| Small Wars Journal

This week, South Korea's government took steps to prepare the country for a military confrontation with North Korea. Artillery batteries practiced their gunnery and the country had its first serious civil defense drill in decades. Within the next few days, the South promised another artillery exercise from Yeonpyeong Island, the island the North shelled for an hour on Nov. 23. Should the South carry through with this exercise, Pyongyang made its own promise, a riposte "deadlier than what was made on Nov. 23." The mood in the South has hardened -- another round of six-party talks is out, military preparation and air raid drills are in.

After two unanswered provocations by the North -- the attack on Yeonpyeong and the sinking of the warship Cheonan -- the South's political leaders have concluded that it now pays to be tough and have promised retaliatory airstrikes for future Northern attacks. This change in attitude has consequences for Obama administration officials, who would surely prefer not to be drawn into an armed skirmish. U.S. officials likely agree in principle with a tougher policy toward the North. Much less agreeable to them is letting the South Korean government determine by itself how to retaliate after the next provocation. The United States will want to demonstrate that it is a reliable ally, while also maintaining control over its own fate. How the U.S. government manages this dilemma during a fast-moving crisis remains to be seen.

On Dec. 13, the South Korean army sent its artillery forces into the field for a workout, conducting gunnery exercises at 27 sites. Much more important was a nation-wide civil defense drill on Dec. 15, the first such serious drill in decades. 300,000 police and Civil Defense Corps members mobilized for the 20-minute exercise, herding pedestrians and schoolchildren into bombs shelters and subway stations while South Korean fighter jets buzzed overhead. Eleven million South Koreans participated in the exercise. In addition, the government plans to spend $45 million next year on new bomb shelters. Given Seoul's vulnerability to North Korean artillery fire, a South Korean threat of retaliation previously lacked credibility. Seoul's renewed commitment to civil defense has bolstered the credibility of its new retaliatory policy.

Stress in Pyongyang is undoubtedly on the rise. The United States, South Korea, and Japan seem likely to hold firm with their rejection of new six-party talks, which means the North will not receive a payoff from those negotiations like it has in the past. There is likely to be increased global surveillance of the North's weapons proliferation transactions, the interdiction of which could cut the North's future cash flows. Finally, China's leaders will increasingly conclude that they need to get a rope around the North before Pyongyang does any more damage to China's interests.

With the rules of the game having changed and with internal and external pressure mounting, North Korea's leaders might conclude that doubling down on their previous tactics is their only choice. Dennis Blair, the former Director of National Intelligence and former commander of U.S. Pacific Command, predicted "a military confrontation at lower levels" between the South and North. Such a confrontation could come in the form of sporadic artillery duels or naval skirmishes with the North attempting to create intimidation and the South attempting to show resolve. The first such duel could occur this weekend, should the South follow through with its artillery exercise on Yeonpyeong Island.

Like the other "small war" in Afghanistan, such a conflict in Korea would be a contest for influence over the South Korean population as a means of coercing political leaders in the South and in the United States. Like Afghanistan, a conflict would play out in the global media and would involve a test of wills among top decision makers. But instead of rifles and roadside bombs, the weapons would be big cannons and warships, which means the costs could go way up.

Two intelligence reports mean more Afghan headaches for Obama

The Obama administration's December review of its Afghanistan-Pakistan policy delivered just what administration officials had previously promised: a progress report on the current strategy, not a recalculation of that strategy. The review reported progress against al Qaeda and the Taliban and with the effort to build Afghanistan's security forces. It also took note of unresolved obstacles, such as governmental corruption and the persistence of Taliban sanctuaries in Pakistan.

The review reaffirms a policy that resulted from both the 2009 strategy review and the recent NATO summit meeting in Lisbon. Under the current policy, the United States and NATO will transfer responsibility for the war over to large and competent Afghan security forces by the end of 2014. In the meantime, a gradual and conditions-based withdrawal of U.S. forces will begin in July 2011. According to the December review, there has been enough progress to warrant sustaining this policy.

However, the arrival of two ominous national intelligence estimates, one each on Afghanistan and Pakistan, provide trouble for the current strategy. The estimates, which are the consensus of the entire U.S. intelligence community, conclude that the persistence of Taliban sanctuaries in Pakistan is a serious obstacle to ultimate success of the Afghan campaign. This conclusion was recently confirmed by both a U.S. brigade commander operating near Kandahar and a recently retired U.S. diplomat who served in the city.

By next summer, the president will have to decide what weight to give the intelligence estimates. One possibility is to simply dismiss them as wrong. There are grounds for such a view. In 2006, the top U.S. Marine Corps intelligence officer in Anbar Province, Iraq produced an intelligence report that concluded that the war effort in the region was doomed. He signed off on this report at the very moment that the Awakening, the Sunni tribal rebellion in Anbar against al Qaeda, was forming. Another example is the 2007 national intelligence estimate on Iran's nuclear program which has since been discredited and which many dismissed at the time it was released.

Alternatively, Obama could accept the new intelligence estimates as accurate but irrelevant to U.S. policy. By this view, it does not matter for policy that the Taliban sanctuaries in Pakistan will persist; the U.S. program is to build up Afghanistan's security forces to continue the war by themselves after 2014.

But this implies an acceptance of the sanctuaries and thus, that the war will go on indefinitely. And that leads to another assumption, namely that the Afghan government can build, and indefinitely sustain, large and competent security forces without a break in the war against the Taliban.

The new intelligence estimates do not torpedo Obama's Afghan policy. But they do make it harder to defend. The president will have to wave away the advice of his intelligence community while he defends an increasingly unpopular policy. That will take more than a little moral courage.

17 December SWJ Roundup

Afghanistan

Obama: Significant Progress In Fighting al-Qaida, Taliban - Voice of America

Obama Says U.S. 'On Track' to Achieve Goals in Afghanistan - Washington Post

Obama Cites Afghan Gains as Report Says Exit Is on Track - New York Times

Uncertainty Marks Review on Afghanistan, Pakistan - Los Angeles Times

Obama Vows to be More Relentless than Taliban, al Qaeda - Washington Times

Afghan Report Exposes a Split Over Pullout Timelines - New York Times

Pacifying Afghanistan 'a Very Difficult Endeavour,' Obama Says - Globe and Mail

Afghan War: Obama Says Mission Difficult But On Track - BBC News

Afghanistan Review: Obama Announces 'Significant Progress' - Daily Telegraph

Obama: U.S. on Track in Afghanistan, Issues Remain - Associated Press

U.S. War 'Review' Leaves Decisions for Later - Agence France-Presse

Afghanistan in Progress - Wall Street Journal

Review Analysis: Fighting is the Easiest Part of the War - Daily Telegraph

Analysis: White House Struggles for Silver Lining in Afghanistan - Toronto Star

5 Things The Afghan War Review Didn't Say - NPR

'Ratlines' Threaten White House Afghan War Plans - Associated Press

Mullen: Taliban Hideouts Can Be Shut Down - Associated Press

Taliban Reject Obama War Strategy Review - Associated Press

Germany Will Begin Afghan Exit Next Year - New York Times

Netherlands: Gov. to Seek Approval for New Afghan Mission - Associated Press

UNHCR Completes 200,000th Home In Afghanistan - Voice of America

A School Not Opened, a U.S. Battle Not Won - Associated Press

Obama's Remarks on the Strategy in Afghanistan - New York Times

The Afghanistan Review - New York Times editorial

On Borrowed Time - New York Times editorial

Reality in Afghanistan - Washington Times editorial

Wishful Thinking? - Washington Post opinion

Winning in Afghanistan - Los Angeles Times opinion

Why We Must Stick with Obama's Afghan Strategy - Washington Post opinion

Mission Impossible in Afghanistan - Los Angeles Times opinion

All's Not Well in Afghanistan - Washington Times opinion

Another Tet? - Washington Post opinion

The Afghan Money Pit - Los Angeles Times opinion

Obstacles to Leaving Afghanistan - New York Times opinion series

Pakistan: Tug of War on Insurgents - Washington Post opinion

Pakistan

Report Shows How Pakistan Still Bedevils Obama - New York Times

U.S. Struggles to Root Out Militants in Pakistani Madrassa - Washington Post

U.S. Wants Pakistan Tribal Invasion, But Will Wait - Reuters

Chinese Premier Visits Pakistan to Reinforce Ties - New York Times

China PM to Bolster Strong Pakistan Ties After India - Reuters

Drone Strikes Kill 24 In Pakistan, Fourth In Two Days - Reuters

Pakistani Officials: U.S. Missiles Kill 15 in NW - Associated Press

India Says Pakistan Done Nothing on Mumbai - Associated Press

Iraq

Bleak Outlook for Plans to Help Sons of Iraq - Associated Press

Al Qaeda

Qaeda Plans U.S., U.K. Christmas Attack - Reuters

Korean Peninsula

South Korea Practices for Worst-case Attack - Washington Post

As Richardson Visits, North Korea Assails South - New York Times

U.S. Governor Visits N. Korea in Bid to Calm Tensions - Associated Press

North Korea Says to Strike South if Drill Goes Ahead - Reuters

North Korea Warns South on Drills - Associated Press

Chinese, U.S. Officials Meet to Discuss Korean Tensions - Voice of America

South Korea to Hold Artillery Drills on Island - New York Times

South Korea Plans Live Firing Drill from Attacked Island - Voice of America

WikiLeaks

WikiLeaks, Round Three - Small Wars Journal (post-release - cutoff 10 Dec)

SWJ WikiLeaks Roundup - Small Wars Journal (pre-release)

WikiLeaks' Assange Freed on Bail in U.K. Voice of America

WikiLeaks' Assange Released on Bail - Washington Post

WikiLeaks' Julian Assange Released on Bail - Los Angeles Times

Assange Free From Prison, Back to Leaking Secrets - Associated Press

Hill Wrestles with Response to WikiLeaks - Washington Times

WikiLeaks' Assange Says Has Rumors of U.S. Indictment - Reuters

Wikileaks: U.S. Fears Bioweapons From India Labs - Associated Press

Wikileaks: Torture Widespread in Kashmir - BBC News

BP Secretive Over Earlier Blowout; Chevron in Talks With Iran - Voice of America

U.S. Department of Defense

Bid to Repeal 'Don't Ask' Law Draws Support in Senate - New York Times

Effort to Restore Vietnam-era General Hits Resistance - Washington Post

United States

Impassioned Senate Debate on Arms Treaty - New York Times

Military Leaders Dispute GOP on Arms Control Pact - Associated Press

Muslim 'Radicalization' Is Focus of Planned House Inquiry - New York Times

Customs Agent Charged in Drug and Gun Smuggling Case - New York Times

Revamping of Airport Checkpoint System Urged - Washington Post

United Nations

Human Rights Violations the Rule Not Exception in 2010 - Voice of America

U.N. Says Asian Economic Growth Will Slow - Voice of America

Africa

Ivory Coast Protests Turn Deadly - Voice of America

Security Forces Open Fire on Protesters in Ivory Coast - New York Times

More Demonstrations Planned in Ivory Coast - Associated Press

U.S.: Ivory Coast Leader Told to Leave Country - Associated Press

Bombings by N. Sudan Violated 2005 Peace Deal - Associated Press

9 Somalis Given 22-Year Jail Terms for Piracy - Associated Press

Americas and Caribbean

Mexico Summoning Interpol's Aid to Catch Outlaw Lawmaker - Washington Post

More than 12,000 Killed in Mexican Drug War This Year - Los Angeles Times

30,000 Killed in Mexico's Drug Violence Since 2006 - Associated Press

U.S. Worker Held in Haiti on Kidnapping Charges - New York Times

Asia Pacific

Japan Announces Defense Policy to Counter China - New York Times

Japan Defence Review Warns of China's Military Might - BBC News

New Japan Defense Policy Focuses on China - Associated Press

Japan Drops Cold War Defence to Face New Threats - Reuters

Beijing Says Japan Making Irresponsible Remarks - Associated Press

Japan PM Seeks Okinawa Island Backing For U.S. Base - Reuters

Mongolian Dissident Confined to Hotel, Family Says - New York Times

Central Asia

Kyrgyzstan Moves Towards Parliamentary Democracy - Reuters

Europe

European Report Cites Need to Regain Ground With U.S. - New York Times

U.S. Official Says Russia, Georgia Talks Progress - Associated Press

Putin Speaks His Mind, and Then Some, on Television - New York Times

Turkey Coup: 200 Active and Retired Military Officers on Trial - Washington Post

Suicide Bombing Stirs Sweden's Far-right - Associated Press

Kosovo PM Denies "Mafia - Style" Crime Allegations - Reuters

Bosnia Court Indicts Six Muslims Over Fatal Bombing - Reuters

Middle East

Gaza Mends, but Israelis See Signs of Trouble - New York Times

Palestinians Want Control of More West Bank Parts - Associated Press

Bomb Hits U.S. Embassy Vehicle in Yemen - Associated Press

Yemen Police Say Foiled Attack on U.S. Embassy Staff - Reuters

South Asia

In India, Chinese Leader Pushes Trade - New York Times

China's Wen, India's Singh Make Little Progress at Summit - Los Angeles Times

India Lobbyist Scandal Draws Attention - Washington Post

Maoist Rebels Kill 6 in Restive Eastern India - Associated Press

India Says Pakistan Done Nothing on Mumbai - Associated Press

Read more about 17 December SWJ Roundup

Overview of the Afghanistan and Pakistan Annual Review (Updated 17 Dec)

Via the Washington Post and Council on Foreign Relations, here is a copy of the White House Overview of the Afghanistan and Pakistan Annual Review.

From the opening:

"Specific components of our strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan are working well and there are notable operational gains. Most important, al-Qa'ida's senior leadership in Pakistan is weaker and under more sustained pressure than at any other point since it fled Afghanistan in 2001. In Pakistan, we are laying the foundation for a strategic partnership based on mutual respect and trust, through increased dialogue, improved cooperation, and enhanced exchange and assistance programs. And in Afghanistan, the momentum achieved by the Taliban in recent years has been arrested in much of the country and reversed in some key areas, although these gains remain fragile and reversible."

"While the strategy is showing progress across all three assessed areas of al-Qa'ida, Pakistan and Afghanistan, the challenge remains to make our gains durable and sustainable. With regard to al-Qa'ida's Pakistan-based leadership and cadre, we must remain focused on making further progress toward our ultimate end state, the eventual strategic defeat of al-Qa'ida in the region, which will require the sustained denial of the group's safe haven in the tribal areas of western Pakistan, among other factors. And in Afghanistan, we are confronting the inherent challenges of a war-torn nation working to restore basic stability and security in the face of a resilient insurgency that finds shelter in a neighboring sanctuary. More broadly, we must continue to place the Afghanistan and Pakistan challenges in larger and better integrated political and regional contexts."

Read the entire overview here.

Update

Obama: Significant Progress In Fighting al-Qaida, Taliban - Voice of America

Obama Says U.S. 'On Track' to Achieve Goals in Afghanistan - Washington Post

Obama Cites Afghan Gains as Report Says Exit Is on Track - New York Times

Uncertainty Marks Review on Afghanistan, Pakistan - Los Angeles Times

Obama Vows to be More Relentless than Taliban, al Qaeda - Washington Times

Pacifying Afghanistan 'a Very Difficult Endeavour,' Obama Says - Globe and Mail

Afghan War: Obama Says Mission Difficult But On Track - BBC News

Afghanistan Review: Obama Announces 'Significant Progress' - Daily Telegraph

Obama: U.S. on Track in Afghanistan, Issues Remain - Associated Press

U.S. War 'Review' Leaves Decisions for Later - Agence France-Presse

Afghan Report Exposes a Split Over Pullout Timelines - New York Times

U.S. Struggles to Root Out Militants in Pakistani Madrassa - Washington Post

'Ratlines' Threaten White House Afghan War Plans - Associated Press

Mullen: Taliban Hideouts Can Be Shut Down - Associated Press

U.S. Wants Pakistan Tribal Invasion, But Will Wait - Reuters

Taliban Reject Obama War Strategy Review - Associated Press

Germany Will Begin Afghan Exit Next Year - New York Times

Netherlands: Gov. to Seek Approval for New Afghan Mission - Associated Press

Afghanistan in Progress - Wall Street Journal

Review Analysis: Fighting is the Easiest Part of the War - Daily Telegraph

Analysis: White House Struggles for Silver Lining in Afghanistan - Toronto Star

5 Things The Afghan War Review Didn't Say - NPR

Chairman Says Afghanistan Strategy, Resources Now Match - AFPS

Pentagon Spokesman Addresses Strategy Review, Budget - AFPS

Petraeus: All Strategy Aspects Contribute to Progress - AFPS

U.S. Official Expresses Confidence in Pakistan - New York Times

Flournoy: U.S.-Pakistan Relations 'Central' to Fight - AFPS

Pakistani Role Is Suspected in Revealing U.S. Spy's Name - New York Times

Top U.S. Spy in Pakistan is Removed after Threats - Washington Post

Obama's Remarks on the Strategy in Afghanistan - New York Times

The Afghanistan Review - New York Times editorial

Reality in Afghanistan - Washington Times editorial

On Borrowed Time - New York Times editorial

5 Ways to Win the War in Afghanistan - Foreign Policy opinion

Wishful Thinking? - Washington Post opinion

2011 to 2014: What a Difference Momentum Makes - National Review opinion

Winning in Afghanistan - Los Angeles Times opinion

Why We Must Stick with Obama's Afghan Strategy - Washington Post opinion

Another Tet? - Washington Post opinion

Mission Impossible in Afghanistan - Los Angeles Times opinion

All's Not Well in Afghanistan - Washington Times opinion

The Afghan Money Pit - Los Angeles Times opinion

Obstacles to Leaving Afghanistan - New York Times opinion series

Pakistan: Tug of War on Insurgents - Washington Post opinion

Bonus

Andrew Exum's Afghanistan trip reports can be found here, here, and here.

Read more about Overview of the Afghanistan and Pakistan Annual Review (Updated 17 Dec)

Release of the First Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (Updated)

Briefing by Director of Policy Planning Dr. Anne-Marie Slaughter and USAID Deputy Administrator Donald K. Steinberg on Release of the First Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR).

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton:

"The QDDR is a blueprint for how we can make the State Department and USAID more nimble, more effective, and more accountable, a blueprint for how our country can lead in a changing world through the use of what I call "civilian power" -- the combined force of all of the civilians across the United States Government who practice diplomacy, carry out development projects, and act to prevent and respond to crisis and conflict."

Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review - Executive Summary (pdf)

Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review - Full Review (pdf)

Town Hall Meeting on the Release of the First QDDR - Press Release

Clinton Announces State Review Stressing Conflict Prevention - Washington Post

Clinton Pledges Bigger Role for Besieged State Department - New York Times

Clinton Unveils State Department's QDDR - Foreign Policy

Clinton Unveils Blueprint for America's Diplomatic Arm - CNN News

Clinton Presents Plan to Overhaul State Department Operations - Bloomberg

Clinton's Vision for Foreign Policy on a Tight Budget - Christian Science Monitor

Clinton Proposes Revamp Of Diplomacy, Development - NPR audio/transcript

Update

Council on Foreign Relations Senior Fellows Laurie Garrett, Yanzhong Huang, Isobel Coleman, and Paul Stares weigh in on the effectiveness of the QDDR's provisions.

The Center for a New American Security says the QDDR is "a positive step forward but execution is critical". Visit this page at CNAS for more on the QDDR and their resources on "leading through civilian power".

More recap at Foreign Policy - Josh Rogin here and P.J. Aroon here.

Read more about Release of the First Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (Updated)

Letter from a Semi-Foreign Land

I was sitting in my "local" the other day after work. It is a pub called the "Lower Lode." It sits just across the Severn River from the Battlefield of Tewkesbury. I was thinking about the past. The Lode is a fairly old place, though not ancient by the standards of this country. As best as they can figure the first part of the pub/inn was built in the 1400s, or maybe later. But that is not verifiable. Pub history is, like Pub math, understandably, somewhat fungible. Though as fascinating as this public house might be, that is not the past that I was considering. I was thinking more personally.

I was wondering what my grandfather felt when he drank in small rural pubic houses not too far away from here. (Not "too far away" in American standards, of course, not English. The English seem to think 20 miles is a long distance. I know Texans who will go 100 miles, one way, for a high-reputation Barbeque joint. Split the difference for my mid-western sensibilities.)

My grandfather was a bomber pilot in the US Army Air Forces, and in particular in the 8th Air Force. He flew B-17s, and perhaps B-24s. He and his men learned to fly in America, then trained some more here, and then fought from here, in World War Two.

I knew that, but I realized something else that night, this past Sunday, as I thought about a man I had never known: I am the fourth out of five generations of my family to come to England, train for war, and then go to war in a place far from home. You can decide what you take away from this observation. My great-great grandfather was French, who emigrated to England and then America. My great-grandfather was born in London, then emigrated to America. And my grandfather was American.

My great-grandfather, somewhat non-sequentially, started the trend. Like I said, he was born in London and so was technically British. By 1914, however, he had moved to New York City. He returned to England and immediately enlisted as an Infantryman at the beginning of the war. It appears that in 1914 he trained for the war in the UK, and then spent the better part of the next two years on the Western Front. Somewhere around the summer of 1916 he did something that won him a commission as an officer, and then the Military Cross from His Majesty's Government. Sometime after that he switched to the Royal Air Force. After the war he returned to America. He died before I ever met him.

But by that time, his father, who had emigrated from France, to England, and eventually to America, had also enlisted. It was late 1916 when that happened. England needed every breathing soul. So my great-great grandfather joined his son, or perhaps replaces his son, in the Infantry, in the Middlesex Regiment. I know nothing else about the man. He too, like his son, trained for war in England and then spent two years on the front lines of the Western Front. He mustered out in December, 1918. This much I know. He died before I ever met him.

When war broke out for us Americans on 7 DEC 1941, my grandfather was affected. It was his turn, I guess, and so he immediately joined the US Army Air Force. He trained in Texas, then he too came to England, where he trained a bit more, then he went to war in the skies over Germany. He died before I ever met him.

This is all from my mother's side. She was an only child. So it skipped her, generationally, this apparent familial obligation to come to England and then to war. And now, sitting here in Gloucestershire, England, and realizing that I am the fourth, out of the last five generations of my family have come here, I am humbled. My family, for essentially a century, has come to this land, prepared for war, and then gone off still further to wage that war. It makes me wonder. I wonder because I am so acutely aware that I am not the first, or the second or even the third...

They just had "Remembrance Day" here in the UK a few weeks ago. It is a solemn period, held on the Sunday after the Armistice. Our own version has become, perhaps, a little less so. But their solid and restrained response to their losses reminded me of my own history, and of our history as a nation. It reminded me that our current numbers are so small that this national/collective sense of loss will not happen again. That is to say that those of us in the Armed Forces today are so few, when seen on a national scale, that a generation from now we will not matter, nor be remembered, by the children in school today. We soldiers are, in America, anomalies. This is, all things considered, probably a good thing. Countries who worship their soldiers are, quite often, countries where soldiers stage coups.

But I also observed that, being a volunteer based service, we who serve seem to come from the same lines. Over and over and over again, across decades and even centuries. And I noticed that among the career soldiers, sergeants and officers alike, this trend is even more pronounced.

I know that mine is not the last generation to see war. I am too much of a historian to believe something like that. But I do hope that, if I do my job well, I might be the last in my family line for at least a few generations, that must come to England, prepare for war, and then launch off to an even more foreign land to fight. I hope that my daughters will come here as students, or scholars, or businesswomen, because this is a wondrous Semi-Foreign land. But I do not want them to follow in the family footsteps.

In the end, that is what the true professionals all hope for. We detest war, for the same reason that we are good at it. We hate war because we know war. We know it in a way that nobody else can. We know that it is nothing but obscenity. Sometimes a necessary obscenity, we know this too and understand and that is why we serve. But it is an obscenity that we know, and one that we hate, and so we would like to see the end. Not so much for us, but for others.

Read more about Letter from a Semi-Foreign Land

Saved round....

Missed an important op-ed this morning by Pete Mansoor and Max Boot - Winning in Afghanistan in the Los Angeles Times. BLUF: "The buildup of U.S. forces, completed only this fall, is already having a considerable positive impact, although public opinion hasn't caught on yet."

16 December SWJ Roundup

Afghanistan

Obama, on Eve Of Review, Cites Afghan War Progress - Reuters

Afghan Report Sees July Troop Pullouts Despite Perils - New York Times

Germany: Pullout from Afghanistan to Start in 2011 - Associated Press

Taliban Reach Grows in North Afghanistan - New York Times

NATO Push Deals Taliban a Setback in Kandahar - New York Times

Size of Troop Drawdown Likely to Trigger Debate - Washington Post

Intelligence Reports Cast Doubts on Afghan Strategy - Voice of America

For Red Cross, Afghanistan Conditions Hit New Low - New York Times

Red Cross Offers Bleak Assessment of Afghan War - Washington Post

Afghanistan Red Cross Sees Grim Outlook for Civilians - Los Angeles Times

Commander Describes Nature of Eastern Afghanistan Fight - AFPS

Formerly Persecuted Minority Gains Clout in Afghanistan - Los Angeles Times

Official: Bomb Hit on Afghan Minibus Kills 14 - Associated Press

Roadside Bomb Kills 14 Civilians In Afghan West - Reuters

The Americans Are in Our House. What Will the Taliban Think? - New York Times

Another Tet? - Washington Post opinion

Pakistan

Afghan Report to Fault Pakistan Safe Havens - Washington Times

Defense Official: Pakistan Deserves U.S. Respect, Support - AFPS

Drone Attack 'Kills Two Britons' in Pakistan - BBC News

On Borrowed Time - New York Times editorial

Pakistan: Tug of War on Insurgents - Washington Post opinion

Iraq

Rival Accepts Deal, Clearing Path for Maliki to Rule in Iraq - New York Times

Security Council Votes to End Several Hussein-era Sanctions - Washington Post

Security Council Removes Restrictions on Iraq - New York Times

U.N. Security Council Ends Key Iraq Sanctions - Los Angeles Times

Iraq Gets U.N. Green Light For Civil Nuclear Program - Reuters

Praying for Rain in Iraq - New York Times

Iran

'Stuxnet Virus Set Back Iran's Nuclear Program by 2 Years' - Jerusalem Post

Dozens Killed in Apparent Iranian Suicide Attack - Voice of America

Dozens Die in Suicide Bombing in Iran - New York Times

Iran Suicide Bombing Kills at Least 39 - Los Angeles Times

Al Qaeda

Al Qaeda Planning Holiday Attacks in West - Associated Press

Islam

The Islamic Tsunami - Washington Times editorial

Heroic, Female and Muslim - New York Times opinion

WikiLeaks

WikiLeaks, Round Three - Small Wars Journal (post-release - cutoff 10 Dec)

SWJ WikiLeaks Roundup - Small Wars Journal (pre-release)

U.S. Tries to Build Case for Conspiracy by WikiLeaks - New York Times

Assange Behind Bars But Pro-WikiLeaks Hackers Continue Attacks - VOA

Julian Assange Awaits Bail Hearing - BBC News

WikiLeaks Founder Due Back in Court - New York Times

Julian Assange Back in Court to Fight for Bail - Associated Press

U.S. Department of Defense

Littoral Ship Plan Inches Forward, But Opposition Looms - Stars and Stripes

Recruiting, Retention Stay High Throughout Service - AFPS

House Votes Again to Lift Restrictions on Gays - Associated Press

Military Jury Finds 'Birther' Officer Guilty - Associated Press

'Birther' Officer Expresses Regret for Actions - Stars and Stripes

U.S. Department of State

Clinton Pledges Bigger Role for Besieged State Department - New York Times

Clinton Announces State Review Stressing Conflict Prevention - Washington Post

Clinton Unveils State Department's QDDR - Foreign Policy

Clinton Unveils Blueprint for America's Diplomatic Arm - CNN News

Clinton Presents Plan to Overhaul State Department Operations - Bloomberg

Clinton's Vision for Foreign Policy on a Tight Budget - Christian Science Monitor

Clinton Proposes Revamp Of Diplomacy, Development - NPR audio/transcript

United States

Nuclear Attack: U.S. Rethinks Strategy for the Unthinkable - New York Times

Arms Pact Passes One Test as Senate Acts to Debate It - New York Times

Senate Agrees to Talks on New Arms Treaty with Russia - Washington Post

Border Patrol Agent Dies in Shootout in Arizona - New York Times

Bandits Who Prey on Illegals Gun Down Border Patrol Agent - Washington Times

Africa

U.N. Preparing for Worst Case Scenario in Southern Sudan - Voice of America

6 Prominent Kenyans Accused of Crimes Against Humanity - Voice of America

International Court Seeks Indictments in Kenya Vote Violence - New York Times

Kenya: ICC Names Six in Post-election Violence - Washington Post

Kenyan Ministers Named as Suspects In Vote Violence - Reuters

Kenya Reacts as ICC Names Suspects in Election Chaos - Voice of America

Violence, Protest Plans Stir Ivorian Conflict - Reuters

African Leaders Take a Stand in the Ivory Coast - Washington Post editorial

Americas and Caribbean

U.S., Mexico Commission Meets on Border Violence - Associated Press

Mexico's Cartel Gunmen Buy American - New York Times editorial

Amnesty for Brazil Dictatorship Is Challenged - New York Times

Venezuela: Chavez Foes, U.S. Condemn Decree Powers - Associated Press

Cuba Claims It Made Economic Strides In 2010 - Reuters

U.S. Doesn't Expect Cuba Upheaval With Castro Death - Associated Press

Bill Clinton Backs Haiti Reconstruction - BBC News

Bill Clinton Asserts Confidence in Fed-Up Haiti - Associated Press

Asia Pacific

China's Push Into Wind Worries U.S. Industry - New York Times

U.S., South Korea to Plan More Exercises - Stars and Stripes

Gov. Bill Richardson Arrives in Pyongyang - Associated Press

S. Korea to Stage Firing Drills From Border Island - Associated Press

Europe

Europe Staggers as Critical Summit Looms - New York Times

Jittery Night in Moscow After Rumors of a Demonstration - New York Times

Putin: Moscow Riots Show Need for Stronger Order - Associated Press

Putin Talks Up Recovery, Slams Ethnic Violence - Reuters

1,000 Detained in Russia to Prevent Ethnic Clashes - Associated Press

Russia Uses Extremism Law to Target Dissenters - Reuters

Sweden Bombing Doesn't Soil Image of Tolerance - New York Times

Berlusconi Seeks Fresh Start After Bitter Italy Vote - Reuters

Anti-Austerity Protest in Greece Turns Violent - New York Times

Czech Opposition Wants No-Confidence Vote on Government - Reuters

Report Says Kosovo PM Led Organ Trafficking Network - New York Times

New Turkish Coup Trial Begins - Associated Press

Middle East

Arabs Reject Middle East Peace Talks Without U.S. Plan - BBC News

Palestinian Authority Cracks Down on Mosques - Washington Post

Lebanon Says It Uncovers Israeli Spy Devices - Reuters

South Asia

China's Wen in India on Trade Mission, Building Trust - Voice of America

China Leader Calls on India to Be a Partner in Asia - New York Times

India and China Set $100bn Trade Target - BBC News

China, India Appeal for Deeper Ties, Not Tensions - Associated Press

China PM on India Charm Offensive, Offers to Boost Trade - Reuters

Read more about 16 December SWJ Roundup

Grandson Continues 'Band of Brothers' Tradition

Face of Defense: Grandson Continues 'Band of Brothers' Tradition

By Army Sgt. Michael J. MacLeod

1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division

FORT BRAGG, N.C., Dec. 14, 2010 -- Even at 80 years old, Frederick "Moose" Heyliger was an enormous man, according to his grandson, who serves with the 82nd Airborne Division's 1st Brigade.

Army 1st Sgt. Mark D. Heyliger, first sergeant of Company B, 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, often is asked by young soldiers who "put 2 and 2 together" whether he knows "that guy in that movie," and he says he does.

Heyliger, a veteran of five deployments, learned of his grandfather's World War II exploits as a first lieutenant with Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, of the 101st Airborne Division "Screaming Eagles" the same way the rest of America did --- by reading the book and seeing the HBO mini-series, "Band of Brothers."

The grandfather Heylinger knew had earned a degree in ornamental horticulture and he sold fertilizer, among other jobs. He was a bit of a wanderer, with a grand plan to own an acre of land in every state so he could travel and camp all the time.

"I'd always known my grandfather served in the Army, and I knew that he had loved it, but he never talked about what he did during the war," he said. "My dad mailed me a book while I was on recruiting duty. He said, 'If you ever want to know what your grandfather did, you need to read the book.'"

That was nine years into the South Bend, Ind., native's Army career. When he enlisted in 1992, he became the first Heyliger in two generations to serve.

"[My father] was always worried about having another fighting man in the family," he said.

After serving in Hawaii with the 25th Infantry Division, with the 101st, and as a recruiter, Heyliger came to the All-American Division in 2002. Since then, he has served three deployments to Iraq and two to Afghanistan.

Though Moose Heyliger never lived to see his grandson become a paratrooper, his jump wings were pinned on Mark when he graduated from Airborne School.

"I looked pretty silly, because I was the only novice paratrooper running around with two combat jump stars on his wings," the first sergeant said.

In 2004, wearing his grandfather's wings, Mark jumped into St. Mere Eglise, France, in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the Normandy invasion. Now, those wings sit in a box waiting to see what the youngest Heyliger, 11-year-old Kiefer, will do.

"I'm glad to serve and to carry on, to find what my grandfather enjoyed so much about the Army," the first sergeant said. "When I jump, I like to think of him. What keeps me in the Army, though, is the people. The next generation of young guys is what keeps me going."

Heyliger will spend the next three years at the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, La. After that, he said, he would like to finish his career either back at 82nd or with the 101st in his grandfather's regiment, the 506th "Band of Brothers."

"I always wanted to be airborne," he said.

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