Foreign Policy

Idea: Send ISOF and Kurds into Syria to defeat ISIS in Raqqa

We’re getting myopic again – with Syria. A lot of conversation has been focused on Syria and boots on the ground, and its meaning. I choose to believe it’s a code word for a formal occupation and declaration of war. Those sort of boots are unlikely. But more important than that – is while the foreign […]

Free Syrian Army troops threaten US special operations soldiers in Syria

An alarming video shows members of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) chanting threats in reaction to American troops entering a small town in northern Syria. The video might really show us that Americans are in danger in Syria. It also shows we are not necessarily winning hearts and minds. Above all, it shows that Syria, like the […]

US SOF in Syria are now working with Turkish forces for the first time- Pentagon

Northern Syria has always been the more difficult and violent section of Syria in the civil war. Aleppo and other cities have seen the most devastation. They’ve also witnessed the most fluid situation of occupants running the gamut of groups in Syria. According to Barbara Starr, who tweeted “US Special Operations Forces in Northern Syria […]

U.S. Special Operations forces begin new role alongside Turkish troops in Syria

In April, the White House authorized up to 300 Special Operations troops in Syria. According to a U.S. defense official speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing operations, the new detachment of U.S. forces with the Turks was requested by Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter and was approved by President Obama. It is unclear whether the new detachment of troops alongside the Turks will increase the overall number of Special Operations forces in Syria.

In the past, the Pentagon has insisted that the troops are not on the “front line” and have instead remained in an advisory role, helping local forces call in airstrikes and assisting them plan operations. In August, Syrian Democratic Forces backed by heavy U.S. and coalition airstrikes, took the key town of Manbij. Although no U.S. troops have been killed in Syria, several have been wounded.

US spies ‘are playing catch-up big time’ against Russia

And during the time it takes to train and shift the US’s intelligence capabilities against Russia, the US remains greatly outnumbered by Russian operatives.

“The counterintelligence operation that [Moscow] runs against the US Embassy measured in the thousands,” Michael McFaul, a Stanford University professor and former US ambassador to Russia, told the Post. “It always felt, especially sitting in Moscow, of course, that we were in a counterintelligence and collection battle that was an asymmetric fight.”

CIA Director John Brennan recently addressed Russia’s “exceptionally capable and sophisticated” infiltration abilities.

“I think that we have to be very, very wary of what the Russians might be trying to do in terms of collecting information in a cyber realm, as well as what they might want to do with it,” Brennan explained on CBS.

What comes after we retake Mosul?: The case for using ‘Tactical Economics’

The U.S. military is in principle all about metrics and assessments. Here at West Point, we have binders full of metrics on every cadet, from their physical training prowess to their math scores. Yet strangely in Iraq and Afghanistan we lack basic feedback mechanisms to determine whether our spending has the desired effect on the ground.

As an evidence-based approach to stability and reconstruction operations, tactical economics seeks to measure the impact of economic programs, in a manner similar to the “impact evaluations” that the international development community began employing over the past decade. If a program is not producing results, rapid assessment of the data can allow the resources to be conserved so military units can try a different approach.

If Hillary wins, there may be a confrontation with Russia

Hillary Clinton doesn’t need to be in good health to take it to the enemy if that’s what we need to do. That discussion is underway, and many are weighing their options. We’ve been on a war footing for a long time—since 9/11. The stress of maintaining that pace has left us with a fractured psyche here […]

Philippines: we cannot be ‘the little brown brothers of America’

The Philippines cannot “forever be the little brown brothers of America”, the country’s top diplomat has said, making it clear the country will not accept foreign criticism for a deadly crackdown on drugs. Speaking in Washington, foreign secretary Perfecto Yasay said that while his country still regards the US as a trusted ally, the Philippines wanted mutual respect. […]

Tough to shut down Afghanistan when we’re vested to kill in Pakistan

The war in Afghanistan is both different and the same as Iraq. The Afghanistan theatre is seen as a righteous war. Iraq is not. The Iraqis have shown more progress than the Afghans. Empire after empire entered Afghanistan and went home empty-handed. Maybe because there’s nothing to do there. Except our Afghan war has much to […]

ISIS said to be most adaptive target to cyber threat

In a recent hearing, the Senate Armed Forces Committee, Cyber Command head said that ISIS is the most adaptive group to cyber he’s seen in 35 years. “ISIL remains the most adaptive target I’ve ever worked in 35 years as an intelligence professional,” Adm. Michael Rogers told the Senate Armed Services Committee. At a time when cyber […]

Where will Russia invade next?

Russia’s new, asymmetric approach is perhaps best exemplified by its state-run nuclear contractor Rosatom’s strategy of creating security vulnerabilities in Europe. A recent report from a think tank in Finland – where Rosatom partly owns a nuclear power plant being built in Pyhajoki – suggested that the Kremlin is striking deals such as these to create dependencies in other countries. Separately, Lithuania has said it may file a lawsuit over the poor-quality construction of the Astravets nuclear power plant, which is being built by Rosatom in neighboring Belarus with no supervision and at a very low cost. Lithuanian officials are worried that Rosatom is using substandard Russian security systems that are likely much weaker than their Western equivalents – a state of affairs that analysts believe could pave the way for a nuclear disaster. Recent reports that at least ten workers died in mysterious circumstances while working at Astravets, and that a 330-ton reactor shell was dropped thus triggering an emergency situation, have hardly reassured Vilnius. Outside of Europe, Rosatom is also playing a very delicate role in Iran’s nuclear program, working on the construction of the Bushehr nuclear power plant while the Obama administration tries to preserve its controversial Iran nuclear deal.