General Martin E. Dempsey; Commanding General of the US Army Training and Doctrine Command, Chief of Staff of the Army nominee, and SWJ blogger; sings "New York, New York" at the International Reception, 23 April 2010, Bay Breeze Community Center, Fort Monroe, Virginia.
Start spreading the news, I'm leaving today...
These corfram shoes, are longing to stray...
I wanna wake up in a building, that doesn't sleep...
These Ft. Monroe blues, are melting away...
I'll make a brand new start of it...
If I can make it there, I'll make anywhere...
Uptick in Violence this Winter Coincides with Less Snow - Washington Post
U.S. Fighting to Build. Afghan Business Culture? - Christian Science Monitor
Afghanistan Condemns Iran Fuel Blockade Amid Protests - Reuters
6 Civilians Killed by Blast in South Afghanistan - Associated Press
Bomb Kills 9 Wedding Guests In Afghanistan - Reuters
Marine Killed Afghan Policeman Who Pointed Gun - Los Angeles Times
Stick to the Afghanistan Deadline - Los Angeles Times editorial
Pakistan
Gunmen Torch 14 NATO Oil Tankers in South Pakistan - Associated Press
Attacks Down Almost 20 Percent in Pakistan - Associated Press
Tunisia / Fallout
Overthrow of Tunisian President Jolts Arab Region - Washington Post
Will Revolt in Tunisia Inspire Others? - Los Angeles Times
Mideast Asks After Tunisian Riots: Where Next? - Associated Press
Israeli PM: Tunisia Reflects Regional Instability - Associated Press
Unity Government Is Sought in Tunisia After Days of Clashes - New York Times
Tunisia Gets Another President, its Third in 24 Hours - Los Angeles Times
New Leader in Tunisia Calls for a Unity Government - Voice of America
In Tunisia, Clashes Continue as Power Shifts a Second Time - New York Times
Tunisia Speeds to New Future but Violence Steps Up - Associated Press
Tunisia Plans Unity Government, But Calm Broken By Gunfight - Reuters
Tunisia: Ben Ali's Security Chief Arrested - BBC News
U.S. Had Helo Deal With Ousted Tunisian Dictator - Wired
Cables Portray U.S. Ambivalence on Tunisia - New York Times
Tunisia's Revolution Should be a Wake-up Call - Washington Post editorial
Iraq
3 U.S. Service Members Killed in Iraq - New York Times
Three U.S. Soldiers Killed in Iraq - Los Angeles Times
U.S. Soldiers Killed While Training Iraqis - Associated Press
Bomb Kills 1 at Iraqi Militia Headquarters - Associated Press
Baghdad Raids on Alcohol Sellers Stir Fears - New York Times
Iran
Israel Tests on Worm Called Crucial in Iran Nuclear Delay - New York Times
Major Powers Decline Iran's Invitation to View Nuclear Sites - Voice of America
IAEA Envoys Visit Iran's Natanz Enrichment Site - Reuters
Iran Searching For Nuclear Bomb Materials - Reuters
Iran: U.S. Spy Planes Shot Down Outside Air Space - Associated Press
Korean Peninsula
Japan, S. Korea Urge Actions from North Korea - Voice of America
Book Review
'The Longest War' - New York Times book review
U.S. Department of Defense
Army's Body Armor Again Called to Account - Army Times
Tweet Away Troops, Pentagon Won't Ban Social Media - Wired
United States
Cleric: Muslims Have Role in Relationship Building - Associated Press
New Influx of Haitians, but Not Who Was Expected - New York Times
Military-industrial Complex: What Eisenhower Meant - Washington Post opinion
Africa
Last Day of Voting in Sudan - Voice of America
Vote on Secession in Sudan Comes to a Close - New York Times
Sudan Referendum: Early Results Show Vote for Split - BBC News
S. Sudan Early Returns Show Big Vote for Secession - Associated Press
Roots of Bitterness in a Region Threaten Sudan's Future - New York Times
African Mediators to Meet on Ivory Coast Crisis - Reuters
Western Zambia Sees Deadly Protests Over Secession - Associated Press
Somali Pirates Hijack South Korean Ship - Voice of America
Nigeria's Promise, Africa's Hope - New York Times opinion
Americas
Police Commander Abducted in Mexican Coastal State - Associated Press
Mexico: U.S. Cancels 'Virtual Fence'. What's Plan B? - Christian Science Monitor
Venezuela: Chavez Calls for Conciliation Between Rivals - Associated Press
Chile Judge Nixes Extradition for FARC Sympathizer- Associated Press
Brazil Fears More Deaths as Rain Continues - Voice of America
Brazil Floods: Army Deployed in Rio de Janeiro State - BBC News
Standoff over Presidential Runoff Seen as Threat to Haiti - Los Angeles Times
Haiti's Political Earthquake - Los Angeles Times opinion
Asia Pacific
Does China's Military Want Better Relations with the U.S.? - Stars and Stripes
U.S. Officials Look Ahead to Chinese President's State Visit - Voice of America
U.S.-China: 'Distrust Lingers on Both Sides,' Clinton Says - Los Angeles Times
In China, a Sometimes Opaque Divide - Washington Post
ASEAN Urges Lifting of Sanctions on Burma - Associated Press
Europe
Russian's Death Inflames Ethnic Strife - New York Times
Russia Releases Opposition Leader after 15 Days - Associated Press
Serbia Looks to Improve Image With Peacekeeping - Associated Press
Poll Shows Turkey's Erdogan Likely to Win Election - Reuters
Middle East
Hezbollah Leader to Comment on Lebanon Crisis - Associated Press
First U.S. Ambassador in 5 Years Arrives in Syria - Associated Press
Egypt Church Shooting Attacker Gets Death Sentence - Associated Press
Saudi Women Want to Run in Municipal Elections - Associated Press
Clinton's Reform or Else Message - Los Angeles Times editorial
South Asia
India and Pakistan on the Brink - Washington Post opinion
In Afghanistan, Less Snow Coincides with Uptick in Violence - Washington Post
Officials in Afghanistan Begin Investigation Into Possible Fraud - New York Times
Combined Teams Target Insurgent Leaders - AFPS
Roadside Bomb Kills 7 in Southern Afghanistan - Associated Press
Protecting the Eyes That Face Explosions - New York Times
U.S. Marine Kills Afghan Policeman After Dispute - Associated Press
Close But No Afghan SIGAR - Washington Times opinion
Pakistan
Obama, Zardari Discuss Terrorism, Regional Security - Voice of America
Pakistani Official Says Taliban Can Outwait the West - Voice of America
Gunmen Kill Policewoman and Relatives in Pakistan - New York Times
Pakistan Blasphemy Law Reformers' Death Threats - BBC News
Official: Gunmen Torch 14 NATO Tankers in Pakistan - Associated Press
Gunmen Kill 17 In New Pakistan Violence In Karachi - Reuters
Iraq
Syrian PM Seeks to Improve Ties With Iraq - Associated Press
Iraq's Oil Expansion Plans Face Major Challenges - Associated Press
Sadr's Followers Demand Biden Stay Away from Iraq - Reuters
Iraqi Soldiers Wound Three U.S. Soldiers In Mosul - Reuters
Ex-Army Translator Acquitted of Working as Iraq Agent - Associated Press
Iran
Envoys to Tour 2 Key Iranian Nuclear Facilities - Associated Press
Iran's Nuke Tour without Major Powers, Key Allies - Associated Press
Obama Promised to Side with Iran's People - Washington Times opinion
Korean Peninsula
Gates Says Talks with North Korea Possible - Voice of America
Gates Reaffirms American Support for South Korea - New York Times
Gates Insists on North-South Korea Bilateral Talks - Washington Times
Gates Consults With South Korea on North's Provocations - AFPS
South Korea, Japan Continue Hard Line on N. Korea - Associated Press
U.S. Department of Defense
Congressional Commission Studies Women in Combat - AFPS
Reactions Mixed on Women in Combat Arms - Stars and Stripes
All Branches Meet Military Recruiting Goals - Stars and Stripes
Trip Enabled Biden to Spotlight Troops, Official Says - AFPS
Joint Forces Command Works on Closure Plan - AFPS
Army's 'Spiritual Fitness' Test Angers Some Soldiers - NPS
Five Myths About Defense Spending - Washington Post opinion
A Leaner and Meaner Defense - Foreign Affairs opinion
United States
World Leaders, Officials Honor Late U.S. Diplomat Holbrooke - Voice of America
Holbrooke Remembered With Affection and Humor - New York Times
World Leaders Gather for Richard Holbrooke Memorial - BBC News
Obama Memorializes Holbrooke as Diplomatic 'Leading Light' - AFPS
Mullen: Holbrooke Understood Wisdom of Seeking Wisdom - AFPS
Clinton: Gates' China Trip Continues Holbrooke's Vision - AFPS
Homeland Security Cancels 'Virtual Fence' After $1b Is Spent - New York Times
Obama Administration Ends High-tech Border Fence - Associated Press
United Kingdom
Britain's Labour Party Wins By-election - New York Times
U.K. Opposition Labour Party Holds Seat in Election - Associated Press
Australia
Australian Towns Band Together for Flood Cleanup - New York Times
Australia Flood Clean-Up Starts, Tough Task Ahead - Reuters
Africa
Tunisian President Flees Country Amid Unrest - Voice of America
Tunisia Leader Flees and Prime Minister Claims Power - New York Times
Tunisian President Flees Amid Unrest; PM Takes Reins - Washington Post
Tunisia Protests Force President from Power - Los Angeles Times
Tunisia: President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali Forced Out - BBC News
Tunisia PM Pledges Calm, Coalition Talks as President Flees - Reuters
Tunisia's Ben Ali: A Cult of Personality Ends - Associated Press
Former Tunisian President In Saudi Arabia - Reuters
Arab Activists Hope Tunisia Uprising Brings Change - Associated Press
Tunisia Riots Offer Warning to Arab Governments - Reuters
Tunisia's Jasmine Revolution - Washington Post opinion
Sudan Secession Referendum Vote 'Broadly Fair' - Voice of America
Final Day of Voting in S. Sudan's Independence Test - Associated Press
U.N. Chief Concerned By Ivorian Attacks on Civilians, Peackeepers - VOA
U.N.: Toll In Ivory Coast Rises to 247 Dead - Reuters
Ivory Coast Strife Draws In West Africa Central Bank - Reuters
Somali PM: More Than 2 Million at Risk of Starvation From Drought - VOA
Somali Pirates Highjack S. Korean Freighter in Indian Ocean - Associated Press
Americas
14 Killed in Army Raid in Mexico's Veracruz State - Los Angeles Times
Mexico: Families in Juarez Activist Killing Seek U.S. Asylum - Associated Press
Venezuelan Police Detain Drug Suspect Wanted in U.S. - Associated Press
Toledo Leads Among Peruvian Presidential Hopefuls - Associated Press
U.S. Lifts Some Cuba Travel, Money-sending Restrictions - Washington Post
Obama Eases Rules on U.S. Travel to Cuba - BBC News
Haiti Weighs Move After Observers Reject Vote Results - New York Times
1 Dead After Police, Protesters Clash in Haiti - Associated Press
Haiti, Going Forward - New York Times editorial
Asia Pacific
U.S. Is Not Trying to Contain China, Clinton Says - New York Times
Clinton Airs Concerns About China Before Hu Visit - Washington Times
U.S. Prepares to Engage China on Human Rights - Washington Post
China's Hu Jintao in Washington: Clinton Urges 'Real Action' - BBC News
Gates: Troops Needed in Japan to Keep China, N.K. in Check - Stars and Stripes
South Korea and Japan Sail Into Territorial Dispute - Christian Science Monitor
Europe
Belarus Accuses Poland, Germany of Takeover Plot - New York Times
Russian Parliament Debates Arms Pact with U.S. - Associated Press
Italy: Berlusconi Faces Inquiry in Prostitution Case - New York Times
Middle East
Arab League Calls Lebanese Crisis 'Serious' - Voice of America
Lebanon's Hariri Denounces Hezbollah for Leaving Government - Washington Post
For Lebanese, Crisis Has Become a Way of Life - New York Times
Lebanon: Hariri Back in Beirut, Urges Dialogue - Associated Press
South Asia
U.N. to Call for Aid to Help Sri Lanka Flood Victims - Associated Press
Nepal, Ex-Rebels Agree on Monitoring as U.N. Leaves - Associated Press
Here is the latest edition of my column at Foreign Policy:
Topics include:
1) "Don't ask, don't tell" and the military's social contract
2) Money, missiles, and Army Special Forces are squeezing the Marine Corps
"Don't ask, don't tell" and the military's social contract
Last month, the U.S. Senate voted 65 to 31 to repeal the 1993 "don't ask, don't tell" (DADT) policy that prohibited gays from openly serving in the military. The Senate vote sent the repeal bill to President Barack Obama, who eagerly signed it into law. The focus now shifts to the Defense Department, with Defense Secretary Robert Gates promising to implement the repeal "as quickly, but as responsibly, as possible." Successful implementation will require a renewed commitment by all to the military's traditional social contract.
Much of the credit for the unexpectedly large Senate majority in favor of repeal may go to a 410-page research report on DADT prepared by the Rand Corp. The report, a 2010 update of a 1993 study Rand had done for the government, was prepared at the request of both the administration and the Senate Armed Services Committee. The report reviewed recent research on group dynamics in military units, conducted surveys and focus groups of current U.S. service members, and studied the experience of other Western countries (with combat experience) that had similarly lifted restrictions on open gay service in their military forces. Senators seemed encouraged by the report's conclusions: Rand predicted that lifting the U.S. ban would have negligible consequences on U.S. military recruiting, retention, unit cohesion, and combat effectiveness. In fact, the authors predicted that the Defense Department will have an easier time adjusting to the end of DADT than it has had adjusting to the widening role of women in the military.
Of particular concern has been what the repeal might mean for unit cohesion, or the ability of small groups of soldiers to form trust and cooperate on critical tasks during stressful situations. Social scientists studying military effectiveness have long concluded that cohesion among members of small units is an essential requirement for battlefield success. The updated Rand study concluded that "task cohesion" -- the commitment of soldiers to the unit's goals -- is a better predictor of small-unit combat effectiveness than "social cohesion," or how much members of the group like each other and prefer to spend social time together. Based on its research, Rand predicted that lifting DADT would not significantly impair the ability of U.S. military units to achieve high levels of task cohesion and therefore battlefield success.
Rand's sanguine predictions concerning the repeal of DADT imply a renewed commitment by all service members to the military's traditional social contract. Under this contract, individuals who join the service agree to forfeit a portion of their individual autonomy and eagerly work hard at achieving the unit's goals. The other side of the military's social contract is the responsibility of the military's leaders to set high standards, to enforce the rules fairly, to assess subordinates based on merit, and to ensure that soldiers who fulfill their part of the bargain are treated with respect. Based on their research, Rand's analysts assume that U.S. service members will agree to this long-standing social contract after the end of DADT. That seems like a reasonable assumption, but it will require the goodwill of all to make it a reality.
Money, missiles, and Army Special Forces are squeezing the Marine Corps
On Jan. 6, Defense Secretary Robert Gates canceled the U.S. Marine Corps' Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV), a powerful and technologically advanced swimming-infantry fighting vehicle that the Marine Corps was counting on to maintain its ability to assault defended shorelines. Gate assured his audience that the death of the EFV program (which should save the government $12 billion) "does not call into question the Marines' amphibious assault mission." But the Pentagon's looming budget problems, combined with the growing ease with which even low-end adversaries are able to acquire guided missiles, may make it increasingly difficult for Marine Corps leaders to assure policymakers that an opposed amphibious assault is a credible military option. The Marine Corps may thus face a particularly challenging period defining its role within the U.S. military.
Although no shots were ever fired in anger at the EFV, anti-ship missiles killed the vehicle. Out of its fear of lethal land-based anti-ship missiles, the Navy -- from whose ships the EFVs would have been launched -- required that the launch point be over the horizon from the shore, perhaps 25 miles from land. This requirement mandated that the 80,000-pound EFV be able to swim at 25 knots (for physiological reasons, the Marine Corps did not want its infantrymen at sea in an EFV for more than one hour). It is likely that this swim-speed requirement drove the engineering boundary of the program beyond an affordable limit.
In the over two decades since the beginning of the EFV program, adversary anti-ship missiles have become more capable -- a 25-mile launch point for the EFV may no longer provide much protection. In 2006, Hezbollah damaged an Israeli patrol boat with a Chinese-made C-802 land-based anti-ship cruise missile, a weapon with a range of 74 miles. China's new anti-ship ballistic missile, if perfected, could attack warships up to 1,500 kilometers out to sea. Lethal and long-range anti-ship missiles in the hands of both state and nonstate actors threaten the Navy's ships that would transport the Marines to a suitable point for launching an amphibious assault. The Marine Corps' problems convincing policymakers that an opposed amphibious assault remains a viable option extend beyond its problems with the EFV.
In light of the Marines' problem with anti-ship missiles, Brian Burton, an analyst at the Center for a New American Security, has joined other analysts in recommending that the Corps downgrade the amphibious assault mission and focus instead on another strength: its talents with "small wars" and with training indigenous security forces in a variety of conflict zones.
Neither the Marine Corps nor its competitors within the Defense Department will find this course very appealing. The 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review, the Pentagon's medium-term organizational strategy, calls for the U.S. Special Operations Command to generate and maintain about 660 special-operations teams, the large majority of which will come from the Army Special Forces. In the post-Afghanistan era, the first task of these teams, particularly the Special Forces, will be training indigenous security forces and coping with various small wars. The Marine Corps will have a role, but a supporting one, as the Special Forces and Special Operations Command guard what they will see as their home turf. Neither the Marine Corps nor the Army will want this bureaucratic squabble.
Top Navy and Marine leaders are confident they can solve the anti-ship missile problem. Last November, Navy Undersecretary Robert Work and his deputy Frank Hoffman discussed the problem and explained how innovative tactics and new capabilities promise feasible solutions. In the meantime, the cancellation of the EFV draws attention to the troubles the Marine Corps faces, but also offers an opportunity to make a clean start addressing them. If the United States is to maintain the credibility of its alliances and its status as the leading maritime nation, Navy and Marine Corps leaders must show that they have believable answers to these questions.
And I really do have to take exception to this statement from the article:
"Some of Carl von Clausewitz's writings have, for longer than a century, influenced generals to see the object of war as simply destruction of adversaries in detail."
I guess I can accept it if emphasis is placed on the word "Some" because not all of Clausewitz writings emphasized this. I would also caveat this and say "It is the misreading of some of Clausewtiz' writings" or it is the misunderstanding caused by those who only read the bumper stickers of Clausewitz and do not really read (and more importantly study) On War.
Just to make a point we should not forget this quote from the chapter in People in Arms (Book 6 , Chapter 26):
"In a national insurrection the center of gravity to be destroyed lies in the person of the chief leader and in public opinion; against these points the blow must be directed." Clausewitz, 1832.
The other point we should be concerned with in this article is the premise that the indirect approach is somehow equated only with a softer, kinder, gentler approach. If we are going to twist the Indirect Approach in such a way then we should perhaps throw it in the dust bin along with Effect Based Operations (EBO) (which, by the way, is the only term to be struck form the lexicon since 9-11 when GEN Jim Mattis ordered it out of Joint Doctrine -- in contrast we have had a proliferation of new terms, many of which are redundant and overlapping, but I digress)
But we should consider the evolution of the indirect approach as follows (an excerpt from a paper I have not finished writing).
The Indirect Approach, first written and practiced by Sun Tzu and later codified and further developed by Captain Sir B.H. Liddell Hart in the 20th Century remains a key tactical concept, one of the pillars of operational art, and an important part of strategic theory today. It is a very popular term and is used by military and diplomatic strategists as well as politicians in theoretical writings, professional military journals and in the popular press.
However, since the attacks of September 11, 2001 and the resulting, so called Global War on Terror, military and strategic thinkers in the United States have put forth numerous concepts to explain conflict in the 21st Century. Such terms include Irregular Warfare in contrast to Major Combat Operations; Complex Contingencies, Hybrid Warfare and Full Spectrum Operations to name some of the major ones.
Emerging as a major operational construct to support strategy in these new operating environments is the Indirect Approach. This approach has been broadly characterized as working "through, by and with" friends, partners or allies to achieve US objectives and has formed the basis for the development of what the United States military now calls Security Force Assistance (and what gas long been called Foreign Internal Defense). The assumption is that if the U.S. military can "build the capacity" of the indigenous security forces then those forces can achieve security objectives for the U.S. However, is this really the meaning of the traditional Indirect Approach? (as an aside ("through, by and with" should really be written as "through and with" because the "by" really does not add anything to the meaning except to make it grammatically awkward, but I digress again)
Of course B.H. Liddell Hart is the man who brought the concept of the Indirect Approach to the fore in the 20th century. Fundamentally, his strategic concept can be summed up in his own following words:
"In strategy the longest way round is often the shortest way there; a direct approach to the object exhausts the attacker and hardens the resistance by compression, whereas an indirect approach loosens the defender's hold by upsetting his balance."
"The profoundest truth of war is that the issue of battle is usually decided in the minds of the opposing commanders, not in the bodies of their men"
Some would apply the Liddell Hart's concepts to purely the maneuver of military forces and the psychological effects on military commanders. This would seem to be a narrow use of the concept and perhaps render it no longer relevant. Even in current U.S. military doctrine (Joint Pub 3-0) it is used in a similar manner:
"In the event that a direct attack is not a reasonable solution, Joint Force Commanders should seek an indirect approach until conditions are established that permit successful direct attacks."
The emphasis remains on the direct attack as decisive and the indirect approach as a means to getting to and setting the conditions for the direct attack. However, in literature by some of today's senior military leaders the Indirect Approach takes on a different meaning:
"The primary contribution of Special Operations Forces (SOF) in this interagency activity is to organize, train, and assist local security forces. The indirect approach relies heavily on the SOF capability to build host nation defense capacity, provide civil affairs forces to give humanitarian and civic assistance, and offer information operations assets to aid the partner."
The Indirect Approach describing the activities of Special Operations Forces appears to be a strategic contrast to the operational and tactical action the indirect approach by regular maneuver forces.
Rush for Results May Undermine Aid Goals - Christian Science Monitor
Coalition Works to Extend Southern Afghanistan Gains - AFPS
Forces in Afghanistan Target Taliban, Haqqani Leaders - AFPS
AF: Opium Prices Soar, Focus on Taliban, Drug War Stumbles - Washington Post
Dispute Emerges Over Military Damage to Afghan Property - New York Times
Afghan Taliban 'End' Opposition to Educating Girls - BBC News
DOD Teachers Take on Mission in Afghanistan - AFPS
The Challenges of Small-Unit Patrolling in Afghanistan - New York Times
Pakistan
Karachi Ethnic Violence Kills 12 - BBC News
Gunmen Kill Female Police Officer in Pakistan - Associated Press
Iraq
Biden and Maliki Focus on Two Nations' Future Relationship - Washington Post
In Iraq, Biden Reaffirms Deadline for Troops' Exit - New York Times
Biden Promises Responsible Drawdown in Iraq - AFPS
Biden: Iraq May Need U.S. Help Beyond 2011 - Voice of America
Biden Addresses U.S. Troops in Baghdad - Associated Press
Sadr Return Complicates U.S. Troop Presence in Iraq - Associated Press
Iraqi Religious Heads Call For Christians' Protection - Reuters
Iran
Iran Invites Foreign Experts to Nuclear Sites - Associated Press
Iran's Nuclear Sites Tour Proposal Flounders - Reuters
Al Qaeda
Al Qaeda's Tentacles - Los Angeles Times opinion
Korean Peninsula
Gates Pledges Help if S. Korea is Attacked by North - Washington Post
Gates Reaffirms U.S. Support of South Korea - New York Times
S. Korea, Japan Improve Military Ties in Face of North Korean Threat - VOA
Gates Stresses Need to Prevent North Korean Provocations - AFPS
Gates: N. Korea Must Show Good Faith for New Talks - Associated Press
U.S. Again Urges North Korea to Meet Its Obligations - Reuters
N. Korean Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison in S. Korea - Associated Press
Talking to North Korea - New York Times editorial
Japan
U.S.-Japan Ties Should Deepen, Gates Says - Washington Post
Gates Wants More Japanese Cooperation on Defense - Voice of America
Japanese Military Seeks Greater Cooperation with U.S. - Washington Post
U.S. Will Defer to Japan on Moving Okinawa Base - New York Times
WikiLeaks
Accused Soldier in Brig as WikiLeaks Link Is Sought - New York Times
U.S. Department of Defense
Commission to Recommend Allowing Women in Combat Units - Stars and Stripes
United Kingdom
Mohammed the Brit - New York Times opinion
United States
Foreign Missions Hamstrung by New U.S. Banking Rules - New York Times
Australia
Australian Floods Peak in Brisbane - New York Times
Australia Floods: Brisbane Begins Massive Clean-up - BBC News
World
Global Piracy Costs Billions, Says Study - BBC News
Around the World, Freedom is in Decline - Washington Post editorial
Africa
Tunisian Security Forces Clash With Youths in Fresh Protests - VOA
Behind Tunisia Unrest, Rage Over Wealth of Ruling Family - New York Times
Tunisia President Appeals for Peace, Pledges Reform - Los Angeles Times
Tunisian Protests: Tunis Marchers Test Ben Ali's Words - BBC News
Tunisia Sees Protest March, Strikes After Riots - Associated Press
Tunisian Leader Says He Will Step Down in 2014 - Associated Press
Tunisian Leader Bows to Unrest, Sets Departure Date - Reuters
In South Sudan, the Future Beckons and Sobers - Los Angeles Times
Referendum Logos Accent Challenges Facing Sudan - New York Times
North Sudan Ruling Party Says South Sudan Vote "Broadly Fair" - Reuters
Sudan Deal to End Abyei Clashes - BBC News
South Sudan Aid Agencies Continue Food Aid as Need Declines - VOA
Three U.N. Contractors Kidnapped In Sudan's Darfur - Reuters
3 U.N. Vehicles Burned in Ivory Coast - Voice of America
Mobs in Ivory Coast Attack United Nations Vehicles - New York Times
Ivory Coast: Mobs, Security Forces Attack U.N. Cars - Associated Press
U.N.: Toll In Ivory Coast Rises to 247 Dead, 49 Missing - Reuters
Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan Wins Party Primary - BBC News
Nigerian President Wins Primary Election - Associated Press
Nigeria's Jonathan Wins Ruling Party Primaries - Reuters
Report: Al-Qaida Claims Niger Kidnapping - Associated Press
Niger: Al Qaeda Claims Kidnapping Of Frenchmen Found Dead - Reuters
Rwanda Sentences Dissident Exiles to Long Jail Terms - BBC News
Somalia to Launch Attacks Soon on Al-Qaida - Associated Press
Americas
Amid Drug Violence, Acapulco Watches Tourism Recede - Los Angeles Times
Mayor Shot to Death in Southern Mexico - Associated Press
Gunmen Kill 9th Police Officer in Northern Mexico - Associated Press
Colombia Police Nab Go-Between With Mexican Cartel - Associated Press
Honduran Vote Could Open Way to Re-election - Associated Press
Death Toll Mounts in Brazilian Deluge - New York Times
Brazil's Flash Floods and Mudslides Leave at Least 470 Dead - Los Angeles Times
Toll Rises After Brazil Mudslides - Associated Press
Envoy Allowed to Meet With Jailed American in Cuba - Associated Press
Haiti Gets Remedies for Vote - Washington Times
Haiti Leader Has Doubts About OAS Report - Reuters
DomRep Resumes Deportations of Haitian Migrants - Associated Press
Snub to Latin America - Washington Post opinion
Asia Pacific
Gates Confident of China Leader's Control over Military - Los Angeles Times
Gates: U.S. Troops Help Keep N. Korea, China at Bay - Associated Press
China Looks Forward to President Hu's U.S. Visit - Voice of America
Chinese Driver Sentenced to Life in Prison for Evading Tolls - New York Times
Careful with China - Washington Post opinion
Philippines, Muslim Rebels to Resume Talks - Associated Press
In Otherwise Tolerant Malaysia, Shiites Are Banned - Associated Press
Indonesia Torture Video Soldiers on Minor Charges - Associated Press
Central Asia
Kazakhstan Paves Way to Extending President's Term - Associated Press
Kazakh MPs Back Referendum to Extend Leader's Rule - Reuters
Europe
Belarus Issues Warning to Rights Group Amid Crackdown - New York Times
Italy: Court Revokes Automatic Immunity for Berlusconi - New York Times
Italy's Top Court Rules Berlusconi Can Face Trial - Reuters
Russia: Medvedev Acknowledges Graft Progress Scant, Seeks Law - Reuters
Poland Objects to Russia's Report on Fatal Air Crash - New York Times
Russia's Crash Report Stirs Polish Politics - Washington Post
Middle East
Clinton Bluntly Presses Arab Leaders on Reform - New York Times
Clinton Pushes Economic and Political Reforms in Middle East - Washington Post
Clinton Tells Mideast Leaders to Open Up Systems - Los Angeles Times
Hamas Deploys Forces to Stop Gaza Rocket Fire - Associated Press
Guyana Recognizes a Palestinian State - Associated Press
Lebanon: For Hezbollah, Claiming Victory Could Be Costly - New York Times
Hezbollah Works to Get More Power in Lebanon - Washington Post
Bad Choice: Stability in Lebanon or Support for Tribunal - Washington Times
Hariri 'Caretaker PM' as Lebanon Seeks New Government - BBC News
Lebanon's Caretaker PM Seeks Support - Associated Press
Lebanon to Start Talks on New Government on Monday - Reuters
Hezbollah Aims for More Political Power in Lebanon - Associated Press
Egypt Charges Man With Murder In Christian Shooting - Reuters
Mideast Threats - Washington Post opinion
South Asia
India 'to Cut Kashmir Troops by a Quarter' - BBC News
... These vignettes validate what I see as the mission of the Marine Corps: a balanced air ground logistics team that is forward deployed and forward engaged: shaping, training, deterring and responding to all manner of crises and contingencies.
In every location I just mentioned — Pakistan, Haiti, the Caribbean, the Gulf Coast, South America, Gulf of Aden, Philippines, and Afghanistan — Marine Corps forces were either engaging with our allies, conducting full spectrum COIN operations, enabling the Joint Force and Interagency/NGO elements, providing humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, deterring aggression or contributing to assured access. I refer to our Marine Corps of today as a 'middleweight force'...a term I first introduced in my planning guidance that I issued shortly after becoming the Commandant. We fill the void in our nation's defense for an agile force that is comfortable operating at the high and low ends of the threat spectrum or the more likely ambiguous areas in between.
To Marines, the notion of 'expeditionary' is a state of mind that drives the way we organize our forces, train, and procure equipment. We are our nation's crisis response force. By definition this necessitates a high state of unit readiness and an ability to sustain ourselves logistically. Crisis response is incompatible with tiered readiness. You're either ready to respond to today's crisis...with today's force...TODAY...or you're late...and risk being irrelevant...
Remarks by General James F. Amos at the Surface Navy Association Symposium.
