Author: Tim J. Clark

Iraq: Future Relationship

A Partnership With Iraq, (Washington Post)…Editorial, June 15, 2008 Pg. B6

The Shiite government signals a desire for an alliance with the United States. Shouldn’t that be welcomed?

Mr. Maliki refused. He assured his Iranian hosts that Iraq would not be a launching pad for an American attack on Iran. But he pointedly told a press briefing that negotiations on the strategic partnership would continue. He repeated that commitment on Friday, even after warning that the talks had "reached a dead end."

In effect, the Iraqi prime minister was saying that his country does not want to become an Iranian satellite but an independent Arab state that would look to the United States to ensure its security.

North Korea: Planning for change

North Korea Conundrum, (Washington Times)…Richard Halloran, June 15, 2008, Pg. B4

A former senior official in President Bush´s White House has dropped a proverbial bombshell by asserting the United States and South Korea have no coordinated plan to cope with a collapse of the North Korean regime of "Dear Leader" Kim Jong-il, a prospect that becomes more possible with each passing day.

Defense Strategy

A Transformer In Disguise, (Weekly Standard)…Thomas Donnelly, June 23, 2008

Donald Rumsfeld’s primary mission when he returned to the Pentagon as secretary of defense in 2001 was to transform the U.S. military to meet the missions of the new century. Today it seems more likely that it is his successor, Robert Gates, who will leave the lasting legacy.

The Gates Transformation … is  about reorienting the current American way of war, making the generals understand that irregular warfare is not only the most likely form of conflict but, as our experience in Iraq and Afghanistan strongly suggest, the most complex form of fighting and the highest priority in building our forces.

…  In particular, watch the debate over the soon to be released National Defense Strategy and National Military Strategy documents. The first, prepared by defense civilians, reflects the Gates Transformation. The Joint Chiefs of Staff prepared the second. They are worried by other challenges–and have already said that the defense strategy is too risky.

Korea: The Right Balance

New USFK Commander Talks About His Priorities
(Pacific Stars and Stripes)…T.D. Flack, June 16, 2008

Just 10 days into his new command, the senior U.S. leader in South Korea sat down with Stars and Stripes to discuss what he sees as his top priorities.

I think the most difficult challenge is going to be to be able to take the structures, the organizations that we have now, that have been proven over time … and develop the new structures needed for the ROK side and our side as supporting. So … once we come to April of 2012, we have a seamless move into OPCON transfer.

The dance of doing day-to-day business and trying to transform headquarters to increase capabilities to fight the way we fight today, with (Combined Forces Command) in charge, with me in charge, and at the same time helping the ROK develop their capabilities … it’s really a ballet that we’ve got to orchestrate. … The first big test is coming up with Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercise in August.

Prison Escape

Coalition Hunts For Escaped Afghan Inmates, (Houston Chronicle)…Noor Khan and Jason Straziuso, Associated Press, June 15, 2008

U.S. and NATO troops aided Afghan forces with reconnaissance in a hunt Saturday for 870 inmates who escaped prison after a sophisticated Taliban assault that even NATO conceded was a success for the militants.

Special cause variation.

Air Force: Change at the top – change in culture?

OPINION: The Heir Up There, (New York Times)…Max Boot, June 16, 2008, Pg. 19

THE appointment of Gen. Norton A. Schwartz as the chief of staff of the Air Force last week is a historic first, one that could serve as inspiration for people who share his underprivileged background. General Schwartz is, you see, a cargo pilot.

With an officer whose background is in transportation and special operations chosen to head the entire Air Force, a cultural revolution is well under way. Fighter planes and their pilots will not loom as large in the future as they have in the recent past.

Some years down the road lies an even more radical transition. The day will surely come when the Air Force chief of staff won’t be a pilot at all. The service now operates in outer space and in cyberspace. Experts in those areas are rising through the ranks. But it will probably take many years, and another wrenching transition, before a non-pilot rises to the top.

IARPA Like DARPA

Intelligence Agency Joins U-Md. Research Center, (Washington Post)…Anita Huslin, June 16, 2008, Pg. D1

…The Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) is the new corollary of the military’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, created in 1958 in the wake of the Sputnik launch to develop new defense technologies.

The Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity is the new corollary of the military’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, created in 1958 in the wake of the Sputnik launch to develop new defense technologies. Among other things, DARPA’s work led to the development of the Internet, global positioning systems and unmanned aircraft. IARPA is expected to perform similar work for the 16 U.S. intelligence agencies.

The organization’s budget is classified. In seeking congressional funding for the agency, officials last year said that IARPA will be significantly smaller than DARPA, which has a $3 billion annual budget. Its staff will consist of 35 national intelligence and 21 CIA employees, and research will be outsourced to contractors. Focuses will be language processing, quantum science, nanotechnology, biometrics, deception detection, counter-biological warfare and tagging, tracking and locating.

The President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board

Covert Board Called Crucial To Presidents, (Washington Times)…Bill Gertz June 16, 2008, Pg. 1

Presidents need to rely on a little-known group of intelligence advisers that since the 1950s has helped guide policies and oversee the U.S. intelligence bureaucracy, according to a report by former intelligence officials.

The book-length report to be released today is an exhaustive historical study of the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board (PFIAB), which was created during the Eisenhower administration and has been used by presidents in different capacities ever since.

The report, "The President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board: Learning Lessons from its Past to Shape Its Future," was written by former intelligence and national security officials Kenneth M. Absher, Michael Desch and Roman Popadiuk.

Afghanistan: Compassionate Americans

U.S. Special Forces aid dying Afghan boy

“We don’t understand Americans. We have yet to understand how compassionate Americans are – how they want to help the Afghan people. When I go back, I’m sure to call my village together and tell them how they are here to help and that we should openly embrace them.”

– Ahmad, the father of a 10-year-old Afghan boy who was diagnosed by coalition doctors as having terminal cancer