The Center for Naval Analysis has assembled a panel of 13 recently retired 3- and 4-star generals and admirals to look at the strategic realities behind our dependence on foreign oil. They’ve now issued a new report with dire warnings
Transparency International, which focuses on issues of corruption and bribery, is out with its latest index of which countries businessmen are most likely to use bribes overseas to garner business. They looked at 28 countries. Least likely to offer bribes?
Next week the UN International Atomic Energy Agency reports on Iran’s nuclear program. Indications are that the report with offer new details about the weapons program. Texas Governor Rick Perry, who is running for the Republican nomination for President, indicated
Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, the former Mayor of Mexico City, has been on a global tour of sorts over the past month. He started in Chicago (the speech is available on video here), went to Washington, D.C. and then headed
Professor Andrew Erickson of the U.S. Naval War College is a top expert in the Chinese space program. Just check out his latest edited volume Chinese Aerospace Power: Evolving Maritime Rules and you will see what I mean. He recently
It’s part of a bigger trend, with US forces set to leave Iraq and Afghanistan. The new Kyrgyz President-elect Almazbek Atambayev now wants a US airbase shut by 2014. The base at Manas is a critical logistics hub for US
Is the European Union about to collapse? It’s too soon to call the coroner. And the realities of the financial crisis may force Europe to hang together rather than hang separately. But the political divisions seem to be growing. Greece
The collapse of MF Global, the brokerage dealer headed by former New Jersey Governor and Goldman exec Jon Corzine, may seem like just another case of Wall Street fat cats paying the price for their speculation (actually, though Corzine may
The Zetas, a violent Mexican drug cartel, have killed and kidnapped hundreds if not thousands in recent years. But when they recently kidnapped one particular individual they apparently made a big mistake. The individual, name not known, is a member
From the Washington Times and the great Bill Gertz: Anna Chapman: part of a larger spy ring The FBI rounded up a network of deep-cover Russian spies last year after the group came close to placing an agent near a
There was an Alternative Futures Symposium recently put on by the Army Capabilities Integration Center (ARCIC) at the Army Training and Doctrine Command in Fort Eustis, Virginia. They didn’t look at the threat posed by a nuclear Iran or Islamist
Harry Crocker (disclosure: a book editor with whom I have worked, and a friend) has a new book out on the British Empire. No, it’s not an attack on our cousins across the pond. It’s a defense of the British
The squeeze is on at the Pentagon. And there are some deep-rooted procurement problems that are going to have to be fixed if we hope to get maximum bang for the buck. Procurement system (the simple version) The simple fact
Will we have the money we need to meet our national security needs? That depends on whether we are willing to raise taxes. That’s the word from Congressman Adam Smith (D-Washington) who sits on the House Armed Services Committee. He
Canadian Senator Nicole Eaton has moved for a nation to undergo a national “emblem makeover.” “It is high time that the beaver step aside as a Canadian emblem or, at the least, share the honor with the stately polar bear,”
European leaders announced yesterday their plan to stabilize the Euro and avoid a potential debt crisis. Reportedly they received a helping hand from China. Pure benevolence, right? A straight business transaction, yes? Well, they do want to make money. China
We need to cut this much… James Clapper, Director of National Intelligence, reported earlier this month that the Obama deficit-reduction plan “calls for cuts in the double-digit range–with a B–over 10 years.” Congressman Mike Rogers, R-Michigan, responded today during the
European leaders hammered together an early morning deal to free Greece of half of its debts. And they agreed to a new requirement that European banks increase their core capital ratios to 9%. The hope is that it will add
From Germany’s English-language paper The Local: “The total number of military personnel will be reduced from more than 200,000 to 185,000, of which between 5,000 and 15,000 will be short-term voluntary recruits. Civilian staff numbers will be slashed from 76,000
The always interesting to read Jacob Heilbrunn has an interesting perspective on the financial collapse of Greece: it might be a good thing for America. He makes two interesting points. I will let him explain it: “Is there a silver
We owe these informants a lot. The Obama needs to move heaven and earth to protect them. From the New York Times: WASHINGTON — Pakistan’s top military spy agency has arrested some of the Pakistani informants who fed information to
How are you spending your summer vacation? From the UK’s Daily Mail: Some may have thought we would never discover the Titanic, but this is an even more ambitious search. Treasure-hunter Bill Warren, of California, is reportedly launching an underwater
Sounding like a board member for Greenpeace, Iran’s nuclear-war threatening President explained at a meeting of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) that all environmental problems are caused by capitalism. “The main factor behind the destruction of the environment is the
In Moscow officials are looking to deploy public toilets that can, well, withstand a bomb blast. (After all, no one wants their last minutes on earth to be, well…) The new system will also automatically alert Emergency Services if the
The Army Times reports on this inter-service squabble: “The Army in coming weeks will select its top camouflage contenders to cover your next combat uniform. A leading choice is the Marine Corps’ MARPAT. But although the outgoing top enlisted Marine
Obama says that we need to give our missile technology secrets to the Kremlin in the name of “stability.” And he obviously feels it very strongly. In fact, as former Clinton CIA Director James Woolsey points out in Foreign Policy,
There’s a troubling new report out by Barry Watts that is a must read for anyone interested in America’s military security. Watts, who formerly served as a member of the Pentagon’s Office of Net Assessment, is not an alarmist–but his
Foreign Policy writer and blogger Josh Rogin was respectful but direct in challenging the rosy scenario that the United States and China have been trying to create concerning the U.S.-Chinese strategic dance in the Pacific. The scene was the International
Our men were courageous and our leaders strong. Here is General Eisenhower’s speech on D-Day for the landing at Normandy. [youtube WEyCjN9riiY nolink]
In the wake of the successful mission to kill Osama Bin Laden relations with Pakistan are strained. The U.S. is expecting that Pakistan is going to sharply reduce the number of U.S. military trainers allowed in their country. Intelligence sharing
