| Small Wars Journal

The Pentagon says President Barack Obama's desire to find $400 billion over the next 12 years in additional defense spending cuts will result in reductions in U.S. military capabilities. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is launching a comprehensive review to develop options for the president to consider.

In his budget speech Wednesday, President Obama praised Secretary Gates for finding $400 billion in cuts based mainly on improved efficiency. Then he said he wants the same amount of cuts again.

"We need to not only eliminate waste and improve efficiency and effectiveness, but conduct a fundamental review of America's missions, capabilities, and our role in a changing world. I intend to work with Secretary Gates and the Joint Chiefs on this review, and I will make specific decisions about spending after it's complete." Obama said.

In a fact sheet, the White House specified that the president wants to hold defense spending increases below the inflation level, and save $400 billion between now and 2023. Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell says the cuts would affect the defense department's base budget, currently $553 billion per year. At the current spending rate that would be a cut of about 6 1/2 per cent per year. The cuts would not affect funding for the current wars.

Still, Morrell says reductions of that magnitude will have a real impact on U.S. defense capabilities, and will be considered carefully during the review the president ordered.

"The secretary has been clear that further significant defense cuts can not be accomplished without reducing force structure and military capability. The comprehensive review of missions, capabilities and America's role in the world will identify alternatives for the president's consideration. The secretary believes this process must be about managing risk associated with future threats and national security challenges, and identifying missions that the country is —to have the military forego." Morrell said.

Morrell says Secretary Gates was not aware the president wanted the review until Tuesday, and is still putting together a plan with other senior officials. The secretary did not speak in public Wednesday, but at a news conference in February he urged members of congress not to make defense cuts based on fixed amounts, but rather only based on the strategic and operational realities of today's world.

"Suggestions to cut defense by this or that large number have largely become exercises in simple math, divorced from serious considerations of capabilities, risk, and the level of resources needed to protect this country's security and vital interests around the world," Gates said.

The press secretary, Geoff Morrell, says the Pentagon's review of threats and capabilities will not be finished in time to impact the coming debate over the budget for next year. Rather, he says, any strategy-based reductions will be part of the president's budget proposal for 2013.

More:

Obama's Speech on Reducing the Budget - New York Times transcript

Pentagon: Obama Budget Cut Forces, Missions - Associated Press

Gates Warns of Fallout from U.S. Defense Cuts - Agence France-Presse

Obama Seeks Spending Cuts, Taxes on Wealthy - Washington Post

Pentagon Warns on Big U.S. Defense Cuts - Reuters

Obama Urges Cuts and More Taxes on Rich - New York Times

Obama Unveils Plan to Cut Deficit by $4 Trillion - Los Angeles Times

Obama Stokes Deficit Fight - Wall Street Journal

General Martin E. Dempsey in Four Slides

General Martin E. Dempsey in Four Slides. BLUF: "Every morning on the way to work, I walk past the pictures of all the former Chiefs, and then I drive past row after row of the headstones in Arlington National Cemetery. If you find me eager to get things done, that's why."

Empire Challenge 11 Update

Empire Challenge 11 Planning Continues as Event Nears

EC11, an annual joint and coalition ISR interoperability demonstration, will run May 23 - June 3 at Fort Huachuca, Ariz., and at distributed locations worldwide.

By Army Sgt. Josh LeCappelain

USJFCOM Public Affairs

(NORFOLK, Va.- April 13, 2011) -- Preparation for U.S. Joint Forces Command's (USJFCOM) Empire Challenge 11 (EC11) are underway.

EC11, an annual joint and coalition intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) interoperability demonstration now in its eighth year, showcases more than 30 emerging ISR capabilities, and improves joint and combined ISR interoperability to support warfighters.

This year's event will run from May 23 - June 3 at Fort Huachuca, Ariz., with distributed locations at Camp Lejeune, N.C; the Joint Intelligence Lab and Joint Systems Integration Center in Suffolk, Va.; Langley Air Force Base, Hampton, Va.; Naval Air Weapons Center, China Lake, Calif.; service Distributed Common Ground Surface/System labs; coalition sites in the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia; and the NATO Allied Command for Transformation in Norfolk, Va.

According to Air Force Col. Joe McDonald, USJFCOM Joint Intelligence Operations Center ISR integration, experimentation and system integration chief, this year's initiatives have potential to provide solutions to warfighter challenges in the areas of new sensors, improved ISR management tools and processes, and data sharing, among others.

"The hope is that we can provide actionable and relevant info to warfighters," said McDonald. "With ISR, what most see is merely the tip of the iceberg. If you collect 500 hours of full-motion video, there begs the question of what is the important part? We want to help break that down and make it truly usable to the warfighter.

"We're trying out the equipment before it gets fielded, so hopefully there are fewer issues once the equipment is actually fielded, he added. "We do tough assessments, which are very pass/fail driven."

Some of the equipment will be fielded to warfighters "near real-time," said McDonald, while others are assessed for their potential in the future.

McDonald called the event the "premier DOD ISR demonstration and assessment event," with 2,000 multinational participants involved in the event worldwide.

"On the ground at Fort Huachuca, we're going to have the U.K., Canada, and Australia in addition to U.S. personnel," McDonald said, adding that other multinational partners include Finland, Sweden, Denmark, France and the Netherlands. "The British and Canadians are going to have their own forward operating bases, just like they did last year. But this year we've spread everything out a bit more, to try and replicate the operating environment in Afghanistan and provide a more realistic setting to drive more realistic results."

He added that getting a chance to test capabilities in an environment with terrain, features and climate similar to Afghanistan was an invaluable tool for the British participants last year.

"They can't replicate an Afghanistan-like environment in the U.K. During EC10, they were able to identify equipment issues that occurred because of the heat, with some things actually melting. They couldn't replicate that back home," he said. "Since they deployed from Empire Challenge to Afghanistan, the event gave them the chance to discover an issue and fix it before it disrupted operations in theater."

The scenario used during EC11 are based on real-world tactics, techniques and procedures encountered by warfighters on the current battlefield, with a focus on operations in Afghanistan, McDonald said. During the demonstration, notional scenarios drive participants to react, helping provide an operational context assess the capabilities.

Read more about Empire Challenge 11 Update

13 April SWJ Roundup (Updated)

Afghanistan

Bomber Kills Kunar Elder Malik Zarin - BBC News

Afghan Police: Suicide Bomber Kills 10 - Associated Press

International Security Assistance Force Operations Roundup - AFPS

Images from Afghanistan, April 2011 - Washington Post

Pakistan

CIA, Pakistan Look to Repair Rift - Washington Post

Pakistan, U.S. Attempt to Rebuild Trust - Los Angeles Times

U.S.-Pakistan Relations Facing Biggest Crisis Since 9/11 - The Guardian

Pakistan Says No to Drone Strikes, CIA Operations - Voice of America

Pakistan Wants to Cut CIA Drone Strikes, Personnel - CNN News

Pakistan Warns U.S. 'to Restrict CIA Activities' - BBC News

Can Pakistan Force U.S. to Back Off? - Christian Science Monitor

2 U.S. Missile Attacks Kill 6 Near Afghan Border - Associated Press

U.S. Drone Strike Kills 6 in Pakistan, First Since March - Reuters

USPACOM: Pakistan-Based Militant Group Expanding - Reuters

When Pakistan Says No to the CIA - New York Times opinion

Libya / Operation Odyssey Dawn

Pace of Attacks in Libya Conflict Is Dividing NATO - New York Times

France, Britain Want NATO to Fight Harder - Washington Post

Libya: NATO Must do More, say France and U.K. - BBC News

NATO Urged to Press Harder as Battles Continue - USA Today

Libyan Conflict Seen as Stalemate - Voice of America

Foreign Ministers Meet Amid Fears of Libya Stalemate - Reuters

Rebels Set to Talk, but Not With Qaddafi's Ex-Ally - New York Times

Libyan Rebels Urge Stronger U.S. Military Role - Associated Press

Libya Rebels Ask Foreign Allies for Arms - Reuters

Libyan Rebels Say Repel Govt Offensives in Misrata - Reuters

Algeria Denies Libyan Rebel Claims on Mercenaries - Associated Press

Egypt

Special Report: Inside the Egyptian Revolution - Reuters

Prosecutors Order 15-Day Detention of Mubarak - Washington Post

Egypt's Mubarak Hospitalized Amid Growing Corruption Probe - VOA

Egypt's Hosni Mubarak in Hospital after 'Heart Attack' - BBC News

Mubarak Hospitalized in Egypt - New York Times

Egypt Army Enters Cairo Square After Five-Day Protest - Reuters

Tunisia

E.U. Demands Tunisia Do More to Stop Illegal Migration - BBC News

Yemen

Rival Military Factions Clash in Yemen - New York Times

Renewed Protests in Yemen After Gulf Plan Rejected - VOA

1 Killed, 4 Wounded in Latest Yemen Protest - Associated Press

Yemen Protesters Vow to Stay in Sanaa Square - Agence France-Presse

Who's Really In the Opposition, Anyway? - Foreign Policy opinion

Syria

Syria Presses Crackdown in Two Cities on Coast - New York Times

Syrian Forces Attack Two Villages Near Baniyas - Washington Post

'Dozens Injured' in Baniyas as Arrests Continue - BBC News

Syrian Forces Arrest 200 in Rebellious Town - Reuters

In New Protest, Syrian Women Block Main Highway - Associated Press

White House Finally Condemns Syria - The Guardian opinion

Iraq

5 Killed in Violence Across Iraq - CNN News

Nine Dead, including Four Police, in Attacks - Agence France-Presse

Iran

Iran Touts Major Advances in Nuclear Program - Washington Post

Rising Natural Gas Prices Stir Anger in Iran - Washington Post

E.U. to Impose Iran Sanctions Over Human Rights - Associated Press

Iran's Nuclear Surge - Washington Post editorial

Bahrain

HRW: Bahrain Should Investigate Deaths in Custody - Reuters

Daughter of Prominent Bahraini Activist Challenges Obama - VOA

Hospital Is Drawn Into Bahrain Strife - New York Times

Israel / Palestinians

Clinton: U.S. Plans New Push on Arab-Israeli Peace - Reuters

New Hamas Weapon Alters Strategic Calculations - FOX News

U.N. Praises Palestinians' Progress Toward a State - New York Times

U.N. Praises Palestinian Preparations for Statehood - Wall Street Journal

U.N.: Palestinian Authority Largely Ready to Govern - BBC News

U.N.: Palestinian Authority Paving Way to Statehood - Haaretz

Blair to Endorse Palestinian State - The Australian

Middle East / North Africa Unrest

Unrest Ripples Across Troubled Middle East - Voice of America

Latest Developments in Arab World's Unrest - Associated Press

Pray. Hope. Prepare. - New York Times opinion

U.S. Department of Defense

Casey Retires After Four Decades of Army Service - AFPS

Army Chief of Staff General George W. Casey Jr. - Official Biography

Dempsey Lays Out Themes for Tenure as Army Chief - AFPS

General Martin E. Dempsey - Official Biography

United States

CIA's Brain Drain Since 9/11 - Washington Post

Pakistani Jailed for U.S. Bomb Plot - BBC News

Senators Probe Nuclear Future in Wake of Japan - Reuters

United Nations

U.N. Report: Over 100 Aid Workers Killed Annually - Associated Press

Africa

New Leader Consolidates His Control In Ivory Coast - New York Times

Ivory Coast: Ouattara Forces Move to Round Up Gbagbo Militants - VOA

Ivory Coast: Top Generals Pledge Loyalty to Ouattara - BBC News

Ivory Coast Generals Pledge Loyalty to President - Associated Press

Ivory Coast: 'Gbagbo Weapons Cache' Uncovered - BBC News

Reprisals Rock Ivory Coast After Strongman Deposed - Associated Press

Support May Boost Ouattara Chances in Ivory Coast - Reuters

WFP Airlifts Life-Saving Food to Thousands in Ivory Coast - VOA

PDP Election Losses 'Have Changed Nigeria' - BBC News

Nigeria Opposition Mulls Alliance to Beat Jonathan - Reuters

Sudan: Clashes Erupt in Darfur as Peace Talks Stall - Reuters

Police In Swaziland Squash Rally For Democracy - New York Times

Swaziland Police Disperse Manzini Democracy Activists - BBC News

Americas

U.S. Warns of Mexico Peril - Wall Street Journal

Mexico's Zetas Cartel Blamed for Mass Graves - BBC News

Mexico Finds 28 More Bodies in Border Pits - Associated Press

Death Toll in Mexican Mass Graves Rises to 116 - Reuters

Mexico Acquits Last of 35 Jailed Officials - Associated Press

No FARC in Venezuela, Says Colombian President Santos - BBC News

Colombia Says Rebel Camps Gone From Venezuela - Reuters

Peru Election: Humala, Fujimori Court Moderate Voters - BBC News

Uruguay Removing Amnesty for Dictatorship Crimes - Associated Press

Asia Pacific

Japan Raises Severity of Fukushima Accident to Highest Level - VOA

Japan Rates Nuclear Crisis at Highest Severity Level - Washington Post

Japan Tries to Explain Delays in Reporting Radiation - New York Times

TEPCO Still Working on Plan to End Japan Nuclear Crisis - Reuters

Japan PM Seeks to Calm Food Fears - BBC News

U.S. Says China's Navy Less Aggressive in 2011 - BBC News

Chinese Editors Detail Censors' Hidden Hand - Washington Post

China Arrests Fourth Dissident in 'Jasmine' Crackdown - Reuters

Chinese Democracy Activist Charged With Subversion - Associated Press

Chinese Shouwang Church Vows to Hold More Services - BBC News

U.S., South Korea Prepared to Deter Aggression - AFPS

U.S. Citizen Detained in North Korea - Associated Press

U.S. Urges North Korea to Release American - Voice of America

Philippine Army Arrests Bomb Suspect With JI Links - Associated Press

Europe

Space Exploration Remains Priority for Russia - BBC News

Belarus Tightens Security After Subway Blast - New York Times

Belarus Arrests Several over Minsk Metro Bomb Blast - BBC News

Belarus Detains Suspect in Subway Blast - Associated Press

France Issues First Fine for Woman in Islamic Veil - BBC News

5 Ways Europe is Targeting Islam - Christian Science Monitor

Fears About Immigrants Deepen Divisions in Europe - New York Times

Irish Police Make Arrest in Double Agent Killing - Associated Press

Nazi War Trials: FBI Thought Demjanjuk Evidence Faked - Associated Press

Demjanjuk Defense Asks for Trial Suspension - Associated Press

South Asia

Kashmiri Militants Watch Talks but Ready to Fight - Reuters

Voting Begins in Key Indian State Elections - BBC News

U.N. Panel on Sri Lanka Conflict Delivers Report - Reuters

Nepal: New Energy Minister Gokarna Bista is Stabbed - BBC News

Read more about 13 April SWJ Roundup (Updated)

DARPA uses the crowd to solve problems

At the risk of seriously degrading office productivity everywhere, I bring to your attention the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency's (DARPA) latest request for help. DARPA wants you to help it develop better anti-submarine warfare tactics and it has designed a sub-hunting computer game it wants you to play. DARPA is "crowd-sourcing" the solution to finding and tracking adversary submarines. You play the sub-hunt game and report your tactics back to DARPA. DARPA will then incorporate the collective knowledge it thus receives into the software it is developing for a new sub-tracking robot. Click here to download the game -- and don't tell your boss I sent you.

Sub-hunting is not the only task for which DARPA has turned to crowd-sourcing. In February, DARPA crowd-sourced the design of a new tactical vehicle that would perform either reconnaissance or battlefield delivery and evacuation missions. DARPA hoped to attract the interest of service members, auto enthusiasts, designers, and engineers and offered a $10,000 reward for the top design.

The theory behind these crowd-sourcing experiments is that DARPA will achieve practical designs and concepts faster by engaging a large community, even if most of the participants are non-experts. The traditional method is to engage only experts, who then use experimentation and iteration to refine concepts. Crowd-sourcing aims to perform the required iterations at the beginning and in "parallel" rather than slowly and sequentially. Efficiently processing the initial flood of trials into usable results requires software that can sort through the input, the vast majority of which is presumably of low quality. This sorting capability was likely the barrier to efficient crowd-sourcing in the past. But if anyone would have that capability now, it would be DARPA.

Should DARPA's crowd-sourcing experiments with hardware design and tactics succeed, we should expect the crowd-sourcing technique to spread to a much wider variety of military challenges. Soon DARPA, TRADOC, MCCDC, and others may call on us to be amateur tinkerers and game-players, as these groups task the crowd to solve problems. The bosses may even have to pay us to play.

Spring Fighting Season Begins in Afghanistan (Updated)

Task Force "No Slack," 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st BCT, 101st Airborne Division assaults into Taliban safehavens as the spring fighting season begins

Update. ABC continues coverage of the fight in Kunar Province

The 101st Airborne Takes On the Taliban in Afghanistan

by Mike Boettcher and Maggy Patrick

Update Two. ABC concludes coverage of the fight in Kunar Province

Afghanistan: Gen. David Petraeus Honors Fallen Heroes in Kunar Battle

by Mike Boettcher and Kristina Wong

12 April SWJ Roundup

Afghanistan

Karzai Blames West for Kabul Bank Crisis - Washington Post

Karzai Blames Western Firms for Bank's Troubles - New York Times

Karzai Says He'll Resolve Kabul Bank Crisis - Los Angeles Times

Karzai Pledges Kabul Bank Action - BBC News

2 U.S. Troops Killed by Friendly Fire in Afghanistan - Los Angeles Times

International Security Assistance Force Operations Roundup - AFPS

Pakistan

Pakistan Tells U.S. It Must Sharply Cut CIA Activities - New York Times

Pakistan Threatens to Impose New Restrictions on CIA - Washington Post

Zardari: Afghan War 'Destabilising Pakistan' - BBC News

Spy Breach with Pakistan? - Washington Post opinion

Libya / Operation Odyssey Dawn

Possible Libya Stalemate Puts Stress on U.S. Policy - New York Times

Libyan Rebels Reject A.U. Peace Plan - Voice of America

Libyan Rebels Reject Cease-fire Plan - Washington Post

Libyan Rebels Reject Cease-fire Plan - Los Angeles Times

Libyan Fighting Goes on After Peace Bid Fails - Reuters

Rebel Leaders Born From Lost Hopes in Gadhafi Son - Associated Press

Libya 'Risks Becoming New Somalia' - BBC News

Libya's Koussa Speaks for First Time Since Fleeing - Associated Press

U.S. Provides Support for NATO's Libya Operations - AFPS

Rebels May Have to Deal With Gaddafi - The Guardian editorial

Use Sudan as Peace Model for Libya - Moscow Times opinion

Egypt

Protesters Increasingly Disillusioned with Army - Los Angeles Times

Blogger Maikel Nabil Jailed by Military Court - BBC News

Egypt Blogger Gets 3 Years for Criticizing Army - Associated Press

Yemen

Yemen Opposition Rejects Gulf Proposal on Power Transfer - VOA

Opposition Rejects Gulf Arab Proposal - BBC News

Syria

Syrian Students Rally for Anti-Government Protesters - Voice of America

Outside Pressure on Syria Grows, 1 Dies in Protest - Associated Press

Syrian Opposition Says 200 Killed in Protests - Reuters

Iraq

Iraq Steps Back Onto the Regional Stage - New York Times

Iranian PMOI Exiles 'Must Leave Iraq by End of Year' - BBC News

Iraq Moves to Shut Iranian Exile Camp - Associated Press

Iran

Germany Rebuffs U.S. Calls to Shut Iran Bank - Wall Street Journal

Iran to Build New Research Reactors - Associated Press

Iran to Build New Nuclear Research Reactors - Reuters

Iran Blames Pipeline Explosion on Western Enemies - New York Times

Bahrain

Bahrain Unrest: Torture Fears as Activists Die in Jail - BBC News

Bahrain Editors to Face Trial Over Protests - Associated Press

U.S. Silence on Bahrain's Crackdown - Washington Post editorial

United Arab Emirates

UAE Arrests Democracy Activists - BBC News

Israel / Palestinians

Activists Plan New Gaza Aid Convoy in Late May - Associated Press

Iron Dome's Partial Answer for Israel - Jerusalem Post editorial

Hamas Gets Truce to Lick Its Wounds - Asia Times opinion

Middle East / North Africa Unrest

Latest Developments in Arab World's Unrest - Associated Press

Mideast Questions & Contradictions - FOX News opinion

Social Networking

How Social Networks Aid Enemies of Freedom - Newsweek opinion

U.S. Department of Defense

Is the Military Communicating Effectively? - RAND Corporation

Dempsey Lays Out Themes for Tenure as Army Chief - AFPS

U.N. Rights Expert Denied WikiLeaks Suspect Visit - Associated Press

Obama Needs to Find Another Gates - Cleveland Plain Dealer editorial

Africa

Ivory Coast's Gbagbo Captured at Presidential Compound - Voice of America

Former Leader of Ivory Coast Is Captured - New York Times

Ivory Coast Strongman Arrested - Washington Post

Ivory Coast's Laurent Gbagbo is Captured - Los Angeles Times

Ouattara Urges Ivory Coast Calm - BBC News

Clinton Says Arrest of Gbagbo A 'Signal' to Dictators, Tyrants - VOA

U.N. Official: Security Vacuum in Ivory Coast - Associated Press

Nigeria Opposition Makes Gains in Legislative Vote Tally - Voice of America

Police Move Swiftly to Prevent Protest in Uganda - New York Times

Besigye Held over Uganda 'Walk to Work' Protest - BBC News

Swazi Pro-Democracy Group Says 5 Activists Held - Associated Press

Americas

16 More Bodies Found in Mexican Pits, Total Now 88 - Associated Press

More Mass Graves Found in Mexico - BBC News

Mexico Asks US, Canada for Help With Border Fires - Associated Press

Peru Election For President Set for Runoff - New York Times

Peru Election: Humala-Fujimori Run-off Set for 5 June - BBC News

Venezuela to Deport Suspected Rebels - Associated Press

U.S. Envoy Departs Ecuador, Expelled Over Criticism - Associated Press

Ecuador's Envoy Sideshow - Miami Herald opinion

Asia Pacific

China's Crackdown Signals Shift - Wall Street Journal

Japan to Rate Nuclear Crisis at Highest Level - Washington Post

Japan Nuclear Disaster Put on Par With Chernobyl - New York Times

Japan: Powerful Earthquake Hits North-east - BBC News

U.S. Military Remains Ready to Help Japan - AFPS

Europe

Eleven Dead, Scores Injured in Belarus Subway Blast - Voice of America

Deadly Blast Hits Subway Station in Belarus - New York Times

Blast Rocks Minsk Metro Near Lukashenko Office - BBC News

Russia: Europe Ties to Putin Hurt Democracy - Reuters

France's Veil Ban Goes into Effect - Voice of America

France Enforces Ban on Full-Face Veils in Public - New York Times

Veiled Women Detained in France - BBC News

South Asia

Indian PM Manmohan Singh Heads to China for Talks - BBC News

India Frees Pakistani Prisoners - BBC News

Kashmir Shutdown over 'Dogra Certificate' - BBC News

Read more about 12 April SWJ Roundup

Another Brick in the Wall? (Updated)

We don't need no education

We don't need no thought control

No dark sarcasm in the classroom

Teachers leave them kids alone

Hey! Teacher! Leave them kids alone!

All in all it's just another brick in the wall.

All in all you're just another brick in the wall.

Need budget cuts? We probably can start by shutting the Air War College by Tom Ricks at Foreign Policy's Best Defense. BLUF: "... it costs at least $300,000 a year to send an officer to the AWC. So this looks like a good place to begin budget cuts, Secretary Gates. Close the place and send the students out into the world of civilian academia, where they will be challenged intellectually and might learn something."

Update

Gen. Kane's Response: Assessing the Air War College is a Matter of Perspective at Best Defense. BLUF:"At the end of the day, we've got perception and reality here, and as we all know sometimes the perception becomes the reality even if it is only in the mind of the individual observer. You can form your perception of our institution through Dan's chapter or my thoughts."

Counterinsurgency as a Strategy

An Evaluation of Counterinsurgency as a Strategy for Fighting the Long War by Lieutenant Colonel Baucum Fulk, U.S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute Letort Papers, 21 March 2011.

Counterterrorism, support to insurgency, and antiterrorism are each both efficient and sustainable from a military and economic perspective, and each have inherent political concerns, hazards, or constraints. The author maintains that an overall strategy combining counterterrorism and antiterrorism is the best means of employing military forces to counter violent extremism.

An Evaluation of Counterinsurgency as a Strategy for Fighting the Long War

Read more about Counterinsurgency as a Strategy

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