Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- December 30, 2014

Photo: Major General Michael Nagata conceded twice this year to a Pentagon-assembled panel of experts that the Defense Department doesn't understand ISIS and its recruiting appeal

'We Do Not Understand The Movement': Top Special Forces General Confessed The US Is Clueless About ISIS As FBI Agent Warns About Terror Army's Youth Recruiting -- Daily Mail

* Maj. Gen. Michael Nagata conceded in a pair of conference calls that the Pentagon is nowhere near defeating the Muslim terror army
* 'I do not understand the intangible power of ISIL,' he said in October
* 'What makes I.S. so magnetic, inspirational?' Ngata asked
* He expressed surprise that the 'there are I.S. t-shirts and mugs'
* Government's baffled posture resembles difficulty grasping youth-appeal of animal rights and environmental movements' small, violent minority

America's top general in charge of Special Forces units combating the sel-fdeclared 'Islamic State' (ISIS) terror army confessed twice this year that the Obama administration has no idea what the group is all about.

'We do not understand the movement, and until we do, we are not going to defeat it,' Major General Michael Nagata told a group of outside experts during a conference call in August.

'We have not defeated the idea. We do not even understand the idea.'

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Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- December 30, 2014

The US Strategy Against ISIS Is Fundamentally Flawed -- Max Boot, Commentary Magazine

Russia's strategic nuclear force to become Defense Ministry’s priority 2015 — General Staff -- ITAR-TASS

Russian Army Prioritizes Strengthening of Strategic Nuclear Forces in 2015 -- Sputnik

Russian Navy to intensify missions in 2015 — chief of General Staff -- ITAR-TASS

Russia's Black Sea Fleet officially takes into service second Varshavyanka-class submarine -- ITAR-TASS

Russia’s Arctic troops to be beefed up with Northern Fleet in 2015 -- RT

Upgraded MiG-31 interceptors to cover Russia's Arctic, other strategic directions — source -- ITAR-TASS

Russia to Form Air Army in Arctic in 2015: Army Chief -- Sputnik

Russia's Armata Battle Tank to Go Through State Trials in 2016 -- Sputnik

Ukraine’s president wants defense factories to work in three shifts -- ITAR-TASS

Ukrainians ‘to deliberate’ NATO membership in 5 years – Poroshenko -- RT

IDF switching from mandatory to alternative service – internal report -- RT

Chemical Maggie: Thatcher considered chem weapons stockpile in Cold War standoff -- RT

Europe Must Cooperate on Research, Priorities -- Defense News

Warplanes: China Treats The J-20 Like The F-22 -- Strategy Page

India-Pakistan: Reality Check For The Generals -- Strategy Page

AirAsia Flight 8501: US destroyer to join search operation -- FOX News

Special Operations: SOCOM Told To Suck It Up -- Strategy Page

Feds dock Los Alamos lab in performance review -- AP

New NSA leak reveals scope of agency's war against crypto -- RT

Intelligence, defense whistleblowers remain mired in broken system -- Stars and Stripes/McClatchy News

Soldiers Relocate Wedding to Accommodate Obama's Golf Game -- Bloomberg

Spangdahlem wing commander relieved of duty -- Stars and Stripes

US allocates a whopping $65 million for new Guantánamo school -- Stars and Stripes/Miami Herald

How Navy Special Ops Survive Training Missions In Freezing Water -- Amanda Macias, Business Insider

‘The Tragedy of the American Military’ the latest attempt to define Pentagon’s troubles -- Dan Lamonthe, Washington Post

Veterans look back on Afghanistan, Iraq odyssey with strong emotions -- Heath Druzin, Stars and Stripes

McCain: Afghanistan on Verge of Becoming Another Iraq -- U.S. Senator John McCain, Defense News

US off war footing at year's end, but wars go on -- Robert Burns and Deb Riechmann, The Associated Press