Author: Tim J. Clark

Iran with nukes – then what?

OPINION: What will America do when Iran has nuclear weapons? by Thomas Barnett, knoxnews.com, May 18, 2008.

Hillary Clinton promises she’d “obliterate” Iran if it used nuclear weapons against Israel, suggesting that, as president, she’d return the “favor” — in spades. Putting aside campaign rhetoric, the senator raises an excellent point: What will America do when Iran gets nuclear weapons? Many national security experts still think Washington can stop Tehran’s reach for the bomb. I am not one of them. Iran has already achieved a sloppy, asymmetrical form of nuclear deterrence, meaning we can’t stop it from “getting nuclear” unless we “go nuclear” pre-emptively, something we won’t do.

U.S. and Libyan Cooperation

Libya, Pentagon On Verge Of Signing Military Cooperation Pact
(Inside The Pentagon)…Fawzia Sheikh, May 15, 2008

The United States is close to signing a memorandum of understanding with the Libyan government that will open the doors to formal military engagement following years of strained relations, according to a senior military official in the Joint Staff.

A success story on the application of Smart power.

The Five Greatest Strategic Threats

Threats to America, Washington Times, May 16, 2008
By Bill Gertz

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich warned in a major speech yesterday that the United States is facing the danger of defeat today similar to Britain in the early days of World War II.

U.S. military, economic and intellectual power is eroding as threats are growing and both Republican and Democrat leaders are deficient, Mr. Gingrich said.

The five “greatest strategic threats” to the country, he said, are China’s rise, a resurgent autocratic Russia, radical Islam, rogue regimes seeking weapons of mass murder, and the growth of an anti-democratic system led by a “bureaucratic international elite.”

The U.S. needs a grand strategy to confront and outmatch all five threats, but noted that “current American efforts are too small, too unimaginative, and too timid.”

“Faced with these large, systemic challenges, the current generation of leaders in both parties are refusing to deal with the scale and the urgency required for continued American prosperity, safety, and freedom,” 

Newt Gingrich is chairman of American Solutions which is defined as
a unique non-partisan organization designed to rise above traditional gridlocked partisanship, to provide real, significant solutions to the most important issues facing our country.

Might want to check out Tom Barnett’s Weblog. Barnett has developed one of the better concepts regarding a U.S. grand strategy.

Could not agree more that systemic, bi-partisan solutions are needed — strategies that are at the heart of  Quality Leadership. .

Air Force Synthetic Fuels – Challenges

Air Force To Perform First Supersonic Flight Using Synthetic Fuel Blend, By Katherine McIntire Peters, GovExec.com, March 18, 2008

A key hurdle for the Air Force and other potential users of synthetic fuel is likely to be the production process itself, which now generates more greenhouse gases than conventional petroleum refining.

The 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act, which President Bush signed into law last December, prohibits federal agencies from purchasing alternative fuels that generate more greenhouse gases over the course of their lifecycle than conventional petroleum fuels. Some House lawmakers now want to overturn the provision, contained in section 526, because it could limit Defense Department fuel purchases in the future.

North Korea and the 900lb Gorilla

China Planning To Secure North Korea’s Nuclear Arsenal: Report
(Yahoo.com)…P. Parameswaran, Agence France-Presse, January 8, 2008

China has contingency plans to dispatch troops into North Korea and secure nuclear weapons in the event of instability in the hardline communist state, according to US experts who have talked to Chinese military researchers.

The report, Keeping An Eye On An Unruly Neighbor, was compiled by experts from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Asia Foundation and the US Institute of Peace following their visit to China in June last year.

My previous posting identify the trends on the current challenges regarding the negotiations between the U.S. and North Korea as part of the Six Party Talks.  I wanted to include references to a little background information on China’s interest and role in regional stability.  China is the proverbial 900lb gorilla.

Air Force and DARPA — Energy independence?

Air Force Certifies B-52H Bomber Fleet To Use Synthetic Fuels, Inside The Air Force, — John Liang, August 10, 2007, Pg. 4

Alternative energy and conservation efforts undertaken by the Air Force could have a major impact on the renewable and sustainability marketplace because the military is a major purchaser of energy technology and fuels. Moreover, the efforts could reshape national priorities about reducing reliance on foreign energy supplies as a matter of national security.

Wynne said his service, with the help of DARPA, had developed a process to qualify alternative fuels in its aircraft fleet.

I was looking for some good news regarding the potential for alternative energy sources.   Air Force is the largest consumer of oil in the federal government and the Secretary of the Air Force has emphasized the need for clean alternatives to petroleum-based fuels.

Iran does not win a Nuke War

ARTICLE: Israel Wins ‘Nuke War’ , Could destroy Iran: study, New York Post. December 25, 2007, By Andy Soltis

A doomsday war between nuclear-armed adversaries Iran and Israel would kill up to 28 million Iranians and destroy their nation, but the Jewish state might survive, according to a prestigious US think tank.

That would limit Israel’s deaths to as “few” as 200,000 – while its much more numerous and more powerful nukes would obliterate Iran, said the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Current media coverage on the topics of a potential conflict with Iran reminded me of the story on the results of a nuclear exchange between Israel and Iran.