National Security – DIME
Guard’s Status Rising With Leader’s Rank, (Washington Post)…Josh White, July 17, 2008 , Pg. 3
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates yesterday made the first nomination for a four-star general to lead the National Guard, a move that should give the reserve force a significant boost in influence inside the Pentagon during an era when the Guard has played a critical role in the nation’s wars abroad.
Rice Hails Corps To Rebuild Nations, (Washington Times)…Nicholas Kralev, July 17, 2008 , Pg. 1
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice inaugurated the U.S. government’s first-ever civilian nation-building team Wednesday in a bid to learn from missteps in Iraq and Afghanistan reconstruction efforts.
The “active” component, called the Civilian Response Corps, is a team of 250 federal employees from several agencies – diplomats, development specialists, public health officials, law enforcement and corrections officers, engineers, economists, lawyers, public administrators, agronomists and others.
Their primary responsibility is to deploy to crisis spots around the world within 48 to 72 hours.
“This is a mission that requires the integration of security, diplomacy and development,”
U.S. Envoy To Join Meeting With Iranian, (New York Times)…Steven Lee Myers, July 16, 2008,
Pg. 9
President Bush has authorized the most significant American diplomatic contact with Iran since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, sending the State Department’s third-ranking official to Geneva for a meeting this weekend on Iran’s nuclear program, administration officials said Tuesday.
Gates Warns Of Militarized Policy, (Washington Post)…Ann Scott Tyson, July 16, 2008, Pg. 6
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates warned yesterday against the risk of a “creeping militarization” of U.S. foreign policy, saying the State Department should lead U.S. engagement with other countries, with the military playing a supporting role.
Gates said in a speech that the government’s civilian institutions, especially those with the tasks of diplomacy and development, had been undermanned and underfunded since the end of the Cold War.
Over the next 20 years, Gates predicted, “the most persistent and potentially dangerous threats will come less from emerging ambitious states, than from failing ones that cannot meet the basic needs — much less the aspirations — of their people.”
Israeli ‘Base’ In Iraq, (New York Post)…Unattributed, July 12, 2008, Pg. 8
Israeli warplanes have been flying over Iraq and landing at US bases there in preparation for an attack on Iran, Israeli media reported yesterday.
Star Wars-Style Laser Technology To Reach Battlefield (London Daily Telegraph)…Thomas Harding, July 15, 2008
…After decades of delay and billions of pounds spent, it will be simple commercial lasers rather than the hugely expensive US Department of Defence technology that could be used to save hundreds of troops’ lives. In just 18 months the American defence firm Raytheon has turned a laser used in the car manufacturing industry into a weapon that can hit incoming rounds at the speed of light, melting the outer casing and detonating the explosive inside.
Laser beam technology is being rushed into service to combat the threat of insurgent missiles and mortars raining down on British and American military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Overstating Our Fears (Washington Post)…Glenn L. Carle, July 13, 2008
Pg. B7
…I spent 23 years in the CIA. I drafted or was involved in many of the government’s most senior assessments of the threats facing our country. I have devoted years to understanding and combating the jihadist threat. We rightly honor as heroes those who serve our nation and offer their lives to protect ours. We all “support the troops.” Yet the first step for any commander is to understand the enemy.
We must not delude ourselves about the nature of the terrorist threat to our country. We must not take fright at the specter our leaders have exaggerated. In fact, we must see jihadists for the small, lethal, disjointed and miserable opponents that they are.
The writer was a member of the CIA’s Clandestine Service for 23 years and retired in March 2007 as deputy national intelligence officer for transnational threats.
An Army That Learns
(Washington Post)…David Ignatius, July 13, 2008; Page B07
The U.S. Army has done something remarkable in its new history of the disastrous first 18 months of the American occupation of Iraq: It has conducted a rigorous self-critique of how bad decisions were made, so that the Army won’t make them again.
The study is blunt about how unprepared the Army was for the postwar challenges: “The DOD and the Army lacked a coherent plan to translate the rapid, narrow-front attack [on Baghdad] . . . into strategic success. Soldiers and commanders at nearly every level did not know what was expected of them once Saddam Hussein was deposed and his military forces destroyed.” The situation in spring 2003 “evoked the aphorism, ‘if you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.’ ”
On Point II testifies to the Army’s strength as a learning organization. (This study covers May 2003 to January 2005. An earlier volume, “On Point,” chronicled the initial assault on Baghdad.)
Politicians repeat, ad nauseam, the maxim that “those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” The U.S. Army is that rare institution in American life that is actually putting this precept into practice.
The Army is just one component of the national security system, Optimizing all elements of national ower requires a new paradigm.
POST: Match and close. Thomas P.M. Barnett on July 11, 2008
ARTICLE: The State Department Confronts the Synergy Crisis, by Austin Bay, Strategy Page, June 24, 2008
Good and interesting sign. The program is basically what Enterra does in Kurdish Iraq, except we go way beyond matchmaking to actual deal closing with our investment centers.
But the underlying logic in each is the same: jobs are the only exit strategy and jobs are a private-sector function.
Referenced article introduces the State Depatment’s Economic Empowerment in Strategic Regions (EESR) with the aim to leverage internet connectivity in support of economic development.
Enterra provides systems and processes (see development-in-a-box) that accelerate development and growth. Similar concept to what Toyota applied to become one of the most successful auto manufactures in the world. Using a sports metaphor, would be similar to applying a proven strategy that would include offensive and defensive playbooks, training plans, etc.
A few extracts from articles providing examples on the use of the diplomatic element of national power to gain support for reducing the inflow of fighters from Pakistan.
U.S. Blames Pakistan As Afghanistan Incursions Rise (Wall Street Journal)…Yochi J. Dreazen. U.S. officials have begun blaming Pakistan for Afghanistan’s increasing violence, an escalation in rhetoric that suggests American patience with Pakistan’s new government is rapidly running out.
More Foreign Militants Operating In Pakistan, Joint Chiefs Boss Says. (San Diego Union-Tribune)…Associated Press. More foreign fighters, including al-Qaeda militants, are operating in Pakistan’s tribal areas than in the past, underscoring the need for Pakistan to crack down on insurgent safe havens, the top U.S. military officer said during a visit to the Afghan capital.
Flow Of Foreign Fighters Into Afghanistan Increasing. (FNC)…Jennifer Griffin. In an interview with Fox News, one of his first since becoming the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan 40 days ago, Gen. David McKiernan described his frustration with the rising violence his troops face emanating from Pakistan.
Success Through Quality's Weblog 