News & commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and published by Daniel Riggs.
1. America's civil-military crisis is bubbling under the surface
2. Spate of new research supports wearing masks to control coronavirus spread
3. Slowing the Coronavirus Is Speeding the Spread of Other Diseases
4. SOCOM Gung-Ho on Biotechnologies
5. Philippine court finds news site chief Maria Ressa guilty of libel
6. China's drive for hegemony meets resistance
7. Yankee go home: What does moving troops out of Germany mean?
8. After COVID-19, It's Time for Washington to Embrace a Bolder Taiwan Strategy
9. What Big Tech Wants Out of the Pandemic
10. This 'nerdy' Special Forces soldier is getting paid to play 'Call of Duty' in the US Army
11. The Trump factor: Asian allies question America's reliability
12. Maria Ressa: The celebrated Philippine news boss enraging Duterte
13. VOA Director's Statement on CDC's Media Interview Policy Excluding VOA Journalists
14. Three pathways to war between the US and China
15. How the Coming Crash in the Dollar Will Unfold
16. Why The Navy's Latest Narco Submarine Seizure Is A Big Deal
17. Three US Navy aircraft carriers are patrolling the Pacific Ocean at the same time. And China's not happy
18. Putin: Protests and coronavirus show U.S. 'internal crises'
19. An Assessment of the U.S. Army's Civil Affairs' Capability to Provide Commanders with Improved Situational Awareness in Population-Centric Operations
20. Trump's loyalty enforcer steamrolls Cabinet officials in campaign to reshape top agencies
1. America's civil-military crisis is bubbling under the surface
canberratimes.com.au · by Jim Golby · June 15, 2020
Jim Golby is a keen observer of strategy, military operations and civil-military affairs.
2. Spate of new research supports wearing masks to control coronavirus spread
The Washington Post · Ben Guarino, Chelsea Janes and Ariana Eunjung Cha· June 13, 2020
The fundamentals of public health procedures work: wash your hands, wear a mask, and keep your social distance.
3. Slowing the Coronavirus Is Speeding the Spread of Other Diseases
The New York Times · by Jan Hoffman and Ruth Maclean · June 14, 2020
Second and third order effects. Nothing happens in a vacuum.
4. SOCOM Gung-Ho on Biotechnologies
nationaldefensemagazine.org · by Yasmin Tadjdeh· June 12, 2020
A little irony here. Gung-ho is a Chinese word. I do not think we want Chinese help in developing biotechnologies. :-)
5. Philippine court finds news site chief Maria Ressa guilty of libel
Reuters · June 15, 2020
Duterte is destroying democracy in the Philippines. This is terrible news.
6. China's drive for hegemony meets resistance
asiatimes.com · by Scott Foster · June 14, 2020
As there should be. The CCPs global strategy is being exposed and countries around the world must resist it. Of course we need to conduct a superior form of political warfare to counter the party's quest for hegemony.
7. Yankee go home: What does moving troops out of Germany mean?
AP · by David Rising · June 14, 2020
It has been awhile since I have heard "Yankee go home." We usually associate it with the opposition in a host nation wanting to kick us out. It is not usually us saying we are going home.
8. After COVID-19, It's Time for Washington to Embrace a Bolder Taiwan Strategy
thediplomat.com · by Craig Singleton · June 13, 2020
From another of my FDD colleagues, Craig Singleton. I think we need to learn how to play "Go." I also think we have to answer the question of what is the acceptable, durable, political arrangement that will projects, sustain, and advance US interests.
9. What Big Tech Wants Out of the Pandemic
defenseone.com · by The Atlantic
The firms are all too eager to help the government manage the coronavirus crisis.
10. This 'nerdy' Special Forces soldier is getting paid to play 'Call of Duty' in the US Army
Business Insider · by David Choi · June 15, 2020
11. The Trump factor: Asian allies question America's reliability
Financial Times · by Kathrin Hille · June 15, 2020
Alliances are key to US national power. We must demonstrate strategic reassurance and strategic resolve. I read many pundits who debunk this and describe all the ways we are supporting allies. But perception is reality. This is troubling if this perception persists among our allies.
12. Maria Ressa: The celebrated Philippine news boss enraging Duterte
BBC · June 15, 2020
This is a terrible tragedy both the personal attack on Maria and the attack on freedom of the press and democracy in the Philippines. For those who do ont know Maria this is a useful summary of her background. In addition to being an excellent journalists she has written excellent books on terrorism and social media. He book the Seeds of Terror is one of the best books on terrroism in SE Asia. We have been friends for nearly two decades. We first met on Basilan when she was reporting on OEF-P. After traveling around the island interviewing Special Forces teams she told me that the soldiers were "on message" and knew how to talk to journalists (this was the result of some great training by a great public affairs officer and the Sergeants Major in each company). There are few journalists who have a grasp of the terrorist problem at the local level and at the regional and strategic level. I hope this sham verdict will be overturned and soon. The next election in the Philippines cannot come soon enough.
13. VOA Director's Statement on CDC's Media Interview Policy Excluding VOA Journalists
This is unbelievable. What is the matter with the CDC? Are we this incompetent that US government agencies do not understand the mission of VOA? VOA is one of the most objective news reporting services in the world. And because of that it provides an example of freedom of the press which does more to advance US interests than many other government agencies.
14. Three pathways to war between the US and China
asiatimes.com · by More by Sim Vireak · June 15, 2020
I guess the author does not believe in Norman Angell theory in which he argued that the growth of economic interdependence between the great powers made war between them futile and therefore unlikely.
15. How the Coming Crash in the Dollar Will Unfold
Bloomberg · by Stephen Roach · June 14, 2020
This is beyond my level of expertise. However, what little I do know is that we must protect the dollar as the reserve currency and our failure to do will severely impact not our economic instrument of national power but all others as well, to include the military instrument,
16. Why The Navy's Latest Narco Submarine Seizure Is A Big Deal
Forbes · by H I Sutton · June 12, 2020
The photos sure look similar to north Korean semi-submersibles.
17. Three US Navy aircraft carriers are patrolling the Pacific Ocean at the same time. And China's not happy
CNN · by Brad Lendon · June 15, 2020
I do not think we deploy (or not deploy) US military forces to make China happy.
18. Putin: Protests and coronavirus show U.S. 'internal crises'
Politico· June 15, 2020
Thank you Mr. Putin for your expert analysis. Are you describing the effects you have been trying to achieve?
19. An Assessment of the U.S. Army's Civil Affairs' Capability to Provide Commanders with Improved Situational Awareness in Population-Centric Operations
divergentoptions.org · by Divergent Options · June 15, 2020
Civil Affairs soldiers conducting civil reconnaissance can provide some of the best understanding of the human domain. Let Civil Affairs do their jobs and then read their reports and listen to them. And we need more than situational awareness. We need situational understanding.
20. Trump's loyalty enforcer steamrolls Cabinet officials in campaign to reshape top agencies
Axios · by Jonathan Swan· June 15, 2020
Sigh.... If this is accurate reporting I can see the parallel with other systems where loyalty is more important than competence and the only way to advance is to demonstrate personal loyalty to the leader. I hope this is not accurate reporting.
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A healthy and fully functioning society must allocate its resources among a variety of competing interests, all of which are more or less valid but none of which should take precedence over national security."
- Herman Kahn
"Despite unprecedented levels of technological advancement and the interconnectedness of the world, the pursuit of truth in the realms of foreign policy and national security remains a critical issue. This is because the level of 'noise' that must be sifted through has also reached an unprecedented size and scope."
- Will Hurd
"If [people] cannot think well, others will do their thinking for them."
- George Orwell