Conflicts in South-East Asia (Updated)

The Uppsala Conflict Data Program website has updated it's map of the world's conflicts in 2010 (PDF).

The updated list for South-East Asia is below

• Myanmar
• Gov. vs KNU
• Gov. vs DKBA S
• Gov. vs SSA-S
• Philippines
• Gov. vs CPP
• Gov. vs ASG
• Thailand
• Gov. vs Patani insurgents

Not many changes from the previous list.

Citizen journalism of another kind

Watch Bad Voodoo's War on PBS. See more from FRONTLINE.

A great idea for the soldiers to shoot video footage in Iraq, and pass it back to the PBS Frontline team to edit and create this video.

NSCS's Addendum to the President's Address

A little belated, but below is the addendum to the President's address by the National Security Coordination Secretariat (NSCS).

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.

Behind "The Untold War" with Professor Nancy Sherman

From The Editor's Desk - Military.com Podcasts

I was "lucky" to have a few hours of spare time between 2 gatherings while out in town. This gave me time to finish the prologue in this book, before deciding to borrow this book at the National Library.

Jump to a few weeks later, and the book is now slightly overdue, with me scrambling to finish it before returning after the end of the long weekend.

Anyway, long story short. I found a common thread between 3 sources on the issue of unwise orders. This book, "The Untold War", the recent sacking of Major General Peter Fuller for his comments on Afghan leaders, and the recent Star Wars Clone Wars episode "The General".

It really is not easy to stand up to an unwise order.

"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."

Discussions on International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and contemporary armed conflicts

31st International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent

One of the reports to be presented at the above event is the 3rd report on International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and the Challenges of Contemporary Armed Conflicts.

New topics raised in the report

1. the notion and typology of armed conflicts; 
2. the interplay between international humanitarian and human rights law; 
3. humanitarian access and assistance; 
4. IHL and multinational forces; 
5. new technologies of warfare; 
6. the use of explosive weapons in densely populated areas; 
7. the Arms Trade Treaty; and 
8. the conflation of IHL and the legal framework governing terrorism

Updates of existing topics

1. expert project on the law of occupation
2. Montreux Document on private military and security companies

I also recently listened in to an enlightening live web seminar on "Challenges to the Application of IHL to Afghanistan", which discussed the following issues

1. The role of IHL in regulating hostilities, particularly issues related to targeting, status of individuals, and the question of the geography of armed conflict
2. The current nature of detention operations in Afghanistan, and the legal framework(s) by which these operations are regulated
3. The state of humanitarian operations, the role of humanitarian actors such as the ICRC, and the challenges of access to vulnerable populations

To listen to the web seminar again (plus see the slides presented), click on the link below.

http://www.hpcrresearch.org/events/live-seminar-38-challenges-application-ihl-afghanistan

The audio can also be downloaded as a podcast. Use the link below with your RSS reader.

http://feeds.feedburner.com/LiveSeminarSeries

Combat Tactical Challenge - Roving security to a warehouse

The Centre for Army Lessons in the Australian Army publishes a series of Combat Tactical Challenges.

More details in the link below.

http://opsw.blogspot.com/2011/08/combat-tactical-challenge.html

opswarfare hopes to keep an archive of the scenarios presented.

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Background. You are the SECT COMD tasked to provide roving security to a warehouse within Al Nearhere, currently being used by several non-government organisations (NGOs) to store humanitarian aid. Your platoon has the wider task of providing convoy escort security to the regular aid convoys moving from the warehouse to the outlying areas.