation Army; ELN[10]), and Ejército Revolucionario Popular Antiterrorista Colombiano (Popular Revolutionary Antiterrorist Army of Colombia; ERPAC[11]).

Presently, there are approximately 600 active duty Junglas, divided into three companies, based in the Northern (Santa Marta), Central (Bogotá), and Southern (Tulua) regions of Colombia[12]. There are also approximately 40 members of the Special Reconnaissance Team (SRT), based in Bogotá. This team is comprised of the elite members of the Junglas, and is tasked with high risk reconnaissance, and high risk HVT capture operations. SRT team members have captured a number of HVTs, including Daniel Rendon Herrera (AKA ‘Don Mario’) - Colombia’s most wanted narco-trafficker at the time - in April 2009[13] , and Marco Fidel Barbara Galacio[14] (AKA ‘Mateo’) in October 2010.  

Mission intelligence (‘intel packets’ or ‘target packets’) are developed both internally, and with US assistance. CNP anti-BACRIM[15] (bandas criminales emergentes; ‘emerging criminal bands’) units and units from the Dirección Central de Policía Judicial e Inteligencia (Central Directorate of the Judicial Police and Intelligence; DIJIN) develop intel packets on both HCl labs and HVTs for the Junglas. The DEA and the Military Group at the US Embassy in Bogotá (MilGroup; coordinate DoD CN support[16]) also develop intel packets for the unit. The Junglas also have a special unit of the DIJIN attached to them for the purpose of conducting SSE and evidence/intelligence gathering. Members of this Judicial Police unit accompany the Junglas on all operations.

The Junglas also specialise in destroying jungle laboratories used for cocaine production. In 2007, they destroyed 850 coca base labs, and 62 HCl labs. HCl labs convert cocaine paste or cocaine base into cocaine hydrochloride, the ‘crystal’ form of cocaine that is most commonly sold illicitly[17]. The vast majority of laboratories producing HCl are located in Colombia[18]. HCl labs can be detected via aerial surveillance, by developing leads from human intelligence sources (HUMINT), or through other, more esoteric methods such as analysing groundwater seepage for chemical content[19]. In 2009 DIRAN seized 92 tons of cocaine and its derivatives[20], and approximately 84 tons in 2010. So far this year, DIRAN has been responsible for destroying 813 coca base production facilities, and 100 HCl labs. Full statistics can be found on the PNC’s website[21].

The Junglas are equipped, largely courtesy of the NAS Bogotá, with some of the latest military arms and equipment. The NAS coordinates equipment and training for the Junglas, with this role being managed by Colonel Kevin Higgins for over ten years, until recently. Sources describe COL Higgins as having had “an enormous influence on the Junglas before he left”. With regards to the types of weapons and equipment issued to the Junglas, one DEA official I spoke with described them as carrying “similar armament to the United States Army Special Forces” in that they are equipped with M4 carbines, M16 assault rifles, M9 pistols, M249 light machine guns, M870 combat shotguns, M60 machine guns, Mk 19 grenade launchers, M224 lightweight 60mm mortars, Night Vision Devices (NVDs), handheld GPS devices, encrypted communications, and E&E (Evasion and Escape) survival equipment. Explosive specialists carry C-4 and other demolitions equipment, snipers carry rifles such as the M24, and so on. A number of photos of the Junglas show them using items commonly found in the M4 Special Operations Peculiar MODification (SOPMOD) Block I kit - AN/PEQ-2 laser aiming devices, Trijicon TA01NSN ACOG sights,  Rail Interface Systems (RIS) kits, as well as other modern equipment such as EOTech holographic sights, SureFire M900 series vertical  foregrip-flashlights and so on. Presumably the commonality of equipment between US Army Special Forces and the Junglas enhances the training process. Interestingly, despite this advanced equipment, there are a few recent photos of Junglas using Vietnam-era 20 round magazines with their M4s.

The Junglas are organised into ‘airmobile interdiction companies’; most of their raids and assaults are heliborne operations. Organic air support capacity is provided by the Área de Aviación Policial (Police Aviation Area; ARAVI) DIRAN’s assigned subsection of the CNP’s Servicio Aéreo de Policia (Police Air Service; SAPOL). The INL’s Office of Aviation (INL/A) administers an aviation support program for ARAVI, with contractor personnel from Lockheed Martin and Contracting, Consulting, and Engineering (CCE) monitoring USG-supplied assets and providing logistical and technical support[22]. The US has provided approximately sixty UH-60L Blackhawk and UH-1HII Super Huey helicopters equipped with a combination of M134 (GAU/17A) miniguns and M60 and M240D machine guns. 5cm-thick Kevlar plates are fixed to the floor of many helicopters, increasing survivability versus small arms fire from the ground[23]. ARAVI pilots are widely regarded as being some of the most talented rotary wing pilots in the Western Hemisphere. The Junglas are occasionally supported by FAC light aircraft, including a specially-modified C-26 equipped with Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) cameras and other specialist Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) equipment.

The Junglas Course, conducted by a 60-man training cadre in the Junglas’ training base in Espinal, central Colombia, was first established with the aid of the SAS, and then US Army Special Forces. The intensive, four-month course covers advanced land warfare tactics, jungle warfare techniques, skills specific to CN missions, and survival training. DEA trainers have also helped to develop a live fire rapid-reaction pistol and rifle range at the Facatativa base, and have provided advanced marksmanship training to SRT members[24]. Additionally, each attending Jungla commando is expected to specialise in such disciplines as medical training, sniping, or demolitions. Approximately ten percent of all applicants are successful[25]. Selected Jungla personnel may also be invited to attend the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC) at Fort Benning, Georgia[26].

Each year, participants from around the world are invited to attend the Jungla Commando International Course[27]. The quality of this course has been widely acknowledged; participants have attended from the Infantería de Marina Colombiana (Colombian Naval Infantry; Marines) and Armada Nacional de la República de Colombia (Colombian Navy), as well Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala,  Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Haiti, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay[28], and, in 2007, Afghanistan[29].

DIRAN and Jungla instructors visited Afghanistan in 2006[30] to share their experiences in combating illegal crops and narcotics trafficking with various Afghan CN units, meeting with the Afghan Antinarcotics Minister of the time, Habibullah Qaderi, General Sayed Kamal Sadaat, then Afghan Antinarcotics Director, and various members of the National Interdiction Unit (NIU)[31].  In October of 2010, the Junglas deployed a nine-man Mobile Training Team (MTT) to Mexico to provide 60 days of CN training on topics such as cocaine laboratory destruction techniques, evidence handling, and chemical safety. Argentinean, Paraguayan, and Brazilian nationals also attended this training[32].

This[33] US State Department cable from October 2009 gives a snapshot of how effective the Junglas can be. In the month covered, the Junglas performed a number of airmobile assaults and raids, killing or capturing several wanted HVTs. Amongst these was a most-wanted FARC criminal, Herier Triana (AKA ‘Patamala’). Patamala was wanted for the kidnapping and subsequent murder murder of the sister of former Colombian President Cesar Gaviria Trujillo, the murder of former senator Jamie Perdomo, and was also thought to be responsible for a series of assassinations committed against a number of town councillors, and a failed plot to kill former Minister of Defense Manuel Santos and his family. In early 2010, the Junglas captured Deiver Luis Durán Caicedo (AKA ‘Morcilla’; ‘Black Pudding’)[34], leader of the BACRIM[35] group ‘Los Urabeños’[36], who had a 250 million Colombian peso (COP) reward on his head.  

When I asked one of the DEA agents consulted for this piece where the Junglas fit into the overall interdiction strategy in Colombia, he had this to say: “They are at the top of the list. They are the best in the country and the most specialized, self sufficient unit for interdiction.” He went on to explain that US financial support is now more important than operational support, with the unit having received so much training  from the DEA and US Army that it is essentially self-sufficient. A 2008 State Department cable[37] notes that “The high degree of self-reliance and superb Jungla training regimen make the Junglas one of the Embassy's most effective and nationalized programs... the many Jungla contributions to antinarcotics efforts, both in Colombia and on the international scene, demonstrate the high return that this sustained USG investment continues to yield.”  It is clear that the Junglas are extremely successful, certainly the most successful CN unit currently operating in Latin America.

US Naval Institute Daily - USNI

Real Clear World - RCP

Afghanistan

2 NATO Troops Killed in Southern Afghanistan - AP

Afghan Mines No Solution for Economic Woes - Reuters

EU Blocks Release of Afghan Documentary - VOA

ISAF Operations Summary - AFPS

Pakistan

Pakistani Negotiators Have Met with Taliban, Sources Say - WP

Pakistani Taliban Holds Indirect Talks with Government - LAT

Pakistani Taliban, Government Hold Initial Talks Toward Peace - AP

Pakistani Militant Warns Against Working With Army - AP

Iraq

US General Predicts Unrest in Iraq - WP

As US Exits Iraq, a Top General's Warning - CSM

US General Warns of Turbulence as Troops Exit Iraq - AP

Syria

Opposition Meeting With British Highlights Syria’s Isolation - NYT

Syria 'Must Change' Says Turkey - BBC

Turkey Condemns Syrian Violence - WP

Syria's Assad Seen Ignoring Gaddafis' Fate - Reuters

Syria Accuses Europeans of Diplomatic War - AP

Egypt

Egypt's Cabinet Resigns Amid Deadly Clashes - VOA

Egypt’s Cabinet Offers to Resign as Protests Rage - NYT

As Protests Intensify, Interim Leaders Offer to Resign - LAT

Egypt Cabinet Offers to Resign but Protests Go On - AP

Egyptian Police Battle Protesters, 33 Dead - Reuters

Egypt Clashes Could Imperil Elections - WP

Egypt Activists Urge Mass Protest - BBC

After Deaths, Egyptians Dig In for More Protests - Reuters

Egyptians Expect to 'See a Lot of Bloodshed' - USAT

Egypt Unrest May Hasten Currency Crisis - Reuters

Amnesty: Egyptian Army 'Failed' to Protect Rights - AP

Back to Tahrir Square - WP editorial

Egypt’s Revolution Beginning to Turn Sour - TT editorial

Of Riots and Rights in Egypt and Beyond - CSM editorial

Will Egypt's Generals Listen Now? - TT opinion

Iran

UK Cuts Ties With Iranian Banks, US Set for More Sanctions - VOA

United States and Its Allies Expand Sanctions on Iran - NYT

US Slaps Iran with More Sanctions - LAT

Britain to Cut Financial Ties with Iran's Banks - TT

Iran Hit by Fresh West Sanctions - BBC

Western States Step Up Sanctions on Iran - Reuters

Iran Skips Talks on Nuclear Free Mideast - VOA

Alleged Iran Nuke Site Being Watched - AP

Arrest of a Top Adviser to Iran’s President Reported - NYT

Police Raid Offices of Ahmadinejad's Press Aide - LAT

Ahmadinejad Aide Nearly Arrested - WP

Iran's State-Run Paper Protests Detention of Staff - AP

Iran Rejects UN Condemnation of Rights Record - AP

Lebanon

CIA Informants in Lebanon Captured - WP

American Spies Outed, CIA Suffers in Lebanon - AP

Hezbollah, Iran Uncover CIA Informants - Reuters

CIA Forced to Curb Spying in Lebanon - MCT

CIA's 'Pizza' Blunders Leave Informants in Danger - TT

White House: No Comment on Spies Outed in Iran, Lebanon - VOA

Libya

Libya Due to Name New Government - BBC

Libya Tries to Build Army That Can March Straight, Defang Militias - NYT

Local Commander Made Libya Defense Minister - Reuters

Middle East / North Africa

Jordan's King Pays Rare Visit to West Bank - AP

Many Layers of Meaning in Jordan Royal Trip to Ramallah - NYT

In the West Bank, a Contested Heritage - WP

Israel, Arab Nations Meet at IAEA Session - AP

Israel's 'Defamation Bill' Passes 1st Reading - AP

Bahrain Nervously Awaiting Report on Its Forgotten Revolt - NYT

Bahrain Admits ‘Excessive Force’ During Protests - BBC

Bahrain Admits to ‘Excessive Force’ - WP

Yemen Tribe Hits Base, Army Kills 20 Militants - Reuters

New Tunisian Leaders Announce Government Plan - AP

Tunisia Coalition Names Top Posts - BBC

Turkey is an Example to the Muslim World - TT editorial

Next Step in Saudi Arabia - WP opinion

WikiLeaks

Lawyer: Manning's Hearing Set in WikiLeaks Case - AP

US Department of Defense

How Will Failure of 'Super Committee' Affect the Military? - S&S update

Undersea Forces Critical to Future Defense, Commander Says - AFPS

Navy Hopes to Gain two Hawaiian Super-Ferries - VP

DARPA’s Quest to Find You by Your Heartbeat - DR

Panetta Gets Weekly VIP Flights to California at Coach Cost - WT

United States

Leaders of ‘Supercommittee’ Concede Defeat - WP

Supercommittee Announces Failure - WT

Behind Deficit Panel’s Failure, a Surprising Outcome - NYT

Super Ail - USAT

GOP's Foreign Policy Test - USAT

Terror Suspects Who Go it Alone - USAT

Terror Plot Shows Cleric's Reach - USAT

Suspect Held in White House Shooting Appears in Court - NYT

Veterans Jobs Bill Signed into Law - S&S

California’s Campus Movements Dig In Their Heels - NYT

Modern Dallas Coming to Grips with Kennedy Assassination - LAT

Super Shameful on Capitol Hill - LAT editorial

Immunity from Justice - WT editorial

AG Eric Holder Must Go - WT opinion

Wising Up Uncle Sam to Cybertricks - WT opinion

Save Money, Hire Police - LAT opinion

Australia

Does the US Need Troops in Australia? - NYT opinion

Africa

UN Official: Perception of Africa Must Change - VOA

Nigeria Police Link Boko Haram Islamic Sect to Politicians - BBC

One Million Zimbabweans Need Food Aid - VOA

South Africa's Tutu Blasts Secrets Bill - AP

Africa Isn't a Lost Cause - CSM opinion

Americas

Mexico’s Muddled Response to Human Rights Violations - CSM

Change in Mexican Political System Sought - USAT

3 Police Officers Found Dead in Mexico Border City - AP

Bolivia Says Won't Let US Anti-Drug Agents Return - Reuters

Anti-Chavez Newspaper Editor Released in Venezuela - AP

Armed Leftists Rattle Nerves, Test Paraguay's Lugo - Reuters

Brazil Fines Chevron in $28 Million for Oil Spill - AP

Pull of Family Reshapes US-Cuban Relations - NYT

Cuba to Ease Agricultural Sales - BBC

US Unveils New Parliament Building for Haiti Lawmakers - AP

Haiti Official Denies Knowledge of Prison Killings - AP

Asia Pacific

S. Korea Delivers New Assurance on Safety of Nuclear Plants - VOA

UN Committee Criticizes N. Korea Human Rights - AP

Aung San Suu Kyi to Run for Burma Parliament - VOA

Dissident Leader Expected to Run for Burma Parliament - NYT

Cambodia: Trial of Khmer Rouge Leaders Starts in Phnom Penh - VOA

Three Khmer Rouge Leaders On Trial in Cambodia - LAT

Cambodia: KR Leaders’ ‘Organized and Systematic’ Atrocities - NYT

Cambodia: Prosecutor Says Defendants Share Blame With Pol Pot - AP

Cambodia: Khmer Rouge Called Victims 'Traitors' - TT

Philippine Massacre Victims' Kin Sue Arroyo - AP

Thailand  Denies Thaksin Amnesty Plans - BBC

New Law in Malaysia to Regulate Demonstrations - AP

Europe

France, and Sarkozy, Look Vulnerable as Euro Crisis Persists - NYT

Russia: Putin Faces Rare Public Disapproval - WP

'No Miracles' Warns Spain Victor - BBC

Poland: Walesa Unveils Statue of Ronald Reagan in Warsaw - AP

South Asia

US State Department Removes India-Pakistan Maps - BBC

India MPs Tackle Corruption Law - BBC

India’s Rupee Hits All-Time US Dollar Low - BBC

The (Not So*) Secret War in Africa by Sean Naylor of the Army Times. (*SWJ edit.)

This series is the result of a six-month investigation by Army Times senior staff writer Sean D. Naylor.

Naylor reached out to dozens of current and former diplomatic and military leaders and special operators about their activities in the Horn of Africa.

It is a war few will acknowledge and even fewer will discuss.

Nevertheless, Army Times was able to piece together a mosaic that shows the level of involvement by U.S. forces in Africa and the significant resources that have been employed - with mixed success - to hunt terrorists in Africa.

This weekend’s Wall Street Journal (November 19-20, 2011) had two articles illustrating the backlash that is occurring in the region against China (the two articles were both on page A9 of the print version. Regrettably they are behind the online pay-wall).

First was a piece that discussed the decision by Myanmar’s long-isolated military junta to begin a strategic dialogue with the United States government. Cautious about falling for a fruitless North Korean-style string-along, President Obama called opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to discuss the junta’s proffer; she urged Obama to proceed.

Why would Myanmar’s rulers want to engage with the United States? The obvious answer is to diversify Myanmar away from its almost complete dependence on China. According to the Journal, a possible triggering event was recent domestic backlash against a Chinese-proposed hydroelectric dam project in Myanmar that would have flooded an area the size of Singapore.

But in a deeply authoritarian state like Myanmar, there must have been more to the junta’s calculation than that. Nor did junta members just realize that they have all of their eggs in the China basket. Some other calculation must have changed.

If China really is the future regional hegemon, it would not make sense for the junta to join the backlash now occurring around the region. Perhaps Myanmar’s leaders now have their own doubts about China’s future power.

The second article discussed Japan’s rapidly accelerating military diplomacy. Apparently in preparation for this month’s string of regional summit meetings in Hawaii and Indonesia, Japan signed new military cooperation pacts over the past few months with India, Vietnam, and the Philippines. This adds to similar agreements Japan has completed over the past few years with Singapore, Australia, and South Korea.

These agreements are no substitute for the long-standing hub-and-spoke security system run by U.S. Pacific Command from Hawaii. U.S. officials should welcome Japan’s supplementary effort and most any initiative it or other allies take to step up their own defense efforts.

Some may view Japan’s stepped up military engagement as a hedge against U.S. regional decline. Much more likely it is a message aimed directly at China, showing the consequences to those in Beijing who may be contemplating a challenge to the regional status quo.

Chinese Lessons from Other Peoples' Wars - Edited by Dr. Andrew Scobell, Dr. David Lai, and Mr. Roy Kamphausen; US Army War College Strategic Studies institute monograph.

The importance of China stems not only from its current international role and its influence on the Asia-Pacific region in particular, but also because China’s impact on global developments will likely continue to grow. One of our enduring imperatives is to accurately survey China’s experiences as a means to grasp its existing perceptions, motivations, and ambitions. More than ever, solid, evidence-based evaluation of what the PLA has learned from the use of force and conflict elsewhere in the world is needed to shed light on the prospects for its cooperation, or rivalry, with the international community. This volume provides unique, valuable insights on how the PLA has applied the lessons learned from others’ military actions to its own strategic planning.

My latest book review over at Carl Prine's Line of Departure

Blood Done Signed My Name

Duke professor Timothy B. Tyson’s Blood Done Signed My Name: A True Story describes the 1970 murder of Henry “Dickie” Marrow, a 23-year-old black man who once served as a paratrooper in Fort Bragg.  The memoir them limns the acquittal of his three white killers, and what the aftermath of that injustice wrought on the tiny town of Oxford, N.C.

So, you ask, what does this have to do with small wars?  Well, I could start by reminding you that U.S. Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis recommends that we study the works of Martin Luther King as if they were texts about strategy, and Blood Done Signed My Name certainly is a tale about the civil rights movement.

US Naval Institute Daily - USNI

Real Clear World - RCP

Syria

Grenades Hit Syria's Baath Party Building in Damascus - VOA

New Phase for Syria in Attacks on Capital - NYT

Rebels Step Up Attacks Against Isolated Assad - WT

Insurgents Strike as Assad Vows to Fight On - TT

Grenade Blasts Bring Violence to Syrian Capital - AP

Syria's Assad Vows to Continue Iron-Fisted Crackdown - CSM

Syria Faces New Arab League Pressure - WP

Arab League Peace Initiative Appears at an Impasse - LAT

Arab League Takes Firm Line With Syria on Monitors - Reuters

Arab League Rejects Syria Demand - BBC

Former Sec State Rice: Assad Taking Syria to Brink of Civil War - AP

Israeli Minister: Syria Leader Out Within 1 Year - AP

Egypt

Police, Protesters Keep up Clashes in Cairo - VOA

Facing Calls to Give Up Power, Egypt’s Military Battles Crowds - NYT

Security Forces Battle Protesters in Tahrir Square - TT

Frustrated Egyptians Come Out in Force - LAT

A Second Revolution Unfolding Now? - CSM

At Least 11 Protesters Killed as Police Try to Clear Cairo Square - WT

Egyptian Protests Enter Third Day - BBC

Egyptians Protest at Army, Clashes Kill at Least 12 - Reuters

Police Burn Protest Tents to Clear Cairo's Tahrir - AP

Clashes in Egypt Could Jeopardize Elections - WP

Egypt Cabinet, Army Rulers Hold Urgent Meeting - Reuters

Egyptians Fret About Voting Violence After Clashes - Reuters

Egypt's Arab Spring: A Revolution Gone Astray - AP

Balancing US Policy on an Ally in Transition - NYT

Egypt’s Revolution Beginning to Turn Sour - TT editorial

Afghanistan

'Loya Jirga' Endorses US Presence, But in What Form? - CSM

Australian PM Flags Early End to Afghan Mission - AP

American Plastic Surgeon Sets Up Program to Help Afghans - VOA

NATO Service Member Killed in Southern Afghanistan - AP

Afghanistan: What Happens When the UK Leaves? - TT opinion

Pakistan

Taliban Commander: Taliban, Pakistan in Peace Talks - Reuters

Pakistani Taliban, Government Hold Initial Talks - AP

Pakistani Leader Faces Pressure Over Memo - NYT

Pakistan's Envoy to US Arrives Home in Army Letter Row - TT

Pakistan Spy Chief Intervenes in Memo Scandal - AP

Iran

Iran May Have Sent Libya Special Chemical Artillery Shells - WP

Israel: Iran to Pass Nuclear Threshold Within Year - AP

Iran Parliament to Review Ties With UN Nuclear Body - Reuters

Iran Slaps Jail Term on Ahmadinejad Aide, Shuts Down Newspaper - LAT

Iran: President's Press Adviser Sentenced - AP

Libya

Libyan Forces Capture Former Intel Chief - VOA

Libyan Fighters Seize Qaddafi’s Intelligence Chief - NYT

Libya's Former Intelligence Chief Arrested - LAT

Gaddafi's Spy Chief 'is Captured' - BBC

Libya Says Gadhafi Son to be Tried at Home - AP

International Court Faces Key Test on Libya Captives - NYT

Education Without the Green Book - WP

Pictures of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi Following Capture - TT

Middle East / North Africa

CIA Forced to Curb Spying in Lebanon - LAT

Progress Seen in Talks on Power Transfer in Yemen - Reuters

Kuwait Emir Slams Opposition, Says PM Will Not Go - Reuters

Jordan King to Make Rare West Bank Visit Monday - Reuters

Israeli PM Reconciles Foreign Minister, Spymaster - Reuters

Activists Make Last Boycott Call for Morocco Polls - AP

Thousands of Moroccans Call for Election Boycott - Reuters

Israel’s Effort to Muffle Speech - WP editorial

The Saudi Juggernaut - WP opinion

Biggest Arab Spring Losers and Winners - CSM opinion

US and Israel Haven't Learned History Lessons - CSM opinion

US Department of Defense

How Will Latest Budget Battle Affect the Military? - S&S

Where Have All the Army Generals Gone? - SSI opinion

How Can We Prevent Military Suicides? - NYT opinion

Cutting Missile Program Won't Save Money - CSM opinion

United States

Hopes Fade for US Deficit Reduction Deal - VOA

The Deficit Deal That Wasn’t: Hopes Are Dashed - NYT

Deficit Committee Heads for Less-than-Super Endgame - LAT

Seismic Shift on Hill Sank Bid for Balanced Budget - WT

Lawmakers Trade Blame as Deficit Talks Crumble - NYT

Super-Committee Impact on Markets - WP

New York Police Arrest 'Lone Wolf' Bomb Plot Suspect - LAT

NYC Bomb Plot Suspect Is Called Fan of Qaeda Cleric - NYT

NY Man Arrested in Bomb Plot - WP

Bomb Plot Suspect Arrested in NYC - BBC

NYC Mayor: Manhattan Man Arrested in Bomb Plot - AP

Angry Over Spying, Muslims Say: 'Don't Call NYPD' - AP

Muslims to NYPD: 'Respect Us, We Will Respect You' - AP

White House Shooting Suspect’s Path to Extremism - WP

Obama Returns Home From Asia to Face Economic Problems - VOA

Occupy Protest Puts Media Coverage in Spotlight - NYT

Overreaching on Terrorism - WP editorial

The Occupy Movement Fails Test of Protest - TT opinion

Africa

Ethiopian Troops Said to Enter Somalia, Opening New Front - NYT

Ethiopian Troops Enter Somali Town - AP

Somalia Confirms Ethiopian Troop Presence - VOA

Somali Rebels Say Ethiopian Incursion Shows Kenya Failing - Reuters

South Sudan Rebel Says Peace Talks Failed, Violence Likely - VOA

Vote Set on Controversial South Africa Secrets Bill - AP

Presidential Campaign in DR Congo Enters Final Week - VOA

Americas

Traffickers, Migrants Use Cell Phones Along US-Mexico Border - FOX

No Reduction in Mexico Kidnappings - GP

Mexico: Border-Town Factories Give Manufacturers An Edge - NPR

Jamaica PM Hints Elections May be Next Month - AP

Undermining Mexico's Dangerous Drug Cartels - HW opinion

Asia Pacific

China Grumbles Quietly over Obama's Asia Trip - USAT

China Plays Down Sea Spats After Challenge at Summit - Bloomberg

Secretive North Korea Opens Up to Cellphones - Reuters

Islanders Live in Fear a Year After N. Korean Attack - AP

Taiwan's Ma Registers for Election; Lead Slipping - AP

Burma: Suu Kyi Targets By-Election Seat - BBC

Burma's Suu Kyi to Run in Parliamentary Polls - AP

Ex-Philippine Leader to Stay Detained in Hospital - AP

Bomb Attack Wounds 9 in Southern Thailand - AP

Khmer Rouge Genocide Trial Set to Begin in Cambodia - VOA

Cambodia: Trial of Khmer Rouge Trio Begins - BBC

Top Khmer Rouge Leaders' Trial Opens in Cambodia - AP

Cambodia: Survivors Seek Answers at Khmer Rouge Trial - NYT

Cambodia: Remember the “Killing Fields” - WP opinion

How China Can Defeat America - NYT opinion

Europe

US Budget Woes Could Hit European Missile Defense - AP

Conservatives Win Election in Spain - VOA

Spain Conservatives Win Election - BBC

Spain's Conservatives Win Landslide Victory - TT

Spain’s Conservatives Oust Socialists - WP

Spanish Voters Deal a Blow to Socialists Over the Economy - NYT

Spanish Conservatives Win General Election - AP

Pressure for Fast Action After Spain Election Win - Reuters

Germany Moves to Ease Anger Over Neo-Nazi Murders - Reuters

Turkey 'Still Wants' to Join EU - BBC

Poland: The Price of Solidarity’s Glory - AP

South Asia

Race for Land Hits India's Poor Farmers - AP

Seven Held Over India Nun Murder - BBC

Bangladesh War Crimes Trial Opens - BBC

US Naval Institute Daily - USNI

Real Clear World - RCP

Afghanistan

Afghanistan Loya Jirga Backs US Deal - VOA

Afghan Council Supports Karzai on US Troop Presence - NYT

Afghan Loya Jirga Backs Karzai’s Security Plans - WP

Afghan Tribal Elders Back US Pact - BBC

Afghanistan National Assembly Backs Pact with US - AP

Hundreds of Afghans Protest Long-Term Pact with US - AP

Afghanistan Has Big Plans for Biometric Data - NYT

Pakistan

Zardari’s Fate May Hinge on Scandal of Purported Memo - LAT

Man with US Passport Blows Himself Up in Pakistan - AP

A Skeptic's Guide to Pakistan's Latest Scandal - Dawn opinion

Getting at Pakistan's Real Problems - FP opinion

Iran

Tehran Starts Military Maneuvers - VOA

Iran Pressed to Resolve Discrepancy on Uranium - WSJ

Iran Nuclear Drive May End Arming Terrorists - Bloomberg

Commander Died During Missile Testing, Brother Says - WP

Iran Reports Cloud Details of Ammo Depot Blast - AP

A Diplomatic Face Seeks to Counter Iran’s Critics - NYT

Why China and Russia Help Iran - TD opinion

Syria

Syrian Death Tolls Mounts, Deadline Looms - VOA

Sectarian Strife in City Bodes Ill for All of Syria - NYT

Syria Baath Party in Damascus Hit by Rockets - BBC

Grenades Hit Baath Party Building in Damascus - Reuters

Syrian Troops Attack Despite Arab Peace Plan - AP

Syria's Assad Vows to Continue Crackdown - Reuters

Turkey, France Find Ground on Syria - VOA

Time Is Running Out for Assad - Economist editorial

Iraq

Fort Bragg Soldiers Nurturing Ties with Iraqi Locals - FO

Egypt

2 Dead, Hundreds Wounded in Egypt Protests - VOA

Violent Protests in Egypt Pit Thousands Against Police - NYT

Police, Demonstrators Clash in Cairo - WP

2 Killed, 600 Hurt in Egypt Protests - LAT

Deadly Clashes at Egypt Protests - BBC

Egypt Police Clash With Protesters Ahead of Vote - AP

Two Killed, Hundreds Hurt in Egypt Street Clashes - Reuters

After Revolution, Christians Are Living in Fear - NYT opinion

Slim Hope in History for Christians - NYT opinion

Libya

Libyan Military Captures Gadhafi's Fugitive Son - VOA

Gaddafi’s Son Saif al-Islam Caught - WP

Libyan Fighters Catch Qaddafi’s Last Fugitive Son - NYT

Seif Islam Kadafi Captured in Southern Libya - LAT

Gaddafi's Son Saif Captured in Libya - BBC

Gadhafi's Son Captured in Southern Libya Near Niger - AP

The Capture of Gaddafi's Son - Reuters

West Urges Libya to Work With ICC Over Gaddafi's Son - Reuters

PM: Gaddafi's Son Will Get Fair Trial - Reuters

Seif Al-Islam Gadhafi Was Former Heir Apparent - AP

War Crimes Prosecutor Travels to Libya - AP

Key Events in Libya's Revolution - VOA

Middle East / North Africa

West Bank Land Seized by Israeli Kibbutz - AP

Tunisian Parties Divvy Up Top Government Posts - AP

Yemen Crumbling From Within - GN editorial

The Saudi Juggernaut - WP opinion

US Department of Defense

Costly Aircraft Suggests Cuts Won’t Be Easy - NYT

Esquire Names Army Captain One of its 'Patriots of the Year' - S&S

Lockheed’s F-35 Not in Budget ‘Cross Hairs,’ Dempsey Says - BW

United States

Deficit Panel Faces a Rift Over Who Ought to Pay - NYT

Deficit Deal Failure Would Pose Crummy Choice - AP

Arizona Educators Clash Over Mexican American Studies - LAT

Post-9/11 Tradeoff: Security vs. Civil Liberties - AP

US Fugitive's 41-Year Life on Lam - AP

Reneging on Justice at Guantánamo - NYT editorial

Africa

US Uganda Mission Likely to Last Until Rebel Leader Caught - WP

Ethiopia Troops 'Enter Somalia' - BBC

Ethiopian Troops Move Into Somalia - Reuters

Kenya Military Asks Aid Agencies to Return to Somalia's South - VOA

South Sudan Releases Journalists Held for Criticizing President - VOA

Security Fears Keep Nigeria President From Home State Vote - Reuters

Police: 2 Soldiers, Child Killed in North Nigeria - AP

Fortunes, and Tables, Turn for Portugal and Angola - NYT

Pope Calls for African Peace and Reconciliation - BBC

Pope's New Document Outlines Church Role in Africa - AP

In Somalia, the Enduring Value of Boots on the Ground - WPR opinion

Americas

Latin America Offers Refuge from Financial Crisis - VS

Tunnel-Detection Tech at US-Mexico border: Worth the Effort? - CSM

Smugglers Use Cell Phones To Guide Immigrants To US - FOX

Colombia FARC Rebel Radio Station 'Shut Down' by Army - BBC

Venezuela: Reports of Chávez's Illness Cloud Campaign - WSJ

Amid Economic Reforms, Cuba Goes After Corruption - SFC

US Should Look Both East and South - MH opinion

Asia Pacific

In Asia, Obama Keeps Focus Off Terrorism - LAT

In Asia-Pacific, a Determined Obama - WP

Obama Gets Little Pushback on Asia Trip - AP

Obama and Asian Leaders Confront China’s Premier - NYT

US Praises China on Sea Disputes - BBC

China Rebuffs US, Asia Pressure in Sea Dispute - Reuters

China Constructive in Talks About Disputed Waters - AP

Tibetans in China Seek Fiery Way Out of Despair - Reuters

UN Supports Burma's Selection to Chair ASEAN - VOA

Emboldened by Obama, Burma Maps Out Plans - Reuters

Japan’s Nuclear Crisis Leaves Behind Wasteland - WP

Japan: Studies Detail Post-Fukushima Radioactivity Levels - LAT

Calm in Philippines After Ex-Leader's Arrest - AP

President Obama in Asia - NYT editorial

Has the US Made China Conflict Inevitable? - FT opinion

Europe

Germans Ask 'How' as Neo-Nazi Crimes Unfold - AP

France's Far-Right Candidate Unveils Vision - AP

Spanish Voters Head to the Polls - BBC

Spain Prepares for General Elections - AP

Spanish Voters Set to Throw Out Socialists - Reuters

Gul Says Turkey Can Be EU's 'Growth Engine' - Reuters

South Asia

India's Latest Gandhi Has Lots at Stake in Key State Elections - LAT

Nepal Ex-Rebels Decide Future After 5 Years in Camps - AP