Blog Posts

You can find the latest story and a very recent video at BBC News. BLUF: "One committed protester was at the front line when Greek police fired teargas at protesters outside parliament on Wednesday." Here are some older YouTube postings:

... every protest / riot since 2008.

Loukanikos, the riot dog.

None can tame him. None can leash him. None can call him. None can heel him. None can stop him.

As a follow-up to our SWJ post, Army, Marine Corps clashing over cammies..., CNN's Jennifer Rizzo reports Army sets out to buy three new camouflage patterns. BLUF: "This time around, the Army is looking for a family of camouflage patterns that can be used across the globe - one for the desert, another for a wilderness/jungle environment, and a third transitional variant for 'places in the middle'..."

Caldwell Aims to Build Up Afghan Forces by Lance Bacon, Marine Corps Times. BLUF: "Sure, you would like to shake the hand of the Navy SEAL who capped Osama bin Laden. But you have a lot more riding on whether Lt. Gen. William Caldwell's mission is successful."

A Complex Man In A Complex Country Is Killed

by Jeff Raleigh

My friend Lt General Daud Daud was killed two weeks ago in his home province of Takar, Afghanistan. The General was in a meeting with members of ISAF and the District Governor when a suicide bomber, dressed as a policeman, detonated his explosive vest and killed six people, including two German NATO soldiers. He wounded the Governor and a German Army Major General in addition to murdering NATO soldiers and General Daud. Daud's death, as was his life, was a microcosm of life in Afghanistan.

Pakistan's Army Is Ready for Its Close-Up by Tom Wright, Wall Street Journal. BLUF: "Pakistan's powerful army is involved in domestic politics, foreign affairs and defending the nation's soil from attack. Now it can add a new stripe to its uniform: television production house."

Title Song of Telefilm - Faseel-e-Jaan Se Aagay

Continue on for today's SWJ news and opinion links.

"The United States believes that the new sanctions regime for Afghanistan will serve as an important tool to promote reconciliation, while isolating extremists... It should also send a clear message to the Taliban that there is a future for those who separate from al-Qaida."

--US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice on the Security Council's unanimous vote to treat al-Qaida and the Taliban separately when it comes to UN sanctions.

The US Army Counterinsurgency Center is pleased to host Dr. Sebastian Gorka, Assistant Professor of Irregular Warfare at National Defense University. Dr. Gorkais is also an Associate Fellow at Joint Special Operations University. He is a graduate of the University of London and Corvinus University, Budapest.

Dr. Gorka and Dr. David Kilcullen recently co-authored an article for Joint Force Quarterly entitled An Actor-centric Theory of War: Understanding the Difference Between COIN and Counterinsurgency. In that piece they wrote that "COIN, in the American mode, is but one small reflection of the much older, even ancient, practice of countering insurgents, or irregular enemies." They propose a theory of war based on who is using violence against us; an "Actor-Centric" theory of war.

Dr.Gorka's brief is Wednesday, 29 June 2011 at 10:00 CDT (1100 EST, 15:00 ZULU). Those interested in attending may view the meeting online at https://connect.dco.dod.mil/coinweb and participate via Defense Connect Online (DCO) as a guest. Remote attendees will be able to ask questions and view the slides through the software.

Europe may not be able to rely on America's free security guarantee forever.

Here is the latest edition of my column at Foreign Policy:

Topics include:

1) In blasting NATO, Gates explains what moral hazard feels like

2) The U.S. government sends its civilians to fight in Yemen

In blasting NATO, Gates explains what moral hazard feels like

In what he termed his "last policy speech as U.S. defense secretary," Robert Gates ripped into his policymaking peers at NATO headquarters in Brussels last week for allowing "significant shortcomings in NATO in military capabilities, and in political will" to occur. Gates noted that although the non-U.S. alliance members have more than 2 million troops in uniform, these countries struggle to deploy 40,000 soldiers into an effective military campaign. Gates also pointed to NATO's embarrassing performance in Libya, noting that European members, despite having a multitude of officers collecting paychecks at frivolous staff billets, have failed to generate the intelligence support and command capabilities needed to wage an effective air campaign. Gates warned of a "dismal future for the transatlantic alliance."

Gates's frustration was no doubt sparked by the realization that his department has become the victim of moral hazard. The United States provides a free security guarantee to Europe. Europeans, meanwhile, have responded in an economically rational way by taking greater risk with their external defense. With the collapse of the Soviet Union removing the last plausible military threat, it was logical for European policymakers to avoid spending on expensive space, communications, and intelligence systems that the United States was largely providing for free. Gates and many other U.S. policymakers see an alliance with too many free riders; Gates noted that only five of the 28 allies spend more than the agreed target of 2 percent of GDP on defense.

In the short term, Gates fears that the United States will have to bail out the Libya operation. This week, Adm. Mark Stanhope, Britain's top naval officer, warned that budget limits and unit rotation requirements could force NATO combatants over Libya to soon have to choose between Libya and Afghanistan. Should a shortfall of European forces in either campaign result, Gates undoubtedly fears that the United States will have to make up the gap.

Over the longer term, the moral hazard issue extends beyond NATO into the Western Pacific, the South China Sea, and soon the Persian Gulf.

Click below to read more ...

Molding Perceptions: American Engagement with the Media after the Bin Laden Raid

by Marno de Boer

Immediately after the successful conclusion of the raid on Osama Bin Laden's compound the United States government and its agencies fed the press and public alike with information about the event. Two trends stand out in this information flow; the rapidity with which it was delivered, and the fact that much of it later turned out to be incorrect. While it is not yet possible to determine whether this was the result of a deliberate policy, it was highly successful in getting a favorable story across during the first few days after the action, the period crucial for forming people's perceptions. In this way, the American media policy, while in some ways an evolution of prior engagements with the media, also began to show a likening to the ones successfully adopted by regular and irregular opponents alike in the last decade. This article argues that this new policy was fairly successful and might be a worthwhile model for dealing with the press during future events.

Report Sees Danger in Local Allies by Dion Nissenbaum, Wall Street Journal. BLUF: "The killings of American soldiers by Afghan troops are turning into a 'rapidly growing systemic threat' that could undermine the entire war effort, according to a classified military study."

Call Off the Global Drug War

by Jimmy Carter

The New York Times

BLUF. The report describes the total failure of the present global antidrug effort, and in particular America's "war on drugs," which was declared 40 years ago today. It notes that the global consumption of opiates has increased 34.5 percent, cocaine 27 percent and cannabis 8.5 percent from 1998 to 2008. Its primary recommendations are to substitute treatment for imprisonment for people who use drugs but do no harm to others, and to concentrate more coordinated international effort on combating violent criminal organizations rather than nonviolent, low-level offenders.

Much more at The New York Times

Light Attack: It's What's for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

by Mike "Starbaby" Pietrucha, Lt Col, USAFR

Recent discussions with respect to the application of airpower in Irregular Warfare have highlighted the applicability of light attack aircraft, currently missing from the US arsenal. Used extensively by the US in Vietnam, the light attack aircraft were widely exported, but were not replaced in US service when they retired due to age. Focused on the "high/low" F-15/F-16 mix envisioned to fight the Warsaw Pact in Western Europe, the USAF has been particularly resistant to the possibility that the USAF might operate a modern light attack aircraft at all. Key objections range from the superficial (it has a propeller) to the conceptually flawed (the aircraft can't be used in an MCO). Lost in the fray is the huge benefit to the forces currently involved in combat provided by an attack aircraft which can carry a similar warload to the F-16 with more hangtime, at a fraction of the cost, using a small sliver of the F-16's logistical and support requirements. If we are to take the long view, a modern high/low mix which includes light attack shows significant potential to expand the capacity of tactical air worldwide without compromising the capability of a force involved in Major Contingency Operations. Yes, of course you can use light attack in a major war.

(Featuring a special guest appearance by the one and only Doctrine Man)

Officially, Dave Karle is an executive communications manager at Microsoft. Less officially, his colleagues have given him another name: the Pied Piper of PowerPoint. His audience? The U.S. Army.

Except that Karle isn't trying to get the Army to use Microsoft's presentation software. PowerPoint is already ubiquitous within the Army — to the chagrin of many an officer. Karle's mission is much harder: stopping the Army from using it stupidly.

"I'm chasing the bad ideas out of presentations," Karle tells Danger Room by phone from Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He's there for a meeting at the Combined Arms Center, the Army's central nervous system for writing and spreading its doctrine. Working with an Army major at the Center, John Roberson, Karle — himself a 15 year Army veteran who served in Iraq — has come up with what he alternately calls Modern Presenter or the Modern Presentation Method, all to revive the poor headquarters officers who've suffered Death By PowerPoint.

More from Spencer Ackerman at Wired.com's Danger Room.

Continue on for today's SWJ news and opinion links.

Greenert Tapped to be Next CNO by Chris Carroll, Stars and Stripes. BLUF: "Adm. Jonathan W. Greenert, vice chief of naval operations, has been nominated for the Navy's top job, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said Thursday. Greenert, a submariner, served as commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command from 2007 to 2009. From 2004 to 2006, he served as commander of the U.S. Seventh Fleet."

Spirit of America's Commander Support Program:

A new model for NGO-military collaboration

Matt Valkovic

Last February, after I left the Army following a deployment to Iraq, a friend of mine in Washington had sent me an email about an opportunity with a non-profit organization called Spirit of America. Since 2003, Spirit of America had supported the humanitarian and counterinsurgency efforts of American military personnel in Afghanistan and Iraq. I learned that Spirit of America had tapped into the generosity and resourcefulness of the American people to "help our troops help the people" with everything from sewing machines, farming tools, irrigation equipment to school and medical supplies.

They were looking to hire field representatives to work alongside a Marine battalion deployed to Helmand province to more directly and efficiently leverage "private sector support" on the ground—basically an extension of their US-based efforts. The initiative was called the Commander Support Program, and it was—to the best of my knowledge—the first time a privately funded non-profit, non-governmental organization (NGO) had worked or planned to work directly with the US military in a conflict environment in support of common objectives.

I thought the concept of delivering private-sector support to the fight in Afghanistan was very interesting but also a little abstract. I dispensed a good deal of Commanders' Emergency Response Program (CERP) money during our tour in west Baghdad a couple years ago, so I was familiar with the "non-lethal" side of the fight. How I'd actually deliver private-sector support alongside the Marines was something of an open question, but I was curious about being a part of something unique that might help win the fight.

Continue on for much more on the Commander Support Program...

Petraeus set to present Afghanistan plans, prep for CIA - S&S

Afghans prepare to take over security - WP

Bin Laden raid frustrations in Pakistan - LAT

In Baghdad, control remains elusive - WP

Militia set up within Iraqi ministry - McClatchy

Civilians flee another Syria town, fearing military assault - NYT

Syrian crackdown fans sectarian flames - LAT

Obama defends Libya intervention - WSJ

Libya action does not require congressional approval - WP

World leaders look for way out of Libya - LAT

Rebels seize buildings in southern Yemen - NYT

Al-Zawahri, bin Laden's no. 2, to lead Al Qaeda - NYT

DOD budget cuts will require rethinking missions, benefits - S&S

Hackers take down CIA website - WT

Pakistan-U.S. Security Relationship at Lowest Point Since 2001, Officials Say by Karen DeYoung and and Griff Witte, Washington Post. BLUF: "The security relationship between the United States and Pakistan has sunk to its lowest level since the two countries agreed to cooperate after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, endangering counterterrorism programs that depend on the partnership, according to U.S. and Pakistani officials."

Gates, Mullen Say U.S. Must Work With Pakistan Despite Rocky Road by Charley Keyes, CNN. BLUF: "The nation's top military man warned Wednesday that the United States must continue to work with Pakistan as a partner despite years of mistrust."

Pakistan's Chief of Army Fights to Keep His Job by Jane Perlez, New York Times. BLUF: "Pakistan's army chief, the most powerful man in the country, is fighting to save his position in the face of seething anger from top generals and junior officers since the American raid that killed Osama bin Laden, according to Pakistani officials and people who have met the chief in recent weeks."

Pakistan Denies Army Major's Arrest for CIA Links by the Associated Press. BLUF: "The Pakistani army denied Wednesday that one of its majors was among a group of Pakistanis who Western officials say were arrested for feeding the CIA information before the American raid that killed Osama bin Laden."

***Keep the Roundup (the Journal, the Blog and the Council) Going AND Get a Nifty Coin to Boot***

A little behind the power curve for tomorrow morning's SWJ daily news update and have some early morning commitments -- will be back on Friday -- that said, I'll be posting some of the wave top news as stand-alone items.

Afghanistan -- The Sun is Rising

by Brian McLaughlin

In January 2002, as a ground operations officer for resupply airdrops to special operations forces in Afghanistan, I described the toppling of the Taliban as an "unqualified success." Now, as a media production advisor in General Petraeus' Counterinsurgency Advisory and Assistance Team, nine years after I thought we had won this war, I can again contribute to winning in Afghanistan.

From reports and my occasional excursions in the field, I have the strong belief that the counterinsurgency campaign is working, the Taliban and related groups are losing ground, and the population is swinging their support to the government. The prospects of economic development, normalcy, and peace are more appealing to people than just surviving under the Taliban's iron rule.

Continue on for today's SWJ news and opinion links.

Continue on for today's SWJ news and opinion links.

Happy birthday from all of us at Small Wars Journal. More on the 236th Army birthday can be found here.

Two hundred and thirty-six years ago, the United States Army was established to defend our Nation. From the Revolutionary War to the current operations taking place around the world, our Soldiers remain Army Strong with a deep commitment to our core values and beliefs. This 236th birthday commemorates America's Army -- Soldiers, Families and Civilians -- who are achieving a level of excellence that is truly Army Strong. Being Army Strong goes beyond physical endurance and mental preparedness. It encompasses an indomitable spirit, and high ethical and moral values. These are not only desirable traits in a person, but in a Nation that wishes to live up to the ideals and vision of its founders. We are "America's Army: The Strength of the Nation."