News and Commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and Published by Riley Murray.
1. China Peddles Falsehoods to Obscure Origin of Covid Pandemic
2. NDAA: Conference Cuts New Army Tech, Pluses Up Old
3. 39 Islamic State-Linked Abu Sayyaf Militants Surrender in the Philippines
4. The U.S. Has Passed the Hospital Breaking Point
5. Defense bill offers Biden's team a new framework to counter China
6. Great Power Competition Is Too Narrow a Frame
7. China hits back at US spy chief's 'greatest threat to freedom' claim
8. Report Points to Microwave 'Attack' as Likely Source of Mystery Illnesses That Hit Diplomats and Spies
9. We're not Wolf Warriors, we're only standing up for China, says senior official
10. State Department cancels China-paid junkets for congressional staff
11. Opinion | China has lost its confidence
12. CJCS Milley: Character of War in Midst of Fundamental Change
13. Why China is now looking to have its say on international law
14. Defense bill revives Stars and Stripes newspaper after near dissolution
15. Military use of social media accounts widens
16. Going to War with China? Ignore Corbett. Dust Off Mahan!
17. China military watch
18. 'Artificial Skin' May One Day Make Troops Invisible, Even to Heat Sensors
19. The WWII spy roots of the phrase 'secret squirrel'
1. China Peddles Falsehoods to Obscure Origin of Covid Pandemic
The New York Times · by Javier C. Hernández · December 6, 2020
Remember in January 2020 China' s own propaganda outlet called this the Wuhan virus and Wuhan pneumonia.
"Wuhan pneumonia a wake-up call for basic Chinese research" - People's Daily Online. http://en.people.cn/n3/2020/0125/c90000-9651785.html. unfortunately they have taken down the article at this link because it is counter to the current propaganda narrative. But here is excerpt from the article :
Wuhan pneumonia a wake-up call for basic Chinese research - People's Daily Online
en.people.cn · by F_300824
Wuhan pneumonia a wake-up call for basic Chinese research
(Global Times) 16:04, January 25, 2020
Science magazine published an article entitled "China's Missed Chance" in July 2003, arguing China lost an opportunity to show "growing scientific prowess" due to the lack of swift medical measures to bring SARS under control. Some 17 years later, does China have enough scientific strength to cope with the Wuhan pneumonia confidently and efficiently?
The WHO noted on January 12 that "China shared the genetic sequence of the novel coronavirus." One day later, the organization published a report on diagnostic detection of the virus, delivered by a group of German researchers, who later reportedly "have developed the first diagnostic test" for the Wuhan virus.
Almost at the same time, China also developed a diagnostic testing device. Its speed can be argued as much faster compared to the SARS outbreak in 2003. However, China, where both SARS and the Wuhan virus first emerged, failed to be the first in relevant diagnostic research and development (R&D) in both cases.
2. NDAA: Conference Cuts New Army Tech, Pluses Up Old
breakingdefense.com · by Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
There is still no better helicopter than the Chinook. :-)
3. 39 Islamic State-Linked Abu Sayyaf Militants Surrender in the Philippines
Some good news. The Philippines has a long history of this. I recall in March 2002 the 17 ASg members surrendering and being transported directly to Manila to have justice administrators. Their only demand was to face justice in Manila and not on Basilan and in Mindanao.
4. The U.S. Has Passed the Hospital Breaking Point
The Atlantic · by Robinson Meyer, Alexis C. Madrigal · December 4, 2020
I also read on the news that COVID has become the number one cause of death in the US.
5. Defense bill offers Biden's team a new framework to counter China
The Washington Post – by Karoun Demirjian - December 6, 2020
Interesting analysis.
Three key points.
The annual defense bill, which lawmakers are expected to vote on starting Tuesday, establishes a program to strengthen the United States' posture and alliances in the Indo-Pacific region and funding for additional attack submarines that senior Pentagon officials have said are vital for countering China's powerful maritime forces.
The legislation also creates a new director of cybersecurity position to coordinate such activities government-wide and establishes a plan to make the Defense Department less dependent on Chinese manufacturing, from microelectronics to face masks.
The expectation is that the deterrence initiative will see an expansion in funding in years ahead: In the conference report accompanying the compromise legislation, lawmakers stated they envision funding for the program more than doubling in fiscal 2022.
6. Great Power Competition Is Too Narrow a Frame
defenseone.com · December 6, 2020
I guess this is from the Defense One editorial board since there is no byline. I am not opposed to their conclusion. I think it is a fight for legitimacy between authoritarian and democracies (and all the differences between the two, to include rule by law versus rule of law).
While the great power competition framework may get some important things right, the past four years of the Trump administration have demonstrated that it is fundamentally flawed as an organizing principle of U.S. foreign policy. The Biden administration should turn to a new organizing principle - global competition between democracy and authoritarianism - and carry a simple message to the rest of the world: either you are an ally defending the liberal international order against authoritarian influence, or you are not.
My thoughts:
Key point: We should stop the proliferation of terminology (which I think causes intellectual paralysis) and adopt Irregular Warfare as the military contribution to Political Warfare. Political warfare is how we should describe the competition space between peace and war and is the defining element in Great Power Competition. While state on state warfare is the most dangerous threat or course of action of GCP and why we must invest in deterrence and defense, Political War is the most likely threat or courses of action.
And I would add with absolutely no apologies to Leon Trotsky: "America may not be interested in irregular, unconventional, and political warfare but IW/UW/PW are being practiced around the world by those who are interested in them - namely the revisionist, rogue, and revolutionary powers and violent extremist organizations."
* The dominant threat or problem we face is one political warfare supported by hybrid military approaches - and these approaches are best described as irregular warfare - a "violent struggle among state and non-state actors for legitimacy and influence over the relevant populations." It is said that IW consists of UW, foreign internal defense (FID), CT, counterinsurgency, and stability operations (SO).
* So we have to be able to conduct our own form of Irregular warfare which of course includes the 5 mission sets named above but is best described by Congress in the 2017 NDAA: Irregular Warfare is conducted "in support of predetermined United States policy and military objectives conducted by, with, and through regular forces, irregular forces, groups, and individuals participating in competition between state and non-state actors short of traditional armed conflict."
It is time for us to shift from the Clausewitzian "War is politics or policy by other means” and embrace our adversaries' views: "Politics is war by other means" or as Mao said, "Politics is war without bloodshed, while war is politics with bloodshed."
7. China hits back at US spy chief's 'greatest threat to freedom' claim
The Guardian · by Helen Davidson · December 4, 2020
The CCP doth protest too much.
8. Report Points to Microwave 'Attack' as Likely Source of Mystery Illnesses That Hit Diplomats and Spies
The New York Times · by Edward Wong · December 5, 2020
Who says there is no "warfare" in political warfare? Every diplomat and intelligence officer is in harm's way around the world with these and other kinds of friends.
9. We're not Wolf Warriors, we're only standing up for China, says senior official
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3112733/were-not-wolf-warriors-were-only-standing-china-says-senior - by Cissy Zhou – 5 December 2020
Fight back? Who started with the wolf diplomacy?
10. State Department cancels China-paid junkets for congressional staff
washingtontimes.com · by Bill Gertz
I did not think US government officials could receive funding from foreign governments. I guess I was wrong.
11. Opinion | China has lost its confidence
The Washington Post – by David Von Drehle - December 4, 2020
Interesting point (among others in the essay): "Yes, confidence. A confident government doesn't lock up a million or more ethnic Muslims for months, even years, of brainwashing, as China continues to do in Xinjiang. A confident Beijing would no sooner throttle the intellectual vibrancy of Hong Kong than Canada would crack down on Montreal, or the United States would stifle San Jose. Repression is - always and everywhere - the mark of a government afraid of its own people. In the modern world, where human capital is the indispensable resource, repression is, therefore, fatal to development."
Conclusion: "This question leads to a third principle: China policy is now too important to be a plaything for Washington's reckless partisans. Just as warring Democrats and Republicans agreed after World War II to unite behind a Cold War strategy, so too must today's leaders seek a consistent approach to China. Beijing has taken a menacing wrong turn. We need steady hands in response."
12. CJCS Milley: Character of War in Midst of Fundamental Change
news.usni.org · by John Grady and Sam LaGrone · December 4, 2020
Perhaps. But my thought is not new: It is time for us to shift from the Clausewitzian "War is politics or policy by other means” and embrace our adversaries' views: "Politics is war by other means" or as Mao said, "Politics is war without bloodshed, while war is politics with bloodshed."
Of course, he is talking about robotics, unmanned weapons, AI, and technology. and the like what will never change is the political aspect of war. We forget that at our peril.
13. Why China is now looking to have its say on international law
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3112706/why-china-now-looking-have-its-say-international-law - by Laura Zhou – 5 December 2020
A simple concept. Rule by law and Chinese Lawfare. (Legal Warfare ("lawfare") can involve enacting domestic law as the basis for making claims in international law and employing "bogus" maps to justify China's actions.)
14. Defense bill revives Stars and Stripes newspaper after near dissolution
The Hill · by Ellen Mitchell · December 3, 2020
Some good news. every information capability should be protected and resourced. I know people will say Stars and Stripes is not an information tool or is only for the troops, but foreign audiences read it and pay attention to it. I recall at Panmunjom/JSA we used to provide copies of Stars and Stripes every day to the north Korean duty officer. I do not know if we still do but we did back in the 1990's (And I recall a north Korean spy posing as a Philippine born professor in South Korea arrested for faxing articles from Stars and Stripes to his north Korean handler).
15. Military use of social media accounts widens
janes.com – by Tony Roper - December 4, 2020
Excerpt of a Jane's article. I do not have a subscription for the full article, but I think this excerpt is interesting and worth sharing.
16. Going to War with China? Ignore Corbett. Dust Off Mahan!
usni.org – by Matthew Suarez - December 1, 2020
Hmm... I always liked Corbett because I thought his writing emphasized the importance of joint operations.
But this is an interesting read and one which policy makers and strategists should ponder.
17. China military watch
aspistrategist.org.au · by Malcolm Davis and Charlie Lyons Jones · December 4, 2020
A look at the future of Chinese land combat.
18. 'Artificial Skin' May One Day Make Troops Invisible, Even to Heat Sensors
defenseone.com · by Patrick Tucker
19. The WWII spy roots of the phrase 'secret squirrel'
sandboxx.us · by Theo Dyssean · December 4, 2020
Some interesting history for a Sunday read. I never knew the origin of this.
"The end of all political associations is the preservation of the natural and imprescriptible rights of man; and these rights are liberty, property, security, and resistance of oppression."
- Thomas Paine
"Resistance to oppression is second nature."
- Seneca the Younger
"Resistance and change often begin in art, and very often in our art - the art of words."
- Ursula K. Le Guin