CIA

The Cobra and the Mongoose: the Legacy Of The Mi-24 and the Stinger Missile in The Soviet-Afghan War

Dave Maxwell — Sat, 25 Nov 2023 00:45:26 +0000

The Cobra and the Mongoose: the Legacy Of The Mi-24 and the Stinger Missile in The Soviet-Afghan War Dave Maxwell Fri, 11/24/2023 - 7:45pm

The Soviet Union’s decade-long incursion into Afghanistan has been compared to the American experience in Vietnam. Both wars bore some surface similarities to each other, though closer examination would reveal a multitude of differences behind the circumstances that brought them about, the relative commitment both great powers had to these conflicts, and the motivations for their involvement in the first place. But one striking similarity exists: both wars saw heavy use of the helicopter in an offensive role. The U.S. had taken notice of the successes the French had seen with these weapons of war in Algeria. The Bell AH-1 Cobra that the United States came to rely on in Vietnam was the first dedicated helicopter gunship ever fielded, and proved similarly instrumental to the U.S. war effort. Inspired by this design, the Soviets incorporated notable features from the AH-1 into their own flying gunship, the Mil Mi-24 helicopter, referred to by NATO observers as the “Hind.” Borrowing further characteristics from the contemporaneous UH-60 Black Hawk transport helicopter, the Hind would make its international debut in the early 70s and come to prominence in the Soviet-Afghan War.

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The CIA in Tibet, 1957 -1969

Riley.C.Murray — Tue, 09 Nov 2021 07:50:28 +0000

The CIA in Tibet, 1957 -1969 Riley.C.Murray Tue, 11/09/2021 - 2:50am

As tensions rise between mainland China and Taiwan once again, it is worth remembering a vic-tim of China’s previous expansionist actions. Tibet, labeled as “the orphan of the Cold War,” has repeatedly been forgotten on the world stage since its annexation in 1950. Similarly forgotten are the United States’ contributions to the Tibetan resistance against the Chinese People’s Liberation Army.

SOF News: Book Review – The CIA War in Kurdistan

Riley.C.Murray — Fri, 29 Jan 2021 22:31:53 +0000

SOF News: Book Review – The CIA War in Kurdistan

The book discusses CIA and some military activity in Northern Iraq before and during Operation Iraq Freedom in 2003.

Full Review: https://sof.news/books/cia-war-in-kurdistan/

Riley.C.Murray Fri, 01/29/2021 - 5:31pm

Passing the Paramilitary Torch from the CIA to Special Operations Command

SWJED — Mon, 02 Sep 2019 05:07:37 +0000

Passing the Paramilitary Torch from the CIA to Special Operations Command SWJED Mon, 09/02/2019 - 1:07am

The CIA’s primacy in matters of paramilitary activities is well-established through existing Congressional legislation and presidential executive orders. However, today the United States faces serious threats from near-peer state adversaries, terrorist groups, and other sub-state actors that should lead its leaders to rethink its organizational and operational approaches to paramilitary activities to optimize both its capabilities and capacity to meet these threats.

“American Spy” Chapter Excerpt: Sitting Next to a Rock Star

SWJED — Tue, 20 Aug 2019 08:33:38 +0000

“American Spy” Chapter Excerpt: Sitting Next to a Rock Star SWJED Tue, 08/20/2019 - 4:33am

Over the years, on the many flights I’ve taken, I’ve had several “celebrity sightings” and even had the opportunity to meet one or two of them in the process. I sat in front of a beret-wearing Samuel L. Jackson on a night flight to London, and across the aisle from late, great US Marine and Full Metal Jacket actor R. Lee Ermey on a flight to DC.

“American Spy” Chapter Excerpt: Iraq Intelligence Failure

SWJED — Mon, 19 Aug 2019 04:40:13 +0000

“American Spy” Chapter Excerpt: Iraq Intelligence Failure SWJED Mon, 08/19/2019 - 12:40am

This story could have been included in the previous chapter [“Ignore My Intelligence at Your Peril (I Am Not As Stupid As I Look)”], but as you will read, this premeditated intelligence failure in Iraq is so mind-boggling in nature that it deserves a chapter all its own. Technically it was not an intelligence failure; it was a spectacular tactical intelligence success story, followed by an unconscionable bureaucratic failure to properly manage an invaluable ongoing counterterrorism intelligence operation.

The Two Faces of Terror: Why the West Loses

SWJED — Sun, 09 Apr 2017 17:04:26 +0000

The Two Faces of Terror: Why the West Loses SWJED Sun, 04/09/2017 - 1:04pm

The fight against Islamic terror has two faces today, public relations and strategic hokum. The Global Coalition on the Defeat of ISIS meeting illustrates these phenomena.

Drones, Covert Action, and Counterterrorism: Why UAV Strikes should be Exclusively Military

Peter J. Munson — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 08:30:00 +0000

Drones, Covert Action, and Counterterrorism: Why UAV Strikes should be Exclusively Military Peter J. Munson Wed, 03/06/2013 - 3:30am

The CIA should focus on gathering intelligence to inform policy makers and to attack the underlying causes and enablers of terrorist group formation and action.

Illuminating the Structure: Intelligence in the Development of CT Strategy

Peter J. Munson — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 10:30:00 +0000

Illuminating the Structure: Intelligence in the Development of CT Strategy

From the outset, the U.S. treated Al Qaeda as a military objective instead of an organization to be understood, penetrated, and permanently dismantled.

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About the Author(s)

The Guatemalan Prelude

Peter J. Munson — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 04:31:26 +0000

The Guatemalan Prelude

The CIA’s Small War that Killed the Monroe Doctrine and Marked a New Era of American Diplomacy

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