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SWJ Blog is a multi-author blog publishing news and commentary on the various goings on across the broad community of practice.  We gladly accept guest posts from serious voices in the community.

2011's Wars and More (Updated)
by Dave Dilegge | Sat, 01/01/2011 - 2:03pm | 0 comments
The 16 brewing conflicts to watch for in 2011 are listed at Foreign Policy. Includes Sudan, Ivory Coast, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, Somalia, Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Guatemala, Haiti, Iraq, Pakistan, Lebanon, and Tajikistan.

In case you missed it, SWJ's own Robert Haddick offers up three New Year's resolutions for the Pentagon; the Los Angeles Times reports that 2011 is seen as the make-or-break year for the Afghan mission, and the Wall Street Journal has coverage on the broken record that is North Korea's annual New Year's message.

The Daily Telegraph covers the top 10 foreign policy challenges facing Barack Obama in 2011, Army Times has what to expect in the Army this year, and for the lighter side of 2011 see GrEaT sAtAn"S gIrLfRiEnD.

Update

Areas To Watch For Progress (Or A Lack Of) by Trudy Rubin at the Philadelphia Inquirer. "Yet, as the new year starts, there's room for optimism (even if the facts don't justify it). Here are some signs to watch for - abroad and at home - that would indicate 2011 might be a better foreign policy year."

Grey Eminence
by SWJ Editors | Sat, 01/01/2011 - 10:47am | 0 comments

Grey Eminence: Fox Conner and the Art of Mentorship by Edward Cox.

Via the Grey Eminence web page:

To those who have heard of him, Fox Conner's name is synonymous with mentorship. He is the "grey eminence" within the Army whose influence helped to shape the careers of George Patton, George Marshall, and, most notably, President Eisenhower. What little is known about Conner comes primarily through stories about his relationship with Eisenhower, but little is known about Fox Conner himself.

After a career that spanned four decades, this master strategist ordered all of his papers and journals burned. Because of this, most of what is known about Conner is oblique, as a passing reference in the memoirs of other great men. This book combines existing scholarship with long-forgotten references and unpublished original sources to achieve a more comprehensive picture of this dedicated public servant.

The portrait that emerges provides a four-step model for developing strategic leaders that still holds true today. First and foremost, Conner was a master of his craft. Secondly, he recognized and recruited talented subordinates. Then he encouraged and challenged these protégés to develop their strengths and overcome their weaknesses. Finally he wasn't afraid to break the rules of the organization to do it. Here, for the first time ever, is the story of Major General Fox Conner.

About the author: Edward Cox is a major in the U.S. Army. He is currently an assistant professor of American Politics, Public Policy and Strategy in the Department of Social Sciences at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, NY. He has served in various command and staff positions in combat units for twelve years, including two years in Iraq. He holds a bachelor's degree in American politics from the U.S. Military Academy and master's degrees in public administration and international relations from Syracuse University.

Grey Eminence: Fox Conner and the Art of Mentorship by Edward Cox at Amazon.com.

Afghan Report 2010
by Dave Dilegge | Sat, 01/01/2011 - 9:07am | 7 comments
Afghan Report 2010 by Colonel Douglas Macgregor at The Washington Times. BLUF: "It's too soon to tell, but reductions in defense spending may demonstrate that it's far less expensive to protect the United States from Islamist terrorism as well as the criminality flooding in from Mexico and Latin America by controlling our borders and immigration. We must, however, stop wasting American blood and treasure on misguided military interventions designed to drag Muslim Arabs and Afghans through the Renaissance, the Reformation, the Enlightenment, the French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution in the space of a few years, at gunpoint."
1 January SWJ Roundup
by Dave Dilegge | Sat, 01/01/2011 - 8:50am | 0 comments

15 Top Stories:

Afghanistan in Review: High Hopes and Big Obstacles - New York Times

2011 Seen as Make-or-Break Year for Afghan Mission - Los Angeles Times

Taliban Leader Was Killed, Afghans Say - New York Times

Pakistan's Top General Vexes U.S. Plans - Washington Post

Pakistanis Rally in Support of Blasphemy Law - New York Times

Pakistan Says it will Defend Spy Chief in U.S. Suits - Associated Press

A Kurdish Rebel Softens His Tone for Skeptical Ears - New York Times

A Christian Priest Faces Grim New Year in Iraq - Los Angeles Times

Expats' 'Daily Show'-style VOA Program Enthralls Iranians - Washington Post

Bombing of Christian Church in Egypt Kills 21 - Los Angeles Times

North Korea Warns South in Annual Message - Wall Street Journal

North Korea Calls for Dialogue With the South - New York Times

In Ivory Coast, Bid to Ease Out Defiant Leader - New York Times

Nigerian Capital Abuja Hit by Barracks Bomb - BBC News

Flooding Forces Thousands to Evacuate in Australia - Los Angeles Times

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

Welcome Through the Doors to the New Year
by Dave Dilegge | Fri, 12/31/2010 - 8:13pm | 1 comment

Roadhouse Blues

Continue on for more of The Doors...

New Year's resolutions for the Pentagon
by Robert Haddick | Fri, 12/31/2010 - 3:19pm | 2 comments
Only a few hours remain for policymakers to make their list of resolutions for the New Year. If Defense Secretary Robert Gates is still pondering his list, I offer up a few suggestions. Rumor has it that Gates will soon retire. Perhaps he might not be making any resolutions for 2011. In that case, his successor could retroactively adopt these resolutions after he takes office.

1. Make an honest appraisal of America's relationship with Pakistan.

2. Redesign the United States defense strategy in the Indo-Pacific region.

3. Assess the entire government's policy for security force assistance.

Many defense policies are stagnating, going obsolete, or breaking down before policymakers get around to reforming them. It is time for some fresh appraisals at the Pentagon, starting either tomorrow or with the next leadership team.

Click through to read more ...

PI: COIN, CT Operations Fruitful in 2010
by Dave Dilegge | Fri, 12/31/2010 - 2:23pm | 0 comments
Philippine Military: Counterinsurgency, Terrorism Operations Fruitful in 2010 - Xinhua via The Manila Bulletin. BLUF: "The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said Friday it had further reduced the strength of leftist and terrorist groups in the country in 2010, owing to its " successful operations" throughout the country."
New English-Language al-Qaeda Explosives Manual Released Online
by Dave Dilegge | Fri, 12/31/2010 - 10:02am | 14 comments
Via the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR) and The Daily Telegraph: New English-Language al-Qaeda Explosives Manual Released Online. From ICSR:

In the last few days, English-language jihadist forums have released a significant new book entitled The Explosives Course. Published in 2010 by al-Qaeda's Global Islamic Media Front (GIMF) and apparently compiled by former students of the now deceased al-Qaeda explosives expert Abu Khabab al-Misri (also known as Midhat Mursi al-Sayid Umar), it is among the most comprehensive and sophisticated manuals of its kind. The introduction claims that "this is the first book from a series of books aimed on this subject", noting that further editions and updates will be forthcoming.

Targeting English-speaking audiences, it capitalises on the rise of 'homegrown' extremism in the US and Britain. This manual is widely available within online extremist networks and seeks to arm potential self-starters and 'lone-wolves' with the knowledge they often lack on creating viable explosive devices, in particular those living in the West who are motivated to act but unable to join terrorist training camps abroad. Following a recent rise in incidents of attempted attacks by US nationals on American soil, the US Attorney General Eric Holder claimed earlier this month that the threat of 'homegrown' terror "keeps me up at night". He also warned that "the threat is real, the threat is different, the threat is constant."

For ICSR's full analysis click here and for the front page of The Explosives Course here. Also see Al-Qaeda bomb manual published on internet at The Daily Telegraph.

The ICSR is a partnership which brings together four academic institutions: King's College London; the University of Pennsylvania; the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya (Israel); and the Jordan Institute of Diplomacy.

31 December SWJ Roundup
by Dave Dilegge | Fri, 12/31/2010 - 9:17am | 0 comments
15 Top Stories:

U.S. Fights to Open School in Taliban Area - Associated Press

Pakistan on Strike Against Bill to Amend Blasphemy Law - BBC News

Islamists Lead Pakistan Strike In Political Crisis - Reuters

Iraq Civilian Casualties for 2010 Lowest Since U.S. Invasion - Voice of America

Christians Are Casualties of 10 Baghdad Attacks - New York Times

Al-Qaeda Bomb Manual Published on Internet - Daily Telegraph

South Korea Again Describes North Korea as 'Enemy' - Voice of America

N. Korea Boosts Tanks and Special Forces, South Says - New York Times

S. Korea Names Strategist to New N. Korea Crisis Post - Associated Press

U.N. Chief Warns Supporters of Ivory Coast's Gbagbo - Washington Post

Ivory Coast: Attack on Rival Could Lead to Civil War - Associated Press

Ivory Coast: U.K. 'Would Back' U.N. Gbagbo Military Action - BBC News

Lone-Wolf Plots Alter Anti-Terrorism Strategy In U.S. - NPR

As Frustration Grows, Airports Consider Ditching TSA - Washington Post

Leak Reveals Flaws of State's Information-sharing Tool - Washington Post

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

What Poets Can Teach Us About the War in Afghanistan
by Dave Dilegge | Thu, 12/30/2010 - 7:59pm | 2 comments
The latest from the new AF-PAK poet laureate: What Poets Can Teach Us About the War in Afghanistan by Andrew J. Bacevich at The New Republic. BLUF: "If we fail to reach that end point in the Hindu Kush or Baluchistan, perhaps we'll find it in Yemen. Or Iran. Or could it lie somewhere on the Horn of Africa? The opportunities appear endless. Onward! Somewhere out there surely the world must have an end."

That said, he does offer up serious food for thought and it did provide a butt-stroke to my memory group in regards to a quote/scene from Dead Poets Society that, while not haunting me, makes me think, real hard, about what we do and what it means. After all, they are the youth and our future; they are our national treasure, and they deserve our best efforts, not just our best sound bites.

"They're not that different from you, are they? Same haircuts. Full of hormones, just like you. Invincible, just like you feel. The world is their oyster. They believe they're destined for great things, just like many of you, their eyes are full of hope, just like you. Did they wait until it was too late to make from their lives even one iota of what they were capable? Because, you see gentlemen, these boys are now fertilizing daffodils. But if you listen real close, you can hear them whisper their legacy to you. Go on, lean in. Listen, you hear it? - - Carpe - - hear it? - - Carpe, carpe diem, seize the day boys, make your lives extraordinary."

U.S. Military Has No Time to Train for Big Wars; The Wounded Home Front
by Dave Dilegge | Thu, 12/30/2010 - 5:10pm | 7 comments
Busy With Afghanistan, the U.S. Military Has No Time to Train for Big Wars by David Wood at Politics Daily. BLUF: "... problems are reason for a decisive shift at the Pentagon, according to an outside bipartisan task force chartered by Congress to challenge current Defense Department planning. ... said in a report issued earlier this year that Gates had "focused too greatly on the short-term'' threats and not enough on big-war challenges."

The Wounded Home Front by Robert Kaplan at The American Interest. BLUF: "The home front gropes for a way to connect with the wounded and their families. The fact that this is much harder to do than we suppose it ought to be is a particular wage of small wars—wars which we should do all in our power to henceforth avoid."

30 December SWJ Roundup
by Dave Dilegge | Thu, 12/30/2010 - 7:57am | 0 comments
15 Top Stories:

NATO: Militant Leaders Captured, Killed in Afghanistan - Voice of America

Coalition Attacks Sap Key Insurgent Group - USA Today

Fighting Erupts in Afghanistan's Tora Bora Mountains - Los Angeles Times

War Crimes Case Against U.S. Soldiers Has Vulnerabilities - Seattle Times

Assigning Blame for Wanat - National Review opinion

Disappearances With Reported Ties to Pakistan Worry U.S. - New York Times

Violent Deaths in Iraq Reach Lowest Level Since War Began - Washington Post

U.S. Mission Objective in Iraq: Irrelevance - New York Times

Iraqi Police Commander Killed in Triple Suicide Attack - Washington Post

South Korean President Open to Talks With North - New York Times

Ivory Coast U.N. Ambassador Warns of Genocide Risk - BBC News

Mexico Army's Failures Hamper Drug War - Los Angeles Times

Mexico: Countless Juarez Residents Flee 'Dying City' - Associated Press

Colombia: Drug Lord Pedro Guerrero Killed - Los Angeles Times

U.K.: English-language Magazine Provided Bomb Tips - Washington Post

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

New NATO Library Guide: Counterinsurgency in Afghanistan
by Dave Dilegge | Wed, 12/29/2010 - 8:22pm | 0 comments
Via e-mail from NATO: The NATO Multimedia Library has just published a new title in its LibGuides series. 'Counterinsurgency in Afghanistan' is a web-based research guide bringing you the latest information (articles, news, videos, websites etc.) on issues related to counterinsurgency in Afghanistan, in particular in the NATO context.
Is China's military a paper tiger or a real tiger?
by Robert Haddick | Wed, 12/29/2010 - 5:39pm | 12 comments
Contradictory stories on China's military capabilities arrived this week. China's long-awaited DF-21D medium-range anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) is now assumed to be operational, according to Admiral Robert Willard, commander of United States Pacific Command. And Aviation Week and Space Technology reported (with photographs) that China's new J-20 fifth-generation stealthy fighter has begun flight testing. Are the United States and its allies losing an arms race in Asia? Not so fast, says the Washington Post: China's military struggles to perform the most basic peacetime tasks and has gone over 30 years without any combat experience. By the Post's account, China's military is a paper tiger and is years away from operational competence. But this assessment also implies that time, diligence, and money - all of which China possesses - will fix its operational problems.

Click through to read more ...

29 December SWJ Roundup
by Dave Dilegge | Wed, 12/29/2010 - 7:04am | 0 comments
15 Top Stories:

Insurgents Set Aside Rivalries on Afghan Border - New York Times

Militia Ties Undercut Security Steps in Afghanistan - Stars and Stripes

U.S.: No Way to Seal Afghan-Pakistan Border - Associated Press

Iran Providing Training, Weapons to Afghan Insurgents - Washington Examiner

Accounts Diverge Sharply in Night Raid Gone Wrong - New York Times

Honing Our Plan for Afghanistan - Washington Post opinion

Major Political Party to Pull Out of Pakistan's Federal Cabinet - Washington Post

Pakistan President Holds 'Crisis Talks' with MQM - BBC News

Navy Bomb Experts Head for a Final Mission in Iraq - Los Angeles Times

Iraq Suicide Bombers Kill Police Commander in Mosul - BBC News

African Presidents Urge Ivory Coast's Gbagbo to Resign - Voice of America

Private Firm Trains Somalis to Scuttle Pirates - Washington Times

S. Korean President Faces Conflicting Pressures - Washington Post

Assange to Keep WikiLeaks Afloat with Book Deal - Christian Science Monitor

Why WikiLeaks Is Unlike the Pentagon Papers - Wall Street Journal opinion

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

U.S. COIN Operations in Anbar and Ninewa Provinces
by SWJ Editors | Tue, 12/28/2010 - 6:57pm | 0 comments

Innovation,Transformation, and War: U.S. Counterinsurgency Operations in Anbar and Ninewa Provinces, Iraq, 2005-2007 (Stanford University Press) by Dr. James A. Russell is now on the streets and available for purchase.

From Amazon's product description: Within a year of President George W. Bush announcing the end of major combat operations in Iraq in May 2003, dozens of attacks by insurgents had claimed hundreds of civilian and military lives. Through 2004 and 2005, accounts from returning veterans presaged an unfolding strategic debacle—potentially made worse by U.S. tactics being focused on extending conventionally oriented military operations rather than on adapting to the insurgency.

By 2007, however, a sea change had taken place, and some U.S. units were integrating counterinsurgency tactics and full-spectrum operations to great effect. In the main, the government and the media cited three factors for having turned the tide on the battlefield: the promulgation of a new joint counterinsurgency doctrine, the "surge" in troop numbers, and the appointment of General David Petraeus as senior military commander.

James Russell, however, contends that local security had already improved greatly in Anbar and Ninewah between 2005 and 2007 thanks to the innovative actions of brigade and company commanders—evidenced most notably in the turning of tribal leaders against Al Qaeda. In Innovation, Transformation, and War, he goes behind the headlines to reveal—through extensive field research and face-to-face interviews with military and civilian personnel of all ranks—how a group of Army and Marine Corps units successfully innovated in an unprecedented way: from the bottom up as well as from the top down. In the process they transformed themselves from organizations structured and trained for conventional military operations into ones with a unique array of capabilities for a full spectrum of combat operations. As well as telling an inspiring story, this book will be an invaluable reference for anyone tasked with driving innovation in any kind of complex organization.

28 December SWJ Roundup
by Dave Dilegge | Tue, 12/28/2010 - 7:38am | 0 comments
15 Top Stories:

Britain Charges 9 of Planning Attacks on U.S. Embassy - Washington Post

Coalition Reports Progress in Afghanistan, U.N. Data Paint Bleaker Picture - VOA

U.N.: Afghan Security Deteriorates - Wall Street Journal

A 'Breeze Of Change' Blows In Helmand - Daily Telegraph

Displacement and Despair, a Dangerous Combination - New York Times

NATO, Afghans Offer Conflicting Accounts of Deadly Raid - Washington Post

Resumption of Food Program Expected in Pakistan - New York Times

Militias Stem Pakistani Taliban, But at What Cost? - Associated Press

Iraq Wants the U.S. Out - Wall Street Journal

14 Killed in Second Bombing at Iraqi Site - New York Times

Politics, Iran Threaten Iraq's Future - Philadelphia Inquirer opinion

South Korea's President Vows Retaliation if North Attacks - New York Times

China has Carrier-killer Missile, U.S. Admiral Says - Washington Times

'Last-chance' Mission Heads for Ivory Coast Talks - BBC News

Mexico: Drug Battles Create Border Ghost Towns - Associated Press

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

27 December SWJ Roundup
by Dave Dilegge | Mon, 12/27/2010 - 7:53am | 0 comments
15 Top Stories:

Taliban Fighters Appear Quieted in Afghanistan - New York Times

U.S. Troops Battle to Hand off an Afghan Valley - Washington Post

Petraeus: NATO, Afghan, Pakistani Forces to Coordinate More Operations - VOA

Deadly Afghan Year Takes Toll on 101st Airborne - Associated Press

Petraeus Commends Pakistan's Counterinsurgency - Associated Press

U.N. Suspends Food Aid in Pakistani Tribal Region - Voice of America

Thousands Fear Hunger after Pakistan Bombing - Associated Press

Pakistan's Blasphemy Law Seen as Tool of Oppression - Los Angeles Times

Necessity Pushes Pakistani Women Into Jobs and Peril - New York Times

Charting the Data for U.S. Airstrikes in Pakistan, 2004-2010 - Long War Journal

Could North Korea be Headed for Collapse? - Stars and Stripes

S. Korea Predicts North will Ramp Up Attacks in 2011 - Christian Science Monitor

Visitors See North Korea Still Stunted by Its Isolation - New York Times

Christmas Weekend Violence Kills 38 in Nigeria - Associated Press

Nine Charged After U.K. Terror Raid - BBC News

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

NYT Book Review: Arabian Knight
by Dave Dilegge | Sun, 12/26/2010 - 7:56am | 3 comments
Arabian Knight - New York Times book review of Hero: The Life and Legend of Lawrence of Arabia by Michael Korda. NYT review by Ben Macintyre. BLUF: "Most treatments of Lawrence's life can be divided into debunkings and hagiographies. Hero by Michael Korda, as the title implies, is closer to the latter category."
26 December SWJ Roundup
by Dave Dilegge | Sun, 12/26/2010 - 7:40am | 0 comments
15 Top Stories:

Top U.S. Gen. Visits GIs in Afghanistan on Christmas - Associated Press

Taliban Challenge U.S. in Eastern Afghanistan - New York Times

Military Hospital in Kandahar Takes Care of Afghan Civilians - Washington Post

Turkey Hosts Trust-Building Talks Between Afghanistan, Pakistan - VOA

Petraeus: Pakistan Counterinsurgency 'Impressive' - Associated Press

Female Bomber Kills Dozens in Pakistan, Official Says - New York Times

Pakistan May Hand over Seized Top Baluch Militant to Iran - Los Angeles Times

Iraqi Christians Exercise Caution for Christmas - New York Times

For Many U.S. Troops, A Last Christmas In Iraq - Reuters

Thousands Flee Ivory Coast for Liberia Amid Poll Crisis - BBC News

Christmas Eve Attacks Kill At Least 38 In Nigeria - Reuters

Fears Growing of Mugabe's Iron Grip Over Zimbabwe - New York Times

Mexico Says Its Troops Killed U.S. Man, Planted Evidence - Associated Press

Jailed Soldier Has Support of Resisters - New York Times

Cables Portray Expanded Reach of Drug Agency - New York Times

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

Peace on Earth and Goodwill Towards Men: Nigeria, Palestine, and Beyond
by Mike Few | Sun, 12/26/2010 - 2:20am | 6 comments
I spent this Christmas with friends and family near Plymouth, MA, the historical beginning of a long series of the Great American Experiment revolting, rebelling, and ultimately seperating from the governing authority. During this season, I spent time with several folks attempting nation-building within the boundaries of the continential United States through Americorps and other non-profit organizations. Their purpose, the hope, drive, and method, is to force better governance and better opportunities for their nation and its citizens. It reminded me of a lot of the work in today's small wars.

Michael Few is the Editor of Small Wars Journal.

The Advisory Role
by Dave Dilegge | Sat, 12/25/2010 - 10:33pm | 1 comment
The Advisory Role - Colonel Bob Killebrew (USA ret.) argues that training and assisting foreign forces must remain central to Army doctrine in Armed Forces Journal.
OEF Philippines Case Study
by Dave Dilegge | Sat, 12/25/2010 - 8:23am | 15 comments
OEF Philippines Case Study, via the U.S. Army Counterinsurgency Center Newsletter: "On 17 November the COIN Center released an insightful case study in counterinsurgency and design written by Dr. Richard Swain (contracted to the COIN Center) on OEF Philippines. Deploying U.S. forces may use this study both for analytical and instructional purposes. The study exposes the reader to a real-world (and on-going) event and allows an examination of the event as it unfolds. Students can apply existing doctrine to judge whether doctrine was applied correctly, whether that doctrine is adequate, and develop alternative solutions to an existing problem. Dr. Swain's study is very relevant to Army's current approach to operations."
25 December SWJ Roundup
by Dave Dilegge | Sat, 12/25/2010 - 7:47am | 0 comments

15 Top Stories:

Karzai Warms to Idea Of Talking to Taliban In Turkey - Reuters

NATO Night Raid in Kabul Leaves Afghan Guards Dead - New York Times

Pakistani Outposts Struck by Large Taliban Assault - New York Times

Suicide Bomber Kills at Least 42 Seeking Food in Pakistan - Los Angeles Times

Al Qaida-allied Fighters Seek New Pakistan Haven - McClatchy Newspapers

Son of Notorious Insurgent Leader Arrested - CNN News

Pakistan's Christians Not Cowering Amid Rising Intolerance - Washington Post

Resentment Builds in Iran over Price Hikes - Washington Post

Iraqi Christians Lie Low on Christmas - New York Times

Military Strength Eludes China, Looks Overseas for Arms - Washington Post

Russia to Buy Warships from France in Major Military Deal - Washington Post

Russia Gives Preliminary Approval to Nuclear Pact - Voice of America

ECOWAS Bloc Threatens Ivory Coast's Gbagbo with Force - BBC News

New Laws in Venezuela Aim to Limit Dissent - New York Times

Obama's Foreign Policy Spine - Washington Post opinion

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

Updated: Functions of the Department of Defense and Its Major Components
by Dave Dilegge | Fri, 12/24/2010 - 10:45pm | 2 comments
Department of Defense Directive 5100.01: Functions of the Department of Defense and Its Major Components has been reissued. This is the first major update to this Directive since 1987. DoDD 5100.01 establishes the functions of the Department of Defense and its major Components, supporting the core mission areas of the Armed Forces, which are broad DoD military operations and activities required to achieve the strategic objectives of the National Security Strategy, National Defense Strategy, and National Military Strategy.
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