Pentagon Weighs Strategy Change To Deter Terror
(New York Times, July 5, 2005, Pg. 1)
The Pentagon's most senior planners are challenging the longstanding strategy
that requires the armed forces to be prepared to fight two major wars
at a time. Instead, they are weighing whether to shape the military to
mount one conventional campaign while devoting more resources to defending
American territory and antiterrorism efforts. The consideration of these
profound changes are at the center of the current top-to-bottom review
of Pentagon strategy, as ordered by Congress every four years, and will
determine the future size of the military as well as the fate of hundreds
of billions of dollars in new weapons.
G.I.'s Recover Bodies Of 2 On Seal Team In Afghanistan
(New York Times, July 5, 2005)
American forces have recovered the bodies of two members of a four-man
Navy Seal reconnaissance team that was reported missing last week after
coming under hostile fire in a mountainous region of eastern Afghanistan..
Defense officials did not provide details of where and how the two bodies
were found.
Sunni Clerics Plan Edict On Greater Political Role
Followers In Iraq Will Be Told To Join Process, Vote
(Washington Post, July 5, 2005, Pg. 1)
Several senior clerics of Iraq's disaffected Sunni Muslim minority will
soon issue a decree calling on followers of the faith to vote in upcoming
elections and help write a new constitution, a prominent Sunni leader
said. The step could draw Sunni Arabs away from the insurgency and into
a political process they have steadfastly rejected.
Iraqi: No Talks With Killers
But Al-Jaafari Extends Hand To Hard-Liners
(Washington Times, July 5 2005, Pg. 1)
Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari has ruled out talks with any terrorist
or insurgent group that has the blood of Iraqi citizens on its hands.
But, in a recent interview, he also held out an olive branch to other
hard-line anti-government and anti-American militants whose opposition
had not led to the deaths of Iraqis.
Noncitizen Soldiers: The Quandaries Of Foreign-Born Troops
(Christian Science Monitor, July 5, 2005, Pg. 1)
Making up about 7 percent of America's active fighting force, immigrants
with green cards—with Mexicans being the largest group among them—are
risking their lives not just for advancement within the Army, but for
a leg up on the road to U.S. citizenship. Their service is steeped in
pride, but also in the paradoxes of allegiance inherent in serving under
a foreign flag.
Military Recruiters Find The War A Difficult Sell
Youths Shy Away From Future In Iraq
(Boston Globe, July 5, 2005, Pg. 1)
While some wars have spurred men and women to sign up in ever-higher numbers,
the one in Iraq has not. The Army, trying to lure enough people to make
up a recruiting deficit of about 8,000 this fiscal year, is talking less
about patriotism and duty and more about $20,000 bonuses and shorter enlistments.
CORRECTIONS/LETTERS
Unfair 'Stain' On Medics [Letter]
Maj. Gen. Joseph G. Webb Jr., Deputy Surgeon
Office of the Army Surgeon
(Washington Post, July 4, 2005, Pg. 16)
Army medical department personnel do not engage in torture or abuse of
prisoners. They provide the same overall standard of care for detainees
in Iraq, Afghanistan and Cuba as they provide to deployed U.S. and coalition
forces.
IRAQ
Raids Net 100 Terror Suspects In Capital
Egyptian's Family Pleads For Release
(Washington Times, July 5 2005, Pg. 13)
U.S. and Iraqi forces raided suspected insurgent safe houses near Baghdad
International Airport, arresting at least 100 suspected militants, including
foreign fighters, the U.S. military said. Also, the family of Egypt's
top envoy to Iraq pleaded for his speedy release after his weekend abduction
in Baghdad.
U.S. Troops Celebrate Fourth Despite Heat And Sandstorms
(Arizona Daily Star, July 5, 2005, Pg. 1)
In blistering summer heat and blinding sandstorms, U.S. troops marked
Independence Day in Iraq with barbecues, volleyball and—for those
who had them—dips in the pool. Bursts of gunfire and wailing sirens
served as a reminder of why the troops were there.
Sunni Group In Iraq Urges Members To Vote
(New York Times, July 5, 2005)
In what might be a sign of a new political landscape, a major Sunni umbrella
group called on its members to register for the next round of Iraq elections
and take part "despite our reservations." Clerics will be asked
to issue fatwas, or religious rulings, essentially ordering Sunnis to
vote.
The Puzzle Of Sunnis' Leadership Vacuum
(Los Angeles Times, July 5, 2005)
Iraq's Sunni Muslim Arabs do not lack leadership qualities—they
once filled the upper ranks of Saddam Hussein's officer corps and government
ministries, and now some of them are running an increasingly sophisticated
insurgency. But in the search for prominent politicians who can unite
the fractious minority and secure its members' place in rebuilding a nation,
the pickings are slim.
U.S. Taking More Direct Role On Iraq Crime
Joint Task Force, Announced By Attorney General, To Involve Federal Investigators
(Washington Post, July 5, 2005, Pg. 8)
An Iraq anti-crime task force that Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales
announced in Baghdad during the weekend marks a significant shift from
earlier U.S. efforts to bolster the Iraqi justice system. Under the plan,
FBI agents and other U.S. investigators will play a direct role in helping
to develop evidence and identify suspects in attacks against U.S. forces,
while criminal prosecutions will be left up to the new Iraqi court system,
U.S. officials said. The task force is modeled loosely on the anti-terrorism
and anti-gang units common in the United States.
Egyptian Envoy's Abduction Heightens Fear In Baghdad
(Los Angeles Times, July 5, 2005)
The kidnapping of Egypt's top envoy in Baghdad has sent shivers through
the capital's small diplomatic community and may further hamper Iraq's
drive to restore full diplomatic relations with the world. Ihab Sherif
was abducted as he drove between his home and a store Saturday night,
and there was no information about his whereabouts or any claim of responsibility
for his disappearance.
Iraq Now Is No. 1 Extremist Training Spot, Studies Say
(Philadelphia Inquirer, July 5, 2005)
Iraq has replaced Afghanistan as the prime training ground for foreign
extremists who could travel elsewhere and wreak havoc, according to U.S.
counterterrorism officials and classified studies by the CIA and the State
Department. Of particular concern, the officials and studies say, are
the combat techniques being learned and used by foreign fighters.
Britain Asks Iraq About Alleged Prisoner Abuse
Newspaper Prints Photos, Says They're Evidence Of Torture
(San Diego Union-Tribune, July 4, 2005)
The British government said that it had raised concerns with the interim
Iraq government about reports that Iraq's police force had abused prisoners.
Iraqi Insurgent Groups Appoint New Spokesman
(London Financial Times, July 5, 2005)
Two Iraqi guerrilla groups have appointed a spokesman, according to a
posting on an internet website they often use. The announcement could
represent the long-expected creation of a political wing by Iraqi militants.
It comes as Iraqi politicians attempt to bring the insurgency into the
political process, as well as confusion over who can speak for what is
considered to be a fractured underground movement.
U.S. Walls Off Its Corner Of Baghdad, Annoying Some Neighbors
(New York Times, July 5, 2005)
Iraqis call it Assur, the Fence. In English everyone calls it the Wall,
and in the past two years it has grown and grown until it has become an
almost continuous rampart, at least 10 miles in circumference, around
the seat of American power in Baghdad.
War Dogs Lap Up Support
Care Packages Headed To Iraq
(Washington Times, July 5 2005, Pg. 1)
Military war dogs in Iraq help save lives by detecting bombs and traps
and finding injured civilians, but their noses are getting chapped from
the desert heat. When Amy Nichols, owner of Happy Tails Dog Spa in Tysons
Corner, Va., heard of the dogs' plight, she bought some lip balm for their
noses and set up a donation box in front of her store. The doggy day care
also is collecting flying discs, knotted ropes and treats to send to the
hundreds of dogs serving in Iraq.
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
State Pushes For Southcom HQ Site Despite Rebuff
(Miami Herald, July 5, 2005)
Florida is still pressing forward with a proposal to build a headquarters
for the Pentagon's Southern Command on state land in Doral—despite
an internal government report that describes the effort as too expensive.
The assessment turned up in a Government Accountability Office report
to Congress analyzing the Pentagon's Base Realignment and Closure Commission
recommendations.
Decoys Suggested For Pentagon Network
Diversions Would Lure Hackers Away From Sensitive Data, Task Force Leaders
Say
(Washington Post, July 4, 2005, Pg. D5)
Two of the Pentagon's leading technologists have proposed defending the
military's future Global Information Grid by using decoy networks and
"honey pots" to fool hackers. The goal would be to lure intruders
into those areas and away from operational networks. The Defense Department
is developing the Grid as the next-generation information technology architecture
to be used by the military and intelligence agencies.
Soldiers Get Boost From Partnership
(USA Today, July 5, 2005, Pg. 3C)
Impact Player Partners is a non-profit organization aimed at boosting
the morale of soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan by introducing
them to high-profile sports figures. Athletes who participate in the program
include former Washington Redskin football players Darrell Green and Joe
Theismann, NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon, linebacker Junior Seau, pitcher
Roger Clemens and golfer Ben Crenshaw.
Arlington Expands Its Burial Space
(Washington Times, July 4 2005, Pg. B3)
For the first time in a decade, Arlington National Cemetery, the pre-eminent
military burial ground in the United States, is undergoing expansion to
accommodate the large number of veterans from World War II who are dying
at the rate of some 1,200 a day. Arlington is adding 26,000 graves to
the roughly 215,000 already in place on the sweeping lawns outside Washington,
D.C. An additional 77,000 remains are in columbariums, tombs for urns
with cremated remains.
Troops Take On Battle Of Bulge
(Honolulu Advertiser, July 4, 2005)
Besides terrorists, germ warfare and nuclear weapons, military officials
increasingly worry about a different kind of threat: troops too fat to
fight. Weight issues plague all branches of the military, from elite Marines
to the Air Force, often lampooned as the "chair force" because
of its many sedentary jobs.
BASE REALIGNMENT AND CLOSURE
Shipyard's Fate Hangs In Balance Tomorrow
(Union Leader, N.H., July 5, 2005)
The fate of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard could be decided Wednesday when
four members of the Base Realignment and Closure Commission hold a hearing
in Boston to decide whether to accept the Pentagon's recommendation that
the yard be closed. The session is one of four hearings at the same location.
Each will be crucial to determining the fate of other military bases in
New England, including the Submarine Base at Groton, Conn., the Brunswick
Naval Air Station in Maine and the Defense Finance Accounting Service
center in northern Maine.
Base Advocates Ready Their Defenses
(Maine Sunday Telegram, July 3, 2005)
Supporters of Maine's three military bases pose three central arguments
for keeping them open—and possibly expanding them—at a time
when the Defense Department is recommending closures and cuts. Portsmouth
Naval Shipyard in Kittery deserves to remain open because it does a better
job repairing nuclear submarines than any other yard, public or private.
Brunswick Naval Air Station enjoys a location that cannot be matched—and
that the Pentagon does not want to give up. The Defense Finance and Accounting
Service at the former Loring Air Force Base in Limestone stacks up well
against rivals, and advocates contend it would be relatively inexpensive
to expand.
ARMY
Employees Push To Get Armor Kits To Iraq
(USA Today, July 5, 2005, Pg. 3)
Hundreds of employees of the Rock Island Arsenal in Illinois have given
up weekends, vacations and family time to work overtime since February
to manufacture 1,115 armor kits for Army vehicles in Iraq.
Hero's Legacy: GIs Doing Their Jobs
(Chicago Tribune, July 4, 2005)
In death, as in life, Sgt. 1st Class Paul Smith keeps unyielding watch
over the men of Easy Company. The nation's first Medal of Honor recipient
from the Iraq war trained his young soldiers, now on their second tour
of duty there, for the unforgiving rigors of combat
MARINE CORPS
'I'm Not Going To Come Home': One Marine's Third Iraq Tour
(Washington Post, July 5, 2005, Pg. 1)
With the military's numbers at their lowest level in modern history, no
draft to bring in new recruits and no end in sight to the U.S. deployment
in Iraq, more American troops are likely to be going on multiple overseas
tours. The Army has sent multiple units to Iraq for second tours. The
Marines, which deploy units for shorter stints, are embarking on third
tours. At least 13 troops on their third tours, most of them Marines,
have been killed.
NAVY
At Watering Hole, SEALs' Sad Tidings
(Los Angeles Times, July 5, 2005)
The music was loud and the beer was flowing, but there was an undercurrent
of sadness this weekend at McP's, a legendary hangout for Navy SEALs near
their base in Coronado, Calif. One of the U.S. military's smallest and
most secretive combat units, the SEALs had just suffered the worst one-day
death toll in the group's history with the crash of a Chinook helicopter
in Afghanistan while on a rescue mission.
AIR FORCE
Air Force Tests High-Altitude Balloons
(New York Times on the Web, July 5, 2005)
The Air Force is eyeing a seldom-used region of the Earth's atmosphere
called "near space" for communications and intelligence-gathering
with one of the oldest types of aircraft--balloons. The air at 65,000
feet and higher is too thin for most traditional airplanes, so military
officials are testing unmanned helium balloons at those altitudes. This
frigid part of the atmosphere is above most weather but well below low
Earth orbit, where the far costlier space station and satellites operate.
NATIONAL GUARD/RESERVE
Heavy Toll On Guard In Iraq War
More Killed Than In 'Nam
(New York Daily News, July 5, 2005)
As U.S. casualties continue a grim upward arc in Iraq, citizen-soldiers
of the National Guard bear an ever-increasing share of the burden. Today
the Guard death toll is 268, including Sgt. Manny Hornedo, the Brooklyn
soldier killed in a suicide car bombing last Tuesday. By contrast, 97
Guardsmen died during the entire Vietnam War, and none was lost during
the 1991 Persian Gulf War.
WHITE HOUSE
Bush Urges Persistence On Iraq
President Invokes U.S. War For Independence
(Washington Post, July 5, 2005, Pg. 3)
President Bush used his annual Independence Day speech to pay homage to
America's fighting men and women and to urge the nation to remain firmly
behind the effort in Iraq. In an appearance at West Virginia University,
he acknowledged that continued violence in Iraq has been "hard for
a compassionate nation to watch." But he compared today's hardships
to those faced by Americans of past generations, including those who declared
the country independent and fought the Revolutionary War 229 years ago.
AFGHANISTAN
Afghans Say Civilians Died In Bombings
(Los Angeles Times, July 5, 2005)
U.S. airstrikes have killed 17 civilians in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan,
local officials said, where the search for a U.S. special operations team
has intensified. The U.S. military acknowledged some civilian casualties
but would not confirm the number. It said the bombing site was identified
as a compound for a mid-level terrorist leader and the civilians killed
could have been members of his family.
EUROPE
MoD Plans Iraq Troop Withdrawal
(London Financial Times, July 5, 2005)
Britain's Ministry of Defense has drafted plans for a significant withdrawal
of British troops from Iraq over the next 18 months and a big deployment
to Afghanistan. In what would represent the biggest operational shake-up
involving Britain's armed forces since the Iraq war, the first stage of
a run-down in military operations is likely to take place this autumn
with a handover of security to Iraqis in at least two southern provinces.
Government Denies Kidnapping Knowledge
(Boston Globe, July 5, 2005)
The Italian government denied new media reports that it was informed in
advance of the alleged CIA kidnapping of a radical Egyptian cleric in
2003. Rome newspaper La Repubblica quoted a former CIA official, Michael
Scheuer, as saying the agency received authorization from Italy's secret
service before the operation.
MIDEAST
Nations Say Allegations Won't Affect Iran Talks
(Boston Globe, July 5, 2005)
Britain and Germany said that allegations recently raised against Iran's
president-elect have not been proved and will not affect Europe's negotiations
with Tehran over its nuclear program. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who won a landslide
presidential election victory, has been accused of taking American hostages
in 1979 when radical students seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran.
Paper: Iran In Talks To Refurbish Subs
(Moscow Times, July 5, 2005, Pg. 5)
Russia is reportedly in talks to upgrade three Iranian submarines, a $270
million deal that could revive the bilateral arms trade but further irritate
the United States.
Syrians Clash With Fighters Linked To The Iraqi Insurgency
(New York Times, July 5, 2005)
Syrian security forces clashed in the hills overlooking Damascus with
men believed to be militants connected to Iraq's insurgency, the official
Syrian news agency reported. Some of the militants were believed to have
been former bodyguards for Saddam Hussein, the report said, but it gave
no further details.
INTELLIGENCE
CIA, Pentagon Seek To Avoid Overlap
(Washington Post, July 4, 2005, Pg. 2)
Growing Pentagon intelligence activities at home and abroad have caused
CIA Director Porter Goss and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to reach
a new written agreement to prevent conflicts and overlap in spying, technical
collection and analysis between their two organizations, according to
senior officials at both agencies.
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
Federal Workers Anxious Over Pay
Some Fear Annual Raises Will Suffer Under New System
(Washington Post, July 5, 2005, Pg. 11)
Many federal workers are growing increasingly anxious about their pay
as the Bush administration prepares to toss out the 15-grade General Schedule,
which links pay to longevity in a job, and replace it with a system that
more directly ties salary increases to performance evaluations. Starting
this summer, such systems will be phased in over several years at the
departments of Defense and Homeland Security, which together employ more
than 900,000 civilian workers. And Bush administration officials want
similar changes throughout government.
Panel Has A Big Say In Foreign Purchases
(Los Angeles Times, July 5, 2005)
The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, a secretive,
little-known panel of U.S. officials, was set up to rule on whether purchases
of U.S. businesses by foreign entities would impair national security
and should be banned. The obscure committee may face a high-profile decision
in the near future: A Chinese bid to buy Unocal Corp. in California appears
likely to trigger a national security review unless the process is derailed
by Congress.
VETERANS
Youth, Women Renew Veterans Groups
(Arizona Republic, July 4, 2005, Pg. 1)
Although more than 1,000 World War II veterans are dying each day, membership
in the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars remains steady. The
nation's largest veterans groups are reaching out to more diverse members,
especially women and Vietnam and Gulf War-era veterans.
OPINION
North Korea's Rising Urgency
Not Engaging Is Not An Alternative
Carl Levin and Hillary Clinton
(Washington Post, July 5, 2005, Pg. 13)
Two Democratic members of the Senate Armed Services Committee write: "Why
is it that a war to address a nuclear weapons program that we now know
had been dismantled can be pursued with great urgency by this administration
while diplomacy to eliminate a growing arsenal in North Korea is carried
on in an almost lackadaisical fashion, captive to pride and preconditions?"
Just as we did with Iraq, we should negotiate with the Europeans, Asians
and others to set international -- read United Nations -- deadlines for
solving the crisis.
Swing And A Miss
Sen. Kennedy Whiffs In Attempt At Hardball With Military Leaders
Jeffrey Gardner
(Albuquerque Tribune, July 2, 2005)
If you got past the Kennedy-Rumsfeld rumble in the Senate Armed Services
Committee hearing last week, you learned from the uniformed guys that
the situation in Iraq, though brutal, is not a quagmire. Progress is being
made, and slowly Iraqi security forces are becoming more effective.
Model Gitmo
Very Far Away From Anything Amnesty Claims
Dana Dillon
(National Review On Line, July 1. 2005)
A retired Army Major and senior policy analyst at the Heritage Foundation
writes that the Defense Department's prompt and painstaking response
to prisoner abuse accusations demonstrates its appreciation of the importance
of detention operations and its commitment to both the humane treatment
of prisoners and accountability. That is something Amnesty International
should be promoting as a model for other nations—even some of our
allies in the war on terrorism.
Don't Close Otis Air Force Base
Edward M. Kennedy and Mitt Romney
(Boston Globe, July 5, 2005)
A Massachusetts senator and governor write that if the Pentagon had correctly
ranked the military value of Otis Air Force Base, it would have been in
the top third of all fighter bases instead of near the bottom.
Making The Case For The Bases
Olympia J. Snowe, Susan M. Collins, Tom Allen, Mike Michaud and John Baldacci
(Main Sunday Telegram, July 3, 2005)
Members of Main's congressional delegation and the state's governor write
that the Pentagon deviated from its own criteria in making its "wrong-headed"
recommendations to close the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, realign Brunswick
Naval Air Station and shut down the Defense Accounting and Finance Center
in Limestone.
Sinking The Fleet
Albert H. Konetzni Jr.
(New York Post, July 5, 2005)
A retired vice admiral who served as commander of the Pacific Fleet's
submarine force writes that closure of the Navy submarine base in New
London, Conn., and the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, will
accelerate the demise of the nation's sub force.
Why Groton Is Wrong Base To Close
Daniel Goure
(New London Day, Conn., July 3, 2005)
A vice president of the Lexington Institute writes: "The BRAC Commission
should easily recognize that closing New London is a bad idea. Any savings
gained are likely to be offset by such tangible losses due to increased
maintenance costs and the intangible costs associated with destroying
a unique network of capabilities. Weakening the U.S. strategic advantage
in undersea warfare is not worth a few hundred million dollars of savings."
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