BattlelandSyria
Not So Syria-ess?
Amid all the reporting on the horrors happening inside Syria, former Defense Intelligence Agency analyst John McCreary has been taking a contrary view on his NightWatch blog. His analysis shows, he believes, that the violence is isolated and that a lack of any apparent threat in Damascus, the capital, means Syrian leader Bashar …
$72.8 million
BattlelandForeign Policy
NoKo & Syria: Family Businesses
Kim Jong-un, North Korea’s new leader, sent greetings Thursday to strongman Bashar al-Assad on the 49th anniversary of his family’s dictatorial rule of Syria:
Please accept my warm congratulations to you, the Baath Arab Socialist Party and the friendly government and people of Syria on the occasion of the 49th anniversary of
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BattlelandMilitary Mental Health
Army Suicide: Tip of the Service’s “Mental Health Iceberg”
Nearly half of the Army’s suicides may have been caused by the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, a new Army assessment of the problem says. Tracing the roots of suicide is always an inexact science, but the authors conclude:
Rates
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BattlelandMilitary
Fighting Words, Then and Now
There has been a flurry of red flags and cautions from senior Pentagon officials against the U.S. launching any military action against Syria. Given that we spear-headed a similar effort against Libya a year ago this month, …
BattlelandMilitary History
Books Report: War Memoirs From the Bush Administration
Once government officials leave the stage, they often write memoirs in hopes of shaping how history will remember their tenure. Over at Small Wars Journal, Caleb S. Cage, a veteran of the Iraq war, helpfully reviews the recent books by George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Condoleezza Rice and Donald Rumsfeld.
The 2002 West Point graduate …
BattlelandMilitary
Defining The Threat Down
Daniel Patrick Moynihan triggered some controversy a generation ago when he noted the nation was “defining deviancy down” and that destructive habits that the public would have denounced at one time had become commonplace and accepted.
The late senator came to mind earlier this week over breakfast with Air Force General …
Not Done With Mirrors
BattlelandCongress
“Ally, May I?”
Nothing raises lawmakers’ hackles like Pentagon officials saying they need international support before going to war, as Chris Lawrence explains over at CNN’s Security Clearance blog.
Their gripes would have more grip if they stepped up to the plate and declared war when the nation sends its troops into harm’s way, instead of …
BattlelandSyria
War Talk Is Cheap
Two of the most virulently anti-U.S. regimes in the world – Iran and Syria – are painting bulls-eyes on their backs by their deeds. But the Obama Administration is seeking non-military solutions in both cases. It’s driving …
BattlelandWeapons
Drones Flying In Really Close Formation
It has always been amazing to hang out at the rear of an Air Force refueling tanker as the boom extends to provide fuel to thirsty jet fighters below. Flying at hundreds of knots in close formation is a delicate, and dangerous, …
BattlelandSnafus
“Keep Your Hands Off That Dial!”
Remember Mom or Dad telling you not to fiddle with the car radio while driving? They didn’t want you running off the road.
It can get far more serious when you’re flying an Air Force fighter and you’re distracted …
