The White House has announced that Army Staff Sergeant Leroy A. Petry is the second living post-9/11 Medal of Honor recipient (seven others have been awarded posthumously). President Obama is slated to bestow the light-blue-beribboned medal — the nation’s highest — at the White House on July 12. Petry earned the honor for what …
AfPak: Simply Swapping Sanctuaries
The U.S. military has long complained that Taliban and al Qaeda forces have sanctuary inside Pakistan along the Afghan border, and can launch attacks on U.S. troops in Afghanistan and then scoot safely back into Pakistan. So it seems only fair to note, as Long Wars Journal does Wednesday, that al Qaeda and Taliban forces have begun …
Sometimes Tough Telling Friend-from-Foe In Current U.S. Wars
The Pentagon has long had troubles developing an IFF system — a sophisticated electronics box aboard an aircraft that tells the pilot if the blip on her heads-up display represents a friend or foe many miles away (IFF stands for identification friend or foe). Now it seems to be having the same challenge in the wars it’s …
According to new Pentagon cyber strategy, state-of-war conditions now exist between the US and China
China has been pre-approved for kinetic war strikes from the United States at any time. Let me explain how.
First off, what the strategy says (according to the same WSJ front-page article Mark cited yesterday):
The Pentagon has concluded that computer sabotage coming from another country can constitute an act of war, a finding
…
KSM Faces Charges for 9-11, Again
The Pentagon announced today that the military has sworn charges — again — against Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four others for their involvement in the 9-11 attacks. The Obama administration had to backtrack and use military tribunals at Guantanamo for KSM after Congress freaked out when the Justice Department moved to press charges …
ACLU Goes After Secret Patriot Act Interpretation
Last week I posted on two Senate Democrats, Ron Wyden of Oregon and Mark Udall of Colorado, expressing concern that the government was abusing a section of the Patriot Act that allows the broad collection of records on Americans so long as the records are collected “for an investigation to protect against international …
The Decision to Serve
This Memorial Day weekend, I took time to reflect on my service. It’s an understatement to say times are difficult for America’s troops. Still, I can’t help but consider myself truly lucky to have the honor to serve in the United States military. I wouldn’t trade it for a thing.
I remember standing at the waters …
Droning Onward and Upward
When charts like the one above surface inside the Pentagon, they’re generally some action officer’s guesstimate about how much her program’s top-line budget is going to grow in the out years (also known as the FYDP [pronounced fidd-IP], for future years defense program) Or, as we call it: the future.
But this chart is different. …
Troops and Vets Give Obama Lower Job-Approval Ratings Than The Rest of Us
The military is supposed to be apolitical, and serving officers generally take that seriously. As Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, put it in an oft-quote 2008 article: “The U.S. military must remain apolitical at all times and in all ways. It is and must always be a neutral instrument of the state, no …
The Post Might be Right About the Cost of War that Matters Most
The top story in the Washington Post today alleges that a major factor in the White House debate about the size of upcoming troop withdrawals from Afghanistan will be the financial cost. In fact, the Post piece says it will be the “most influential number” in that discussion. Here is the basic thrust:
The U.S. military is on track to
…
Afghanistan: Bombs Away
Once again, Afghan President Hamid Karzai warned Tuesday against air attacks that kill innocent civilians. If they continue, “we will be forced to take unilateral action in this regard,” he said in Kabul three days after a NATO air strike killed nine civilians, most of them women and children, in southern Helmand Province.
This is …
Cyberwishful Thinking
Fascinating article in this morning’s Wall Street Journal on how the Pentagon has concluded it can defend against, or respond to, cyber attacks with bombs. Fascinating, and typical (Kinetic rules!). Only three problems with it: the Pentagon doesn’t make these kinds of decisions, finding the perpetrator can be next to impossible, and …
The Army Is Running The Show
President Obama doubled down on the Army Monday, picking an Army general as chairman of the Joint Chiefs — after picking another one to run the CIA, and a third — a one-time low-level Army lawyer — to run the Pentagon. There may be lots of red, white and blue around the capital today, but it felt more like red, white and Army …
