Turns out, Iran’s susceptibility to earthquakes has generated some of the world’s toughest concrete. That helps buildings survive temblors. But it also could blunt the impact of any bunker-busting bombs Israel or the U.S. might …
Nuclear Weapons
“Iran's leaders should know that I do not have a policy of containment; I have a policy to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.”
If Israel Can’t Bomb the Iranian Nuclear Program to a Halt, What About the U.S.?
The New York Times on Monday spelled out just how much of a challenge it would be for Israel to try to derail Iran’s nuclear program using military force. Reports Elizabeth Bumiller:
…an Israeli attack meant to set back Iran’s nuclear program would be a huge and highly complex operation…The possible outlines of an …
President Obama’s Defense Budget Falling Flat on Capitol Hill
Thursday morning, the Defending Defense coalition—The American Enterprise Institute, The Heritage Foundation, and the Foreign Policy Initiative—will host members of Congress discussing the negative consequences of the Obama …
Kimchi Kamikazes
There are reports circulating that the North Koreans have bought some 1970s-era U.S.-designed MQM-107D target drones and is tarting them up into cruise missiles. According to unnamed sources (i.e., South Korean
…
Panetta Believes “Strong Likelihood” Israel Will Strike Iran Soon
The mind games that telegraph any military strike are simmering along and on the verge of a full boil. David Ignatius, columnist for the Washington Post, is reporting that Defense Secretary Leon Panetta believes there is a …
“When we talked about this in the government, the consensus was that [attacking Iran] would guarantee that which we are trying to prevent -- an Iran that will spare nothing to build a nuclear weapon and that would build it in secret.”
Defusing the Iranian Crisis
Attached herewith is an essay written by William R. Polk outlining a strategy for diffusing the Iranian crisis. I am posting it with his permission. He is a former State Department official — and historian and foreign policy …
How to Re-Open the Strait of Hormuz After Iran Shuts It
While the Pentagon is trying to cool down the rhetoric with Tehran (“We seek to lower the temperature on tensions with Iran,” Pentagon spokesman George Little said last week), not everyone has gotten the message, apparently. Perhaps that accounts for the independent Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments’ release Tuesday of …
Girth of a Nation
North Korean television has released a 50-minute video honoring the Sunday birthday of Kim Jong Un, the country’s new leader. U.S. intelligence analysts are poring over it, looking for clues into what new direction, if any, the …
Are Iran’s “Red Lines” Equally Red?
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta was so busy talking about “red lines” over the weekend, you could be forgiven for thinking he was a hockey player — or a racecar driver. Of course, the defense chief’s red lines dealt with Iran – and it’s worth noting, for those of you keeping score at home – that one red line is far more …
Gorbachev On “A New Arms Race”
It is hard now to recall the electricity that surged through Washington, D.C., when Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev first visited late in 1987, and jumped out of his limousine right in front of Time’s Washington bureau. Reported …
Wipe That Smile Off Your Face, Kim Jong Un…
He’s wearing a $3.5 billion grin because of this contract the Pentagon announced New Year’s Eve eve (click on it to enlarge):
But enough real-world woes. May all Battlelanders have a joyous New Year’s celebration…even if many of you tend to focus more on fiscal new years than the calendar variety, and FYDPs instead of …
