Post Tagged with: "Afghanistan"

Afghanistan or Talibanistan?

Afghan National Army soldiers learn to medevac casualties at Camp Shorabak in Helmand Province on Feb. 19, 2014. For many, this was the first time they had been aboard a helicopter. (U.S. Marine Corps)

Will the country see relative stability and freedom after 2014?

Col. Robert M. Cassidy

This year will see a set of key events in Afghanistan: variables of pivotal magnitude that may well …

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Rewrite the AUMF | No split for NSA/CYBERCOM | Better mobile tools

Charles E. Berger says it’s time to rewrite the AUMF. (National Interest)

The White House rejects the arguments for un-dual-hatting NSA and CYBERCOM, at least for now. (Washington Post)

Sea change at …

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Zero option, or not? | Hagel’s cuts | Weapons roundup

In the wake of Gen. Dempsey’s mention of the “zero option” in Afghanistan, Anthony Cordesman evaluates whether it’s a viable strategic choice. (CSIS)

SecDef Hagel’s plans to cut staff aren’t evenly spread, …

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Leading infantrywomen | CJCS’ zero option | DISA’s big plans

Soren Sjogren, a Danish Army officer who has led mixed-gender units in combat, offers a few lessons from the experience. (Carrying The Gun)

CJCS Gen. Martin Dempsey says the U.S. might still …

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How to ease the ADIZ pressure | Deterring China | COIN and grand strategy

For all the concern over China’s newly declared Air Defense Identification Zone, it’s just the latest in a series of escalations in the battle for the Diayou/Senkaku Islands. Here’s Mark E. Rosen’s …

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Asian bases save the day | Haqqani shooting reverberates | Iran playing us?

It’s no secret that Asian nations often have mixed feelings — and that’s putting it kindly — about the presence of US military bases on their territory, Dan Lamothe writes. But when …

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Cuts Make Military More Strategic? | A Near Casualty of the Shutdown | Mountain Combat

Could defense cuts actually help the US military by improving strategy? Melvyn Leffler argues as much, saying that the cuts are focusing military planners on important strategic decisions and forcing them to …

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Letting Afghans make mistakes | Spec Ops plan in doubt | UAV politics in Pakistan

For a time the prevailing logic was to put as many US troops in the field with their Afghan counterparts as possible, like a constant parental presence monitoring for the slightest mistake.  …

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From director to actor | Can-kicking. Face-saving? | Caliphate progress report

From director to actor | Can-kicking. Face-saving? | Caliphate progress report

The last combat brigade to leave Iraq. (Army)

Gordon Adams says the U.S. is no longer the undisputed director of the global play: “The most disconcerting part of this accelerating movement on …

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Pivot falters | Instant classic | Afghan milestone

Asia Pivot Watch: The Atlantic wants to know: “Are We Pivoting to Africa Rather Than Asia?” Meanwhile, Reuters writes, “As Obama’s Asia ‘pivot’ falters, China steps into the gap.”

Mark Stout calls …

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