3/14/24 National Security and Korean News and Commentary
Access National Security News HERE.
Access Korean News HERE.
National Security News Content:
1. West Point deletes ‘duty, honor, country’ from mission statement - Critics see 'woke' attitudes at work as MacArthur's words edited out
2. House Passes B to Ban TikTok or Force Sale of the Chinese Video App
3. Biden Shrinks the U.S. Military
4. The U.S. Military Is Running Short on Ammunition—and So Is Ukraine
5. Haiti Is Facing an Insurgency, Not a Gang Problem
6. Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, March 13, 2024
7. Israel–Hamas War (Iran) Update, March 13, 2024
8. TikTok’s Security Threats Go Beyond the Scope of House Legislation
9. On the Tripwire of a ‘Red Line,’ It’s Often Presidents Who Trip
10. Hamas has been shattered. Now it is fighting to survive
11. Haiti’s Chaos Shows How Far U.S. Stability Efforts Have to Go
12. Report to Congress on General and Flag Officers
13. JFK's Funeral Was the Only State Burial in US History to Feature a Foreign Military Unit
14. Shipbuilding: the new battleground in the US-China trade war
15. Army 4-star eyes new opportunities, exercises focused on sustainment, logistics in Indo-Pacific
16. Army should permanently station armor brigade in Poland, report argues
17. U.S. expected to impose new sanctions against settler outposts in occupied West Bank
18. Sweden Scrambles to Intercept Russian Aircraft Within Hours of NATO Flag Raising
19. Philippines, US Should Revisit Treaty To Include China’s ‘Gray-Zone’ Tactics – Analysis
Korean News Content:
1. N. Korean leader boasts striking power of new battle tank
2. S. Korea stages live-fire drills with U.S. military engineers near inter-Korean border
3. Cho, Blinken to discuss alliance, peninsula issues next week: foreign ministry
4. S. Korea to seek cooperation with U.S., Japan over N. Korea's abductee issue
5. Another U.S.-N.K. summit unlikely even if Trump is reelected: U.S. expert
6. Trump isn't unpredictable – Seoul should prepare for return of Trump
7. Is Kim Jong-un nervous about Elon Musk's 'Starlink'?
8. Detention of South Korean demonstrates Russia's hostage diplomacy: experts
9. US committee co-chairs call for stopping seafood imports from Chinese firms using NK workers
10.Ukraine war and case of North Korea
11. N. Korean overseas worker welcomes New S. Korean holiday for defectors
12. ＜Inside N. Korea＞ Workers frustrated by worsening workplace rations…Some call out company officials in rare rebuke
13. Sanctioned Russian Plane in Pyongyang as Arms Trade Picks Up
14. S. Korea, US close major springtime exercise against N. Korean threats
3/13/24 National Security and Korean News and Commentary
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Access Korean News HERE.
National Security News Content:
1. Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, March 12, 2024
2. Israel–Hamas War (Iran) Update, March 12, 2024
3. Gen. Mark Milley’s Second Act: Multimillionaire
4. America’s Leaders Don’t Understand Nuclear Weapons
5. Competing for Advantage: The Chinese Communist Party, Statecraft, and Special Operations
6. ‘Exposing China’s bad behavior won’t lead to war’
7. US Key to Philippines’ Plan to Tap Oil, Gas in South China Sea
8. Call for Articles: Military Review Special Edition on Irregular Warfare
9. How Israel Mastered Information Warfare in Gaza
10. The West Is Still Oblivious to Russia’s Information War
11. Israel Needs a New Strategy
12. Forever Putinism
13. Could a TikTok Ban Actually Happen?
Korean News Content:
1. What’s Driving North Korea’s Frantic Military Development?
2. Defense chief calls for capabilities to 'swiftly eliminate' N.K. leadership in event of war
3. Unification minister calls for ceaseless efforts to improve N.K.'s human rights situation
4. North Korean Workers Abroad Can’t Escape the Regime’s Human Rights Abuses
5. Danger ahead as Kim and Yoon bury inter-Korean detente
6. N. Korea's vice FM, Mongolian president discuss strengthening ties
7. A Korean missionary arrested in Russia on espionage charge
8. Air Force stages drills against N. Korean cruise missile, TEL threats
9. Putin says North Korea has its own 'nuclear umbrella'
10. North Korean workers' unrest in Russia 'behind South Korean's arrest'
11. Role of democracy in South Korea's alliance
12. North Koreans try to avoid forced construction work
3/12/24 National Security and Korean News and Commentary
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Access Korean News HERE.
National Security News Content:
1. 2024 ANNUAL THREAT ASSESSMENT OF THE U.S. INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY
2. Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, March 11, 2024
3. Israel–Hamas War (Iran) Update, March 11, 2024
4. Opinion: The world’s dangerous place has only gotten more dangerous
5. U.S. Spy Agencies Say Netanyahu’s Leadership ‘in Jeopardy’
6. A TikTok Ban May Be Easier in Theory
7. Taiwan’s Incoming VP Is on a Low-Profile Visit to Washington
8. Pentagon unveils $850 billion budget request amid spending uncertainty
9. Top Polish leaders to visit White House, hoping to spur US to help Ukraine more
10. "Tip of the Spear" - February 2024 | SOF News
11. Gaza war may stoke ‘generational’ terrorism threat, top intel official says
12. The Diplomatic Reserve Corps: A Bold Vision for American Diplomacy
13. A Call for All Americans To Help Stop Veteran Suicides
14. So, a Pier for Hamas it is ...you're paying for it - you might as well get briefed on it – CDR SALAMANDER
15. Opinion: The world’s dangerous place has only gotten more dangerous
16. BROKEN TRACK: Why the Iron Knights chose to speak out about suicides
17. Win-Wind: How a Bipartisan SHIPS Act Could Meet China and Climate Challenges
18. The Battle of Avdiivka and Its Lessons on Withdrawal Under Pressure
19. Winning the Operational Air Campaign, But Losing the Information War: The Israeli Air Force’s X Narratives
20. Removing the Trojan Horse from America’s ports
21. Biden Draws a ‘Red Line’ for Israel
22. US Green Berets deploying to Taiwan's front-line
23. Why the Middle East Still Needs America
24. Victoria Nuland to exit Biden administration – a new era of US foreign policy?
Korean News Content:
1. 2024 ANNUAL THREAT ASSESSMENT OF THE U.S. INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY (Korea comments)
2. U.S. intel believes N.K. leader has no intentions of negotiating away nuclear program
3. 2024 Unification Ministry’s Key Policy Agenda: – A United Korean Peninsula: Pioneering Freedom and Prosperity for All South and North Koreans
4. Top U.S. General Sees Changing Nuclear Threat From North Korea
5. [Full Interview] U.S. Ambassador to Korea Philip Goldberg "The ROK-U.S. alliance will remain strong no matter who becomes the U.S. President... North Korea chooses weapons over people's livelihoods."
6. Bruce Bechtol on North Korea and the Middle East
7. Climate Change as a Path to Engagement with North Korea
8. Shady N.Korean coal vessel enters Russian port
9. Now you can subscribe to a North Korean state TV streaming service
10. S. Korean national arrested in Russia on espionage suspicions: TASS
11. New report highlights worrying trends in N. Korea’s illegal cyber activities
12. North Korea: Kim Jong Un and Kim Yo Jong’s First Messages to Japan
13. Russia resumes maritime shipments of North Korean weapons
14. Germany shares results from recent inspection of its embassy in N. Korea
15. North Korea faces serious fertilizer shortages - again
3/11/24 National Security and Korean News and Commentary
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Access Korean News HERE.
National Security News Content:
1. Prima Donnas in Kevlar zones. Challenges to the Unconventional Warfare efforts of the U.S. Special Forces during Operation Enduring Freedom
2. Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, March 10, 2024
3. Israel–Hamas War (Iran) Update, March 10, 2024
4. Russia Is Pumping Out Weapons—but Can It Keep It Up?
5. Trump Should Lay Off NATO, Target the U.N.
6. Special Operations News – March 11, 2024
7. Optimizing The Stalemate: Limited Conflicts And The Use Of Special Operations Forces In The Context Of Global Competition
8. Biden’s Armageddon Moment: When Nuclear Detonation Seemed Possible in Ukraine
9. Pope Francis' 'white flag' comment is met by criticism from Ukraine and its allies
10. US military airlifts embassy personnel from Haiti, bolsters security
11. The Army's Innovation Dilemma
12. A World Divided Over Artificial Intelligence
13. Geopolitics in the C-Suite – More Than Ever, U.S. Foreign Policy Depends on Corporations—and Vice Versa
14. BROKEN TRACK: Suicides & suffering in Army’s exhausted armor community
15. US denies that American aid drop in Gaza killed civilians on ground
16. ‘Oppenheimer,’ My Uncle and the Secrets America Still Doesn’t Like to Tell
17. CSIS Scholars Call for Escalation Against Russia
18. Competition With China Is Inevitable. US Alliance Policy Could Determine Just How Bad It Gets.
19. Beijing’s Pain Could Be Washington’s Gain
20. The New Cold War: Changing Context And Shifting Contours Of International Politics – Analysis
Korean News Content:
1. How to avoid the Taiwan catastrophe (Korea)
2. N. Korea starts construction of regional factories in 13 counties
3. Gov't advisory committee on N.K. human rights to begin second term with new members
4. Defense ministry to send more military doctors to general hospitals if requested
5. Yoon, Arkansas Gov. Sanders discuss strengthening S. Korea-U.S. alliance
6. Editorial: Restoring NIS rights critical as pro-North Korean forces join assembly
7. North fights isolation with delegations to Brazil, Kenya and Mongolia
8. A party that embraced anti-state, anti-U.S. forces (Korea)
9. Philippines, S. Korea recall cooperation that forged 75 years of ties
10. New survey finds that most N. Korean women think government fails to protect their rights
11. N. Korean defectors share stories of abuse by their Chinese boyfriends
12. Steep rise of N. Korean grain prices appears to be leveling off
13. The rock star who defected to North Korea — and now regrets it
14. North Korea clears remains of inter-Korean liaison office it blew up 4 years ago
Prima Donnas in Kevlar zones. Challenges to the Unconventional Warfare efforts of the U.S. Special Forces during Operation Enduring Freedom by Anna M. Gielas
This is a long read. It is based on a survey of Masters theses by many great SOF/SF practitioners. It will( should/must) be on the syllabus of every PME instruction that has any subject matter related to irregular warfare. The article is valuable for its reference list alone and lists many of our great SOF/SF practitioners writing on these topics while at PME institutions.
We are fortunate that this is not behind the paywall. The entire article can be accessed here https://www.tandfonline.com/
The PDF can be downloaded here (for now): https://www.tandfonline.
But this excerpt is most important because it succinctly explains the SF experience during the GWOT. And the conclusion tells the story.
Excerpt:
It seems that SF were in the middle of a ‘push and pull’ situation: conventional commanders pushed SFODAs to a more kinetic approach while the public hype surrounding JSOC units like SEAL Team Six likely pulled some SFODAs towards Direct Action. Cohen observed that ’[commando] unit prominence occurs only during a politico-military crisis, for it is then that the public searches for heroes and politicians look for panaceas’.89 At the same time, Cohen rightly contended that ‘[commando] units may be misleading or ambiguous symbols, distorting serious public and governmental discussion of complex issues, encouraging instead a preoccupation with martial theater’.90 Such preoccupation overshadowed UW.
Conclusion
This paper arrives belatedly. Ideally, it should have appeared two decades ago, following Donald Rumsfeld’s advocacy for a centre-stage role of SOCOM in the GWOT. It should have questioned how SOCOM’s emerging role and expansion integrated in the long-established military apparatus and the distinct military cultures. This might have prevented problematic assumptions such as the notion that ‘special operations forces are the darling of the military’, and might have facilitated a more nuanced understanding of U.S. SOF during the GWOT.107 Today, the MA theses corpus contributes to a deeper insight into SF’s challenges during OEF, indicating that deploying SF in their UW role within conventional military frameworks is paradoxical. In essence, conventional military structures and cultures restrict policymakers’ access to SF’s unconventional capabilities. Decision-makers should contemplate deploying SF in organisational structures that align more closely with those used by JSOC units. This might involve establishing tighter links and cooperation with intelligence agencies. Considering the CIA’s experience with UW, it may be the right partner.108 However, any cooperation between SF and an intelligence agency should be preceded by the creation of an appropriate legal framework to balance SF’s freedom of action with accountability to the U.S. people.109
Further research would be beneficial to explore additional topics present in the rich MA corpus. These topics include SF’s problematic reward and career progression system which may ultimately impede their capacity to refine UW skills.110 It is also vital to understand how the nation-builder versus door-kicker dichotomy plays out within SOCOM and whether it adversely affects SF to ensure a comprehensive understanding and application of this national security instrument in the UW context.111 Research on the integration of SF with the conventional military should concentrate more on operational and tactical levels. This could potentially reveal new perspectives on how SF and their conventional counterparts could complement each other.112 However, most crucially, there is a need for further research into the consequences of GWOT on SOF in general. Such research should include a detailed examination of the organisational changes that the SF authors propose as solutions to mitigate some of the adverse consequences of GWOT.
Most of the organisational and cultural obstacles encountered by SF during OEF could have been anticipated and, theoretically, mitigated. For instance, a national security adviser during the Vietnam War, Robert Komer, cautioned that a ’[Military] organization tends to contort policy to existing structures rather than adjusting structures to reflect changes in policy’. Cohen highlighted the cultural tension between the SOF and the conventional military in the late 1970s. During the 1980s, Builder discussed how the extent to which military services and organisations prioritised their sovereignty and survival sometimes diverged from and took precedence over national interests.113 In the 1990s, Amy Zegart pointed out inherent weaknesses in military structures.114
Organisational changes often happen at a glacial pace, undermining military strength and contributing to vulnerabilities in national security. In this case, the U.S. government possesses thousands of SF personnel trained and educated in UW, yet it lacks the military organisational structure necessary to lead a UW campaign as a part of a broader armed forces engagement.
Prima Donnas in Kevlar zones. Challenges to the Unconventional Warfare efforts of the U.S. Special Forces during Operation Enduring Freedom
Received 02 Feb 2024, Accepted 29 Feb 2024, Published online: 09 Mar 2024
ABSTRACT
When Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) commenced in October 2001, the U.S. Special Forces (SF) were the first U.S. military unit on the ground in Afghanistan, utilising their Unconventional Warfare (UW) capabilities. Despite their significant role at the initial stage of the military campaign, SF began to encounter numerous challenges from as early as 2002 and throughout OEF. Based on an analysis of forty-five master’s theses authored by SF officers, this paper discusses the structural-organisational and cultural-conceptual challenges. These obstacles led to the marginalisation of SF’s UW efforts. Scholarship on special operations forces (SOF) often regards the period of the so-called global war on terrorism (GWOT) as U.S. SOF’s golden age focusing predominantly on the activities of SOF units linked to the U.S. Joint Special Operations Command rather than on SF. By examining the challenges faced by SF, this article aims to contribute to a more nuanced discussion of SOF efforts during GWOT.
3/10/24 National Security and Korean News and Commentary
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National Security News Content:
1, Lessons I learned in a Ukrainian military safe house
2. Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, March 9, 2024
3. Israel–Hamas War (Iran) Update, March 9, 2024
4. TikTok Crackdown Shifts Into Overdrive, With Sale or Shutdown on Table
5, Two Canals, Two Big Problems—One Global Shipping Mess
6. U.S. Military Enters a New Phase With Gaza Aid Operations
7. Ukraine's Fight Against Time
8. ISIS Is Back and Threatens to Be Deadlier Than Ever
9. Philippines’ new playbook is a threat to South China Sea peace
10. Adoption of Gibo’s defense concept backed by expert (Philippines)
11. US, Japan Mull Defense Cooperation That Could Help Ukraine, Yomiuri Says
12. The Houthis have the world’s attention — and they won’t give it up
13. Oppenheimer Couldn’t Run a Hamburger Stand. How Did He Run a Secret Lab?
14. How To Deconstruct The New Iron Curtain – OpEd
15. Exclusive: US prepared ‘rigorously’ for potential Russian nuclear strike in Ukraine in late 2022, officials say
16. The next steps for Biden’s Indo-Pacific Economic Framework
17. What a Nazi-baiting radio genius can teach us about today’s infowars
18. Five ways to crack the Islamist conundrum
19. The IC OSINT Strategy 2024-2026 - The INT of First Resort: Unlocking the Value of OSINT
Korean News Content:
1. North Korea: Sealing China Border Worsens Crisis, Says HRW
2, She fled North Korea but was sold to a man in China. Her second escape came nearly 20 years later.
3, Top general visits Air Force missile defense center amid N.K. threats
4, Finance chiefs of S. Korea, U.S., Japan arranging 3-way meeting
5, Ex-defense chief departs for Australia to take office as ambassador
6, N. Korean delegation departs for Mongolia
7. S. Korea to dismantle support foundation for Kaesong complex as early as next week
8. Pyongyang caught off guard by Havana
9. What does Putin owe Kim Jong-un for Ukraine?
10. What’s Korea’s choice for survival?
11. The Power of Capitalism: Kim vs the market only has one winner
12. The IC OSINT Strategy 2024-2026 - The INT of First Resort: Unlocking the Value of OSINT
3/9/24 National Security and Korean News and Commentary
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Access Korean News HERE.
National Security News Content:
1. U.S. Spy Agencies Know Your Secrets. They Bought Them.
2. US Army Special Forces To Be Deployed on Taiwanese Island Six Miles From Mainland China
3. Special ops expected to play key role in shaping future battlespaces in 'non-physical domains'
4. TikTok told users to contact their representatives. Lawmakers say what happened next shows why an ownership restructure is necessary.
5. The Vicious Cycle Driving Gaza’s North to Famine
6. Shield, sword, or symbol: Analyzing Xi Jinping’s “strategic deterrence”
7. Analysis: For women in Asia, motherhood is a complicated investment
8. ‘Useful expert' from US invents Pentagon's plan to evacuate Zelensky to Lviv
9. How the U.S. military will use a floating pier to deliver Gaza aid
10. China-Taiwan Weekly Update, March 7, 2024
11. What the war in Ukraine means for Asia
12. The Taliban once smashed TVs. Now it fosters YouTubers to promote its image.
13. China steps up grey-zone warfare to exhaust Taiwan, defence report says
14. Plan to Deliver Aid by Sea Faces Big Hurdles
15. We’re Slowly Learning About China’s Extensive Hacking Network
16. Fort Liberty Special Warfare Center and School to get new commander
Korean News Content:
1. N. Korean state media provides clues to actual conditions inside the country
2.N. Korea disrupts S. Korea-US drills with 3-day GPS jamming
3. north Korea: ‘I want to be myself, not someone’s mom.’
4. In response to U.S. and China claims of ‘increasing tensions’, “‘Shield of Freedom’ is defensive training”
5. North Korea responds to South Korea-U.S. war games with ‘silly’ firepower display
6. Ministry to Create New Unification Initiative, Increase Support for Defectors
7. N. Korean teenage thieves skip school to rob elderly vendors
8. What the war in Ukraine means for Asia
9. Balancing deterrence and restraint (Korea)
10. H.Res.1056 - Recognizing the importance of trilateral cooperation among the United States, Japan, and South Korea.
11. NK border sealing with China worsens human rights situation: report
12. Society That Respects Women: DPRK
13. On International Women's Day, the U.S. State Department says, “We will defend the rights of North Korean women.”
14. Yes, China Could Invade North Korea
15. 'Get out Yankee': A South Korean village's fight against the US military
16. Interview: Joy Sakurai says we need more women in the boardroom to foster gender equality
3/8/24 National Security and Korean News and Commentary
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Access Korean News HERE.
National Security News Content:
1. Stealth, speed, and adaptability: The role of special operations forces in strategic competition
2. Special operations forces in an era of strategic competition (VIdeo event with ASD SO/LIC)
3. Few women are trying for elite special operations roles, new data shows
4. Conflict in Gaza: The Law of War and Irregular Warfare in Urban Terrain
5. Navy SEAL Museum in San Diego Coming Soon | SOF News
6. The Terrifying A.I. Scam That Uses Your Loved One’s Voice
7. Espionage Probe Finds Communications Device on Chinese Cranes at U.S. Ports
8. Chinese-Made Surveillance Cameras At Romanian Military Sites Raise Security Concerns
9. Army intelligence analyst charged with selling military secrets to contact in China for $42,000
10. Who Could Have Predicted the U.S. War in Somalia Would Fail? The Pentagon.
11. TikTok ban: Furious Congress plows forward with China bill after user revolt
12. TikTok campaign against ban backfires
13. U.S. Troops in Syria Are Critical For Multiple Missions: Keep Them On
14. China Intensifies Push to ‘Delete America’ From Its Technology
15. Time is Running Out in Ukraine
16. The Day After—in Israel
17. Lawmaker who claims to be a retired rear admiral was actually demoted
18. Army creating deep sensing cross-functional team
19. Targeting time shrinks from minutes to seconds in Army experiment
20. Urgent Air Lift Abroad – New Thinking on Existing Capabilities
21. The U.S. Air Force's New Mission: Beat China In a War At All Costs
22. Kill the zombies: Army on mission to make soldiers better writers
23. Israel–Hamas War (Iran) Update, March 7, 2024
24. Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, March 7, 2024
Korean News Content:
1. S. Korea to draw up new unification vision based on liberal democracy
2. 'Seoul's new unification vision: 'Ensure freedom for every N. Korean'
3. North Korea conducts artillery firing drills in likely response to South Korea-US military training
4. ＜Inside N. Korea＞ Surveillance cameras are popping up in markets, restaurants, roadsides... "They are used to identify those responsible for increased crime and disturbances"
5. HRNK Launches Updated Report Based on Satellite Imagery of N. Korea’s Political Prison Camp No. 25
6. Women’s Day highlights North Korean women’s violation of human rights
7. North Korean women endure harsh financial hardships and pressure to give birth
8. North Korean women are now the breadwinners – and shifting this deeply patriarchal society towards a matriarchy
9. Repression, isolation getting worse in North Korea, rights watchdog says
10. Unification ministry to help North Korean defectors become lawyers, doctors
11. Images show N Korea sealing its border with China
12. N. Korea attempted to disrupt GPS signals on S. Korean border islands
13. Army special forces stage counterterrorism drills at Seoul baseball stadium
14. Wartime footage, anger with Seoul, and a gift from Vladimir Putin: Is North Korea (actually) planning to go to war?