| Small Wars Journal

“Winning” is a meaningless word in this type of war, but something is happening in the Afghan south that gives me hope. Rather than resignation, America should show resolve - not to maintain a large troop presence or extend timelines, but to be smarter about the way we use our tapering resources to empower those Afghans —to lead and serve.

27 September SWJ Roundup

US Naval Institute Daily - USNI

Afghanistan

Caldwell: Afghan Troops, Police Make ‘Significant’ Progress - AFPS

US to Send 800 More Military Trainers to Afghanistan - WP

Commander: More US Trainers Heading to Afghanistan - AP

CIA Employee Killed in Attack on Kabul Compound - NYT

CIA Base Attacked in Kabul; 1 American Killed - LAT

Two Killed at Kabul 'CIA Station' - BBC

Attack on Kabul CIA Office Kills Agency Contractor - AP

Five Dead in Lashkar Gah Suicide Car Bomb - BBC

Suicide Bomber Kills 2 in Southern Afghanistan - AP

Forces Pressure Insurgents in Eastern Afghanistan - AFPS

Hope and Exasperation at a Kandahar Hospital - NYT

Pakistan

Pakistanis Tied to 2007 Border Ambush on Americans - NYT

Gloves Come Off on Haqqani Network - FP

Shaken by Suicide Bombings, Many Pakistanis Fault US - WP

Pakistan Army Chief Kayani Cancels UK Visit - AP

Top Chinese Security Official Visits Pakistan - AP

Pakistan Vows Support to China in Terror Fight - AP

Israel / Palestinians

Palestinian Statehood Bid at UN to Continue Wednesday - VOA

UN Security Council Considers Palestinian Membership - BBC

UN Council to Take Up Palestinian Bid Wednesday - AP

US, Palestinians Race for Votes at UN Council - Reuters

UN Speech Gives Abbas a Stronger Hand - AP

Turkish Paper Lists Israelis It Says Were in Flotilla Raid - NYT

Israel Accuses Turkish Leader of Incitement - AP

Al-Jazeera Reporter Released From Israeli Prison - AP

Israel: $8 Billion Plan to Address Economic Inequality - NYT

Libya

Fighters Enter Qaddafi Stronghold City as Toll Rises - NYT

Libya Fighters Enter Gaddafi City - BBC

Libyan Interim Government Forces Close In on Sirte - Reuters

Libyans Fleeing Loyalist Town Face Scrutiny - WSJ

Scotland Asks Libya for Help Finding Lockerbie Evidence - NYT

Libyan Justice Minister Says Lockerbie Case Closed - AP

Libya's NTC Says Lockerbie Case Closed - Reuters

Libya Orders State Security Courts Abolished - AP

Libyan Women Train for Military, Hope for Equality - AP

Oil Firm Resumes Libya Operations - BBC

Eni, Total Resume Some Oil Production in Libya - AP

Syria

Syrian FM: West 'Seeks to Break Up' Country - BBC

Syrian Minister Blames West for Crackdown - AP

4 Syrian Soldiers Reported Killed in Escape Attempt - NYT

Syria Forces Storm Refuge for Army Defectors - Reuters

Tanks Storm Restive Town of Rastan - BBC

Syrian Troops Storm Restive Town - AP

Syria Seeks Cutback in Oil Production - WP

Hackers Hit Syrian Government Websites - WT

Iraq

Iraq Signs Deal to Buy 18 F-16 Warplanes - Reuters

Senior Finance Official Assassinated in Iraq - AP

AFN-Iraq ‘Freedom Radio’ Goes Off Air - AFPS

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Social Media Joy at Reform Promise - BBC

Saudi Authorities to Try Woman for Driving - AP

Votes for Women Is Big 'Small Step' in Saudi Arabia - Reuters

Women in Saudi Arabia Have Long Way to Go - TG

Saudi Arabia’s Small Step - WP editorial

Saudi Arabia and Its Women - NYT editorial

Saudi Arabia Denies Women the Vote - WT editorial

Yemen

Yemen President Confirms Support for Transfer of Power - NYT

Yemeni Defense Minister 'Survives Attack' - BBC

Yemen Defense Minister Survives Bomb Attack - Reuters

UN Urges End to Violence in Yemen - AP

Egypt

Egypt’s FM: “Back Treaty with Israel” - AP

Amnesty Urges Release of Egyptian Blogger - AP

Egypt Gas Pipeline Attacked Again - BBC

Militants Attack Egyptian Gas Pipeline to Israel - AP

Middle East / North Africa

Mideast Upheaval: Turkey Offers Itself as an Answer - NYT

Lawyer for Hikers Freed by Iran Denies Abuse Claims - NYT

US Congressmen Pledge Support for Tunisia Election - AP

US Department of Defense

Pentagon Extends Program to Defend Cyber Networks - S&S

Remains of WWII Vet Being Repatriated from Bosnia - S&S

DC’s Largest Free Military Career Fair Slated for Tuesday - S&S

The Pentagon Budget and the Deficit - NYT editorial

United States

Congress Again Manages to Prevent Government Shutdown - S&S

Senate Approves Stopgap Budget Bill -WP

Senate Agrees to Deal to Avert Government Shutdown - NYT

Gates Starts to Say What He Really Thinks - WP

Decade after Anthrax Attacks, Worry Over Stockpile - AP

Man in Pentagon Shooting Faces New Charge at Jail - AP

Fake W.Va. Army General Gets 2 Years in Prison - AP

Washington Monument: Rappelling Inspection Next Up - AP

President’s Foreign-Policy Failures Increase - WT opinion

United Kingdom

Six Accused of Plotting Terrorism in England - NYT

6 Men in UK Court over Alleged Terror Plot - AP

3 IRA Dissidents Arrested, 2 Bomb Alerts in Ulster - AP

Australia

Australia Will Allow Women to Serve in Combat - NYT

Australia Lifts Female Combat Ban - BBC

United Nations

The Turkish Tussle at Turtle Bay - FP

Scuffle at the United Nations Ends in an Apology to Turks - NYT

Few Talking After Shoving Match at UN Assembly - AP

Ready, Set, Walk Out! Protesting Ahmadinejad at UN - Reuters

WHO: Iran, South Asia Worst for City Air Pollution - AP

UN Foundation Launches Mobile Application - AP

Africa

Talks over DR Congo Poll Violence - BBC

South Africa May Block Dalai Lama Visit to Tutu - AP

Americas

Drug Trafficking Greatest Threat to Latin America Today - UN

Paper, Bloggers Stunned by Mexico Killing - AP

Mexico Rejects Video Call to Exterminate Cartel - AP

Mexican Drug Lord's Wife Has Twins in LA County Hospital - LAT

Is Colombia Losing War Against Rebels and Drugs Gangs? - FOX

Colombians Seize $2m FARC Drug Submarine - BBC

Cuba Seeks Normalization With US - AP

Bolivia Halts Work on Amazon Road - BBC

Bolivia President Suspends Construction of Highway - AP

Chile Suffers 3rd Major Blackout In as Many Days - AP

Jamaica's Departing PM Meets With Cabinet Members - AP

Asia Pacific

China Scales Back Military Ties With US Over F-16s - AP

US Ambassador to Beijing Admired, Reviled - AP

Red Alert: Cyber-Espionage in China - WP

Blunt Talk From China Ex-Premier Stirs Reform Pot - Reuters

Two Tibetan Monks Set Themselves on Fire in Protest - NYT

Militants Kill 6, Wound 5 in Philippine Attack - AP

Powerful Typhoon Hits Philippines - BBC

Amnesty: Most Casualties in S. Thailand Civilian - AP

Amnesty: Insurgents Commit 'War Crimes' in S. Thailand - Reuters

Indonesian Police Say Church Bomber Was Wanted Man - AP

Europe

Mixed Reaction to Talk of Bolstering Europe Bailout Fund - NYT

Russia: Putin May Bring Tougher Tone with US - WP

Russian President Ousts Finance Minister - NYT

Russia Finance Minister Resigns - BBC

The Genius of Vladimir Putin - WP opinion

Putin’s Reset - WT opinion

Trial of Ukraine Ex-PM Resumes, Pressure From West - Reuters

Charges Filed in Norway Terror Plot - AP

5 Algerians Arrested in Spain for Terror Links - AP

South Asia

India Police Crackdown Woman Dies - BBC

Amnesty Asks Lawmakers to Debate Kashmir Graves - AP

Read more about 27 September SWJ Roundup

WTF: Is Colombia Losing Now?

Is Colombia Losing Its War Against Rebels and Drugs Gangs? By David Noto, FOX News. Bluf:

A deteriorating security situation across Colombia has the Andean nation scrambling to find new ways to wage its decades-long civil war against the left-wing insurgent FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia), as well as right-wing paramilitary groups and drug gangs.

Read more about WTF: Is Colombia Losing Now?

Getting Embed with the Military

The very mixed results of our reconstruction efforts in Iraq form the core of my new book, We Meant Well: How I Helped Lose the Battle for the Hearts and Minds of the Iraqi People. As a Foreign Service Officer plucked from a cozy cubicle in Foggy Bottom and dropped into an embed situation with a succession of can-do Army units (3/82^nd Airborne, 2/10^thMountain and 1/3rd ID) with no military experience of my own, I had a lot of learning to do. In the end I practiced more diplomacy and cross-cultural skills inside the wire than outside. Of the many uncertainties of the next gasps of our foreign policy, one thing is certain: our future wars will continue to feature civilian-military combined efforts.

Getting along is not always easy; military personnel will always vastly out number (and out spend) civilians and so most of the adapting needs to happen on our side of the equation, not theirs. Retired Marine Col. Gary Anderson wrote an excellent article in Small Wars Journal, previously featured on Best Defense, aimed at helping civilians who work with the US military. His piece is very good, and worth reading, but does not go far enough.

Here are some additional ideas for civilians assigned to military unit:

1) Earn respect by being very good at whatever it is you are doing there. Don't expect second chances to move from the dumb ass to the useful category. Don't be a know it all either, especially if your knowledge is mostly book learning.

2) 0900 means be there no later than 0845. Don't operate on civilian time. If you're late for a movement, you'll be left behind, or worse, they'll wait for you. Don’t be late even though you know the movement will start late, as it often does.

3) If you are entitled to privileges beyond what the military gets, share if you are allowed (sat phone, laptop, movies, books) or keep quiet about it (booze).

4) Follow the rules even if you can get away with not following the rules. Shave, keep your hair cut, don't dress like a slob.

5) Start off formal, work back toward casual. Expect to be invited to call senior officers by their first names. Plan to decline to do so unless in private.

6) Anything to do with real military stuff, such as defensive plans or drills, shut up, pay attention and follow along. Don't end up dead weight that has to be carried. Don’t think your input is sought on military matters, even if someone asks you. They are just being polite.

7) Always be able to and always do carry your own gear. Even if you are short, weak and slight, hump what is yours and do not let a soldier carry it for you (they will try). If you can't carry it, leave it behind. Check how much room you'll have for stuff on various forms of transport, like MRAPs and different model helos and pack knowledgeably.

8) Expect to be tested. Expect things to be thrown your way to see what you'll do-- meet deadlines, help out, or skip things and get away with being lazy because you have the freedom to do so. Soldiers have to figure out who they can trust and who they can't.

9) Socialize. If you are one of many civilians, try hard not to split off into a civilian group at meals.

10) Adopt a sports team if you don't follow one. There is not a more neutral topic in the military than sports. It'll be a while before you can argue politics, but sports is always a decent topic and opinions are encouraged. You don't have to be a walking encyclopedia, just be able to join in. Surprise people by being "normal."

11) Listen carefully to how soldiers complain. Complaining is a right of being in uniform, but you must be careful not to exceed the boundaries, or to make it seem like you are not being cared for.

12) Do not criticize another soldier, even if the troops are doing it. They're insiders, you're not. Do feel free to poke fun at yourself to show that you are not like the last civilian they dealt with. Just because soldiers of different races can make racial jokes with one another, don't think you can.

13) If told to wear body armor, or a helmet, or gloves or long sleeves or whatever, just do it. Don't try to get away with not. There may or may not be a good reason, but that is not your concern.

14) If you don't understand an acronym, ask. Otherwise people will expect that you understood and expect you to do whatever is expected. Nobody will translate everything for you and as long as they do you are an outsider.

15) Don't play soldier. Don't wear military gear you don't need, don't over use slang or profanity, don't pretend to know things you don't know, or know only from war movies. Be polite and respectful but don't overdo the Sirs and Ma'ams. Be who you are, though maybe a slightly more laid back and in-shape version of who you are.

16) If you agree to do something, absolutely do it. This is not an environment to say "Let's get together sometime to discuss that further" without meaning it.

17) Share hardships. Expect to always be offered the best food, the best sleeping arrangements, the ride instead of walking. Decline sometimes, say yes when it seems better than insulting someone by declining (hard to judge-- that's why you get the big bucks).

18) The military will always out spend the civilians. They will always have more resources, more people and more cash. Commenting/joking about it once or twice is expected; still talking about it two weeks into your deployment is unnecessary, unproductive and whiney.

19) Special for fellow State Department heroes: don't ask officers to fetch coffee for you, don't wear bow ties, don't speak in passive-aggressive slights, don't complain when your shoes get dusty, don't wear white pants to the field, don't show up without a PowerPoint to briefings, don’t expect soldiers to make your PowerPoint slides for you, don't ask soldiers to take notes for you, don't talk about your next assignment to Paris, overall just don't be a weenie and make it harder on the rest of us.

The views expressed here are solely those of the author in his private capacity and do not in any way represent the views of the Department of State, the Department of Defense, or any other entity of the U.S. Government. The Department of State has not approved, endorsed, or authorized this article.

Read more about Getting Embed with the Military

26 September SWJ Roundup

US Naval Institute Daily - USNI

Pakistan

Pakistan Will Not Attack Haqqani Group, Defying US - Reuters

Sen. Graham: ‘All Options on the Table’ for Pakistan - WT

Senator: Consider Military Action Against Pakistan - AP

US Pakistan Relations Frazzle - VOA

Pakistan Holds Special Military Meeting Amid US Tensions - VOA

Pakistani Commanders Meet After US Criticism - AP

Pakistan Army Top Brass Meets Amid US Tensions - Reuters

Pakistan Army Shelling Afghan Border Areas - Reuters

UK Terror Suspects 'Trained in Pakistan' - BBC

Opposition Politician Khan Urges UK to Cut Pakistan Aid - BBC

Afghanistan

Afghans Hold Man Tied to Top Negotiator’s Death - NYT

'CIA Station' in Kabul Attacked - BBC

Building Used by CIA Attacked in Afghan Capital - AP

Israel / Palestinians

UN Security Council to Consider Palestinian Membership - BBC

Abbas Receives Hero's Welcome in West Bank - VOA

Palestinians Roll Out Hero’s Welcome for Abbas - NYT

With UN Bid, Abbas Rises Out of Arafat's Shadow - AP

Abbas Says No Talks Without Israeli Settlement Freeze - Reuters

Mideast Talks Get Mixed Reception - WP

Libya

Former Rebels’ Rivalries Hold Up Governing in Libya - NYT

Libya's NTC May Delay Forming Gov't Again - Reuters

Mass Grave Found in Libya With 1,270 Bodies - VOA

Tripoli Prison Mass Grave Found - BBC

Libya Finds Grave With 1,270 Victims of 1996 Massacre - Reuters

Qaddafi Loyalists Mounted Raid From Algeria - NYT

Gadhafi Gunmen Cross Border from Algeria to Libya - AP

Syria

First Hints of an Armed Rebellion Seen in Syria - WP

Religious Minorities Fear Syria Islamists - WT

Syrian Tanks Pound Rebel Town Near Homs, 3 Injured - Reuters

Iraq

Hezbollah Leader Held in Iraq Could Get US Military Tribunal - AP

Four Bomb Blasts Rock Karbala, Killing at Least 10 - LAT

Bombs Strike Shiite Holy City in Iraq - NYT

Four Blasts Kill 17 in Iraq's Karbala - Reuters

Yemen

Yemeni President Calls for Power Transfer Through Elections - VOA

Yemen Leader Calls for Early Vote - BBC

Saleh Calls for Yemen Elections - WP

Yemen's Saleh Calls for Early Elections, Violence Goes - Reuters

Defiant Yemeni Leader Makes No Pledge to Step Down - AP

Saudi Arabia

Saudi King Grants Women Right to Vote, Run in Elections - VOA

Saudi Arabia’s King Says Women Will Be Allowed to Vote -NYT

Saudi Arabia to Allow Women to Vote - LAT

US Praises Saudi Reform on Women's Voting Rights - AP

Egypt

Egypt's Labor Movement Blooms - WP

General Given Easy Ride in Mubarak Trial - Reuters

Egypt’s Real Threat - WP opinion

Iran

Leaderless Iranian Opposition Seen Lacking Strategy - Reuters

US Hikers: Iran Held Us Because of Nationality, Not Actions - VOA

US Hikers Released from Iran Recount Prison Time - LAT

Back From Iran, US Hikers Share Tales of Strife - NYT

Freed Hikers: Iran Held Us Because We're American - AP

Middle East / North Africa

Japan Will Make Loans to Aid 'Arab Spring' Movements - S&S

Turkey-Iran to Continue Efforts Against Kurdish Rebels - VOA

Fewer Than 1 in 5 Vote in Bahrain By-Elections - Reuters

Bahrain Opposition Challenges Election Turnout - AP

More Oman Voters Register for Post-Protest Election - Reuters

WikiLeaks

WikiLeaks’ Founder, in a British Cage - NYT

US Department of Defense

Specter of Big Defense Cuts Prompts Big Worries - S&S

Army to Cut Nearly 50,000 Soldiers Over 5 Years - S&S

War Veterans Struggle to Fit Back Into Society - S&S

Rigors of War Leave Troops Battling Arthritis at Young Age - S&S

Pentagon to Beam War Crimes Trials to US Soil - McClatchy

Bush-era Pentagon Officials Cleared of Wrongdoing - WT

Taking iPads into Battle - LAT

United States

Govt Shutdown Looming, Another Shot at Spending Bill - WP

Congress Makes No Progress on Keeping Govt Afloat - LAT

NYPD Chief: Police Could Take Down Plane if Needed - AP

A Tighter Border with Mexico - WP editorial

World

Government by Crime Syndicate - LAT opinion

Africa

US Drones 'Hit Somali Militants' - BBC

First African Woman to Win Nobel Peace Prize Dies - AP

Americas

As Gangs Move In on Mexico’s Schools, Teachers Say ‘Enough’ - NYT

Newspaper Editor Killed in Mexico - BBC

Report: Many Mexican Police Still Paid Low Wages - AP

Bolivian Police Break Up Anti-Highway March - AP

Jamaica’s Beleaguered Leader to Step Down - NYT

Asia Pacific

Japan’s PM Urges Okinawans to Accept US Marine Base - S&S

North Korean Defectors to Arrive in South This Week - VOA

Ambush in Philippines 'Kills 15' - BBC

Suicide Bombing at Indonesian Church Injures 22 - AP

Europe

Europe Stews on Greece, Markets Sweat Out the Wait - NYT

Eurozone Rescue Plan 'Emerging' - BBC

Greece Vows Commitment to Euro - WP

Greek Police Fire Teargas at Protesters in Athens - Reuters

French Left Takes Control of the Senate - NYT

Russian Finance Chief Objects to Leader Swap - NYT

Putin’s Power Play - AP

For Russia’s Liberals, Flickers of Hope Vanish - NYT

Mother Takes on Russian Officials - WP

Mr. Putin’s Corruption - WP opinion

Europe’s Danger Zone - WP opinion

Read more about 26 September SWJ Roundup

Mexican Cartel Strategic Note

Mexican Cartels (Transnational Criminal Organizations) Now Operating in Over 1,000 US Cities; Up From 195 US Cities

The recent publication of the US Department of Justice National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC), National Drug Threat Assessment 2011 (http://www.justice.gov/ndic/topics/ndtas.htm#y2011) (August 2011) provides an important strategic insight into Mexican cartel penetration into the United States. On p. 8 of the document, a single sentence states:

Mexican-based TCOs were operating in more than a thousand U.S. cities during 2009-2010, spanning all nine OCDETF regions.

The corresponding note (g) is as follows:

Included are traffickers who purchase illicit drugs from TCO associates and distribute them on their own, cells that function as an extension of the TCO to traffic illicit drugs in the United States, and cells that provide warehousing, security, and/or transportation services for the TCO.

Prior publicly released National Drug Intelligence Center data on Mexican TCOs (Transnational Criminal Organizations) operating in the United States dates back to a situation report and a series of maps from April 2008. The Situation Report: Cities in Which Mexican DTOs Operate Within the United States (http://www.justice.gov/ndic/pubs27/27986/index.htm). This sentence from the Discussion section provides a baseline concerning Mexican cartel penetration into the United States:

Federal, state, and local law enforcement reporting reveals that Mexican DTOs operate in at least 195 cities throughout the United States.

The acronym “DTO” stands for Drug Trafficking Organization which has since been replaced by the acronym “TCO”— Transnational Criminal Organization— used in the 2011 document— to convey that the Mexican cartels are now viewed as more threatening and capable (with transnational reach) entities. This data comes from

“Federal, State, and Local Law Enforcement Reporting January 1, 2006 through April 8, 2008”. No corresponding note exists concerning the metrics of the data pertaining to this report, though it assumed, that the same data collection methodology was utilized by the US Department of Justice analysts. If this assumption is accurate:

This would mean that Mexican cartel operational penetration into US cities is now thought to be 500% higher than previously estimated in the time frame of roughly three years. The baseline of “at least 195 cities throughout the United States” has increased to “more than a thousand U.S. cities”.

While the April 2008 document was supported by Map 1. Cities reporting the presence of Mexican drug trafficking organizations showing the locations of the Mexican cartels in the United States, the new August 2011 National Drug Threat Assessment does not provide such a map. A query and public request for information to NDIC public affairs concerning the release of such a map was made. The response was that such a map would now be considered a law enforcement restricted document. While this might be understandable from an operational security (OPSEC) and counter-intelligence perspective, it is in variance with an open public debate on the Mexican cartel (and gang) threat to the United States and the more encompassing threat to Mexico, Central America, and other regions of the Western Hemisphere.

If US Congressional and Senate committees—such as the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee (http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/subcommittees.asp?committee=8)— and those focusing on homeland security are to continue their public hearings on this broadening threat, some consideration should be made as to US strategic requirements and open public debate. Ten years after the 9/11 attack by Al Qaeda, the United States has reached a pivotal strategic decision point in our national policies. Are we to continue with our national security policy of focusing on that terrorist entity (and its group of networks) as the dominant threat to the US and the homeland or will the Mexican cartels (and their supporting gang networks) now be recognized as replacing Al Qaeda as the number one threat to our government and safety of our citizens? While the violence potentials of Al Qaeda are universally recognized— we will never forget the thousands of our dead mourned after 9/11— the violence associated with the criminal insurgent potentials of the Mexican cartels and their ability to corrupt and undermine governments in the Western Hemisphere must now be considered far more threatening to our nation.¹

Notes

1. Two issues should be further clarified. First, any type of Al Qaeda inspired attack taking place domestically— even a botched suicide bombing attempt against the DC metro system— would result in heightened media sensationalism and a continued US Governmental focus on Al Qaeda as the primary threat to this nation. The fallout from such an incident would likely serve to downgrade our perceptions related to the greater threat stemming from the more corruptive and subtle insurgent activities of the Mexican cartels combined with their use of symbolic violence. Second, I want to reiterate that the cause of global jihad promoted by Al Qaeda and other elements of radical Islam are still a significant threat to US interests and our global security posture. In the case of our allies in Europe, for example, Al Qaeda and radical Islam continue to be the number one external and internal strategic threat to many of these nations. When our own domestic security scales weigh the threats, however, Al Qaeda and radical Islam, has to now be considered less of a threat to the security of the United States than the Mexican cartels and their associates. Ultimately, while we can live with governmental failure and internal strife in Afghanistan and/or Iraq—we cannot say the same concerning Mexico, given the cross border cartel infiltration we have now identified per the National Drug Threat Assessment 2011.

An American Hipster in Kabul Talks Turbanicide

An "American Hipster in Kabul" had this to say about the recent assassination of Burhanuddin Rabbani this week:

[ISAF] is killing off or capturing any and all mid-level and higher Taliban leadership, and the QST is finding it increasingly difficult to control the various factions that currently operate under the umbrella of Taliban, Inc. The Rabbani incident just brought to the surface what ISAF and others I’m sure have known for a while now: the QST is losing its grip on the organization.

Read more at findingmytribe.wordpress.com.

Read more about An American Hipster in Kabul Talks Turbanicide

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