The Political Conundrum!

Earlier this year, Cyprus impounded the Iranian-chartered freighter Monchegorsk, a vessel laden with war materiel bound for Syria (and perhaps beyond). This episode highlights the shortcomings of current UN and European Union sanctions on Iran, and underscores the need for a more systematic approach for dealing with Tehran's efforts to transfer technology and arms to radical allies in the Middle East and elsewhere, even as Washington seeks to engage Iran.

The Monchegorsk case show how even as the Obama administration seeks to engage Tehran, the Islamic Republic has continued to work to undermine U.S. interests and to support anti-American elements around the world, as demonstrated by its ongoing efforts to resupply Hamas, support Hizballah's efforts to destabilize Egypt, and assist Iraqi insurgents. For this reason, the United States needs to better constrain Tehran's ability to arm allies and surrogates hostile to U.S. interests. Doing so would enhance Washington's leverage in possible negotiations with Tehran, contain Iran should such diplomatic efforts fail, and prevent Iran from contributing to the proliferation of nuclear weapons in the Middle East and beyond.

The full article is available here.

This Captain is getting ready for his fourth tour in Afghanistan and knows the ground truth very well. If you care about what is happening in Afghanistan and a God-honest truth of what it is like on the ground there and what it will take to even remotely win, check out http://easterncampaign.wordpress.com/2009/04/29/behind-closed-doors-coin-chatter-on-afghanistan/

This is what my watch read as I laid in my bunk in Gardez, Afghanistan.  I’d set my alarm for 0400 hours as later that morning I was going to be leading my first American and Afghan National Army (ANA) convoy on a 2 day trip from Gardez to FOB Tillman.  I closed my eyes and tried to enjoy my remaining 2 minutes of sleep before I had to embark on a very long day.

Too soon the alarm went off and I tried to rub the sleep from my eyes in a sluggish attempt to wake up.  At about the same time I heard a quick whoosh, followed by a tremendous explosion that shook our b-hut (living quarters) as it threw rocks and debris onto our roof.  Shortly after that initial blast someone hollered “We’ve got incoming!”  Next thing I know I’m running outside with my battle rattle (helmet, body armor, and weapon) on and trying to find a spot to sit down in the crowded bunker until we get the all clear that the attack is over.  As I sat there and felt the adrenaline from a combat situation pump through my veins for the very first time, I realized that I didn’t put on my ACU top and I wasn’t wearing socks with my still un-tied boots.  I didn’t feel so bad after I looked around and saw a few people with their body armor, no shirt, PT shorts. and unbuckled Kevlar helmet.  I even heard a few people say “Oh man, I left my weapon on my bunk.”

Considering the company I was in, I looked “battle ready” as I at least had my weapon.  After 45 minutes of sitting on the ground, listening to bodily functions going off, snoring, and just happen to have that guy who never stops talking about his own life (apparently he took the fact that I was ignoring him, for caring), we were given the all clear signal.  Thinking that I had lost approximately 45 minutes of preparation time, I started to really move with a purpose.  My NCO partner then asked me what my hurry was.  After giving him the “are you kidding me look?” he responded with a reassuring “Sir, we’ve got hours.  Remember we are working with the ANA.”  As usual, the NCO was correct.  We actually left 2 hours later then we had planned for.  In sh’allah!

Later that morning we were  informed that 2 security forces soldiers from the Florida National Guard were wounded in the 107mm rocket attack.  One had minor wounds but the other soldier had taken a good amount of shrapnel and was MEDEVAC’d out.  Both soldiers had less then 2 weeks left in Afghanistan.  Luckily they would both survive.

 

Live free or die trying!

The Army and Air Force Exchange Service Blog has written a review of At War. You can check it out by clicking the link below.

“The film is not a Hollywood production. Far from it, yet packs a punch more emotionally explosive than any Tom Hanks war drama. This is real life. There is no set. No makeup. The blood is real. The tone of film is intense from start to finish. I am still wrestling with emotions and questions after watching this film…though not to the extent our troops and their families.”

http://www.salutetoyourservice.com/archives/374

Tonight we will be catching up with film-maker and embedded freelance journalist/blogger, Scott Kesterson, live from Afghanistan. Scott’s film, At War, was just shown at the Annual Milblog Conference last weekend and is showing at the Buffalo-Niagara Film Festival this weekend. He has been out on missions the last few days and will be giving us a fresh perspective of how things are going on the front lines of the Global War on Terror.

We are also talking with Mark Baker, creator of the popular Army Times cartoon “PVT Murphy’s Law” (http://www.pvtmurphy.com/). Mark and CJ are old friends so it should be a good time to find out any dirt on CJ from the past. We will be talking about his very famous comic strip, the feedback he gets about it and how Murphy has grown over the years from a Private to a Sergeant.

Last but not least, Wesley Gray, author of “EMBEDDED: A Marine Corps Advisor Inside the Iraqi Army” will join CJ and Troy to talk about his book and the story he is trying to tell the world through this book.

This afternoon, the Washington Institute published a piece by Rolf Mowatt-Larssen, the former DOE intelligence chief and head of the CIA's WMD Department in the Counterterrorism Center. In the article, Mr. Mowatt-Larssen lays out the threat the US still faces from nuclear terrorism, and outlines some steps the US and the international community should take to mitigate this dangerous situation. One particularly important step, in Mr. Mowatt-Larssen's view, would be to establish a full-fledged intelligence office at the IEAE.

Here is an excerpt from the piece:

As Mohamed ElBaradei's term as head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) draws to a close, the organization is struggling to choose a new leader. After deadlocking on an initial vote in March, a new round of nominations closed on April 27, with the next vote scheduled in the coming months. While the IAEA sorts out changes at the top, the United States should try to expand the agency's mandate and responsibilities. One such change would be the establishment of a full-fledged intelligence office, which would dramatically improve the agency's ability to identify and deter the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD).

Post-September 11 Urgency

After the September 11 attacks, the CIA faced the daunting prospect of al-Qaeda seeking a nuclear bomb and collaborating with Pakistani nuclear scientists in an effort to build one. A mood of grim determination gripped the U.S. intelligence establishment, a sentiment highlighted by CIA Director George Tenet when he stated that "We are behind the eight ball" in tracking al-Qaeda's efforts to obtain WMDs.

This threat galvanized an unprecedented response, which stimulated a degree of risk taking, experimentation, and creativity that would have been impossible under normal circumstances. U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies abandoned traditional methods of conducting business and worked together in unprecedented ways to defuse the threat. Government agencies agreed to colocate officers and work together as an integrated team, drawing from a well of capabilities that included everything at the U.S. government's disposal. The United States also shared raw leads and information with dozens of countries in the war on terrorism, most notably with our new Russian partners. Washington went to extreme lengths to ensure information was passed to anyone who might have answers, including Syria, Sudan, and Iran. Conventional rules limiting the sharing of information were suspended in favor of sharing everything with everyone. In all, the CIA passed WMD-related leads and analysis to over two dozen countries. In fact, in the process of averting a WMD-enabled al-Qaeda, the United States and its allies were able to thwart attacks in the formative stages in several countries.

To read the rest of the piece, click here

The U.S. military says an American Soldier has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of a fellow Soldier in northern Iraq.

British forces formally ended combat operations in Iraq on Thursday, one month ahead of schedule, after a ceremony to remember their dead from six years of warfare.

Pakistan pounded Taliban hideouts for a third consecutive day Thursday and said troops killed 14 insurgents in 24 hours as the president urged the nation to unite behind the offensive.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates is urging Congress to pass an $83.4 billion spending bill for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan by Memorial Day, saying the Pentagon will deplete its funding for Pakistan next month and money for U.S. operations will start running out in July.