It is not yet clear how they will link up with their Burmese, Lao and Thai counterparts, how far along the Mekong the patrols will go, or if officers from one country will be able to perform arrests in others' territorial waters.
Al Jazeera
US troops are finally leaving Iraq, a country they invaded for the wrong reasons.
While most eyes turn to Afghanistan, we should not forget the errors committed, when the international community was misled into supporting the war.
Active on the southern border with Thailand, this 'new' SSA became known as the Shan State Army - South (SSA-S) to distinguish it from the original SSA, which was still at peace with the government, and which became known as the Shan State Army - North (SSA-N).
The objective of the SSA-S is to establish an autonomous Shan State within a federated Union of Myanmar. It seeks to use force to coerce the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) - the military junta that rules Myanmar - into complying with this demand.
PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE (NATIONAL SECURITY COORDINATION SECRETARIAT)(Addendum to the President’s Address)The Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs (Mr Teo Chee Hean):Terrorism remains a persistent threat. Recent terror attacks in Indonesia, India and Norway are clear reminders that acts of terrorism are not exclusively associated with any one sector of the ideological spectrum. “Lone Wolf” terrorists, who act without formal links to an established terrorist organisation, aided by easily available tools and methods propagated by the internet, are much more difficult to prevent. Besides terrorism, the incidence of cyber attacks has escalated over the years and the consequences are becoming increasingly significant.
"It is precisely in uniform, and in order to be true to that uniform, that military personnel may have to disobey, question authority, choose not to bow to institutional pressures, if what they are being asked to do violates conscience. To be sure, cases of unwise orders present difficult tests for moral judgment, far harder than outright illegal or immoral orders."
The Karen union is one of more than a dozen ethnic groups that for decades have sought greater autonomy from Myanmar's central government. Many other groups have signed formal cease-fires with the military leaders of the country since 1988, but the Karen never reached a formal agreement to lay down their arms.
The group once had a powerful guerrilla army in Myanmar's eastern border region, but Myanmar Army offensives, coupled with divisions within the organization, reduced the guerrilla group's military presence considerably over the past decade. Most of the group's senior leadership resides in Thailand, while its military bases are mostly located just across the border in Myanmar.
"One of the main goals of the exercise is to reacquaint Marines with their basic mission as America’s expeditionary force in readiness. That means getting Marine units out of the barracks and into the field, where they live in tents and have to purify their own water, Davis noted."
"A Combat Tactical Challenge is a combat scenario where the reader is provided with a combat situation that requires them to utilise certain resources to achieve a tactical outcome. Not all considerations for the situation can be provided in this forum, so the reader is given scope to make assumptions when developing a solution."
"Desert Lions delivers a gritty, candid view of Canadian army mentors working to professionalize the Afghan National Army during the summer of 2010. The Desert Lions are a nine-man team deployed at Combat Outpost Lion in Nakhonay. Eight Canadians have been killed there in the past year. The heat is brutal, the living conditions are primitive and frustrations are numerous. Canadians and Afghans struggle to communicate with one another, but traces of humour abound. Tensions increase dramatically however following a deadly ambush on 22 August. The documentary depicts the immediate aftermath of this attack and its emotional aftershocks in the following weeks."
"The recent operations come after a nearly year-long pause in American airstrikes, which were halted amid concerns that poor intelligence had led to bungled missions and civilian deaths that were undercutting the goals of the secret campaign.Officials in Washington said that the American and Saudi spy services had been receiving more information — from electronic eavesdropping and informants — about the possible locations of militants. But, they added, the outbreak of the wider conflict in Yemen created a new risk: that one faction might feed information to the Americans that could trigger air strikes against a rival group.A senior Pentagon official, speaking only on condition of anonymity, said on Wednesday that using force against militants in Yemen was further complicated by the fact that Qaeda operatives have mingled with other rebels and antigovernment militants, making it harder for the United States to attack without the appearance of picking sides."
Studies suggest that corruption in the arms trade contributes roughly 40 per cent to all corruption in global transactions. This corruption exacts a heavy toll on purchasing and selling countries, undermining democratic institutions of accountability and diverting valuable resources away from pressing social needs towards corrupt ends.
Gaddafi forces have shed their uniforms, are using civilian vehicles and hiding armour near civilian buildings, including hospitals and schools.
The French newspaper le Figaro said their helicopters would be assisted by target identification from French special forces who have been on the ground in Libya since the start of the allied operation there. The UK Ministry of Defence does not comment on special forces' operations.
The first international Stabilisation Response Team has arrived in Libya, the UK international development secretary Andrew Mitchell has confirmed . He said Britain would continue to provide humanitarian help and medical and emergency food supplies.Update (4th June 2011): Video of first Apache strike missions from HMS Ocean
An RSIS commentary on why cutting the budget is a bad idea, and why National Service is still needed.
I must first say that I'm biased on both issues. I think the defence budget is not a sacred cow, and that we are better served by a regular force.
I do agree with the last point about engaging the public about defence matters, but that point was not fully developed. All too often, we are told that some defence issues are too sensitive or secret to be discussed in public.
It is too easy for defence planners to hide behind that "shield". One look at the open source material available on some developed countries will show that we are just giving excuses.
Back to the defence budget. Without number crunching, it is premature to dismiss arguments about budget cuts simply by citing that we live in a different neighbourhood.
As for National Service, it is precisely because of our unique features (small land mass, lack of strategic depth) that calls for a regular force. We may not want to admit it, but the majority of our standby Air Force and Navy assets are manned by regulars. Turning into a regular force will also mean turning professional.
Worth more discussion, this debate.
"Wohlgethan also complains about the lack of qualified training personnel and that driving instruction is given on Unimog trucks before drivers are deployed to Afghanistan, where they have to learn to drive Dingos in country."
Quick post; have been following the 3 developments above, but not enough time to write a coherent analysis.
Hope to do so soon, but my initial thoughts below.
Libya - airpower has limits; we seem so forgetful
Cast Lead - Richard Goldstone's "retraction" has overshadowed the new report on that past conflict.
KSK - Going back to Guantanamo is a mistake. A terrorism case does not belong in a military tribunal.
http://marines.dodlive.mil/2011/03/21/women-in-combat-will-it-happen/
Good to see the Marines being open to this discussion on gender equity. Actually, female soldiers around the world are already serving under "non-combat" vocations like signals, medics, intelligence, etc.
These vocations are already practically frontline deployments. Hope to see the day when they are allowed to serve in all vocations.
"Each day, each battle here, invites different versions of the truth.""This is a conflict where credible information is at a premium.""What we've observed...is a zeal...to shoot off assault rifles, anti-aircraft guns, even those SA-7 shoulder-to-air missiles. They do it out of paranoia, but mostly just for the cameras."
Of old wine, new bottles, eggs and omelets: Humanitarian Intervention Redux | Kings of War
A concise blog post that looks beyond what most mainstream media mistakenly call "enforcing a no fly zone"
“Protection of civilians
“4. Authorizes Member States that have notified the Secretary-General, acting nationally or through regional organizations or arrangements, and acting in cooperation with the Secretary-General, to take all necessary measures, notwithstanding paragraph 9 of resolution 1970 (2011), to protect civilians and civilian populated areas under threat of attack in the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, including Benghazi, while excluding a foreign occupation force of any form on any part of Libyan territory, and requests the Member States concerned to inform the Secretary-General immediately of the measures they take pursuant to the authorization conferred by this paragraph which shall be immediately reported to the Security Council;
“5. Recognizes the important role of the League of Arab States in matters relating to the maintenance of international peace and security in the region, and bearing in mind Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations, requests the Member States of the League of Arab States to cooperate with other Member States in the implementation of paragraph 4;
