News

News & commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and published by Daniel Riggs.

1. Global report: China reports biggest Covid-19 rise in months as Australia sets new infections record

2. Second wave of coronavirus in Asia prompts fresh lockdowns

3. Trump's troop drawdown from Germany will take 'years,' says Inhofe

4. The Future of Unconventional Warfare (2035 - 2050)

5. New Army Assessment Program Will Challenge Colonels on Their Biases

6. What the "Defunding the Pentagon" Articles Don't Tell You

7. Just Because We Can Cut Military Spending Doesn't Mean We Should

8.  Jihadist plots used to be U.S. and Europe's biggest terrorist threat. Now it's the far right.

9. Here's How We Can Save $1 Trillion In Military Spending Over Ten Years

10. Want a More Restrained Foreign Policy? Take Away the Pentagon's Toys

11. Two Men & A Bot: Can AI Help Command A Tank?

12. Why is the US accusing China's Houston consulate of spying?

13. Military to Leverage New Biotech Fields to Gain an Edge

14. FDD | To stop China's crimes against humanity, hit its pride and pocketbook

15. A conspiracy theory goes to Washington: Three questions about QAnon

16. How the Defense Department is reorganizing for information warfare

17. There's a Bigger Threat Than Big Tech. It's Big China

18. Senate passes defense bill without funding for Stars and Stripes

19. Let's Cut the Army Budget: We Need Ships, Not Land Forces, To Fight China

20. Perspective | The federal police in Portland don't even understand what 'arrests' are

21. What Camus's The Plague can teach us about the Covid-19 pandemic

1. Global report: China reports biggest Covid-19 rise in months as Australia sets new infections record

The Guardian · by Alison Rourke · July 27, 2020

Not a good sign for the Asia-Pacific or the world.

2. Second wave of coronavirus in Asia prompts fresh lockdowns

Reuters · by Stephen Coates · July 27, 2020

It must be because of global travel or at least that is one contributing factor.

3. Trump's troop drawdown from Germany will take 'years,' says Inhofe

Defense News · by Joe Gould, Sebastian Sprenger · July 24, 2020

No surprise here.  They just do not get on a plane and fly home. Withdrawal is a complicated and complex process whether in Germany, Japan, or Korea.

4. The Future of Unconventional Warfare (2035 - 2050)

groundedcuriosity.com · by Jess Ward · July 25, 2020

An interesting discussion though I think they take the broad view of anything that is not conventional warfare is unconventional warfare.

5. New Army Assessment Program Will Challenge Colonels on Their Biases

military.com · by Matthew Cox · July 24, 2020

Think about the statistic at the end of this article.  Out of 770 officers (MAJs and LTCs) only 25 were found unfit to command, what does that say about our promotion system?  Is it bad that 25 "slipped through?"  Or is the quality of the officers high and the promotion process actually sound?  Or is this new program not rigorous enough? From those I have heard from who have participated in this program it sounds very rigorous.  But if it seems to be simply validating that the promotion process is sound I wonder how long it will last.  It will be interesting to see how the Colonels do in September.

6. What the "Defunding the Pentagon" Articles Don't Tell You

realcleardefense.com · by Thomas Spoehr

General Spoehr makes the argument that the "defunders of the Pentagon" (conservative and liberal) are making arguments without all the facts.

7. Just Because We Can Cut Military Spending Doesn't Mean We Should

The National Interest · by Mackenzie Eaglen · July 27, 2020

MacKenzie Eaglen knows her stuff about defense spending and priorities.  And the subtitle says it all.  Our leadership has to make hard choices and set priorities. We should not use cuts as the method to restrain foreign policy.  We remove options and we put our national security at risk when we do.

8. Jihadist plots used to be U.S. and Europe's biggest terrorist threat. Now it's the far right.

NBC News · by Willem MarxWillem Marx · July 27, 2020

This will be upsetting to those who see left wing terrorists everywhere.

9. Here's How We Can Save $1 Trillion In Military Spending Over Ten Years

The National Interest · by Dan Grazier · July 26, 2020

Perhaps most threats we face are deterred by our military capabilities.  There are various versions and interpretations) and controversies) of this quote but this one seems apt: 'Those who have swords, and know how to use them, but keep them sheathed, shall inherit the world."

10. Want a More Restrained Foreign Policy? Take Away the Pentagon's Toys

The National Interest · by Benjamin H. Friedman · July 27, 2020

Again, taking options (and toys?) to restrain foreign policy is to abdicate leadership responsibility for foreign policy and national security.. The Pentagon's "toys" are not the problem.  But it is these kinds of arguments that will put US national security at great risk. I hope someone is keeping score because those who make these arguments have no business working in positions of power and influence in the national security community.

11. Two Men & A Bot: Can AI Help Command A Tank?

breakingdefense.com · by Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.

"Gunner, sabot,  tank." "Identified." "Up." "Fire." "On the way."  I have flashbacks to Graf in the 1980's as a young infantry Captain serving as the Range OIC for the 3d ID's Tank Table VIII and Tank Table XII.  I can still hear those fire commands and the NCOs evaluating those tank crews and tank platoons.  So can AI command, spot, identify, load, drive, or fire? :-). What happens when one of the two crewmen is wounded or injured?  There is no depth in the crew.  That said I am not at all opposed to the innovation this effort will develop.

12. Why is the US accusing China's Houston consulate of spying?

ABC.net.au · July 26, 2020

13. Military to Leverage New Biotech Fields to Gain an Edge

nationaldefensemagazine.org · by Mandy Mayfield· July 26, 2020

14. FDD | To stop China's crimes against humanity, hit its pride and pocketbook

fdd.org · by Craig Singleton· July 24, 2020

Human rights is a moral imperative and a national security issue.

15. A conspiracy theory goes to Washington: Three questions about QAnon

The Christian Science Monitor · July 23, 2020

I find it really hard to take anyone seriously who believes in this stuff.  I cannot believe we have people in positions of power and influence who believe this stuff.

16. How the Defense Department is reorganizing for information warfare

Defense News · by Mark Pomerleau · July 26, 2020

Four words are not used in this article: psychological operations and influence and human (they do not even use MISO!).  The emphasis, like most everything in the American way of war, is on the technical aspects of information warfare and not on the human domain.

17. There's a Bigger Threat Than Big Tech. It's Big China

defenseone.com · by Emily De La Bruyere

My belief: China seeks to export its authoritarian political system around the world in order to dominate regions, co-opt or coerce international organizations, create economic conditions favorable to China alone, and displace democratic institutions.

18. Senate passes defense bill without funding for Stars and Stripes

stripes.com· by Caitlin Kenney· July 26, 2020

I have heard the House will restore the funding for Stars and Stripes when it goes to conference.  Like USAGM and Voice of America and Radio Free Asia that are funded by the US Government, their existence and  freedom to report all the news, warts and all,  without government interference sends a powerful message about American values and our belief in the absolute necessity for freedom of the press. We believe in it so strongly that we fund news organizations that are allowed to report critically without fear of retribution by the government.  This sets the example for freedom of the press around the world.

19. Let's Cut the Army Budget: We Need Ships, Not Land Forces, To Fight China

The National Interest · by Gil Barndollar · July 26, 2020

We need the strongest Navy in the world to protect US national security.  Like Air Superiority/Supremacy we cannot conduct effective military operations with freedom of the seas.

I also agree with the Princess Bride movie and the advice that you must never fight a land war in Asia.  

Unfortunately the author provides no analysis and rationale for his statement such as "stationing Army troops in Europe should be rejected" and "the ratio of active and reserve forces should go higher" (more forces in the reserve components) and "the continued viability of a huge attack helicopter fleet should be examined."   I also wonder how Canada likes being described as a "militarily weak" friend.

20. Perspective | The federal police in Portland don't even understand what 'arrests' are

The Washington Post· by Andrew Manuel Crespo · July 22, 2020

If we think these protest movements are "insurgencies" we sure are going about dealing with them in the wrong way. 

21. What Camus's The Plague can teach us about the Covid-19 pandemic

Vox · by Sean Illing · July 22, 2020

A little existential philosophy to start off the week.

-----------------------

July 27, 1953

Agreement between the Commander-in-Chief, United Nations Command, on the one hand, and the Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army and the Commander of the Chinese People's volunteers, on the other hand, concerning a military armistice in Korea.

Preamble

The undersigned, the Commander-in-Chief, United Nations Command, on the one hand, and the Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army and the Commander of the Chinese People's Volunteers, on the other hand, in the interest of stopping the Korean conflict, with its great toil of suffering and bloodshed on both sides, and with the objective of establishing an armistice which will insure a complete cessation of hostilities and of all acts of armed force in Korea until a final peaceful settlement is achieved, do individually, collectively, and mutually agree to accept and to be bound and governed by the conditions and terms of armistice set forth in the following articles and paragraphs, which said conditions and terms are intended to be purely military in character and to pertain solely to the belligerents in Korea:

...

Article IV

Recommendations to the Governments Concerned on Both Sides

60. In order to insure the peaceful settlement of the Korean question, the military Commanders of both sides hereby recommend to the governments of the countries concerned on both sides that, within three (3) months after the Armistice Agreement is signed and becomes effective, a political conference of a higher level of both sides be held by representatives appointed respectively to settle through negotiation the questions of the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Korea, the peaceful settlement of the Korean question, etc

News & commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and published by Duncan Moore.

1. What China learned from Cold War America

2. China’s catastrophic success: US strategic blunders fuel rivalry

3. New white paper on China's full-spectrum information operations

4. Public asked to report receipt of any unsolicited packages of seeds

5. America isn’t a racist country

6. Leaf-blower wars: how Portland protesters are fighting back against tear gas and forming ‘walls’ of veterans, lawyers, nurses

7. Who gets to be a ‘naked Athena’?

8. Pompeo’s surreal speech on China

9. Mike Pompeo just declared America's new China policy: regime change

10. Officials push U.S.-China relations toward point of no return

11. As the world gets tougher on China, Japan tries to thread a needle

12. Coronavirus: patient who travelled from NZ to Korea tests positive for Covid-19

13. The U.S. wants India as a real ally, not another helpless dependent

14. If you’re not terrified about Facebook, you haven’t been paying attention

15. Being fluent in diversity: a 'Hamilton' lesson that cuts across generations

16. With a potential Iran-China deal, time for Israel to reassess its policy

1. What China learned from Cold War America

Wall Street Journal · by David P. Goldman · July 24, 2020

And the question is: what is our strategy? Here is our new strategic approach. Can it be applied to what has been laid out in the article? Can we effectively compete?

2. China’s catastrophic success: US strategic blunders fuel rivalry

The Interpreter · by John Culver · July 24, 2020

Has it really had catastrophic success? If China believes that the US will actually pursue the overthrow of the CCP as an end goal, it is going to make for some really difficult times ahead.

3. New white paper on China's full-spectrum information operations

Stanford Internet Observatory · by Renee Diresta et al. · July 20, 2020

The 62 page white paper can be downloaded here.

I think this is a must read for PSYOP professionals and all those who study and work on informational influence activities strategy and campaigns. This covers overt and covert propaganda (making overt propaganda social), key organizations, the United Front, and the Central Propaganda Department. It looks at three contemporary case studies: Hong Kong, the Taiwan election, and CVID 19.

4. Public asked to report receipt of any unsolicited packages of seeds

Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services · July 24, 2020

What is this all about? Is this some kind of Chinese campaign to sow the seeds of chaos? A biological warfare campaign? If this is happening, why is there not a nation aide alert and why is this only from the Virginia Department Agricultural and Consumer Service?

5. America isn’t a racist country

Wall Street Journal · by Ward Connerly · July 24, 2020

I am sure this will upset a lot of people. However, I am reminded of the words of Congressman Jim Clyburn of South Carolina. He has said what makes America exceptional is that we correct our mistakes. And, of course, our Constitution is one of the best examples of our ability to correct our mistakes.

6. Leaf-blower wars: How Portland protesters are fighting back against tear gas and forming ‘walls’ of veterans, lawyers, nurses

Washington Post · by Marissa J. Lang · July 26, 2020

I have to admire the ingenuity of the protesters. But if, as many seem to believe, these protests are part of an insurgency, the federal law enforcement personnel conducting operations in Portland are failing on multiple levels. They are an abject failure. The fact they have to adopt the same tactics invented by the protestors shows their lack of training and readiness. And, as can be seen by the response of mothers, fathers, and veterans, their tactics are causing an increase in resistance in Portland by more than the "usual suspects."

7. Who gets to be a ‘naked Athena’?

New York Times · by Mitchell S. Jackson · July 25, 2020

Musings on the subject of 'weirdness" in Portland. (But the author says that he is not arguing that whiteness leads to weirdness)

8. Pompeo’s surreal speech on China

The Atlantic · by Thomas Wright · July 25, 2020

Another critique of the new approach to China.

I think we should recall this excerpt in the White House's new strategic approach to China:

“Even as we compete with the PRC, we welcome cooperation where our interests align. Competition need not lead to confrontation or conflict. The United States has a deep and abiding respect for the Chinese people and enjoys longstanding ties to the country. We do not seek to contain China’s development, nor do we wish to disengage from the Chinese people. The United States expects to engage in fair competition with the PRC, whereby both of our nations, businesses, and individuals can enjoy security and prosperity”

9. Mike Pompeo just declared America's new China policy: regime change

The National Interest · by Gordon G. Chang · July 25, 2020

This is quite an interpretation from Gordon Chang.  He never pulls any punches. He provides a key point: up to now, many pundits have thought we can and must deal with China with traditional diplomacy. Do we now believe we cannot? 

Again, this is what the new approach says:

“Even as we compete with the PRC, we welcome cooperation where our interests align. Competition need not lead to confrontation or conflict. The United States has a deep and abiding respect for the Chinese people and enjoys longstanding ties to the country. We do not seek to contain China’s development, nor do we wish to disengage from the Chinese people. The United States expects to engage in fair competition with the PRC, whereby both of our nations, businesses, and individuals can enjoy security and prosperity.”

10. Officials push U.S.-China relations toward point of no return

New York Times · by Edward Wong & Steven Lee Myers · July 25, 2020

Hyperbole? Are we really pushing to the point of no return? 

11. As the world gets tougher on China, Japan tries to thread a needle

New York Times · by Motoko Rich · July 25, 2020

Japan, please do not waiver from the "alliance of democracies." But we have to respect the tightrope it must walk and the needle it must thread.

12. Coronavirus: patient who travelled from NZ to Korea tests positive for Covid-19

Stuff · by George Block and Brittany Keogh · July 26, 2020

Perhaps no nation can completely eradicate the coronavirus until we get a vaccine.

13. The U.S. wants India as a real ally, not another helpless dependent

The American Spectator · by Doug Bandow · July 26, 2020

But does India want to be an ally of the US? I am sure if there ever was an alliance between the US and India, Mr. Bandow would turn on it as well. He is not in favor of any alliance for any reason and he thinks all alliance partners are free loaders and dependents of the US. 

14. If you’re not terrified about Facebook, you haven’t been paying attention

The Guardian · by Carole Cadwalladr · July 26, 2020

But we cannot give it up.

15. Being fluent in diversity: A 'Hamilton' lesson that cuts across generations

San Francisco Chronicle · by Dave Murphy · July 25, 2020

I have noticed this with our college age daughter. Perhaps it’s because she has diverse parents of different

16. With a potential Iran-China deal, time for Israel to reassess its policy

Newsweek · by Jacob Nagel & Mark Dubowitz · July 26, 2020

"Nothing contributes so much to tranquilize the mind as a steady purpose - a point on which the soul may fix its intellectual eye."

- Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, in Frankenstein (1818)

"The soul which has no fixed purpose in life is lost;

to be everywhere is nowhere."

- Michel de Montaigne

"To forget one's purpose is the commonest form of stupidity."

- Friedrich Nietzsche

News & commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and published by Duncan Moore.

1. N.K. leader adopts 'maximum emergency system' after defector returns with coronavirus symptoms

2.  S. Korea, U.S. to stage scaled-down summertime combined exercise next month: sources

3. NIS director-nominee says another Trump-Kim summit possible before Nov. election

4. Gov't to mark UN Forces Participation Day

5. North Korea declares emergency in border town over first suspected COVID-19 case

6. North Korea reports its first apparent covid-19 case

7. S. Korea sees 'high chances' of defector's border crossing into N. Korea

8. New virus cases tumble on sharp fall in imported cases

9. A porous border

10. World War 3: how 'monumental' CIA blunder 'handed N. Korea and Iran nuclear bomb secret'

11. Hanwha ships prototype fighting vehicles to Australia in W5tr Redback deal

12. North Korea's convenient but remarkable admission of likely Covid-19 case

13. Kim Jong Un cracks down on outside cultural influences

1. N.K. leader adopts 'maximum emergency system' after defector returns with coronavirus symptoms

Yonhap News Agency · by Yi Wongju · July 26, 2020

This is interesting. I wonder if they are using this to try to scare people from defecting. Blaming the defectors can have multiple uses with the most obvious still being able to keep a lid on the information about the outbreak. What I really wonder about is if there is an outbreak they can no longer hide so this is designed to cover it.

2. S. Korea, U.S. to stage scaled-down summertime combined exercise next month: sources

Yonhap News Agency · by Oh Seok-min · July 26, 2020

Again, readiness of the combined command and combined components must take precedence of the full operational capability assessment for the OPCON transition.

3. NIS director-nominee says another Trump-Kim summit possible before Nov. election

Yonhap News Agency · by [email protected] · July 25, 2020

I wonder where he gets his information to make this kind of assessment. I would not bet money on this.

4. Gov't to mark UN Forces Participation Day

Korea Times · by Jung Da-min · July 24, 2020

It is nice of the ROK government to "honor the heroic efforts of the UN Command."

5. North Korea declares emergency in border town over first suspected COVID-19 case

Reuters by Sangmi Cha & Josh Smith3 Min Read · July 25, 2020

A slight admission to attempt to perpetuate a continued cover-up. Blame a returning defector and imply that he or she carried it from South Korea. This provides multiple propaganda lines of narrative to include blaming South Korea for an outbreak.

6. North Korea reports its first apparent covid-19 case

Wall Street Journal · by Timothy W. Martin · July 26, 2020

Again, per my previous comments, this is interesting. The regime probably can no longer hide the fact that it has had an outbreak. This will be their attempt to continue to relatively cover it up by admitting it but also minimizing it and blaming the outside world, namely South Korea and defectors. Note the lockdown of Keasong, where there likely is some residual South Korean personnel presence even after the destruction of the liaison building and, if not, it is likely a measure to prevent the remaining Koreans from the North from transmitting the infection after assumed or alleged infection from the South. They can develop a lot of propaganda out of those two themes against multiple target audiences internally and externally.

But the real worry is that, if it is getting bad, what will be the effects on the people, the military, and ultimately the regime. Could an outbreak significantly destabilize the regime?

7.  S. Korea sees 'high chances' of defector's border crossing into N. Korea

Yonhap News Agency · by Choi Soo-hyang · July 26, 2020

Whoa! This is problematic. First, for a defector to cross the DMZ is still difficult - it must be very hard to penetrate the South Barrier fence line as I would assume that is still heavily guarded and patrolled by the ROK military even if guard posts within the DMZ have been reduced. Of course, if he swam across the Han River estuary (twice - once in 2017 to the South and once again in 2020 by swimming North), we have to ask about the status of the anti-infiltration capabilities such as the anti-swimmer nets that used to be in place. If someone like Defector Kim can do it twice, what would we think North Korean SOF can do?

The second problem is the ROKG seems to be confirming what I think is most likely a propaganda story from the North. And even if a defector did cross the DMZ and was carrying the coronavirus, the ROK should not be giving them additional "ammunition" for the propaganda story. The next we will see is that this was a deliberate biological warfare event by the ROK military to transmit the infection to the North. (NO, I do not believe the South did that, but I expect North Korean propaganda could spin it that way).

8. New virus cases tumble on sharp fall in imported cases

Yonhap News Agency · by [email protected] · July 26, 2020

But the numbers could go right back up with the next international flight arriving at Incheon airport.

9. A porous border

Korea JoongAng Daily · by Editorial Board · July 26, 2020

I am dumbfounded as well. This short op-ed addresses a number of problems with escapee (defector) management and not just security at the DMZ.

The editorial board should know the DMZ is 4KM wide: it is 2KM on the South side and 2 KM on the North side of the Military Demarcation Line.

10. World War 3: how 'monumental' CIA blunder 'handed N. Korea and Iran nuclear bomb secret'

Express · by Callum Hoare · July 25, 2020

11. Hanwha ships prototype fighting vehicles to Australia in W5tr Redback deal

Korea Herald · by Choi Si-young · July 26, 2020

12. North Korea's convenient but remarkable admission of likely Covid-19 case

North Korea Economy Watch · by Benjamin Katzeff Silberstein · July 26, 2020

I think there is an outbreak and I think this is one attempt to shift the blame to the South. I worry about how bad the spread will affect the population, the military, and the regime. As I have written previously, this could cause suffering on a scale greater than the Arduous March or famine of 1994-1996.

13. Kim Jong Un cracks down on outside cultural influences

New York Post · by Melissa Klein · July 25, 2020

One of the biggest threats to the regime is the existence and example of the South as a free and prosperous nation.

"Nothing contributes so much to tranquilize the mind as a steady purpose - a point on which the soul may fix its intellectual eye."

- Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, in Frankenstein (1818)

"The soul which has no fixed purpose in life is lost;

to be everywhere is nowhere."

- Michel de Montaigne

"To forget one's purpose is the commonest form of stupidity."

- Friedrich Nietzsche

News & commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and published by Duncan Moore.

1. Communist China and the free world’s future

2. An army transformed: USINDOPACOM hyper-competition and US Army theater design

3. Memes, the pandemic and the new tactics of information warfare

4. Social media braces for a deluge of voter misinformation

5. Stamps and spies: the CIA’s involvement in postage design

6. US and Australia set to launch campaign to counter disinformation

7. Aegis Ashore and Japan's constitutional debate

8. Chinese dream: Xi’s attempted coup against Pakistan

9. Huge Pacific exercise centered on Guam brings allies together amid growing China threat

10. Trump bypasses arms control pact to sell more large armed drones

11. No, the Air Force's shadowy surveillance test plane wasn't spying on Portland protesters

12. Was China’s Houston consulate trying to steal the coronavirus vaccine?

13. The two China fires: is America prepared for a cold war with China?

14. America is losing its ‘apple pie’

15. Is it time to defund the Department of Homeland Security?

16. To fight coronavirus disinformation, health care professionals must speak out | Expert Opinion

17. Australia says China's South China Sea claims are unlawful

18. The tale of four cities battling the virus

19. Biden declares asymmetric warfare on election meddling

1. Communist China and the free world’s future

US Department of State · by Michael R. Pompeo · July 23, 2020

Rather than make the world safe for democracy, we need to make existing democracies safe. I know it is controversial, but I think we need to focus on building something like an "Alliance of Democracies" that will provide for collective defense against the revisionist and rogue powers as well as the violent extremist organizations that will continue to threaten freedom loving countries.

2. An Army transformed: USINDOPACOM hyper-competition and US Army theater design

US Army War College (SSI) · by Nate Freier et al.

Nate Freier has done a tremendous job leading student research into important Army and national security problems.  This is another important project and report (the 122 page report can be downloaded at the link above).

3. Memes, the pandemic and the new tactics of information warfare

Defense News · by Mark Pomerleau · July 23, 2020

I wonder if memes have become the primary tool for disinformation. They are funny, pithy, easy to produce, attention getting, and easy to retransmit. And the producers can easily monitor their spread among target audiences.

4. Social media braces for a deluge of voter misinformation

Bloomberg · by Naomi Nix · July 24, 2020

We all need to brace for this. Now more than ever all Americans need to heed these words in our National Security Strategy :

"A democracy is only as resilient as its people. An informed and engaged citizenry is the fundamental requirement for a free and resilient nation. For generations, our society has protected free press, free speech, and free thought. Today, actors such as Russia are using information tools in an attempt to undermine the legitimacy of democracies. Adversaries target media, political processes, financial networks, and personal data. The American public and private sectors must recognize this and work together to defend our way of life. No external threat can be allowed to shake our shared commitment to our values, undermine our system of government, or divide our Nation."

5. Stamps and spies: the CIA’s involvement in postage design

War on the Rocks · by Matin Modarressi · July 21, 2020

Some interesting history. Information and influence activities take many forms.

6. US and Australia set to launch campaign to counter disinformation

Sydney Morning Herald · by Anthony Galloway & Eryk Bagshaw · July 24, 2020

This is good.  But we need the entire "alliance of democracies" to take collective action on this.

7. Aegis Ashore and Japan's constitutional debate

East Asia Forum · by Tom Corben · July 25, 2020

I think the constitutional debate is more important than the Aegis ashore cancelation.

8. Chinese Dream: Xi’s attempted coup against Pakistan

Asia Times · by Ali Salman Andani · July 25, 2020

Sounds like an application of elements of China's three warfares in support of its political warfare strategy.

9. Huge Pacific exercise centered on Guam brings allies together amid growing China threat

The Drive · by Jamie Hunter · July 24, 2020

Good work from 3 members of what should be the "alliance of democracies."

10. Trump bypasses arms control pact to sell more large armed drones

The Hill · by Ellen Mitchell · July 24, 2020

11. No, the Air Force's shadowy surveillance test plane wasn't spying on Portland protesters

The Drive · by Joseph Trevithick · July 24, 2020

It is amazing what can be found on open source aviation tracking services and other open source reporting.

My thought is what military training may have been taking place in these areas that this aircraft might have been supporting? Was the aircraft supporting some unannounced training exercise?

12. Was China’s Houston consulate trying to steal the coronavirus vaccine?

Foreign Policy · by Jack Detsch & Amy Mackinnon · July 24, 2020

Again, Chinese R&D = steal to leap ahead.

13. The Two China Fires: is America prepared for a cold war with China?

New York Times · by Bret Stephens · July 24, 2020

I will take a cold war over a hot war. But we need to execute our own political warfare strategy to effectively compete in the cold war and prevent a hot war.

14. America is losing its ‘apple pie’

Asia Times · by Michael MacDonald · July 23, 2020

One of many critiques.

15. Is it time to defund the Department of Homeland Security?

New Yorker · by Jonathan Blitzer · July 24, 2020

I think DHS will come under increasing scrutiny and Congress may come under pressure to disband it. After all, Congress created it. There are many questions that need to be evaluated to determine if DHS is worth the cost and the political challenges it creates.

16. To fight coronavirus disinformation, health care professionals must speak out | Expert Opinion

Philadelphia Inquirer · by Jeffrey. C. Lerner · July 17, 2020

And we need to re-establish our faith in science and scientists and public health professionals. But we also have to realize that, in an uncertain environment, the science will be revealed over time, knowledge will expand, and original assessments and diagnoses may have to evolve. Political leaders have to shoulder the responsibility to make decisions, but they (and the American people) are wise to trust the counsel of the professionals.

17. Australia says China's South China Sea claims are unlawful

Reuters · by Melanie Burton & Robert Birsel · July 25, 2020

A bold move by Australia. It seems to be playing an aggressive role in the great power competition with China.

18. The tale of four cities battling the virus

Asia Times · by Jeff Pao · July 24, 2020

We should be studying the pros and cons of the various approaches and learning from them.

19. Biden Declares Asymmetric Warfare on Election Meddling

Bloomberg · by Hal Brands · July 23, 2020

I am not sending this out for any partisan message. I am sending it because of Hal Brand's assessment and discussion of asymmetric warfare in the context of the election.

"To be born free is an accident. To live free is a privilege. To die free is a responsibility."

- Brig. General James Sehorn

"Heart is that by which the general masters. Now order and confusion, bravery and cowardice, are qualities dominated by the heart. Therefore the expert at controlling the enemy frustrates him and then moves against him. He aggravates him to confuse him and harasses him to make him fearful. He thus robs the enemy of his heart and his ability to plan." 

- Chang Yu, 1000

"Cold Wars cannot be conducted by hotheads. Nor can ideological conflicts be won as crusades or concluded by unconditional surrender." 

- Walter Lippmann: The Russian-American War 1949

News & commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and published by Duncan Moore.

1. North Korea accused of breaching UN sanctions to beef up nuclear and ballistic missile programs

2. Stop disparaging N. Korean defectors

3. Unification ministry to begin probe into activist groups from mid-August

4. Exclusive: more than 40 countries accuse North Korea of breaching U.N. sanctions

5. N. Korea's elite look to foreign-made COVID-19 vaccines for salvation

6. India extends medical assistance worth about USD 1 million to North Korea

7. Moon hails development of new ballistic missile

8. Can Korea attract companies fleeing Hong Kong?

9. Former Ethereum researcher seeks a change of venue for North Korea court case

10. Spiking imported cases put S. Korea's containment efforts in peril

11.N. Korean students collect sand for school revamps in Hyesan

12. Kim Yo Jong leads stipend scheme to encourage more child births

13. After a COVID-19 lull, North Korea gets back to sanctions-busting as China turns a blind eye

14. China's illegal fishing vessels displacing local boats in North Korean waters: Report

15. North Korean ghost ships washed up in Japan are aging fishing vessels

16. KCTV brings new perspectives to Pyongyang construction progress

1. North Korea accused of breaching UN sanctions to beef up nuclear and ballistic missile programs

Fox News · by Caitlin McFall · July 24, 2020

No kidding. This is what North Korea does. It is good to see this action by the UN.

No one should be under any illusion about North Korean intentions. The North's nuclear and missile programs are a fundamental part of the regime's strategy. Kim Jong-Un has no intention of giving them up unless his own elite and the military pressure him to do so.

2. Stop disparaging N. Korean defectors

The Dong-A Ilbo · July 25, 2020

Not only must this stop, the ROK should be treating escapees (defectors) as national assets as many will make key contributions to the end of the regime and the unification of the Korean peninsula. In our report, Maximum Pressure 2.0: A Plan for North Korea, we made this recommendation (we used defector versus escapee only because it is the commonly accepted term – but defector is a bad description because it connotes a traitor to his country. Rather, they have escaped from one of the most oppressive regimes in the world to come to their home country of which they were already citizens) (and note IIA is information and influence activities):

Establish a Korea Defector Information Institute (KDII): there is no single organization in the United States or South Korea that harnesses the information of defectors to support IIA. If both nations worked together to establish a KDII, it could serve as a repository for defector information to inform policymakers, strategists, and those responsible for developing IIA themes and messages. This institute should utilize defector knowledge and advice in devising appropriate messages and communications techniques. It could also encourage North Koreans to defect, particularly members of Office 39 (also known as Department 39), who are knowledgeable of the Kim family regime’s finances.

We also recommended this:

Develop organizational infrastructure to facilitate IIA: The United States and South Korea lack a single organization to direct IIA against North Korea. Washington and Seoul should establish institutions that would work together to plan and shape combined IIA. Fortunately, as discussed earlier, the United States already has numerous tools at its disposal, such as the State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor; Voice of America; and Radio Free Asia. The United States should centralize these activities under an oversight organization. This organization would coordinate all agencies and departments and work with non-government organizations.

Under the Moon administration, there will likely be concerns that IIA could upset diplomatic conditions. Admittedly, an IIA campaign targeting Pyongyang could risk stirring additional short-term tensions with Pyongyang. But U.S. diplomats should remind their ROK counterparts that those tensions may ultimately forge a path to the peaceful denuclearization of North Korea. U.S. diplomats also need to remind their South Korean allies that Seoul’s persistent use of concessions has not elicited progress with Pyongyang.

Implement aggressive IIA targeting the North Korea regime: After building a baseline consensus, the United States and South Korea should implement increasingly aggressive IIA targeting the North Korean regime. These activities should inform North Koreans of their universal human rights and civil liberties that the regime is failing to respect. This will undermine the legitimacy of the Kim family regime and give hope to the people living in the North. Alternate sources of information can put regime propaganda in perspective.

This campaign could also help lay the initial groundwork for emergent leaders who could replace Kim and who might seek to unify with the South as equal partners under the values of individual liberty and freedom, liberal democracy, and a free market economy. At a minimum, this campaign could help persuade Kim that the status quo poses a greater threat than good faith negotiations with the United States and South Korea. The ultimate goal is to create internal divisions and threats that will influence Kim to denuclearize.

Increase exposure of North Koreans to the outside world: IIA must exploit North Koreans’ growing access to DVDs, USB drives, and smart phones from outside the country.These media devices can carry content popular among North Koreans, such as South Korean dramas, which can implicitly help Koreans in the North better understand the difference between the regime they have and the government they deserve.

Encourage Moon’s government to increase intra-Korean people-to-people exchanges: Washington should encourage intra-Korean engagement by sponsoring people-to-people educational and cultural exchanges. Such exchanges could expose North Korea’s intelligentsia and emerging elites to democratic concepts as well as personal relationships with South Koreans.

Provide military support to ROK-U.S. government programs for IIA: S. Psychological Operations (PSYOP) forces should be deployed on a permanent basis to support ROK PSYOP forces as part of a national-level alliance IIA campaign. ROK and U.S. PSYOP forces should advise and assist defector organizations to synchronize themes, messages, and dissemination methods to ensure unity of effort.

3. Unification ministry to begin probe into activist groups from mid-August

Yonhap News Agency · by [email protected] · July 24, 2020

Again, I cannot say this enough: this is wrong. It should be stopped. The ROKG is making a huge mistake.

4. Exclusive: More than 40 countries accuse North Korea of breaching U.N. sanctions

Reuters by Michelle Nichols · July 24, 2020

I do have to say this is one of the reasons for North Korean paranoia and why it plays the victim card saying, "everybody is against us." Then again, it would not be this way if North Korea acted as a responsible member of the international community rather than the rogue revolutionary wannabe power that it is.

5. N. Korea's elite look to foreign-made COVID-19 vaccines for salvation

Daily NK · by Jeong Tae Joo · July 24, 2020

Even the elite has no trust in the regime.

6. India extends medical assistance worth about USD 1 million to North Korea

Outlook · by PTI · July 25, 2020

Through the WHO for TB.

7. Moon hails development of new ballistic missile

The Chosun Ilbo · by Ahn Jun-yong · July 24, 2020

This is good. President Moon could have used some stronger language but as he said he was mindful of the cameras and security concerns. I hope Kim is afraid, very afraid though perhaps not because he will think this conflicts with Moon's peace strategy.

8. Can Korea attract companies fleeing Hong Kong?

Korea JoongAng Daily · by Kang Ki-Heon & Choi Sun-Wook · July 24, 2020

I think all countries who are part of the "alliance of democracies" should seek to take in Hong Kong businesses.

9. Former Ethereum researcher seeks a change of venue for North Korea court case

Coin Telegraph · by Benjamin Pirus · July 24, 2020

Because the District Court of Southern District of New York is the court most capable of trying a complex case like this.

10. Spiking imported cases put S. Korea's containment efforts in peril

Yonhap News Agency · by [email protected] · July 25, 2020

Oh no. More to learn from our Korean allies.

11. N. Korean students collect sand for school revamps in Hyesan

Daily NK · by Ha Yoon Ah · July 24, 2020

No one talks very much about the use of child labor in North Korea, but apparently the regime is sensitive to the image of school children being forced to do manual labor.

12. Kim Yo Jong leads stipend scheme to encourage more child births

Daily NK · by Mun Dong Hui · July 24, 2020

Kim Yo-Jong seems to be getting involved in every aspect of North Korea life. Perhaps the Propaganda and Agitation Department will start touting her as the Dear Mother or Supreme Mother or Great Mother or some other mother moniker of North Korea for trying to raise the birth rate in the North.

The buried lede: the stipend scheme is intended to build trust in the socialist health care system. Note the problems with the "scheme."

13. After a COVID-19 lull, North Korea gets back to sanctions-busting as China turns a blind eye

NBC News · by Dan De Luce · July 25, 2020

Should be no surprise that China turns a blind eye (or more).  Front companies registered in China - Department 39?

14. China's illegal fishing vessels displacing local boats in North Korean waters: Report

Republic World · by Prerna Vijayeni Panda · July 25, 2020

Selling the fishing rights to China takes priority over North Korean fishing. The regime benefits more from selling the rights to China (in violation of sanctions) than from protecting North Korean fishermen, who can help feed the Korean people living in the North.

15. North Korean ghost ships washed up in Japan are aging fishing vessels

Daily Mail · by Amelia Wynne · July 24, 2020

This is what the Kim family regime and China are doing to the North Korean fishing fleet. This is important news and information that needs to be reported to the Korean people in the North. They need to know what the Chinese and Kim Jong-Un are doing.

16. KCTV brings new perspectives to Pyongyang construction progress

38 North · by Martyn Williams · July 24, 2020

This is the regime priority: take care of Pyongyang at the expense of the Korea people in the North.

"To be born free is an accident. To live free is a privilege. To die free is a responsibility."

- Brig. General James Sehorn

"Heart is that by which the general masters. Now order and confusion, bravery and cowardice, are qualities dominated by the heart. Therefore the expert at controlling the enemy frustrates him and then moves against him. He aggravates him to confuse him and harasses him to make him fearful. He thus robs the enemy of his heart and his ability to plan." 

- Chang Yu, 1000

"Cold Wars cannot be conducted by hotheads. Nor can ideological conflicts be won as crusades or concluded by unconditional surrender." 

- Walter Lippmann: The Russian-American War 1949

News & commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and published by Daniel Riggs.

1. Mike Pompeo Urges Chinese People to Change Communist Party

2. 'Nightmare scenario' confronts China as Asian aggression opens doors for U.S.

3. Opinion | Why we should invite Hong Kong businesses to move to the United States

4. US senators introduce legislation to counter China on multiple fronts

5. China's Deep State: The Communist Party and the Coronavirus

6. Indo-Pacific Commander Details Regional Deterrence Efforts

7. China Aims Missiles At Guam. How Should the Pentagon Defend America’s Pacific Bomber Base?

8. Republican-Controlled Senate Defies Trump, Passes Defense Spending Bill Removing Confederate Names From Military Bases

9. That Other Virus (spoiler alert: Anarchy)

10. INDOPACOM Wants Billions To Build, As Pentagon Plans Cuts To Overseas Presence

11. House, Senate pass bills to study the number of cancers striking military pilots

12. In Defense of A Strategy of Not-Losing

13. What If It Doesn’t End Quickly? Reconsidering US Preparedness for Protracted Conventional War

14. Pennsylvania man pleads guilty to posing as heroic Navy SEAL to get $300,000 in veterans benefits

15. Hybrid Warfare: How Cancel Culture Can Fuel a War

16. Exclusive: How Carlos Ghosn Escaped Japan, According to the Ex-Green Beret Who Snuck Him Out

17. The Strange Defeat of the United States: A French Historian’s Message for Pandemic Times

18. Special Forces Operatives are 'High Functioning Psychopaths': What Happens When they are Deployed to 'Democratic Cities'?

1. Mike Pompeo Urges Chinese People to Change Communist Party

WSJ · by Kate O’Keeffe and William Mauldin

We should send the Chinese people Gene Sharp's From Dictatorship to Democracy.

2.  'Nightmare scenario' confronts China as Asian aggression opens doors for U.S.

washingtontimes.com · by Mike Glenn

Can we exploit China's problems and mistakes?

3.  Opinion | Why we should invite Hong Kong businesses to move to the United States

The Washington Post · by Opinion by Jonathan Schanzer and Eric Lorber

4. US senators introduce legislation to counter China on multiple fronts

SCMP · by Robert Delaney

How will this align with the White House's new strategic approach to China? Here it is.

5. China's Deep State: The Communist Party and the Coronavirus

lowyinstitute.org · by Richard McGregor

I think Richard MacGregor's book The Party is still one of the best books on the Chinese Communist Party. It is about 10 years old but I think it remains a valuable read for understand the party.

6. Indo-Pacific Commander Details Regional Deterrence Efforts

defense.gov · by Jim Garamone

7. China Aims Missiles At Guam. How Should the Pentagon Defend America’s Pacific Bomber Base?

Forbes · by David Axe · July 23, 2020

Good question. 

8. Republican-Controlled Senate Defies Trump, Passes Defense Spending Bill Removing Confederate Names From Military Bases

Forbes · by Rachel Sandler · July 23, 2020

It seems Congress does have enough votes to override a veto.

9. That Other Virus (spoiler alert: Anarchy)

legion.org · by National Commander James "Bill" Oxford

A short, thought provoking essay.

10. INDOPACOM Wants Billions To Build, As Pentagon Plans Cuts To Overseas Presence

breakingdefense.com · by Paul McLeary

Even if we go to more of a rotational force presence we will still need facilities.

11. House, Senate pass bills to study the number of cancers striking military pilots

missoulian.com · by Tara Copp McClatchy · July 23, 2020

Just pilots?  I know there are other cancer issues for service members.

12. In Defense of A Strategy of Not-Losing

thestrategybridge.org · July 23, 2020

I could not help adding these quotes: “The conventional army loses if it does not win. The guerilla wins if he does not lose.”  Henry Kissinger, Foreign Affairs, Jan 1969

“You will kill ten of our men, and we will kill one of yours, and in the end it will be you who tires of it” Ho Chi Minh (1969)

13. What If It Doesn’t End Quickly? Reconsidering US Preparedness for Protracted Conventional War

mwi.usma.edu · by Patrick Savage · July 23, 2020

Mao did write a little book on Protracted Warfare.

And Sun Tzu reminds us:

"Therefore, I have heard of military campaigns that  were clumsy but swift, but I have never seen military campaigns that were skilled but protracted.

No nation has ever benefited from protracted warfare."  Sun Tzu.

14. Pennsylvania man pleads guilty to posing as heroic Navy SEAL to get $300,000 in veteran’s benefits

taskandpurpose.com · by Robert Moran, The Philadelphia Inquirer

It is amazing that people do these things. I hope the judge throws the book at him.

15. Hybrid Warfare: How Cancel Culture Can Fuel a War

securityboulevard.com · by Daniel Smith on July 22, 2020 · July 22, 2020

I do not know if Hybrid Warfare is that difficult to define.  Frank Hoffman provided us with a useful definition:

"Any adversary that simultaneously and adaptively employs a fused mix of conventional weapons, irregular tactics, terrorism and criminal behavior in the battle space to obtain their political objectives." 

16. Exclusive: How Carlos Ghosn Escaped Japan, According to the Ex-Green Beret Who Snuck Him Out

Vanity Fair · by May Jeong

Interesting background on another crazy story about someone from the SF Regiment.

17. The Strange Defeat of the United States: A French Historian’s Message for Pandemic Times

Foreign Affairs · by Robert Zaretsky · July 20, 2020

I bet you did not expect to read about the Phoney War, the Maginot Line, the fall of France at the beginning of WWII and about someone who served in the French Resistance..  An interesting read with advice for historians.

18. Special Forces Operatives are 'High Functioning Psychopaths': What Happens When they are Deployed to 'Democratic Cities'?

bylinetimes.com · by CJ Werleman· July 23, 2020

Ugh...I offer this screed purely for propaganda education.  The author notes his complete lack of credibility when he tells us none of his "research" has ever made it onto the pages of a manuscript.  This kind of "research could never make it through a peer review.

-------------------

"We are all inevitably someone's adversary."

- Lawrence Freedman, Strategy: A History

"If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen."

- Samuel Adams

"Liberty cannot be established without morality, nor morality without faith."

- Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America

News & commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and published by Daniel Riggs.

1. Trump-Kim-Moon: Back to Square One?

2. Defense chief congratulates United Nations Command on 70th founding anniversary

3. Moon replaces five secretaries; ex-vice defense minister installed in NSC

4. U.S. official says N.K. must return to diplomatic engagement

5. South Koreans Might Be Willing to Pay More for the U.S. Military’s Protection - But Only Under These Conditions

6. Expert: If You Want North Korea to Give Up Nuclear Weapons, Start by Ending the Korean War

7. N. Korea ranks worst in nuclear material security: report

8. 'Steel Rain 2: Summit': Cinematic simulation of peaceful Korean Peninsula

9. Deterring North Korea: The Need for Collective Resolve and Alliance Transformation

10. Defense reform 2.0 after Covid-19 (South Korea)

11. US Senate passes bill restricting troop drawdown in S. Korea

12. Assembly panel chief Song suggests Trump invite NK leader’s sister to US

13. South Korea responds angrily to Iran threats over frozen assets

14. Defector-turned-lawmaker under fire for 'ideological verification' of minister nominee

15. Korea's general election sets democracy model during pandemic

16. Statement of Declaration: South Korea’s Supreme Court Must Order Manual Vote Recount and Take the Next Steps in the Election Fraud Lawsuits

17. Chinese ships catch $440 million worth of squid in N. Korean waters

18. Kim Jong Un touts ‘thousands of tons of’ meat amid food shortage

19. Kim Jong-un fury: North Korea rebellion as 70% of citizens breaking major rule

20. You can’t blame Donald Trump for filling Moon Jae-in’s cabinet with pro-Pyongyang ex-terrorists

1. Trump-Kim-Moon: Back to Square One?

besacenter.org · by Dr. Alon Levkowitz · July 23, 2020

A good piece that correctly identifies Kim's failures but to play Trump and Moon to get them to give up sanctions.  They do not succumb to Kim's long con.  But I disagree that we are back to square.  We have accomplished a few things in the last two years. First we have tested some concepts.  We know Kim Jong-un has not been willing to allow substantive working level negotiations.  He only wants to make a deal directly with Trump and that has to be unacceptable.  We have made accommodations for the perceived hostile policy - we have cancelled, postponed, and scaled back exercises to provide space for diplomacy.   Kim has not reciprocated and instead in the last year has conducted more than 20 missile and rocket tests and continued to Winter and Summer Training Cycles.  The South negotiated the Comprehensive Military Agreement with relatively good confidence building measures that were executed in good faith by the South and the UN Command but again were not reciprocated.   Kim has been tested and he has been found wanting. 

Kim has continued to press his long con with his blackmail diplomacy.  Despite the criticism of both Moon and Trump the most important thing they have done, as the author notes, is to not lift sanctions.  This has two effects.   Most important, it has placed Kim under enormous internal pressure from the elite and the military.  He raised expectations in 2018 that he would be able to use his normal negotiating tactics to be able to get something for nothing.  Trump disabused him of this and although Moon seems to desire to return to s Sunshine Policy on steroids he has been unable to the UN sanctions regime and US law.

The second effect is that Kim has not been able to successfully execute his blackmail diplomacy strategy.  This must continue because it is the only way to break the provocation cycle.  At some point Kim will be forced to change either from the pressure from within or from the realization that the ROK/US alliance is going to remain rock solid and not acquiesce to his demands.  It is only these two conditions that have any chance of changing Kim's calculus and making the right strategic decision.  

So we are not back to square one.  We actually can press forward with pressure.  If we let up or give in to any of his demands Kim will confirm his blackmail diplomacy works and he will continue on his long con to get sanctions relief while keeping his nuclear weapons.  And he will continue to execute his political warfare strategy to seek peninsula domination. We are not back to square one but if we appease Kim in any way we will then go back to square one or even farther back than that.  We must sustain the pressure on Kim.  He has failed. We have not.

2. Defense chief congratulates United Nations Command on 70th founding anniversary

en.yna.co.kr · by 오석민 · July 24, 2020

A very important statement from the Minister of defense about respecting the role and function of the UNC even after OPCON transition. 

3. Moon replaces five secretaries; ex-vice defense minister installed in NSC

en.yna.co.kr · by 이치동 · July 24, 2020

4. U.S. official says N.K. must return to diplomatic engagement

en.yna.co.kr · by 이해아 · July 24, 2020

For the past two years the US has been prepared and willing to engage in working level negotiations with north Korea.  It is Kim Jong-un who has not allowed those negotiations to take place.  

5. South Koreans Might Be Willing to Pay More for the U.S. Military’s Protection - But Only Under These Conditions

The National Interest · by Timothy S. Rich · July 23, 2020

Some very interesting data in this article.  However, I am not sure what additional benefits an increase in burden sharing might provide. The authors did not address what those additional benefits might be.  I am not sure what more than deterring an attack from the north and defending South Korea the alliance can do.  What is more valuable than that?

6. Expert: If You Want North Korea to Give Up Nuclear Weapons, Start by Ending the Korean War

The National Interest · by Zack Brown · July 23, 2020

A peace treaty should be between north and South Korea, not the US and north Korea.  Per UN Security Council Resolution 82 and 83 in 1950 north Korea was identified as the aggressor who attacked South Korea and it asked UN members to come to the defense of South Korean and its freedom. The US did not declare war on north Korea.  And we should remember that the Kim family regime and specifically Kim Il-sung have the blood of 5 million people on their hands. And of course the horrendous suffering of the Korean people in the north since then is solely a result of the leadership and policy decisions of the Kim family regime. Those who wish to appease the regime should remember the evil nature of the regime which is the cause of all problems on the Korean peninsula.  And of course if anyone thinks a peace treaty or some kind of "peace regime" will lead to denuclearization of the north then they should rethink their logic and analysis and their understanding of the nature of the regime and its strategy and objectives.

7. N. Korea ranks worst in nuclear material security: report

en.yna.co.kr · by 이원주 · July 23, 2020

I wonder what the 19 points out of a 100 were for.

8. 'Steel Rain 2: Summit': Cinematic simulation of peaceful Korean Peninsula

en.yna.co.kr · by 김보람 · July 24, 2020

Speaking of a peace treaty and trying to end the Korean War here is a fictional account of an attempt to do so. :-)

9. Deterring North Korea: The Need for Collective Resolve and Alliance Transformation

38north.org · by S. Paul Choi · July 23, 2020

A good thought piece from Paul Choi.  He hits the nail on the head that it is not the military capabilities of the alliance that are an issue, it is the perception of commitment. He provides a good overview of how the ROK and the US have strengthened their capabilities as well as the key issues of the burden sharing negotiations and OPCON transition.

10. Defense reform 2.0 after Covid-19 (South Korea)

koreajoongangdaily.joins.com

As the author notes, reform requires a stable budget and that is going to be hard to manage in a post-COVID world.

11. US Senate passes bill restricting troop drawdown in S. Korea

koreaherald.com · by Park Han-na · July 24, 2020

Korea remains one of the most bipartisan foreign policy issues.  Congress understands the importance of the ROK/US alliance to US national interests.

12. Assembly panel chief Song suggests Trump invite NK leader’s sister to US

koreaherald.com · by Park Han-na · July 23, 2020

Remember that she is under sanction under US law due to her connection to the nuclear and missile programs, global illicit activities, and human rights abuse.

She would require a waiver to travel to the US.

But I think this is a foolish idea and I seriously doubt that her brother would allow it.  

13. South Korea responds angrily to Iran threats over frozen assets

DW · by Deutsche Welle· July 23, 2020

14. Defector-turned-lawmaker under fire for 'ideological verification' of minister nominee

The Korea Times · July 24, 2020

“They doth protest too much.”  South Korea needs Thae Yong-ho to make these kinds of challenges.  Ideology and past actions are fair game and must be considered and nominees have to explain themselves and their actions. 

15. Korea's general election sets democracy model during pandemic

The Korea Times · by Jung Da-min · July 24, 2020

There are those among the opposition parties who have a different view.

16. Statement of Declaration: South Korea’s Supreme Court Must Order Manual Vote Recount and Take the Next Steps in the Election Fraud Lawsuits

eastasiaresearch.org · July 24, 2020

The opposition charges election fraud.

17. Chinese ships catch $440 million worth of squid in N. Korean waters

donga.com· July 24, 2020

18. Kim Jong Un touts ‘thousands of tons of’ meat amid food shortage

New York Post · by Yaron Steinbuch · July 23, 2020

There is diet advice in this piece to include a testimonial about slimming tea and weight loss. You cannot make this stuff up.  It say now obese people can lose weight with ease.  Of course there are only two obese people in north Korea:  Kim Jong-un and his body double.

19.  Kim Jong-un fury: North Korea rebellion as 70% of citizens breaking major rule

Ciaran McGrath

express.co.uk · by Ciaran McGrath · July 23, 2020

 The struggle against culture is a priority in the north. Soft power from the South is having an influence and is a threat to the regime.  And who would have thought teenage sex was a problem in the north so much so that it has to be classified as treasonous act?  But information and influence activities are important and have effects.  The Korean people in the north want information about the outside world.

20.  You can’t blame Donald Trump for filling Moon Jae-in’s cabinet with pro-Pyongyang ex-terrorists

One of the most provocative titles I have seen from Josh Stanton.

freekorea.us · by Joshua Stanton · July 23, 2020

--------------------

News & commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and published by Daniel Riggs.

1. Biegun says he would support 'substantial' troop presence if S. Korea, U.S. can agree on cost-sharing

2. NK to hold conference of war veterans, first in two years

3. Korea, U.S. Fail to Agree on Joint Drills

4. South Korea Faces Criticism for Crackdown on Leaflet Launchers

5. Opinion | Trump threatens a new troop withdrawal. It would endanger yet another U.S. relationship.

6. 13 more USFK-affiliated Americans test positive for new coronavirus

7. 14 Army soldiers infected with coronavirus at front-line unit

8. North Korea's Lazarus Group Developing Cross-Platform Malware Framework

9. North Korea Intensifies Crackdown on South Korean Cultural Influences

10. Who's right, Bolton or Biegun?

11. N. Korea's main paper urges ideological education for youth

12. Minister nominee proposes 'barter' exchange to break inter-Korean impasse

13. N.K. could react positively if S. Korea, U.S. exercise flexibility on joint drills: minister nominee

14. U.N. expert requests meeting with unification ministry amid concerns over leafleting

15. N. Korea has unpaid loan of US$40 mln with U.N. agricultural agency: report

16. Thae Yong-ho calls for pressure on North Korea to repay debts

17. EU 'To Impose Sanctions' On Russia, China, North Korea Over Cyberattacks

18. UFP excoriates Unification Ministry nominee over past ideology

19. U.S. Strategic Command accompanies B-1B's Guam deployment operation

20. S. Korean economy suffers worst contraction since 1998 crisis

21. NK likely to conduct nuclear test or reentry test this year: Singaporean expert

1. Biegun says he would support 'substantial' troop presence if S. Korea, U.S. can agree on cost-sharing

en.yna.co.kr · by 이해아 · July 23, 2020

I think Mr. Lee, the journalist from Yonhap writing in the article below, whiffed on his interpretation of the DEPSECSTATE's remarks.  He said nothing about using the troop reduction as a negotiating tactic.  Quote: "Biegun's comments appear to support speculation that the Trump administration could use a troop drawdown as leverage to get Seoul to pay vastly more for the 28,500-strong U.S. force presence." I think that is a misinterpretation but it is common to many journalists who just want to show Korea has somehow been slighted by the US.  The DEPSECSTATE talked about setting the alliance on a sustainable footing for the next 75 years.  That sounds like a very positive endorsement of the alliance and its importance to US national interests.  

2. NK to hold conference of war veterans, first in two years

www01.koreaherald.com · by Ahn Sung-mi · July 22, 2020

I was asked by a journalist what his event means this year and what does it say about having a gathering amid the coronavirus crisis and what if they do not wear makes and maintain social distancing at the event, and lastly what does it say about Kim Jong-un's leadership? Here are my responses:

This is north Korea's attempt to reinforce the propaganda that the north won the Korean War.  The north wants to demonstrate its strength by showing respect for its veterans but it is really only using them as props to glorify the Kim family regime.  Simply holding this gathering in light of the recommendations by the WHO not to because of the danger posed by the pandemic illustrates the lack of respect the regime has for the Korean people in the north and especially its veterans.  The regime is callous and heartless.

If the participants do not wear masks it will be because the regime places propaganda value above the value of the lives of Koreans in the north. It wants to both appear strong and to send a message that there is no COVID 19 outbreak in the north.  And it is willing to place the lives of Koreans in the north at risk in pursuit of a propaganda stunt.
The nature of the Kim family regime is truly evil and its actions to seek propaganda benefits at the risk of veterans' lives is truly an illustration of that evil.

3. Korea, U.S. Fail to Agree on Joint Drills

english.chosun.com

I am sorry to say to my Korean friends that readiness must take priority over OPCON transition. Deterring war and sustaining the ability to defend an attack has to be the priority.  The security of the ROK is paramount.

4. South Korea Faces Criticism for Crackdown on Leaflet Launchers

voanews.com · by William Gallo · July 22, 2020

This is an "own goal" or self-inflicted wound for the ROK government. There is no good that will come of this action either in terms of either relations with north Korea, internal domestic politics, or the Alliance (and also international reputation).  This is a huge mistake by South Korea.

5. Opinion | Trump threatens a new troop withdrawal. It would endanger yet another U.S. relationship.

The Washington Post · by Editorial Board

It took a while for the Washington Post Editorial Board to catch up to this issue.  They have messed up the 2018/2019 cost plus 50% demand with the 2019/2020 $5 billion demand which I believe is down to about $1.3 billion.  I seriously doubt even if the Moon administration would agree with this that the National Assembly would approve it as they must do.  However, the concluding paragraph is important.  Both the American people and Congress support US alliances.  

6. 13 more USFK-affiliated Americans test positive for new coronavirus 

en.yna.co.kr · by 오석민 · July 22, 2020

It is this kind of reports that could cause a disruption in the ROK/US combined exercises.

7. 14 Army soldiers infected with coronavirus at front-line unit (South Korea

en.yna.co.kr · by 정주원 · July 22, 2020

Again, combined with the report on US soldiers this is what may disrupt ROK/US combined exercises.

8. North Korea's Lazarus Group Developing Cross-Platform Malware Framework

darkreading.com

north Korea's "all purpose sword."  Probably one of its most important capabilities.

9. North Korea Intensifies Crackdown on South Korean Cultural Influences

rfa.org · Sewon Kim· July 22, 2020

Again to ask the important question from Dr. Jung Pak: Who does Kim Jong-un fear more: the US or the Korean people living in the north?  It is the Korean people in the north and they are most dangerous when armed with information and in particular information about the South.  The real threat to the regime is the very existence of the South and the example of freedom and prosperity it provides to the Koreans in the north.

10. Who's right, Bolton or Biegun?

koreajoongangdaily.joins.com

Mr Biegun still has his job (and has been promoted) and Mr. Bolton does not.

But the buried lead is the author says that shutting down the ROK/US strategy working group would be a mistake.  I concur that it would be.

11. N. Korea's main paper urges ideological education for youth

en.yna.co.kr · by 이원주 · July 22, 2020

Ideological education is the key to regime control.  It is what makes the system work.

12. Minister nominee proposes 'barter' exchange to break inter-Korean impasse

www01.koreaherald.com · by Ahn Sung-mi · July 21, 2020

Minister nominee Lee may cause severe friction within the alliance as he calls for the end of the ROK/US strategy working group.  He would cut off Korea's nose to spite its face.  His naïve views on engagement north Korea undermine Korea security.

My question is why he is not single focused on resolving the Korea question and seeking unification as a United Republic of Korea. (UROK). There is so much work that must be done to achieve unification.  Why is he not focusing on that and why does he (and all his predecessors) act like another Minister of Foreign Affairs.  This should be the end state (or the acceptable durable political arrangement that will bring peace and stability to Northeast Asia)  for his mission: A secure, stable, economically vibrant, non-nuclear Korean peninsula unified under a liberal constitutional form of government with respect for individual liberty, the rule of law, free market economy, and human rights determined by the Korean people.

I am sure I will get schooled for my naïve views but it does seem the Minister of Unification does everything except prepare for and try to achieve unification.

13. N.K. could react positively if S. Korea, U.S. exercise flexibility on joint drills: minister nominee

en.yna.co.kr · by 고병준 · July 23, 2020

Come on. What is the definition of insanity?  Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result?  We have shown "flexibility" on exercises for the past two years from when President Trump unilaterally made the decision to cancel exercises in 2018.  We have cancelled, postponed, and scaled back and reimagined the entire exercise process (to include renaming the command post computer simulation exercises but how has the regime responded?  With more demands and rhetoric, no reduction in tensions or hostility toward the South no cooperation on remains recovery, guard post firing, 21 plus missile and rocket tests (to include fielding new systems specifically designed to target Camp Humpreys and Osan and Choengu Air bases, and its own continued Winter and Summer Training Cycles.  So now if we "show flexibility" on exercises what kind of "positive" reaction do we think we will see from the north?  Please stop the insanity.

But I am glad he also said he believes the US should continue to station troops in Korea. But did he say anything about the absolute importance of the alliance?  Lip service only - strategic balance of power in the region.

No mention of his desire to shut down the ROK/US strategy working group which he has publicly discussed.  That is an indication of his true colors and lack of support for the alliance.

I too fear for the suffering of the Korean people in the north and I would like to help them through humanitarian assistance.  But with that assistance the Korean people have to know their suffering is the result of the policy decisions of Kim Jong-un and his willingness to sacrifice their well-being so the elite can live in luxury and he can build nuclear weapons.

But what I want to know is what is the "bold change" he is planning?

14. U.N. expert requests meeting with unification ministry amid concerns over leafleting

en.yna.co.kr · by 이원주 · July 22, 2020

I have not seen any reports on whether the National Assembly grilled Minister nominee Lee on this issue.  The first thing the new minister should do is reverse the decision to treat escapee/defectors with such hostility and instead renew support to their information and influence activities.

15.  N. Korea has unpaid loan of US$40 mln with U.N. agricultural agency: report

en.yna.co.kr · by 이원주 · July 22, 2020

Has the regime ever paid off its debts?

16. Thae Yong-ho calls for pressure on North Korea to repay debts

upi.com· by Elizabeth Shim · July 22, 2020

To answer my question it looks like the regime did pay off some debts in 2008.  Note these loans were during the period of the Sunshine and Peace and Prosperity Policies when the Korean government believed in the theory that reaching out and "engaging" (and providing money) would change north Korean behavior. Of course in 2006 it tested its first nuclear device so we should know that we disproved that theory.  But there are those who want to try again

17. EU 'To Impose Sanctions' On Russia, China, North Korea Over Cyberattacks

rferl.org 

Good on the EU.

18. UFP excoriates Unification Ministry nominee over past ideology

koreajoongangdaily.joins.com · Shim Kyu-Seok

Well here it is. The Minister is exposed.  Thae Young-ho appears to really have gone after him.  But Lee fought back using a typical communist and radical leftist argument - making himself out to be the "democratic one and arguing Thae does not understand democracy.  Admit nothing, deny everything and make counteraccusations

19. U.S. Strategic Command accompanies B-1B's Guam deployment operation

donga.com · July 23, 2020

It is interesting how the media interprets what is probably a "command visit."  I do not think the entire command accompanied the Bones on their deployment. Just the Commander!  I also doubt Admiral Richard was wearing an Air Force uniform.  He was likely wearing a flight suit in the aircraft but I doubt the Navy Admiral was wearing an Air Force unification. Naval (and even Army) aviators wear flight suits and they all look similar if not alike. 

20. S. Korean economy suffers worst contraction since 1998 crisis

The Korea Times · Lee Min-hyung ·July 23, 2020

I remember the IMF crisis.  It was not a good time.

21. NK likely to conduct nuclear test or reentry test this year: Singaporean expert

koreaherald.com · by Kim So-hyun · July 23, 2020

Okay.  I will close with this bombshell report.  I wonder where he gets his high level of confidence.  But he does make some interesting arguments.

-------------------------------

"Stay focused on the mission. Line up military tasks with political objectives. Avoid mission creep and allow for mission shifts. A mission shift is a conscious decision, made by political leadership in consultation with the military commander, responding to a changing situation."

- General Anthony Zinni

"Always forgive your enemies--nothing annoys them so much."
-Oscar Wilde

 "Of course the people don't want war. Why should some poor slob on a farm want to risk his life in a war when the best he can get out of it is to come back to his farm in one piece? Naturally, the common people don't want war: neither in Russia, nor in England, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But after all it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship . . . Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. (at the Nuremberg Trials, shortly before being sentenced to death)."
- Hermann Goering

News & commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and published by Daniel Riggs.

1. It's A Gray, Gray World - by Nadia Schadlow

2. "Cocaine Logistics" for the Marine Corps

3. China Refuses to Quit on the Philippines

4. U.S. Policy Toward China: Deputy Secretary Biegun's Remarks to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee

5. Pentagon's Number 2 Officer Says Military Must Do Better On Diversity

6. FDD | Amazon Pays a Fine for Crimea Business, but Occupied-Territories Policy Remains Murky

7. Adapting the Image and Culture of Special Operations Forces

8. House passes defense policy bill that Trump threatened to veto

9. 'What choice do we have?': Portland's 'Wall of Moms' faces off with federal officers at tense protests

10. Watch: Navy vet says federal officer who beat him in Portland protest video was 'working me like a lumberjack chopping at a tree'

11. Coronavirus finds a welcome host on world's deadliest battlefields

12. How Taiwan Beat COVID-19 With Transparency and Trust

13. Milley Assigns Service Roles In All-Domain Ops Concept

14. Pentagon AI team sets sights on information warfare

15. The People of Portland: DHS's Involuntary Human Test Subjects

16. Private Donations and National Defense

17. China's Five-Finger Punch

18. 'Get the hell out of our uniforms': It's getting hard to tell who are the real law enforcement as camouflaged Feds crack down on protests

19. How the Cold War Between China and U.S. Is Intensifying

1. It's A Gray, Gray World - by Nadia Schadlow

Dr. Schadlow was the primary author of the National Security Strategy.

hudson.org · by Nadia Schadlow

2. "Cocaine Logistics" for the Marine Corps

warontherocks.com · by Walker D. Mills · July 22, 2020

I wonder why the author did mention the north Korean ISILC semi-submersible.  They long ago developed this capability and I suspect they sold some (or at least plans and design) to the cartels.

3. China Refuses to Quit on the Philippines

thediplomat.com · by Derek Grossman · July 22, 2020

Yes China missed the opportunity.  But this might not be an issue if the Philippines had anyone else as president. 

4. U.S. Policy Toward China: Deputy Secretary Biegun's Remarks to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee

state.gov · by Stephen Biegun, Deputy Secretary of State

5. Pentagon's Number 2 Officer Says Military Must Do Better On Diversity

NPR · by Tom Bowman · July 22, 2020

Unfortunately we have been saying this for years.  How do we do better?  What is "meaningful change?" Those are the questions.

6. FDD | Amazon Pays a Fine for Crimea Business, but Occupied-Territories Policy Remains Murky

fdd.org · by Brenda Shaffer Senior Advisor for Energy and Jonathan Schanzer Senior Vice President for Research· July 22, 2020

7. Adapting the Image and Culture of Special Operations Forces

warontherocks.com · by Emma Moore · July 22, 2020

This is an interesting statement: "The Department of Defense has not explained what it expects irregular warfare to look like in coming years."  Is that true?

This focuses on recruiting the soF operator as well civilian oversight and concludes saying that those conducting oversight must "be cognizant of the concentration of white men in Pentagon leadership and Congress."

8. House passes defense policy bill that Trump threatened to veto

The Hill · by Rebecca Kheel · July 21, 2020

Will there be a veto proof majority in Congress?

9. 'What choice do we have?': Portland's 'Wall of Moms' faces off with federal officers at tense protests

The Washington Post

"Mom power". You have to appreciate these moms and what they are doing.

10. Watch: Navy vet says federal officer who beat him in Portland protest video was 'working me like a lumberjack chopping at a tree'

americanmilitarynews.com · by Nancy Dillon · July 22, 2020

When I watch this video and others similar to it I just cannot imagine what these federal law enforcement people were thinking?  That they can just go beat up American citizens, split heads and crack skulls?  What was their mission?  What effect were they trying to achieve? I hear some people call these protestors an insurgency.  If that is so these federal officials have no idea how to counter it and their attempt to employ draconian population and resources control measures plays right into the hands of an insurgency (if there is one which I doubt).

The actions against the veteran were uncalled for to say the least.  He was assaulted and it appears to me to be depraved indifference by these thugs who should not be allowed to wear military style uniforms. (e.g.,  'so wanton, so deficient in a moral sense of concern, so lacking in regard for the life or lives of others, and so blameworthy as to warrant the same criminal liability as that which the law imposes upon a person who intentionally causes a crime.)

I have a lot of respect for Mr. David. 

11. Coronavirus finds a welcome host on world's deadliest battlefields

washingtontimes.com · by Lauren Meier

"Weaponizing the local health infrastructure."  What a concept. We should not forget that throughout history the largest casualty producer in war is disease and non-battle injuries.  The coronavirus must amplify this.

12. How Taiwan Beat COVID-19 With Transparency and Trust

Medium · by Nick Aspinwall · July 14, 2020

Two important words: transparency and trust.  I have a lot of time for the great people of Taiwan.  We should learn from them.

13. Milley Assigns Service Roles In All-Domain Ops Concept

breakingdefense.com · by Theresa Hitchens

This seems like the right division of labor for service expertise.  

Air Force: commander and control

Navy: fires

Army: logistics

Though I think the Navy could do command and control very well as they do surface, subsurface, and air very well.  As an aside some of the most competent battle captains I had working in a special operations joint operations center were Navy Surface Warfare Officers (SWO). Without any previous SOF experience they could grasp the big picture, multi-task among various disparate missions and operations, and communicate extremely well.  I attribute this to working in a Ship's command center.  

But this to me is the buried lead" "Milley and Esper have put a high priority on figuring out a new American way of war."  I hope that includes military support to an American Way of Political Warfare as well. https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/perspectives/PE300/PE304/RAND_PE304.pdf

14. Pentagon AI team sets sights on information warfare

c4isrnet.com · by Mark Pomerleau · July 22, 2020

I hope AI can help with influence operations. But can it provide us with the necessary and deep) cultural understanding that is required to be effective?  Yes data is extremely important (and I have heard experts say he who controls the data controls the outcome). But there will always be a human element to this and I wonder if AI can effectively predict how humans will make decisions and act though I am sure that with enough data they will have a higher success rate than anyone else.  But this is in keeping with the American way of war - we will throw money and technology at any and all problems.  (I am not complaining about that because I would rather have the resources to do that but I do not think we can forget about the human element and its unpredictability which makes influence operations so difficult.)

15. The People of Portland: DHS's Involuntary Human Test Subjects

Cato Institute · by Patrick G. Eddington ·July 21, 2020

Patrick Eddington is one of the foremost authorities on civil liberties.

16. Private Donations and National Defense

realclearpolitics.com · by Karl Zinsmeister

Another good piece recognizing the excellent and unique work of Spirit of America.  All special operations forces, particularly Civil Affairs, should know this organization well.  As well should US diplomats. Anyone who is participating in Small Wars should know this organization.  https://spiritofamerica.org/

17. China's Five-Finger Punch

project-syndicate.org · by Brahma Chellaney · July 21, 2020

The opening paragraph cannot be any more strongly stated.

18. 'Get the hell out of our uniforms': It's getting hard to tell who are the real law enforcement as camouflaged Feds crack down on protests

Business Insider · by David Choi

You can always count on tough talk from Lt Gen Honore.  But it is this quote from Marine Veteran and Congressman Seth

Moulton that should get people's attention: ""We shouldn't just tell these police officers to change out of camouflage, we should do away with BORTAC ... so that federal law enforcement masquerading as military can never again be used as the president's secret police," Moulton added.

19.  How the Cold War Between China and U.S. Is Intensifying

The New York Times · by Rick Gladstone · July 22, 2020

Cold is good (or tolerable) Hot is bad.  Very bad.

-------------

"Stay focused on the mission. Line up military tasks with political objectives. Avoid mission creep and allow for mission shifts. A mission shift is a conscious decision, made by political leadership in consultation with the military commander, responding to a changing situation."

- General Anthony Zinni

"Always forgive your enemies--nothing annoys them so much."
-Oscar Wilde

"Of course the people don't want war. Why should some poor slob on a farm want to risk his life in a war when the best he can get out of it is to come back to his farm in one piece? Naturally, the common people don't want war: neither in Russia, nor in England, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But after all it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship . . . Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. (at the Nuremberg Trials, shortly before being sentenced to death)"
- Hermann Goering

News & commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and published by Ahyoung Shin

1. Unification minister nominee wants drills postponed

2. Esper says he has issued no orders to withdraw forces from S. Korea

3. U.S. push for troop flexibility could boost chances of off-peninsula USFK mission

4.  At least 13 Army soldiers infected with coronavirus at front-line unit (South Korea)

5. Cluster infections, imported cases push new virus cases above 60

6. Esper says US considering troop 'adjustments' in South Korea

7. The Pyongyang General Hospital and Kim Jong Un's Benevolent Dictator Economics

8.  Spotlight: White House's plan to reduce troops in South Korea draws skepticism in Washington

9. 'It's not happening until it does': South Korea braces for US troop withdrawal

10. The plight of North Korean migrants in China

11. Activists slam South Korea's crackdown on propaganda against North Korea

12. Woman fined over illegal supply of goods to North Korea

13. Guest opinion: We must not forget the heroic veterans of the Korean War

14. UN rapporteur concerned with Seoul's actions against defector groups

15. Our S Korean ally has a plan to bail Kim Jong-un out, but it's no better than the rest of them

1. Unification minister nominee wants drills postponed

koreajoongangdaily

The Unification Minister nominee could not be more wrong on this. Postponing military exercises is not going to improve North-South relations. The Minister should not be meddling in military affairs. He is willing to put the security of his country at risk over a fantasy that North Korea is going to change after 7 decades.

2. Esper says he has issued no orders to withdraw forces from S. Korea

en.yna.co.kr · by 이해아 · July 22, 2020

For the coming days and weeks (and even months or as long as President Trump is in office) this will be Korean reporters’ number one question for all senior US officials. Will the US withdraw or reduce forces?

3. U.S. push for troop flexibility could boost chances of off-peninsula USFK mission

en.yna.co.kr · by 오석민 · July 22, 2020

The US has long wanted "strategic flexibility." Koreans should remember that the US withdrew a US Brigade Combat Team in 2004 to go to Iraq and that force never returned. Secretary Rumsfeld initiated the entire OPCON transition process and the plans for the relocation of US forces because he really wanted to get as many US forces off the Korean peninsula (and likely all of them if he could). He called US forces in Korea a "waste" because he could not employ them elsewhere (i.e., could not put the Army units on the "patch chart" for employment in Iraq and Afghanistan). In any other negotiation a recognition by the ROK side that US forces in Korea can and must be employed wherever necessary to support US national security objectives would be very positively received and would be more important than any amount of burden sharing funds. Of course, that is not so with our current President. The Korean side has always opposed "strategic flexibility" because they view it as code for employment against China and the Koreans do not want to be caught in the middle of a war between the US and China (The fact is if there is war between the US and China the ROK will not be able to sit idly by and somehow remain neutral though of course it could make North Korea want to exploit opportunities likely with Beijing's blessing). But as Korea tries to restrain the use of US forces on the peninsula it will drive military planners and advisers to want to withdraw troops so that there can be more strategic flexibility. And South Korea has provided the US with excellent basing arrangements to support strategic flexibility with the consolidation of the majority of US ground forces at Camp Humphreys with the strategic air and sea ports of embarkation at Osan Air Base and the Port of Pyeongtaek. South Korea has to remember that as much as our forces are stationed on the Korean peninsula to meet our treaty obligations the stationing and deployment of US forces first and foremost must be in support of US national security interests and the national security and defense strategies. It is important for the ROK side to understand and accept this and it would make negotiations go smoother.

And as an aside and a point of clarification. If US forces deployed from Korea to other locations they would not be "off-peninsula USFK missions." USFK would not conduct missions off the peninsula. USFK would only be a force provider to other commands that would be responsible for conducting missions. USFK is not a war fighting or operational HQ. It is a sub-unified command of USINDOPACOM and a force provider to the ROK/US Combined Forces Command. But like any other US military HQ it could provide forces to multiple commands and that would include both on and off the peninsula.

4.  At least 13 Army soldiers infected with coronavirus at front-line unit (South Korea)

en.yna.co.kr · by 최수향 · July 22, 2020

This could have more impact on readiness that anything else if this spreads.

5. Cluster infections, imported cases push new virus cases above 60

en.yna.co.kr · by 강윤승 · July 22, 2020

I wonder if there will soon be calls to further restrict international travel. It is what is going to keep this virus alive and spreading.

6. Esper says US considering troop 'adjustments' in South Korea

AP · by ROBERT BURNS · July 21, 2020

We should not be surprised by this and the Koreans should not be alarmed by this (though it is easy to understand why based on the words of the President and his expressed opinion of how he feels about alliance commitments).  

We periodically conduct reviews of our global force posture in an effort to have our forces located in the best position to (1) support US national security objectives,  (2) provide US strategic flexibility and agility, and (3) to meet our treaty obligations. As long as we go into the review with the question of how we best optimize our force presence to meet the above three criteria we should have nothing to worry about. The number of forces could be reduced or increased (though it would be nice not to be fixated on the number of troops because it is not the number that counts, it is the capability of the units that is most important - we could have a fewer number of troops and yet have increased capabilities if we station the right kind of units in the right places). But if we go into such a review with the question of how do we reduce the number of troops then we will make a strategic error that could haunt us for years.

And rotational forces are not a panacea. Some types of forces are more appropriate for rotation such as we currently do with brigade combat teams. It might make more sense to rotate the squadrons in the two air wings as they could train better in off peninsula locations. But the bulk of the Army forces in Korea are not ground combat maneuver forces. It makes no sense to rotate the Fires brigade since it is a critical component of the counterfire fight and must be integrated with the Korea forces 24/7. You do not want to rotate military intelligence or signal or logistic units because they all need to conduct sustained operations many of which are optimized by strong host national relationships. But to me the biggest danger with rotational forces is when someone decides they need to save money (or employ them elsewhere) they will not be available for their primary mission. It would be too easy of a decision to just say leave them at their CONUS home station and tell them to train there and we will only deploy them if we need them (and of course that puts a new level of complexity in the TPFDD planning process). But with that caveat the right kinds of forces can be effective on a rotational basis not all forces.

7. The Pyongyang General Hospital and Kim Jong Un's Benevolent Dictator Economics

nkeconwatch.com · by Benjamin Katzeff Silberstein

We make snide comments about the construction of this hospital, but this is the key point from this important article: "Kim's criticism against construction officials, however, is about much more than the hospital construction project itself. It relates to the very structure of the North Korean system, and of communist economies in general." Despite the Juche ideology and the cries for self-reliance the North Korea economy is communism based. The author goes on to say this type of criticism is not exceptional but quite the standard procedure. However, I would not place "benevolent" next to "dictator" when describing Kim Jong-un.

8.  Spotlight: White House's plan to reduce troops in South Korea draws skepticism in Washington

xinhuanet.com 

Chinese media reports on the issue of troop withdrawals in Korea and interviews US experts.

9. 'It's not happening until it does': South Korea braces for US troop withdrawal

Washington Examiner · by Abraham Mahshie · July 21, 2020

Excellent commentary from Bruce Klingner. However, we should keep in mind the 4500 or so troops of the rotational brigade combat team are not part of the 28,500 US troops stationed in Korea since they are not by definition stationed in Korea. By not rotating them we will save the cost of transportation to and from Korea, but it will not reduce any US costs of the permanently stationed forces. All it will do is create the condition in which we will not have ground combat maneuver forces in Korea, we will have to assess what that means for strategic reassurance and strategic resolve.

10. The plight of North Korean migrants in China

HRNK · by Emma DiGiovanni · July 21, 2020

Not only is China a human rights abuser in its own right it is complicit in North Korean human rights abuses.

11. Activists slam South Korea's crackdown on propaganda against North Korea

DW · by Deutsche Welle

I wish the officials in the Moon administration could understand this: "This is a political and tactical maneuver by the North that makes them look stronger and Seoul weaker because it is only trying to curry favor." The Moon administration plays right into the regime's hands.

12. Woman fined over illegal supply of goods to North Korea

straitstimes.com · by SHAFFIQ ALKHATIB · July 22, 2020

13. Guest opinion: We must not forget the heroic veterans of the Korean War

deseret.com · by Elayne Wells Harmer · July 21, 2020

As we approach the 67th anniversary of the Korean Armistice Agreement on July 27 we should think about those who answered the call. The Korean War Memorial in DC describes why American is a great nation:

Our nation honors her sons and daughters
who answered the call to defend a country
they never knew and a people they never met

14. UN rapporteur concerned with Seoul's actions against defector groups

koreajoongangdaily 

We should all be concerned.

15. Our S Korean ally has a plan to bail Kim Jong-un out, but it's no better than the rest of them

freekorea.us · by Joshua · July 21, 2020

Another pithy critique from Joshua Stanton. One important reminder from Josh is that for North Korea everything is zero-sum. There is no 'win-win" outcome for the North. There can only be the North wins and the ROK and everyone else loses.

-----------

"Somewhere a True Believer is training to kill you.  He is training with minimal food and water, in austere conditions training day and night. The only clean on him is his weapon and he made his web gear.  He doesn't worry about what workout to do - his ruck weighs what it weighs, his runs end when the enemy stops chasing him.  This True Believer is not concerned about 'how hard it is;' he knows he either wins or he dies.  He doesn't go home at 17:00; he is home.

He knows only The Cause"

- Unknown

"Remember: it's not just the virus. it's the virus + economic crisis + political crisis + growing international tensions etc"

- Adam Elkus @Aelkus via Twitter

"There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge."

- Issac Asimov