New U.S. Counter-Terrorism Strategy Released

White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan speaks during the daily press briefing on May 2. Brennan vowed the 'utter destruction' of Al-Qaeda as he unveiled new plans June 29, focusing on the terror group's ability to inspire Americans to carry out domestic attacks. Jewel Samad/AFP/Newscom

U.S. Counter-Terrorism Strategy To Rely On Surgical Strikes, Unmanned Drones -- L.A. Times

The Obama administration has concluded in a newly released counter-terrorism strategy that precision strikes and raids, rather than large land wars, are the most effective way to defeat Al Qaeda.

“Al Qaeda seeks to bleed us financially by drawing us into long, costly wars that also inflame anti-American sentiment,” John Brennan, President Obama’s counter-terrorism advisor, said in a speech Wednesday unveiling the new strategy. “Going forward, we will be mindful that if our nation is threatened, our best offense won’t always be deploying large armies abroad but delivering targeted, surgical pressure to the groups that threaten us.”

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More News On America's New Counter-terrorism Strategy Against Groups Like Al Qaeda

Fact Sheet: National Strategy for Counterterrorism -- White House
Brennan Reveals Newly Focused Counterterrorism Strategy -- FOX News
White House Releases New Counterterrorism Strategy -- National Journal
US unveils new counterterrorism strategy: three key parts -- Christian Science Monitor
New Counterterrorism Strategy Unveiled By White House Official -- Huffington Post
Brennan: Counterterrorism strategy focused on al-Qaeda’s threat to homeland -- Washington Post
U.S. strategy focuses on al-Qaida, homegrown terrorists -- Xinhuanet
US refocuses on home-grown terror threat -- AFP
Obama Counterterrorism Strategy Focuses on Threat ‘From Within’ -- Bloomberg
U.S. anti-terror strategy targets peril from within -- Washington Times
White House aims to disrupt al Qaeda online -- NextGov
Al Qaeda Remains Top Threat to U.S. -- Wall Street Journal
White House: al-Qaida Is Toast (As Long As These Shadow Wars Last Forever) -- Spencer Ackerman, Danger Room

Picture Of The Day

(Click on Image to Enlarge)
RED SEA (June 21, 2011) The Navy's oldest aircraft carrier, USS Enterprise (CVN 65), right, passes the Navy's newest aircraft carrier, USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77), during a transit of the Strait of Bab el Mandeb. George H.W. Bush arrives in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility to take over operations for Enterprise. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Brooks B. Patton Jr.

Murphy’s Laws of Combat

Murphy’s Laws of Combat -- Good Shit

[put together by Marines]

If your sergeant can see you, so can the enemy.
If the enemy is within range, so are you.
Incoming fire always has the right of way.
What can be seen can be hit, what can be hit can be killed.
There is no such thing as an atheist in a firefight.

Friendly fire — isn’t.
Recoilless rifles — aren’t.
Suppressive fires — don’t.
Interchangeable parts — aren’t.

The most dangerous thing in the world is a second lieutenant with a map and a compass.

There is always a way.
The best way is never the easy way.
The easy way is always mined.
The important things are always simple; the simple things are always hard.

No combat ready unit has ever passed inspection.
No inspection ready unit has ever passed combat.

No operations plan ever survives initial contact.
There is no such thing as a perfect plan.

Sniper’s motto: “Reach out and touch someone.”
Sniper’s philosophy: “If you run, you’ll only die tired.”

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U.S. General: Britain Not Prepared To Fight In Afghanistan Until Last Year

A U.S. Special Operations team member is hoisted into a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter during a medical evacuation training exercise on Multinational Base Tarin Kowt in Uruzgan province, Afghanistan, June 13, 2011. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Ryan Whitney

US Had To Cover For Lack Of British Helicopters, Says General -- The Telegraph

Britain did not have enough troops and helicopters in Afghanistan until last year, according to a senior US general.

American concerns over the effectiveness of the British force in Helmand led US commanders to deploy more forces there, effectively bailing out the struggling British mission.

Gen Dan McNeill, a former Nato commander in Afghanistan, said it was only in 2010 that the British operation was given the troops, equipment and support needed to be effective.

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My Comment: You go to war with what you have .... in Britain's case .... it appears to be not much.

Is Turkey Planning An Invasion Of Syria?

Report: Turkey Tells West It Might Launch Offensive Against Syria -- Today's Zaman

Turkish officials have told Western countries that Turkey might launch a military operation in Syria's north to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad's regime, a Kuwaiti newspaper reported on Monday.

“Turkey informed Britain, France, Italy, Germany and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) leadership of the possibility that it would launch an offensive in … Aleppo, Homs, Hama and Latakia,” As-Seyassah daily quoted an unnamed British officials as saying, according to the Lebanese news website nowlebanon.com.

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My Comment: Such an operation would entail tens of thousands of soldiers, months of preparation, training, intelligence gathering, etc. .... in short .... it is not going to happen. But if the focus is to conduct short-term and limited operations .... Turkey does have the resources to do it.

What is my take? I personally doubt that Turkey has the political will to even contemplate crossing the border .... but they will conduct a limited military operation if the Syrians make the mistake of crossing the border first.

If Turkey should be concerned about it's border, this is the country that they should be focused on.

Hat Tip: Colin McCabe

Is Now The Time For Britain To Merge Its Army, Navy And Air Force?

It’s Time For Britain To Merge Its Army, Navy And Air Force -- Con Coughlin, The Telegraph

In years to come, when our heirs reflect on the events that led to the merger of Britain’s Armed Forces, they will identify Liam Fox’s announcement this week of wide-ranging reforms to the Ministry of Defence’s structure as the moment when the demolition of our proud military traditions began in earnest.

After decades of chronic under-funding, they will conclude, it was inevitable that a small country such as Britain could no longer afford the luxury of maintaining independent command structures for its Army, Navy and Air Force. With defence spending slashed from 5 per cent of GDP at the end of the Cold War to just 2 per cent by 2011, the individual Services had already been reduced to such a parlous state that they could barely carry out even the most basic military tasks.

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My Comment: Coughlin's argument was also used in Canada in the 1960s to merge the different branches of the military. It was completed in 1968 and .... not surprisingly .... it decreased morale, caused inter-service conflicts, and the great savings that were talked about never materialized. Is this the way to go .... probably not.

Heavy Fighting Between Yemen Soldiers And Al Qaeda Militants Reported In Yemen

Yemen Soldiers Killed In South, 300 Defect: Opposition -- Yahoo News/Reuters

ADEN/SANAA (Reuters) - At least 26 Yemeni government soldiers and 17 Islamist militants linked to al Qaeda were killed on Wednesday in heavy fighting for control of a stadium near the southern city of Zinjibar, officials said.

Opposition officials said more than 300 government soldiers had defected, in a further blow to President Ali Abdullah Saleh as he recovers in Saudi Arabia from injuries sustained in an attack on his palace in early June.

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More News On Reports Of Heavy Fighting Between Al Qaeda And Yemen Military Units

South Yemen battles between army, Islamists kill 48 -- Vancouver Sun/AFP
Battle for football stadium between Yemeni soldiers and militants sees nearly 50 killed -- The National
Yemen: Battle near Zinjibar 'kills at least 21' -- BBC
30 soldiers, 10 al-Qaida militants killed in battles in south Yemen -- Xinhuanet
Yemen Militant Attack Leaves 15 Soldiers Dead, Witness Says -- Bloomberg
Dozens of Soldiers Killed in Yemen Fighting -- Voice of America

The Moment Nato Helicopter Killed Suicide Bombers Hiding On Roof Of Kabul Hotel

Engaged: A Nato helicopter fires a missile on the roof of the Intercontinental hotel in Kabul this morning.

An explosion on the roof of the hotel lights up the night sky.

The Moment Nato Helicopter Killed Suicide Bombers Hiding On Roof After Assault On Kabul Hotel Leaves 19 Dead -- The Daily Mail

* Taliban attack on hotel popular with Westerners kills hotel workers, a judge and Afghan police officers
* Two Nato helicopters called in because they had night-vision equipment
* Eight suicide bombers and gunmen attacked hotel

A helicopter hovers over the hotel and in the next moment a trace of fire is seen hitting the roof.

Seconds later a huge explosion rips apart the roof of the InterContinental, killing three Taliban suicide bombers who had launched a commando assault on the building.

The siege, however, was still not over. Some hours later the last insurgent blew himself up in a hotel room.

Officials said today that eleven civilians were killed in the assault that has sent shock waves through the Afghan capital.

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My Comment: The casualties from this attack could have been far worse than the 11 civilians who were killed in this assault.

Is Al Qaeda Weakening?

Bin Laden Intel Cache Confirms Weakness Of Al Qaeda -- DoD Buzz

Documents and other information taken from Osama bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan confirm that the long, costly U.S. campaign against al Qaeda has been very effective at killing its top leadership and disrupting its ability to attack the U.S., a top White House counterterrorism official said Wednesday.

John Brennan, in a speech unveiling the Obama administration’s new counterterrorism strategy, said the intelligence brought back from bin Laden’s compound showed that bin Laden himself knew how much damage al Qaeda had sustained, how low its reputation had fallen, and how impotent it had become after its earlier ability to conduct major attacks. Here’s what he said:

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My Comment: If that is the case, why the plan to have more raids and operations against Al Qaeda targets? Al Qaeda is not weakened .... the only thing that is weakened is the absence of some long time leaders within the organization who have been killed or captured. The philosophy and motivation that Al Qaeda inspires among many Muslims is still there, and it has not weakened one bit.

Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials -- June 29, 2011

Why Greeks Are Angry, Scared - And Trapped -- William Antholis, CNN

The near-tragedy unfolding on the streets of Athens could be a comedy, if the possible consequences were not so dire.

With Europe pushing austerity measures on Greece in exchange for another round of bailouts, the Greek public in the streets responds with chants: "We won't pay." Faced with pain and suffering, they are contemplating suicide.

It is almost as if the script was lifted from Mel Brooks' film "Blazing Saddles." Cleavon Little's character faces a gun-wielding mob about to run him out of town -- or worse. To escape, he puts his gun to his own head and threatens to shoot unless members of the mob drop their guns first.

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Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials

Why the Greek debt crisis won’t 'grow away' -- Bill Bonner, Christian Science Monitor

Delaying the Inevitable in Greece -- Matthew Dalton, Wall Street Journal

BIS report: The West must stop living on the never-never -- Jeremy Warner, The Telegraph

Ireland left to count the true cost of euro dream -- Vincent Browne, Irish Times

Was Obama low-balling the cost of war? -- Robert Zeliger, Foreign Policy

Obama's America prefers to ignore the Middle East -- Michael Young, National Interest

Taliban's Kabul raid as a Vietnam-like PR ploy -- Christian Science Monitor eitorial

Agenda of terrorists -- Iqbal Jafa, DAWN

The U.S. Signals Both North And South Korea On The Need For Talks --- Ahn Hee-chang, Joong Ang Daily

Russia's Approaching Nonelection -- Lucian Kim, New York Times

The Limits of China as Villain -- Trefor Moss, The Diplomat

Where is Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez? -- Washington Post editorial

China Has Its Eye On Canada's Oil -- IBD Editorials