News & commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and published by Duncan Moore.

1. Why Trump's troop withdrawal from Germany is only the beginning

2. Abolish the police? Those who survived the chaos in Seattle aren’t so sure

3. Brent Scowcroft taught a generation how to manage foreign policy

4. US-China relations: is Azar’s visit to Taiwan a sign of Washington’s disregard for Beijing?

5. China’s art of strategic incrementalism in the South China Sea

6. Unwanted truths: inside Trump’s battles with U.S. intelligence agencies

7. I used my bomb training to report on the Beirut explosions

8.  Venezuelan court sentences two former U.S. Green Berets to 20 years for role in botched raid

9. U.S. government contractor embedded software in apps to track phones

10. The overmilitarization of American foreign policy

11. Pro-Beijing influencers and their rose-tinted view of life in Xinjiang

12. Harvard lecturer: ‘No specific skill will get you ahead in the future’-but this ‘way of thinking’ will

13. General Frank J. Toney has died at age 70

14. TikTok, Twitter held talks about sale of popular video app, says report

15. US response to the virus is met with incredulity abroad

16. MDO and the nuclear elephant in the room

17. The China challenge and America's founding principles

18. Red Dawn 2012 remake tainted Sony and MGM in China for years

19. Long before Zoom, British soldiers used technology to stay connected during World War II

20. Traditional Chinese conceptions and approaches to secrecy, denial, and obfuscation

1. Why Trump's troop withdrawal from Germany is only the beginning

National Interest · by Max Bergmann · August 8, 2020

I think the subtitle explains the President's views toward alliances.

2. Abolish the police? Those who survived the chaos in Seattle aren’t so sure

New York Times · by Nellie Bowles · August 7, 2020

I think those who came up with the catch phrase to "defund the police" rather than calling for police reforms have probably made one of the largest strategic errors in information and influence operations.  It will be the equivalent of the pro-choice advocates versus the pro-life advocates (e.g., if you are not in favor of pro-life you must support killing babies). It is events like those described and articles like this one that will discredit those who call for defunding the police instead of substantive police reforms. The use of defund undermines the legitimacy of their cause because it is an IO failure.

3. Brent Scowcroft taught a generation how to manage foreign policy

Washington Post · by David Ignatius · August 7, 2020

The loss of a great American

4. US-China relations: is Azar’s visit to Taiwan a sign of Washington’s disregard for Beijing?

South China Morning Post · by Lawrence Chung · August 9, 2020

This is not unprecedented.

5. China’s art of strategic incrementalism in the South China Sea

National Interest · by Patrick Mendis & Joey Wang · August 8, 2020

Incrementalism works when it goes unchecked.

6. Unwanted truths: inside Trump’s battles with U.S. intelligence agencies

New York Times · by Robert Draper · August 8, 2020

This is not good. I would like to read a counter to this analysis that does not include the words "fake news."

7. I used my bomb training to report on the Beirut explosions

New York Times · by John Ismay · August 6, 2020

8. Venezuelan court sentences two former U.S. Green Berets to 20 years for role in botched raid

Washington Post · by Anthony Fiaola · August 8, 2020

An embarrassment for the SF Regiment.

9. U.S. government contractor embedded software in apps to track phones

Wall Street Journal · by Byron Tau · August 7, 2020

I am sure this will be exploited by Chinese propaganda, e.g. if you think Tik Tok is bad, check out Anomaly Six.

10. The overmilitarization of American foreign policy

Foreign Affairs · by Robert M. Gates · August 3, 2020

11. Pro-Beijing influencers and their rose-tinted view of life in Xinjiang

.coda · by Isobel Cockerell · August 7, 2020

Wow. I cannot imagine walking in Jerry Grey's shoes.

12. Harvard lecturer: ‘No specific skill will get you ahead in the future’-but this ‘way of thinking’ will

CNBC · by Vikram Mansharamani · June 15, 2020

13. General Frank J. Toney has died at age 70

Celebrities Deaths · by Okoro John · August 7, 2020

BG Toney kept the UW flame alive in SF when he was Commander of the US Army Special Forces Command.

A truly great American. I am sure we have all many "BG Toney stories." He was larger than life and one of a kind. I have a few but here is one. He demanded to come visit us in Okinawa on the same day as the G8 Summit with 8 world leaders and when everything was locked down. I tried to politely suggest he chose another date because we would not be able to get him from the airport to Torii station due to security restrictions (e.g., no US military movement off base on the day of the summit). He not so politely told me that I am SF and to just figure it out because he was coming and he did not give a damn who else was going to be there (such as 8 world leaders in July of 2000). Fortunately, we had great SF NCOs to make it happen: they got him in and out and none of the US leadership on the island had any idea there was an SF general officer on the island and that we were breaking the rules. I wonder if his language training will serve him well where he is now. After all he does speak two languages: 7.62 and 5.56. He will be missed but never forgotten.

14. TikTok, Twitter held talks about sale of popular video app, says report

CNET · by Edward Moyer · August 8, 2020

That would have been quite a marriage. While China would collect data for nefarious purposes, Twitter would gather data that would be a boon for advertisers.

15. US response to the virus is met with incredulity abroad

AP · by Nicole Winfield & Lisa Marie Pane · August 9, 2020

We could get ourselves isolated. Countries getting the virus under control will not want Americans traveling. In my non-scientific analysis I think international travel will likely be the reason why this virus survives and will have the opportunity to evolve (mutate) to get stronger. And if ever there were a need for a global approach to a security problem (that is also a public health problem), it would seem to be this virus. We have not been talking much about the national security impact of this pandemic. Yes, our economic instrument of power is being severely impacted and, while it appears the military has done a good job trying to contain the virus, I understand that in places like Afghanistan our forces are very vulnerable. I saw one comment – but I have no evidence – that said half the Afghan population has or had the coronavirus. This could have significant impact on the US military.

16. MDO and the nuclear elephant in the room

Real Clear Defense · by Jeremiah Rozman · August 8, 2020

Back to Cold War nuclear defense training? Can we fight through a nuclear, chemical, or biological environment?

But the author challenges two key multi-domain operation assumptions.

17. The China challenge and America's founding principles

Real Clear Politics · by Peter Berkowitz · August 8, 2020

A very powerful conclusion. All Americans should reflect on the questions in the concluding paragraph.  The answers to those questions will determine our way forward and not just toward China.

18. Red Dawn 2012 remake tainted Sony and MGM in China for years

Bleeding Cool · by Rich Johnston · August 8, 2020

Sony and MGM should be ashamed of themselves for this. But everyone needs to learn from this. China is seeking to wield great cultural influence over us (and the world) through entertainment – both in movies and video games. Most of the people who read my messages are not video game players but much of our youth is decisively engaged in video games and the narratives that are developed by the dominant game designers are really influenced behind the scenes by China and very subtly executed.  Again, we do not observe this since we do not play these video games.

19. Long before Zoom, British soldiers used technology to stay connected during World War II

Washington Post · by Sophie Atkinson · August 9, 2020

Some fascinating history.

As an aside: before cell phones and the internet, our communications sergeants would set up calls home through ham radio operators while we were deployed.

20. Traditional Chinese conceptions and approaches to secrecy, denial, and obfuscation

Studies in Intelligence, Vol. 64, No. 1 · by Ralph D. Sawyer · March 2020

"A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices."

- William James

"History teaches us that wars begin when governments believe the price of aggression is cheap."

- Ronald Reagan

"In this sad world of ours sorrow comes to all and it often comes with bitter agony. Perfect relief is not possible except with time. You cannot now believe that you will ever feel better. But this is not true. You are sure to be happy again. Knowing this, truly believing it will make you less miserable now. I have had enough experience to make this statement."

 - Abraham Lincoln

News & commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and published by Duncan Moore.

1. China's rise forges new bond between Japan and Five Eyes

2. For whom the tok tiks

3. DOE RFI for Trump executive order on bulk-power system grapples with national security implications of evolving U.S. electrical grid

4. GOP rep calls on DOJ to investigate international court for ties to terror

5, Why Taiwan is at the heart of a microchip struggle

6.  The problem with allies: it's time to unfriend a few countries

7. The fragile republic: American democracy has never faced so many threats all at once

8. US troops should withdraw from Syria, not protect oil companies

9. Defense personnel to get a crash course in OpSec

10. U.S. allies tighten alliance to contain China's maritime expansion

11. Tensions mount over China's industrial espionage in U.S.

12. Russia continues interfering in election to try to help Trump, U.S. intelligence says

13. Special ops nominee grilled over charge his firm may have trained Khashoggi's killers

14. Mail carriers deliver medicine and mail till dark, thanks to COVID-19

15. How does the U.S. Army expect to hide a giant warehouse full of weapons from China?

16. Fort Hood commander's transfer on hold amid investigations

17. 'People give limbs so we stay free:' Green Beret amputee vet describes Purple Heart's meaning

1. China's rise forges new bond between Japan and Five Eyes

Nikkei Asian Review · by Wajahat Khan & Masaya Kato · August 7, 2020

So will it be Six Eyes?  Will the UK join TPP?

2. For whom the Tok Tiks

Defense One · by Ina Bogost · August 7, 2020

A lot of cute titles today.

3. DOE RFI for Trump executive order on bulk-power system grapples with national security implications of evolving U.S. electrical grid

Foley · by Jeffery R. Atkin et al. · July 14, 2020

Our electrical grid is vulnerable.

4. GOP rep calls on DOJ to investigate international court for ties to terror

Newsweek · by Aila Slisco · August 7, 2020

I hope this does not blow back on us.

5. Why Taiwan is at the heart of a microchip struggle

Asia Times · by Marshall Auerback · August 8, 2020

But that gunboat needs the technology.

6. The problem with allies: it's time to unfriend a few countries

American Spectator · by Doug Bandow · August 8, 2020

Please do not share this with the President. Doug Bandow provides the blueprint for total retrenchment.  I worry the President will hire Bandow as a security adviser in his second term to implement this plan.

I could not disagree more with Bandow. Alliances are key to our national security, our economic security, and our ability to project power and build coalitions to protect US national interests.

That said, it is fair to continually assess our alliance structure and to adjust as necessary based on US national interests. But our alliances should be based on shared interests, shared values, and shared strategy toward mutual security. This blueprint throws the baby out with the bathwater and will put US national security at great risk.

7.  The fragile republic: American democracy has never faced so many threats all at once

Foreign Affairs · by Suzanne Mettler & Robert C. Lieberman · August 7, 2020

Our federal democratic republic.  As Ben said, "It's a republic, if you can keep it."

8. US troops should withdraw from Syria, not protect oil companies

Defense One · by Daniel L. Davis · August 7, 2020

I am reminded of a George Carlin monologue (I think from the album, "Class Clown"): The middle two words of industry are "US" and it is to job of the military to protect industry.

9. Defense personnel to get a crash course in OpSec

Defense One · by Lindy Kyzer · August 7, 2020

10. U.S. allies tighten alliance to contain China's maritime expansion

Chosun Ilbo · by VOA News · August 7, 2020

Containment?

11. Tensions mount over China's industrial espionage in U.S.

Chosun Ilbo · by VOA News · August 7, 2020

Korea should also be very worried about this as well. It is a prime target for Chinese industrial espionage.

12. Russia continues interfering in election to try to help Trump, U.S. intelligence says

New York Times · by Julian E. Barnes · August 7, 2020

This is not going away. We cannot keep our head buried in the sand.

13. Special ops nominee grilled over charge his firm may have trained Khashoggi's killers

Military.com · by Richard Sisk · August 6, 2020

I do wonder how the Senate will act on this. It did not look good for him.

14. Mail carriers deliver medicine and mail till dark, thanks to COVID-19

Tampa Bay Times · by Rose Wong · August 7, 2020

Respect for our great American mail carriers.

15. How does the U.S. Army expect to hide a giant warehouse full Of weapons from China?

Forbes · by David Axe · August 7, 2020

16. Fort Hood commander's transfer on hold amid investigations

ABC News · by Lolita C. Baldor · August 7, 2020

17. 'People give limbs so we stay free:' Green Beret amputee vet describes Purple Heart's meaning

American Military News · by Ryan Morgan · August 7, 2020

"Nonviolent action involves opposing the opponent's power, including his police and military capacity, not with the weapons chosen by him but by quite different means. Repression by the opponent is used against his own power position in a kind of political "ju-jitsu" and the very sources of his power thus reduced or removed, with the result that his political and military position is seriously weakened or destroyed."

- Gene Sharp

'If [people] cannot think well, others will do their thinking for them.'

- George Orwell

"OLD SF"

"Yep, it was a simpler time in many ways. No computers, no risk assessment process, team sergeants wrote training schedules and ran teams for many years (not just two), no interpreters, no velcro, no gortex, no optics on guns, no body armor or high speed helmets, no CONOPs, no Powerpoint, no warrant officers (LTs were there to carry the generator and learn before they took a team as a CPT), no career path, no officer or NCO branch to hide people in, we had our own flight det in the Groups, we wore no-shit LBE with butt packs, and we just made shit happen. Now there were some differences too that folks now wouldn't like. We did formations...PT, morning at 0900 often, sometimes at 1300. We occasionally did Company, Bn, and Group runs. We wore berets in garrison and either patrol caps or boonie hats in the woods (or a drive on rag while patrolling if appropriate). We did isolation. We did a lot of SL night CE jumps, and under some commanders that's all we did, but we were good at it. We had field pants and cold weather gear made of wool, and sleeping bags made of down. We didn't have the ammo they have today, but we used what we had wisely. We did SQT tests and certification. There was only jump pay...$55, then $83, then $110 I think, and MFF/SCUBA pay. No SDAP, Lang pay, demo pay, or huge bonuses. We had no specialized gear...when I got to an ODA I think they issued ma a VS-17 panel, strobe light, snap link, sling rope, and a compass, and a couple of more things like a GP net from PBO. Damn, those were some great times....We were expected to do anything, anytime, anyplace with nothing other than our wits, creativity, and drive. And we did. And we did it with great NCO leadership from the Vietnam era guys who did the exact same thing before we stepped in."

-Chris Zets

(some of us grew up in this era)

News & commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and published by Duncan Moore.

1. Trump says he will make deals with N.K. very quickly if reelected

2. Don't use U.S. troops as bargaining chips

3. Around 10 countries yet to submit final report on N.K. workers to U.N.: document

4. Washington: GSOMIA is critical to U.S. security interest

5. North Korea crypto hackers: UN revelation

6. North Korea reportedly using altcoins to convert $1.5B in stolen funds to cash

7. Moon's chief of staff, five senior aides offer to resign

8. N.K. artillery attack on S. Korea could cause more than 200,000 casualties: U.S. think tank

9. North Korea publicly executes six for sex trafficking, including four officials

10. Kim Jong Un rolls up to village devastated by floods in luxury SUV

11. North Koreans scavenge in remains of blown-up Liaison Office

12. North Korea threat: satellite footage of Kim Jong-un's secretive base sparks nuclear panic

13. Un embarrassing failure: Trump's threat-followed-by-love-letter diplomacy with North Korea has been disastrous

1. Trump says he will make deals with N.K. very quickly if reelected

Yonhap News Agency  · by Lee Haye-ah · August 8, 2020

Let me give you my worst-case analysis.

Based on President Trump's anti-alliance worldview (unless there is a positive transactional relationship for the US), I can see him trying to solve the Korea problem in the US favor once and for all: I can see him willing to make the deal to trade US troops in Korea for ICBMs and some level of nuclear weapons. Given the confluence of events - the SMA negotiation stalemate, the President 's belief the US is getting ripped off for defending South Korea, his stated desire to bring home US troops - he could offer up this concession to protect the US homeland by removing the ICBM threat. In addition, given President Moon's unwavering commitment to engagement with North Korea to implement his peace vision, I can see the President lifting sanctions (or trying to do so, as the UN and US Congress have the say in that), saying that it is time to let Koreans solve the Korean problem, that he supports President Moon's peace strategy, and that he will get out of the way to let him try to achieve it. This could be the basis of a "very quick deal."

Of course, making such a deal would be a victory for Kim Jong-Un and his long con. He will have achieved major objectives of his strategy: sanctions relief while keeping his nuclear weapons and removal of US troops from the peninsula. If this series of events were to happen, we can expect conflict in the very near future after the withdrawal of US troops, which of course will have global impact, with at least a severe economic impact on all Americans.

I know the President's national security advisers will do everything to prevent this outcome (as will some of our Korean allies - though there will be some Koreans who will support this path even though the existential threat to Korea will remain) and will continue to advise against this course of action. But, we must consider the President's words and actions as well as our interpretation of his worldview (I hope to be proven wrong in this analysis). 

2. Don't Use U.S. Troops as Bargaining Chips

Bloomberg · by Editorial Board · August 7, 2020

Yes, our force posture must be based on how to optimize our forces, their capabilities, and their locations to support our National Defense Strategy, which includes support to our alliance commitments (our national security and defense strategy acknowledges how important our alliance structure is to US national security).

We should acknowledge that South Korea has given the US a huge gift for US strategic flexibility and agility with construction of the largest US military base outside of the US (South Korea funded 93% of the $10.7 billion cost) – not only through a state-of-the-art base, but through a strategic base sitting in a location between a seaport of embarkation (SPOE – the Port of Pyeongtaek) and an air port of embarkation (APOE – Osan Air Base). While the consolidation of most of US ground forces in a single location may not be tactically sound in the face of missile threats from North Korea, it makes great sense in terms of a strategic force projection platform and an intermediate staging base for forces from CONUS to deploy throughout the Indo-Pacific for contingency operations. Of course, this base poses political issues with our Korean allies who think it could be used for war with China, but we should instead think about strategic deployment capabilities in support of other contingencies as well as training and engagement with other allies in the INDOPACFIC.

But. the bottom line is we should not use US troops as a bargaining chip. We need to think about how the location of US troops supports the US national defense strategies. And it would also be good if we could correct a major strategic error by re-joining the Transpacific Partnership (though I fear that ship has already sailed).

3. Around 10 countries yet to submit final report on N.K. workers to U.N.: document

Yonhap News Agency · by hague@yna.co.kr · August 8, 2020

It seems like the leaked UN report has been making the rounds. It would be useful if the UN just released it to the public rather than leak it to a few media outlets, causing us to have to read the media’s interpretations of it. It is difficult to tell what is circular reporting and what is based on an actual reading of the report.

4. Washington: GSOMIA is critical to U.S. security interest

Dong-A Ilbo · by Ji-Sun Choi · August 8, 2020

GSOMIA is critical to the security of the ROK, Japan, and the US – both through direct implementation and execution as well as the broader trilateral relationship, which is critical to address both the North Korean threat and other challenges in Northeast Asia, e.g. China. Recall that China demanded a concession from South Korea that not only would it not allow any more THAAD deployments but also not participate in an integrated missile defense system or a trilateral alliance of the ROK, Japan, and US. Why do we think that is? Because a trilateral alliance will hinder the ability of China to wield dominating influence in the region. The question for the ROK and US: will historical issues (which are tragic) take precedence of economic and national security?

5. North Korea crypto hackers: UN revelation

Asia Times · by AT Contributor · August 7, 2020

It appears like this leaked report is covering a lot of ground based on the information that the media is reporting.

6. North Korea reportedly using altcoins to convert $1.5B in stolen funds to cash

Coin Telegraph · by Mohammad Musharraf · August 7, 2020

For the cyber and crypto currency experts: is there a way to block, interdict, or somehow exploit these actions?

7. Moon's chief of staff, five senior aides offer to resign

Korea Herald · by Yonhap · August 7, 2020

8. N.K. artillery attack on S. Korea could cause more than 200,000 casualties: U.S. think tank

Yonhap News Agency · by Lee Haye-ah · August 8, 2020

I think this is the report to which Yonhap is referring.

9. North Korea publicly executes six for sex trafficking, including four officials

Radio Free Asia · by Eugene Whong · August 6, 2020

More examples of the evil nature of the Kim family regime. And think about the hypocrisy of Kim Jong-Un (like his father and grandfather), who is "allowed" (by his own authority) to have his "pleasure squads.”

10. Kim Jong Un rolls up to village devastated by floods in luxury SUV

New York Post · by Lia Eustachewich · August 7, 2020

11. North Koreans scavenge in remains of blown-up Liaison Office

Daily Mail · by Julian Ryall · August 7, 2020

12. North Korea threat: satellite footage of Kim Jong-un's secretive base sparks nuclear panic

Express · by Oli Smith · August 7, 2020

There is no doubt the regime continues to develop nuclear weapons and its nuclear infrastructure continues to operate. But there is no need for panic.

13. Un embarrassing failure: Trump's threat-followed-by-love-letter diplomacy with North Korea has been disastrous

Daily News · by Daily News Editorial Board · August 8, 2020

Cute title.

Yes, President Trump has practiced unconventional, experimental, top-down, pen-pal diplomacy. Of course, there is only one measure of effectiveness - denuclearization of the North. So there has been no denuclearization, but we should have learned some very useful lessons from the past two years that can help with the way ahead. Second (and most important), we have created an environment of tremendous pressure on Kim Jong-Un inside Pyongyang (of course, he has helped by raising expectations that he could play Moon and Trump). Kim's failure to effectively play both Presidents has made him vulnerable inside Pyongyang. In addition, our steadfast refusal to give concessions in the form of sanctions relief is helping chip away at the effectiveness of the regime's blackmail diplomacy strategy. In time, Kim is going to be put in a position where he will have to change his strategy or be subject to increasing internal pressure. So, yes – we have not successfully denuclearized the North. But Kim Jong-Un has been the real failure, and this fact will either have devastating consequences for him or will force him to change his policy and strategy.

We need to continue to counter his long con by playing our long game.

"Nonviolent action involves opposing the opponent's power, including his police and military capacity, not with the weapons chosen by him but by quite different means. Repression by the opponent is used against his own power position in a kind of political "ju-jitsu" and the very sources of his power thus reduced or removed, with the result that his political and military position is seriously weakened or destroyed."

- Gene Sharp

'If [people] cannot think well, others will do their thinking for them.'

- George Orwell

"OLD SF"

"Yep, it was a simpler time in many ways. No computers, no risk assessment process, team sergeants wrote training schedules and ran teams for many years (not just two), no interpreters, no velcro, no gortex, no optics on guns, no body armor or high speed helmets, no CONOPs, no Powerpoint, no warrant officers (LTs were there to carry the generator and learn before they took a team as a CPT), no career path, no officer or NCO branch to hide people in, we had our own flight det in the Groups, we wore no-shit LBE with butt packs, and we just made shit happen. Now there were some differences too that folks now wouldn't like. We did formations...PT, morning at 0900 often, sometimes at 1300. We occasionally did Company, Bn, and Group runs. We wore berets in garrison and either patrol caps or boonie hats in the woods (or a drive on rag while patrolling if appropriate). We did isolation. We did a lot of SL night CE jumps, and under some commanders that's all we did, but we were good at it. We had field pants and cold weather gear made of wool, and sleeping bags made of down. We didn't have the ammo they have today, but we used what we had wisely. We did SQT tests and certification. There was only jump pay...$55, then $83, then $110 I think, and MFF/SCUBA pay. No SDAP, Lang pay, demo pay, or huge bonuses. We had no specialized gear...when I got to an ODA I think they issued ma a VS-17 panel, strobe light, snap link, sling rope, and a compass, and a couple of more things like a GP net from PBO. Damn, those were some great times....We were expected to do anything, anytime, anyplace with nothing other than our wits, creativity, and drive. And we did. And we did it with great NCO leadership from the Vietnam era guys who did the exact same thing before we stepped in."

-Chris Zets

(some of us grew up in this era)

News & commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and published by Daniel Riggs.         

1. How the US Can Prevent the Next 'Cyber 9/11'

2. Pentagon chief expresses concern to Chinese counterpart about Beijing's activity in South China

3. Ongoing Defense Department Reforms Align With National Defense Strategy

4. NSA Releases Guidance on Limiting Location Data Exposure

5. America should learn from Australia on China, says key US Congressman

6. SOLIC Nominee Faces Questions On Khashoggi Killing, Social Media Posts

7. After The F-35's Success, The Army Wants Uniforms That Are Invisible To Radar

8. A Mix of Optimism and Pessimism for Security of the 2020 Election

9. US mulls moving troops from Germany to Romania, Baltics and Poland, Esper says

10. US special ops orders inflatable satellite antennas

11. NYT Quietly Scrubs Chinese Propaganda

12. Locsin, Pompeo discuss US policy shift in South China Sea

13. US-China relations: Trump administration’s Chinese advisers could create more uncertainty, observers say

14. An Overview of the Risks and Opportunities Faced by Hong Kong’s "International Front Line" by Joshua Wong and X

15. Trump advisers hesitated to give military options and warned adversaries over fears he might start a war

16. New York Attorney General Moves To Dissolve The NRA After Fraud Investigation

17. This is What Democracy Looks Like

18. The intriguing military origins of the term 'special operator'

19. Apparently The Captain Of The Navy's 6th Fleet Flagship Pulls Security Duty

1. How the US Can Prevent the Next 'Cyber 9/11'

Wired · by Justin Sherman

We should not consider "Cyber 9-11" hyperbole.

2. Pentagon chief expresses concern to Chinese counterpart about Beijing's activity in South China

Reuters · by Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart · August 6, 2020

Talking and engagement is good. (and tough, frank, and blunt talk is necessary)

3. Ongoing Defense Department Reforms Align With National Defense Strategy

defense.gov

Despite POTUS rhetoric we must assure our allies that the force posture reviews we are conducting should be viewed through the lens of optimizing that posture to support our National defense strategy.

4. NSA Releases Guidance on Limiting Location Data Exposure

us-cert.cisa.gov

The two documents can be accessed at these links:

Limiting Data Exposure  

Privacy and Mobile Device Apps 

We need a whole of society approach to cyber civil defense and cyber hygiene.  We all must consider it our civic duty to protect the networks we belong to.

5. America should learn from Australia on China, says key US Congressman

The Age · by Farrah Tomazin · August 6, 2020

We should be willing to learn and apply lessons from anyone or any nation.

6. SOLIC Nominee Faces Questions On Khashoggi Killing, Social Media Posts

breakingdefense.com · by Paul McLeary

I watched the hearing and especially the exchanges on this topic.  It did not look good for him.  I was surprised there were no comments about the importance of the Leahy Amendment and human rights vetting and how important that is for SOF engagements and training.  I thought for sure a Senator would draw that parallel. I wonder if this is going to cause some Senators to rethink their support.

As an aside, I have never heard the "SOF enterprise" used so many times in one briefing or hearing.  The constant reference to it was distracting and frankly in my opinion does not sound good.  I guess it is a modern buzz phrase but it sounds too much like business.  But that is just me.  I guess this is the way to refer to the special operations command and the special operations community.

7. After The F-35's Success, The Army Wants Uniforms That Are Invisible To Radar

The National Interest · by Michael Peck · August 6, 2020

8. A Mix of Optimism and Pessimism for Security of the 2020 Election

darkreading.com· by Kelly Jackson Higgins · August 6, 2020

We need more optimism and less pessimism. 

9. US mulls moving troops from Germany to Romania, Baltics and Poland, Esper says

Stars and Stripes · by John Vandiver · August 6, 2020

10. US special ops orders inflatable satellite antennas

c4isrnet.com · by Nathan Strout · August 6, 2020

"Be advised: the H-250 microphone is not inflatable" (I had a commander who used to say that on the radio every time someone keyed the mike and  blew into it before than transmitted anything)

11. NYT Quietly Scrubs Chinese Propaganda

freebeacon.com · by Yuichiro Kakutani · August 4, 2020

Hmmm....

12. Locsin, Pompeo discuss US policy shift in South China Sea

philstar.com · by Patricia Lourdes Viray· August 4, 2020

13. US-China relations: Trump administration’s Chinese advisers could create more uncertainty, observers say

SCMP · by Jun Mai · August 7, 2020

14. An Overview of the Risks and Opportunities Faced by Hong Kong’s "International Front Line" by Joshua Wong and X

cpreview.org· by Joshua Wong and X · August 6, 2020

15. Trump advisers hesitated to give military options and warned adversaries over fears he might start a war

CNN · by Jim Sciutto

Another bombshell book?  Note the discussion on Korea.

16. New York Attorney General Moves To Dissolve The NRA After Fraud Investigation

NPR · by Tim Mak · August 6, 2020

I saw some comments on social media that this is the beginning of the end of the second amendment.  If that is the case we have some real problems if we are dependent on this kind of an organization to protect a Constitutional right.

17. This is What Democracy Looks Like

bushcenter.org  · Nicole Bibbins Sedaca

I am sure this will turn off many.  But I concur with Professor Bibbens Sedaca.  Protests are part of American history and I would say our culture. It is a fundamental part of democracy. We might not like what some stand for and we certainly do not like the violence, nor should we condone it.  But the larger issue is the importance of being able to assemble and air grievances against the government. And of course, the way to stop protests is not to crack heads but to take the grievances seriously and address them.

18. The intriguing military origins of the term 'special operator'

Business Insider · by Stavros Atlamazoglou

Like most everything in special operations it started with Special Forces.

19.  Apparently The Captain Of The Navy's 6th Fleet Flagship Pulls Security Duty

thedrive.com · by Tyler Rogoway · August 4, 2020

Here is a Captain leading the way.  And he has a very impressive resume.  It is amazing the jobs, qualifications and schools he has.  He has to be among the most elite in the Navy.  And to pull watch like his sailors while symbolic is a testament to leadership adage you have to be willing to do anything you ask of your men/women.

Bravo Zulu.

------------------

"The first great center of area studies in the United States was not located in any university, but in Washington,"

-McGeorge Bundy, onetime dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University and then president of the Ford Foundation, observed in 1964. The OSS, he said, was "a remarkable institution, half cops-and-robbers and half faculty meeting."

"Where there is power, there is resistance."  

- Michel Foucault

"It is easier to resist at the beginning than at the end."

-  Leonardo da Vinci

"What an astonishing thing a book is. It's a flat object made from a tree with flexible parts on which are imprinted lots of funny dark squiggles. But one glance at it and you're inside the mind of another person, maybe somebody dead for thousands of years. Across the millennia, an author is speaking clearly and silently inside your head, directly to you. Writing is perhaps the greatest of human inventions, binding together people who never knew each other, citizens of distant epochs. Books break the shackles of time. A book is proof that humans are capable of working magic."

- Carl Sagan

News & commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and published by Daniel Riggs.

1. President Moon express regret over N.K. not informing Seoul of dam discharge

2. Gov't Seeks to Punish Anyone Sending Leaflets to N.Korea

3. UN Report Underlines North Korea's Continuing Nuclear Ambitions

4.  North Korea fears information the most, analyst says

5. U.S.-South Korea Military Exercises Stay Digital, as North Korean Threat Grows

6. Video Appears to Confirm Reports of Deadly Blasts in North Korea's Hyesan City

7. North Korea ships massive aid supplies to city with coronavirus scare, despite still claiming no cases

8. South Korean farmers bartering sugar for North Korean booze to bypass sanctions

9. The Repatriation of Ethnic Koreans in Japan: A Project of Deception

10. South Korea's Central Bank Report Exaggerates North Korea's Economic Growth

11. Seoul's 'Central Park' a step closer to reality with opening of Black Hawk Village

12. When Pyongyang says 'peace,' prepare the body bags

13. Commentary: South Korea and the US cannot see eye-to-eye on North Korea

14. Gov't Approves Massive Aid for N.Korea

15. The big lesson from South Korea's coronavirus response

16. Trump should recommence South Korea military exercises

17. North Korea Steps up Its War on COVID-19

18. South Korea approves human trial for Genexine's coronavirus treatment drug

19. US military coronavirus toll rises in South Korea but overall cases low

20. FDD | North Korean Cyber Espionage Campaign Seeks to Compensate for Air Power Vulnerabilities

1. President Moon express regret over N.K. not informing Seoul of dam discharge

en.yna.co.kr · by 이준승 · August 6, 2020

With all due respect to President Moon, he should be making a strong statement denouncing Kim Jong-un's irresponsible actions.  Kim Jong-un does not share President Moon's vision of peace and co-existence. If he did and if he had any respect for South Korea he would have informed the South.  

2. Gov't Seeks to Punish Anyone Sending Leaflets to N.Korea

english.chosun.com

This. Is. A. Mistake.

I am saddened to read this.

3. UN Report Underlines North Korea's Continuing Nuclear Ambitions

thediplomat.com · Bruce Klinger · August 7, 2020

Bruce clearly lays out what most of us believe.

4. North Korea fears information the most, analyst says

upi.com by Elizabeth Shim · August 6, 2020

Greg Scarlatoiu is exactly right about the power information. Video at the link.

5. U.S.-South Korea Military Exercises Stay Digital, as North Korean Threat Grows

WSJ · by Andrew Jeong · August 6, 2020

Someone needs to help this journalist with some facts. This exercise is always a command post computer simulation exercise that does not involve troops maneuvering in the field.  That is how you train the ROK/US CFC HQ and the subordinate component HQ.  Yes, the exercise in March was cancelled because of the coronavirus and that exercise is both a command post computer simulation followed by a field training exercise.  But to say the rank and file soldiers have not experienced combined maneuvers in 2 years is not accurate.  The journalist should ask about the tactical level training that takes place year around.  Perhaps he should have checked with the Combined 2d Infantry Division to ask about their combined maneuver training.  

Yes, there has been some degradation of readiness among the senior commands.  But tactical training at various levels takes place year around.  

What is very correct in this article is a reminder of how President Trump feels about these exercises (when he made the unilateral and uncoordinated decision to cancel the exercise in 2018 he called them ridiculous and expensive).  But what is most important to understand is that the 2 years of cancelations, postponements, and adjustments to the exercise programs has not resulted in any reciprocity whatsoever from north Korea and there has been no change in regime behavior.  What we should conclude from this is that we should no longer sacrifice readiness for the fool's errand of trying to accommodate north Korean demands.  Regardless of what we do north Korea will complain is use it for propaganda purposes.

6. Video Appears to Confirm Reports of Deadly Blasts in North Korea's Hyesan City

rfa.org· by Yongjae Mok · August 5, 2020

Not as bad as Beirut of course but probably due to similar causes: incompetence and neglect.

7. North Korea ships massive aid supplies to city with coronavirus scare, despite still claiming no cases

foxnews.com · by Greg Norman

"Ultra-emergency state" sounds like the double secret probation of crisis management.

I think there must be an outbreak but the north Korean information control measures are still functioning well to prevent us from observing the indications and warnings of such an outbreak/humanitarian disaster.

8. South Korean farmers bartering sugar for North Korean booze to bypass sanctions

Reuters · by Hyonhee Shin· August 6, 2020

Sugar for ginseng and liquor. 

9. The Repatriation of Ethnic Koreans in Japan: A Project of Deception

NK Hidden Gulag · by Timothy Goo · August 6, 2020

I had no idea 93,000 Koreans in Japan were returned to north Korea and most originally came from the Southern part of Korea.  This is another story that illustrates the truly evil nature of the Kim family regime.

10. South Korea's Central Bank Report Exaggerates North Korea's Economic Growth

38north.org · by William Brown · August 6, 2020

I do not think there is anyone outside of the Kim family regime who studies and knows more about the north Korean economy than Bill Brown.

11. Seoul's 'Central Park' a step closer to reality with opening of Black Hawk Village

Stars and Stripes · by Kim Gamel · August 6, 2020

My wife and I lived in Blackhawk for four years in the 1990s.

12. When Pyongyang says 'peace,' prepare the body bags

asiatimes.com · by Stephan Haggard  and Liuya Zhang · August 7, 2020

Very interesting analysis.  Hyperbolic headline aside (and I cannot believe Steph Haggard would offer it so it must be from an editor at Asia Times) this is worth reflecting upon.  It is a very useful analysis of north Korean propaganda. I would associate myself with the authors' third hypothesis. 

When I read the title I thought there would be a reference to the Korean War and not only the Armistice negotiations but also the run up to the war.  We should recall before June 25, 2950 the north Koreans ceased all anti-South Korean propaganda and called for talks with the South at Kaesong.  Analysts assessed the north might be ready to end the guerrilla warfare being waged (by both sides).  They were right the north did want to end the guerrilla warfare.  What they got wrong was the north wanted to shift to conventional war.  But alas, this article does not address that but it is something we should keep in mind as to the nature of the Kim family regime and how it negotiates.

13. Commentary: South Korea and the US cannot see eye-to-eye on North Korea

channelnewsasia.com · by Khang Vu

This analysis is wrong.  It is based on press reports and from those in South Korea who have avowedly anti-US bent who make statements in the media but have no idea how the ROK and US collaborate in this working group.  Moon should "reform" the working group before rolling out new north Korean initiatives?  Again, a statement like this reveals a lack of understanding of the working group, its intent and its effectiveness.  Here is my assessment of the working group from a year and a half ago: 

The fundamental issue for South Korea is that it is constrained due to UN sanctions and US law. The South wants to be able to engage without constraint as it did during the Sunshine Policy era when there were few sanctions in place. The working group is not an "approval" authority from the US side to all the South to engage.  But it is the responsibility of the members of the working group to point out issues and prevent South Korea (and in particular ROK banks and financial institutions)  from being put into a bind if they violate UN sanctions or US law.  And the working group has no authority to waive US law.  If the ROK violates the sanctions US law requires action.  Sanctions and US law pre-date the working group. And the only way US sanctions can be lifted is for Congress to change the law.  So it is not the fault of the working group if the ROKG wants to violate sanctions and the working group is not holding back ROK action.  Its members likely only advise on the probable consequences which as an allied partner I think is the right thing to do.  The real problem is the naive engagement and peace strategy of the Moon administration. But it is convenient and politically useful for some in the ROK to simply blame the working group.

14. Gov't Approves Massive Aid for N.Korea

english.chosun.com· August 7, 2020

15. The big lesson from South Korea's coronavirus response

Vox · by Mac Schneider · August 6, 2020

8 minute video at the link.  

As I have spoken with government officials, they mention that the previous MERS (and SARS) outbreaks really made think about preparing for future pandemics. Most governments and bureaucracies do not seem to learn lessons and even if they do they rarely take sufficient proactive steps to be ready for the next time. I still think it was quite a coincidence the ROK government conducted a tabletop pandemic exercise in December.  There was probably no better preparation for the crisis.

16.  Trump should recommence South Korea military exercises

Washington Examiner · by Tom Rogan · August 6, 2020

Ahh.... the press and pundits.  Mr. Rogan could not be more wrong.  First, Ulchi Focus Lens and Uchi Freedom Guardian and now Dong Meng 20-2 have always been combined command post computer simulation exercises and not field training exercises.  Yes, in the past there have been field training exercises conducted incidental to these exercises but these have always been "digital" (at least  the 20 or so I have participated in since the 1980s).

Why is this so?  Because the primary training "audience" is the ROK/US CFC headquarters and its subordinate components and staffs.  A computer simulation exercise allows for more intense training of the commanders and staff to challenge their intelligence systems and communications and decision-making processes.  They can conduct more scenarios and make more mistakes against a "thinking" enemy (humans who play the opposing force) who can challenge the defense plans as north Korea surely will. They could never get this training without the simulation and only by maneuvering troops.  We accomplish the readiness requirements by conducting multi-echelon training is sometime simultaneous and sometimes disaggregated. What is most important is that despite the President's pronouncements about cancelling exercises (he was only referring to Ulchi Focus Lens in August of 2018) tactical "field" training for ROK and US forces has continued year around.

Mr. Rogan belittles combined command post computer simulation training because he has no idea how complex it is to command and control the ROK/US Combined Forces Command and its components.  I recall statements from the past that COIN is the PhD level of war - that is bulls**t.  Campaigning (which is what the ROK/US CFC must do) is the PhD level of war whether it is COIN or major theater war which is what conflict on the Korean peninsula will be.  So the headquarters needs the military equivalent of PhD level education and training and that can only be achieved through computer simulation to allow the commanders and staff to train to the highest level to prepare for real war.

And make no mistake, ROK and US troops get plenty of muddy boots training - "slogging up a wet, muddy hill, finding the enemy under a forest canopy, and destroying him with airstrikes, artillery, and small arms fire" all year around.  But that is not the purpose of the Dong Meng 20-2 combined command post computer simulation training.  And lastly the greatest disrespect we could show that infantryman slogging up the hills in Korea would be to have an untrained and incapable higher headquarters.  Without that well trained higher headquarters that soldier or Marine on the ground will never get the artillery or air support or medevac that he or she may need.  Please Mr. Rogan do some research or talk to some of the professionals at the ROK/US Combined Forces Command to learn the realities of training at all levels. 

17.  North Korea Steps up Its War on COVID-19

thediplomat.com · by Gabriela Bernal · August 6, 2020

Things could really turn bad inside north Korea (if they have not already).

18.  South Korea approves human trial for Genexine's coronavirus treatment drug

Reuters · by Sangmi Cha · August 7, 2020

Keeping our fingers crossed for all vaccine trials around the world.

19.  US military coronavirus toll rises in South Korea but overall cases low

Stars and Stripes· by Kim Gamel · August 6, 2020

20. FDD | North Korean Cyber Espionage Campaign Seeks to Compensate for Air Power Vulnerabilities

fdd.org · by Mathew Ha · August 6, 2020

A very important essay from colleague Mathew Ha. 

One interesting point that I am not smart enough to articulate  concerns the F-35.  I have heard air force pilots describe it as a computer with a plane built around it.  It is not about its organic weapons or flying ability. What is unique about the F-35 is its networking capabilities to other aircraft, missiles, ground forces, etc.  I am told it is a "software based" aircraft.  It seems to me that if the nK hackers were good enough they would learn the software capabilities of the systems and try to hack into it to neutralize the computer capabilities of the F-35 and turn it from a smart aircraft into a "dumb plane."  If you can defeat its software there is no need to shoot it down with air defense missiles or other aircraft.  Maybe what is described below is "cyber reconnaissance by north Korea in an attempt to figure out  how to penetrate the F-35 "network" and into the software.  is this an asymmetric approach for Korean air defense operations.  Their missiles and planes cannot effectively defend against ROK and US combined air power, especially the F-35s and F-22s.

-------------

"The first great center of area studies in the United States was not located in any university, but in Washington,"

- McGeorge Bundy, onetime dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University and then president of the Ford Foundation, observed in 1964. The OSS, he said, was "a remarkable institution, half cops-and-robbers and half faculty meeting." 

"Where there is power, there is resistance."  

- Michel Foucault

"It is easier to resist at the beginning than at the end."
-  Leonardo da Vinci

"What an astonishing thing a book is. It's a flat object made from a tree with flexible parts on which are imprinted lots of funny dark squiggles. But one glance at it and you're inside the mind of another person, maybe somebody dead for thousands of years. Across the millennia, an author is speaking clearly and silently inside your head, directly to you. Writing is perhaps the greatest of human inventions, binding together people who never knew each other, citizens of distant epochs. Books break the shackles of time. A book is proof that humans are capable of working magic."

- Carl Sagan

News & commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and published by Andrew Narloch.

1. FDD | EU Issues Its First-Ever Cyber Sanctions

2. US offers $10 million reward for hackers meddling in US elections

3.  State Dept.: Russia pushes disinformation in online network

4. Former Army Delta Force officer, US ambassador sign secretive contract to develop Syrian oil fields

5. Mystery swirls around what caused ammonium nitrate to explode in Beirut

6. When Covid Subsided, Israel Reopened Its Schools. It Didn’t Go Well.

7. Russia Is Winning the Information War in Afghanistan

8. A new technique can detect newer 4G ‘stingray’ cell phone snooping

9. Those who battled Bonhomme Richard blaze risked all to save ship

10. Opinion | China is exporting its digital authoritarianism

11. There Are No Women Leading Marine Infantry Platoons. The Corps Wants to Change That

12. Army SFAB enterprise changes leaders as it begins sending smaller teams out globally

13. Air Force Formalizes New Approach to SERE Training

14. Mark Esper details 'vigorous' Defense Department reorientation to confront China’s rise

15. Esper says he underestimated how much racial injustice affects service members

16. Op-Ed: Trump has pulled out of the global battle for hearts and minds

17. In countering China, the US must not lose its knack for nuanced diplomacy

18. To Rebuild America’s Weakened Alliances, Heal Its Diplomatic Corps
 

1. FDD | EU Issues Its First-Ever Cyber Sanctions

fdd.org · by Annie Fixler CCTI Deputy Director · August 5, 2020

From my FDD colleagues.

2. US offers $10 million reward for hackers meddling in US elections

ZDNet · by Catalin Cimpanu

Crowd sourcing our defense? :-)   It takes a whole of society to conduct effective cyber defense.  Let's hope the smart hackers will compete for this.

3. State Dept.: Russia pushes disinformation in online network

AP · by AMANDA SEITZ · August 5, 2020

4. Former Army Delta Force officer, US ambassador sign secretive contract to develop Syrian oil fields

CNN · by Kylie Atwood and Ryan Browne, CNN

Seems like some huge risks here on multiple levels. Does this mean we will continue a long term US military presence in the region?

5. Mystery swirls around what caused ammonium nitrate to explode in Beirut

timesofisrael.com · by TOI staff 5 August 2020, 9:57 am 6 Edit

What an incredible story leading to an incredible tragedy.

6. When Covid Subsided, Israel Reopened Its Schools. It Didn’t Go Well.

The New York Times · by Isabel Kershner · August 4, 2020

Lessons to be learned.  We can be intelligent or we can be wise.

7. Russia Is Winning the Information War in Afghanistan

Foreign Policy · by Samuel Ramani · August 5, 2020

Perhaps Russia's most important capability is information warfare.

8. A new technique can detect newer 4G ‘stingray’ cell phone snooping

TechCrunch · by Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker / 7 hours

A lot of smart people out there.

9. Those who battled Bonhomme Richard blaze risked all to save ship

navytimes.com · by Kenneth J Braithwaite · August 5, 2020

An OpEd from the SECNAV.  Another example of our great Americans. Video at the link: https://www.navytimes.com/opinion/2020/08/05/those-who-battled-bonhomme-richard-blaze-risked-all-to-save-ship/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DEF%20EBB%208.6.20&utm_term=Editorial%20-%20Early%20Bird%20Brief

10. Opinion | China is exporting its digital authoritarianism

The Washington Post · by Editorial Board

Perhaps this is more important than their military capabilities.  How do you win without fighting in the modern era?  Export your digital authoritarianism.  Imagine a network of authoritarian regimes - and not in the old network sense -  but one that is digitally networked with the puppet master in Beijing?

11. There Are No Women Leading Marine Infantry Platoons. The Corps Wants to Change That.

military.com · by Gina Harkins,Hope Hodge Seck · August 5, 2020

12. Army SFAB enterprise changes leaders as it begins sending smaller teams out globally

armytimes.com · by Kyle Rempfer · August 5, 2020

13. Air Force Formalizes New Approach to SERE Training

airforcemag.com · by John A. Tirpak · August 5, 2020

14. Mark Esper details 'vigorous' Defense Department reorientation to confront China’s rise

Washington Examiner · by Abraham Mahshie · August 5, 2020

China is the "pacing item" for DOD.

15. Esper says he underestimated how much racial injustice affects service members

militarytimes.com · by Meghann Myers · August 5, 2020

I think most all of us non-minority personnel underestimate this.  That is how I see it based on the anecdotal evidence I see on social media comments from non-minority personnel.

16. Op-Ed: Trump has pulled out of the global battle for hearts and minds

Los Angeles Times · August 4, 2020 - by Madeleine Albright and Marc Nathanson

17. In countering China, the US must not lose its knack for nuanced diplomacy

SCMP -6 Aug, 2020-William H. Overholt

18. To Rebuild America’s Weakened Alliances, Heal Its Diplomatic Corps

defenseone.com · by Daniel Dammann and Price Flloyd

--------------------

“The cost of freedom is always high, but Americans have always paid it. And one path we shall never choose, and that is the path of surrender, or submission.” 

- John F. Kennedy

"All opinions are not equal. Some are a very great deal more robust, sophisticated,and well supported in logic and argument than others."

- Douglas Adams 

"Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom."

- Charles Spurgeon

News & commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and published by Daniel Riggs.

1. Trump says N.K. would seek talks if election was not near

2. U.S. is ready to negotiate N. Korea's denuclearization: U.S. envoy

3.  U.S. says N.K. must stop provocations, return to nuclear talks

4. N.K. leader orders special aid for Kaesong on coronavirus lockdown

5. N.K. leader presides over party meeting, orders special aid for Kaesong

6. Ri Pyong Chol: Kim’s New Right Hand Man?

7. 'October surprise' summit between U.S., N.K. unlikely: Moon's adviser

8. Burying their heads in the sand (The Moon Administration and US Troop Reductions)

9. North Korea Has Likely Been Able to Miniaturize Nuclear Weapons for Years

10. North Korea Sends Special Forces to Ryanggang Province Border With China

11. North Korea’s Escalating Virus Response Raises Concerns

12. WHO says North Korea's COVID-19 test results for first suspected case 'inconclusive'

13. Unification minister expresses regret over N.K's release of dam water

14. N. Korea pursues long-range nuclear missiles through 'deliberate testing program': Pentagon official

15. Kim Jong-un fury: North Korea launches attack over ‘bitter regrets’ towards US

16. Trump’s South Korea bashing doesn’t strengthen Xi

17. Laser beam and EMP launchers to fight against drones

18. $10 million in aid to North going to UN agency

1. Trump says N.K. would seek talks if election was not near

en.yna.co.kr · by 이해아 · August 6, 2020

The single most important metric for President Trump is the promise Kim made not to test nuclear weapons and ICBMs. That is his standard and by that standard, he can say we are doing fine with north Korea.  It is as simple as that.

Paradoxically, this also upsets Kim Jong-un.  He believes he has provided President Trump with a political "win."  Yet he has gotten nothing in return.  He desperately needs sanctions relief not because he needs the money and resources but because he raised expectations among the elite and the military that he could "play" both Trump and moon and execute a long con which was to get sanctions relief while keeping his nuclear weapons.  He has failed to do so and now he is under enormous internal pressure.

Kim Jong-un would only "jump at a deal" if the US lift sanctions.  In fact, Kim will not meet with Trump unless he has an ironclad guarantee that Trump will get sanctions lifted.  The only way we could get a deal would be if we provided significant concessions.  Doing so would set back relations decades as it would provide to Kim that his blackmail diplomacy works and; therefore, he will continue to execute it (raise tensions and conduct provocations to gain political and economic concessions).

2. U.S. is ready to negotiate N. Korea's denuclearization: U.S. envoy

en.yna.co.kr · by 이해아 · August 6, 2020

Alex Wong stated the facts.  The US has been ready to conduct working level negotiations since June 2018 and the Singapore summit. The US has been ready to talk unconditionally.  It is Kim Jong-un who has prevented any substantive working level negotiations.  This is most likely because he believed, again, that he could "play" Trump and he could get a favorable deal by dealing directly with Trump.

I think it is fair to say the US wants a substantive deal.  The US does not want a deal for a deal's sake. While I think Trump wants a deal, his statement reference the election is telegraphing his belief that a deal is not likely due to the election.  I am certain our professional diplomats will advise that no deal be made unless there are first substantive working level negotiations to work one out. 

The ball is in Kim Jong-un's court.  He has failed his long con so far.  He has not played Trump and Moon to get sanctions relief.  He has not allowed substantive working level negotiations to take place.  We need to play our long game, based on a solid ROK/US alliance and a deterrent posture, providing every opportunity for responsible negotiations but remaining focused on the only real solution to the nuclear threats and the crimes against humanity which is solving the "Korea question."

3. U.S. says N.K. must stop provocations, return to nuclear talks

en.yna.co.kr · by 이해아 · August 6, 2020

Kim will only stop provocations when he knows they no longer work.  This is one of the most positive aspects about the past two years: the fact the ROK and US have not lifted sanctions.  I know this is a controversial statement but the longer we go without lifting sanctions the more we have a chance to wean Kim off of his dependency on blackmail diplomacy.  We cannot go wobbly or get impatient and lift sanctions in the misguided belief that it will bring Kim to the table and cause him to negotiate responsibly. 

4. N.K. leader orders special aid for Kaesong on coronavirus lockdown

en.yna.co.kr · by 최수향 · August 6, 2020

The regime may be laying the groundwork to finally admit there is an outbreak and they will blame it on South Korea.

5. N.K. leader presides over party meeting, orders special aid for Kaesong

en.yna.co.kr · by 이원주 · August 6, 2020

The buried lede is the establishment of a new department within the Central Committee of the Party "to study and research ways to radically improve the personnel affairs system of the Party." I wonder how this will align with the work of the Organization and Guidance department.  Is something going on?

6. Ri Pyong Chol: Kim’s New Right Hand Man?

38north · by Markus V Garlauskas · August 5, 2020

You do not want to be called number 2 or a right hand man.  You might not survive - ask Jang Song-taek.

Seriously, Kim Jong-un seems to have a plan and it is illustrated, as Markus notes, by the old adage that "personnel are policy."

7. 'October surprise' summit between U.S., N.K. unlikely: Moon's adviser

en.yna.co.kr · by 김승연 · August 5, 2020

Moon Chung-in provides his forecast.  But he is right and his skepticism is well founded because the US is unlikely to give the only concession that would bring Kim to a summit- a guarantee to lift sanctions.

Plus the more we talk about the less likely there can be a "surprise."

8. Burying their heads in the sand (The Moon Administration and US Troop Reductions)

koreajoongangdaily.joins.com · by Nam Jeong-ho · August 5, 2020

The author reads the tea leaves and the history and puts together a good circumstantial conspiracy theory based on the last three major withdrawals during the Nixon, Carter, and Bush43 administrations. He puts the onus on the Moon administration to prevent a dangerous withdrawal but criticizes members of the administration such as Lee In-young who says he "holds no views" on reduction or withdrawal of US troops.

9. North Korea Has Likely Been Able to Miniaturize Nuclear Weapons for Years

The National Interest · by Daniel R. DePetris · August 4, 2020

The author has a point.  This is a key capability that the north has to achieve so it has certainly been working on it as a top priority.

But what this should give us is absolute clarity as to Kim Jong-un's intent.  He has no plans to give up his nuclear program. This is not a surprise given the nature of the Kim family regime.

10. North Korea Sends Special Forces to Ryanggang Province Border With China

rfa.org · by Sewon Kim · August 3, 2020

1500 Special Forces?  That is quite a number.  Things must be really bad on the border.  There is a lot to consider from this report in terms of potential internal instability.

11. North Korea’s Escalating Virus Response Raises Concerns

TIME.com · by Hyung-Jin Kim · August 6, 2020

At some point the regime will reach the breaking point and it will not longer be able to suppress the information about its coronavirus outbreak.

12. WHO says North Korea's COVID-19 test results for first suspected case 'inconclusive'

Reuters · by Emma Farg and, Josh Smith · August 5, 2020

Who did the WHO test? north Korea or the WHO?

13. Unification minister expresses regret over N.K's release of dam water

en.yna.co.kr · by 최수향 · August 6, 2020

I think a little stronger words describing the regime's irresponsible action would be better than expressing regret.  Again, this action highlights the nature of the Kim family regime and it is not a nature that seeks peace and reconciliation and coexistence with the South.

14.N. Korea pursues long-range nuclear missiles through 'deliberate testing program': Pentagon official

en.yna.co.kr · by 오석민 · August 6, 2020

Good comments from Mr. Mercado.  He rightly points out the north's aggressive testing program.  Too often we focus on tests as "provocations" and for "messaging" and "signaling."  We forget how important these tests are for advancing their programs and sometimes they are conducting tests simply to advance their programs while we look at every test as a message for us (and of course sometimes they are and often serve multiple purposes).

15. Kim Jong-un fury: North Korea launches attack over ‘bitter regrets’ towards US

Express · by Edward Browne · August 6, 2020

Again, no mention of our national security and defense strategies which describe Iran and north Korea as rogue powers.  We should expect our leaders to sue the words of our strategic documents:

"We are rallying the world against the rogue regime in North Korea and confronting the danger posed by the dictatorship in Iran, which those determined to pursue a flawed nuclear deal had neglected."

 "Three main sets of challengers - the revisionist powers of China and Russia, the rogue states of Iran and North Korea, and transnational threat organizations, particularly jihadist terrorist groups - are actively competing against the United States and our allies and partners.

"The scourge of the world today is a small group of rogue regimes that violate all principles of free and civilized states. The Iranian regime sponsors terrorism around the world. It is developing more capable ballistic missiles and has the potential to resume its work on nuclear weapons that could threaten the United States and our partners. North Korea is ruled as a ruthless dictatorship without regard for human dignity. For more than 25 years, it has pursued nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles in defiance of every commitment it has made. Today, these missiles and weapons threaten the United States and our allies. The longer we ignore threats from countries determined to proliferate and develop weapons of mass destruction, the worse such threats become, and the fewer defensive options we have."

16.  Trump’s South Korea bashing doesn’t strengthen Xi

asiatimes.com · by Andrew Salmon · August 5, 2020

Hmmm.. I suppose this is good news?  

On a serious note when I talk to serious people in Korea they are adamant there is no choice between China and the US.  They are firmly on the US side and not the Chinese side.  But they also say we must respect the difficult position they are in since they are so economically intertwined.

This essay covers a lot of ground and is worth reading.

17. Laser beam and EMP launchers to fight against drones

donga.com · August 06, 2020

I wonder what an EMP launcher looks like.

18. $10 million in aid to North going to UN agency

koreajoongangdaily.joins.com · by Shim Kyu-Seok

----------------------

“The cost of freedom is always high, but Americans have always paid it. And one path we shall never choose, and that is the path of surrender, or submission.”

- John F. Kennedy

"All opinions are not equal. Some are a very great deal more robust, sophisticated, and well supported in logic and argument than others."

- Douglas Adams

"Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom."

News & commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and published by Daniel Riggs.         

1. FDD | Lebanon Is Collapsing and Urgent Reform Is Desperately Needed

2. Navy SEALs cut ties with museum over Colin Kaepernick video

3. Distilling the Essence of Strategy

4. What's Modern About Modern Strategy?

5.  The China Hawks Got It Mostly Right

6. NSA Warns Cellphone Location Data Could Pose National-Security Threat

7. Trump should honor Lee, call Tsai, send Nimitz to Taiwan Strait

8. Arm Taiwan - but Skip the Nukes

9. The Elites Fiddle While America Burns

10. Why are there so many territorial disputes in Asia?

11. Points of Progress: Where women are seeing gains, globally

12. The Coronavirus Is Never Going Away

13. 'We're in for a bad and rocky ride:' Ex-WHO doctor who helped eradicate smallpox predicts COVID-19 turmoil for years

14. The media’s TikTok blindspot

15. China's Rise Is MacArthur's Vindication

16. How Might the Sleeper Agents From “The Americans” Interfere in the Election?

17. Incoming Pentagon official slams the US Navy’s fleet plans as “not a credible document”

18. The Crozier Affair through Chinese Eyes

19. Special operations forces and great-power competition in the 21st century

1. FDD | Lebanon Is Collapsing and Urgent Reform Is Desperately Needed

fdd.org · by Jonathan Schanzer· August 4, 2020

And it will only be made worse by yesterday's tragic explosion.

2. Navy SEALs cut ties with museum over Colin Kaepernick video

navytimes.com · by James LaPorta · August 4, 2020

I am sure we will see new regulations about affiliations with non-military controlled museums (which could have implications for other museums such as the Airborne and Special Operations Museum).

3. Distilling the Essence of Strategy

warontherocks.com · by Frank Hoffman · August 4, 2020

I nominate Frank Hoffman to carry on Colin Gray's legacy.  This is an important essay for those who want to be strategists and think strategically.  Wise words here: "There is nothing guaranteed in the realm of human affairs, but strategists who recognize these considerations will increase the likelihood that their strategy will be “good enough.”

4. What's Modern About Modern Strategy?

warontherocks.com · by Francis J. Gavin · August 5, 2020

Will there be a third edition of Makers of Modern Strategy?

5. The China Hawks Got It Mostly Right

Bloomberg · by Tyler Cowen · August 3, 2020

Spoiler alert: "In other words: The China hawks were right about everything, except how to deal with China."

6. NSA Warns Cellphone Location Data Could Pose National-Security Threat

WSJ · by Byron Tau and Dustin Volz· August 4, 2020

A public service announcement.  We should be paying attention.

7. Trump should honor Lee, call Tsai, send Nimitz to Taiwan Strait

The Hill · by Joseph Bosco, opinion contributor · August 4, 2020

Kind of a clickbait headline - it is not the Lee you might think.

8. Arm Taiwan - but Skip the Nukes

Foreign Policy · by Bradley Bowman, Andrea Stricker · August 4, 2020

From my FDD colleagues.  Can we make the cost of taking Taiwan too high for China?

9. The Elites Fiddle While America Burns

WSJ · by Gerard Baker · August 3, 2020

Quite a critique.  Paradoxically I think both Trump and the Bernie Sanders progressives (any populists) benefit from this line of thinking and analysis.

10. Why are there so many territorial disputes in Asia?

thenational.ae · by Sholto Byrnes · August 4, 2020

Because geography matters.

11. Points of Progress: Where women are seeing gains, globally

The Christian Science Monitor · by Ann Scott Tyson · August 3, 2020

Points of Progress: Where women are seeing gains, globally

12. The Coronavirus Is Never Going Away

defenseone.com · by Sarah Zhang

Pretty depressing analysis. I guess we need to prepare for this new normal.

13. 'We're in for a bad and rocky ride:' Ex-WHO doctor who helped eradicate smallpox predicts COVID-19 turmoil for years

USA Today · by Ken Alltucker

14. The media’s TikTok blindspot

spectator.us · by Stephen L. Miller · August 3, 2020

15. China's Rise Is MacArthur's Vindication

realcleardefense.com · by Francis P. Sempa

This should generate some discussion (and probably some emotions) I am not sure I can make this leap of logic.  What would the use of nuclear weapons against China have accomplished in the Korean War?  Would the National Chinese been able to achieve significant effects?  Would we have a better or worse China today?

16. How Might the Sleeper Agents From “The Americans” Interfere in the Election?

lawfareblog.com · by Herb Lin and Steven Weber · August 4, 2020

I guess we should watch The Americans again to observe for strategy and TTPs.  Everyone living in the DC area has a Jennings family living in their neighborhood.

17. Incoming Pentagon official slams the US Navy’s fleet plans as “not a credible document”

Defense News · by David Larter and Joe Gould · August 4, 2020

18. The Crozier Affair through Chinese Eyes

usni.org · by James Holmes · August 4, 2020

19. Special operations forces and great-power competition in the 21st century

AEI · Hal Brands and Tim Nichols · August 4, 2020

I am afraid the authors have a narrow view of SOF and do not grasp the full range of SOF missions and capabilities.  I sense the same kind of thinking in the post-Vietnam Cold War era when SOF was trying to search for relevance and they are really only viewing SOF through the lens of Afghanistan and Iraq. It pains me when authors discount and minimize the importance of unconventional warfare (only addressed in terms of the "SOF identify crisis") and SOF support to political warfare.  While influence is mentioned it is not sufficiently addressed from a SOF contribution perspective.  Governance is not mentioned at all and while irregular and partner forces are mentioned in the context of "through, by, and with”. there is insufficient discussion of how important this is in the context of great power competition.  And lastly, the idea that a focus on CT allows the USG to focus on other things makes JSOC the economy of force mission.

----------------------

"By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest."

- Confucius

“Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something.”

- Plato

"A man begins cutting his wisdom teeth the first time he bites off more than he can chew."

- Herb Caen

News & commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and published by Daniel Riggs.

1. 'US to ratchet up pressure on SMA talks'

2. First U.N. report on N. Korea's miniaturization of nuclear warheads

3. Seoul responds to report that Pyongyang 'probably' has miniaturized nukes

4. North Korea increases illegal coal exports, satellite imagery suggests

5.  Nampo: A Tale of Two Ports (north Korea)

6. Top U.S. defense official refers to N.K., Iran as 'rogue nations'

7. S. Korea calls on N.K to cooperate in giving notification of release of dam water

8. N.K. continues to pursue nuclear weapons, missile systems: U.S. commander

9. Two-star general relieved of command over defector's border crossing

10. 'GSOMIA termination may face US backlash'

11. Source: Restrictions on movements nationwide have intensified (north Korea)

12. Life in Pyongyang through the perspective of those who live there

13. Six N. Koreans injured in Hyesan explosions die in hospital

14. Chinese Fishing Near North Korea Is a Symptom of a Bigger Problem

15. GUNTER: The big problem with a nuclear North Korea

16. World War 3: US strike on North Korea to trigger 'worst mass killing in history'

17. Talk of US troop cut reemerges, puts Seoul on edge

1. 'US to ratchet up pressure on SMA talks'

The Korea Times · by Kang-Seung-woo · August 4, 2020

The buried lede: A ROK Government official says they are seeking to reach an agreement after the election.  That is the first I have heard of that.  

While I am sure the President would like to make a deal prior to the election and have the ROK fork over a large sum of money so he can say he made the Koreans pay up I think he will be with simply saying he stood his ground and did not give in to Korea's "low ball" demands.  The sad irony is whether there is a deal or not and if there is a deal with a large ROK contribution or a small one, it will have no impact on the election.  Sure we will see it in campaign ads but whether there is no deal, a big deal, or a small deal will not change the outcome of the election and will not change any votes.

I think the Korean side is reading a little too much into these personnel moves.

2. First U.N. report on N. Korea's miniaturization of nuclear warheads

donga.com· August 5, 2020

Again, this really should not be a surprise to anyone.  This is obviously one of the most important objectives of the north's nuclear weapons programs.  But it will be interesting to see if we get to see the leaked report or if it will be released to the public.

3. Seoul responds to report that Pyongyang 'probably' has miniaturized nukes

koreajoongangdaily.joins.com· by Shim Kyu-Seok · August 4, 2020

Again, we should not be surprised. We also should not be over alarmed as that only plays right into the regime's propaganda narrative.  But we also should not down play this either.  A strong statement of a declaratory policy might be in order.  Not fire and fury rhetoric, just a strong statement of US strategic resolve.

4. North Korea increases illegal coal exports, satellite imagery suggests

Financial Times · by Edward White · August 4, 2020

Have to make money for the Royal Court Economy of the Kim family regime.

5. Nampo: A Tale of Two Ports (north Korea)

38north.org · by Peter Makowsky · August 4, 2020

Submarines and coal - no they are not transporting coal by submarines.  I also think the NONGO class ship described below is a surface effects ship versus a special effects ship.

6. Top U.S. defense official refers to N.K., Iran as 'rogue nations'

en.yna.co.kr · by 이해아 · August 5, 2020

I would expect the Korean press to have paid closer attention. The Admiral is using the terminology in our national security and defense strategies.  The US (and its allies) face the two revisionist powers (China and Russia) the two rogue powers (Iran and north Korea) and the threat from violent extremist organizations.  This terminology is nothing new.  As I have mentioned many times I cannot recall a period in the last 4 decades where senior leaders have referenced the national security and defense strategies more than most all our senior leaders do today.  The Korean press should be well aware of this and the Admiral's use of rogue nation should be no surprise. And more to the point Iran and north Korea fit the definition of a rogue state because they do not behave as responsible members of the international community.  I suppose the Moon administration does not like this terminology since would appear to undercut the peace strategy and engagement desires.  And of course Kim Yo-jong and the regime do not like it either.  But we have to deal with north Korea as it really is and not as we would wish it to be.  This is a rogue nation (and a mafia like crime family cult that seeks to dominate the entire Korean peninsula under the rule of the Guerrilla Dynasty and Gulag State - I know Kim Yo-jong will not like me for using those descriptors).

7. S. Korea calls on N.K to cooperate in giving notification of release of dam water

en.yna.co.kr · by 이원주 · August 5, 2020

See, this is north Korea acting as a rogue nation.  A responsible member of the international community would have provided a warning before opening the flood gates.

8. N.K. continues to pursue nuclear weapons, missile systems: U.S. commander

en.yna.co.kr · by 이해아 · August 4, 2020

And neither he nor anyone else in the US military and intelligence community are surprised by this. So no one else should be either.

9. Two-star general relieved of command over defector's border crossing

koreajoongangdaily.joins.com

No surprise here.  This is the burden of command - you are responsible for all your unit does or fails to do.  And per the article there are likely to be more - probably the entire chain of command down to the company commander and platoon leader.

10. 'GSOMIA termination may face US backlash'

The Korea Times · August 5, 2020

It is back to the future or deja vu all over again.  As noted in the article, this provides South Korea no leverage in relations with Japan. All this does is harm South Korea's reputation and worse, its national security. There is no leverage in cutting off your nose to spite your face.  Backlash from the US? I am sure there are those who will argue if South Korea is uncensored about its national security then why should the US be concerned.  I am sure there will be American officials who will now say, yes let's withdraw some troops since not only won't Korea pay for them they are willing to put South Korean security and those of American forces at risk by withdrawing from the GSOMIA.

11. Source: Restrictions on movements nationwide have intensified (north Korea)

dailynk.com · by Kang Mi Jin · August 5, 2020

More indications of a possible outbreak in the north.

12. Life in Pyongyang through the perspective of those who live there

dailynk.com · by Lee Sang Yong · August 5, 2020

Some interesting insights mostly concerning the coronavirus but some interesting information from three very different types of Koreans from the north.

13.  Six N. Koreans injured in Hyesan explosions die in hospital

dailynk.com · by Lee Sang Yong · August 5, 2020

Note the concluding paragraph.  They just cannot resist the opportunity to turn every event into a propaganda message - comparing the damage to US bombing during the Korean War.

14. Chinese Fishing Near North Korea Is a Symptom of a Bigger Problem

thediplomat.com · by Jenny Town and Sally Yozell · July 31, 2020

Yes, China is complicit in helping the north circumvent sanctions. What incentive does it have to maintain pressure?  Surely it does not want to support the US.  And probably most importantly it does not want to destabilize the Kim regime and allow instability and regime collapse (or war) on the peninsula.

15. GUNTER: The big problem with a nuclear North Korea

Toronto Sun· by Lorne Gunter · August 4, 2020

A Canadian perspective.

I think Kim Jong-un is rational from a north Korean perspective.  I think he is faithfully executing the strategy and vision of the Kim family regime and he is going to act accordingly.  That may seem irrational to us but from the regime perspective it is very rational.  We just have to understand his strategy and vision (he seeks to dominate the entire Korean peninsula).

16. World War 3: US strike on North Korea to trigger 'worst mass killing in history'

Express · by Joel Day · August 4, 2020

That may be the conventional wisdom. But if we assess the north has miniaturized a nuclear warhead, has perfected re-entry capability, and has sufficiently developed missile capabilities to reach the America, the US is going to be faced with a stark choice.  If we have indications and warnings that a miniaturized nuclear warhead is being mated to an ICBM we will only have two options.  One is to hope our ground based intercept system will destroy the ICBM before it reaches the US.  The second is to decide to act self defense and conduct a preventative strike to destroy the missile before it can be launched. Of course people will argue that we cannot know if it is going to be a test launch or an actual strike.  And we will assess it with all the other indications and warnings surrounding it.  But any US president will face a complex dilemma if we observe such a situation.

17. Talk of US troop cut reemerges, puts Seoul on edge

americanmilitarynews.com · by Asia News Network · August 4, 2020

Yes of course Seoul is on edge (perhaps some in Seoul but certainly not all - such as Moon Chung-in and Im Jong-seok).  But not mentioned in the article Korea is unlike Germany in that Congress has imposed restrictions on a drawdown (which can be overcome should the SECDEF consult with our allies and certify to Congress that there will be no harm to US or allied national security in reducing or withdrawing troops).

----------------

"By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, 

which is the bitterest." 

- Confucius

“Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something.”

- Plato

"A man begins cutting his wisdom teeth the first time he bites off more than he can chew." 

- Herb Caen