Privateers, strictly speaking, are private individuals who have been granted the power by a government to attack enemy ships in the government’s name. Privateering was a key part of naval warfare from the 16th to 19th centuries. But a pair of Congressional Research Service reports, released Friday by the invaluable Steven Aftergood of …
Politics
Dempsey To Be Tapped As New Chairman of Joint Chiefs
Well, that was fast. A couple of days ago, Marine General James “Hoss” Cartwright was reported to be a shoe-in to become the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs. Meanwhile, Army General Marty Dempsey was still finding his way around his new office as that service’s chief of staff (he’s only been there a little over a month).
But …
Fight to Be Next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gets Nasty
As the unflappable Adm. Mike Mullen prepares to sail into the sunset of retirement from his current post as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, squalls have kicked up about who will succeed him. Early-front runner, Marine General James “Hoss” Cartwright, has been bucked off the list. Reported to be President Obama’s favorite …
The TV-Terrorism-Lawmaker Industrial Complex
OK…so the House Homeland Security Committee is holding a hearing Wednesday morning on “Threats to the American Homeland after Killing Bin Laden: An Assessment.” The list of those testifying includes Peter Bergen, identified in the witness list as a “CNN terrorism analyst;” Evan F. Kohlmann, ID’d as an “MSNBC terrorism analyst;” and …
We’re Gonna Miss This Guy…
Defense Secretary Robert Gates sometimes seems the only adult in Washington, especially when compared to Congress (a.k.a. Romper Room). He offered up what he described as his “last major policy speech in Washington” on Tuesday at the American Enterprise Institute, that neo-con nest behind Washington’s famous Mayflower Hotel.
In …
The Nuclear Hitch
Christopher Hitchens isn’t an arms-control expert (thank God), but he is a damn fine writer, master polemicist and certifiable Big Thinker. He’s come up with his own nuclear non-proliferation regime over on Slate. Bottom line:
The possession of illegally acquired nuclear weapons remains a huge threat and burden to neighboring states
…
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”: A Gay Officer Witnesses Its End
What a fascinating time to be a gay man in the U.S. military. This time last year, I was sure the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) policy was here to stay for the next 2 to 3 years. I never thought by now I’d be in a unit where almost everyone has received post-repeal training. While not entirely satisfied with the training …
Loose Lips
When I read through the Washington Post yesterday, I stumbled across this Greg Jaffe article highlighting an odd bit of irony that just might get people killed. Jaffe’s article (which you really should read) notes that SecDef Gates and JCS Chief Mullen are trying to get the rest of the world to refrain from discussing facts, and from …
Them’s Fightin’ Words
Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Wednesday, explaining how the Pentagon plans to help cut $400 billion in spending over the coming 12 years by curtailing dubious missions:
“They represent missions that the department carries out today that, while of value, are not central to our core mission or are of lower …
The USNS Cesar Chavez: The Navy’s Name Game, Cont.
UPDATE: It’s official: Navy has just announced ship to be named for Cesar Chavez.
So which of these heroes should we honor by naming a Navy ship after him? One’s a Pearl Harbor Medal of Honor winner. The second gave his life in Iraq so that his fellow Marines would live. And the third brought respect to the migrant …
Veteran U.S. Diplomat: We Are Becoming the USSR
Chas Freeman was President Nixon’s interpreter during Nixon’s historic visit to China in 1972. Now, nearly 40 years later, after an impressive diplomatic and defense career, he’s interpreting China for the rest of us.
Last week he said:
The balance of prestige, if not yet the balance of power, between the United States and China
…
Vulcan Revisionism
The Vulcans were the foreign-policy realists of the George W. Bush Administration. Their presence on his campaign team before his 2000 election as President blunted suggestions that the Texas governor lacked sufficient overseas chops. But now one of those Vulcans has come forward to shed some light on the goings-on inside their …
John Kerry, Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee – and Secretary of State-in-Waiting
John Kerry, the Massachusetts Democrat, has long had a hankering to serve as the nation’s top diplomat. Over the past weekend, he was on a whirlwind tour of the AfPak theater, where his words garnered headlines usually accorded the secretary of state:
Afghanistan May Be Open To New Path, Kerry Says, according to Sunday’s New York …