News & commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and published by Daniel Riggs.
1. Spy Agencies Seek New Afghan Allies as U.S. Withdraws
2. Space Force CO Who Got Holiday Call from Trump Fired Over Comments Decrying Marxism in the Military
3. New report from the FBI and DHS says deaths from domestic extremists motivated by race are on the rise
4. Is Taiwan really the world's most dangerous place?
5. If Taiwan is on borrowed time, why do Taiwanese keep calm and carry on?
6. Finding the Right Words: Ending the Confusion on What “Information Operations” Actually Means
7. Special Operations Forces Bracing for Arctic Missions
8. New memorial dedicated to soldiers who died on secret mission to Vietnam
9. Opinion | How Many ‘Special Envoys’ Does Joe Biden Need?
10. Congress eyes hack reporting law after pipeline disruption
11. Before Jihadi John, There Was George Blake
12. He went from NYC to Vietnam to deliver beer during a war — now his story is coming to the big screen
13. #NextWar: A Fictional Cautionary Tale
1. Spy Agencies Seek New Afghan Allies as U.S. Withdraws
The New York Times · by Julian E. Barnes · May 14, 2021
More excellent reporting from Thomas Gibbons-Neff. Again, he is writing the first draft of our last chapter leaving Afghanistan.
Excerpts: “The appeal of building ties with Mr. Massoud and other regional power brokers is obvious: Western governments distrust the Taliban’s lukewarm commitments to keep terrorist groups out of the country in the years ahead and fear that the Afghan government might fracture if no peace settlement is reached. The Second Resistance, as Mr. Massoud now calls his armed uprising force, is a network that is opposed to the Taliban, Al Qaeda or any extremist group that rises in their shadow.
Top C.I.A. officials, including William J. Burns, the agency’s director, have acknowledged that they are looking for new ways to collect information in Afghanistan once American forces are withdrawn, and their ability to gather information on terrorist activity is diminished.
But Mr. Massoud’s organization is in its infancy, desperate for support, and legitimacy. It is backed by a dozen or so militia commanders who fought the Taliban and the Soviets in the past, and a few thousand fighters located in the north. Mr. Massoud says his ranks are filled by those slighted by the government and, much like the Taliban, he thinks that Afghanistan’s president, Ashraf Ghani, has overstayed his welcome.
2. Space Force CO Who Got Holiday Call from Trump Fired Over Comments Decrying Marxism in the Military
military.com · by Oriana Pawlyk · May 15, 2021
Just another illustration of the two extremes of the tribes in our country - one side says the other wants to bring Marxist/communist ideology through critical race theory and diversity and inclusion, etc. and the other side says their opponents want to ensure a white majority remains in control of America. What if both sides are wrong about the other?
On the other hand why did this fighter pilot go from flying F-15s to the Space Force to detect ballistic missile launches? What made him want to do that especially when we face a shortage of fighter pilots?
3. New report from the FBI and DHS says deaths from domestic extremists motivated by race are on the rise
insider.com · by Kelsey Vlamis
Data is data. The 40 page report can be downloaded here.
4. Is Taiwan really the world's most dangerous place?
The Hill · by Harlan Ullman · May 15, 2021
Excerpts: “China has many other, non-forceful options vis-a-vis Taiwan, including economic and political intimidation and working from within Taiwan to install a regime that would accept unification. And the PLA is well aware that Operation Causeway to retake Formosa from the Japanese in 1944, never implemented, called for a force of 4,000 ships and 400,000 soldiers and marines (larger than the Normandy invasion that same year) and a capability China never will attain.
Since the end of World War II, the U.S often overly militarized responses to perceived threats. Vietnam and non-existent Iraqi weapons of mass destruction are the two most disastrous examples. China may become the world’s largest economy and perhaps field an even more powerful military.
But, as Ike assembled Project Solarium in 1953 to conduct a deep analysis of America’s strategic options vis-a-vis the Soviet Union, the same needs to be done before we rush to ill-informed conclusions about China.
5. If Taiwan is on borrowed time, why do Taiwanese keep calm and carry on?
SCMP · by William Han · May 17, 2021
6. Finding the Right Words: Ending the Confusion on What “Information Operations” Actually Means
Small Wars Journal · by Daniel Dewitt and Salil Puri
Conclusion: “The reigning confusion within the Defense Department over the meaning of “information operations” is setting the United States up for failure as it prepares for an era of burgeoning great power competition. Far from a semantic matter of definitions between services, this issue directly affects the ability of the armed forces to effectively counter hostile influence efforts and shape the global operating environment in ways favorable to the United States. Achieving a doctrinal change of the magnitude that this article calls for is not a small endeavor, but without a clear understanding of the varied ways that the military engages with information functions, commanders in the field will struggle to adequately employ each set of capabilities in its proper context. Clearly, an overemphasis on preparation for large-scale combat operations will hinder effective action in the competition for influence below the threshold of war. By the same token, an excessive focus on shaping the battlespace via influence operations will leave U.S. forces unprepared should deterrence fail and major combat operations become necessary. Clarifying joint doctrine so as to distinguish between these two fields, and then integrating the change into joint exercises, is a necessary step to force commanders to engage with the full range of operations, from influencing foreign perceptions to command-and-control warfare.
7. Special Operations Forces Bracing for Arctic Missions
nationaldefensemagazine.org · by Jon Harper
Heat is uncomfortable. Cold is painful.
8. New memorial dedicated to soldiers who died on secret mission to Vietnam
q13fox.com · by Megan Ziegler
But still a mystery. Not only what happened to these Americans but what was their mission?
9. Opinion | How Many ‘Special Envoys’ Does Joe Biden Need?
Politico · by Brett Bruen and Adam Ereli
Perhaps this is why we may not see a Special Representative for north Korea. However, Congress requires a Special Envoy for north Korean human rights.
10. Congress eyes hack reporting law after pipeline disruption
Excerpts: “Lawmakers have tried before to impose cybersecurity rules on critical U.S. companies. In 2012, Collins co-sponsored such a bill with former Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.). But the U.S. Chamber of Commerce opposed the bill, calling it overly burdensome on the private sector, and Republicans lined up against it, sinking its chances.
Congress passed a modest law in 2015 that encouraged voluntary reporting in exchange for limited immunity. However, lawmakers of both parties now concede the measure hasn’t worked as intended and didn’t go far enough.
Collins said increased congressional and public awareness about cyber threats and the panic of the past week could be what is needed to get it done this time.
The pipeline attack, with its quick impact on gas supplies and prices, “really brings it home to the American people,” she said in an interview.
Congress is running out of time to prepare the nation for a truly catastrophic cyberattack, according to Wales.
“My sense,” he said, “is that the likelihood is increasing almost every day.”
11. Before Jihadi John, There Was George Blake
Foreign Policy · by Simon Kuper · May 16, 2021
Some interesting Sunday history.
12. He went from NYC to Vietnam to deliver beer during a war — now his story is coming to the big screen
militarytimes.com · by J.D. Simkins · May 6, 2021
This should be quite a movie and will probably inspire future "beer runs" to try to top it.
13. #NextWar: A Fictional Cautionary Tale
angrystaffofficer.com · by David Dixon · May 16, 2021
As the title says. Some fictional thinking about future war. A fascinating read. Probably more accurate about the future on so many levels than any of the future operating environments authored by the military or think tanks. This should resonate.
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“The ideas of economists and political philosophers, both when they are right and when they are wrong, are more powerful than is commonly understood. Indeed, the world is ruled by little else. Practical men, who believe themselves to be quite exempt from any intellectual influences, are usually slaves of some defunct economist.”
- British economist John Maynard Keynes
“...the [constitutional] power to wage war is the power to wage war successfully.”
- Charles Evans Hughes
“What all the wise men promised has not happened, and what all the damned fools said would happen has come to pass.”
- Lord Melbourne (1779-1848),