Friday, September 29, 2023

Trump-Milley

U.S. enemies are using Trump's stupid threat to Milley for propaganda. The former president has no ability to distinguish between his own obsessions and the national interest.



Thursday, September 28, 2023

Hong Kong media freedom

China furiously defends its Hong Kong free speech fiction. Beijing is unwilling to admit that its national security law has gutted the city's press freedom.



Wednesday, September 27, 2023

Gershkovich trade?

Could Russian spies in the U.K. be traded for Evan Gershkovich? There are reasons to think it might be possible.



Tuesday, September 26, 2023

China's new world order, Medvedev's Telegram

China unveils its vision for a new world order. The paper reflects Beijing's hypocrisy and desire to woo developing nations away from the U.S.

Once Russian president, Dmitry Medvedev is now relegated to social media tirades. Medvedev's posts tend to threaten variations on a theme of nuclear Armageddon.



Monday, September 25, 2023

Fishing nets, Armenia CSTO, USSS, Canada-India, FDNY 9/11

Fishing net dispute escalates China-Philippines tensions in the South China Sea. Manila rightly removed a net deployed by the Chinese coast guard within Manila's exclusive economic zone.

Russia rebukes Armenia for identifying the CSTO's impotence. Armenia has pointed out that being a member of the organization doesn't appear to do much for one's security.

Secret Service protection tactics encapsulated in an 11 second video. The video shows the tactics the agency applies to protect candidates on the event rope line.

Why Canada must declassify India assassination intelligence. If Trudeau wants his claims to be taken seriously by India, he must hold India to the evidence.

Remembering Orio Palmer and the FDNY 343 who died on 9/11. Their heroism and command decisions that day are a testament to human courage.



Thursday, September 21, 2023

Zelensky allies, GAO report

Why is Volodymyr Zelensky trying to alienate Ukraine's allies? The Ukrainian president has shown a singular arrogance in his recent dealings with foreign allies. It serves his nation very poorly.

GAO's scathing report on F-35 debacle. The fighter jet program continues to fail and GAO makes clear that Lockheed Martin is making things more difficult to resolve.



Wednesday, September 20, 2023

FBI

Fix, don't defund, the FBI. The bureau retains excellent law enforcement capabilities. The problems it faces can be addressed by leadership and structural reform.



Tuesday, September 19, 2023

US-UK intel. flights, Iran assassination threats, UNGA spies, Erdogan

How U.S. and U.K. aircraft are spying on Russia in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia. Near daily flights are monitoring for different types of intelligence from St. Petersburg to the Black Sea.

Iran's president reemphasizes assassination threats in UN speech. Raisi made clear that Iran's blood feud over Qassem Soleimani has not dissipated with Biden's $6 billion gift.

UNGA week is as much spies and security as diplomacy. The annual gathering of diplomats and world leaders poses both opportunities and challenges for the U.S. government.

Erdogan beclowns himself in interview on Turkish press freedom. The Turkish president found himself caught between his ego and his repression.



Monday, September 18, 2023

UK response to China spying, Ukraine grain lawsuit, France-Niger

U.K. aggravates everyone with Chinese espionage response. A spy in parliament has unveiled the Sunak government's tensions over how to deal with Beijing.

Ukraine's idiotic grain lawsuit against Poland and Slovakia. Zelensky needs those nations on side, especially Poland. He makes a serious error of judgment by playing to their populist anger.

France rightly takes a strong stance in Niger. Macron is rightly refusing to yield to the junta's threats to his ambassador.




Friday, September 15, 2023

China disappearances

China shows structural weaknesses with disappearing ministers. Beijing is desperate to avoid negative perceptions of vulnerability, but by hiding the facts as to what has happened to Qin Gang and Li Shangfu it only appears untrustworthy and weak.



Thursday, September 14, 2023

China-Venezuela, Kim Jong Un security

China sends U.S. message with Venezuela strategic partnership. Beijing wants to bolster its challenge to the U.S., both in the Western Hemisphere and globally.

How Kim Jong Un's Russia trip illustrates his paranoia. The North Korean leader's security detail appeared uncomfortable during Kim's visit with Vladimir Putin.



Wednesday, September 13, 2023

Black Sea fleet, House China committee vs. Wall Street

Ukraine's attack on the Black Sea fleet is a big problem for Russia. Moscow has suffered a major military loss in a location where it would least wish to suffer such a loss.

House committee leaders take hard China truths to Wall Street. The top Republican and Democrat on the House China committee are telling Wall Street to divest from the People's Liberation Army.



Tuesday, September 12, 2023

BRP Sierra Madre

The U.S. should help the Philippines replace the BRP Sierra Madre. The beached vessel is helping the Philippines defend its exclusive economic zone from Chinese imperialism. Unfortunately, the vessel is falling apart.



Monday, September 11, 2023

Indo-Pacific diplomacy, Russian war complaints, SVR fictions

Biden deserves credit for Indo-Pacific diplomacy. The U.S. is making progress with improved partnerships across this critical region.

What a soldier's complaints tell us about Russia's war effort. The social media post by a Russian soldier serving in Ukraine lists a litany of problems.

Russia's SVR spy chief reminds us of his service's affection for fiction. Sergey Naryshkin likes to adopt a flexible relationship with reality.



Friday, September 8, 2023

LCS

New ammunition to sink the Littoral Combat Ship. A ProPublica report documents the astonishing failure, both military and political, of the Navy's Littoral Combat Ships.



Thursday, September 7, 2023

Ukraine weapons

The Taiwan tradeoff is key, but Biden is right to send these weapons to Ukraine. The U.S. has strategic interests in ensuring that Ukraine is successful in its war against Russia.



Wednesday, September 6, 2023

Saudi sports splurge, Trump-Taiwan

Why we should welcome the Saudi sports splurge. Saudi Arabia is far from perfect, the killing of Jamal Khashoggi was terrible. Still, we should welcome moves to modernize and diversify Saudi society.

Trump suggests he would not order a military intervention against China over Taiwan. The former president made the comments in a good interview with Hugh Hewitt.



Tuesday, September 5, 2023

North Korea-Russia cooperaton, Xi misses G20, US-UAE tensions, Empower vs. Uber/Lyft

Toothless U.S. threats won't deter North Korea from supporting Russia with arms. Kim Jong Un will perceive the benefits of Russia cooperation as far outweighing any U.S. threats.

Xi shows his agenda with BRICS selection and G20 rejection. The Chinese president's decision to stay away from this week's G20 summit in India shows his interest in establishing an alternate international order.

Is the U.S.-UAE alliance salvageable? The UAE continues to put its Sino-Russian interests before its alliance with the United States.

Does Empower pose a mortal threat to Uber and Lyft? The new ride sharing company offers cheaper ride prices and higher earning rates for drivers.



Friday, September 1, 2023

Air Force-China

Air Force secretary says U.S. not ready for war with China - he's right. The Air Force and the Navy don't have enough of what they need, where they need it to defeat China in war.