Author: Tim J. Clark

U.S. Institute of Peace: Preventing War

At Peace Institute Groundbreaking, War Dominates The Proceedings, (Washington Post)…Michael Abramowitz, June 6, 2008, Pg. 7

President Bush, whose administration has been dominated by wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the global battle against terrorism, helped break ground yesterday on a $185 million facility for the U.S. Institute of Peace — a government-funded think tank with the mission of preventing conflict and helping promote postwar stability operations.

Preventing conflict requires the optimal application of  “Smart” power by “Quality Leaders”  who lead their respective stakeholders to reduce variation.  The variation paradigm was developed in 1924 and may take another 28 years before it is commonly applied.

“In the final analysis, any contemplation of war must return to  the nature of humanity, which yet stands as the root cause of war and the wellspring of History’s inestimable tragedy.  Throughout time, governments, like wars, have both flowed from and reflected human nature in both positive and negative manifestation. If we are to overcome the massive violence that has typified modern civilization for five centuries, our ultimate challenge is nothing more or less than transforming the image we see in the mirror. That, however, is a task that lends itself to no purely political solution.”  — Bruce Porter, War and the Rise of The State.

Air Force: Change in Leadership

ARTICLE: Gates Ousts Top Leaders Of Air Force After Gaffes. (Wall Street Journal)…Yochi J. Dreazen June 6, 2008, Pg. 1

…Beyond the gaffes, the firings are the culmination of a broader dispute between Mr. Gates and the Air Force’s leadership over the service’s strategic direction.

The forced resignations mark an attempt by Mr. Gates to use his remaining time in office to shake up the service, which he believes has failed to adapt to wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Senior Pentagon officials said the move marked the first time a defense secretary had simultaneously fired the two top leaders of a service like the Air Force. They said Mr. Gates and Adm. Michael Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, felt the recent mistakes merited severe penalties.

The immediate trigger for the resignations of Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne and Gen. Michael Moseley, its chief of staff, was the March disclosure that the Air Force had accidentally sent four ballistic-missile fuses to Taiwan 18 months earlier, a discovery that infuriated Chinese officials.

Army and National Preparedness

Ready Army, Stand-To, June 5, 2008.

We live in an era of persistent conflict where global terrorism and extremist ideologies threaten our safety and freedom. The increased risk of nuclear, biological and chemical attacks and the threat of natural crises such as pandemic influenza, hurricanes (June is Hurricane Preparedness Month) and flash floods demonstrate the need for our Army community to be prepared for any emergency. 

… Collectively, comprehensive emergency preparedness efforts enhance the strength and resilience of our all-volunteer force and support installation and force readiness.

Ready Army will launch Army-wide in September to coincide with the Department of Homeland Security’s national preparedness campaign.

One of the outcomes from the Sept 11, 2001 attacks has been an increased awareness among the general public on this “era of persisitent conflict” — something perhaps unimaginable prior to 911.

Iraq: Looking back and forward

Why We Went To Iraq (Wall Street Journal)…Fouad Ajami, June 4, 2008, Pg. 21

“In the end, how we leave and what we leave behind will be more important than how we came.”

America had not been prepared for nation-building in Iraq; 

… As America’s pact with the Arab autocrats had hatched a monster, it was logical and prudent to look for a new way.

… It is not easy to tell people of threats and dangers they have been spared. The war put on notice regimes and conspirators who had harbored dark thoughts about America and who, in the course of the 1990s, were led to believe that terrible deeds against America would go unpunished. A different lesson was taught in Iraq.

… Nowadays, the burden of the war, in blood and treasure, is easy to see, while the gains, subtle and real, are harder to demonstrate. Last month, American casualties in Iraq were at their lowest since 2003. The Sunnis also have broken with al Qaeda, and the Shiite-led government has taken the war to the Mahdi Army:

Remotely Piloted Craft

U.S. Pushes To Rely More On Remotely Piloted Craft (New York Times)…Thom Shanker, June 5, 2008

…The push to increase missions by the Predator, and its larger and more deadly variant, the Reaper, has been an issue of serious contention between Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and the armed services, in particular the Air Force.

Navy Sees Future With Drones For Spying But Not Fighting(Washingtonpost.com)…Sebastian Abbot, Associated Press

The Navy lags well behind the Air Force in the development of armed drones — the unmanned aircraft now used increasingly in Iraq and Afghanistan — insisting that its “Top Gun” fighter pilots are still smarter, better and more flexible in combat. But the contrasting visions for the next generation of America’s air arsenal point to wider debates within the military about the pace of incorporating remote-control technology into future battle strategies.

China: The Long View

Reticent Reconciliation (Washington Times)…Chris O’Brien, June 5, 2008, Pg. B1

…In Honolulu, Cmdr. Jeffrey Breslau, chief spokesman for the Pacific Command, told The Washington Times that the command “is taking a long view” of China-Taiwan relations. Translation: “We are trying to get across the point that increased tensions don’t benefit anybody,” said one U.S. officer, who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue.

DoD: Cost overruns – CPI

 Senator Warns Of A ‘Crisis’ In Pentagon Cost Overruns(New York Times)…Charlie Savage

The chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday declared that cost overruns for Defense Department weapons had “reached crisis proportions,” after government auditors reported that the projected final cost of the Pentagon’s major programs had ballooned $295 billion over initial budget estimates.

Czar Pitched To Rein In Pentagon. (Washington Times)…Rowan Scarborough

The Pentagon is so awash in cost-bloated weapon systems that it now needs a pricing czar to double-check estimates that have missed the mark by a staggering $295 billion in just the past several years.

DoD issued guidance on their Continuous Process Improvement (CPI) Transformation Initiative in May 2006. Gordon England, Deputy Secreatary of Defense reinforced the expectation that

…”every DoD organization is focused every day on improving the effectiveness of our support for the Warfighter.”

Cost overruns on systems nothing new.  

S. Korea: In the news …

Combined a few snippets on current event in Korea.

New USFK Chief Tours DMZ. (Korea Herald)…Kim Ji-hyun June 5, 2008. 

Gen. Walter L. Sharp, the new commander of the United States Forces Korea, yesterday toured key military points, including the Joint Security Area and Panmunjeom in the Demilitarized Zone. The new commander will also be heading the United Nations Command and the Combined Forces Command. The change of the command is viewed as significant in the alliance between South Korea and the United States, as Sharp has operational control over Seoul’s 600,000-strong military during times of war. This control, however, will be transferred to Seoul in April 2012.

Gates Approves Of 3-Year Tours For U.S. Troops In South Korea. (New York Times)

…Eric Schmitt. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said Tuesday that he supported extending the tours of thousands of troops stationed here to three years and allowing their spouses and children to live with them during their assignments.

Military Alliance With U.S. Boosted. (Washington Times).

..Jong-Heon Lee, United Press International. The defense chiefs of South Korea and the United States agreed Tuesday to bolster their alliance, which has been tested over fierce protests here against U.S. beef imports and a revival of anti-American sentiment.

N. Korea – Syria and Proliferation

Talks Are Best Approach To N. Korea, Gates Says, (Los Angeles Times)…Peter Spiegel

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said Tuesday that despite intelligence allegedly showing that North Korea aided Syria in developing a nuclear facility, the United States would continue six-party talks with the communist regime over its nuclear program.

North Korea Has Confined Nuclear Help, Gates Says. (Wall Street Journal)…Yochi J. Dreazen

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the U.S. had no evidence that North Korea was helping countries other than Syria develop nuclear capabilities, playing down a longstanding concern about Pyongyang.