News and Commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and published by Daniel Riggs.
1. China wages cognitive warfare to topple Taiwan government: report
2. Taiwan and US set for sensitive dialogue - and reveal the timing in advance
3. China as a Composite Land-Sea Power: A Geostrategic Concept Revisited
4. National security adviser, deputy weigh resigning after Wednesday's chaos
5. Trump's deputy national security adviser resigns as other top officials consider quitting over Capitol riot
6. China Uses Capitol Violence to Cast Narrative of U.S. Hypocrisy
7. Asia delights and despairs in Trump’s Capitol siege
8. Fauci sees greater China role in COVID-19 spread, looking back one year later
9. This Is a Coup
10. This is Not a Coup
11. Former SecDef Jim Mattis Denounces Pro-Trump 'Violent Assault' on US Capitol
12. ‘Once You Engage in Political Violence, It Becomes Easier to Do It Again’
13. Biden Plans to Build a Grand Alliance to Counter China. It Won’t Be Easy.
14. U.S. Considers Adding Alibaba, Tencent to China Stock Ban
15. America's Pacific Strategy Needs an Update
16. The World Is Watching Us
17. China's "Unrestricted War" On The United States
18. Pentagon must continue military support to CIA's counterterrorism operations
19. A Cyber Opportunity: Priorities for the First National Cyber Director
20. What is the role of Information Operations in supporting training missions? Or, when is a tweet more than just a tweet?
21. The Two Special Operations Trinities
1. China wages cognitive warfare to topple Taiwan government: report
Newsweek · by John Feng · January 6, 2021
Excerpts:
“Released last week, INDSR's 200-page report makes special mention of China's online cognitive warfare—part of its larger "hybrid warfare"—which it conducts through Taiwan's mainstream media platforms, including popular forums and ubiquitous mobile messaging application LINE.
The aim, the authors say, is to create division and internal conflict, and to change the public's voting behavior in favor of a more preferred candidate. The tactic was taken straight from Russia's cyber operation playbook, according to a report chapter describing Beijing's attempts to influence public opinion and thought.
2. Taiwan and US set for sensitive dialogue - and reveal the timing in advance
scmp.com· by Lawrence Chung
Excerpts:
“It is being held by the outgoing Donald Trump administration before Joe Biden [becomes president this month], meaning the mandate given by the Trump government to the event is limited,” Sung said.
He said the Biden administration could control the scope of the dialogue in future to have flexibility in response to Beijing’s protests about breaching the one-China policy and the three communiques that underpin US-China relations.
Sung said he expected this week’s dialogue to touch on strengthening Taiwan’s regional role in partnership with neighboring countries, in addition to political and military cooperation with the US.”
3. China as a Composite Land-Sea Power: A Geostrategic Concept Revisited
cimsec.org · by Tashi Yoshiara · January 6, 2021
Conclusion: A theme that runs through the Chinese discourse is a clear-eyed sense of the limits on China’s geostrategic choices. Chinese strategists who possess a tragic sensibility about great power politics understand that favorable circumstances are never permanent. They recognize that Beijing must strive to cultivate conditions conducive to its outward orientation and that hostile great powers, especially if they were to coalesce against China, could undo its global plans. As the PLA goes global, it behooves allied policymakers to adopt a similarly tragic worldview and revisit age-old geostrategic dilemmas that will likely prove as nettlesome to China as they have for past aspiring land-sea powers.
4. National security adviser, deputy weigh resigning after Wednesday's chaos
Politico· January 6, 2021
5. Trump's deputy national security adviser resigns as other top officials consider quitting over Capitol riot
CNN · by Kaitlan Collins, Vivian Salama, Jake Tapper and Kylie Atwood, CNN
Matt Pottinger resigns.
6. China Uses Capitol Violence to Cast Narrative of U.S. Hypocrisy
Bloomberg · by Bloomberg News · January 7, 2021
Revisionist and rogue power propaganda departments are going to have a field day with the insurrection.
Who is working on developing a superior US narrative? (and the actions that would back up the necessary narrative)
7. Asia delights and despairs in Trump’s Capitol siege
asiatimes.com · by David Hutt · January 7, 2021
Again, who in our government is working the counter narrative and developing the superior American narrative?
We are playing right into our enemies' hands:
But some of America’s authoritarian opponents, many lambasted by Washington for years for their lack of democracy and rights, responded with thinly-veiled mockery and triumphant finger-pointing.
Analysts and observers suggest that America’s prestige in many parts of Asia will take time to recover from the chaotic events, and that its reputation as a beacon and defender of democracy could be permanently tainted by the siege.
“It’s certainly a black eye for the United States – there’s no way around it,” said Bradley Murg, senior advisor and distinguished senior research fellow at the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace in Phnom Penh.
“I expect authoritarian regimes in Asia at present are more concerned with preparing for engagement with the new Democratic administration than attempting to score short-term political points for domestic audiences,” he added. “And if they aren’t, they should be.”
8. Fauci sees greater China role in COVID-19 spread, looking back one year later
Axios · by Eileen Drage O'Reilly
This might have a little more impact on another news day.
The bottom line: The pandemic has demonstrated that "the unimaginable can happen" Fauci says. But, he hopes "we're very, very much back to normal a year from now."
9. This Is a Coup
defenseone.com · by David A. Graham
This pairs with the next article that argues this was not a coup. Discuss among yourselves.
10. This is Not a Coup
defenseone.com · by Kevin Baron
Counterpoint:
“Mob. Riot. Terror. Extreme. There are lots of words to describe this dark day. Coup, is not one of them.”
11. Former SecDef Jim Mattis Denounces Pro-Trump 'Violent Assault' on US Capitol
military.com · by Hope Hodge Seck · January 6, 2021
12. ‘Once You Engage in Political Violence, It Becomes Easier to Do It Again’
I do fear those who are willing to use violence may be emboldened by yesterday's attack. There is political defiance, political resistance, and political violence. Did we cross the Rubicon yesterday?
defenseone.com · by Naomi Schalit
As I posted on social media last evening: I can only hope and pray “that which does not kill our democracy will make it stronger.” I hope we can find an opportunity in this that will show us a path forward and that in time we will be stronger from what happened — If we still believe in our oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. We need a greater love for our Constitution, our country, our ideals and values, and all our fellow Americans than we have hatred for those with whom we have political disagreements. God bless America.
13. Biden Plans to Build a Grand Alliance to Counter China. It Won’t Be Easy.
WSJ · by Bob Davis and Lingling Wei· January 6, 2021
All news will be overshadowed by yesterday's attack. But we have to move forward and we cannot be consumed by those events. We have to continue to debate and discuss the national security issues.
The question is can we lead and harness the power of a "coalition of democracies?"
14. U.S. Considers Adding Alibaba, Tencent to China Stock Ban
WSJ · by Dawn Lim, Jing Yang and Gordon Lubold· January 6, 2021
Excerpts:
“Major U.S. asset managers including T. Rowe Price Group Inc., BlackRock Inc. and Vanguard Group are among the top public shareholders of Alibaba and Tencent through funds, according to FactSet data.
Asset managers are lobbying to prevent a situation in which companies such as Alibaba could become blacklisted, said a person familiar with large financial firms’ conversations with U.S. regulators.
Last week, the Treasury Department published guidelines that include subsidiaries in the ban if a company named on the list holds ownership of 50% or more in them. Derivatives, bonds and depositary receipts, as well as exchange-traded funds, index funds and mutual funds holding securities issued by these entities in any jurisdiction will also be restricted to U.S. investors.”
15. America's Pacific Strategy Needs an Update
The National Interest · by Dan Goure · January 7, 2021
Dr. Goure is arguing to make the case for a large US ground force in Asia.
Conclusion: "A Biden administration will certainly articulate a new National Security Strategy that differs in many respects from that of the Trump administration. But it will be impossible to deny the basic reality of great power competition and the continuous growth of the Chinese military. It is up to the Army’s senior leaders to articulate the value of large land forces for deterrence and warfighting in the Indo-Pacific region."
Actually, the ultimate goal is not controlling or denying critical land. The ultimate goal is achieving the political object. The question is what is the political object of our strategy? What is the acceptable, durable political arrangement that will protect, serve, and advance US and allied] national interests.
16. The World Is Watching Us
thebulwark.com · by Shay Khatiri · January 7, 2021
Yes, the world is looking up to the city on a hill.
17. China's "Unrestricted War" On The United States
ZeroHedge· by Doug Dodge · January 7, 2021
A short review.
18. Pentagon must continue military support to CIA's counterterrorism operations
washingtontimes.com · by Abraham Wagner· January 7, 2021
From what I understand from talking to people who know these things, the media and pundits are blowing this out of proportion. This is about reviewing the agreements between the Pentagon and the CIA.
19. A Cyber Opportunity: Priorities for the First National Cyber Director
warontherocks.com · by Mark Montgomery and Robert Morgan· January 7, 2021
Conclusion:
“Moore’s law, familiar to many in the cyber world, posits that the number of transistors on a circuit board will double every 18 months, and with it, our computing power. Cyber policy follows a similar law, wherein circumstances constantly shift and new policies and laws are required roughly every 18 months. The White House should be agile enough to keep pace. The Office of the National Cyber Director is a step in the right direction, but its first 18 months will be critical for ensuring not only its success, but also that of the nation. The national cyber director should construct the office, develop a new strategy, and possibly work with lawmakers on further laws.
In sum, the national cyber director should be ready and equipped to lead the executive branch through the next set of cyber security challenges, whatever they may be.”
20. What is the role of Information Operations in supporting training missions? Or, when is a tweet more than just a tweet?
Small Wars Journal· Scott Fisher · January 7, 2021
Conclusion: "The J39 (IO) team identified shortcomings in IO doctrine for missions occurring in locations outside of Title 10, specifically in Africa. To overcome these shortcomings, we developed and implemented several field-expedient methods, as outlined above. It is unlikely that these methods represent the ‘best’ or most effective way forward, though we hope others find them useful. Instead, this paper is meant to signal that further work needs to be done to update doctrine and training to better reflect the challenges facing IO planners across the full spectrum of deployed environments."
21. The Two Special Operations Trinities
Small Wars Journal Dave Maxwell · January 7, 2021
I've been waiting for months for this to be published by JSOU as part of a conference publication but I was informed by the editor that it would not be included due to space limitations. But I wanted to offer my views on what I like to describe as the two SOF "trinities."
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"Democracy washes its dirty linen in public ... but it gets it clean."
- Frank Crane
"Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide. It is in vain to say that democracy is less vain, less proud, less selfish, less ambitious, or less avaricious than aristocracy or monarchy. It is not true, in fact, and nowhere appears in history. Those passions are the same in all men, under all forms of simple government, and when unchecked, produce the same effects of fraud, violence, and cruelty."
- John Adams
"Although our interests as citizens vary, each one is an artery to the heart that pumps life through the body politic, and each is important to the health of democracy."
- Bill Moyers