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The Joint Special Operations Command, presumably the command responsible for the mission, should get credit for demonstrating its ability to successfully raid targets virtually anywhere in the world. The CIA also gets credit for patiently developing the required intelligence and for reminding everyone of the value of battlefield captures, interrogations, and human intelligence.

Finally, President Barack Obama deserves great credit for taking the risk of ordering this raid. He likely knew that the past record of such high-visibility raids was not good and that much more can go wrong with these operations than go right. He must also have known that another Desert One fiasco could have been disastrous on several levels.

Most notable was Obama's willingness to shatter America's relationship with Pakistan in order to take a gamble on getting bin Laden. For this raid is a black day for Pakistan and its relationship with the United States. As the White House background briefing on the raid makes clear, the United States kept the raid completely concealed from the Pakistani government. Combine this with the fact that bin Laden was found in a highly protected compound in a wealthy town near Pakistan's capital, and a stone's throw from a Pakistani military academy. Americans will be right to conclude that Pakistan was bin Laden's long-time friend and not America's. What little support Pakistan still enjoys in Washington will now likely melt away. Pakistan will have to look to China, its last friend, for the support it will need to survive.

Although the struggle against terrorism will go on, the death of bin Laden will bring a sense of finality for most in the American electorate. Combine that with more evidence of Pakistan's duplicity, the evident breakdown in relations between the United States and Pakistan, and what will likely be the most bloody year yet for U.S. soldiers fighting in Afghanistan. The result could be a final collapse of public support for the war in Afghanistan. That probably won't bother President Obama too much and will bolster his argument to accelerate the U.S. withdrawal from that war later this year.

Nothing follows.

Obama Announces Death of Osama bin Laden - Voice of America

Bin Laden is Dead - New York Times

Bin Laden Killed, 'Justice Has Been Done' - Washington Post

U.S. Kills bin Laden - Wall Street Journal

Bin Laden is Dead; 'Justice Has Been Done' - Washington Times

Osama bin Laden is Dead - Los Angeles Times

U.S. Kills bin Laden Decade After 9/11 Attacks - Associated Press

Osama bin Laden Dead in U.S. Raid - New York Post

'Justice Has Been Done' - New York Daily News

Bin Laden Killed by U.S. Forces - Christian Science Monitor

Osama bin Laden Dead - CNN News

U.S. Forces Kill Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan - BBC News

Bin Laden Killed, 'Buried at Sea' - The Australian

Osama bin Laden Shot in Head by U.S. Troops - Daily Telegraph (Au)

Bin Laden Killed in Chopper Raid on Pakistan Mansion - Toronto Star

Bin Laden Killed by U.S. Special Forces in Pakistan - Daily Telegraph

Bin Laden Dead - Boston Globe

Osama bin Laden is Dead, Obama Says - USA Today

Bin Laden Killed in Firefight - Fox News

Osama Bin Laden Killed in Shootout, Obama Says - Reuters

Officials Provide Details on bin Laden Operation - Voice of America

How the Deadly U.S. Raid Unfolded - Daily Telegraph

Body Buried at Sea After Raid in Pakistan - New York Times

Detective Work on Courier Led to Breakthrough - New York Times

Morning Raid in Pakistan Snared bin Laden - Los Angeles Times

Bin Laden Compound Close to Pakistani Military Academy - The Australian

Bin Laden Was Found at Luxury Pakistan Compound - Reuters

Getting bin Laden Top U.S. Goal Since 9/11 - Washington Times

Suspicions Over Whether Pakistan Aided bin Laden - Los Angeles Times

Some Embarrassing Questions for Pakistan - The Guardian

What Pakistan Knew About bin Laden - The New Yorker

Death May Shape U.S.-Pakistan Relations for Years - Christian Science Monitor

Pakistan: Musharraf Condemns 'Violation of Our Sovereignty' - Politico

Perhaps Largest Manhunt in U.S. History - Voice of America

The Death of a Terrorist - Wall Street Journal

Senior Official in Pakistan's ISI Confirms Bin Laden Killed - Reuters

The Most Wanted Face of Terrorism - New York Times

Death of Bin Laden Not Mean Demise of Al Qaeda - New York Times

Operation Is Blow to al Qaeda, Taliban - Wall Street Journal

Egypt's Al-Zawahri Likely to Succeed Bin Laden - Associated Press

Al Qaeda No.2 Zawahri Most Likely to Succeed Bin Laden - Reuters

Al-Qaeda Threat More Diffuse But Persistent - Washington Post

What's Next for al Qaeda? - CNN News

Will Killing Osama Kill the Movement he Inspired? - Associated Press

Islamists: Bin Laden Death Will Not Mute Jihad Call - Reuters

U.S. Anticipates al Qaeda 'Threats of Retaliation' - CNN News

U.S. Warns of Anti-American Violence - Associaed Press

Amid Cheers, a Message: 'They Will Be Caught' - New York Times

Afghans Fear West May See Death as the End - New York Times

Afghan Leader: Bin Laden Strike Is Blow to Terror - Associated Press

Afghan Leader Tells Taliban Not to Fight After Bin Laden's Death - Reuters

Jubilation Spreads Quickly in N.Y., D.C. - Los Angeles Times

Bin Laden's Death Sparks Celebrations in DC, NYC - Washington Times

Joy Erupts on U.S. Streets With Killing of Bin Laden - Reuters

'U-S-A' Chant Fills the Air Outside White House - Associated Press

Bin Laden's Death Draws Cheers, Relief, Dismay - Associated Press

U.S. Allies Offer Congratulations - Los Angeles Times

Israel: Bin Laden Killing Triumph for Democracies - Reuters

India Hails Bin Laden Death, More Needed to Fight Terrorism - Reuters

Vatican Says Bin Laden Will Have to Answer to God - Reuters

Muslim Brotherhood: U.S. Should Now Quit Iraq, Afghanistan - Reuters

Bin Laden's Death: Reaction in Quotes - BBC News

Story Developed on Social Media - Washington Post

Bin Laden Raid was Revealed on Twitter - BBC News

Obama's Remarks on Bin Laden's Killing - New York Times transcript

A Moment of Unity - Boston Globe editorial

Justice - New York Post editorial

After Osama bin Laden... - New York Times opinion

The Relentless Pursuit of bin Laden - Washington Post opinion

Victory Over Evil - Washington Post opinion

Proud of the United States - Washington Post opinion

Ten Thoughts on bin Laden - Line of Departure opinion

Office of the Press Secretary

Internal Transcript

May 2, 2011

PRESS BRIEFING BY SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS ON THE KILLING OF OSAMA BIN LADEN

Via Conference Call

12:03 A.M. EDT

Continue on for the full transcript...

2011 Best U.S. Navy Blog

5th Annual MILBloggies

By Jim Garamone

American Forces Press Service

The coalition and its Afghan partners have made "tangible progress" in Afghanistan over the past six months in not only arresting enemy momentum, but also reversing it in many key areas, a senior defense official said here today.

"We've wrested away areas the insurgents have had under control for years," the official said, speaking on background on the Report on Progress Toward Security and Stability in Afghanistan. Congress mandates the report.

The report covers the past six months and paints a far different picture of the country than the first report in January 2009. Then, the situation in Afghanistan was deteriorating. Taliban and other insurgent groups operated shadow governments across many provinces. Levels of violence were on the rise and insurgents operated not only from safe havens in the Federally Administered Tribal Area of Pakistan, but also from safe havens in Afghanistan --- most notably in and around Kandahar, the nation's second-largest city.

The official said the "narrative arc" since the first report shows that "there was a real problem, the administration's reviews identified that and the means necessary to reverse that, and not just reverse it, but push it back. Over the last year, as we put those forces into place, the situation on the ground is fundamentally changing."

The change has to be measured over the long run, the official said. It is not a dramatic switch from bad to good, but the gradual improvement due to thousands of small acts to improve security. Insurgents will continue to launch "spectacular" terrorist attacks to reverse the progress, the official said. But those attacks, while horrible, have not stopped progress in the country.

"You need to look at the entire campaign, you need to look at the entire effort and, most importantly, you need to look at the results," the official said.

However, the official said, progress in Afghanistan is still fragile and reversible.

"There are going to be tough days ahead," he said.

The biggest game-changers in Afghanistan are the result of the U.S. and NATO troop surge into the country and the surge in Afghan forces in numbers and capabilities, the official said.

The report also highlights the growing capabilities of Afghan security forces. The Afghan police still lag the army in capabilities, but both are making progress. Remaining desired improvements for Afghan security forces include what the U.S. military calls combat service and combat service support capabilities --- medical, logistics, transportation, command and control and the like. There is a lack of trainers for these specialized areas, the official said, but there have been commitments for more trainers for these areas.

Special efforts are being made to train Afghan recruits to read and write, the official said. The literacy rate in Afghanistan overall is set at 43 percent for men and under 13 percent for women. Afghan recruits often reenlist to continue this training, the official added. Also, schools established in 2002 and 2003 are now graduating young literate Afghans.

Progress also needs to continue in governance and the economy in Afghanistan. Military forces can provide security, but what the country needs is "the follow-on ability of governance, rule of law, the structures that need to be in place after the clearing operations are completed," the official said.

There is a lot of concentration on building these capabilities, the official said, but so much needs to be done that the job will be difficult.

Related / News:

NATO International Security Assistance Force

Report on Progress Toward Security and Stability in Afghanistan

Background Briefing with Senior Defense Official (Transcript)

Pentagon: Taliban Routed from Key Afghan Strongholds - Voice of America

U.S. Makes Gains in Afghanistan, Report Says - Stars and Stripes

Afghanistan War Report Cites Progress By Troops - New York Times

Pentagon Reports 'Tangible Progress' in Afghanistan - Washington Post

Pentagon Reports Progress in Afghanistan - Wall Street Journal

Report Says Afghan War Showing Progress - Washington Times

Report Speaks of Progress in Afghanistan War - Associated Press

Afghan Violence Rises Amid Troop Surge - Reuters

War Progress At Risk From Corruption, Training Lags - Bloomberg

Pentagon's Rosy Report Raises Questions - Christian Science Monitor

In light of inaccuracy in media reports to date on this incident, the International Security Assistance Force is releasing initial findings of the investigation into the deaths at North Kabul International Airport.

Preliminary findings of this investigation indicate that the NATO trainers who were killed were armed with weapons and ammunition. In addition, initial ballistics analysis and post-event imagery indicate that the alleged gunman, who appeared to be acting alone, was severely wounded prior to departing the room where the initial attack took place. Initial reports also indicate the gunman appeared to be carrying two weapons. The gunman was later found dead at a different location within the building.

At this point in the investigation, it appears that the gunman was acting alone. Beyond that, no Taliban connection with the gunman has been discovered; however, the investigation is still ongoing, and we have not conclusively ruled out that possibility.

Following the attack at North KAIA on April 27 that resulted in the death of eight NATO service members and one civilian trainer, NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan initiated a combined investigation with the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident. Additional investigation results will be released when available.

Via the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs): DOD Identifies Air Force Casualties

The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of eight airmen who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

They died April 27, at the Kabul International Airport, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered from gunfire. The incident is under investigation.

Killed were:

Maj. Philip D. Ambard, 44, of Edmonds, Wash. He was assigned to the 460th Space Communications Squadron, Buckley Air Force Base, Colo.

Maj. Jeffrey O. Ausborn, 41, of Gadsden, Ala. He was assigned to the 99th Flying Training Squadron, Randolph Air Force Base, Texas.

Maj. David L. Brodeur, 34, of Auburn, Mass. He was assigned to the 11th Air Force, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska.

Master Sgt. Tara R. Brown, 33, of Deltona, Fla. She was assigned to the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Joint Base Andrews, Md.

Lt. Col. Frank D. Bryant Jr., 37, of Knoxville, Tenn. He was assigned to the 56th Operations Group, Luke Air Force Base, Ariz.

Maj. Raymond G. Estelle II, 40, of New Haven, Conn. He was assigned to Headquarters Air Combat Command, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va.

Capt. Nathan J. Nylander, 35, of Hockley, Texas. He was assigned to the 25th Operational Weather Squadron, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz.

Capt. Charles A. Ransom, 31, of Midlothian, Va. He was assigned to the 83rd Network Operations Squadron, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va.

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

Topics include:

1) Do CIA directors make better defense secretaries?

2) Does Leon Panetta have a grand strategy?

Do CIA directors make better defense secretaries?

In a sweeping but long-anticipated reorganization of his national security team, President Barack Obama has nominated Leon Panetta, his CIA director, to be the next Secretary of Defense. When confirmed, Panetta will replace Robert Gates. According to the New York Times, Gates -- himself a former director of Central Intelligence -- has been voicing his support in calls to leaders on Capitol Hill in recent days, saying he recommended Panetta as his replacement six months ago. The Times also noted that of all of the candidates to replace Gates "it was Leon the whole time." Is there something about CIA directors that makes them especially qualified to be defense secretaries?

Many analysts have focused on Panetta's past as chairman of the House Budget Committee and his time as director of the Office of Management and Budget during the Clinton administration. With Obama having tasked the Pentagon and other security agencies to come up with an additional $400 billion in savings over the next 12 years, Panetta's experience with the federal budget could be a critical skill in the period ahead.

A defense secretary serves not only the president, but his other "customer," the Congress. Panetta's longevity inside Washington's circles nearly matches Gates's. His past experience as a congressman and his recent experience at CIA will ensure smooth relations on Capitol Hill and there should be virtually no opposition to his nomination to the Pentagon.

But it's likely that these were not the most critical reasons why he became the easy first choice for the Pentagon. In pushing for Panetta, Gates is undoubtedly counting on his old institution, the CIA, to have thoroughly prepared its current director in two crucial ways.

Click below to read more ...

Staff Sergeant Jason Rogers, USMC, returned home Thursday, 14 April 2011, his body borne upon a sea of waving American flags and hands held tightly in salute for the Brandon, MS Marine killed in Afghanistan earlier this month.

The video is MHP Trooper Elmo Townsend's view as his dash cam recorded the escort from Airport Road and along U.S. 80, as hundreds of onlookers gathered to pay their respects.

by Cameron Schaefer, Capt, USAF

It seems to me that part of the nature of strategy is that one must come to it indirectly.

It's like the deer that you spot in the field behind your house when you're a kid. You want so badly to run right up to it, yet if you do so you'll quickly scare it away. So you begin walking, slowly, quietly...tangentially. You walk in circle that imperceptibly decreases in its diameter over time. You stalk, painstakingly aware of your own presence and all of the unintended consequences it brings to the situation, its foreignness. Your every move has the potential to shatter a fragile ecosystem. Of course, the deer inevitably runs, it always does. You step on a twig, the wind changes direction and the creature catches your scent, reality changes before you can lock the moment in time. But there is always a brief instant before the deer escapes that both of you freeze and lock eyes, the hair stands on both of your necks and you know that you've gotten closer than you were supposed to get...a little closer than the last time.

Capt Cameron Schaefer, USAF, is a pilot with over 1,300 hours in the C-17 Globemaster including several hundred combat hours in support of Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom. He is currently pursuing an MBA through Colorado State University and is also in the process of transitioning from the C-17 to the MQ-1 Predator. He is a 2006 graduate of the United States Air Force Academy with a degree in Management.

BLUF. The U.S. military is increasingly engaged in "capacity building" of local governments in war-torn nations and other parts of the world deemed to be susceptible to terrorism. But the military is not very good at this type of work because effective development requires a unique skill-set and operates on a different time-line than warfighting.

Much more at The Huffington Post

ISW and MCA cordially invite you to a conversation with Major General Richard Mills, the Commanding General of I Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) and ISW's President, Dr. Kimberly Kagan. During their discussion, Major General Mills and Dr. Kagan will discuss counterinsurgency operations in Afghanistan, and the recent successes and future challenges in the coalition's fight to secure southern Afghanistan.

More information and event registration may be found here.

Update

Major Shake-up Coming Soon for Top Military Officers - Stars and Stripes

Obama Picks Petraeus, Panetta for New Posts - Washington Post

Panetta and Petraeus in Line for Top Security Posts - New York Times

Security Shuffle Keeps Team Largely Intact - Washington Post

Obama Moves to Shuffle Top Security Posts - Los Angeles Times

Panetta Tapped to Replace Gates at Pentagon - Washington Times

Panetta Expected to Replace Gates as SECDEF - Stars and Stripes

Obama sending Panetta to Pentagon, Petraeus to CIA - Associated Press

Petraeus to CIA After Panetta Moves to Pentagon - ABC News

Gates to Leave Pentagon at End of June, Officials Say - FOX News

Push for Pentagon Cuts Tops Panetta's Agenda - Associated Press

Analysis: Implications for Afghan War - National Journal

Analysis: Obama Stresses Continuity - National Journal

Pentagon and CIA Picks Show Shift in How U.S. Fights - New York Times

Director Petraeus to Face Different Culture at CIA - New York Times

Analysis: Panetta Would Apply Sharper Knife to Pentagon Budget - Reuters

A Look at Obama's New National Security Team - Associated Press

Lt. Gen. John Allen to Lead in Afghanistan - Marine Corps Times

Allen Helped Nurture Sunni Awakening in Iraq - Wall Street Journal

The Big Day: Gates Out, Panetta In - Best Defense

Cautious Optimism for Panetta's Pentagon - DoD Buzz

Challenges for New National Security Team are Huge - CNN News

Petraeus Would Helm Increasingly Militarized CIA - Washington Post

The Blurring Between Military and Intelligence - The Atlantic opinion

Rearranging the Deck Chairs - Foreign Policy opinion

"Today NATO Training Mission Afghanistan suffered a tragic loss from an attack, which occurred this morning, resulting in the deaths of nine coalition trainers," said U.S. Army Lt. Gen. William B. Caldwell, IV, NTM-A commanding general. "On behalf of those here at NTM-A, I want to convey our heartfelt condolences to the families of our trainers that were killed today.

"Although details are still unclear, we are working closely with the Afghan Ministry of Defense to determine the facts of the incident, and as our joint investigation moves forward, we will make more information available," said Caldwell. "We remain vigilant in our efforts to continue to train and develop the Afghan National Security Force and resolute in our support for our Afghan partners."

In the News:

Afghan Military Pilot Guns Down 8 NATO Troops - Voice of America

Shooting Incident in Kabul Leaves 9 Americans Dead - AFPS

Gunman Kills NATO Troops at Kabul Airport - New York Times

9 Americans Killed When Afghan Pilot Opens Fire - Los Angeles Times

Afghan Officer Opens Fire, Kills 9 Americans - Associated Press

Airport Attack Claimed by Taliban - Bloomberg

Shooting Raises Questions about Readiness, Loyalty - Christian Science Monitor

20 Incidents Where Afghan Forces Have 'Turned' - The Guardian

Factbox: Timeline of Afghan "Rogue" Attacks - Reuters

A Radical Plan for Cutting the Defense Budget and Reconfiguring the U.S. Military by Douglas Macgregor, Foreign Policy. BLUF: "In the spirit of spending wisely, here is my plan to reconfigure the military for the demands and threats of the 21st-century world and, in doing so, dramatically cut the Pentagon budget."