7/19/2020 News & Commentary - National Security

News & commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and published by Duncan Moore.

1. Chinese ambassador struggles to explain Xinjiang footage of blindfolded prisoners

2. U.S. must expose and confront Russia's criminal behavior

3.  I was a military COVID planner. Trust me: Texas is in deep, deep trouble

4. Details on coronavirus infections at U.S. bases not being disclosed to Japanese public

5. US Navy's chief petty officer charged with transmitting email to Russian national

6. Japan's 'shield' against North Korean missiles would not have worked

7. Post-Covid: what next for Asia-Pacific?

8. SAS snipers 'kill 100 Islamic State fighters in secret war after targeting jihadi cave in Iraq'

9. Disinformation about 'antifa' provides fodder for foreign propagandists

10. Pentagon is working to develop detection system for EMP

11. Veterans go to Washington - but so what?

12. The Pentagon is playing its C team with so many top positions left unfilled

13. Christopher Dickey, longtime foreign correspondent, dies at 68

14. A tale of two letters by Eliot A. Cohen

15. The forever war over war literature

16. This Ranger fought in Mogadishu before becoming a country music star

 

1. Chinese ambassador struggles to explain Xinjiang footage of blindfolded prisoners

Axios · by Fadel Allassan · July 19, 2020

Yes, I would not want to be the Chinese Ambassador.

But that is quite an image of the Uighur prisoners. Video of the Chinese Ambassador here.

Good work by the BBC.

 

2. U.S. must expose and confront Russia's criminal behavior

Washington Times · by Joseph R. DeTrani · July 18, 2020

Yes. It should go without saying, but I am glad the Ambassador is saying it.

 

3. I was a military COVID Planner. Trust Me: Texas Is in Deep, Deep Trouble

The Daily Beast · by Kris Alexander · July 19, 2020

Strong words follow. This former military planner provides some important background and considerations. It will be a real tragedy if/when the hurricanes hit Texas (or Florida or the gulf and east coasts).

 

4. Details on coronavirus infections at U.S. bases not being disclosed to Japanese public

The Japan Times · by Internal Submission · July 19, 2020

 

5. US Navy's chief petty officer charged with transmitting email to Russian national

TASS Russian News Agency · by Internal Submission · July 19, 2020

Reporting from TASS based on a report from the Virginian Pilot. I have not seen this yet in the mainstream US media.

 

6. Japan's 'shield' against North Korean missiles would not have worked

Nikkei Asian Review · by Tetsuro Kosaka · July 18, 2020

There is no missile shield. Iron Dome in Israel is the closest thing to an artillery shield there is but I do not believe there is the technical capability to create a shield against North Korean missiles.

"The bomber [missile] will get through." - Bomber Harris.

 

7. Post-Covid: what next for Asia-Pacific?

Asia Times · by Hassan Noor · July 18, 2020

Yes, there will be a new normal in Asia as well.

Some worthy objectives from the author. "That which does not kill me makes me stronger?" I hope so.

 

8. SAS snipers 'kill 100 Islamic State fighters in secret war after targeting jihadi cave in Iraq'

Evening Standard · by Kit Heren · July 19, 2020

Snipers continue to be relevant and effective. We must always invest in and sustain this very low cost capability.

 

9. Disinformation about 'antifa' provides fodder for foreign propagandists

Medium · by @DFRLab · July 17, 2020

This will be panned by those who call antifa a terrorist or insurgent organization. But it would be a mistake not to study the propaganda effects.

 

10. Pentagon is working to develop detection system for EMP

Daily Mail · by Keith Griffith · July 19, 2020

I thought the only way you detect EMP is when you lose your comms and all electronic devices fail. (my sarcasm)

 

11. Veterans go to Washington - but so what?

Asia Times · by Nan Levinson · July 19, 2020

They are not a monolith and there are veterans on both sides of the aisle. And it takes time to develop power and influence. And, of course, the executive makes policy and Congress authorizes and appropriates to support policies.

 

12. The Pentagon is playing its C team with so many top positions left unfilled

Task & Purpose · by Jeff Schogol · July 17, 2020

True – there are a lot of senior positions unfilled. However, there are still a lot of good people working hard and I would hardly call them a C team (though I did once command a damn fine C team - 1-1 SFG HQ in Okinawa, but I digress). I think those in the Pentagon have had to fleet up and fill those roles and many of them are punching above their weight. And I definitely would not consider Chris Miller a lightweight, though we do need some stability in ASD SO/LIC leadership and Chris has already been tapped for the head of NCTC (which, by definition, means he is not a lightweight).

 

13. Christopher Dickey, longtime foreign correspondent, dies at 68

New York Times · by Daniel Victor · July 17, 2020

The Fourth Estate loses one of its great ones.

 

14. A tale of two letters by Eliot A. Cohen

The Atlantic · by Eliot A. Cohen · July 17, 2020

For some Sunday reflection.

 

15. The Forever War over war literature

New Republic · by Matt Gallagher · July 17, 2020

I am sure we have all read these authors over the years: Webb, O'Brien, Del Vecchio, Kovic, Sheehan, and others.

More reflection for a Sunday.

 

16. This Ranger fought in Mogadishu before becoming a country music star

We Are the Mighty · by Miguel Ortiz · July 6, 2020

There is success after the military. :-) And perhaps much of that success comes from being in the military.

 

"All you need are these: certainty of judgment in the present moment; action for the common good in the present moment; and an attitude of gratitude in the present moment for anything that comes your way."

-Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

"We have to face the fact that either all of us are going to die together or we are going to learn to live together and if we are to live together we have to talk."

- Eleanor Roosevelt

"The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew."

- Abraham Lincoln, December 1862