Recommended Reading

Top Billing! Matt Armstrong – Hybrid Threats Require a Hybrid Government

….The focus on improving the operational elements of national power, while necessary, ignores a critical national security actor that has received little to no attention or pressure to adapt to the new and emerging requirements: Congress. Blended threats require blended authorities and budgets to support the necessary hybridization of executive agencies. Congressional committees must have a common understanding of current capabilities, problems, and requirements. They should communicate among themselves, just as they are increasingly demanding of the executive branch, but the reality is something else.Congress must adapt otherwise many of the reforms suggested, required, and even implemented may face unnecessary delays and suffer from uninformed oversight. The Congressional committee system is a valuable scheme providing checks and balances and intentionally dilutes power. In practice, the lack of communication and coordination can create confusion and limit support, oversight, and understanding the requirements of various programs.

Steven Pressfield – COIN in a Tribal Society: an interview with William S. “Mac” McCallister and Shame and Honor, not Hearts and Minds: an interview with William S. “MAC” McCallister, #2

William McCallister is a former military officer, defense consultant, deep thinker and a provocative voice at SWJ and the Warlord Loop. Well worth your time.

Schmedlap – The Graduate Level of Warfare

….Ironically, the reason that some assert COIN to be some higher level of warfare is because those people misunderstand the root of our difficulty with it. They see inadequate training and conclude that our skills have been focused on a specific level of (less) complexity, rather than recognizing that our skills have been focused on one specific set of missions. If two grapplers prepare for a bout, but one bows out before the fight and a stand-up fighter replaces him, we do not say that the remaining grappler failed to prepare for the “higher level” of fighting. He simply prepared for the wrong type of fight. Likewise, our training thus far has been in preparation for the wrong type of operation.

I started reading Schmedlap after seeing his pragmatic and informed comments at SWJ Blog and recommend that you do as well.

WIRED – Top Scientific Breakthroughs of 2009 

Thomas P.M. Barnett – The New Rules: The Naughties Were Plenty Nice

Tom would have made a good “Open Door” diplo historian as befits an alum of Wisconsin ( home of William Appleman Williams) 

Pundita –Whaddya mean there was no smoking gun, Mr Brennan? More nonsense from Abdulmutallab terror case

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