Category: National Security

National Security – DIME

Cost of War … two sides of the issue

EDITORIAL: The Price Of War? Obscuring the debate with fuzzy math.
(Washington Times)…Chris Duquette, May 9, 2008, pg. 21

Editorial provided a counter argument to economist Joseph Stiglitz, author of the book: “The Three-Trillion Dollar War”, that the war is the cause of our recession, contributed to the increase in the cost of war, and added to our national debt.

Editorial provides more facts on the debate: Rise in oil prices can be attributed to global demand and the weakening dollar. We are not in a recession as defined as two straight quarters of negative economic growth , and regarding debt, relative to an annual U.S. GDP of $14 trillion, the war is not unaffordable.

Food and Security

ARTICLE: Mullen Directs DOD To Assess Security Impacts Of Global Food Crisis, Inside The Pentagon…Jason Sherman, May 8, 2008, pg.1

The Pentagon’s top officer has directed his staff to size up the national security implications of what many experts believe is a global food crisis, the latest development in a wider push by Defense Department planners to increasingly factor non-military dynamics with the potential to disrupt international order into contingency plans.

Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, last week directed the Joint Staff to examine whether the recent spike in the prices of food staples like wheat, corn, soy and rice, which some food aid experts warn could trigger unrest around the world, presents a challenge the Pentagon should consider, according to military sources.

Reinforces the importance of systems or strategic thinking, e.g., changes in one area can contribute to effects on others.

Wild Cards – National Power

ARTICLE: Where The Wild Cards Are (Washington Post)…David Ignatius, May 8, 2008
Pg. 23

The potentially transforming events in the 2008 campaign are matters of war and peace. Both may be in play between now and November, in ways that add extra volatility to the presidential race. Let’s start with war: The United States is already fighting two of them, in Iraq and Afghanistan. But judging from recent statements by administration officials, there is also a small, but growing, chance of conflict with Iran.

The 2008 campaign has been so mesmerizing that it’s easy to forget what’s going on out in the real world that could disrupt, once again, the certitudes of the pollsters and strategists. The campaign in recent weeks has focused on pocketbook issues because of worries about a deep recession. But as these economic anxieties fade a bit, we are likely to return to the ground zero of the Middle East, and to the themes of war and peace that will be interwoven through the remainder of this campaign.

Smart Power

ARTICLE: Admiral: War Zones Need More Than Military, By Jim Warren, Lexington (KY) Herald Leader, May 3, 2008

The Middle East and Central Asia — particularly Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan — will remain a problem spot well into the future, but military power alone won’t be enough to bring peace and stability to the region, President Bush’s chief military adviser said at the University of Kentucky on Friday night.

Instead, Adm. Michael Mullen said, a variety of international partnerships will be needed, plus sending more American experts to teach the region’s troubled countries such things as how to build strong police forces and create economically viable systems of agriculture and business.

Dalai Lama vs China

ARTICLE: Dalai Lama Envoys Ready For Talks
(Atlanta Journal-Constitution)…Unattributed, May 3, 2008

The Dalai Lama’s envoys headed for China to hold the first talks with Chinese officials since violent protests erupted in Tibet. China has faced more calls to negotiate with Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, and many believe it agreed to the talks in a bid to ease the pressure ahead of the Beijing Olympics.

The Dalai Llama provides one of the world’s better examples of promoting the Diplomatic element of power to resolve challenging issues. Tibet aims to obtain autonomy; China considers autonomy synonymous with independence that they fiercely oppose.

War Analysts – Retired Military Officers

 

ARTICLE: House Calls For Probe Of War Analysts, Associated Press, Tampa Tribune
May 3, 2008

WASHINGTON – Forty-one House members are calling on the Defense Department inspector general to investigate a public relations effort that relied on retired military officers to defend the administration’s Iraq war policies.

“When the Department of Defense misleads the American people by having them believe that they are listening to the views of objective military analysts when, in fact, these individuals are simply replaying DoD talking points, the department is clearly betraying the public trust,” the lawmakers wrote in a joint letter to Defense Department Inspector General Claude M. Kicklighter on Friday.

Retired officers who acted as military analysts for major news outlets were given plum access to the Pentagon, with regular briefings by then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and a sponsored trip to the Guantanamo Bay military prison in Cuba.

Happy 100th Birthday – Army Reserve

Army Reserve’s Centennial Birthday – April 23rd

Today is the 100th anniversary of the United States Army Reserve, which began modestly when Congress created the now little-known Medical Reserve Corps. Composed in 1908 of just 160 civilian physicians, this small corps quickly proved a powerful concept: that a reserve force of volunteers that brings its civilian skills onto the battlefield and helps secure the peace afterward, is one of the most dynamic tools in America’s arsenal.

The 21st century Army Reserve provides half of the Army’s combat support, a quarter of its mobilization expansion capability, and much of the Army’s high-skill personnel. Army Reserve Soldiers have played a vital role in every American military and humanitarian mission of the past 100 years. Indeed, our present day military operations could not be successful without their expertise in combat, and within medical, transportation, civil affairs and other units composed primarily of Reserve Soldiers.

At the bedrock of the Army Reserve is a mutually beneficial partnership with the American people. Citizens, Families and employers – our communities- come together to bear the burden of service and sacrifice. For many Americans, military service is thought of as an “over there” proposition, somehow removed from the daily rhythms of life. In truth, Army Reserve Soldiers are an integral part of nearly every community and profession in America. We need not look further than our own local hospitals and fire departments to find those who are dedicated to protecting our freedoms, both here and abroad.

Just as those first 160 physicians volunteered to meet the needs of 1908, today’s Army Reserve Soldier is a skilled civilian who chooses to serve in times of conflict and need. It’s a simple concept based upon patriotism and commitment to country that with the continued support of this nation, and especially our Families and employers, will ensure the Army Reserve is ready for the next 100 years.

Iraq — Another View

ARTICLE: The Iraq They Won’t Talk About,
by Amir Taheri, New York Post, April 23, 2008

BOTH opponents and supporters of the war in Iraq seem reluctant to raise the issue of what’s going on there now as an issue in the presidential race.

Opponents, of course, can’t deny that things are better than a year ago – and may fear that this could persuade voters that President Bush was right after all.

If war opponents always shift the focus back to the past, war supporters look to a putative future – countering their foes’ jeremiads with some of their own.

THE only useful debate about Iraq would focus on what is happening now – not what happened five years ago or what might happen five years from now.

It is what is happening now that makes new Iraq worth fighting for – not only for the Americans but also for all who dream of a free, pluralist, prosperous Middle East.

Iraq has bled, but remained unbowed. Iraq has resisted al Qaeda and the Iranian terror machine. Iraqis are learning to build a new society based on pluralism and are discovering the values that, in time, helped develop the Western democracies.

Despite all its sufferings, or perhaps because of them, Iraq has not succumbed to the forces of darkness, partly thanks to continued US support. That good news merits being part of the presidential debate.