News and Commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and Published by Riley Murray.
1. Competitors, Adversaries, or Enemies? Unpacking the Sino-American Relationship
2. Philippine plan to deploy militia in South China Sea raises concerns
3. End the Pentagon's OCO slush fund
4. Should U.S. Foreign Policy Focus on Great-Power Competition?
5. Analysis | Would the U.S. protect Taiwan from China? Taiwan's new envoy hopes for 'clarity.'
6. China Is Biggest Long-Term Threat to Britain, Says U.K. Spy Chief
7. Hybrid war, Quad or sitting it out? The 5 options for India against China
8.The breakdown of the international order is raising barely a shrug this election
9. China insists Genghis Khan exhibit not use words 'Genghis Khan'
10. Philippine Communist Leadership Orders Guerrillas to Go After Chinese Firms
11. The rise of lockdown radicalism
12. 'Machines set loose to slaughter': the dangerous rise of military AI
13. MAD Is Bad U.S. Policy for Iran and North Korea
14. The Common Good: Ethical Strategy Between States and Partner Forces
15. Army Wants Missile to Kill Enemy Targets Beyond 900 Miles
16. How will Trump and Biden handle veterans issues? Here's what they told us.
17. New force generation model aims to regionally align Army units, give troops predictability
18. Riled Up: Misinformation Stokes Calls for Violence on Election Day
19. The secret history of Confederate post names the Army never wanted you to see
20. What do you do with an angry veteran, when they stop being an angry veteran?
21. Here's what you need to know about the new Army and Navy national museums
22. Here are the weapons and gear that the US military's top special operators never leave home without
1. Competitors, Adversaries, or Enemies? Unpacking the Sino-American Relationship
warontherocks.com · by Paul Poast · October 14, 2020
"The beginning of wisdom is the definition of terms." - Socrates
Conclusion: "Which term will best capture U.S.-Chinese relations in the years ahead? If one is to take seriously Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's call for an "Alliance of Democracies" or Joe Biden foreign policy advisor Tony Blinken's call for a "League of Democracies," then one should expect a coalition of "partners" to balance against actual and perceived Chinese aggression. In that sense, China is not solely a "competitor." But "enemy" could be taking things too far. If international relations scholars are correct in expecting actual military conflict between China and the United States within the next five years, then "enemy" could indeed become the appropriate term. In the meantime, compromise seems possible on some issues with China and military competition is not yet the core domain of the relationship (economic relations appear to be the primary point of cooperation and conflict). Hence, to use the above terminology of Ignatieff, "adversaries" is the most appropriate term, at least for now."
2. Philippine plan to deploy militia in South China Sea raises concerns
upi.com – by Elizabeth Shim – 14 October 2020
Philippine irregular warfare? Employing naval militias? To counter China's three warfares?
3. End the Pentagon's OCO slush fund
Defense News · by Sean Kennedy · October 14, 2020
Perhaps we should return to the old supplemental budget system and DOD will have to request specific funding to support the war(s).
I am not sure if the overseer contingency operations (OCO) account was created after 9-11. Maybe it was but we did not use that term for some use. I recall for many years we used supplemental and then around 2007-2010 we were talking about "sup to base" shifting the supplemental funding to the base budget for long term sustainment. I think during the Obama administration we started using OCO but some pundits misinterpreted that as a desire to change the name of the Global War on Terrorism and we were somehow minimizing the emphasis on the war(s) and instead calling them contingency operations.
The fundamental question we should ask is are we conducting military appropriations in accordance with our Constitution? (sustain a navy and raise an army).
4. Should U.S. Foreign Policy Focus on Great-Power Competition?
This might be described as great power competition versus irregular warfare. You will have to go to the link to see the survey results and read each of the respondents' essays (and a lot of very impressive scholars and luminaries. I think Foreign Affairs has not put this behind its paywall.
But in my opinion IW and GPC are not mutually exclusive or either/or/. They are both/adn. And I think IW is the dominant characteristic of GPC and the most likely to occur. I think we overly focus on the state-on-state warfare aspect of GPC which is of course the most dangerous.
5. Analysis | Would the U.S. protect Taiwan from China? Taiwan's new envoy hopes for 'clarity.'
The Washington Post – by Adam Taylor - October 15, 2020
To defend or not to defend. That is the question. Or maybe another way to ask it; to have clarity or ambiguity?
6. China Is Biggest Long-Term Threat to Britain, Says U.K. Spy Chief
english.chosun.com – 15 October 2020
A UK perspective in the Korean press.
7. Hybrid war, Quad or sitting it out? The 5 options for India against China
theprint.in · October 15, 2020
A perspective from India. I am afraid a couple of these courses of action may result in escalation we do not want to see.
Conclusion: "Put simply, China uses the Ladakh situation to play us, fine-tuning this with its psychological operations. 'Talking' in such a situation will only buy us time, and not much else. But that time can be used for a fluid strategy that includes the favourable options we have listed. Forget the jargon and the PowerPoint presentations. It's time for shrewdly playing China's game back at them, with the luxury of so many widely different points of attack."
8. The breakdown of the international order is raising barely a shrug this election
thespinoff.co.nz · October 15, 2020
A view from New Zealand on the US election.
9. China insists Genghis Khan exhibit not use words 'Genghis Khan'
The Guardian · by Agence France-Presse · October 14, 2020
Is China stepping on its soft power here? Shooting itself in the proverbial foot? I think China needs to grow some thicker skin, but I guess it really illustrates the nature of the Chinese leadership. The "three warfares" are executed on many levels and in many domains.
10. Philippine Communist Leadership Orders Guerrillas to Go After Chinese Firms
Interesting "geometry" in the relationships among the Philippines, the US, China, and the CPP/NPA.
11. The rise of lockdown radicalism
eastasiaforum.org · by Farooq Yousaf · October 14, 2020
An interesting phenomenon.
12. 'Machines set loose to slaughter': the dangerous rise of military AI
The Guardian · by Frank Pasquale · October 15, 2020
Quite an article and some real food for thought that should cause debate and hopefully thoughtful reflection. Perhaps some hyperbole and over the top analysis but again perhaps that is what will help generate discussion. And yes, we should be paying attention to some of the contemporary novels on these topics (what the mind can conceive man can achieve).
An interesting and worrisome conclusion: For this more expansive and humane mindset to prevail, its advocates must win a battle of ideas in their own countries about the proper role of government and the paradoxes of security. They must shift political aims away from domination abroad and toward meeting human needs at home. Observing the growth of the US national security state - what he deems the "predator empire" - the author Ian GR Shaw asks: "Do we not see the ascent of control over compassion, security over support, capital over care, and war over welfare?" Stopping that ascent should be the primary goal of contemporary AI and robotics policy.
13. MAD Is Bad U.S. Policy for Iran and North Korea
realcleardefense.com · by Norm Haller
Well I would drop the mutual and just go for the assured destruction of both. (note sarcasm or poor attempt at gallows humor)
14. The Common Good: Ethical Strategy Between States and Partner Forces
thestrategybridge.org – by Joshua O. Lehman - October 15, 2020
I think it is important to take a philosophical approach to national security issues. We can create a moral hazard if we only use partner forces to achieve our objectives with little or no consideration of theirs. Of course, we have to always place our interests first but we need to ensure we have a least sufficient alignment of interests with our "partner" forces - otherwise they can hardly be described as partners.
Conclusion: "Warfare in the 21st century will be formed by its global context. This means alliances and partnerships will continue to be central to how states fight wars. Western democracies have grappled with the concept of non-state enemy actors over the last two decades but have thought little about non-state partners and moral obligations owed to those partners. A realist calculus of transactional security fails to take account of the moral reality of war. It results in unjust war and moral injury to those who engage in war. It tarnishes the state's way of war by reducing groups of persons into means rather than recognizing their proper dignity as ends in themselves. Strategists working today must formulate the common good among those political communities that agree to partnership in war. At a minimum, this must include the analogy of political communities as persons who retain inherent human dignity as ends in themselves. It must also include the deliberate effort to formulate a positive good that is not narrowly the destruction of an enemy but is a basis of trust leading to a mutual, better peace."
15. Army Wants Missile to Kill Enemy Targets Beyond 900 Miles
military.com · by Matthew Cox · October 14, 2020
Gives new meaning to stand off weapons in the Army. It would be good to have these kinds of capabilities on call for small teams operating independently in remote or denied areas.
16. How will Trump and Biden handle veterans issues? Here's what they told us.
militarytimes.com · by Leo Shane III · October 14, 2020
Good to know.
17. New force generation model aims to regionally align Army units, give troops predictability
armytimes.com · by Kyle Rempfer · October 14, 2020
But will the personnel management system be adapted to support this concept?
18. Riled Up: Misinformation Stokes Calls for Violence on Election Day
The New York Times · by Davey Alba · October 13, 2020
Hmmm... It is hard to believe these kinds of articles have to be written during this election cycle. How about everyone committing to free and fair elections and making the Constitution and our laws work. But I know I am demonstrating my naivete.
19. The secret history of Confederate post names the Army never wanted you to see
taskandpurpose.com · by Paul Szoldra
The study and videos can be accessed at the link. https://taskandpurpose.com/news/army-confederate-post-study
20. What do you do with an angry veteran, when they stop being an angry veteran?
plucier.medium.com · by Plucier · October 14, 2020
Important questions here: "I feel a bit like I did when I first got out. There is a story to tell here. The story of how we told our stories. From the milblogs, to the Facebook groups, to Twitter, to TikTok. For twenty years now, veterans have been trying to tell Americans what has been happening in their name. The wars. The suicides. The deployments and the homecomings. The reunions. The successes. The failures. Every day, veterans have been writing, tweeting, posting, and filming it all, and sharing it online. Did we get through? Did they hear us? Because we are running out of spaces where people will listen."
21. Here's what you need to know about the new Army and Navy national museums
militarytimes.com · by Diana Stancy Correll · October 14, 2020
We are still a few years from completing the National Museum of Intelligence and Special Operations. https://nationalintelligencemuseum.org/NMISO%20Brochure.pdf
22. Counter China by Making Guam a State
Foreign Policy · by Eyck Freymann · October 14, 2020
Hmmm... I never heard of this argument. But how would it really affect China?
Excerpt: Finally, statehood for Guam and the Northern Marianas would send a powerful message to Beijing. Although Chinese diplomats and scholars deny it, China ultimately seeks to drive the United States out of Asia. Washington must make clear that Beijing will never succeed.
23. Here are the weapons and gear that the US military's top special operators never leave home without
Business Insider · by Stavros Atlamazoglou
"He who controls the past, controls the future. He who controls the present controls the past."
-George Orwell
"A complete and generous education fits a man to perform justly, skillfully and magnanimously all the offices of peace and war."
- John Milton
"Your surviving spy must be a man of keen intellect although in outward appearance a fool; of shabby exterior but with a will of iron. He must be active, robust, endowed with physical strength and courage, thoroughly accustomed to all sorts of dirty work; able to endure hunger and cold and to put up with shame and ignominy."
-Sun Tzu, The Art of War