Tag: Defense

Stevenson’s army, August 1

Please join me in celebrating the anniversary of my home state’s admission to the Union in 1876, just in time to provide 3 electoral votes to the GOP presidential candidate, Rutherford Hayes, who won 185-184.
– NYT has more on the problems in the Postal Service that could mess up the elections.
-GOP speechwriter David Frum tells more about the post-election war game.
-FP reveals Biden has 49 working groups on foreign policy, involving 2000+ people.
-Politico says DOD will play a lead role in vaccine distribution.

Africom says it’s moving its HQ. Just don’t know where.

– WSJ says Japan is moving toward a “preemptive” [i.e. first] strike option.
CNAS has a good study on informal tools Congress has to influence defense policy.Conf
– FP says new NDAA has provision to reduce money laundering.

My SAIS colleague Charlie Stevenson distributes this almost daily news digest of foreign/defense/national security policy to “Stevenson’s army” via Googlegroups. I plan to republish here. To get Stevenson’s army by email, send a blank email (no subject or text in the body) to stevensons-army+subscribe@googlegroups.com. You’ll get an email confirming your join request. Click “Join This Group” and follow the instructions to join. Once you have joined, you can adjust your email delivery preferences (if you want every email or a digest of the emails).

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Stevenson’s army, July 31

Tata is out. Good.
Diplomats push back at returning to offices.
Postal Service cuts back just when it’s needed for elections.  That’s one of several threats to the elections discussed in a good CFR session.
-CFIUS had increased workload in 2019. Here’s the official report.
– The USG didn’t run its pandemic playbook, as it should have.
– Intriguing idea: non-kinetic ASAT
– Back to normal: approval of Congress falls

My SAIS colleague Charlie Stevenson distributes this almost daily news digest of foreign/defense/national security policy to “Stevenson’s army” via Googlegroups. I plan to republish here. To get Stevenson’s army by email, send a blank email (no subject or text in the body) to stevensons-army+subscribe@googlegroups.com. You’ll get an email confirming your join request. Click “Join This Group” and follow the instructions to join. Once you have joined, you can adjust your email delivery preferences (if you want every email or a digest of the emails).

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Stevenson’s army, July 30

– LA Times has a summary of Robert Draper’s new book on the Iraq war.  [I’m happy to say I just got a copy from my newly reopened library.]
– I have a piece debunking the “wag the dog” theory. Yes, foreign policy decisions including use of force, are often driven by domestic political considerations, but the US just doesn’t start wars in presidential election years.

DOD now sees protesters and journalists as “adversaries” in mandatory training manuals.
– The Gang of 8 are feuding over what to tell us about foreign interference in the election.
– DOD announced withdrawal of troops from Germany. Fred Kaplan has a good critique.
Reading between the lines, it looks to me as if DOD is slow-rolling the matter, making it easy to reverse course after the election.
Daily Beast reports on all the dark money flooding into our elections this year.
Congratulations to the NYT editor who wrote the line saying the tech execs who testified yesterday all wore “trust me suits” and ties.
Breaking news: the quarry for the Stonehenge stones has been found 15 miles away. Still not know is how they were transported 4500 years ago.

My SAIS colleague Charlie Stevenson distributes this almost daily news digest of foreign/defense/national security policy to “Stevenson’s army” via Googlegroups. I plan to republish here. To get Stevenson’s army by email, send a blank email (no subject or text in the body) to stevensons-army+subscribe@googlegroups.com. You’ll get an email confirming your join request. Click “Join This Group” and follow the instructions to join. Once you have joined, you can adjust your email delivery preferences (if you want every email or a digest of the emails).

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Stevenson’s army, July 29

SFRC Democrats blast Pompeo for hurting State. Their report.
– Former DHS head Chertoff says agency has been “hijacked” for political purposes. New Yorker has close look at DHS budget.
-US cooperates with Japan on East China Sea
-Jim Steinberg co-authors critique of China policy.
-James Palmer offers Asian war metaphors to supplant Thucydides.
CNAS has new proposals for 5G.
– Army War College prof defends strategy of “not losing.”
– Retiring Army officer says retired 4 stars shouldn’t make political endorsements.
– Dean Cohen urges us to memorize poems.

My SAIS colleague Charlie Stevenson distributes this almost daily news digest of foreign/defense/national security policy to “Stevenson’s army” via Googlegroups. I plan to republish here. To get Stevenson’s army by email, send a blank email (no subject or text in the body) to stevensons-army+subscribe@googlegroups.com. You’ll get an email confirming your join request. Click “Join This Group” and follow the instructions to join. Once you have joined, you can adjust your email delivery preferences (if you want every email or a digest of the emails).

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Stevenson’s army, July 21

More federal agents to more cities.
Bolton unleashed.
– Risks of war with Iran as Netanyahu prepares for a Biden presidency.
Senate hearing for controversial USD[P] nominee.
– Are we doing too many FONOPS?
– How China fudges its statistics.

My SAIS colleague Charlie Stevenson distributes this almost daily news digest of foreign/defense/national security policy to “Stevenson’s army” via Googlegroups. I plan to republish here. To get Stevenson’s army by email, send a blank email (no subject or text in the body) to stevensons-army+subscribe@googlegroups.com. You’ll get an email confirming your join request. Click “Join This Group” and follow the instructions to join. Once you have joined, you can adjust your email delivery preferences (if you want every email or a digest of the emails).

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Stevenson’s army, July 20, late edition

More hot news on a hot day.  The administration is planning to send federal agents to Chicago and perhaps New York as it has to Portland. Lawfare says they are claiming an intelligence mission — to protect monuments and statues.
Just Security has discovered that AG Barr has done this sort of thing before and bragged about it.
In other news, Dan Drezner gives a barely passing grade to Pompeo’s Unalienable Rights Commission
A group has a bipartisan list of suggested defense budget cuts.
Reuters has a special story on Chinese amphibious capabilities.
Brookings has a new site for its China assessments.

My SAIS colleague Charlie Stevenson distributes this almost daily news digest of foreign/defense/national security policy to “Stevenson’s army” via Googlegroups. I plan to republish here. To get Stevenson’s army by email, send a blank email (no subject or text in the body) to stevensons-army+subscribe@googlegroups.com. You’ll get an email confirming your join request. Click “Join This Group” and follow the instructions to join. Once you have joined, you can adjust your email delivery preferences (if you want every email or a digest of the emails).

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