In the two weeks since beta testing began, social networking has become a major focus of U.S. Forces – Afghanistan's communication efforts -- rapidly delivering an unfiltered view of the war from troops on the ground, and opening a two-way dialogue with people around the world interested in the Afghanistan mission.
U.S. Forces – Afghanistan Announces Social Networking Initiative - U.S. Forces Afghanistan Courtesy Story, posted at Digital Video & Imagery DistributionSystems: KABUL, Afghanistan – The command overseeing U.S. operations in Afghanistan announced June 1 the official launch of its social networking strategy with pages on three online sites, marking the first-ever effort by the military in Afghanistan to engage non-traditional audiences directly with news, videos, pictures and other information from Operation Enduring Freedom.
In the two weeks since beta testing began, social networking has become a major focus of U.S. Forces – Afghanistan's communication efforts -- rapidly delivering an unfiltered view of the war from troops on the ground, and opening a two-way dialogue with people around the world interested in the Afghanistan mission.
In the two weeks since beta testing began, social networking has become a major focus of U.S. Forces – Afghanistan's communication efforts -- rapidly delivering an unfiltered view of the war from troops on the ground, and opening a two-way dialogue with people around the world interested in the Afghanistan mission.
Somewhere in Afghanistan, a Man Is Smiling – Carlos Lozada, Washington Post: Approximately a fourth of the respondents of an unusual survey -- published by Carol Graham and Soumya Chattopadhyay of the Brookings Institution, titled "Well-Being and Public Attitudes in Afghanistan: Some Insights from the Economics of Happiness" -- hailed from provinces with relatively higher Taliban presence than the others surveyed, and those respondents generally showed higher levels of happiness -- a finding that any U.S. or NATO effort to sway the Afghan population against the Taliban would have to confront.
Exclusive: US Embassy Is Helping Recruit Pakistan Government Spies – Pakistan Daily: The U.S. and Indians have already started spending huge amounts of money to buy Pakistani opinion makers.
The main concern of the Americans and the Indians at this stage is to carry out propaganda against Pakistan and especially against its armed forces. This is a new tactic that has been introduced to get influential Pakistani civilian officials onboard to supplement CIA and RAW psy-ops and disinformation campaign. This is very disturbing.
The main concern of the Americans and the Indians at this stage is to carry out propaganda against Pakistan and especially against its armed forces. This is a new tactic that has been introduced to get influential Pakistani civilian officials onboard to supplement CIA and RAW psy-ops and disinformation campaign. This is very disturbing.
Poll: Most oppose closing Gitmo – Susan Page, USA TODAY:
Americans are overwhelmingly opposed to closing the detention center for suspected terrorists at Guantanamo Bay and moving some of the detainees to prisons on U.S. soil, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds.
Americans are overwhelmingly opposed to closing the detention center for suspected terrorists at Guantanamo Bay and moving some of the detainees to prisons on U.S. soil, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds.
COMMENTARIES, OPINIONS, AND EDITORIALS
What Muslim World? -- Foreign Policy
The Speech Obama Should Give -- Robert Spencer, American Thinker
Obama on His Cairo Speech -- Thomas Friedman, New York Times
President Obama's Middle East Test -- Michael Gerson, Washington Post
Will Obama Apologize to Muslim World? -- Christopher Dickey, Newsweek
Arab World Skeptical About Obama Overture -- Bernhard Zand, Der Spiegel
Taliban on VOA -- The American Thinker
North Korea, Iran Nukes: The Growing Threat -- Mark Penn, Politico
Shadow Boxing in Pyongyang: Why All the Threats? We'd Best Ask China. -- Anne Applebaum, Washington Post
North Korea Won't Stop Being a Pain -- Thomas P. M. Barnett, Esquire
Cuba and the OAS -- Los Angeles Times editorial
Beijing's Capitalist Enablers -- Harold Meyerson, Washington Post
China's 'Socialist Road' to Misery -- Jeff Jacoby, Boston Globe
Why Geithner Went to China -- Tim Fernholz, The American Prospect
The Jihad at Home -- Washington Times editorial
What Muslim World? -- Foreign Policy
The Speech Obama Should Give -- Robert Spencer, American Thinker
Obama on His Cairo Speech -- Thomas Friedman, New York Times
President Obama's Middle East Test -- Michael Gerson, Washington Post
Will Obama Apologize to Muslim World? -- Christopher Dickey, Newsweek
Arab World Skeptical About Obama Overture -- Bernhard Zand, Der Spiegel
Taliban on VOA -- The American Thinker
North Korea, Iran Nukes: The Growing Threat -- Mark Penn, Politico
Shadow Boxing in Pyongyang: Why All the Threats? We'd Best Ask China. -- Anne Applebaum, Washington Post
North Korea Won't Stop Being a Pain -- Thomas P. M. Barnett, Esquire
Cuba and the OAS -- Los Angeles Times editorial
Beijing's Capitalist Enablers -- Harold Meyerson, Washington Post
China's 'Socialist Road' to Misery -- Jeff Jacoby, Boston Globe
Why Geithner Went to China -- Tim Fernholz, The American Prospect
The Jihad at Home -- Washington Times editorial
MILITARY AND INTELLIGENCE NEWS BRIEFS
Ground Forces Best: General Mattis -- DoD Buzz
The Russian Military-Industrial Complex -- Strategy Page
Gates Gets Up-close Look at U.S. Missile Defense -- U.S. Department of Defense
Obama to Name N.Y. Congressman the Army Secretary -- New York Times
Global Hawk Forced Into Emergency Landing -- Ares/Aviation Week
Georgia hails ’successful’ NATO war games -- Defense Talk
U.K. Spy-jet cuts put troops lives at risk -- Times Online
Cost estimates rise for first LCS ships -- Navy Times
The Fighter Gap -- Neptunus Lex
Questioning the Navy’s Right to Exist Pt 1 -- New Wars
Questioning the Navy’s Right to Exist Pt 2 -- New Wars
The Semantics of “Persistent Conflict” -- War Is Boring
Celebrating Two Years of Information Dissemination -- Information Dissemination
Ground Forces Best: General Mattis -- DoD Buzz
The Russian Military-Industrial Complex -- Strategy Page
Gates Gets Up-close Look at U.S. Missile Defense -- U.S. Department of Defense
Obama to Name N.Y. Congressman the Army Secretary -- New York Times
Global Hawk Forced Into Emergency Landing -- Ares/Aviation Week
Georgia hails ’successful’ NATO war games -- Defense Talk
U.K. Spy-jet cuts put troops lives at risk -- Times Online
Cost estimates rise for first LCS ships -- Navy Times
The Fighter Gap -- Neptunus Lex
Questioning the Navy’s Right to Exist Pt 1 -- New Wars
Questioning the Navy’s Right to Exist Pt 2 -- New Wars
The Semantics of “Persistent Conflict” -- War Is Boring
Celebrating Two Years of Information Dissemination -- Information Dissemination
THE LONG WAR
Al Qaeda Eyes Bio Attack from Mexico - Sara A. Carter, Washington Times. US counterterrorism officials have authenticated a video by an al Qaeda recruiter threatening to smuggle a biological weapon into the United States via tunnels under the Mexico border, the latest sign of the terrorist group's determination to stage another mass-casualty attack on the US homeland. The video aired earlier this year as a recruitment tool makes clear that al Qaeda is looking to exploit weaknesses in US border security and also is willing to ally itself with white militia groups or other anti-government entities interested in carrying out an attack inside the United States, according to counterterrorism officials interviewed by The Washington Times. The officials, who spoke only on the condition they not be named because of the sensitive nature of their work, stressed that there is no credible information that al Qaeda has acquired the capabilities to carry out a mass biological attack although its members have clearly sought the expertise.
Cheney Led Briefings of Lawmakers To Defend Interrogation Techniques - Paul Kane and Joby Warrick, Washington Post. Former vice president Richard B. Cheney personally oversaw at least four briefings with senior members of Congress about the controversial interrogation program, part of a secretive and forceful defense he mounted throughout 2005 in an effort to maintain support for the harsh techniques used on detainees. The Cheney-led briefings came at some of the most critical moments for the program, as congressional oversight committees were threatening to investigate or even terminate the techniques, according to lawmakers, congressional officials, and current and former intelligence officials.
The Jihad at Home - Washington Times editorial. It's a sad day in America when the shooting of an abortion doctor stops the presses but no one notices two soldiers gunned down by an Islamist. When abortionist Dr. George Tiller was shot in Wichita, Kan., on Sunday, President Obama rushed out a statement condemning the shooting. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. dispatched US Marshals to protect abortion providers and clinics (officially known as "appropriate people and facilities"), and the Justice Department Web site prominently featured Mr. Holder's statement pledging to "bring the perpetrator of this crime to justice." The next day, Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad, a homegrown, Yemeni-trained Muslim who spent time in the Middle East, gunned down two US soldiers in broad daylight near Little Rock, Ark., killing one. When arrested, he made statements "indicating his association with Jihad," according to law enforcement sources. He told police he hates the military for its crimes against Islam and would have shot more soldiers if they had been available. You would think this would be worthy of comment from Washington, but as of this writing, we are still waiting.
US DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
House Republican Is Choice for Secretary of the Army - Raymond Hernandez, New York Times. New York is not thought of as a big military state. But Representative John M. McHugh, who was selected Tuesday to be President Obama’s secretary of the Army, has long stood out among his New York colleagues for his attention to military matters. The fate of his district, which stretches across the state’s economically beleaguered North Country, has long been tied to the Fort Drum Army post, home to the 10th Mountain Division, whose soldiers have constantly rotated in and out of Afghanistan and Iraq for the past seven years.
UNITED STATES
List of US Nuclear Sites Inadvertently Posted Online - Joby Warrick, Washington Post. A US document containing sensitive details about hundreds of civilian nuclear sites across the country was posted online Monday, an apparently inadvertent security breach that had federal officials scrambling yesterday to remedy the mistake. The document, a draft declaration of US nuclear facilities to the UN nuclear watchdog agency, contained descriptions of sensitive civilian sites, including the locations of facilities that store enriched uranium and other materials used in nuclear weapons. It was available for about a day on a Government Printing Office Web site before inquiries by news organizations prompted its hasty removal. Nuclear experts said it was theoretically possible that the document could benefit terrorists contemplating an attack on one of the facilities. Still, because the information was unclassified and most of it is publicly available through other sources, the release generally was deemed more embarrassing than harmful.
UNITED KINGDOM
Shake-Up Expected in British Cabinet - John F. Burns, New York Times. The prospect of a dismal performance in Thursday’s elections for the European Parliament and for local councils in Britain has added to the ferment in Britain’s governing Labor Party, fueling expectations that Prime Minister Gordon Brown will announce a major cabinet reshuffle after the election results are known. According to a welter of reports in Britain’s leading newspapers citing unnamed officials at 10 Downing Street and within the Brown cabinet, Mr. Brown has been weighing changes in some of the most powerful posts in the government, in an effort to restore Labor’s sinking fortunes and head off a challenge to his leadership of the party.
Al Qaeda Eyes Bio Attack from Mexico - Sara A. Carter, Washington Times. US counterterrorism officials have authenticated a video by an al Qaeda recruiter threatening to smuggle a biological weapon into the United States via tunnels under the Mexico border, the latest sign of the terrorist group's determination to stage another mass-casualty attack on the US homeland. The video aired earlier this year as a recruitment tool makes clear that al Qaeda is looking to exploit weaknesses in US border security and also is willing to ally itself with white militia groups or other anti-government entities interested in carrying out an attack inside the United States, according to counterterrorism officials interviewed by The Washington Times. The officials, who spoke only on the condition they not be named because of the sensitive nature of their work, stressed that there is no credible information that al Qaeda has acquired the capabilities to carry out a mass biological attack although its members have clearly sought the expertise.
Cheney Led Briefings of Lawmakers To Defend Interrogation Techniques - Paul Kane and Joby Warrick, Washington Post. Former vice president Richard B. Cheney personally oversaw at least four briefings with senior members of Congress about the controversial interrogation program, part of a secretive and forceful defense he mounted throughout 2005 in an effort to maintain support for the harsh techniques used on detainees. The Cheney-led briefings came at some of the most critical moments for the program, as congressional oversight committees were threatening to investigate or even terminate the techniques, according to lawmakers, congressional officials, and current and former intelligence officials.
The Jihad at Home - Washington Times editorial. It's a sad day in America when the shooting of an abortion doctor stops the presses but no one notices two soldiers gunned down by an Islamist. When abortionist Dr. George Tiller was shot in Wichita, Kan., on Sunday, President Obama rushed out a statement condemning the shooting. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. dispatched US Marshals to protect abortion providers and clinics (officially known as "appropriate people and facilities"), and the Justice Department Web site prominently featured Mr. Holder's statement pledging to "bring the perpetrator of this crime to justice." The next day, Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad, a homegrown, Yemeni-trained Muslim who spent time in the Middle East, gunned down two US soldiers in broad daylight near Little Rock, Ark., killing one. When arrested, he made statements "indicating his association with Jihad," according to law enforcement sources. He told police he hates the military for its crimes against Islam and would have shot more soldiers if they had been available. You would think this would be worthy of comment from Washington, but as of this writing, we are still waiting.
US DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
House Republican Is Choice for Secretary of the Army - Raymond Hernandez, New York Times. New York is not thought of as a big military state. But Representative John M. McHugh, who was selected Tuesday to be President Obama’s secretary of the Army, has long stood out among his New York colleagues for his attention to military matters. The fate of his district, which stretches across the state’s economically beleaguered North Country, has long been tied to the Fort Drum Army post, home to the 10th Mountain Division, whose soldiers have constantly rotated in and out of Afghanistan and Iraq for the past seven years.
UNITED STATES
List of US Nuclear Sites Inadvertently Posted Online - Joby Warrick, Washington Post. A US document containing sensitive details about hundreds of civilian nuclear sites across the country was posted online Monday, an apparently inadvertent security breach that had federal officials scrambling yesterday to remedy the mistake. The document, a draft declaration of US nuclear facilities to the UN nuclear watchdog agency, contained descriptions of sensitive civilian sites, including the locations of facilities that store enriched uranium and other materials used in nuclear weapons. It was available for about a day on a Government Printing Office Web site before inquiries by news organizations prompted its hasty removal. Nuclear experts said it was theoretically possible that the document could benefit terrorists contemplating an attack on one of the facilities. Still, because the information was unclassified and most of it is publicly available through other sources, the release generally was deemed more embarrassing than harmful.
UNITED KINGDOM
Shake-Up Expected in British Cabinet - John F. Burns, New York Times. The prospect of a dismal performance in Thursday’s elections for the European Parliament and for local councils in Britain has added to the ferment in Britain’s governing Labor Party, fueling expectations that Prime Minister Gordon Brown will announce a major cabinet reshuffle after the election results are known. According to a welter of reports in Britain’s leading newspapers citing unnamed officials at 10 Downing Street and within the Brown cabinet, Mr. Brown has been weighing changes in some of the most powerful posts in the government, in an effort to restore Labor’s sinking fortunes and head off a challenge to his leadership of the party.
Russian defences can't reach N Korean missiles: expert
Moscow (AFP) June 2, 2009 - Russian anti-aircraft defences would be incapable of reaching North Korean ballistic missiles, a former Russian air force commander told the Interfax news agency on Tuesday. "If North Korean missiles enter Russian air space, the S-300 anti-aircraft defence systems in the Russian Far East could not destroy them," General Anatolyi Kornukov said. "This system is not designed to destroy bal ... more
superpowers
+ Taiwan mulls halving troops on islands near China: report
Taipei (AFP) June 3, 2009 - Taiwan is planning to halve the number of troops deployed on three island groups near China, a report said Wednesday, amid easing tensions between the once bitter rivals. The military is considering reducing the number of soldiers stationed on the Kinmen, Matsu and Penghu islands to fewer than 10,000, the Liberty Times said, citing unnamed top military officials. The move is aimed at ... more
superpowers
+ Sweden calls for rethink on EU battle groups
Paris (AFP) June 3, 2009 - Sweden wants to examine the role of the European Union's military battle groups, which have never been deployed, when it takes over the bloc's rotating presidency in July, a Swedish diplomat said Wednesday. "On the military side, I would like to draw your attention to the use of battle groups -- a potentially very useful tool to the support of international peace and security," said Sweden ... more
nuclear-doctrine
+ Slip-up lays bare US secret nuclear sites: NYT
Washington (AFP) June 3, 2009 - The US government accidentally made public a secret report detailing its nuclear sites, programs and even exact locations of nuclear stockpiles, The New York Times reported Wednesday. "The federal government mistakenly made public (the) 266-page report," the Times reported, noting that the blunder was revealed Monday in an online newsletter about federal secrecy. "That set off a debate ... more
missiles
+ North Korea starts assembling long-range missile: report
Panmunjom, South Korea (AFP) June 3, 2009 - North Korea appears to have begun assembling a missile believed capable of striking US soil, a report said Wednesday as tensions rose along the land and sea border with the South. The communist regime of ailing North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il has defied international criticism of its second nuclear test by firing a volley of short-range missiles and threatening to attack the capitalist South ... more
Moscow (AFP) June 2, 2009 - Russian anti-aircraft defences would be incapable of reaching North Korean ballistic missiles, a former Russian air force commander told the Interfax news agency on Tuesday. "If North Korean missiles enter Russian air space, the S-300 anti-aircraft defence systems in the Russian Far East could not destroy them," General Anatolyi Kornukov said. "This system is not designed to destroy bal ... moresuperpowers
+ Taiwan mulls halving troops on islands near China: report
Taipei (AFP) June 3, 2009 - Taiwan is planning to halve the number of troops deployed on three island groups near China, a report said Wednesday, amid easing tensions between the once bitter rivals. The military is considering reducing the number of soldiers stationed on the Kinmen, Matsu and Penghu islands to fewer than 10,000, the Liberty Times said, citing unnamed top military officials. The move is aimed at ... moresuperpowers
+ Sweden calls for rethink on EU battle groups
Paris (AFP) June 3, 2009 - Sweden wants to examine the role of the European Union's military battle groups, which have never been deployed, when it takes over the bloc's rotating presidency in July, a Swedish diplomat said Wednesday. "On the military side, I would like to draw your attention to the use of battle groups -- a potentially very useful tool to the support of international peace and security," said Sweden ... morenuclear-doctrine
+ Slip-up lays bare US secret nuclear sites: NYT
Washington (AFP) June 3, 2009 - The US government accidentally made public a secret report detailing its nuclear sites, programs and even exact locations of nuclear stockpiles, The New York Times reported Wednesday. "The federal government mistakenly made public (the) 266-page report," the Times reported, noting that the blunder was revealed Monday in an online newsletter about federal secrecy. "That set off a debate ... moremissiles
+ North Korea starts assembling long-range missile: report
Panmunjom, South Korea (AFP) June 3, 2009 - North Korea appears to have begun assembling a missile believed capable of striking US soil, a report said Wednesday as tensions rose along the land and sea border with the South. The communist regime of ailing North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il has defied international criticism of its second nuclear test by firing a volley of short-range missiles and threatening to attack the capitalist South ... more
Military Matters: The case against torture
Washington (UPI) Jun 3, 2009 - The recent fire/counter-fire between U.S. President Barack Obama and former Vice President Dick Cheney over Guantanamo, the prisoners held there and techniques used in their interrogation revealed a distressing ignorance in the White House. Specifically, it revealed that Obama and his advisers are ignorant of military theory. Cheney won the debate by drawing the usual Republican distinc ... more
nuclear-doctrine
+ McCain joins Obama's call for 'nuclear-free world'
Washington (AFP) June 3, 2009 - Republican Senator John McCain on Wednesday joined his former rival President Barack Obama in calling for a nuclear-free world, a goal previously formulated by former president Ronald Reagan. During a lengthy speech on the Senate floor marking the unveiling of a statue of Reagan in the Capitol, the veteran Arizona lawmaker recalled how his "personal hero" had dreamed of a world free of ... more
nuclear-blackmarket
+ Iran not interested in Bolivian uranium: Tehran envoy
La Paz (AFP) June 3, 2009 - Iran is not interested in mining Bolivia's uranium, and Israel talks about this only because it wants to thwart closer ties between Iran and Latin America, Tehran's envoy to La Paz said Wednesday. Israel suspects that the leftist governments in Bolivia and Venezuela are supplying uranium for Iran's controversial nuclear program, according to an Israeli foreign ministry document leaked to ... more
miltech
+ Defense Focus: Land war threats -- Part 1
Washington (UPI) Jun 3, 2009 - The two conventional land wars that were fought in the Northern Hemisphere over the past year were both small ones, almost tiny in geographical range and short in duration. But Russia's five-day war in Georgia in August 2008 and Israel's three-week incursion into Gaza in January 2009 taught the old, hard lesson that a country without adequate tanks, armor, combat aircraft and heavy arti ... more
stans
+ US military made mistakes in Afghan air strikes: officials
Washington (AFP) June 3, 2009 - US soldiers and air crews made mistakes in carrying out deadly air strikes in western Afghanistan last month that killed dozens of civilians, US defense officials said Wednesday. A military investigation found that those involved in the May 4 operation in the Farah province failed to follow rules and tactical procedures designed to prevent civilian casualties, two officials, who spoke on ... more
Washington (UPI) Jun 3, 2009 - The recent fire/counter-fire between U.S. President Barack Obama and former Vice President Dick Cheney over Guantanamo, the prisoners held there and techniques used in their interrogation revealed a distressing ignorance in the White House. Specifically, it revealed that Obama and his advisers are ignorant of military theory. Cheney won the debate by drawing the usual Republican distinc ... morenuclear-doctrine
+ McCain joins Obama's call for 'nuclear-free world'
Washington (AFP) June 3, 2009 - Republican Senator John McCain on Wednesday joined his former rival President Barack Obama in calling for a nuclear-free world, a goal previously formulated by former president Ronald Reagan. During a lengthy speech on the Senate floor marking the unveiling of a statue of Reagan in the Capitol, the veteran Arizona lawmaker recalled how his "personal hero" had dreamed of a world free of ... morenuclear-blackmarket
+ Iran not interested in Bolivian uranium: Tehran envoy
La Paz (AFP) June 3, 2009 - Iran is not interested in mining Bolivia's uranium, and Israel talks about this only because it wants to thwart closer ties between Iran and Latin America, Tehran's envoy to La Paz said Wednesday. Israel suspects that the leftist governments in Bolivia and Venezuela are supplying uranium for Iran's controversial nuclear program, according to an Israeli foreign ministry document leaked to ... moremiltech
+ Defense Focus: Land war threats -- Part 1
Washington (UPI) Jun 3, 2009 - The two conventional land wars that were fought in the Northern Hemisphere over the past year were both small ones, almost tiny in geographical range and short in duration. But Russia's five-day war in Georgia in August 2008 and Israel's three-week incursion into Gaza in January 2009 taught the old, hard lesson that a country without adequate tanks, armor, combat aircraft and heavy arti ... morestans
+ US military made mistakes in Afghan air strikes: officials
Washington (AFP) June 3, 2009 - US soldiers and air crews made mistakes in carrying out deadly air strikes in western Afghanistan last month that killed dozens of civilians, US defense officials said Wednesday. A military investigation found that those involved in the May 4 operation in the Farah province failed to follow rules and tactical procedures designed to prevent civilian casualties, two officials, who spoke on ... more
+ Obama taps Republican for top army post
Washington (AFP) June 2, 2009 - President Barack Obama Tuesday tapped a Republican lawmaker with extensive experience with military issues to be the secretary of the army, the service's top civilian post. If confirmed, Representative John McHugh, a Republican from upstate New York, would give the Pentagon a bipartisan advocate in seeking congressional support for its budgets and modernization programs. "John shares my ... more
eo
+ Google tool tracks flu in Australia, New Zealand
Washington (AFP) June 3, 2009 - Google on Wednesday expanded "Google Flu Trends," its online tool for tracking influenza outbreaks, to Australia and New Zealand. Google said it had built a flu model for the state of Victoria by working with its own search data and historical flu data from the Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory. "We then extrapolated this model to produce flu models at a national and ... more
gas
+ Iran China sign 5 bln dlr gas deal
Tehran (AFP) June 3, 2009 - Iran on Wednesday signed a gas deal worth around five billion dollars with the China National Petroleum Corporation to develop a part of the giant South Pars gas field in the Gulf, the official IRNA news agency reported. "We signed a deal with China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) to develop the upstream sector of phase 11 in the offshore South Pars gas field," the National Iranian Oil ... more
economy
+ Geithner gets China's support, but state press slams US debt levels
Beijing (AFP) June 2, 2009 - China on Tuesday took up US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner's call to work together in battling the financial crisis as the Asian giant tries to position itself as a major force on the global stage. Beijing was eager to deepen efforts with Washington on dragging the world out of the economic slump, Vice Premier Wang Qishan told Geithner in a Monday meeting, the foreign ministry said. ... more
aerospace
+ First ships arrive in Air France crash zone
Fernando De Noronha, Brazil (AFP) June 2, 2009 - A first Brazilian navy ship arrived Wednesday in a remote part of the Atlantic to recover debris found from a downed Air France airliner, though hopes were low of finding the black boxes that could explain the tragedy. The patrol boat was in the zone around 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) off Brazil's northeast coast, the Brazilian navy said in a statement. A second vessel was due to arrive ... more
Washington (AFP) June 2, 2009 - President Barack Obama Tuesday tapped a Republican lawmaker with extensive experience with military issues to be the secretary of the army, the service's top civilian post. If confirmed, Representative John McHugh, a Republican from upstate New York, would give the Pentagon a bipartisan advocate in seeking congressional support for its budgets and modernization programs. "John shares my ... moreeo
+ Google tool tracks flu in Australia, New Zealand
Washington (AFP) June 3, 2009 - Google on Wednesday expanded "Google Flu Trends," its online tool for tracking influenza outbreaks, to Australia and New Zealand. Google said it had built a flu model for the state of Victoria by working with its own search data and historical flu data from the Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory. "We then extrapolated this model to produce flu models at a national and ... moregas
+ Iran China sign 5 bln dlr gas deal
Tehran (AFP) June 3, 2009 - Iran on Wednesday signed a gas deal worth around five billion dollars with the China National Petroleum Corporation to develop a part of the giant South Pars gas field in the Gulf, the official IRNA news agency reported. "We signed a deal with China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) to develop the upstream sector of phase 11 in the offshore South Pars gas field," the National Iranian Oil ... moreeconomy
+ Geithner gets China's support, but state press slams US debt levels
Beijing (AFP) June 2, 2009 - China on Tuesday took up US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner's call to work together in battling the financial crisis as the Asian giant tries to position itself as a major force on the global stage. Beijing was eager to deepen efforts with Washington on dragging the world out of the economic slump, Vice Premier Wang Qishan told Geithner in a Monday meeting, the foreign ministry said. ... moreaerospace
+ First ships arrive in Air France crash zone
Fernando De Noronha, Brazil (AFP) June 2, 2009 - A first Brazilian navy ship arrived Wednesday in a remote part of the Atlantic to recover debris found from a downed Air France airliner, though hopes were low of finding the black boxes that could explain the tragedy. The patrol boat was in the zone around 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) off Brazil's northeast coast, the Brazilian navy said in a statement. A second vessel was due to arrive ... more
Osama Bin Laden's Response To President Obama's Trip To The Middle East 
Bin Laden Calls For Long War Against "Infidels" -- Reuters
DUBAI (Reuters) - Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden told Muslims to prepare for a long war against "infidels and their agents."
"We either live under the light of Islam or we die with dignity ... brace yourselves for a long war against the world's infidels and their agents," the militant leader said in an audio tape was posted on an Islamist website on Thursday.
Parts of the tape were aired on Wednesday in which he accused U.S. President Barack Obama of planting the seeds of hatred towards the United States among Muslims.
Read more ....
More News On Osama Bin Laden
Bin Laden Calls For 'Long War With Infidels' -- SKY News
Bin Laden says Obama sowing hate -- Toronto Star
Bin Laden threatens U.S. in new audiotape -- Dallas News/AP
Osama Bin Laden rains on President Obama's parade -- New York Daily News
Bin Laden Steals Headlines as Obama Mideast Trip Begins -- Slate
Bin Laden Calls For Long War Against "Infidels" -- Reuters
DUBAI (Reuters) - Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden told Muslims to prepare for a long war against "infidels and their agents."
"We either live under the light of Islam or we die with dignity ... brace yourselves for a long war against the world's infidels and their agents," the militant leader said in an audio tape was posted on an Islamist website on Thursday.
Parts of the tape were aired on Wednesday in which he accused U.S. President Barack Obama of planting the seeds of hatred towards the United States among Muslims.
Read more ....
More News On Osama Bin Laden
Bin Laden Calls For 'Long War With Infidels' -- SKY News
Bin Laden says Obama sowing hate -- Toronto Star
Bin Laden threatens U.S. in new audiotape -- Dallas News/AP
Osama Bin Laden rains on President Obama's parade -- New York Daily News
Bin Laden Steals Headlines as Obama Mideast Trip Begins -- Slate
Obama Calls For New Beginning Between US, Muslims -- Yahoo News/AP
CAIRO – President Barack Obama called for a "new beginning between the United States and Muslims" Thursday and said together, they could confront violent extremism across the globe and advance the timeless search for peace in the Middle East.
"This cycle of suspicion and discord must end," Obama said in a widely anticipated speech in one of the world's largest Muslim countries, an address designed to reframe relations after the terrorists attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and the U.S.-led war in Iraq.
Read more ....
U.S. President Barack Obama delivers his highly-anticipated address to the Muslim world on June 4, 2009 in the Grand Hall of Cairo University in Cairo. U.S. President Barack Obama discussed Middle East peace with his Egyptian host on Thursday ahead of a much-heralded address to the world's Muslims, seeking to heal a wide rift between America and Islam. Photograph by: Mandel Ngan, AFP/Getty Images
More News On President Obama's Speech In Cairo To The Muslim World
TRANSCRIPT: Prepared Remarks of President Obama in Cairo: President Obama's speech at Cairo University. -- FOX News
Obama speaks in Cairo: Live blog -- USA Today Live Blog
Key Points: President Obama's Cairo Speech -- CBS News
Obama in Egypt: Freedom of Religion Central to Peace Among People -- ABC News
Obama calls for new beginning between U.S., Muslims -- Reuters
Obama Calls for New Beginning in US-Muslim Ties -- Voice of America
Obama vows 'new beginning' with Islam -- AFP
Obama Calls for New Beginning With World's Muslims -- Washington Post
'America, Islam are not exclusive,' Obama says in Cairo -- L.A. Times
Obama reaches out to Muslim world -- BBC
In Cairo, Obama Calls for End to Israeli Settlements -- FOX News
Obama defends religious freedoms in Cairo speech -- AP
Obama: Extremists exploit tension between Islam, West -- Reuters/Alertnet
Obama acknowledges US history with Iran -- AP
Obama: no permanent US presence in Afghanistan -- AP
Obama: equality should be a woman's choice -- AP
Obama: U.S. 'not at war with Islam' -- CNN
Obama Aims to Repair Ties With Muslim World -- Wall Street Journal
For Obama's Speech, Cairo Streets Empty -- New York Times
Egyptians Crave Deeds More Than Words -- New York Times
In speech in Cairo, Barack Obama seeks 'common ground' with Islam -- Politico
What Obama will try to accomplish in Cairo -- Christian Science Monitor
CAIRO – President Barack Obama called for a "new beginning between the United States and Muslims" Thursday and said together, they could confront violent extremism across the globe and advance the timeless search for peace in the Middle East.
"This cycle of suspicion and discord must end," Obama said in a widely anticipated speech in one of the world's largest Muslim countries, an address designed to reframe relations after the terrorists attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and the U.S.-led war in Iraq.
Read more ....
U.S. President Barack Obama delivers his highly-anticipated address to the Muslim world on June 4, 2009 in the Grand Hall of Cairo University in Cairo. U.S. President Barack Obama discussed Middle East peace with his Egyptian host on Thursday ahead of a much-heralded address to the world's Muslims, seeking to heal a wide rift between America and Islam. Photograph by: Mandel Ngan, AFP/Getty Images
More News On President Obama's Speech In Cairo To The Muslim World
TRANSCRIPT: Prepared Remarks of President Obama in Cairo: President Obama's speech at Cairo University. -- FOX News
Obama speaks in Cairo: Live blog -- USA Today Live Blog
Key Points: President Obama's Cairo Speech -- CBS News
Obama in Egypt: Freedom of Religion Central to Peace Among People -- ABC News
Obama calls for new beginning between U.S., Muslims -- Reuters
Obama Calls for New Beginning in US-Muslim Ties -- Voice of America
Obama vows 'new beginning' with Islam -- AFP
Obama Calls for New Beginning With World's Muslims -- Washington Post
'America, Islam are not exclusive,' Obama says in Cairo -- L.A. Times
Obama reaches out to Muslim world -- BBC
In Cairo, Obama Calls for End to Israeli Settlements -- FOX News
Obama defends religious freedoms in Cairo speech -- AP
Obama: Extremists exploit tension between Islam, West -- Reuters/Alertnet
Obama acknowledges US history with Iran -- AP
Obama: no permanent US presence in Afghanistan -- AP
Obama: equality should be a woman's choice -- AP
Obama: U.S. 'not at war with Islam' -- CNN
Obama Aims to Repair Ties With Muslim World -- Wall Street Journal
For Obama's Speech, Cairo Streets Empty -- New York Times
Egyptians Crave Deeds More Than Words -- New York Times
In speech in Cairo, Barack Obama seeks 'common ground' with Islam -- Politico
What Obama will try to accomplish in Cairo -- Christian Science Monitor
US Broke Bombing Rules In Afghanistan 
From Yahoo News/AP:
WASHINGTON – American troops made substantial errors and did not strictly follow rules for avoiding casualties during an air assault on Taliban fighters last month, a U.S. defense official said, underscoring a central quandary for President Barack Obama's new Afghan counterinsurgency campaign.
The defense official said Wednesday that a military investigation faulted some of the actions of American troops in air strikes May 4 that killed dozens of Afghan civilians in Farah province.
Read more ....
More News On Bombing Errors And Mistakes In Afghanistan
Despite Damning Report, U.S. Blames Taliban for Airstrike Deaths -- The Danger Room
Some Afghanistan airstrikes were mistakes, investigators say -- L.A. Times
U.S. finds mistakes in deadly Afghan air strikes -- Reuters
US admits mistakes made in Afghanistan -- Press TV
Report: Errors made in Afghanistan airstrikes -- Stars And Stripes
US military admits errors in air strikes that killed scores of Afghan civilians -- The Guardian
U.S. Report Finds Errors in Afghan Airstrikes -- New York Times
From Yahoo News/AP:
WASHINGTON – American troops made substantial errors and did not strictly follow rules for avoiding casualties during an air assault on Taliban fighters last month, a U.S. defense official said, underscoring a central quandary for President Barack Obama's new Afghan counterinsurgency campaign.
The defense official said Wednesday that a military investigation faulted some of the actions of American troops in air strikes May 4 that killed dozens of Afghan civilians in Farah province.
Read more ....
More News On Bombing Errors And Mistakes In Afghanistan
Despite Damning Report, U.S. Blames Taliban for Airstrike Deaths -- The Danger Room
Some Afghanistan airstrikes were mistakes, investigators say -- L.A. Times
U.S. finds mistakes in deadly Afghan air strikes -- Reuters
US admits mistakes made in Afghanistan -- Press TV
Report: Errors made in Afghanistan airstrikes -- Stars And Stripes
US military admits errors in air strikes that killed scores of Afghan civilians -- The Guardian
U.S. Report Finds Errors in Afghan Airstrikes -- New York Times
Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- June 4, 2009 
Cutting-edge: Cameras are attached to the outside of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters to give pilots all-round vision. (Photo from The Daily Mail)
MILITARY AND INTELLIGENCE NEWS BRIEFS
F-35 Test Schedule is Way Behind -- ELP Defens©e Blog
CSTO to hold large-scale joint military drills in Aug.-Sept. -- RIA Novosti
Is Leadership Really the Center of Gravity of an Insurgency? -- Captain's Journal
Gen. Mattis Says 'Leave Tech at Home' -- Defense Tech
US-Turkish Relationship 'Exceptionally Strong,' Mullen Says -- Defense Talk
New Raytheon-IMI GPS-Guided Mortar Rounds Demonstrate Tactical Capability During Tests -- PR Newswire
Defense Budget Axe Cuts Into Education Program -- Information Dissemination
Uncertain future for VH-71 after contract cancelled -- News10
RAF ends 19-year mission in Iraq -- BBC
Australia's oldest man, WWI vet, dies at 110 -- Yahoo News/AP
Cutting-edge: Cameras are attached to the outside of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters to give pilots all-round vision. (Photo from The Daily Mail)MILITARY AND INTELLIGENCE NEWS BRIEFS
F-35 Test Schedule is Way Behind -- ELP Defens©e Blog
CSTO to hold large-scale joint military drills in Aug.-Sept. -- RIA Novosti
Is Leadership Really the Center of Gravity of an Insurgency? -- Captain's Journal
Gen. Mattis Says 'Leave Tech at Home' -- Defense Tech
US-Turkish Relationship 'Exceptionally Strong,' Mullen Says -- Defense Talk
New Raytheon-IMI GPS-Guided Mortar Rounds Demonstrate Tactical Capability During Tests -- PR Newswire
Defense Budget Axe Cuts Into Education Program -- Information Dissemination
Uncertain future for VH-71 after contract cancelled -- News10
RAF ends 19-year mission in Iraq -- BBC
Australia's oldest man, WWI vet, dies at 110 -- Yahoo News/AP
Analysis: China to build aircraft carrier
Hong Kong (UPI) Jun 4, 2009 - Shipbuilding experts from Eastern Europe have confirmed that the People's Republic of China will start to build its own aircraft carrier this year, as preparations for the project are complete. The experts had visited the No. 3 military dock of the Changxing Island Shipyard -- the new location of the Jiangnan Shipyard, known as the cradle of China's defense industry -- based in Shanghai ... more
nuclear-doctrine
+ US-Russia nuclear disarmament talks 'productive': US
Geneva (AFP) June 4, 2009 - Russia and the United States had "productive" talks on cutting their nuclear arsenals, the senior US negotiator said on Thursday as the two sides arranged to meet again this month. Russian and US disarmament negotiators agreed at Geneva talks this week "to hold the next round of talks in the second half of June," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. US Under Secretary of ... more
korea
+ US journalists go on trial in NKorea amid pleas for leniency
Seoul (AFP) June 4, 2009 - Two US women journalists went on trial in North Korea Thursday on charges that could send them to a labour camp for years and further raise tensions with Washington following last week's nuclear test. TV reporters Laura Ling and Euna Lee were detained by North Korean border guards on March 17 while researching a story about refugees fleeing the hardline communist state. Pyongyang ... more
korea
+ Living in the shadow of Kim Jong-Il's army
Tongilchon, South Korea (AFP) June 4, 2009 - Cho Suk-Haan clambers into his tractor and fires up the engine to go to work in rice fields just a short distance away from the most heavily militarised border in the world. On the other side of the last remaining Cold War frontier lurks North Korea's 1.1 million-strong army, equipped with hundreds of missiles, thousands of artillery pieces -- and engineers trying to perfect a nuclear bomb. ... more
iran
+ Iran nuclear showdown at 'decisive point':Obama
Cairo (AFP) June 4, 2009 - US President Barack Obama said on Thursday that the nuclear showdown with Iran had reached a decisive point but that Tehran had the right to peaceful nuclear power if it abided by international treaties. Obama, who broke with former US policy of isolating Tehran, said it would be hard to "overcome decades of mistrust" but he had made clear to Iran's leaders and people that the United States ... more
Hong Kong (UPI) Jun 4, 2009 - Shipbuilding experts from Eastern Europe have confirmed that the People's Republic of China will start to build its own aircraft carrier this year, as preparations for the project are complete. The experts had visited the No. 3 military dock of the Changxing Island Shipyard -- the new location of the Jiangnan Shipyard, known as the cradle of China's defense industry -- based in Shanghai ... morenuclear-doctrine
+ US-Russia nuclear disarmament talks 'productive': US
Geneva (AFP) June 4, 2009 - Russia and the United States had "productive" talks on cutting their nuclear arsenals, the senior US negotiator said on Thursday as the two sides arranged to meet again this month. Russian and US disarmament negotiators agreed at Geneva talks this week "to hold the next round of talks in the second half of June," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. US Under Secretary of ... morekorea
+ US journalists go on trial in NKorea amid pleas for leniency
Seoul (AFP) June 4, 2009 - Two US women journalists went on trial in North Korea Thursday on charges that could send them to a labour camp for years and further raise tensions with Washington following last week's nuclear test. TV reporters Laura Ling and Euna Lee were detained by North Korean border guards on March 17 while researching a story about refugees fleeing the hardline communist state. Pyongyang ... morekorea
+ Living in the shadow of Kim Jong-Il's army
Tongilchon, South Korea (AFP) June 4, 2009 - Cho Suk-Haan clambers into his tractor and fires up the engine to go to work in rice fields just a short distance away from the most heavily militarised border in the world. On the other side of the last remaining Cold War frontier lurks North Korea's 1.1 million-strong army, equipped with hundreds of missiles, thousands of artillery pieces -- and engineers trying to perfect a nuclear bomb. ... moreiran
+ Iran nuclear showdown at 'decisive point':Obama
Cairo (AFP) June 4, 2009 - US President Barack Obama said on Thursday that the nuclear showdown with Iran had reached a decisive point but that Tehran had the right to peaceful nuclear power if it abided by international treaties. Obama, who broke with former US policy of isolating Tehran, said it would be hard to "overcome decades of mistrust" but he had made clear to Iran's leaders and people that the United States ... more
First Afghan fibre optic cable connects to Tajikistan
Kabul (AFP) June 4, 2009 - Part of Afghanistan's first international fibre optic cable has opened in a project that will make the country millions of dollars and boost regional connectivity, a cabinet minister said Thursday. President Hamid Karzai tested the cable with Tajikistan on Wednesday in a video conference call with Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon, Communications Minister Amir Zai Sangin told reporters. ... more
cyberwar
+ Raytheon And University Of Texas Partner To Provide Cybersecurity Solutions
Austin TX (SPX) Jun 05, 2009 - Raytheon has partnered with The University of Texas at Austin's Center for Information Assurance and Security (CIAS) on research for new and innovative cybersecurity solutions. Cybersecurity is one of the major national security problems facing the United States, and President Obama has made protecting the country's digital infrastructure a top priority for his administration. "It is ... more
war
+ Obama says plight of Palestinians 'intolerable'
Cairo (AFP) June 4, 2009 - President Barack Obama described the plight of Palestinians as "intolerable" on Thursday as he again voiced US support for a Palestinian state and demanded that Israel put an end to settlement expansion. In a keenly awaited address to the Muslim world at Cairo University, Obama also called on Palestinians to renounce violence, saying that armed resistance was not only wrong but also ... more
war
+ Malaysia calls for calm over border dispute with Indonesia
Kuala Lumpur (AFP) June 4, 2009 - Malaysia's deputy prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin called for calm Thursday amid reports that Malaysian warships had entered oil-rich waters off northeastern Borneo also claimed by Indonesia. Indonesia says Malaysian warships entered the disputed Ambalat area in the Sulawesi sea last week and that an Indonesian navy ship came within moments of firing at a Malaysian vessel. "We want to ... more
milplex
+ Major Shift In International Arms Control And Disarmament Efforts
Superior CO (SPX) Jun 05, 2009 - For the first time in twelve years, the international body dedicated to discussing arms control and disarmament unanimously agreed on a program of work, opening the door to negotiations on nuclear weapons, fissile materials, and space security. The Conference on Disarmament (CD), located in Geneva, Switzerland, was established in 1979 as the single, international body where multilateral ... more
Kabul (AFP) June 4, 2009 - Part of Afghanistan's first international fibre optic cable has opened in a project that will make the country millions of dollars and boost regional connectivity, a cabinet minister said Thursday. President Hamid Karzai tested the cable with Tajikistan on Wednesday in a video conference call with Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon, Communications Minister Amir Zai Sangin told reporters. ... morecyberwar
+ Raytheon And University Of Texas Partner To Provide Cybersecurity Solutions
Austin TX (SPX) Jun 05, 2009 - Raytheon has partnered with The University of Texas at Austin's Center for Information Assurance and Security (CIAS) on research for new and innovative cybersecurity solutions. Cybersecurity is one of the major national security problems facing the United States, and President Obama has made protecting the country's digital infrastructure a top priority for his administration. "It is ... morewar
+ Obama says plight of Palestinians 'intolerable'
Cairo (AFP) June 4, 2009 - President Barack Obama described the plight of Palestinians as "intolerable" on Thursday as he again voiced US support for a Palestinian state and demanded that Israel put an end to settlement expansion. In a keenly awaited address to the Muslim world at Cairo University, Obama also called on Palestinians to renounce violence, saying that armed resistance was not only wrong but also ... morewar
+ Malaysia calls for calm over border dispute with Indonesia
Kuala Lumpur (AFP) June 4, 2009 - Malaysia's deputy prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin called for calm Thursday amid reports that Malaysian warships had entered oil-rich waters off northeastern Borneo also claimed by Indonesia. Indonesia says Malaysian warships entered the disputed Ambalat area in the Sulawesi sea last week and that an Indonesian navy ship came within moments of firing at a Malaysian vessel. "We want to ... moremilplex
+ Major Shift In International Arms Control And Disarmament Efforts
Superior CO (SPX) Jun 05, 2009 - For the first time in twelve years, the international body dedicated to discussing arms control and disarmament unanimously agreed on a program of work, opening the door to negotiations on nuclear weapons, fissile materials, and space security. The Conference on Disarmament (CD), located in Geneva, Switzerland, was established in 1979 as the single, international body where multilateral ... more
Defense Focus: Land war threats -- Part 2
Washington (UPI) Jun 4, 2009 - The equation is a grimly simple one: The world isn't getting any bigger, but its population is -- very fast. There are currently an estimated 6.76 billion human beings living on the Earth. That is a greater number than is ever believed to have lived at the same time throughout human existence. In 1830 the human population of our planet exceeded 1 billion for the first time. ... more
milplex
+ Defense Focus: Pentagon reforms -- Part 8
Arlington, Va. (UPI) Jun 4, 2009 - One indication of the success of the Globemaster Sustainment Program Performance-Based Logistics is the reduction in Cost per Flight Hour throughout the life of the contract. Boeing has reduced the Cost per Flight Hour by over 10 percent in the last four years and is expected to further reduce it by 9 percent from fiscal year 2009 to fiscal year 2011 in constant fiscal year 2008 dollars ... more
china
+ Tiananmen leaders call for China democracy
Washington (AFP) June 4, 2009 - Leaders of the 1989 Tiananmen Square uprising crushed 20 years ago appealed Thursday for democracy in China, with US lawmakers pledging support amid silence in Beijing on the anniversary. Nine of the top student leaders, who now live in exile, reunited at a Washington news conference where they observed a moment of silence for the hundreds, perhaps, thousands killed when the army sent in ... more
ocean-tech
+ New robotic marine vehicle dives 6.8 miles
Woods Hole, Mass. (UPI) Jun 4, 2009 - A new deep-sea U.S. robotic vehicle called Nereus has become the world's deepest-diving vehicle and the first to explore the Mariana Trench since 1998. The remotely-controlled vehicle developed at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute dived 6.8 miles May 31 in the Mariana Trench in the western Pacific Ocean. "The Mariana Trench is the deepest known part of the ocean. Reaching ... more
china
+ China blocks any commemoration of Tiananmen crackdown
Beijing (AFP) June 5, 2009 - China blanketed Tiananmen Square with police and security forces on Thursday, blocking any attempt to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the deadly crackdown on mass democracy protests. The government again defended the decision to put down the demonstrations, which left hundreds and perhaps thousands dead, and firmly dismissed a US demand for a public accounting of the events of June 3-4 ... more
Washington (UPI) Jun 4, 2009 - The equation is a grimly simple one: The world isn't getting any bigger, but its population is -- very fast. There are currently an estimated 6.76 billion human beings living on the Earth. That is a greater number than is ever believed to have lived at the same time throughout human existence. In 1830 the human population of our planet exceeded 1 billion for the first time. ... moremilplex
+ Defense Focus: Pentagon reforms -- Part 8
Arlington, Va. (UPI) Jun 4, 2009 - One indication of the success of the Globemaster Sustainment Program Performance-Based Logistics is the reduction in Cost per Flight Hour throughout the life of the contract. Boeing has reduced the Cost per Flight Hour by over 10 percent in the last four years and is expected to further reduce it by 9 percent from fiscal year 2009 to fiscal year 2011 in constant fiscal year 2008 dollars ... morechina
+ Tiananmen leaders call for China democracy
Washington (AFP) June 4, 2009 - Leaders of the 1989 Tiananmen Square uprising crushed 20 years ago appealed Thursday for democracy in China, with US lawmakers pledging support amid silence in Beijing on the anniversary. Nine of the top student leaders, who now live in exile, reunited at a Washington news conference where they observed a moment of silence for the hundreds, perhaps, thousands killed when the army sent in ... moreocean-tech
+ New robotic marine vehicle dives 6.8 miles
Woods Hole, Mass. (UPI) Jun 4, 2009 - A new deep-sea U.S. robotic vehicle called Nereus has become the world's deepest-diving vehicle and the first to explore the Mariana Trench since 1998. The remotely-controlled vehicle developed at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute dived 6.8 miles May 31 in the Mariana Trench in the western Pacific Ocean. "The Mariana Trench is the deepest known part of the ocean. Reaching ... morechina
+ China blocks any commemoration of Tiananmen crackdown
Beijing (AFP) June 5, 2009 - China blanketed Tiananmen Square with police and security forces on Thursday, blocking any attempt to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the deadly crackdown on mass democracy protests. The government again defended the decision to put down the demonstrations, which left hundreds and perhaps thousands dead, and firmly dismissed a US demand for a public accounting of the events of June 3-4 ... more
Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- June 5, 2009 
F-22 (Photo from Airforce World)
MILITARY AND INTELLIGENCE NEWS BRIEFS
Japanese F-22 Campaign Lives On -- Aviation times
USAF Says Less F-35s -- ELP Defens©e Blog
New Armor Passes Tough Test -- Defense Tech
Software Glitch Cripples Aegis Destroyer -- Korea Times
Textron Marine & Land Systems Delivers 2000th ASV -- Army Guide
Vietnam People's Navy + Kilo subs -- Information Dissemination
High Demand for Airborne Imaging Systems Around the World -- Defense Talk
Roughead defends Navy aviation plans -- Navy Times
Over 40% of Defense Ministry funds go to Navy - Russia's Ivanov -- RIA Novosti
Co-pilot who bombed Nagasaki in World War II is dead -- McClatchy News
F-22 (Photo from Airforce World)MILITARY AND INTELLIGENCE NEWS BRIEFS
Japanese F-22 Campaign Lives On -- Aviation times
USAF Says Less F-35s -- ELP Defens©e Blog
New Armor Passes Tough Test -- Defense Tech
Software Glitch Cripples Aegis Destroyer -- Korea Times
Textron Marine & Land Systems Delivers 2000th ASV -- Army Guide
Vietnam People's Navy + Kilo subs -- Information Dissemination
High Demand for Airborne Imaging Systems Around the World -- Defense Talk
Roughead defends Navy aviation plans -- Navy Times
Over 40% of Defense Ministry funds go to Navy - Russia's Ivanov -- RIA Novosti
Co-pilot who bombed Nagasaki in World War II is dead -- McClatchy News
The Drones Of War Remotely piloted aircraft - or drones - in operation at Creech USAF base in Nevada
From The International Institute of Strategic Studies:
In mid 2008 the United States government substantially stepped up the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) over northwest Pakistan. Since then, Hellfire missiles and the drones that launch them have entered the lexicon of mainstream news. Barack Obama's new US administration has intensified the use of pilotless aircraft to target al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters in Pakistan's remote tribal areas. This has prompted renewed calls from the Pakistani government for the US to desist, because of civilian deaths and increasingly violent responses from militant groups
Pakistan is the most high-profile and divisive example of the increasing use of UAVs in recent conflict situations. However, more than 50 nations now use drones for reconnaissance, intelligence-gathering and targetting. The machines range from the strategic-reconnaissance Global Hawk, which can fly non-stop from California to Australia, to mini surveillance robots that look like props from a James Bond film.
Read more ....
My Comment: This is a comprehensive and in depth look at the use of UAVs. This is a must read.
From The International Institute of Strategic Studies:
In mid 2008 the United States government substantially stepped up the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) over northwest Pakistan. Since then, Hellfire missiles and the drones that launch them have entered the lexicon of mainstream news. Barack Obama's new US administration has intensified the use of pilotless aircraft to target al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters in Pakistan's remote tribal areas. This has prompted renewed calls from the Pakistani government for the US to desist, because of civilian deaths and increasingly violent responses from militant groups
Pakistan is the most high-profile and divisive example of the increasing use of UAVs in recent conflict situations. However, more than 50 nations now use drones for reconnaissance, intelligence-gathering and targetting. The machines range from the strategic-reconnaissance Global Hawk, which can fly non-stop from California to Australia, to mini surveillance robots that look like props from a James Bond film.
Read more ....
My Comment: This is a comprehensive and in depth look at the use of UAVs. This is a must read.
China Ready To Build Aircraft Carrier 
Image: The No. 3 military dock at the Changxing Island Shipyard in Shanghai, China, where the country's first aircraft carrier is to be built. (Photo/Kanwa Defense Review)
From UPI Asia:
Hong Kong, China — Shipbuilding experts from Eastern Europe have confirmed that China will start to build its own aircraft carrier this year, as preparations for the project are complete.
The experts had visited the No. 3 military dock of the Changxing Island Shipyard – the new location of the Jiangnan Shipyard, known as the cradle of China's defense industry – based in Shanghai, where they acquired exclusive photos of the interior of the shipyard. From these it can be deduced that China is ready to commence building the aircraft carrier at this dock.
Read more ....
Image: The No. 3 military dock at the Changxing Island Shipyard in Shanghai, China, where the country's first aircraft carrier is to be built. (Photo/Kanwa Defense Review)From UPI Asia:
Hong Kong, China — Shipbuilding experts from Eastern Europe have confirmed that China will start to build its own aircraft carrier this year, as preparations for the project are complete.
The experts had visited the No. 3 military dock of the Changxing Island Shipyard – the new location of the Jiangnan Shipyard, known as the cradle of China's defense industry – based in Shanghai, where they acquired exclusive photos of the interior of the shipyard. From these it can be deduced that China is ready to commence building the aircraft carrier at this dock.
Read more ....
Excalibur Prepping For Test Flight 
From Defense Tech:
A prototype for an unmanned aerial vehicle that may one day insert special operators, kill bad guys or fly a wounded Soldier from the battlefield to a base hospital gets a try-out sometime over the next several weeks.
The Excalibur will be tested in a proof of principal flight at Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland under contract from the Army's Aviation Applied Technology Directorate at Fort Eustis, Va. Don't expect the robot plane to be carrying anyone -- at just around 700 pounds the prototype is intended only to give the Army a demonstration of its vertical take-off and landing capabilities.
Read more ....
From Defense Tech:A prototype for an unmanned aerial vehicle that may one day insert special operators, kill bad guys or fly a wounded Soldier from the battlefield to a base hospital gets a try-out sometime over the next several weeks.
The Excalibur will be tested in a proof of principal flight at Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland under contract from the Army's Aviation Applied Technology Directorate at Fort Eustis, Va. Don't expect the robot plane to be carrying anyone -- at just around 700 pounds the prototype is intended only to give the Army a demonstration of its vertical take-off and landing capabilities.
Read more ....
Full Text of Barack Obama's Speech to the Muslim World - Wall Street Journal.
Obama Addresses World's Muslims - Paula Wolfson, Voice of America. US President Barack Obama says it is time for a new beginning in relations between America and the world's Muslims. The president said they should unite to confront violent extremism and promote the cause of peace. President Obama says, after decades of frustration and distrust, it is time for candor ... for dialogue ... and a fresh start. "I have come here to Cairo to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world; one based upon mutual interest and mutual respect, and one based upon the truth that America and Islam are not exclusive, and need not be in competition," the president said. He spoke in a packed auditorium on the sprawling campus of Cairo University. But his intended audience was far broader: more than one-billion Muslims around the world. "I am convinced that in order to move forward we must say openly to each other the things we hold in our hearts, and that too often are said only behind closed doors," President Obama said. "There must be a sustained effort to listen to each other, to learn from each other, to respect one another, and to seek common ground." The president spoke of his own perspective as a Christian with Muslim relatives who spent part of his youth in predominantly Muslim Indonesia. "That experience guides my conviction that partnership between America and Islam must be based on what Islam is, not what it is not," he said. " And I consider it part of my responsibility as President of the United States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear." President Obama said problems must be dealt with through partnership, and tensions must be faced head on. He said extremists are playing on their differences, and are killing people in many countries of many faiths. "The enduring faith of over a billion people is so much bigger than the narrow hatred of a few," President Obama said. "Islam is not part of the problem in combating violent extremism, it is an important part of promoting peace."
Obama Cites Shared Principles in Reaching Out to Muslim World - Donna Miles, American Forces Press Service. President Barack Obama reached out to the Muslim world today, urging a new beginning that rises above historical tensions and is built on commonly held principles that reject violence and promote cooperation and stability. Obama, speaking at Cairo University in Egypt, told a predominantly Muslim audience that violent extremists have exploited longstanding tensions and misunderstandings to further divide the United States and Muslims around the world. “The attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and the continued efforts of these extremists to engage in violence against civilians has led some in my country to view Islam as inevitably hostile, not only to America and Western countries, but also to human rights,” he said. “This has bred more fear and distrust.” Emphasizing that the United States “is not – and never will be – at war with Islam,” Obama said it will “relentlessly confront violent extremists who pose a grave threat to our security.” Obama dismissed any notion that the 9/11 attacks were justified. “Let us be clear: al-Qaida killed nearly 3,000 people on that day. The victims were innocent men, women and children from America and many other nations who had done nothing to harm anybody,” he said. “And yet, al-Qaida chose to ruthlessly murder these people, claimed credit for the attack, and even now states their determination to kill on a massive scale.” With affiliates around the world, Obama said, these extremists are trying to expand their reach. “These are not opinions to be debated,” he said. “These are facts to be dealt with.” Obama said his first duty as president is to protect the American people, and said he won’t compromise that responsibility as he works to promoting international cooperation in standing up to violent extremists. The president pointed to the situation in Afghanistan as an example of America’s goals and the need for the United States and the Muslim world to work together.
Obama Chides Israel, Arabs In His Overture to Muslims - Laura Meckler and Jay Solomon, Wall Street Journal. President Barack Obama waded into the heart of the Middle East conflict Thursday by forcefully reiterating his support for a Palestinian state and admonishing the Arab world to pursue peace with Israel as he made his long-awaited appeal to mend the rift between America and the Muslim world. In a wide-ranging speech before students at Cairo University that celebrated the common values of the two cultures, Mr. Obama called for a "new beginning" in the relationship. "I consider it part of my responsibility as president of the United States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear," he said to repeated applause in the ornate-domed Great Hall. "But that same principle must apply to Muslim perceptions of America. " Most notable in the hourlong address was Mr. Obama's reiteration of his support of a state for Palestine, and his rejection of continued construction by Israel of new settlements on disputed land. The policy puts Mr. Obama in direct conflict with the new government in Israel, led by Benjamin Netanyahu. The president also demanded that Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, recognize Israel and renounce violence.
Obama Calls for End to Discord with Muslim World - Christi Parsons and Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times. President Obama's sweeping call Thursday for a "new beginning" between the United States and the Islamic world was greeted by Muslims of many countries as a conciliatory gesture aimed at setting aside suspicion and moving ahead on problems that include terrorism and the Arab-Israeli conflict. The 55-minute address at Cairo University, which was widely translated and sent across the Internet, did little to sway hardened enemies such as Iran. But it did find qualified support from unexpected voices, such as members of the Hamas militant group in the Gaza Strip and Islamist intellectuals in Pakistan. Many listeners were disappointed that Obama did not lay out detailed changes in US foreign policy. Nevertheless, interviews from Egypt to Turkey and Iraq suggested that they believed he was distancing himself from the George W. Bush era and was prepared to engage the Islamic world with openness and trust.
Obama Calls for New Beginning With World's Muslims - Scott Wilson, Washington Post. President Obama asked Thursday for a "new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world" in a speech that urged Islamic nations to embrace democracy, women's rights, religious tolerance and the right of Israel to coexist with an independent Palestinian state. In an address designed to change perceptions of the United States in the Arab Middle East and beyond, Obama reviewed the troubled historical legacy between Islam and the rest of the world, from colonialism through the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the uncertainty surrounding cultural and economic globalization. "So long as our relationship is defined by our differences, we will empower those who sow hatred rather than peace, and who promote conflict rather than the cooperation that can help all of our people achieve justice and prosperity," Obama told an audience of hundreds gathered in a domed hall at Cairo University. "This cycle of suspicion and discord must end." Even as Obama spoke, however, the Arab satellite network al-Jazeera aired new excerpts of an audiotape message issued yesterday by al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, urging Muslims to "brace yourselves for a long war against the world's infidels and their agents."
Addressing Muslim World, Obama Pushes Mideast Peace - Jef Zeleny and Alan Cowell, New York Times. In opening a bold overture to the Islamic world on Thursday, President Obama confronted frictions between Muslims and the West, but he reserved some of his bluntest words for Israel, as he expressed sympathy for the Palestinians and what he called the “daily humiliations, large and small, that come with occupation.” While Mr. Obama emphasized that America’s bond with Israel was “unbreakable,” he spoke in equally powerful terms of the Palestinian people, describing their plight as “intolerable” after 60 years of statelessness, and twice referring to “Palestine” in a way that put Palestinians on parallel footing with Israelis. Mr. Obama’s speech in Cairo, which he called a “timeless city,” was perhaps the riskiest of his presidency, as he used unusually direct language to call for a fresh look at deep divisions, both those between Israel and its neighbors and between the Islamic world and the West. Among his messages was a call for Americans and Muslims to abandon their mutual suspicions and do more to confront violent extremism. But it was Mr. Obama’s empathetic tone toward the Palestinians that attracted the most attention in the region and around the world.
Obama: 'New Beginning' with Muslims - Christina Bellantoni, Washington Times. Seeking no less than a restart of relations with the Islamic world, President Obama on Thursday conceded past wrongs, quoted from the Koran and even invoked his full name - all in an appeal to Muslims from Indonesia to Morocco to unite around common ideals of rights, freedom, security and respect. In calling for a "new beginning," he singled out some Islamic nations as examples of religious tolerance, he delivered a stern lecture to Holocaust deniers, doubters of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and Palestinian terrorists, and he harked back to the glory of Islamic civilizations through the centuries. Using his 55-minute speech - the longest of his young presidency - to about 2,500 people at Cairo University, Mr. Obama said that rather than a fundamental disagreement, the U.S. has always held deep respect for and good will toward Islam, dating back to one of the nation's earliest documents, the 1796 Treaty of Tripoli.
Obama Delivers Strong Attack on Israeli Settlements in Speech to Muslim World - James Hider, The Times. Before a crowd of robed Muslim clerics, dissidents who have served time in jail, students from across the region and besuited government officials from authoritarian regimes, President Obama made an historic speech yesterday to try to mend America’s battered ties with the world’s 1.5 billion Muslims. From such a diverse audience he received as many cheers for espousing women’s rights as he did for quoting the Koran or championing the principle of a free Palestinian state. Mr Obama made obvious attempts to win Muslim hearts and minds - reminding them that Thomas Jefferson taught himself Arabic, and praising the Islamic world as a beacon of learning during Europe’s Dark Ages - but refused to shy away from the difficult issues of religious extremism, human rights abuses and nuclear proliferation that plague the region.
Barack Obama Attempts to Recast Image of America in Muslim World - Richard Spencer, Daily Telegraph. In a speech given to an audience at Cairo University but directed at more than 1 billion Muslims around the world, he said a "new partnership" would stress common principles between civilisations. "So long as our relationship is defined by our differences, we will empower those who sow hatred rather than peace, and who promote conflict rather than the co-operation that can help all of our people achieve justice and prosperity," he said. "This cycle of suspicion and discord must end. "I have come here to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world; one based upon mutual interest and mutual respect." The speech, which he had promised to make even before he was elected, was the centrepiece of his tour of the Middle East which also included talks with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. He met the long-serving President Hosni Mubarak before going on to the university, and ended the day with a trip to the Pyramids. Some even compared his mission to the celebrated Cold War speeches of Presidents John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan in Berlin.
Barack Obama Reaches Out to Muslim World - John Lyons, The Australian. Barack Obama vowed last night to forge a "new beginning" for Islam and the US in a landmark speech to Muslims around the world, evoking a vision of peace after years of "suspicion and discord". In what may be a defining moment of his administration, the US President laid out a new blueprint for US Middle East policy, vowing to sweep away mistrust, forge a state for the Palestinians and defuse a nuclear showdown with Iran. In the domed Great Hall of Cairo University, Mr Obama warned that the US bond with Israel, the source of much Arab distrust of Washington, was "unbreakable". And he rejected "ignorant" rants by those who deny the Nazi Holocaust. But in a sharp break from the policies of his predecessor, George W. Bush, Mr Obama - who was greeted with a standing ovation as he stepped up to the podium - rebuked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's refusal to halt the expansion of Jewish settlements on the West Bank.
In Obama's Speech, A New Approach to Middle East: Candor - Peter Grier, Christian Science Monitor. Did President Obama in his Cairo speech signal a new toughness towards the Arab-Israeli peace process? Past presidents have opposed Israeli settlements in the West Bank. In Cairo, Mr. Obama said plainly that the US will not accept the legitimacy of continued settlement activity. Past presidents have supported the two-state solution, with Israel and a Palestinian nation living side by side. In Cairo, Obama insisted that each side needs to recognize the other's right to exist. With these and other points, Obama was not so much making new policy as forcefully explaining the implications of policies that exist, says Frederick Barton, codirector of the Post-Conflict Reconstruction Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "His speech had this element of candor that his immediate audience [in the Middle East] is not familiar with," says Mr. Barton. Obama's 55-minute address was heavily promoted by the White House, both in the US and the Middle East. Given its importance, it is almost certain that Obama and his speechwriters considered carefully every phrase, nuance, and emphasis.
Obama Hints Acceptance of Elected Islamists - Eli Lake, Washington Times. President Obama hinted Thursday that the United States would for the first time accept the results of Middle East elections won by Islamist parties. In contrast to the Bush administration, which boycotted groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah even after they performed well in elections, Mr. Obama said, "America respects the right of all peaceful and law-abiding voices to be heard around the world, even if we disagree with them. And we will welcome all elected, peaceful governments - provided they govern with respect for all their people." Those words carry particular significance because on June 7 Lebanon is expected to hold an election where Hezbollah, an Iran-backed group, could win a plurality of votes. It was also a message to the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, whose members running as independents won 88 seats - 20 percent of the Egyptian national assembly - in 2005 despite widespread cheating on behalf of the government.
Using New Language, President Shows Understanding for Both Sides in Middle East - Glenn Kessler and Jacqueline L. Salmon, Washington Post. There was no mention of "terrorists" or "terrorism," just "violent extremists." There was the suggestion that Israeli settlements are illegitimate and the assertion that the Palestinians "have suffered in pursuit of a homeland." There were frequent references to the "Holy Koran" and echoes of Muslim phrases. President Obama, who aides say spent many hours "holed up" in the past week revising his Cairo speech, clearly believes in the power of his oratory to win people to his point of view. In many ways, he used his address to promote American values, but his efforts to use new language to recast old grievances have already prompted debate and consternation in some quarters. At the same time, he avoided specific complaints about the lack of freedoms in the Muslim world. Instead, he spoke of the need to obtain concrete political goals, such as the fair administration of justice. He made no mention of his host, President Hosni Mubarak, a snub surely noticed by Egypt's autocratic ruler of nearly three decades.
Varying Responses to Speech in Mideast Highlight Divisions - Michael Slackman, New York Times. On one level, President Obama’s speech succeeded in reaching out to Muslims across the Middle East, winning widespread praise for his respectful approach, his quotations from the Koran and his forthright references to highly fraught political conflicts. But Mr. Obama’s calibrated remarks also asked listeners in a region shaken by hatred to take two steps that have long been anathema: forgetting the past and understanding an opposing view. For a president who proclaimed a goal of asking people to listen to uncomfortable truths, it was clear that parts of his speech resonated deeply with his intended audience and others fell on deaf ears, in Israel as well as the Muslim world. Again and again, Muslim listeners said they were struck by how skillfully Mr. Obama appropriated religious, cultural and historical references in ways other American presidents had not. He sprinkled the speech with four quotations from the Koran and used Arabic greetings. He took note of longstanding historical grievances like the stain of colonialism, American support for the Iranian coup of 1953 and the displacement of the Palestinian people. His speech was also embraced for what it did not do: use the word terrorism, broadly seen here as shorthand for an attack on Islam.
Divided Region, Diverging Reviews for Obama - Dale Gavlak and Joshua Mitnick, Washington Times. President Obama's much-heralded speech on US relations with the Islamic world provoked sharply differing reactions on both sides of the Middle East's great divide. Many Israelis worried that the president had said too much, while many in the Muslim world cautioned that Mr. Obama's talk Thursday of a "new beginning" is less important than what his administration will do to reshape America's image and policies in the region. The Muslim world wants to see "implementation, not just talk on the Palestinian issue," said Jamil Abu Bark, spokesman for Jordan's powerful Islamist Muslim Brotherhood movement. "It doesn't need a speech, but action. We want action on the ground." But Mr. Obama's call for an even-handed treatment of Israeli and Palestinian grievances brought a wary response from the government of conservative Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and outright rejection from the Israeli settlers on disputed lands, whom Mr. Obama again singled out for criticism in Cairo.
Many Muslims Praise Tone of Speech, but Call for Action - Maragret Coker, Wall Street Journal. Muslims in the Middle East and beyond praised US President Barack Obama for the tone of his speech Thursday, but they had more of a mixed reaction to the substance of the address. Mr. Obama won over many Muslims for delivering what many viewed as a respectful address - peppered with the moral message Muslims receive at weekly homilies and the straightforward talk they rarely get from their own leadership. "The Holy Quran tells us, 'Be conscious of God and speak always the truth,' " said Mr. Obama, quoting the Muslim holy book in his hour-long speech at Cairo University. "That is what I will try to do." Ahmed Farouk, a 25-year-old movie producer, listened in an Egyptian coffee house near the university. He pumped his fists when Mr. Obama quoted the Quran and smiled when the president talked of the need to cooperate in the battle against extremists, the quest for democracy and women's rights, and the need for respect and understanding between Americans and Muslims.
Muslims Not Sure President Obama's Speech Means Real Change - Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times. He came with goodwill and pretty sentences, but the question kept echoing: Were they enough? President Obama's much-anticipated speech Thursday to the Muslim world sought to dissolve the mistrust between Islam and the West by highlighting his personal appeal as he called for an end to intolerance and violence and a move toward a shared future. It was a carefully textured blend of history, the president's experience with Islam and the need to quell religious extremism. Few world leaders today can match Obama's eloquence and charisma, and it was clear that the president wanted the world's 1.5 billion Muslims to see America through the prism of his enormously popular image. The words were a start, but the question here remains: Is Obama the face of genuine change in US foreign policy or will he merely offer a sparkle of promise before he is overwhelmed by troubles from the bombed alleys of the Gaza Strip to the mountains of Afghanistan?
In Cairo, Praise for Obama's Remarks - Howard Schneider, Washington Post. The fact that Barack Obama chose Egypt as the location for Thursday's address to the Muslim world endeared him to the locals, who are always proud to host a foreigner and even prouder when it shows off their history. The fact that he came to downtown Cairo, instead of heading to the Sinai beach resorts where diplomatic gatherings are often held, told them he was serious about connecting on a personal level. And when he started sprinkling his speech with words from the Koran, and balanced support for Israel with a strong call for a Palestinian state, the deal was closed. "I didn't expect him to go this far" in confronting the region's core problems, said Tarek Ali, 44, a driver for a government agency. "He really seems to want to move forward." That initial conclusion seemed unanimous among the crowd of men gathered at a local coffee shop to watch Obama's Thursday speech. Although Obama was blunt about the United States' "unbreakable bonds" with Israel, that statement was quickly followed with others about Palestinian "suffering" since Israel's founding in 1948 and the need to curb Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank and establish a Palestinian state.
Palestinians, Israelis Have Mixed Reactions to Obama Speech - Luis Ramirez, Voice of America. It was a speech to which many Israelis were not looking forward to. President Barack Obama had stepped up his calls for a total freeze on Jewish settlements in the West Bank and for Israel to allow Palestinian statehood - things that Israel's leadership refuses to do. In the end, the speech had something for everyone. He pleased many Israelis by calling for Palestinians to abandon violence, saying the Islamist militant group Hamas must recognize Israel's right to exist, and calling for the prevention of a nuclear standoff with Iran. Many Palestinians were pleased to hear the US leader repeat his call for an end to Jewish settlements in the Palestinian territories, and for Israel to realize the only way to resolve the conflict is - in his opinion - the two-state solution. A spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said the speech was a good start towards a new policy that recognizes the suffering of the Palestinians. Political analyst Mahdi Abdel Hadi, director of the Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs in East Jerusalem says the speech contained no new ideas, but went a long way to making people feel good about the new US administration's policy in the Middle East.
'Israel Shares Obama's Hope for Peace' - Herb Kienon, Jerusalem Post. Israel cautiously applauded US President Barack Obama's sweeping speech in Cairo Thursday, even as it was gearing up for tough negotiations with the Americans in the coming days over how to transform some of the rhetoric into a program. During the 56-minute address to some 3,000 invited guests at Cairo University, Obama reconfirmed and pledged continued US support for Israel, but was uncompromising in his demand for the establishment of a Palestinian state, and called for a "stop to settlements." Regarding the settlements, Obama - to perhaps the loudest applause he received during his address - said, "The United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements. This construction violates previous agreements and undermines efforts to achieve peace. It is time for these settlements to stop."
President's Words Worry Israel's Backers - Barbara Slavin, Washington Times. During a major address in Egypt on Thursday, President Obama reached out in friendship to Muslims around the world and distanced himself from Israeli policies more than any other president in decades. Although Mr. Obama said the US bond with Israel is "unbreakable," analysts pointed to subtle but significant shifts in language that indicated that Mr. Obama was not in lock step with the Israeli government on issues including Iran and Palestinian grievances. "This is a very different approach than other presidents have used," said Lee H. Hamilton, president of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and co-chairman of the 2006 Iraq Study Group. Mr. Obama won praise from many analysts, including Mr. Hamilton, for speaking out in Cairo against Muslims who deny the Holocaust or indulge in anti-Semitic behavior.
Supreme Leader of Iran: Muslim Nations 'Hate America' - Thomas Erdbrink and William Branigin, Washington Post. Iran's supreme leader dismissed President Obama's speech at Cairo University Thursday, saying the Muslim world continues to "hate America." And he criticized the United States and its allies for asserting that Iran seeks nuclear weapons, which he insisted are forbidden under Iran's brand of Islam. Speaking shortly before Obama delivered his address, in which he called for a "new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world," Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that "beautiful speeches" could not remove the hatred felt in the Muslim world against America. "People of the Middle East, the Muslim region and North Africa - people of these regions - hate America from the bottom of their heart," Khamenei said at a gathering to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the father of Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution and Khamenei's predecessor as the predominantly Shiite Muslim country's supreme religious leader.
The Cairo Speech - New York Times editorial. When President Bush spoke in the months and years after Sept. 11, 2001, we often - chillingly - felt as if we didn’t recognize the United States. His vision was of a country racked with fear and bent on vengeance, one that imposed invidious choices on the world and on itself. When we listened to President Obama speak in Cairo on Thursday, we recognized the United States. Mr. Obama spoke, unwaveringly, of the need to defend the country’s security and values. He left no doubt that he would do what must be done to defeat Al Qaeda and the Taliban, while making it clear that Americans have no desire to permanently occupy Afghanistan or Iraq. He spoke, unequivocally, of the United States’ “unbreakable” commitment to Israel and of why Iran must not have a nuclear weapon. He was also clear that all of those listening - in the Muslim world and in Israel - must do more to defeat extremism and to respect the rights of their neighbors and their people.
Barack Hussein Bush - Wall Street Journal editorial. One benefit of the Obama Presidency is that it is validating much of George W. Bush's security agenda and foreign policy merely by dint of autobiographical rebranding. That was clear enough yesterday in Cairo, where President Obama advertised "a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world." But what he mostly offered were artfully repackaged versions of themes President Bush sounded with his freedom agenda. We mean that as a compliment, albeit with a couple of large caveats. So there was Mr. Obama, noting that rights such as "freedom to live as you choose" and "the ability to speak your mind and have a say in how you are governed" were "not just American ideas, they are human rights." There he was insisting that "freedom of religion is central to the ability of peoples to live together," and citing Malaysia and Dubai as economic models for other Muslim countries while promising to host a summit on entrepreneurship. There he was too, in Laura Bush-mode, talking about the need to expand opportunities for Muslim women, particularly in education. "I respect those women who choose to live their lives in traditional roles," he said. "But it should be their choice." Mr. Obama also offered a robust defense of the war in Afghanistan, calling it "a war of necessity" and promising that "America's commitment will not weaken." That's an important note to sound when Mr. Obama's left flank and some Congressional Democrats are urging an exit strategy from that supposed quagmire.
The Cairo Appeal - Washington Post editorial. President Obama was the first to say yesterday that one speech cannot erase the accumulated hostility and mistrust between many of the world's Muslims and the United States. But his address in Cairo offered an eloquent case for American values and global objectives - and it looked to be a skillful use of public diplomacy in a region where America's efforts to explain itself have often been weak. Mr. Obama uttered verses from the Koran, spoke about the success of US Muslims, debunked extremists' claims and defended the rights of both Israelis and Palestinians. He returned repeatedly to the theme that most of the differences between Muslims and the West can be eased by "a sustained effort to listen to each other, to learn from each other, to respect one another and to seek common ground." That idealistic sentiment, which lies at the heart of the president's political ideology, may or may not prove true with respect to challenges such as the Israeli-Arab conflict and Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons. But Mr. Obama's address - which was broadcast live on al-Jazeera and other popular satellite channels - offered a stout defense of core US interests while managing to sound very different from the post-Sept. 11 Bush administration. Mr. Obama said that "the first issue we have to confront is violent extremism," but he did not use the word "terrorism" and exonerated Islam from responsibility.
Obama Gives a Bush Speech - Washington Times editorial. President Obama sounded like he was channeling President George W. Bush during his Cairo speech yesterday. Much of the substance of Mr. Obama's address, titled "A New Beginning," sounded like the same old song. One could easily remove the biographical references, redact a few of the sentences that are clearly critical of specific Bush administration policies, and pass it off as old Republican talking points. Check Mr. Bush's remarks at the Islamic Center of Washington on Sept. 17, 2001, six days after the Sept. 11 attacks, in which he said, "America counts millions of Muslims amongst our citizens, and Muslims make an incredibly valuable contribution to our country." Likewise, Mr. Obama stated, "Let there be no doubt: Islam is a part of America." Mr. Bush believed that, "Women who cover their heads in this country must feel comfortable going outside their homes." Mr. Obama upped the ante, noting that "the US government has gone to court to protect the right of women and girls to wear the hijab,and to punish those who would deny it."
Obama in Cairo: Something Old, Something New - Christian Science Monitor editorial. President Obama billed his Cairo speech to the Muslim world as a "new beginning." In some important ways, it did signal a fresh start. But there's also no getting around the "old" work that needs to be done or the abiding principles that must guide that work. Mr. Obama's speech had almost the feel of an inaugural address – historic sweep, lofty idealism, American vision, and a call to action, but aimed at an audience of more than a billion Muslims. His very biography lends a fresh credibility to ideas and policies that are actually not so fresh. It's hard to imagine any of his predecessors, for instance, quoting and referencing the Koran so extensively and being so enthusiastically applauded for it. Obama attempted to blow away the cobwebs of blame and finger-pointing that have collected on the Middle East peace process. "Privately, many Muslims recognize that Israel will not go away. Likewise, many Israelis recognize the need for a Palestinian state. It is time for us to act on what everyone knows to be true," he said. That includes the United States, which needs to reclaim its role as an honest broker, including applying pressure to Israel that it has been reluctant to use in the past.
Obama in Cairo - Los Angeles Times editorial. Rhetorically, at least, President Obama moved mountains in the land of Muhammad. Speaking from Cairo University to the world's estimated 1.5 billion Muslims, the American president made a frank appeal for a new relationship based on mutual respect. Language matters, and this was an eloquent address of historic and moral importance meant to turn the page on strong-arm politics and ultimatums. The first US president of color and the son of a Muslim, Obama brought his personal credibility to the podium, not to apologize but to acknowledge the country's past mistakes and to set an agenda for the future. Certainly words alone will not bring peace to the Middle East or persuade America's enemies to abandon their anger. As Obama noted, "recognizing our common humanity is only the beginning of our task." Still, this was a new beginning. In recent years, US relations with Muslim nations have been shaped largely by hostilities, from the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington to the subsequent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The US role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been an open wound bleeding distrust and anger. While vowing to confront violent extremism and defend Americans, Obama sought to end that era with a declaration: The United States is not at war with Islam.
America and Islam - The Times editorial. Few speeches have been as eagerly awaited in the Middle East as President Obama's address in Cairo University to the Muslim world. And few speeches have been as carefully crafted, as powerfully delivered or as comprehensive in charting a new beginning between civilisations locked for the past decade in destructive mutual incomprehension. If the President's promises could be delivered, if his aspirations could be achieved and if his respectful tone could be adopted across the region, many of the toxic issues roiling the Middle East might become less intractable. One speech, as he acknowledged, cannot alone remove the obstacles or soften the animosities that have built up over decades. What it can do is to lay out intent, demonstrate engagement and win the respect of an audience that has come to expect only the worst from America. Mr Obama has shown extraordinary strength and sensitivity in understanding how America's soft power must be used to achieve what eluded the use of military might. From the opening traditional Muslim greeting to his final and apposite quotations from the Koran, the Torah and the Bible, he showed himself at ease with Islamic culture and customs. He referred to his own name, Muslim forebears and personal memories of Muslims in Indonesia and Chicago; he reminded his audience - and the West - of civilisation's debt to Muslim learning; and he dismissed the crude stereotypes that America and the Islamic world now have of each other with telling examples of past tolerance and engagement.
A Masterly Speech from Barack Obama, But was Anyone Listening? - Daily Telegraph editorial. Mr Obama sought to shake both sides out of their self-pitying trough of prejudice and despair. His speech amounted to a blast of militant common sense. But will it make any difference? He identified some glaring ills of the Muslim world, particularly anti-Semitism, Holocaust denial and an absurd view of America as a pantomime villain. Tragically, these are not the preserve of an extremist fringe: they have entered the mainstream. An ordinary visitor to Egypt soon finds that many people genuinely blame the CIA or Mossad for the terrorist attacks on September 11 2001, a crackpot conspiracy theory that is widely believed across the Muslim world. The American leader has shown his willingness to repair his country's relations with Islam. He has spelled out the steps that both sides must take to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict. But Israel's hardline government has already spurned his call for a freeze in settlement expansion. Will Mr Obama quietly accept this veto - or exert direct pressure on Israel? The harshest question of all, however, is for the Middle East itself: does this region have the capacity for rational dialogue?
Obama's New Era in International Diplomacy - Daily Star editorial. Barack Obama's long-awaited address to the Muslim world has proven to be an event of global magnitude, and a dramatic, international projection of the bully pulpit of the American presidency. Obama's speech in Cairo was an unprecedented display of rhetorical power, coming in an important context: the last eight years of neoconservative policy based on the clash of civilizations mentality. This week, the leader of "the free world" projected his country's peaceful side, to around 1.5 billion people in 50 countries. The address was totally in line with Barack Obama's personal history; it was also a significant departure with traditional politics, just like the precedent-setting choice by the American electorate last November. Obama has committed his country to solving the Arab-Israeli struggle and its own long-simmering confrontation with Iran, as part of an agenda that includes confronting violent extremism and boosting democracy, religious freedom and women's rights. This can constitute a new era in international diplomacy, provided that Washington follow up with determination and evenhandedness.
Great Expectations - Jerusalem Post editorial. It was with mixed feelings that we watched President Barack Obama deliver his extraordinary speech to the Muslim and Arab worlds in Cairo yesterday. Critics will see the speech as incredibly naive. Yet it was also the most meaningful and coherent attempt by an American leader since 9/11 to dissociate the world's 1.5 billion Muslims from demagogic elites preaching worldwide jihad and hatred of non-believers. It is not insignificant that Ayman al-Zawahiri and Osama bin Laden took the president's power to persuade seriously enough to try to preempt him by issuing fresh rants. It must have galled them to see hard-line imams and Muslim Brothers listening attentively in the audience. A Gallup Poll, taken before the speech, showed 25 percent of Egyptians approving of the US under Obama, compared to 6% under George W. Bush. In A city where Holocaust denial is part of the popular culture, it was good to hear Obama telling Muslims: "Six million Jews were killed," and saying otherwise is "ignorant, and hateful." To no applause, he proclaimed: America's ties with Israel are "unbreakable."
The Chicago View - David Brooks, New York Times opinion. President Obama’s Cairo speech characteristically blended idealism with cunning. At one level, the speech was an inspiring effort to create a new dialogue in the Middle East. Obama came to a region in which the different groups have their own narratives and are accustomed to shouting past one another. Obama, as is his custom, positioned himself above the fray and tried to create a new narrative that all sides could relate to. In the Obama narrative, each side has been equally victimized by history, each side has legitimate grievances and each side has duties to perform. To construct this new Middle East narrative, Obama strung together some hard truths, historical distortions, eloquent appeals and strained moral equivalencies.
The Settlements Myth - Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post opinion. President Obama repeatedly insists that American foreign policy be conducted with modesty and humility. Above all, there will be no more "dictating" to other countries. We should "forge partnerships as opposed to simply dictating solutions," he told the G-20 summit. In Middle East negotiations, he told al-Arabiya, America will henceforth "start by listening, because all too often the United States starts by dictating." An admirable sentiment. It applies to everyone - Iran, Russia, Cuba, Syria, even Venezuela. Except Israel. Israel is ordered to freeze all settlement activity. As Secretary of State Hillary Clinton imperiously explained the diktat: "a stop to settlements - not some settlements, not outposts, not natural-growth exceptions." What's the issue? No "natural growth" means strangling to death the thriving towns close to the 1949 armistice line, many of them suburbs of Jerusalem, that every negotiation over the past decade has envisioned Israel retaining.
Can Barack Obama's Soothing Rhetoric Douse the Muslim Militants' Flames? - Con Coughlin, Daily Telegraph opinion. Short of declaring his intention to convert to Islam, it is difficult to imagine what more Barack Obama might have said during his speech yesterday to demonstrate his seriousness about healing the poisonous rift between the West and the Muslim world. After invoking the traditional Muslim welcome - "Assalaamu alaykum" or "Peace be upon you" - the President proceeded to explain how, despite his being raised a Christian, his father's family came from generations of Muslims. He acknowledged the enormous debt Western civilisation owes to Islam, from the development of algebra to the elegant refinement of calligraphy, and stressed the Islamic faith's espousal of religious tolerance and racial equality. He reminded his audience at Cairo University that John Adams, one of America's founding fathers, wrote that "the United States has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion or tranquillity of Muslims".
Negotiating for the Other Side - Danielle Pletka, Washington Post opinion. Yesterday in Cairo, President Obama underscored his desire to "move forward without preconditions" and negotiate with Iran "on the basis of mutual respect." So far, no takers from Tehran. But even if there were, the bottom line is that whether it's Iran, North Korea or the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, there has been little to show for years of jawboning. Worse, the history of such negotiations should give pause to the public and to Congress. Too often, US negotiators have become unwitting advocates for their adversaries, getting so caught up in the negotiating process that they cannot countenance its collapse - or their own failure - even in the face of undeniable evidence that the discussions are not succeeding. Consider the task of Dennis Ross, Obama's "special adviser for the Persian Gulf and Southwest Asia." From 1993 to 2000, as President Bill Clinton's "special Middle East coordinator," Ross brought enthusiasm and deep knowledge to the job. But the peace process he hoped to facilitate was constrained by US laws that reasonably required the Palestine Liberation Organization to abandon terrorism and to recognize Israel before receiving aid from the United States.
Obama Addresses World's Muslims - Paula Wolfson, Voice of America. US President Barack Obama says it is time for a new beginning in relations between America and the world's Muslims. The president said they should unite to confront violent extremism and promote the cause of peace. President Obama says, after decades of frustration and distrust, it is time for candor ... for dialogue ... and a fresh start. "I have come here to Cairo to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world; one based upon mutual interest and mutual respect, and one based upon the truth that America and Islam are not exclusive, and need not be in competition," the president said. He spoke in a packed auditorium on the sprawling campus of Cairo University. But his intended audience was far broader: more than one-billion Muslims around the world. "I am convinced that in order to move forward we must say openly to each other the things we hold in our hearts, and that too often are said only behind closed doors," President Obama said. "There must be a sustained effort to listen to each other, to learn from each other, to respect one another, and to seek common ground." The president spoke of his own perspective as a Christian with Muslim relatives who spent part of his youth in predominantly Muslim Indonesia. "That experience guides my conviction that partnership between America and Islam must be based on what Islam is, not what it is not," he said. " And I consider it part of my responsibility as President of the United States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear." President Obama said problems must be dealt with through partnership, and tensions must be faced head on. He said extremists are playing on their differences, and are killing people in many countries of many faiths. "The enduring faith of over a billion people is so much bigger than the narrow hatred of a few," President Obama said. "Islam is not part of the problem in combating violent extremism, it is an important part of promoting peace."
Obama Cites Shared Principles in Reaching Out to Muslim World - Donna Miles, American Forces Press Service. President Barack Obama reached out to the Muslim world today, urging a new beginning that rises above historical tensions and is built on commonly held principles that reject violence and promote cooperation and stability. Obama, speaking at Cairo University in Egypt, told a predominantly Muslim audience that violent extremists have exploited longstanding tensions and misunderstandings to further divide the United States and Muslims around the world. “The attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and the continued efforts of these extremists to engage in violence against civilians has led some in my country to view Islam as inevitably hostile, not only to America and Western countries, but also to human rights,” he said. “This has bred more fear and distrust.” Emphasizing that the United States “is not – and never will be – at war with Islam,” Obama said it will “relentlessly confront violent extremists who pose a grave threat to our security.” Obama dismissed any notion that the 9/11 attacks were justified. “Let us be clear: al-Qaida killed nearly 3,000 people on that day. The victims were innocent men, women and children from America and many other nations who had done nothing to harm anybody,” he said. “And yet, al-Qaida chose to ruthlessly murder these people, claimed credit for the attack, and even now states their determination to kill on a massive scale.” With affiliates around the world, Obama said, these extremists are trying to expand their reach. “These are not opinions to be debated,” he said. “These are facts to be dealt with.” Obama said his first duty as president is to protect the American people, and said he won’t compromise that responsibility as he works to promoting international cooperation in standing up to violent extremists. The president pointed to the situation in Afghanistan as an example of America’s goals and the need for the United States and the Muslim world to work together.
Obama Chides Israel, Arabs In His Overture to Muslims - Laura Meckler and Jay Solomon, Wall Street Journal. President Barack Obama waded into the heart of the Middle East conflict Thursday by forcefully reiterating his support for a Palestinian state and admonishing the Arab world to pursue peace with Israel as he made his long-awaited appeal to mend the rift between America and the Muslim world. In a wide-ranging speech before students at Cairo University that celebrated the common values of the two cultures, Mr. Obama called for a "new beginning" in the relationship. "I consider it part of my responsibility as president of the United States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear," he said to repeated applause in the ornate-domed Great Hall. "But that same principle must apply to Muslim perceptions of America. " Most notable in the hourlong address was Mr. Obama's reiteration of his support of a state for Palestine, and his rejection of continued construction by Israel of new settlements on disputed land. The policy puts Mr. Obama in direct conflict with the new government in Israel, led by Benjamin Netanyahu. The president also demanded that Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, recognize Israel and renounce violence.
Obama Calls for End to Discord with Muslim World - Christi Parsons and Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times. President Obama's sweeping call Thursday for a "new beginning" between the United States and the Islamic world was greeted by Muslims of many countries as a conciliatory gesture aimed at setting aside suspicion and moving ahead on problems that include terrorism and the Arab-Israeli conflict. The 55-minute address at Cairo University, which was widely translated and sent across the Internet, did little to sway hardened enemies such as Iran. But it did find qualified support from unexpected voices, such as members of the Hamas militant group in the Gaza Strip and Islamist intellectuals in Pakistan. Many listeners were disappointed that Obama did not lay out detailed changes in US foreign policy. Nevertheless, interviews from Egypt to Turkey and Iraq suggested that they believed he was distancing himself from the George W. Bush era and was prepared to engage the Islamic world with openness and trust.
Obama Calls for New Beginning With World's Muslims - Scott Wilson, Washington Post. President Obama asked Thursday for a "new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world" in a speech that urged Islamic nations to embrace democracy, women's rights, religious tolerance and the right of Israel to coexist with an independent Palestinian state. In an address designed to change perceptions of the United States in the Arab Middle East and beyond, Obama reviewed the troubled historical legacy between Islam and the rest of the world, from colonialism through the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the uncertainty surrounding cultural and economic globalization. "So long as our relationship is defined by our differences, we will empower those who sow hatred rather than peace, and who promote conflict rather than the cooperation that can help all of our people achieve justice and prosperity," Obama told an audience of hundreds gathered in a domed hall at Cairo University. "This cycle of suspicion and discord must end." Even as Obama spoke, however, the Arab satellite network al-Jazeera aired new excerpts of an audiotape message issued yesterday by al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, urging Muslims to "brace yourselves for a long war against the world's infidels and their agents."
Addressing Muslim World, Obama Pushes Mideast Peace - Jef Zeleny and Alan Cowell, New York Times. In opening a bold overture to the Islamic world on Thursday, President Obama confronted frictions between Muslims and the West, but he reserved some of his bluntest words for Israel, as he expressed sympathy for the Palestinians and what he called the “daily humiliations, large and small, that come with occupation.” While Mr. Obama emphasized that America’s bond with Israel was “unbreakable,” he spoke in equally powerful terms of the Palestinian people, describing their plight as “intolerable” after 60 years of statelessness, and twice referring to “Palestine” in a way that put Palestinians on parallel footing with Israelis. Mr. Obama’s speech in Cairo, which he called a “timeless city,” was perhaps the riskiest of his presidency, as he used unusually direct language to call for a fresh look at deep divisions, both those between Israel and its neighbors and between the Islamic world and the West. Among his messages was a call for Americans and Muslims to abandon their mutual suspicions and do more to confront violent extremism. But it was Mr. Obama’s empathetic tone toward the Palestinians that attracted the most attention in the region and around the world.
Obama: 'New Beginning' with Muslims - Christina Bellantoni, Washington Times. Seeking no less than a restart of relations with the Islamic world, President Obama on Thursday conceded past wrongs, quoted from the Koran and even invoked his full name - all in an appeal to Muslims from Indonesia to Morocco to unite around common ideals of rights, freedom, security and respect. In calling for a "new beginning," he singled out some Islamic nations as examples of religious tolerance, he delivered a stern lecture to Holocaust deniers, doubters of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and Palestinian terrorists, and he harked back to the glory of Islamic civilizations through the centuries. Using his 55-minute speech - the longest of his young presidency - to about 2,500 people at Cairo University, Mr. Obama said that rather than a fundamental disagreement, the U.S. has always held deep respect for and good will toward Islam, dating back to one of the nation's earliest documents, the 1796 Treaty of Tripoli.
Obama Delivers Strong Attack on Israeli Settlements in Speech to Muslim World - James Hider, The Times. Before a crowd of robed Muslim clerics, dissidents who have served time in jail, students from across the region and besuited government officials from authoritarian regimes, President Obama made an historic speech yesterday to try to mend America’s battered ties with the world’s 1.5 billion Muslims. From such a diverse audience he received as many cheers for espousing women’s rights as he did for quoting the Koran or championing the principle of a free Palestinian state. Mr Obama made obvious attempts to win Muslim hearts and minds - reminding them that Thomas Jefferson taught himself Arabic, and praising the Islamic world as a beacon of learning during Europe’s Dark Ages - but refused to shy away from the difficult issues of religious extremism, human rights abuses and nuclear proliferation that plague the region.
Barack Obama Attempts to Recast Image of America in Muslim World - Richard Spencer, Daily Telegraph. In a speech given to an audience at Cairo University but directed at more than 1 billion Muslims around the world, he said a "new partnership" would stress common principles between civilisations. "So long as our relationship is defined by our differences, we will empower those who sow hatred rather than peace, and who promote conflict rather than the co-operation that can help all of our people achieve justice and prosperity," he said. "This cycle of suspicion and discord must end. "I have come here to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world; one based upon mutual interest and mutual respect." The speech, which he had promised to make even before he was elected, was the centrepiece of his tour of the Middle East which also included talks with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. He met the long-serving President Hosni Mubarak before going on to the university, and ended the day with a trip to the Pyramids. Some even compared his mission to the celebrated Cold War speeches of Presidents John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan in Berlin.
Barack Obama Reaches Out to Muslim World - John Lyons, The Australian. Barack Obama vowed last night to forge a "new beginning" for Islam and the US in a landmark speech to Muslims around the world, evoking a vision of peace after years of "suspicion and discord". In what may be a defining moment of his administration, the US President laid out a new blueprint for US Middle East policy, vowing to sweep away mistrust, forge a state for the Palestinians and defuse a nuclear showdown with Iran. In the domed Great Hall of Cairo University, Mr Obama warned that the US bond with Israel, the source of much Arab distrust of Washington, was "unbreakable". And he rejected "ignorant" rants by those who deny the Nazi Holocaust. But in a sharp break from the policies of his predecessor, George W. Bush, Mr Obama - who was greeted with a standing ovation as he stepped up to the podium - rebuked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's refusal to halt the expansion of Jewish settlements on the West Bank.
In Obama's Speech, A New Approach to Middle East: Candor - Peter Grier, Christian Science Monitor. Did President Obama in his Cairo speech signal a new toughness towards the Arab-Israeli peace process? Past presidents have opposed Israeli settlements in the West Bank. In Cairo, Mr. Obama said plainly that the US will not accept the legitimacy of continued settlement activity. Past presidents have supported the two-state solution, with Israel and a Palestinian nation living side by side. In Cairo, Obama insisted that each side needs to recognize the other's right to exist. With these and other points, Obama was not so much making new policy as forcefully explaining the implications of policies that exist, says Frederick Barton, codirector of the Post-Conflict Reconstruction Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "His speech had this element of candor that his immediate audience [in the Middle East] is not familiar with," says Mr. Barton. Obama's 55-minute address was heavily promoted by the White House, both in the US and the Middle East. Given its importance, it is almost certain that Obama and his speechwriters considered carefully every phrase, nuance, and emphasis.
Obama Hints Acceptance of Elected Islamists - Eli Lake, Washington Times. President Obama hinted Thursday that the United States would for the first time accept the results of Middle East elections won by Islamist parties. In contrast to the Bush administration, which boycotted groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah even after they performed well in elections, Mr. Obama said, "America respects the right of all peaceful and law-abiding voices to be heard around the world, even if we disagree with them. And we will welcome all elected, peaceful governments - provided they govern with respect for all their people." Those words carry particular significance because on June 7 Lebanon is expected to hold an election where Hezbollah, an Iran-backed group, could win a plurality of votes. It was also a message to the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, whose members running as independents won 88 seats - 20 percent of the Egyptian national assembly - in 2005 despite widespread cheating on behalf of the government.
Using New Language, President Shows Understanding for Both Sides in Middle East - Glenn Kessler and Jacqueline L. Salmon, Washington Post. There was no mention of "terrorists" or "terrorism," just "violent extremists." There was the suggestion that Israeli settlements are illegitimate and the assertion that the Palestinians "have suffered in pursuit of a homeland." There were frequent references to the "Holy Koran" and echoes of Muslim phrases. President Obama, who aides say spent many hours "holed up" in the past week revising his Cairo speech, clearly believes in the power of his oratory to win people to his point of view. In many ways, he used his address to promote American values, but his efforts to use new language to recast old grievances have already prompted debate and consternation in some quarters. At the same time, he avoided specific complaints about the lack of freedoms in the Muslim world. Instead, he spoke of the need to obtain concrete political goals, such as the fair administration of justice. He made no mention of his host, President Hosni Mubarak, a snub surely noticed by Egypt's autocratic ruler of nearly three decades.
Varying Responses to Speech in Mideast Highlight Divisions - Michael Slackman, New York Times. On one level, President Obama’s speech succeeded in reaching out to Muslims across the Middle East, winning widespread praise for his respectful approach, his quotations from the Koran and his forthright references to highly fraught political conflicts. But Mr. Obama’s calibrated remarks also asked listeners in a region shaken by hatred to take two steps that have long been anathema: forgetting the past and understanding an opposing view. For a president who proclaimed a goal of asking people to listen to uncomfortable truths, it was clear that parts of his speech resonated deeply with his intended audience and others fell on deaf ears, in Israel as well as the Muslim world. Again and again, Muslim listeners said they were struck by how skillfully Mr. Obama appropriated religious, cultural and historical references in ways other American presidents had not. He sprinkled the speech with four quotations from the Koran and used Arabic greetings. He took note of longstanding historical grievances like the stain of colonialism, American support for the Iranian coup of 1953 and the displacement of the Palestinian people. His speech was also embraced for what it did not do: use the word terrorism, broadly seen here as shorthand for an attack on Islam.
Divided Region, Diverging Reviews for Obama - Dale Gavlak and Joshua Mitnick, Washington Times. President Obama's much-heralded speech on US relations with the Islamic world provoked sharply differing reactions on both sides of the Middle East's great divide. Many Israelis worried that the president had said too much, while many in the Muslim world cautioned that Mr. Obama's talk Thursday of a "new beginning" is less important than what his administration will do to reshape America's image and policies in the region. The Muslim world wants to see "implementation, not just talk on the Palestinian issue," said Jamil Abu Bark, spokesman for Jordan's powerful Islamist Muslim Brotherhood movement. "It doesn't need a speech, but action. We want action on the ground." But Mr. Obama's call for an even-handed treatment of Israeli and Palestinian grievances brought a wary response from the government of conservative Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and outright rejection from the Israeli settlers on disputed lands, whom Mr. Obama again singled out for criticism in Cairo.
Many Muslims Praise Tone of Speech, but Call for Action - Maragret Coker, Wall Street Journal. Muslims in the Middle East and beyond praised US President Barack Obama for the tone of his speech Thursday, but they had more of a mixed reaction to the substance of the address. Mr. Obama won over many Muslims for delivering what many viewed as a respectful address - peppered with the moral message Muslims receive at weekly homilies and the straightforward talk they rarely get from their own leadership. "The Holy Quran tells us, 'Be conscious of God and speak always the truth,' " said Mr. Obama, quoting the Muslim holy book in his hour-long speech at Cairo University. "That is what I will try to do." Ahmed Farouk, a 25-year-old movie producer, listened in an Egyptian coffee house near the university. He pumped his fists when Mr. Obama quoted the Quran and smiled when the president talked of the need to cooperate in the battle against extremists, the quest for democracy and women's rights, and the need for respect and understanding between Americans and Muslims.
Muslims Not Sure President Obama's Speech Means Real Change - Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times. He came with goodwill and pretty sentences, but the question kept echoing: Were they enough? President Obama's much-anticipated speech Thursday to the Muslim world sought to dissolve the mistrust between Islam and the West by highlighting his personal appeal as he called for an end to intolerance and violence and a move toward a shared future. It was a carefully textured blend of history, the president's experience with Islam and the need to quell religious extremism. Few world leaders today can match Obama's eloquence and charisma, and it was clear that the president wanted the world's 1.5 billion Muslims to see America through the prism of his enormously popular image. The words were a start, but the question here remains: Is Obama the face of genuine change in US foreign policy or will he merely offer a sparkle of promise before he is overwhelmed by troubles from the bombed alleys of the Gaza Strip to the mountains of Afghanistan?
In Cairo, Praise for Obama's Remarks - Howard Schneider, Washington Post. The fact that Barack Obama chose Egypt as the location for Thursday's address to the Muslim world endeared him to the locals, who are always proud to host a foreigner and even prouder when it shows off their history. The fact that he came to downtown Cairo, instead of heading to the Sinai beach resorts where diplomatic gatherings are often held, told them he was serious about connecting on a personal level. And when he started sprinkling his speech with words from the Koran, and balanced support for Israel with a strong call for a Palestinian state, the deal was closed. "I didn't expect him to go this far" in confronting the region's core problems, said Tarek Ali, 44, a driver for a government agency. "He really seems to want to move forward." That initial conclusion seemed unanimous among the crowd of men gathered at a local coffee shop to watch Obama's Thursday speech. Although Obama was blunt about the United States' "unbreakable bonds" with Israel, that statement was quickly followed with others about Palestinian "suffering" since Israel's founding in 1948 and the need to curb Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank and establish a Palestinian state.
Palestinians, Israelis Have Mixed Reactions to Obama Speech - Luis Ramirez, Voice of America. It was a speech to which many Israelis were not looking forward to. President Barack Obama had stepped up his calls for a total freeze on Jewish settlements in the West Bank and for Israel to allow Palestinian statehood - things that Israel's leadership refuses to do. In the end, the speech had something for everyone. He pleased many Israelis by calling for Palestinians to abandon violence, saying the Islamist militant group Hamas must recognize Israel's right to exist, and calling for the prevention of a nuclear standoff with Iran. Many Palestinians were pleased to hear the US leader repeat his call for an end to Jewish settlements in the Palestinian territories, and for Israel to realize the only way to resolve the conflict is - in his opinion - the two-state solution. A spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said the speech was a good start towards a new policy that recognizes the suffering of the Palestinians. Political analyst Mahdi Abdel Hadi, director of the Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs in East Jerusalem says the speech contained no new ideas, but went a long way to making people feel good about the new US administration's policy in the Middle East.
'Israel Shares Obama's Hope for Peace' - Herb Kienon, Jerusalem Post. Israel cautiously applauded US President Barack Obama's sweeping speech in Cairo Thursday, even as it was gearing up for tough negotiations with the Americans in the coming days over how to transform some of the rhetoric into a program. During the 56-minute address to some 3,000 invited guests at Cairo University, Obama reconfirmed and pledged continued US support for Israel, but was uncompromising in his demand for the establishment of a Palestinian state, and called for a "stop to settlements." Regarding the settlements, Obama - to perhaps the loudest applause he received during his address - said, "The United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements. This construction violates previous agreements and undermines efforts to achieve peace. It is time for these settlements to stop."
President's Words Worry Israel's Backers - Barbara Slavin, Washington Times. During a major address in Egypt on Thursday, President Obama reached out in friendship to Muslims around the world and distanced himself from Israeli policies more than any other president in decades. Although Mr. Obama said the US bond with Israel is "unbreakable," analysts pointed to subtle but significant shifts in language that indicated that Mr. Obama was not in lock step with the Israeli government on issues including Iran and Palestinian grievances. "This is a very different approach than other presidents have used," said Lee H. Hamilton, president of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and co-chairman of the 2006 Iraq Study Group. Mr. Obama won praise from many analysts, including Mr. Hamilton, for speaking out in Cairo against Muslims who deny the Holocaust or indulge in anti-Semitic behavior.
Supreme Leader of Iran: Muslim Nations 'Hate America' - Thomas Erdbrink and William Branigin, Washington Post. Iran's supreme leader dismissed President Obama's speech at Cairo University Thursday, saying the Muslim world continues to "hate America." And he criticized the United States and its allies for asserting that Iran seeks nuclear weapons, which he insisted are forbidden under Iran's brand of Islam. Speaking shortly before Obama delivered his address, in which he called for a "new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world," Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that "beautiful speeches" could not remove the hatred felt in the Muslim world against America. "People of the Middle East, the Muslim region and North Africa - people of these regions - hate America from the bottom of their heart," Khamenei said at a gathering to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the father of Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution and Khamenei's predecessor as the predominantly Shiite Muslim country's supreme religious leader.
The Cairo Speech - New York Times editorial. When President Bush spoke in the months and years after Sept. 11, 2001, we often - chillingly - felt as if we didn’t recognize the United States. His vision was of a country racked with fear and bent on vengeance, one that imposed invidious choices on the world and on itself. When we listened to President Obama speak in Cairo on Thursday, we recognized the United States. Mr. Obama spoke, unwaveringly, of the need to defend the country’s security and values. He left no doubt that he would do what must be done to defeat Al Qaeda and the Taliban, while making it clear that Americans have no desire to permanently occupy Afghanistan or Iraq. He spoke, unequivocally, of the United States’ “unbreakable” commitment to Israel and of why Iran must not have a nuclear weapon. He was also clear that all of those listening - in the Muslim world and in Israel - must do more to defeat extremism and to respect the rights of their neighbors and their people.
Barack Hussein Bush - Wall Street Journal editorial. One benefit of the Obama Presidency is that it is validating much of George W. Bush's security agenda and foreign policy merely by dint of autobiographical rebranding. That was clear enough yesterday in Cairo, where President Obama advertised "a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world." But what he mostly offered were artfully repackaged versions of themes President Bush sounded with his freedom agenda. We mean that as a compliment, albeit with a couple of large caveats. So there was Mr. Obama, noting that rights such as "freedom to live as you choose" and "the ability to speak your mind and have a say in how you are governed" were "not just American ideas, they are human rights." There he was insisting that "freedom of religion is central to the ability of peoples to live together," and citing Malaysia and Dubai as economic models for other Muslim countries while promising to host a summit on entrepreneurship. There he was too, in Laura Bush-mode, talking about the need to expand opportunities for Muslim women, particularly in education. "I respect those women who choose to live their lives in traditional roles," he said. "But it should be their choice." Mr. Obama also offered a robust defense of the war in Afghanistan, calling it "a war of necessity" and promising that "America's commitment will not weaken." That's an important note to sound when Mr. Obama's left flank and some Congressional Democrats are urging an exit strategy from that supposed quagmire.
The Cairo Appeal - Washington Post editorial. President Obama was the first to say yesterday that one speech cannot erase the accumulated hostility and mistrust between many of the world's Muslims and the United States. But his address in Cairo offered an eloquent case for American values and global objectives - and it looked to be a skillful use of public diplomacy in a region where America's efforts to explain itself have often been weak. Mr. Obama uttered verses from the Koran, spoke about the success of US Muslims, debunked extremists' claims and defended the rights of both Israelis and Palestinians. He returned repeatedly to the theme that most of the differences between Muslims and the West can be eased by "a sustained effort to listen to each other, to learn from each other, to respect one another and to seek common ground." That idealistic sentiment, which lies at the heart of the president's political ideology, may or may not prove true with respect to challenges such as the Israeli-Arab conflict and Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons. But Mr. Obama's address - which was broadcast live on al-Jazeera and other popular satellite channels - offered a stout defense of core US interests while managing to sound very different from the post-Sept. 11 Bush administration. Mr. Obama said that "the first issue we have to confront is violent extremism," but he did not use the word "terrorism" and exonerated Islam from responsibility.
Obama Gives a Bush Speech - Washington Times editorial. President Obama sounded like he was channeling President George W. Bush during his Cairo speech yesterday. Much of the substance of Mr. Obama's address, titled "A New Beginning," sounded like the same old song. One could easily remove the biographical references, redact a few of the sentences that are clearly critical of specific Bush administration policies, and pass it off as old Republican talking points. Check Mr. Bush's remarks at the Islamic Center of Washington on Sept. 17, 2001, six days after the Sept. 11 attacks, in which he said, "America counts millions of Muslims amongst our citizens, and Muslims make an incredibly valuable contribution to our country." Likewise, Mr. Obama stated, "Let there be no doubt: Islam is a part of America." Mr. Bush believed that, "Women who cover their heads in this country must feel comfortable going outside their homes." Mr. Obama upped the ante, noting that "the US government has gone to court to protect the right of women and girls to wear the hijab,and to punish those who would deny it."
Obama in Cairo: Something Old, Something New - Christian Science Monitor editorial. President Obama billed his Cairo speech to the Muslim world as a "new beginning." In some important ways, it did signal a fresh start. But there's also no getting around the "old" work that needs to be done or the abiding principles that must guide that work. Mr. Obama's speech had almost the feel of an inaugural address – historic sweep, lofty idealism, American vision, and a call to action, but aimed at an audience of more than a billion Muslims. His very biography lends a fresh credibility to ideas and policies that are actually not so fresh. It's hard to imagine any of his predecessors, for instance, quoting and referencing the Koran so extensively and being so enthusiastically applauded for it. Obama attempted to blow away the cobwebs of blame and finger-pointing that have collected on the Middle East peace process. "Privately, many Muslims recognize that Israel will not go away. Likewise, many Israelis recognize the need for a Palestinian state. It is time for us to act on what everyone knows to be true," he said. That includes the United States, which needs to reclaim its role as an honest broker, including applying pressure to Israel that it has been reluctant to use in the past.
Obama in Cairo - Los Angeles Times editorial. Rhetorically, at least, President Obama moved mountains in the land of Muhammad. Speaking from Cairo University to the world's estimated 1.5 billion Muslims, the American president made a frank appeal for a new relationship based on mutual respect. Language matters, and this was an eloquent address of historic and moral importance meant to turn the page on strong-arm politics and ultimatums. The first US president of color and the son of a Muslim, Obama brought his personal credibility to the podium, not to apologize but to acknowledge the country's past mistakes and to set an agenda for the future. Certainly words alone will not bring peace to the Middle East or persuade America's enemies to abandon their anger. As Obama noted, "recognizing our common humanity is only the beginning of our task." Still, this was a new beginning. In recent years, US relations with Muslim nations have been shaped largely by hostilities, from the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington to the subsequent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The US role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been an open wound bleeding distrust and anger. While vowing to confront violent extremism and defend Americans, Obama sought to end that era with a declaration: The United States is not at war with Islam.
America and Islam - The Times editorial. Few speeches have been as eagerly awaited in the Middle East as President Obama's address in Cairo University to the Muslim world. And few speeches have been as carefully crafted, as powerfully delivered or as comprehensive in charting a new beginning between civilisations locked for the past decade in destructive mutual incomprehension. If the President's promises could be delivered, if his aspirations could be achieved and if his respectful tone could be adopted across the region, many of the toxic issues roiling the Middle East might become less intractable. One speech, as he acknowledged, cannot alone remove the obstacles or soften the animosities that have built up over decades. What it can do is to lay out intent, demonstrate engagement and win the respect of an audience that has come to expect only the worst from America. Mr Obama has shown extraordinary strength and sensitivity in understanding how America's soft power must be used to achieve what eluded the use of military might. From the opening traditional Muslim greeting to his final and apposite quotations from the Koran, the Torah and the Bible, he showed himself at ease with Islamic culture and customs. He referred to his own name, Muslim forebears and personal memories of Muslims in Indonesia and Chicago; he reminded his audience - and the West - of civilisation's debt to Muslim learning; and he dismissed the crude stereotypes that America and the Islamic world now have of each other with telling examples of past tolerance and engagement.
A Masterly Speech from Barack Obama, But was Anyone Listening? - Daily Telegraph editorial. Mr Obama sought to shake both sides out of their self-pitying trough of prejudice and despair. His speech amounted to a blast of militant common sense. But will it make any difference? He identified some glaring ills of the Muslim world, particularly anti-Semitism, Holocaust denial and an absurd view of America as a pantomime villain. Tragically, these are not the preserve of an extremist fringe: they have entered the mainstream. An ordinary visitor to Egypt soon finds that many people genuinely blame the CIA or Mossad for the terrorist attacks on September 11 2001, a crackpot conspiracy theory that is widely believed across the Muslim world. The American leader has shown his willingness to repair his country's relations with Islam. He has spelled out the steps that both sides must take to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict. But Israel's hardline government has already spurned his call for a freeze in settlement expansion. Will Mr Obama quietly accept this veto - or exert direct pressure on Israel? The harshest question of all, however, is for the Middle East itself: does this region have the capacity for rational dialogue?
Obama's New Era in International Diplomacy - Daily Star editorial. Barack Obama's long-awaited address to the Muslim world has proven to be an event of global magnitude, and a dramatic, international projection of the bully pulpit of the American presidency. Obama's speech in Cairo was an unprecedented display of rhetorical power, coming in an important context: the last eight years of neoconservative policy based on the clash of civilizations mentality. This week, the leader of "the free world" projected his country's peaceful side, to around 1.5 billion people in 50 countries. The address was totally in line with Barack Obama's personal history; it was also a significant departure with traditional politics, just like the precedent-setting choice by the American electorate last November. Obama has committed his country to solving the Arab-Israeli struggle and its own long-simmering confrontation with Iran, as part of an agenda that includes confronting violent extremism and boosting democracy, religious freedom and women's rights. This can constitute a new era in international diplomacy, provided that Washington follow up with determination and evenhandedness.
Great Expectations - Jerusalem Post editorial. It was with mixed feelings that we watched President Barack Obama deliver his extraordinary speech to the Muslim and Arab worlds in Cairo yesterday. Critics will see the speech as incredibly naive. Yet it was also the most meaningful and coherent attempt by an American leader since 9/11 to dissociate the world's 1.5 billion Muslims from demagogic elites preaching worldwide jihad and hatred of non-believers. It is not insignificant that Ayman al-Zawahiri and Osama bin Laden took the president's power to persuade seriously enough to try to preempt him by issuing fresh rants. It must have galled them to see hard-line imams and Muslim Brothers listening attentively in the audience. A Gallup Poll, taken before the speech, showed 25 percent of Egyptians approving of the US under Obama, compared to 6% under George W. Bush. In A city where Holocaust denial is part of the popular culture, it was good to hear Obama telling Muslims: "Six million Jews were killed," and saying otherwise is "ignorant, and hateful." To no applause, he proclaimed: America's ties with Israel are "unbreakable."
The Chicago View - David Brooks, New York Times opinion. President Obama’s Cairo speech characteristically blended idealism with cunning. At one level, the speech was an inspiring effort to create a new dialogue in the Middle East. Obama came to a region in which the different groups have their own narratives and are accustomed to shouting past one another. Obama, as is his custom, positioned himself above the fray and tried to create a new narrative that all sides could relate to. In the Obama narrative, each side has been equally victimized by history, each side has legitimate grievances and each side has duties to perform. To construct this new Middle East narrative, Obama strung together some hard truths, historical distortions, eloquent appeals and strained moral equivalencies.
The Settlements Myth - Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post opinion. President Obama repeatedly insists that American foreign policy be conducted with modesty and humility. Above all, there will be no more "dictating" to other countries. We should "forge partnerships as opposed to simply dictating solutions," he told the G-20 summit. In Middle East negotiations, he told al-Arabiya, America will henceforth "start by listening, because all too often the United States starts by dictating." An admirable sentiment. It applies to everyone - Iran, Russia, Cuba, Syria, even Venezuela. Except Israel. Israel is ordered to freeze all settlement activity. As Secretary of State Hillary Clinton imperiously explained the diktat: "a stop to settlements - not some settlements, not outposts, not natural-growth exceptions." What's the issue? No "natural growth" means strangling to death the thriving towns close to the 1949 armistice line, many of them suburbs of Jerusalem, that every negotiation over the past decade has envisioned Israel retaining.
Can Barack Obama's Soothing Rhetoric Douse the Muslim Militants' Flames? - Con Coughlin, Daily Telegraph opinion. Short of declaring his intention to convert to Islam, it is difficult to imagine what more Barack Obama might have said during his speech yesterday to demonstrate his seriousness about healing the poisonous rift between the West and the Muslim world. After invoking the traditional Muslim welcome - "Assalaamu alaykum" or "Peace be upon you" - the President proceeded to explain how, despite his being raised a Christian, his father's family came from generations of Muslims. He acknowledged the enormous debt Western civilisation owes to Islam, from the development of algebra to the elegant refinement of calligraphy, and stressed the Islamic faith's espousal of religious tolerance and racial equality. He reminded his audience at Cairo University that John Adams, one of America's founding fathers, wrote that "the United States has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion or tranquillity of Muslims".
Negotiating for the Other Side - Danielle Pletka, Washington Post opinion. Yesterday in Cairo, President Obama underscored his desire to "move forward without preconditions" and negotiate with Iran "on the basis of mutual respect." So far, no takers from Tehran. But even if there were, the bottom line is that whether it's Iran, North Korea or the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, there has been little to show for years of jawboning. Worse, the history of such negotiations should give pause to the public and to Congress. Too often, US negotiators have become unwitting advocates for their adversaries, getting so caught up in the negotiating process that they cannot countenance its collapse - or their own failure - even in the face of undeniable evidence that the discussions are not succeeding. Consider the task of Dennis Ross, Obama's "special adviser for the Persian Gulf and Southwest Asia." From 1993 to 2000, as President Bill Clinton's "special Middle East coordinator," Ross brought enthusiasm and deep knowledge to the job. But the peace process he hoped to facilitate was constrained by US laws that reasonably required the Palestine Liberation Organization to abandon terrorism and to recognize Israel before receiving aid from the United States.
Russia: no nuclear cuts if US unclear on missile defence
Moscow (AFP) June 5, 2009 - Russia's military on Friday warned the US that it would not reduce its nuclear arsenal until Washington made clear whether or not it would go ahead with a controversial missile shield in Central Europe. The comments by the country's top general exposed a potential hitch as the two sides hold talks on replacing a key Cold War-era nuclear arms reduction treaty by the end of the year. ... more
korea
+ NKorea renews threat over SKorea anti-proliferation move: report
Seoul (AFP) June 6, 2009 - North Korea Saturday restated that South Korea's decision to join a US-led drive against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction was a "declaration of war," a report said. Within days of Pyongyang's detonation of a second nuclear bomb on May 25, Seoul said it would join Washington's Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), a move that incensed North Korea. "South Korea's full ... more
iran
+ Iran would face 'retaliation' for attack on Israel: Clinton
Washington (AFP) June 7, 2009 - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned Iran in an interview that aired Sunday that it would face "retaliation" if it launched a nuclear attack on Israel. "I don't think there is any doubt in anyone's mind that were Israel to suffer a nuclear attack by Iran, there would be retaliaion," Clinton said in the interview with ABC's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos." Clinton did not ... more
miltech
+ Defense Focus: Land war threats -- Part 3
Washington (UPI) Jun 5, 2009 - The Russian government doesn't believe that military forces should be reduced in the coming decades, unlike American liberals, but it does believe in global warming, unlike many American conservatives. The combination of these two views has resulted in the development of a long-term program for the next 12 years to boost Russia's security forces and military presence in the ... more
iraq
+ Analysis: Baathists beat nationalist drum
Baquba, Iraq (UPI) Jun 5, 2009 - Disparate insurgency groups and cells in Iraq's restive Diyala province are being courted, coaxed or lured into a loose coalition to cooperate in attacks on withdrawing U.S. troops and destabilize the national government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, U.S. military officers report. The effort is being led by Jaish Rajal al-Tariqah al-Naqshbandia, a Sunni group of former officials ... more
Moscow (AFP) June 5, 2009 - Russia's military on Friday warned the US that it would not reduce its nuclear arsenal until Washington made clear whether or not it would go ahead with a controversial missile shield in Central Europe. The comments by the country's top general exposed a potential hitch as the two sides hold talks on replacing a key Cold War-era nuclear arms reduction treaty by the end of the year. ... morekorea
+ NKorea renews threat over SKorea anti-proliferation move: report
Seoul (AFP) June 6, 2009 - North Korea Saturday restated that South Korea's decision to join a US-led drive against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction was a "declaration of war," a report said. Within days of Pyongyang's detonation of a second nuclear bomb on May 25, Seoul said it would join Washington's Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), a move that incensed North Korea. "South Korea's full ... moreiran
+ Iran would face 'retaliation' for attack on Israel: Clinton
Washington (AFP) June 7, 2009 - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned Iran in an interview that aired Sunday that it would face "retaliation" if it launched a nuclear attack on Israel. "I don't think there is any doubt in anyone's mind that were Israel to suffer a nuclear attack by Iran, there would be retaliaion," Clinton said in the interview with ABC's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos." Clinton did not ... moremiltech
+ Defense Focus: Land war threats -- Part 3
Washington (UPI) Jun 5, 2009 - The Russian government doesn't believe that military forces should be reduced in the coming decades, unlike American liberals, but it does believe in global warming, unlike many American conservatives. The combination of these two views has resulted in the development of a long-term program for the next 12 years to boost Russia's security forces and military presence in the ... moreiraq
+ Analysis: Baathists beat nationalist drum
Baquba, Iraq (UPI) Jun 5, 2009 - Disparate insurgency groups and cells in Iraq's restive Diyala province are being courted, coaxed or lured into a loose coalition to cooperate in attacks on withdrawing U.S. troops and destabilize the national government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, U.S. military officers report. The effort is being led by Jaish Rajal al-Tariqah al-Naqshbandia, a Sunni group of former officials ... more
+ UN NKorea sanctions deal held up by cargo inspection issue
United Nations (AFP) June 5, 2009 - An agreement on broader UN sanctions against North Korea over its recent nuclear test is being held up by differences among seven key powers over tougher cargo inspections and a tighter arms embargo, diplomats said Friday. They said the disagreement, which also centered on additional financial penalties, means that the proposed sanctions were unlikely to be adopted by the full 15-member UN ... more
korea
+ Obama warns North Korea and Iran over nuclear threat
Caen, France (AFP) June 6, 2009 - US President Barack Obama said Saturday that North Korea's nuclear weapon test had been "extraordinarily provocative" and that it would be "profoundly dangerous" for Iran to get a nuclear bomb. Obama highlighted the separate policies being pursued against the two, with the United States seeking a tougher line on Stalinist North Korea while it has a new start to Iran's hardline Islamic ... more
nuclear-blackmarket
+ No progress on Iran, Syria nuclear dossiers: top UN official
Vienna (AFP) June 5, 2009 - The UN atomic watchdog has not made any progress in its probe into the alleged illicit nuclear activities in Iran and Syria, a senior official close to the agency said Friday. "On Iran, there has been very little progress," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "And for Syria, it's the same thing." Iran was still defying the UN Security Council and has so far amassed ... more
iraq
+ Most families opt for media coverage of US war dead
Washington (AFP) June 7, 2009 - The solemn ceremony that marks the return of fallen soldiers to US soil is laden with emotion, marked by silence and military precision. And until three months ago, it was carried out in private, without any cameras allowed and often without relatives present. Starting in March, the US Defense Department lifted a ban on media coverage of the flag-draped coffins being carried off aircraft ... more
uav
+ QinetiQ Readies Aberporth UAV Centre For Watchkeeper
Farnborough, UK (SPX) Jun 08, 2009 - A key milestone in the GBP899m MOD project to develop the Watchkeeper Unmanned Air System has been reached on schedule. QinetiQ, working closely with other stakeholders, has delivered the necessary infrastructure and facilities at ParcAberporth, Ceredigion, South Wales, as part of its ongoing pound5m support contract - which means the Watchkeeper trials programme can commence here in the Autumn. ... more
United Nations (AFP) June 5, 2009 - An agreement on broader UN sanctions against North Korea over its recent nuclear test is being held up by differences among seven key powers over tougher cargo inspections and a tighter arms embargo, diplomats said Friday. They said the disagreement, which also centered on additional financial penalties, means that the proposed sanctions were unlikely to be adopted by the full 15-member UN ... morekorea
+ Obama warns North Korea and Iran over nuclear threat
Caen, France (AFP) June 6, 2009 - US President Barack Obama said Saturday that North Korea's nuclear weapon test had been "extraordinarily provocative" and that it would be "profoundly dangerous" for Iran to get a nuclear bomb. Obama highlighted the separate policies being pursued against the two, with the United States seeking a tougher line on Stalinist North Korea while it has a new start to Iran's hardline Islamic ... morenuclear-blackmarket
+ No progress on Iran, Syria nuclear dossiers: top UN official
Vienna (AFP) June 5, 2009 - The UN atomic watchdog has not made any progress in its probe into the alleged illicit nuclear activities in Iran and Syria, a senior official close to the agency said Friday. "On Iran, there has been very little progress," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "And for Syria, it's the same thing." Iran was still defying the UN Security Council and has so far amassed ... moreiraq
+ Most families opt for media coverage of US war dead
Washington (AFP) June 7, 2009 - The solemn ceremony that marks the return of fallen soldiers to US soil is laden with emotion, marked by silence and military precision. And until three months ago, it was carried out in private, without any cameras allowed and often without relatives present. Starting in March, the US Defense Department lifted a ban on media coverage of the flag-draped coffins being carried off aircraft ... moreuav
+ QinetiQ Readies Aberporth UAV Centre For Watchkeeper
Farnborough, UK (SPX) Jun 08, 2009 - A key milestone in the GBP899m MOD project to develop the Watchkeeper Unmanned Air System has been reached on schedule. QinetiQ, working closely with other stakeholders, has delivered the necessary infrastructure and facilities at ParcAberporth, Ceredigion, South Wales, as part of its ongoing pound5m support contract - which means the Watchkeeper trials programme can commence here in the Autumn. ... more
Commentary: Pie in the Muslim sky
Washington (UPI) Jun 5, 2009 - After all was said and done, more was said than done. It was a fabulous speech, beautifully crafted, but it did not represent a sea change in the quest for a two-state solution to the perennial Palestinian problem. Freezing Jewish settlements in the West Bank is not the issue. Soaring rhetoric could not mask President Obama's modest strategic agenda. The paltry plight of Palestinian refugees ... more
terrorwars
+ LockMart Provide Enhanced Biological Aerosol Warning Systems For Japan
Baltimore MD (SPX) Jun 08, 2009 - The Japan Ground Self Defense Force recently exercised an option on an existing contract with Lockheed Martin and its trading partner Itochu, of Tokyo, for the delivery of additional Enhanced Biological Aerosol Warning Systems (EBAWS). Lockheed Martin's EBAWS will be used by the Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Defense Units of the Japan Ground Self Defense Forces to ... more
disaster-management
+ Frantic search for survivors of China avalanche
Beijing (AFP) June 6, 2009 - Hundreds of rescue workers and volunteers were Saturday searching for dozens of people feared buried alive when part of a mountain collapsed in a massive landslide in southwest China, officials said. Seventy-four people were missing after the disaster struck Friday afternoon in an iron ore mining district of the vast Chongqing municipality, a Chongqing government spokesman told a televised ... more
china
+ Chinese bus blaze may have been sabotage: report
Beijing (AFP) June 7, 2009 - Initial investigations and eyewitness accounts suggest a fierce blaze that gutted a bus in southwest China, killing 27 people and injuring 74, may have been started deliberately, state press said Sunday. The packed single-decker bus burst into flames early Friday in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, after a fire apparently started inside and quickly engulfed the whole vehicle. ... more
china
+ Tiananmen amnesia vital for China's rulers: analysts
Beijing (AFP) June 7, 2009 - China has changed profoundly since 1989, but on one point the regime will not budge an inch: Mindful of its legitimacy, it insists that it was right in suppressing the Tiananmen protests, analysts said. The way the 20th anniversary of the crackdown passed last week -- with a muzzled Internet, a cowed press and a Tiananmen Square patrolled by hundreds of police -- once again demonstrated how ... more
Washington (UPI) Jun 5, 2009 - After all was said and done, more was said than done. It was a fabulous speech, beautifully crafted, but it did not represent a sea change in the quest for a two-state solution to the perennial Palestinian problem. Freezing Jewish settlements in the West Bank is not the issue. Soaring rhetoric could not mask President Obama's modest strategic agenda. The paltry plight of Palestinian refugees ... moreterrorwars
+ LockMart Provide Enhanced Biological Aerosol Warning Systems For Japan
Baltimore MD (SPX) Jun 08, 2009 - The Japan Ground Self Defense Force recently exercised an option on an existing contract with Lockheed Martin and its trading partner Itochu, of Tokyo, for the delivery of additional Enhanced Biological Aerosol Warning Systems (EBAWS). Lockheed Martin's EBAWS will be used by the Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Defense Units of the Japan Ground Self Defense Forces to ... moredisaster-management
+ Frantic search for survivors of China avalanche
Beijing (AFP) June 6, 2009 - Hundreds of rescue workers and volunteers were Saturday searching for dozens of people feared buried alive when part of a mountain collapsed in a massive landslide in southwest China, officials said. Seventy-four people were missing after the disaster struck Friday afternoon in an iron ore mining district of the vast Chongqing municipality, a Chongqing government spokesman told a televised ... morechina
+ Chinese bus blaze may have been sabotage: report
Beijing (AFP) June 7, 2009 - Initial investigations and eyewitness accounts suggest a fierce blaze that gutted a bus in southwest China, killing 27 people and injuring 74, may have been started deliberately, state press said Sunday. The packed single-decker bus burst into flames early Friday in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, after a fire apparently started inside and quickly engulfed the whole vehicle. ... morechina
+ Tiananmen amnesia vital for China's rulers: analysts
Beijing (AFP) June 7, 2009 - China has changed profoundly since 1989, but on one point the regime will not budge an inch: Mindful of its legitimacy, it insists that it was right in suppressing the Tiananmen protests, analysts said. The way the 20th anniversary of the crackdown passed last week -- with a muzzled Internet, a cowed press and a Tiananmen Square patrolled by hundreds of police -- once again demonstrated how ... more
US, China and Russia lift arms spending to new record: study
Stockholm (AFP) June 8, 2009 - World military spending hit a new record in 2008, boosted by the Iraq war, the return of Russia as a global player and the emergence of China, a Swedish think tank said in its annual report Monday. World arms expenditure totalled 1.464 trillion dollars last year, a rise of 45 percent from a decade ago and representing 2.4 percent of global gross domestic product or 217 dollars for every ... more
stans
+ US failed to follow rules in Afghan bombing: Pentagon
Washington (AFP) June 8, 2009 - US forces failed to follow procedures in carrying out deadly air strikes last month in western Afghanistan in an incident that killed dozens of civilians, the Pentagon said on Monday. "There were some problems with tactics, techniques and procedures, the way in which close air support was supposed to have been executed in this case," press secretary Geoff Morrell told a news conference. ... more
korea
+ NKorea jails US journalists for 12 years
Seoul (AFP) June 8, 2009 - North Korea sentenced two female US journalists to 12 years in a labour camp Monday for illegal entry and an unspecified "grave crime," further fuelling tensions with Washington after testing a nuclear bomb. US President Barack Obama was "deeply concerned" about the sentences handed down to Laura Ling and Euna Lee, and his government was using "all possible channels" to obtain their release ... more
stans
+ New US commander to review strategy in Afghanistan
Washington (AFP) June 8, 2009 - President Barack Obama's choice to lead US and NATO forces in Afghanistan has been asked to carry out a review of military strategy and report his findings within two months, the Pentagon said on Monday. US Defense Secretary Robert Gates has asked Lieutenant General Stanley McChrystal and the officer nominated to be his deputy, Lieutenant General David Rodriguez, to "get a ground-eye view of ... more
terrorwars
+ Thompson Files: DHS blows biosensor crisis
Arlington, Va. (UPI) Jun 8, 2009 - The recent outbreaks of swine flu arrived on American shores without warning. Fortunately, this biohazard proved less threatening than first thought. But what would have happened if this had been an extremely virulent form of influenza as happened in 1918? Or if the catastrophe was a biological weapon deployed by a terrorist? Without accurate and timely warning, an effective response is ... more
Stockholm (AFP) June 8, 2009 - World military spending hit a new record in 2008, boosted by the Iraq war, the return of Russia as a global player and the emergence of China, a Swedish think tank said in its annual report Monday. World arms expenditure totalled 1.464 trillion dollars last year, a rise of 45 percent from a decade ago and representing 2.4 percent of global gross domestic product or 217 dollars for every ... morestans
+ US failed to follow rules in Afghan bombing: Pentagon
Washington (AFP) June 8, 2009 - US forces failed to follow procedures in carrying out deadly air strikes last month in western Afghanistan in an incident that killed dozens of civilians, the Pentagon said on Monday. "There were some problems with tactics, techniques and procedures, the way in which close air support was supposed to have been executed in this case," press secretary Geoff Morrell told a news conference. ... morekorea
+ NKorea jails US journalists for 12 years
Seoul (AFP) June 8, 2009 - North Korea sentenced two female US journalists to 12 years in a labour camp Monday for illegal entry and an unspecified "grave crime," further fuelling tensions with Washington after testing a nuclear bomb. US President Barack Obama was "deeply concerned" about the sentences handed down to Laura Ling and Euna Lee, and his government was using "all possible channels" to obtain their release ... morestans
+ New US commander to review strategy in Afghanistan
Washington (AFP) June 8, 2009 - President Barack Obama's choice to lead US and NATO forces in Afghanistan has been asked to carry out a review of military strategy and report his findings within two months, the Pentagon said on Monday. US Defense Secretary Robert Gates has asked Lieutenant General Stanley McChrystal and the officer nominated to be his deputy, Lieutenant General David Rodriguez, to "get a ground-eye view of ... moreterrorwars
+ Thompson Files: DHS blows biosensor crisis
Arlington, Va. (UPI) Jun 8, 2009 - The recent outbreaks of swine flu arrived on American shores without warning. Fortunately, this biohazard proved less threatening than first thought. But what would have happened if this had been an extremely virulent form of influenza as happened in 1918? Or if the catastrophe was a biological weapon deployed by a terrorist? Without accurate and timely warning, an effective response is ... more
Walker's World: Brazil revives
Sao Paulo (UPI) Jun 8, 2009 - Brazil has been hit hard by the global recession, with one in five of the workers at the emblematic Embraer aircraft manufacturing company laid off and gross domestic product shrinking by about 5 percent in the past two quarters. But the country's mood is far more optimistic, fueled by the news of the new offshore oil finds, rising prices for its agricultural exports and a soaring stock market ... more
iraq
+ Outside View: Leaving Iraq -- Part 3
Washington (UPI) Jun 8, 2009 - A now common view among the American public about the war in Iraq looks upon the eventual withdrawal of all U.S. combat troops from that country in the following way: "We Americans have to convey to the Iraqi authorities how disappointed we are realizing that they cannot do a better job. As they do not improve their performance, then, with regret, we Americans will have to acknowledge ... more
naval
+ Northrop Grumman Submits Bid For US Navy CANES
San Diego CA (SPX) Jun 09, 2009 - The team led by Northrop Grumman has submitted its bid for the U.S. Navy's Consolidated Afloat Networks and Enterprise Services, or CANES. CANES will streamline and update shipboard network systems to improve interoperability and affordability across the fleet. The U.S. Department of Defense issued a request for proposals April 2 for the program, which is valued at more than $1.5 billion ... more
superpowers
+ NATO set for major troop cuts in Kosovo: officials
Brussels (AFP) June 8, 2009 - NATO plans to cut its peacekeeping force in Kosovo by a third by January, officials and diplomats said Monday, but they insisted that troop numbers would only drop as security conditions allow. Allied defence ministers, at talks in Brussels Thursday, are expected to endorse cuts recommended by NATO top brass, which would see the Kosovo contingent KFOR slashed to 10,000 troops from around ... more
miltech
+ LockMart Receives Contract For Third Lot Of F-35s
Fort Worth TX (SPX) Jun 09, 2009 - The United States Department of Defense has awarded Lockheed Martin a $2.1 billion contract modification to produce 17 F-35 Lightning II stealth fighters in the third lot of low-rate initial production (LRIP). The buy also includes the first international orders - two F-35 operational test aircraft for the United Kingdom and one for the Netherlands. The contract adds to a May 2008 award of ... more
Sao Paulo (UPI) Jun 8, 2009 - Brazil has been hit hard by the global recession, with one in five of the workers at the emblematic Embraer aircraft manufacturing company laid off and gross domestic product shrinking by about 5 percent in the past two quarters. But the country's mood is far more optimistic, fueled by the news of the new offshore oil finds, rising prices for its agricultural exports and a soaring stock market ... moreiraq
+ Outside View: Leaving Iraq -- Part 3
Washington (UPI) Jun 8, 2009 - A now common view among the American public about the war in Iraq looks upon the eventual withdrawal of all U.S. combat troops from that country in the following way: "We Americans have to convey to the Iraqi authorities how disappointed we are realizing that they cannot do a better job. As they do not improve their performance, then, with regret, we Americans will have to acknowledge ... morenaval
+ Northrop Grumman Submits Bid For US Navy CANES
San Diego CA (SPX) Jun 09, 2009 - The team led by Northrop Grumman has submitted its bid for the U.S. Navy's Consolidated Afloat Networks and Enterprise Services, or CANES. CANES will streamline and update shipboard network systems to improve interoperability and affordability across the fleet. The U.S. Department of Defense issued a request for proposals April 2 for the program, which is valued at more than $1.5 billion ... moresuperpowers
+ NATO set for major troop cuts in Kosovo: officials
Brussels (AFP) June 8, 2009 - NATO plans to cut its peacekeeping force in Kosovo by a third by January, officials and diplomats said Monday, but they insisted that troop numbers would only drop as security conditions allow. Allied defence ministers, at talks in Brussels Thursday, are expected to endorse cuts recommended by NATO top brass, which would see the Kosovo contingent KFOR slashed to 10,000 troops from around ... moremiltech
+ LockMart Receives Contract For Third Lot Of F-35s
Fort Worth TX (SPX) Jun 09, 2009 - The United States Department of Defense has awarded Lockheed Martin a $2.1 billion contract modification to produce 17 F-35 Lightning II stealth fighters in the third lot of low-rate initial production (LRIP). The buy also includes the first international orders - two F-35 operational test aircraft for the United Kingdom and one for the Netherlands. The contract adds to a May 2008 award of ... more
MILITARY AND INTELLIGENCE NEWS BRIEFS
Obama seeks global uranium fuel bank -- Boston.com
Hacker named to Homeland Security Advisory Council -- CNET News
Top 10 arms spenders, arms producers in the world -- AP
Gates's 80 Percent Solution -- Ares/Aviation Week
Demand for Special Operators Could Strain Force, Commander Says -- American Forces Press Service
MRAP Modified from the Ground Up -- Defense Talk
F-22 Raptors to Japan? -- Defense Industry Daily
EU Lacks Cyber Policies -- DoD Buzz
FBI director defends use of informants in mosques -- Yahoo News/AP
Uranium Traces Uncovered at Second Syrian Site, IAEA Says -- Global Security Newswire
Obama seeks global uranium fuel bank -- Boston.com
Hacker named to Homeland Security Advisory Council -- CNET News
Top 10 arms spenders, arms producers in the world -- AP
Gates's 80 Percent Solution -- Ares/Aviation Week
Demand for Special Operators Could Strain Force, Commander Says -- American Forces Press Service
MRAP Modified from the Ground Up -- Defense Talk
F-22 Raptors to Japan? -- Defense Industry Daily
EU Lacks Cyber Policies -- DoD Buzz
FBI director defends use of informants in mosques -- Yahoo News/AP
Uranium Traces Uncovered at Second Syrian Site, IAEA Says -- Global Security Newswire
THE LONG WAR
CIA Urges Judge To Keep Bush-Era Documents Sealed - R. Jeffrey Smith, Washington Post. The Obama administration objected yesterday to the release of certain Bush-era documents that detail the videotaped interrogations of CIA detainees at secret prisons, arguing to a federal judge that doing so would endanger national security and benefit al-Qaeda's recruitment efforts. In an affidavit, CIA Director Leon E. Panetta defended the classification of records describing the contents of the 92 videotapes, their destruction by the CIA in 2005 and what he called "sensitive operational information" about the interrogations. The forced disclosure of such material to the American Civil Liberties Union "could be expected to result in exceptionally grave damage to the national security by informing our enemies of what we knew about them, and when, and in some instances, how we obtained the intelligence we possessed," Panetta argued.
US DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Pentagon Encouraged on Pakistan, Wary on North Korea, Spokesman Says - Jim Garamone, American Forces Press Service. Defense Department officials are encouraged by the Pakistani campaign in the country’s Swat Valley and in its provinces of Buner and Dir, but North Korea continues to be a vexing issue, the Pentagon press secretary said here today. Pakistan’s month-long offensive against the Taliban within its borders is going well, Geoff Morrell said during a Pentagon news conference. “We are hoping that the offensive continues to the point that these militants in this region are defeated,” he said. The United States continues to stand ready to provide whatever assistance the Pakistani military needs to finish the job, Morrell said. “But we are clearly encouraged by the fact that, ever since there was this encroachment on Islamabad by the Taliban and associated other militant groups, we are seeing an aggressive and sustained military operation in response,” he added. North Korea continues to be a problem, and the press secretary said the US position will continue to stress diplomacy. “Our focus is now and has been and likely will continue to be on coming up with diplomatic and economic pressures that will persuade the North from abandoning its pursuit of nuclear weapons and the platforms to deliver them,” he said. American efforts are focused on the United Nations and the Six-Party Talks with the United States, South Korea, Japan, Russia, China and North Korea.
Supreme Court Turns Down 'Don't Ask' Challenge - William Branigin, Washington Post. The Supreme Court today declined to hear a constitutional challenge to the Pentagon's "don't ask, don't tell" policy banning openly gay people from serving in the US military, a move that could effectively leave it to the Obama administration to resolve the long-controversial issue. In a separate action, the court also ruled unanimously that Americans cannot sue the current Iraqi government in US courts for acts by the regime of Saddam Hussein, who was driven from power by US invasion forces in 2003. In the "don't ask, don't tell" case, the Supreme Court sided with the Obama administration, which had urged the justices not to hear the appeal against the policy, even though Obama is on record as opposing it. The court thus spared the administration from having to defend in court a policy that the president eventually wants to abolish pending a review by the Pentagon.
US INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY
Turf Battles on Intelligence Pose Test for Spy Chiefs - Mark Mazzetti, New York Times. On May 19, Dennis C. Blair, the director of national intelligence, sent a classified memorandum announcing that his office would use its authority to select the top American spy in each country overseas. One day later, Leon E. Panetta, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, sent a dispatch of his own. Ignore Mr. Blair’s message, Mr. Panetta wrote to agency employees; the CIA was still in charge overseas, a role that CIA station chiefs had jealously guarded for decades. The dispute has posed an early test for both spymasters, with Gen. James L. Jones, the national security adviser, now trying to negotiate a truce. The behind-the-scenes battle shows the intensity of struggles continuing between intelligence agencies whose roles were left ill defined after a structural overhaul in 2004 that was intended to harness greater cooperation and put an end to internecine fights.
CIA Urges Judge To Keep Bush-Era Documents Sealed - R. Jeffrey Smith, Washington Post. The Obama administration objected yesterday to the release of certain Bush-era documents that detail the videotaped interrogations of CIA detainees at secret prisons, arguing to a federal judge that doing so would endanger national security and benefit al-Qaeda's recruitment efforts. In an affidavit, CIA Director Leon E. Panetta defended the classification of records describing the contents of the 92 videotapes, their destruction by the CIA in 2005 and what he called "sensitive operational information" about the interrogations. The forced disclosure of such material to the American Civil Liberties Union "could be expected to result in exceptionally grave damage to the national security by informing our enemies of what we knew about them, and when, and in some instances, how we obtained the intelligence we possessed," Panetta argued.
US DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Pentagon Encouraged on Pakistan, Wary on North Korea, Spokesman Says - Jim Garamone, American Forces Press Service. Defense Department officials are encouraged by the Pakistani campaign in the country’s Swat Valley and in its provinces of Buner and Dir, but North Korea continues to be a vexing issue, the Pentagon press secretary said here today. Pakistan’s month-long offensive against the Taliban within its borders is going well, Geoff Morrell said during a Pentagon news conference. “We are hoping that the offensive continues to the point that these militants in this region are defeated,” he said. The United States continues to stand ready to provide whatever assistance the Pakistani military needs to finish the job, Morrell said. “But we are clearly encouraged by the fact that, ever since there was this encroachment on Islamabad by the Taliban and associated other militant groups, we are seeing an aggressive and sustained military operation in response,” he added. North Korea continues to be a problem, and the press secretary said the US position will continue to stress diplomacy. “Our focus is now and has been and likely will continue to be on coming up with diplomatic and economic pressures that will persuade the North from abandoning its pursuit of nuclear weapons and the platforms to deliver them,” he said. American efforts are focused on the United Nations and the Six-Party Talks with the United States, South Korea, Japan, Russia, China and North Korea.
Supreme Court Turns Down 'Don't Ask' Challenge - William Branigin, Washington Post. The Supreme Court today declined to hear a constitutional challenge to the Pentagon's "don't ask, don't tell" policy banning openly gay people from serving in the US military, a move that could effectively leave it to the Obama administration to resolve the long-controversial issue. In a separate action, the court also ruled unanimously that Americans cannot sue the current Iraqi government in US courts for acts by the regime of Saddam Hussein, who was driven from power by US invasion forces in 2003. In the "don't ask, don't tell" case, the Supreme Court sided with the Obama administration, which had urged the justices not to hear the appeal against the policy, even though Obama is on record as opposing it. The court thus spared the administration from having to defend in court a policy that the president eventually wants to abolish pending a review by the Pentagon.
US INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY
Turf Battles on Intelligence Pose Test for Spy Chiefs - Mark Mazzetti, New York Times. On May 19, Dennis C. Blair, the director of national intelligence, sent a classified memorandum announcing that his office would use its authority to select the top American spy in each country overseas. One day later, Leon E. Panetta, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, sent a dispatch of his own. Ignore Mr. Blair’s message, Mr. Panetta wrote to agency employees; the CIA was still in charge overseas, a role that CIA station chiefs had jealously guarded for decades. The dispute has posed an early test for both spymasters, with Gen. James L. Jones, the national security adviser, now trying to negotiate a truce. The behind-the-scenes battle shows the intensity of struggles continuing between intelligence agencies whose roles were left ill defined after a structural overhaul in 2004 that was intended to harness greater cooperation and put an end to internecine fights.
MILITARY AND INTELLIGENCE NEWS BRIEFS
The Air Force "Stimulus" Package -- Information Dissemination
Incoming Naval Academy Class Hits Diversity Record -- Washington Post
Feinstein Slams New Spy Sats -- DoD Buzz
FY2012 Begins a Blank Slate Future Fleet -- Information Dissemination
A New 'Submarine' Threat? -- Defense Tech
Where Have All The Arab Sergeants Gone? -- Strategy Page
Study slams DoD Gitmo detainee "Fact Sheet" -- Nukes And Spooks
US fisherman hooks live missile -- BBC
US military deaths in Iraq war at 4,311 -- Yahoo News/AP
US military deaths in Afghanistan region at 630 -- Yahoo News/AP
The Air Force "Stimulus" Package -- Information Dissemination
Incoming Naval Academy Class Hits Diversity Record -- Washington Post
Feinstein Slams New Spy Sats -- DoD Buzz
FY2012 Begins a Blank Slate Future Fleet -- Information Dissemination
A New 'Submarine' Threat? -- Defense Tech
Where Have All The Arab Sergeants Gone? -- Strategy Page
Study slams DoD Gitmo detainee "Fact Sheet" -- Nukes And Spooks
US fisherman hooks live missile -- BBC
US military deaths in Iraq war at 4,311 -- Yahoo News/AP
US military deaths in Afghanistan region at 630 -- Yahoo News/AP
THE LONG WAR
Guantanamo Bay Detainee Brought to US for Trial - Peter Finn, Washington Post. The Obama administration pressed ahead yesterday with its plans to close the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, flying a detainee to New York to face federal trial despite bipartisan opposition in Congress to bringing such prisoners to the United States for trial, resettlement or continued detention. The transfer of Ahmed Ghailani to face capital charges in the 1998 East Africa bombings marked the first time a detainee who is not an American citizen has been brought from the prison in Cuba to the United States. Ghailani, appearing briefly in US District Court in Manhattan yesterday, pleaded not guilty to multiple charges in connection with the blasts at the US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya. Those attacks killed 224 people, including 12 Americans. Human rights groups, which earlier expressed dismay about President Obama's announcement that some suspects would be tried in reformed military commissions, welcomed Ghailani's transfer. But Republicans and some military groups, who were cheered by the prospect of renewed military tribunals, sharply attacked the decision to hold any trials in the United States.
Gitmo Detainee Arrives in US - Evan Perez and Chad Bray, Wall Street Journal. Federal authorities for the first time transferred a prisoner held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to face trial in the US, in line with the Obama administration's goal of closing the prison at the American military base there. Ahmed Ghailani appeared Tuesday in federal court in New York and pleaded not guilty to 286 counts related to the 1998 bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania and other terrorist activities allegedly carried out by al Qaeda. The Tanzanian native, wearing blue prison garb, answered in English that he understood when told by the judge that a lawyer would be appointed to represent him. The defendant's arrival stirred criticism from opponents of President Barack Obama's plans to shut the Guantanamo facility by January.
NY Prosecution of Terrorism Suspect Divisive - Ben Conery, Washington Times. As the Obama administration began its test case of prosecuting a Guantanamo detainee in federal court, advocates and lawmakers remained sharply divided about whether the move helps or jeopardizes national security. Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani pleaded not guilty Tuesday at a federal courthouse in New York on charges that he participated in the 1998 bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, which killed 224 people, including 12 Americans. Mr. Ghailani has been under indictment since 2001. He was captured in 2004 and has been at the detention center at US Naval Base Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, since 2006. He faces the death penalty if convicted. Mr. Ghailani is the first Guantanamo detainee to have his case transferred to a civilian court, part of the Obama administration's pledge to close the facility by next year.
Palau Agrees to Take Some Guantanamo Detainees - Julian Barnes, Los Angeles Times. US officials have persuaded the tiny Pacific island nation of Palau to accept some of the Chinese Muslims held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, representing a major step in the Obama administration's plan to close the prison. In a statement released to the Associated Press today, Palau President Johnson Toribiong said his government had "agreed to accommodate the United States of America's request to temporarily resettle in Palau up to 17 ethnic Uighur detainees . . . subject to periodic review." It was unclear what he meant by "temporarily." The difficulty in finding a home for the detainees, members of China's Uighur minority, underscores the obstacles the White House faces in meeting its January deadline for closing Guantanamo.
Palau to Take Chinese Guantánamo Detainees - Mark Landler, New York Times. The United States has won an agreement to transfer up to 17 Chinese Muslims from the prison camp at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, to Palau, a sparsely populated archipelago in the North Pacific, according to a statement released by Palau to The Associated Press on Wednesday. The president of Palau, Johnson Toribiong, said his government had “agreed to accommodate the United States of America’s request” to “temporarily resettle” the detainees, members of the Uighur ethnic group, “subject to periodic review.” Palau, the president said, would be “honored and proud” to take them in a “humanitarian gesture.” The agreement opens the door to the largest single transfer of Guantánamo prisoners and is the first major deal on detainees since President Obama pledged soon after taking office in January to close the prison within a year.
Lawsuits Force Disclosures by CIA - Scott Shane, New York Times. So far, President Obama has managed to curb Congressional calls for a national commission to investigate Bush administration detention policies. But Mr. Obama cannot control the courts, and lawsuits are turning out to be the force driving disclosures about brutal interrogations. Mr. Obama’s decision in April to release legal opinions from the Bush administration on interrogation, which were sought in a lawsuit, has opened the door to the disclosure of other documents. That poses a problem for the Central Intelligence Agency as it tries to comply with Mr. Obama’s proclaimed policy of openness while preserving the secrecy that agency officials view as the foundation of intelligence collection.
US NATIONAL SECURITY
Obama's Defense Budget Gap - Michael O'Hanlon, Washington Post opinion. After three months of very impressive decisions regarding national security, President Obama made perhaps his first significant mistake. It concerns the defense budget, where his plans are insufficient to support the national security establishment over the next five years. Thankfully, this mistake can be fixed before it causes big harm - either by Congress this year or the administration itself next year. The administration is hardly slashing funds for defense; it is simply adopting a policy of zero real growth in the "base budget" (the part that does not include war costs, which are too unpredictable to include in this analysis). Specifically, the base budget is to grow 2 percent a year over the next five years. But with the inflation rate expected to average over 1.5 percent, the net effect is essentially no real growth. Cumulatively, that would leave us about $150 billion short of actual funding requirements through 2014. The administration is right to propose increasing resources for the State Department and aid programs. But it is unwise politics and unwise strategy to put these key elements of foreign policy in direct competition with each other, as appears to be the case in the new budget.
Guantanamo Bay Detainee Brought to US for Trial - Peter Finn, Washington Post. The Obama administration pressed ahead yesterday with its plans to close the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, flying a detainee to New York to face federal trial despite bipartisan opposition in Congress to bringing such prisoners to the United States for trial, resettlement or continued detention. The transfer of Ahmed Ghailani to face capital charges in the 1998 East Africa bombings marked the first time a detainee who is not an American citizen has been brought from the prison in Cuba to the United States. Ghailani, appearing briefly in US District Court in Manhattan yesterday, pleaded not guilty to multiple charges in connection with the blasts at the US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya. Those attacks killed 224 people, including 12 Americans. Human rights groups, which earlier expressed dismay about President Obama's announcement that some suspects would be tried in reformed military commissions, welcomed Ghailani's transfer. But Republicans and some military groups, who were cheered by the prospect of renewed military tribunals, sharply attacked the decision to hold any trials in the United States.
Gitmo Detainee Arrives in US - Evan Perez and Chad Bray, Wall Street Journal. Federal authorities for the first time transferred a prisoner held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to face trial in the US, in line with the Obama administration's goal of closing the prison at the American military base there. Ahmed Ghailani appeared Tuesday in federal court in New York and pleaded not guilty to 286 counts related to the 1998 bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania and other terrorist activities allegedly carried out by al Qaeda. The Tanzanian native, wearing blue prison garb, answered in English that he understood when told by the judge that a lawyer would be appointed to represent him. The defendant's arrival stirred criticism from opponents of President Barack Obama's plans to shut the Guantanamo facility by January.
NY Prosecution of Terrorism Suspect Divisive - Ben Conery, Washington Times. As the Obama administration began its test case of prosecuting a Guantanamo detainee in federal court, advocates and lawmakers remained sharply divided about whether the move helps or jeopardizes national security. Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani pleaded not guilty Tuesday at a federal courthouse in New York on charges that he participated in the 1998 bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, which killed 224 people, including 12 Americans. Mr. Ghailani has been under indictment since 2001. He was captured in 2004 and has been at the detention center at US Naval Base Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, since 2006. He faces the death penalty if convicted. Mr. Ghailani is the first Guantanamo detainee to have his case transferred to a civilian court, part of the Obama administration's pledge to close the facility by next year.
Palau Agrees to Take Some Guantanamo Detainees - Julian Barnes, Los Angeles Times. US officials have persuaded the tiny Pacific island nation of Palau to accept some of the Chinese Muslims held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, representing a major step in the Obama administration's plan to close the prison. In a statement released to the Associated Press today, Palau President Johnson Toribiong said his government had "agreed to accommodate the United States of America's request to temporarily resettle in Palau up to 17 ethnic Uighur detainees . . . subject to periodic review." It was unclear what he meant by "temporarily." The difficulty in finding a home for the detainees, members of China's Uighur minority, underscores the obstacles the White House faces in meeting its January deadline for closing Guantanamo.
Palau to Take Chinese Guantánamo Detainees - Mark Landler, New York Times. The United States has won an agreement to transfer up to 17 Chinese Muslims from the prison camp at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, to Palau, a sparsely populated archipelago in the North Pacific, according to a statement released by Palau to The Associated Press on Wednesday. The president of Palau, Johnson Toribiong, said his government had “agreed to accommodate the United States of America’s request” to “temporarily resettle” the detainees, members of the Uighur ethnic group, “subject to periodic review.” Palau, the president said, would be “honored and proud” to take them in a “humanitarian gesture.” The agreement opens the door to the largest single transfer of Guantánamo prisoners and is the first major deal on detainees since President Obama pledged soon after taking office in January to close the prison within a year.
Lawsuits Force Disclosures by CIA - Scott Shane, New York Times. So far, President Obama has managed to curb Congressional calls for a national commission to investigate Bush administration detention policies. But Mr. Obama cannot control the courts, and lawsuits are turning out to be the force driving disclosures about brutal interrogations. Mr. Obama’s decision in April to release legal opinions from the Bush administration on interrogation, which were sought in a lawsuit, has opened the door to the disclosure of other documents. That poses a problem for the Central Intelligence Agency as it tries to comply with Mr. Obama’s proclaimed policy of openness while preserving the secrecy that agency officials view as the foundation of intelligence collection.
US NATIONAL SECURITY
Obama's Defense Budget Gap - Michael O'Hanlon, Washington Post opinion. After three months of very impressive decisions regarding national security, President Obama made perhaps his first significant mistake. It concerns the defense budget, where his plans are insufficient to support the national security establishment over the next five years. Thankfully, this mistake can be fixed before it causes big harm - either by Congress this year or the administration itself next year. The administration is hardly slashing funds for defense; it is simply adopting a policy of zero real growth in the "base budget" (the part that does not include war costs, which are too unpredictable to include in this analysis). Specifically, the base budget is to grow 2 percent a year over the next five years. But with the inflation rate expected to average over 1.5 percent, the net effect is essentially no real growth. Cumulatively, that would leave us about $150 billion short of actual funding requirements through 2014. The administration is right to propose increasing resources for the State Department and aid programs. But it is unwise politics and unwise strategy to put these key elements of foreign policy in direct competition with each other, as appears to be the case in the new budget.
NKorea nuke test linked to succession plan: SKorea
Seoul (AFP) June 10, 2009 - North Korea's nuclear and missile tests are linked to the succession plans of its "inhumane" regime, South Korea's defence chief said in comments reported Wednesday. Defence Minister Lee Sang-Hee warned the military to stay on guard and "sternly punish" any border provocation, in a message in an army-run newspaper confirmed by his ministry. Another South Korean newspaper, Chosun Ilbo ... more
nuclear-doctrine
+ Russia military says no nuclear warhead cuts below 1,500: reports
Moscow (AFP) June 10, 2009 - A fresh nuclear disarmament treaty between Moscow and Washington should not cut warheads further than 1,500 on either side, a senior Russian general says, news agencies reported Wednesday. "Our position is that we must not go below 1,500 warheads," General Nikolai Solovtsov, the head of Russia's strategic missile forces, was quoted as saying by Interfax and ITAR-TASS news agencies. "But ... more
korea
+ Seven powers reach deal on UN NKorea sanctions
United Nations (AFP) June 10, 2009 - Major powers on Wednesday agreed on a package of expanded sanctions, including tougher cargo inspections and a tighter arms embargo, to punish North Korea for its recent nuclear test and missile firings. Diplomats said the 15-member Security Council was virtually assured to adopt the text, worked out following two weeks of hard-nosed bargaining by envoys of seven nations, during a vote ... more
submarine
+ Submarine Rescue Capability Relocates To Australia
Canberra, Australia (SPX) Jun 11, 2009 - The LR5 submarine rescue system arrived in Australia early on 2nd June 2009, the Defence Materiel Organisation's Head of Maritime Systems Rear Admiral Boyd Robinson has announced. While having the LR5 submarine rescue system on call in the United Kingdom met the Navy's requirements for responding to Submarine emergencies, the relocation improves response times and allows the Royal ... more
milplex
+ Outside View: Pentagon reforms -- Part 9
Arlington, Va. (UPI) Jun 10, 2009 - Public-private partnerships are vital to reducing the life-cycle costs of weapons systems. Some 60 percent of the total life-cycle costs of any weapons system are in post delivery sustainment and support. Linking the organic maintenance base with equipment manufacturers offers opportunities to improve the performance of both and provide savings to the United States government at the same time. ... more
Seoul (AFP) June 10, 2009 - North Korea's nuclear and missile tests are linked to the succession plans of its "inhumane" regime, South Korea's defence chief said in comments reported Wednesday. Defence Minister Lee Sang-Hee warned the military to stay on guard and "sternly punish" any border provocation, in a message in an army-run newspaper confirmed by his ministry. Another South Korean newspaper, Chosun Ilbo ... morenuclear-doctrine
+ Russia military says no nuclear warhead cuts below 1,500: reports
Moscow (AFP) June 10, 2009 - A fresh nuclear disarmament treaty between Moscow and Washington should not cut warheads further than 1,500 on either side, a senior Russian general says, news agencies reported Wednesday. "Our position is that we must not go below 1,500 warheads," General Nikolai Solovtsov, the head of Russia's strategic missile forces, was quoted as saying by Interfax and ITAR-TASS news agencies. "But ... morekorea
+ Seven powers reach deal on UN NKorea sanctions
United Nations (AFP) June 10, 2009 - Major powers on Wednesday agreed on a package of expanded sanctions, including tougher cargo inspections and a tighter arms embargo, to punish North Korea for its recent nuclear test and missile firings. Diplomats said the 15-member Security Council was virtually assured to adopt the text, worked out following two weeks of hard-nosed bargaining by envoys of seven nations, during a vote ... moresubmarine
+ Submarine Rescue Capability Relocates To Australia
Canberra, Australia (SPX) Jun 11, 2009 - The LR5 submarine rescue system arrived in Australia early on 2nd June 2009, the Defence Materiel Organisation's Head of Maritime Systems Rear Admiral Boyd Robinson has announced. While having the LR5 submarine rescue system on call in the United Kingdom met the Navy's requirements for responding to Submarine emergencies, the relocation improves response times and allows the Royal ... moremilplex
+ Outside View: Pentagon reforms -- Part 9
Arlington, Va. (UPI) Jun 10, 2009 - Public-private partnerships are vital to reducing the life-cycle costs of weapons systems. Some 60 percent of the total life-cycle costs of any weapons system are in post delivery sustainment and support. Linking the organic maintenance base with equipment manufacturers offers opportunities to improve the performance of both and provide savings to the United States government at the same time. ... more
US should move quickly to free journalists in NKorea: expert
Seoul (AFP) June 9, 2009 - The United States should move quickly to negotiate the release of two American journalists sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment in North Korea, a South Korean expert said Tuesday. The North's Central Court Monday sentenced TV reporters Laura Ling and Euna Lee to "reform through labour" for what state media called an illegal border crossing and an unspecified "grave crime." Under the ... more
milplex
+ US probe warns of waste in Iraq, Afghanistan war deals
Washington (AFP) June 10, 2009 - A bipartisan commission on wartime contracting warned Wednesday that the sheer scale of US operations in Iraq and Afghanistan "create plentiful opportunities for waste, fraud and abuse." In an interim report titled "At What Cost?", the commission said more than 240,000 contract employees -- about 80 percent of them foreign nationals -- now work in support of the US Defense Department in Iraq ... more
stans
+ US failed to follow procedures in bombing raid: Pentagon
Washington (AFP) June 8, 2009 - US forces failed to follow procedures in carrying out deadly air strikes last month in western Afghanistan that killed dozens of civilians, the Pentagon said on Monday. A military investigation by a senior officer outside Afghanistan found "problems" with US bombing raids in a May 4 battle but it was unclear if the mistakes caused civilian deaths, Defense Department press secretary Geoff ... more
superpowers
+ Outside View: Wars of necessity and choice
Washington (UPI) Jun 10, 2009 - During the Cold War, the phrase "war-winning strategy" was promoted at one time by Americans who asserted that a thermonuclear conflict with the Soviet Union was winnable. A Russian colleague of mine skewered that notion with a simple question: "So who's in favor of a war-losing strategy?" The answer was self-evident. The same skewering should apply to the equally misleading phrase of "wars of ... more
milplex
+ Boeing Announces First ScanEagle Reinvestments
Ottawa, Canada (SPX) Jun 11, 2009 - Boeing, with its wholly owned subsidiary Insitu, has announced the first U.S. $25 million in contracts to Canadian companies as part of a government order for small unmanned aerial vehicle (SUAV) services. The Canadian government in April awarded a $30 million contract to Insitu, manufacturer of the ScanEagle SUAV, for services in support of the Canadian Forces' intelligence, surveillance ... more
Seoul (AFP) June 9, 2009 - The United States should move quickly to negotiate the release of two American journalists sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment in North Korea, a South Korean expert said Tuesday. The North's Central Court Monday sentenced TV reporters Laura Ling and Euna Lee to "reform through labour" for what state media called an illegal border crossing and an unspecified "grave crime." Under the ... moremilplex
+ US probe warns of waste in Iraq, Afghanistan war deals
Washington (AFP) June 10, 2009 - A bipartisan commission on wartime contracting warned Wednesday that the sheer scale of US operations in Iraq and Afghanistan "create plentiful opportunities for waste, fraud and abuse." In an interim report titled "At What Cost?", the commission said more than 240,000 contract employees -- about 80 percent of them foreign nationals -- now work in support of the US Defense Department in Iraq ... morestans
+ US failed to follow procedures in bombing raid: Pentagon
Washington (AFP) June 8, 2009 - US forces failed to follow procedures in carrying out deadly air strikes last month in western Afghanistan that killed dozens of civilians, the Pentagon said on Monday. A military investigation by a senior officer outside Afghanistan found "problems" with US bombing raids in a May 4 battle but it was unclear if the mistakes caused civilian deaths, Defense Department press secretary Geoff ... moresuperpowers
+ Outside View: Wars of necessity and choice
Washington (UPI) Jun 10, 2009 - During the Cold War, the phrase "war-winning strategy" was promoted at one time by Americans who asserted that a thermonuclear conflict with the Soviet Union was winnable. A Russian colleague of mine skewered that notion with a simple question: "So who's in favor of a war-losing strategy?" The answer was self-evident. The same skewering should apply to the equally misleading phrase of "wars of ... moremilplex
+ Boeing Announces First ScanEagle Reinvestments
Ottawa, Canada (SPX) Jun 11, 2009 - Boeing, with its wholly owned subsidiary Insitu, has announced the first U.S. $25 million in contracts to Canadian companies as part of a government order for small unmanned aerial vehicle (SUAV) services. The Canadian government in April awarded a $30 million contract to Insitu, manufacturer of the ScanEagle SUAV, for services in support of the Canadian Forces' intelligence, surveillance ... more
US won't accept nuclear North Korea: nominee
Washington (AFP) June 10, 2009 - The United States will not accept a nuclear North Korea and is committed to defending neighboring Japan and South Korea, the nominee to be the top US diplomat for Asia said Wednesday. Kurt Campbell, speaking at his Senate confirmation hearing to be the assistant secretary of state for East Asian affairs, said North Korea posed a "direct and reckless challenge" to the world with its recent ... more
iran
+ Iran chooses new president in tense race
Tehran (AFP) June 9, 2009 - Iran chooses a new president on Friday in what is emerging as a two-horse race between moderate ex-premier Mir Hossein Mousavi and incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose turbulent four years in office have been marked by a nuclear standoff with the West and deep economic crisis. The country is gearing up for a tense battle in Friday's election after a campaign of mudslinging and unusually ... more
superpowers
+ China's Hu to attend first BRIC summit: govt
Beijing (AFP) June 9, 2009 - China said Tuesday that President Hu Jintao would attend the first official BRIC summit in Russia, during which the reform of international financial institutions would be high on the agenda. Hu will leave China on Sunday for a five-day trip to Yekaterinburg in western Russia, high level officials at the foreign ministry told reporters. The trip will also incorporate a meeting on June 15 ... more
superpowers
+ Analysis: Georgia to leave C.I.S.
Washington (UPI) Jun 9, 2009 - Georgia hopes to continue its free-trade arrangements with members of the Commonwealth of Independent States after its withdrawal from the organization takes place on Aug. 18. Given the aftereffects of its ill-advised five-day military clash with Russia last August, that may prove to be a forlorn hope, as the confrontation reminded the other Caucasian former Soviet republics of Azerbaijan and ... more
iran
+ US increasingly concerned about Iranian threat: Gates
Washington (AFP) June 9, 2009 - The United States is increasingly concerned about recent advances in Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday. "Our concern about the nature of the Iran problem has continued to rise as they continue to make further progress in enriching uranium," Gates told a Senate Appropriations Committee panel, "and also as they have enjoyed some ... more
Washington (AFP) June 10, 2009 - The United States will not accept a nuclear North Korea and is committed to defending neighboring Japan and South Korea, the nominee to be the top US diplomat for Asia said Wednesday. Kurt Campbell, speaking at his Senate confirmation hearing to be the assistant secretary of state for East Asian affairs, said North Korea posed a "direct and reckless challenge" to the world with its recent ... moreiran
+ Iran chooses new president in tense race
Tehran (AFP) June 9, 2009 - Iran chooses a new president on Friday in what is emerging as a two-horse race between moderate ex-premier Mir Hossein Mousavi and incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose turbulent four years in office have been marked by a nuclear standoff with the West and deep economic crisis. The country is gearing up for a tense battle in Friday's election after a campaign of mudslinging and unusually ... moresuperpowers
+ China's Hu to attend first BRIC summit: govt
Beijing (AFP) June 9, 2009 - China said Tuesday that President Hu Jintao would attend the first official BRIC summit in Russia, during which the reform of international financial institutions would be high on the agenda. Hu will leave China on Sunday for a five-day trip to Yekaterinburg in western Russia, high level officials at the foreign ministry told reporters. The trip will also incorporate a meeting on June 15 ... moresuperpowers
+ Analysis: Georgia to leave C.I.S.
Washington (UPI) Jun 9, 2009 - Georgia hopes to continue its free-trade arrangements with members of the Commonwealth of Independent States after its withdrawal from the organization takes place on Aug. 18. Given the aftereffects of its ill-advised five-day military clash with Russia last August, that may prove to be a forlorn hope, as the confrontation reminded the other Caucasian former Soviet republics of Azerbaijan and ... moreiran
+ US increasingly concerned about Iranian threat: Gates
Washington (AFP) June 9, 2009 - The United States is increasingly concerned about recent advances in Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday. "Our concern about the nature of the Iran problem has continued to rise as they continue to make further progress in enriching uranium," Gates told a Senate Appropriations Committee panel, "and also as they have enjoyed some ... more
MILITARY AND INTELLIGENCE NEWS BRIEFS
Lockheed Martin and KONGSBERG take next step toward integrating the Joint Strike Missile (JSM) on F-35 JSF -- Defpro
CNAS Releases Afghanistan Study -- Captain's Journal
The Aging U.S. Fleet Of F/A-18 Hornets Is In Worse Shape Than Navy Experts Previously Thought -- Navy Times
LCS Freedom in Charleston -- New Wars
Air Force officials revise fitness program -- U.S. Air Force
Lawsuits Force Disclosures by C.I.A. -- New York Times
Up to $1.4B to Agility for Food Supply to U.S. Forces in Iraq -- Defense Industry Daily
US Raising Status of Drone Pilots -- Military.com
A look at the Super Hornet Block II Radar -- ELP Defens©e Blog
Lockheed Martin and KONGSBERG take next step toward integrating the Joint Strike Missile (JSM) on F-35 JSF -- Defpro
CNAS Releases Afghanistan Study -- Captain's Journal
The Aging U.S. Fleet Of F/A-18 Hornets Is In Worse Shape Than Navy Experts Previously Thought -- Navy Times
LCS Freedom in Charleston -- New Wars
Air Force officials revise fitness program -- U.S. Air Force
Lawsuits Force Disclosures by C.I.A. -- New York Times
Up to $1.4B to Agility for Food Supply to U.S. Forces in Iraq -- Defense Industry Daily
US Raising Status of Drone Pilots -- Military.com
A look at the Super Hornet Block II Radar -- ELP Defens©e Blog
<h3 class="post-title entry-title"> USAF To Arm B-2A With Massive Bunker-Buster Bomb </h3> US Air Force photo
From Flight Global:
The US Air Force today revealed plans to acquire a small arsenal of a new 13,600kg (30,000lb) penetrator bomb to deploy on Northrop Grumman B-2As in three years.
The USAF's public notice follows several years of testing the Boeing GBU57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), which is designed to destroy hardened bunkers buried deeply underground.
Read more ....
From Flight Global:
The US Air Force today revealed plans to acquire a small arsenal of a new 13,600kg (30,000lb) penetrator bomb to deploy on Northrop Grumman B-2As in three years.
The USAF's public notice follows several years of testing the Boeing GBU57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), which is designed to destroy hardened bunkers buried deeply underground.
Read more ....
The War In Afghanistan Is About To Change 
President Obama and Lt. Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal
More Leeway For New U.S. Commander In Afghanistan -- New York Times
WASHINGTON — The new American commander in Afghanistan has been given carte blanche to handpick a dream team of subordinates, including many Special Operations veterans, as he moves to carry out an ambitious new strategy that envisions stepped-up attacks on Taliban fighters and narcotics networks.
The extraordinary leeway granted the commander, Lt. Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, underscores a view within the administration that the war in Afghanistan has for too long been given low priority, and needs to be the focus of a sustained, high-level effort.
General McChrystal is assembling a corps of 400 officers and soldiers who will rotate between the United States and Afghanistan for a minimum of three years. That kind of commitment to one theater of combat is unknown in the military today outside Special Operations, but reflects an approach being imported by General McChrystal, who spent five years in charge of secret commando teams in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Read more ....
President Obama and Lt. Gen. Stanley A. McChrystalMore Leeway For New U.S. Commander In Afghanistan -- New York Times
WASHINGTON — The new American commander in Afghanistan has been given carte blanche to handpick a dream team of subordinates, including many Special Operations veterans, as he moves to carry out an ambitious new strategy that envisions stepped-up attacks on Taliban fighters and narcotics networks.
The extraordinary leeway granted the commander, Lt. Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, underscores a view within the administration that the war in Afghanistan has for too long been given low priority, and needs to be the focus of a sustained, high-level effort.
General McChrystal is assembling a corps of 400 officers and soldiers who will rotate between the United States and Afghanistan for a minimum of three years. That kind of commitment to one theater of combat is unknown in the military today outside Special Operations, but reflects an approach being imported by General McChrystal, who spent five years in charge of secret commando teams in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Read more ....
THE LONG WAR
US Nears Yemeni Detainee Deal - Jay Solomon, Wall Street Journal. Yemen may agree to allow a considerable portion of the nearly 100 Yemenis held by the US at Guantanamo Bay to be transferred to Saudi Arabia, officials involved in the negotiations said. A deal could accelerate President Barack Obama's plan to close the detention facility at the US military base in Cuba by January. US officials say the Yemenis, who make up nearly half of the roughly 240 detainees remaining at Guantanamo, are among the most difficult to resettle because of their numbers and, in some cases, alleged direct or familial ties to al Qaeda. Washington is wary of repatriating the men because it fears Yemen's government won't be able to keep sufficient tabs on them.
Georgia Man Is Convicted of Conspiring With Terrorists - Robbie Brown, New York Times. A former Georgia Tech student was convicted by a federal judge on Wednesday of conspiring to provide material support to international terrorists. The former student, Syed Haris Ahmed, 24, faces up to 15 years in prison for making videos of landmarks in Washington that were sent to people suspected of being recruiters for terrorist groups in Iraq and Pakistan. Mr. Ahmed, a United States citizen born in Pakistan and raised near Atlanta, filmed brief digital videos of the Capitol, the Pentagon, a Masonic Temple, the World Bank and fuel tanks near Interstate 95 in Northern Virginia in 2005. Prosecutors said a co-conspirator, Ehsanul Islam Sadequee, sent the videos to Younis Tsouli, suspected of being a recruiter for Al Qaeda in Iraq, and Aabid Hussein Kahn, who the authorities said had ties to terrorist groups in Pakistan.
Palau to the Rescue - Wall Street Journal editorial. Months of moral grandstanding and intense diplomacy are finally yielding dividends: President Obama has convinced Palau, a Pacific archipelago and long-standing US ally, to resettle a small group of the least dangerous Guantanamo detainees. All it took was $200 million in foreign aid to a country with 20,000 residents and a GDP of about $164 million. Headed to Palau are the Uighurs, ethnic Chinese Muslims who were picked up in 2002 near Tora Bora. Some of them received weapons training at Afghan camps affiliated with al Qaeda or the Taliban as part of their separatist movement - the Uighur minority is brutally repressed by the Chinese government - though they are not considered threats to the US or other Western nations. But they were left in legal limbo because they could not be returned to China, where they would likely be tortured or worse, and no other country would give them sanctuary. The Uighurs are not America's problem alone - they were captured during "the good war," after all. Yet for all Europe's excoriations of Gitmo as a blight on America, no one jumped at this easy chance to reduce the prison population.
US INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY
Duel of the Spy Chiefs - David Ignatius, Washington Post opinion. There are spy wars, and there are turf wars. But watch out when the two are combined, as in the battle over who will appoint America's intelligence chiefs abroad - Dennis Blair, the director of national intelligence, or Leon Panetta, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Blair, a retired admiral who likes an orderly chain of command, fired off a memo on May 19 claiming the right to install non-CIA officers as his representatives overseas. Panetta, thinking this contentious issue was still under review at the White House, sent a cable the next day saying, in effect, that station chiefs should ignore Blair's edict until the matter is resolved by the National Security Council. Blair went ballistic, viewing Panetta's actions as, in the words of one official, "an act of insubordination." If you're President Obama, watching your two spy chiefs brawling by memo, your reaction surely is: "Give me a break."
US Nears Yemeni Detainee Deal - Jay Solomon, Wall Street Journal. Yemen may agree to allow a considerable portion of the nearly 100 Yemenis held by the US at Guantanamo Bay to be transferred to Saudi Arabia, officials involved in the negotiations said. A deal could accelerate President Barack Obama's plan to close the detention facility at the US military base in Cuba by January. US officials say the Yemenis, who make up nearly half of the roughly 240 detainees remaining at Guantanamo, are among the most difficult to resettle because of their numbers and, in some cases, alleged direct or familial ties to al Qaeda. Washington is wary of repatriating the men because it fears Yemen's government won't be able to keep sufficient tabs on them.
Georgia Man Is Convicted of Conspiring With Terrorists - Robbie Brown, New York Times. A former Georgia Tech student was convicted by a federal judge on Wednesday of conspiring to provide material support to international terrorists. The former student, Syed Haris Ahmed, 24, faces up to 15 years in prison for making videos of landmarks in Washington that were sent to people suspected of being recruiters for terrorist groups in Iraq and Pakistan. Mr. Ahmed, a United States citizen born in Pakistan and raised near Atlanta, filmed brief digital videos of the Capitol, the Pentagon, a Masonic Temple, the World Bank and fuel tanks near Interstate 95 in Northern Virginia in 2005. Prosecutors said a co-conspirator, Ehsanul Islam Sadequee, sent the videos to Younis Tsouli, suspected of being a recruiter for Al Qaeda in Iraq, and Aabid Hussein Kahn, who the authorities said had ties to terrorist groups in Pakistan.
Palau to the Rescue - Wall Street Journal editorial. Months of moral grandstanding and intense diplomacy are finally yielding dividends: President Obama has convinced Palau, a Pacific archipelago and long-standing US ally, to resettle a small group of the least dangerous Guantanamo detainees. All it took was $200 million in foreign aid to a country with 20,000 residents and a GDP of about $164 million. Headed to Palau are the Uighurs, ethnic Chinese Muslims who were picked up in 2002 near Tora Bora. Some of them received weapons training at Afghan camps affiliated with al Qaeda or the Taliban as part of their separatist movement - the Uighur minority is brutally repressed by the Chinese government - though they are not considered threats to the US or other Western nations. But they were left in legal limbo because they could not be returned to China, where they would likely be tortured or worse, and no other country would give them sanctuary. The Uighurs are not America's problem alone - they were captured during "the good war," after all. Yet for all Europe's excoriations of Gitmo as a blight on America, no one jumped at this easy chance to reduce the prison population.
US INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY
Duel of the Spy Chiefs - David Ignatius, Washington Post opinion. There are spy wars, and there are turf wars. But watch out when the two are combined, as in the battle over who will appoint America's intelligence chiefs abroad - Dennis Blair, the director of national intelligence, or Leon Panetta, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Blair, a retired admiral who likes an orderly chain of command, fired off a memo on May 19 claiming the right to install non-CIA officers as his representatives overseas. Panetta, thinking this contentious issue was still under review at the White House, sent a cable the next day saying, in effect, that station chiefs should ignore Blair's edict until the matter is resolved by the National Security Council. Blair went ballistic, viewing Panetta's actions as, in the words of one official, "an act of insubordination." If you're President Obama, watching your two spy chiefs brawling by memo, your reaction surely is: "Give me a break."
Military Hush-Up: Incoming Space Rocks Now Classified
Pentagon Orders Massive Bunker-Busters for Underground WMD 
From The Danger Room:
North Korea may be readying another nuclear test — one of many reasons why the Pentagon is stepping up efforts to neutralize hardened bunkers, packed with weapons of mass destruction. It's a tricky problem; to do it, you need something out of the ordinary. Which is why the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency has an ambitious goal of developing a bunker buster five times as strong as the current models by the end of the year, and ten times more powerful by 2013. They're doing it with a combination of improved guidance, "novel payloads"… and much bigger bombs.
Read more ....
These weapons are being built for a reason .... U.S. military planners are indicating to the leadership that these are the tools that they would need to neutralize the type of hardened targets in North Korea or Iran.
From The Danger Room:
North Korea may be readying another nuclear test — one of many reasons why the Pentagon is stepping up efforts to neutralize hardened bunkers, packed with weapons of mass destruction. It's a tricky problem; to do it, you need something out of the ordinary. Which is why the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency has an ambitious goal of developing a bunker buster five times as strong as the current models by the end of the year, and ten times more powerful by 2013. They're doing it with a combination of improved guidance, "novel payloads"… and much bigger bombs.
Read more ....
These weapons are being built for a reason .... U.S. military planners are indicating to the leadership that these are the tools that they would need to neutralize the type of hardened targets in North Korea or Iran.
THE LONG WAR
Administration Plans to Scale Back Real ID Law - Spencer S. Hsu, Washington Post. Yielding to a rebellion by states that refused to pay for it, the Obama administration is moving to scale back a federal law passed after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that was designed to tighten security requirements for driver's licenses, Homeland Security Department and congressional officials said. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano wants to repeal and replace the controversial, $4 billion domestic security initiative known as Real ID, which calls for placing more secure licenses in the hands of 245 million Americans by 2017. The new proposal, called Pass ID, would be cheaper, less rigorous and partly funded by federal grants, according to draft legislation that Napolitano's Senate allies plan to introduce as early as tomorrow. The rebranding effort follows months of talks with the National Governors Association and poses political risk for Obama as well as Napolitano, a former NGA chairwoman who wants to soothe strained relations with the states without appearing to retreat on a recommendation by the 9/11 Commission.
Judge Allows Civil Lawsuit Over Claims of Torture - John Schwartz, New York Times. The decision issued late Friday by a judge in San Francisco allowing a civil lawsuit to go forward against a former Bush administration official, John C. Yoo, might seem like little more than the removal of a procedural roadblock. But lawyers for the man suing Mr. Yoo, Jose Padilla, say it provides substantive interpretation of constitutional issues for all detainees and could have a broad impact. Mr. Padilla was held as an “enemy combatant” in solitary confinement for more than three years in the Navy brig in Charleston, SC. Mr. Padilla, who was convicted of supporting terrorism and other crimes, demands that Mr. Yoo be held accountable for actions that Mr. Padilla claims led to his being tortured. During the time Mr. Padilla was held in the brig, according to his filings in the case, he “suffered gross physical and psychological abuse at the hands of federal officials as part off a systematic program of abusive interrogation intended to break down Mr. Padilla’s humanity and his will to live.”
Some in Palau are Worried About Guantanamo Detainees - John M. Glionna, Los Angeles Times. Sipping guava juice under cover from a steamy tropical downpour, Tommy Remengesau Jr. says he's always considered his Pacific island home a refuge from the troubles of the outside world. "While the rest of the planet was in conflict, waging its wars, we remained a little piece of paradise," the former Palauan president said as his pet fruit bat swayed upside down in a nearby cage. "Now, the world's headaches have come home to roost in Palau." This isolated republic of more than 300 scattered islands, set amid a vast stretch of aquamarine ocean 4,500 miles southwest of Hawaii, had its reverie rocked last week when officials here announced that they would accept several Chinese Muslims held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Palau's decision to offer refuge to more than a dozen ethnic Uighurs once suspected of terrorism was hailed by the Obama administration, which is eager to disperse Guantanamo detainees as part of a plan to close the notorious prison early next year.
Terror Box 360 - Washington Times editorial. We were shocked to learn about Rendition Guantanamo, a game developed for Microsoft's Xbox 360. The goal is for the gamer, who plays a Gitmo detainee, to shoot his way out of the US military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, or else be subjected to torture and gruesome scientific experiments. Apparently, some techies think terrorism is child's play. Our astonishment peaked when we learned that the game was developed with Moazzam Begg, a former detainee and al Qaeda-trained jihadist. Since his 2005 release, Mr. Begg has become a press darling for telling spurious tales about his time at Guantanamo to the delight of anti-Americans everywhere. T-Enterprise, a British software developer, defended the game by claiming it does not depict actions by the United States but by mercenaries in the employ of Freedom Corp., a fictitious outfit to which Gitmo, in the game, has been sold. The video game's detainees presumably are all innocent people caught up in events, as Mr. Begg claims to have been.
WAR ON DRUGS
Drugs Won the War - Nicholas Kristof, New York Times opinion. This year marks the 40th anniversary of President Richard Nixon’s start of the war on drugs, and it now appears that drugs have won. “We’ve spent a trillion dollars prosecuting the war on drugs,” Norm Stamper, a former police chief of Seattle, told me. “What do we have to show for it? Drugs are more readily available, at lower prices and higher levels of potency. It’s a dismal failure.” For that reason, he favors legalization of drugs, perhaps by the equivalent of state liquor stores or registered pharmacists. Other experts favor keeping drug production and sales illegal but decriminalizing possession, as some foreign countries have done.
Administration Plans to Scale Back Real ID Law - Spencer S. Hsu, Washington Post. Yielding to a rebellion by states that refused to pay for it, the Obama administration is moving to scale back a federal law passed after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that was designed to tighten security requirements for driver's licenses, Homeland Security Department and congressional officials said. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano wants to repeal and replace the controversial, $4 billion domestic security initiative known as Real ID, which calls for placing more secure licenses in the hands of 245 million Americans by 2017. The new proposal, called Pass ID, would be cheaper, less rigorous and partly funded by federal grants, according to draft legislation that Napolitano's Senate allies plan to introduce as early as tomorrow. The rebranding effort follows months of talks with the National Governors Association and poses political risk for Obama as well as Napolitano, a former NGA chairwoman who wants to soothe strained relations with the states without appearing to retreat on a recommendation by the 9/11 Commission.
Judge Allows Civil Lawsuit Over Claims of Torture - John Schwartz, New York Times. The decision issued late Friday by a judge in San Francisco allowing a civil lawsuit to go forward against a former Bush administration official, John C. Yoo, might seem like little more than the removal of a procedural roadblock. But lawyers for the man suing Mr. Yoo, Jose Padilla, say it provides substantive interpretation of constitutional issues for all detainees and could have a broad impact. Mr. Padilla was held as an “enemy combatant” in solitary confinement for more than three years in the Navy brig in Charleston, SC. Mr. Padilla, who was convicted of supporting terrorism and other crimes, demands that Mr. Yoo be held accountable for actions that Mr. Padilla claims led to his being tortured. During the time Mr. Padilla was held in the brig, according to his filings in the case, he “suffered gross physical and psychological abuse at the hands of federal officials as part off a systematic program of abusive interrogation intended to break down Mr. Padilla’s humanity and his will to live.”
Some in Palau are Worried About Guantanamo Detainees - John M. Glionna, Los Angeles Times. Sipping guava juice under cover from a steamy tropical downpour, Tommy Remengesau Jr. says he's always considered his Pacific island home a refuge from the troubles of the outside world. "While the rest of the planet was in conflict, waging its wars, we remained a little piece of paradise," the former Palauan president said as his pet fruit bat swayed upside down in a nearby cage. "Now, the world's headaches have come home to roost in Palau." This isolated republic of more than 300 scattered islands, set amid a vast stretch of aquamarine ocean 4,500 miles southwest of Hawaii, had its reverie rocked last week when officials here announced that they would accept several Chinese Muslims held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Palau's decision to offer refuge to more than a dozen ethnic Uighurs once suspected of terrorism was hailed by the Obama administration, which is eager to disperse Guantanamo detainees as part of a plan to close the notorious prison early next year.
Terror Box 360 - Washington Times editorial. We were shocked to learn about Rendition Guantanamo, a game developed for Microsoft's Xbox 360. The goal is for the gamer, who plays a Gitmo detainee, to shoot his way out of the US military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, or else be subjected to torture and gruesome scientific experiments. Apparently, some techies think terrorism is child's play. Our astonishment peaked when we learned that the game was developed with Moazzam Begg, a former detainee and al Qaeda-trained jihadist. Since his 2005 release, Mr. Begg has become a press darling for telling spurious tales about his time at Guantanamo to the delight of anti-Americans everywhere. T-Enterprise, a British software developer, defended the game by claiming it does not depict actions by the United States but by mercenaries in the employ of Freedom Corp., a fictitious outfit to which Gitmo, in the game, has been sold. The video game's detainees presumably are all innocent people caught up in events, as Mr. Begg claims to have been.
WAR ON DRUGS
Drugs Won the War - Nicholas Kristof, New York Times opinion. This year marks the 40th anniversary of President Richard Nixon’s start of the war on drugs, and it now appears that drugs have won. “We’ve spent a trillion dollars prosecuting the war on drugs,” Norm Stamper, a former police chief of Seattle, told me. “What do we have to show for it? Drugs are more readily available, at lower prices and higher levels of potency. It’s a dismal failure.” For that reason, he favors legalization of drugs, perhaps by the equivalent of state liquor stores or registered pharmacists. Other experts favor keeping drug production and sales illegal but decriminalizing possession, as some foreign countries have done.
Poland wants clear answer on US missiles: government
Warsaw (AFP) June 12, 2009 - Poland wants a clear answer from Washington on plans to deploy part of a US anti-missile shield and a battery of Patriot missiles on Polish soil under a 2008 deal, the government said Friday. "We're still lacking an essential, clear response as to whether the United States will go ahead with the shield plan. It's a fundamental question to which we need a definite answer," government spokesma ... more
korea
+ NKorea's uranium plan to create trickier nuclear standoff
Seoul (AFP) June 14, 2009 - North Korea's vow to start a new nuclear weapons programme based on enriched uranium will make the goal of denuclearisation even more daunting for the US and its allies, analysts say. The North, which for years adamantly denied any uranium enrichment plan, said Saturday it would start such a programme to bolster its nuclear arsenal in protest at new United Nations sanctions. "It's a thre ... more
iran
+ Iranian elections deal blow to Obama's hopes for dialogue
Washington (AFP) June 14, 2009 - The reelection of Iran's hardline incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has dealt a swift blow to US President Barack Obama's efforts to overturn decades of hostility between Washington and Tehran. Ahmadinejad's declared landslide win, which triggered riots by opposition supporters and furious complaints of cheating from his defeated rivals, will also complicate international efforts to ha ... more
stans
+ Kyrgyz, Russian leaders to discuss fate of US base: source
Bishkek (AFP) June 14, 2009 - The presidents of Kyrgyzstan and Russia will discuss the future of a key US airbase at a meeting on Sunday in Moscow, a source in the Kyrgyz government told AFP. Kyrgyzstan has ordered US forces to quit the Manas airbase, which is used to support operations in Afghanistan, by August 18 in a decision that was widely seen as having been made under Russian pressure. Kyrgyz President Kurma ... more
korea
+ SKorea leader to plot NKorea moves with Obama
Washington (AFP) June 14, 2009 - US and South Korean leaders meet Tuesday to coordinate action in an escalating showdown with North Korea, with President Barack Obama expected to try to reassure the US ally of security commitments. President Lee Myung-Bak's visit to Washington was planned well ahead of the North Korea crisis and aimed in part at smoothing out relations after Obama in his campaign rejected a hard-negotiated ... more
Warsaw (AFP) June 12, 2009 - Poland wants a clear answer from Washington on plans to deploy part of a US anti-missile shield and a battery of Patriot missiles on Polish soil under a 2008 deal, the government said Friday. "We're still lacking an essential, clear response as to whether the United States will go ahead with the shield plan. It's a fundamental question to which we need a definite answer," government spokesma ... morekorea
+ NKorea's uranium plan to create trickier nuclear standoff
Seoul (AFP) June 14, 2009 - North Korea's vow to start a new nuclear weapons programme based on enriched uranium will make the goal of denuclearisation even more daunting for the US and its allies, analysts say. The North, which for years adamantly denied any uranium enrichment plan, said Saturday it would start such a programme to bolster its nuclear arsenal in protest at new United Nations sanctions. "It's a thre ... moreiran
+ Iranian elections deal blow to Obama's hopes for dialogue
Washington (AFP) June 14, 2009 - The reelection of Iran's hardline incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has dealt a swift blow to US President Barack Obama's efforts to overturn decades of hostility between Washington and Tehran. Ahmadinejad's declared landslide win, which triggered riots by opposition supporters and furious complaints of cheating from his defeated rivals, will also complicate international efforts to ha ... morestans
+ Kyrgyz, Russian leaders to discuss fate of US base: source
Bishkek (AFP) June 14, 2009 - The presidents of Kyrgyzstan and Russia will discuss the future of a key US airbase at a meeting on Sunday in Moscow, a source in the Kyrgyz government told AFP. Kyrgyzstan has ordered US forces to quit the Manas airbase, which is used to support operations in Afghanistan, by August 18 in a decision that was widely seen as having been made under Russian pressure. Kyrgyz President Kurma ... morekorea
+ SKorea leader to plot NKorea moves with Obama
Washington (AFP) June 14, 2009 - US and South Korean leaders meet Tuesday to coordinate action in an escalating showdown with North Korea, with President Barack Obama expected to try to reassure the US ally of security commitments. President Lee Myung-Bak's visit to Washington was planned well ahead of the North Korea crisis and aimed in part at smoothing out relations after Obama in his campaign rejected a hard-negotiated ... more
Chinese sub smashes US destroyer's sonar: report
Washington (AFP) June 13, 2009 - A Chinese submarine collided with an underwater sonar array towed by the destroyer USS John S. McCain off the coast of the Philippines, CNN television said, quoting a US official who said it was an "inadvertent encounter." The array, used to locate underwater sounds, was damaged in the incident, but the military official said the sub and ship did not collide. The US Navy did not consider ... more
superpowers
+ Russian agreement with security group deepens Belarus rift
Moscow (AFP) June 14, 2009 - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Sunday Moscow has agreed to establish a rapid reaction force with a regional security group, deepening a rift with longtime ally Belarus which boycotted the talks. "The main result of the summit is an agreement on a CSTO joint rapid reaction force," Medvedev said after a meeting of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) in Moscow. He add ... more
stans
+ Eight dead in Pakistan blast as Taliban targeted in tribal belt
Miranshah, Pakistan (AFP) June 14, 2009 - The latest in a string of bombs in northwest Pakistan killed eight people Sunday as a US missile strike hit a tribal belt where troops are expected to launch a fresh anti-Taliban onslaught. Militants remotely-detonated explosives hidden in a rickshaw, causing chaos at a busy Sunday market in Dera Ismail Khan town, with eight people killed and dozens injured, police and hospital officials sai ... more
superpowers
+ Defense Focus: How wars start -- Part 2
Washington (UPI) Jun 12, 2009 - Sometimes wars go exactly the way the governments or political movements that launch them expect. But more often than not, they don't. The secret to success in launching a war is to be able to wrap it up fast and to know when to stop. Those were techniques that the United States was not able to apply in either Afghanistan or Iraq. The German army since the 1860s had become the global ma ... more
milplex
+ Saudis take delivery of first Typhoon jets
London (AFP) June 12, 2009 - Saudi Arabia has taken delivery of two Eurofighter Typhoon combat jets, Britain's Ministry of Defence (MoD) said Friday, the first of a massive order which fell into doubt over an arms scandal. Saudi Assistant Defence and Aviation Minister Prince Khaled bin Sultan received the two fighter jets on Thursday in a ceremony at manufacturer BAE Systems' Warton site in northwest England. ... more
Washington (AFP) June 13, 2009 - A Chinese submarine collided with an underwater sonar array towed by the destroyer USS John S. McCain off the coast of the Philippines, CNN television said, quoting a US official who said it was an "inadvertent encounter." The array, used to locate underwater sounds, was damaged in the incident, but the military official said the sub and ship did not collide. The US Navy did not consider ... moresuperpowers
+ Russian agreement with security group deepens Belarus rift
Moscow (AFP) June 14, 2009 - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Sunday Moscow has agreed to establish a rapid reaction force with a regional security group, deepening a rift with longtime ally Belarus which boycotted the talks. "The main result of the summit is an agreement on a CSTO joint rapid reaction force," Medvedev said after a meeting of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) in Moscow. He add ... morestans
+ Eight dead in Pakistan blast as Taliban targeted in tribal belt
Miranshah, Pakistan (AFP) June 14, 2009 - The latest in a string of bombs in northwest Pakistan killed eight people Sunday as a US missile strike hit a tribal belt where troops are expected to launch a fresh anti-Taliban onslaught. Militants remotely-detonated explosives hidden in a rickshaw, causing chaos at a busy Sunday market in Dera Ismail Khan town, with eight people killed and dozens injured, police and hospital officials sai ... moresuperpowers
+ Defense Focus: How wars start -- Part 2
Washington (UPI) Jun 12, 2009 - Sometimes wars go exactly the way the governments or political movements that launch them expect. But more often than not, they don't. The secret to success in launching a war is to be able to wrap it up fast and to know when to stop. Those were techniques that the United States was not able to apply in either Afghanistan or Iraq. The German army since the 1860s had become the global ma ... moremilplex
+ Saudis take delivery of first Typhoon jets
London (AFP) June 12, 2009 - Saudi Arabia has taken delivery of two Eurofighter Typhoon combat jets, Britain's Ministry of Defence (MoD) said Friday, the first of a massive order which fell into doubt over an arms scandal. Saudi Assistant Defence and Aviation Minister Prince Khaled bin Sultan received the two fighter jets on Thursday in a ceremony at manufacturer BAE Systems' Warton site in northwest England. ... more
US focus to transfer, not accept 'terror' inmates: analysts
Washington (AFP) June 11, 2009 - The transfer Thursday of Chinese Uighurs from Guantanamo to Bermuda suggests President Barack Obama aims to close the prison by transferring detainees to other countries, bowing to domestic political realities, analysts say. Obama incurred the wrath of human rights groups last month by announcing the restoration of controversial military tribunals for Guantanamo detainees and suggesting some ... more
milplex
+ Thompson Files: Sell F-22 to Japan
Arlington, Va. (UPI) Jun 12, 2009 - If there is one concept that the Obama administration's national-security team really likes, it's partnering. Obama stressed global partnering when he was running for president, the security agenda posted on the White House Web site cites it as a key goal, and it is one of five "strategic principles" underpinning the quadrennial defense review. There is even a deputy secretary in the Pentagon ... more
iraq
+ Outside View: Leaving Iraq -- Part 7
Washington (UPI) Jun 12, 2009 - The Bush administration was vocal in pointing out the possible implications of any total U.S. military withdrawal from Iraq. Many of these consequences may yet occur. The possibility that extreme Islamist forces -- either Sunni or Shiite or a combination of both backed by Iran -- may seize the country and radicalize it are very real. he problem is that by now the Bush administration ha ... more
taiwan
+ China state TV host denies spying for Taiwan: state media
Beijing (AFP) June 12, 2009 - A star presenter with China's state television network has denied allegations that she spied for Taiwan, amid reports that she could be under investigation, state newspapers said Friday. The China Daily, quoting unnamed sources from China Central Television, said Fang Jing, the 38-year-old face of the network's prime-time military programme "Defence Watch," had been "taken away for a possibl ... more
miltech
+ Ex-Pentagon official indicted in China espionage case
Washington (AFP) June 11, 2009 - A federal grand jury indicted a former Pentagon official who had a "top secret" security clearance on charges of spying for China and lying to cover up his actions, the Justice Department said Thursday. Retired air force Lieutenant Colonel James Wilbur Fondren, a deputy director of the US Pacific Command's Washington Liaison Office, was arrested in mid-May and charged with conspiracy to pass ... more
Washington (AFP) June 11, 2009 - The transfer Thursday of Chinese Uighurs from Guantanamo to Bermuda suggests President Barack Obama aims to close the prison by transferring detainees to other countries, bowing to domestic political realities, analysts say. Obama incurred the wrath of human rights groups last month by announcing the restoration of controversial military tribunals for Guantanamo detainees and suggesting some ... moremilplex
+ Thompson Files: Sell F-22 to Japan
Arlington, Va. (UPI) Jun 12, 2009 - If there is one concept that the Obama administration's national-security team really likes, it's partnering. Obama stressed global partnering when he was running for president, the security agenda posted on the White House Web site cites it as a key goal, and it is one of five "strategic principles" underpinning the quadrennial defense review. There is even a deputy secretary in the Pentagon ... moreiraq
+ Outside View: Leaving Iraq -- Part 7
Washington (UPI) Jun 12, 2009 - The Bush administration was vocal in pointing out the possible implications of any total U.S. military withdrawal from Iraq. Many of these consequences may yet occur. The possibility that extreme Islamist forces -- either Sunni or Shiite or a combination of both backed by Iran -- may seize the country and radicalize it are very real. he problem is that by now the Bush administration ha ... moretaiwan
+ China state TV host denies spying for Taiwan: state media
Beijing (AFP) June 12, 2009 - A star presenter with China's state television network has denied allegations that she spied for Taiwan, amid reports that she could be under investigation, state newspapers said Friday. The China Daily, quoting unnamed sources from China Central Television, said Fang Jing, the 38-year-old face of the network's prime-time military programme "Defence Watch," had been "taken away for a possibl ... moremiltech
+ Ex-Pentagon official indicted in China espionage case
Washington (AFP) June 11, 2009 - A federal grand jury indicted a former Pentagon official who had a "top secret" security clearance on charges of spying for China and lying to cover up his actions, the Justice Department said Thursday. Retired air force Lieutenant Colonel James Wilbur Fondren, a deputy director of the US Pacific Command's Washington Liaison Office, was arrested in mid-May and charged with conspiracy to pass ... more
Noteworthy new reports from the Congressional Research Service obtained by Secrecy News include the following (all pdf).
"Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty: Updated 'Safeguards' and Net Assessments," June 3, 2009.
"The Role of the Department of Defense During a Flu Pandemic," June 4, 2009.
"Congressional Oversight and Related Issues Concerning International Security Agreements Concluded by the United States," June 2, 2009.
"The President's Office of Science and Technology Policy: Issues for Congress," updated June 3, 2009.
"Landsat and the Data Continuity Mission," May 22, 2009.
"Geospatial Information and Geographic Information Systems (GIS): Current Issues and Future Challenges," June 8, 2009.
"Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty: Updated 'Safeguards' and Net Assessments," June 3, 2009.
"The Role of the Department of Defense During a Flu Pandemic," June 4, 2009.
"Congressional Oversight and Related Issues Concerning International Security Agreements Concluded by the United States," June 2, 2009.
"The President's Office of Science and Technology Policy: Issues for Congress," updated June 3, 2009.
"Landsat and the Data Continuity Mission," May 22, 2009.
"Geospatial Information and Geographic Information Systems (GIS): Current Issues and Future Challenges," June 8, 2009.
A CLASSIFIED OBJECTION TO GEN. MCCHRYSTAL
Gen. Stanley McChrystal was confirmed by the Senate last week to be the new commander of U.S. (and NATO) forces in Afghanistan, a role that he assumed today. But his nomination was opposed by Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) who objected to the General's advancement on unspecified "classified" grounds.
"I oppose the nomination of LTG Stanley McChrystal to command U.S. forces in Afghanistan for two reasons," Senator Feingold said on June 11. "The first relates to a classified matter about which I have serious concerns. I have conveyed those concerns in a letter to the President."
The second reason cited by Sen. Feingold was McChrystal's embrace of interrogation techniques that went beyond those authorized in the Army Field Manual on the subject.
Gen. Stanley McChrystal was confirmed by the Senate last week to be the new commander of U.S. (and NATO) forces in Afghanistan, a role that he assumed today. But his nomination was opposed by Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) who objected to the General's advancement on unspecified "classified" grounds.
"I oppose the nomination of LTG Stanley McChrystal to command U.S. forces in Afghanistan for two reasons," Senator Feingold said on June 11. "The first relates to a classified matter about which I have serious concerns. I have conveyed those concerns in a letter to the President."
The second reason cited by Sen. Feingold was McChrystal's embrace of interrogation techniques that went beyond those authorized in the Army Field Manual on the subject.
THE LONG WAR
CIA Fired Firms Aiding Questioning - Walter Pincus, Washington Post. Weeks after President Obama took office, the CIA extended its contract with a firm run by two psychologists who helped introduce waterboarding and other harsh methods to the agency's interrogation techniques, according to a news report. Two months later, CIA Director Leon Panetta fired Mitchell, Jessen & Associates and all other contractors that aided the CIA in its interrogations of alleged terrorists, the New Yorker reported this weekend. The firings took place in April, around the same time the Senate Armed Services Committee reported on the role played by James Mitchell and Bruce Jessen in developing "countermeasures to defeat" the resistance of captured enemy detainees from whom intelligence was being sought. Mitchell and Jessen, who run the firm, had worked on a Pentagon program that taught US service members how to survive harsh enemy interrogation methods.
Out of Guantánamo, Uighurs Bask in Bermuda - Erik Eckholm, New York Times. Almost exactly seven years after arriving at Guantánamo in chains as accused enemy combatants, and four days after their surprise predawn flight to Bermuda, four Uighur Muslim men basked in their new-found freedom here, grateful for the handshakes many residents had offered and marveling at the serene beauty of this tidy, postcard island. In newly purchased polo shirts and chinos, the four husky men, members of a restive ethnic minority from western China, might blend in except for their scruffy beards. Smelling hibiscus flowers, luxuriating in the freedom to drift through scenic streets and harbors, they expressed wonder at their good fortune in landing here after a captivity that included more than a year in solitary confinement.
Palau President Remains Calm as Storm Brews on Island - John M. Glionna, Los Angeles Times. When asked by the United States to accept a group of hard-to-place Guantanamo inmates, Palauan President Johnson Toribiong mulled over the request as both a head of state and a criminal defense lawyer. The 62-year-old politician says he considered the plight of the 13 Chinese men as he had countless other defendants during two decades as one of this tiny Pacific island nation's top litigators. The men, ethnic Uighurs, had gotten a raw deal, he said, jailed for years without trial. Now, they weren't considered dangerous terrorists after all. No country had been willing to take the Muslims - before Palau. "These people are not monsters," said Toribiong, who, with graying hair and glasses, looks pensive, even professorial. "They should be presumed innocent because no one has proven them guilty."
US DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Pick for Army Chief Pushed Defense Funds - Jim McElhatton, Washington Times. Before he was named by President Obama to be the next Army secretary, Rep. John M. McHugh of New York had asked Congress to set aside tens of millions of dollars in next year's budget for defense contractors that now could fall under his command as the Army's civilian leader. Mr. McHugh, the top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, requested that more than $40 million in "earmarks" be inserted into a 2010 defense appropriations bill, including more than $8 million benefiting an Army base in his home state, according to records. His wish list also included $4.7 million for Lockheed Martin, one of the Army's largest contractors, whose products range from tactical missiles to battlefield combat systems. Lockheed's employees and political action committee have been sources of political cash for Mr. McHugh, accounting for $35,000 in campaign donations over the years, according the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.
Sikhs Dispute Army Ban - Deepti Hajela, Associated Press. Military service is in Capt. Kamaljit Singh Kalsi's blood. His father and grandfather were part of the Indian air force. His great-grandfather served in the army in India under the British. So when US Army recruiters talked to him during his first year of medical school, he readily signed up. But his plans to go on active duty in July are now on hold. An Army policy from the 1980s that regulates the wearing of religious items means he will need to shave his beard and remove the turban he wears in accordance with his Sikh religion. Capt. Kalsi and another Sikh man with the same concerns, 2nd Lt. Tejdeep Singh Rattan, are the centerpieces of an advocacy campaign launched by the Sikh Coalition as it tries to convince the Army to let the men serve without sacrificing their articles of faith.
CIA Fired Firms Aiding Questioning - Walter Pincus, Washington Post. Weeks after President Obama took office, the CIA extended its contract with a firm run by two psychologists who helped introduce waterboarding and other harsh methods to the agency's interrogation techniques, according to a news report. Two months later, CIA Director Leon Panetta fired Mitchell, Jessen & Associates and all other contractors that aided the CIA in its interrogations of alleged terrorists, the New Yorker reported this weekend. The firings took place in April, around the same time the Senate Armed Services Committee reported on the role played by James Mitchell and Bruce Jessen in developing "countermeasures to defeat" the resistance of captured enemy detainees from whom intelligence was being sought. Mitchell and Jessen, who run the firm, had worked on a Pentagon program that taught US service members how to survive harsh enemy interrogation methods.
Out of Guantánamo, Uighurs Bask in Bermuda - Erik Eckholm, New York Times. Almost exactly seven years after arriving at Guantánamo in chains as accused enemy combatants, and four days after their surprise predawn flight to Bermuda, four Uighur Muslim men basked in their new-found freedom here, grateful for the handshakes many residents had offered and marveling at the serene beauty of this tidy, postcard island. In newly purchased polo shirts and chinos, the four husky men, members of a restive ethnic minority from western China, might blend in except for their scruffy beards. Smelling hibiscus flowers, luxuriating in the freedom to drift through scenic streets and harbors, they expressed wonder at their good fortune in landing here after a captivity that included more than a year in solitary confinement.
Palau President Remains Calm as Storm Brews on Island - John M. Glionna, Los Angeles Times. When asked by the United States to accept a group of hard-to-place Guantanamo inmates, Palauan President Johnson Toribiong mulled over the request as both a head of state and a criminal defense lawyer. The 62-year-old politician says he considered the plight of the 13 Chinese men as he had countless other defendants during two decades as one of this tiny Pacific island nation's top litigators. The men, ethnic Uighurs, had gotten a raw deal, he said, jailed for years without trial. Now, they weren't considered dangerous terrorists after all. No country had been willing to take the Muslims - before Palau. "These people are not monsters," said Toribiong, who, with graying hair and glasses, looks pensive, even professorial. "They should be presumed innocent because no one has proven them guilty."
US DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Pick for Army Chief Pushed Defense Funds - Jim McElhatton, Washington Times. Before he was named by President Obama to be the next Army secretary, Rep. John M. McHugh of New York had asked Congress to set aside tens of millions of dollars in next year's budget for defense contractors that now could fall under his command as the Army's civilian leader. Mr. McHugh, the top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, requested that more than $40 million in "earmarks" be inserted into a 2010 defense appropriations bill, including more than $8 million benefiting an Army base in his home state, according to records. His wish list also included $4.7 million for Lockheed Martin, one of the Army's largest contractors, whose products range from tactical missiles to battlefield combat systems. Lockheed's employees and political action committee have been sources of political cash for Mr. McHugh, accounting for $35,000 in campaign donations over the years, according the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.
Sikhs Dispute Army Ban - Deepti Hajela, Associated Press. Military service is in Capt. Kamaljit Singh Kalsi's blood. His father and grandfather were part of the Indian air force. His great-grandfather served in the army in India under the British. So when US Army recruiters talked to him during his first year of medical school, he readily signed up. But his plans to go on active duty in July are now on hold. An Army policy from the 1980s that regulates the wearing of religious items means he will need to shave his beard and remove the turban he wears in accordance with his Sikh religion. Capt. Kalsi and another Sikh man with the same concerns, 2nd Lt. Tejdeep Singh Rattan, are the centerpieces of an advocacy campaign launched by the Sikh Coalition as it tries to convince the Army to let the men serve without sacrificing their articles of faith.
MILITARY AND INTELLIGENCE NEWS BRIEFS
Boeing F-15 Silent Eagle Review -- ELP Defen©e Blog
EXCLUSIVE: Boeing Jumpstarts UAV Division -- DoD Buzz
Dealing with Terrorist Threats -- Armchair Generalist
Real-Time Middleware For Unmanned Ground Vehicle Project -- Defense Talk
Sikhs challenge US Army's ban on turbans, beards -- AP
Observing China's SSBN Developments -- Information Dissemination
CIA names fallen officer 6 years after death -- CNN
LCS to the Gulf: It’s Official -- New Wars
B-2 Gets The Biggest Bomb Of All -- Strategy Page
Ancient Bomber’s New Mission: Ship Snooping -- War Is Boring
HASC Targets Missile Intel Gap -- DoD Buzz
Raw Video: Inside a Blue Angel Cockpit -- The Danger Room
234 Years of the U.S. Army -- Military Times
Boeing F-15 Silent Eagle Review -- ELP Defen©e Blog
EXCLUSIVE: Boeing Jumpstarts UAV Division -- DoD Buzz
Dealing with Terrorist Threats -- Armchair Generalist
Real-Time Middleware For Unmanned Ground Vehicle Project -- Defense Talk
Sikhs challenge US Army's ban on turbans, beards -- AP
Observing China's SSBN Developments -- Information Dissemination
CIA names fallen officer 6 years after death -- CNN
LCS to the Gulf: It’s Official -- New Wars
B-2 Gets The Biggest Bomb Of All -- Strategy Page
Ancient Bomber’s New Mission: Ship Snooping -- War Is Boring
HASC Targets Missile Intel Gap -- DoD Buzz
Raw Video: Inside a Blue Angel Cockpit -- The Danger Room
234 Years of the U.S. Army -- Military Times
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Vienna (AFP) June 15, 2009 - Iran's nuclear programme was in the spotlight of a meeting of the UN atomic watchdog here Monday, following the country's disputed presidential election. In his opening address to the International Atomic Energy Agency's 35-member board, director general Mohamed ElBaradei urged Tehran to take up the US offer of dialogue over its disputed programme. "I am encouraged by the new initiative ... more
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Vienna (AFP) June 15, 2009 - Iran's nuclear programme was in the spotlight of a meeting of the UN atomic watchdog here Monday, following the country's disputed presidential election. In his opening address to the International Atomic Energy Agency's 35-member board, director general Mohamed ElBaradei urged Tehran to take up the US offer of dialogue over its disputed programme. "I am encouraged by the new initiative ... moreThis is a "lo-fi" version of our main content. To view the full version with more information, formatting and images, please click here.