Thursday, April 29, 2010

Afghan Progress report - update

The April 2010 update for the regular report to Congress has just been release by the Dept of Defense. Note, some links are long and may break in transmission so recommend copying and pasting into your browser if necessary, or go to http://www.defense.gov/pubs/

"
Report on Progress Toward Security and Stability in Afghanistan" also incorporated in this report is the "United States Plan for Sustaining the Afghanistan National Security Forces"

Earlier "United States Plan for Sustaining the Afghanistan National Security Forces" reports are available at:
April 2009

June 2008


Earlier "Progress toward Security and Stability in Afghanistan" reports are available at:
October 2009

June 2009

January 2009

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Friday's Miscellany 04-23-2010

Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN)
· Golden Surrender? The Risks, Challenges, and Implications of Reintegration in Afghanistan


Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU)
· A to Z Guide to Afghanistan Assistance 2010


American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research
· Addressing Corruption in Haiti

· Polls on the Environment and Global Warming
· The Political Lessons of Depression Era Banking Reform
· Tarp, the Auto Bailout, and the Stimulus

Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI)
· Special Report Issue 30 – Australian Defence Policy Assessment 2010


Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
· DOE FY 2011 Budget Request for Energy Research, Development, Demonstration, and Deployment: Analysis and Recommendations


British American Security Information Council (BASIC)
· Non-proliferation Requires Disarmament, and Vice Versa: Advice to the Iranian Government as it Seeks to Challenge the Nuclear Order at the NPT Review Conference

· Treading Water in 2010: The Nuclear Weapon States and Nuclear Disarmament

Brookings
· Pakistan Index: Tracking Variables of Reconstruction & Security in Pakistan [updated April 21, 2010 and archives]

· The Terrorist We Keep Killing
· Thoughts on an "Initiative Strategy" for the Comprehensive Management of North Korea
· Troops Need Not Shoot in Afghanistan

Bureau of Transportation Statistics
· International Piracy and Armed Robbery at Sea: Hindering Maritime Trade and Water Transportation Around the World


Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
· Abolishing Nuclear Weapons - The Abolition Debate series


CATO Institute
· Dealing with Burma, a Potential Nuclear Power?


Center for American Progress
· Securing Our Borders: Doing What Works to Ensure Immigration Reform Is Complete and Comprehensive


Center for a New American Security
· Broadening Horizons: Climate Change and the US Armed Forces

· Security for Peace: Setting the Conditions for a Palestinian State

Center for Nonproliferation Studies
· The April 2010 Nuclear Security Summit: One More Step Toward the Mountaintop

· Nuclear Disarmament Proposals from 1995 to 2009: A Comparative Chart
· UN Aviation Agency Seeks to Combat WMD Trafficking

Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS)
· Climate Change and Earth Observation Executive Summary

· Cyber Events Since 2006 [updated April 20, 2010]
· Educating Globally Competent Citizens
· Government Open Source Policies
· The Gulf Military Balance in 2010: An Overview
· Issues in International Political Economy - Unequal Partners: The United States and Mexico - April 2010 - Number 124
· Shaping Afghan National Security Forces: What it Will Take to Implement President Obama's New Strategy
· The Unheard Giant: Japan's Missing Voice in the ODA Debate

The Century Foundation
· Dealing with Iran: Time for a “Middle Way” Between Confrontation and Conciliation


Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI)
· Security Sector Reform Monitor: Burundi

· Security Sector Reform Monitor: Haiti
· Security Sector Reform Monitor: Southern Sudan

Chatham House
· Shifting from Emergency Response to Prevention of Pandemic Disease Threats at Source

· UK Foreign Policy: Statements by the Three Main Political Parties

Combat Terrorism Center (CTC)
· CTC Sentinel, April 2010, v. 3, no. 4

o Building a Strategic U.S.-Pakistan Nuclear Relationship Beyond the Moscow Bombings: Islamic Militancy in the North Caucasus
o After Pune, Details Emerge on the Karachi Project and its Threat to India
o Assessing the Recent Terrorist Threat to the Malacca Strait
o The Philippines Chips Away at the Abu Sayyaf Group’s Strength
o Al-Qa`ida in the Islamic Maghreb: A Case Study in the Opportunism of Global
o No Silver Bullets: Explaining Research on How Terrorism Ends
o Recent Highlights in Terrorist Activity

Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
· Getting Away With Murder - 2010 Impunity Index


Congress. House. Armed Services Committee
· Hearings

o Army and Air Force National Guard and Reserve Component Equipment Posture [April 22, 2010]
o Space Posture Review and the Fiscal Year 2011 National Defense Authorization Budget Request for National Security Space Activities [April 21, 2010]
o Defense Health Program [April 21, 2010]
o Implementation of the Requirement to Provide a Medical Examination before Separating Members Diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and the Capacity of the Department of Defense to Provide Care to PTSD Cases. [April 20, 2010]

Congress. House. Foreign Affairs Committee
· Legacies of War: Unexploded Ordnances in Laos

· Neither Appeasement nor Improvement? Prospects for U.S. Engagement with Syria
· Stopping the Spread of Nuclear Weapons, Countering Nuclear Terrorism: The NPT Review Conference and the Nuclear Security Summit

Congress. House. Homeland Security Committee
· Unclogging Pipeline Security: Are the Lines of Responsibility Clear?

· Viewpoints on Homeland Security: A Discussion with the WMD Commissioners

Congress. House. Science & Technology Committee
· Caught by Surprise: Causes and Consequences of the Helium-3 Supply Crisis


Congress. Senate. Armed Services Committee
· Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 2011 and Funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

· Nonproliferation Programs at the Departments of Defense and Energy in Review of the Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 2011 and the Future Years Defense
· Nuclear Posture Review

Congress. Senate. Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee
· Securing the Nation's Rail and Other Surface Transportation Networks


Congress. Senate. Foreign Relations Committee
· Promoting Global Food Security: Next Steps for Congress and the Administration


Congress. Senate. Homeland Security & Government Affairs
· After the Dust Settles: Examining Challenges and Lessons Learned in Transitioning the Federal Government

· Border Security: Moving Beyond the Virtual Fence
· The Future of the U.S. Postal Service
· The Lessons and Implications of the Christmas Day Attack: Securing the Visa Process
· Wall Street and the Financial Crisis: The Role of Credit Rating Agencies

Congress. Senate. Rules and Administration Committee
· Examining the Filibuster: History of the Filibuster 1789-2008


Congressional Budget Office (CBO)
· U.S. Fiscal Policy After the Financial Crisis and Recession


Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)
· The Global Climate Change Regime

· Pakistan's Constitution


Department of Defense (DOD)
· Unclassified Report on Military Power of Iran


Department of Homeland Security, Office of Immigration Statistics
· Refugees and Asylees: 2009


Department of the Army
· U.S. Army Unmanned Aircraft Systems Roadmap 2010-2035


EU Institute for Security Studies
· Chaillot Paper No. 120: Nuclear Weapons after the 2010 NPT Review Conference


Glevum Associates Human Terrain System
· Kandahar Province Survey Report - March 2010 [report is marked NATO/ISAF Unclassified/REL GCTF]


Government Accountability Office (GAO)
· Best Practices: DOD Can Achieve Better Outcomes by Standardizing the Way Manufacturing Risks Are Managed, GAO-10-439

· Combating Gangs: Federal Agencies Have Implemented a Central American Gang Strategy, but Could Strengthen Oversight and Measurement of Efforts, GAO-10-395
· Firms Reported in Open Sources as Having Commercial Activity in Iran's Oil, Gas, and Petrochemical Sectors, GAO-10-515R
· Operation Iraqi Freedom: Actions Needed to Facilitate the Efficient Drawdown of U.S. Forces and Equipment from Iraq, GAO-10-376
· Securing and Stabilizing Iraq: An Assessment of the U.S. Joint Campaign Plan for Iraq, GAO-10-584R · Surface Transportation Security: TSA Has Taken Actions to Manage Risk, Improve Coordination, and Measure Performance, but Additional Actions Would Enhance Its Efforts, GAO-10-650T [testimony]

Heritage Foundation
· Busting the Brazil/Russia/India/China (BRIC) Myth of Challenging US Global Leadership

· The Crimes Against Humanity Act: Another Step Toward “Universal Jurisdiction”
· Cronyism and Corruption Are Killing Economic Freedom in Argentina
· The Nuclear Posture Review: Adding More of an “Unfunded Mandate” for Defense?
· Quadrennial Defense Review’s Homeland Defense Realignment Leaves US Less Prepared
· The Smolensk Air Disaster: United States Must Stand United with Poland
· The Solution to FEMA’s Budget Woes Is Not More Money
· Strengthen the Pentagon’s Programs for Sea-Based Missile Defense
· Terrorist on Your Street?

Human Rights Watch
· Harsh War, Harsh Peace: Abuses by al-Shabaab, the Transitional Federal Government, and AMISOM in Somalia


Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses
· Likely Impact of Current Developments on the Pakistani State and its Army


Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS)
· Achieving Success at the 2010 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference


Institute for Security Studies
· ISS Paper 210: Nuclear Energy Rethink? The Rise and Demise of South Africas Pebble Bed Modular Reactor
· Organised Crime Watch, Issue 3
· A Situation Report: The Nature and Extent of Environmental Crimes in Seychelles

Institute for the Study of War
· Afghanistan Order of Battle [as of April 2010]

· Iraq Order of Battle [June 2006 to April 2010]
· Politics and Power in Kandahar

International Crisis Group
· Indonesia: Jihadi Surprise in Aceh


International Monetary Fund (IMF)
· The Global Credit Crunch and Foreign Banks' Lending to Emerging Markets: Why Did Latin America Fare Better?

· The Structural Manifestation of the `Dutch Disease': The Case of Oil Exporting Countries

International Relations and Security Network
· Costs of War: Bombers and Tea Parties

· ElBaradei's Insurmountable Obstacles
· OSINT Report 1/2010
· Poor Control Over Afghan Police Funds
· Public Diplomacy 2.0
· ‘Schengen-ing’ European Energy Policy?
· Tale of Three Cities

Jamestown Foundation
· Terrorism Monitor, v. 8, no. 16, April 23, 2010

o Al-Qaeda in Iraq Resurfaces with New Strategy and Specific Operations
o Commander of Iraq's Hizbullah Brigades Insists on Resistance to U.S. Occupation
o Algeria Launches Nation-Wide Counterterrorism Offensive

Lowry Institute for International Policy
· The Evolving Post-Crisis World


Mission: Readiness
· Too Fat to Fight: Retired Military Leaders Want Junk Food Out of America’s Schools


New America Foundation
· Al-Qaeda’s Allies: Explaining the Relationship Between Al-Qaeda and Various Factions of the Taliban After 2001

· The Battle for Pakistan: Bajaur
· The Battle for Pakistan: FATA and NWFP
· The Battle for Pakistan: Militancy and Conflict in South Waziristan
· The Battle for Pakistan: Mohmand
· The Battle for Pakistan: North Waziristan
· The Battle for Pakistan: Swat Valley
· Financing the Taliban: Tracing the Dollars Behind the Insurgencies in Afghanistan and Pakistan
· Inside Pakistan’s North-West Frontier Province

Norwegian Peacebuilding Centre
· Norway's Strategic Challenges in Afghanistan: How to Make a Difference?


Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS)
· Pakistani Litterateurs have an Alternative Narrative to Counter-Extremism


Pew Internet & American Life Project
· Teens and Mobile Phones


Pew Project on National Security, Energy and Climate
· Reenergizing America’s Defense: How the Armed Forces Are Stepping Forward to Combat Climate Change and Improve the U.S. Energy Posture


Pew Research Center for the People & the Press
· Distrust, Discontent, Anger and Partisan Rancor


Rand
· EU Civilian Crisis Management: The Record So Far

· How Insurgencies End

Small Wars Journal
· The Kandahar Offensive: Avoid the Snake Oil

· Pseudo-Operations to Neutralize Extremist Networks, Insurgents, and Terrorists
· Will Bad Information Lead to Bad Decisions?
· Small Wars Journal, April 2010, v. 6, no. 3
o Lessons Learned from Six and a Half Years in Afghanistan
o Fight Right to Fight Well: General McChrystal’s Approach to Preserving Noncombatant Immunity
o Information Operations in Adaptive Campaigning: Putting the Green in the Green Zone
o Considerations for Tribal Engagement, A Summary of the Tribal Engagement Workshop 2010
o Afghanistan: Security First
o A District Approach in Afghanistan?

Stimson Center
· Nuclear Threats 1970-2010


Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)
· The SIPRI Top 100 Arms-Producing Companies, 2008

· Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2009

Strategic Studies Institute
· Short of General War: Perspectives on the Use of Military Power in the 21st Century


S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies
· The Role of the Five Power Defence Arrangements in the Southeast Asian Security Architecture


Trac Immigration
· Federal Prosecutors Along Southwest Border Overwhelmed by Soaring Arizona Drug Cases


United Nations Commission of Inquiry
· Report of the United Nations Commission of Inquiry Into the Facts and Circumstances of the Assassination of Former Pakistani Prime Minister Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto


United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
· China and a Sustainable Future

· National Human Development Report in the Russian Federation 2009

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
· Digest of Terrorist Cases


US Institute of Peace (USIP)
· Peacewatch Spring 2010

· The Tigris-Euphrates River Basin: A Science Diplomacy Opportunity
· Timing Mediation Initiatives
· Western Sahara: The Failure of "Negotiations Without Preconditions"

World Public Opinion.org
· Global Views of United States Improve While Other Countries Decline

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Report on Obesity and National Security

The Mission: Readiness group released its report "To Fat to Fight" to today. According to the press release "over 9 million young adults are too overweight to join the military."

MISSION: READINESS is a non-profit, bi-partisan group with over 130 retired admirals, generals and other senior military leaders.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Friday's Miscellany 04-16-2010

Afghanistan Analysts Network
·
Two Interventions: Comparing Soviet and US-Led State-Building in Afghanistan

American Institute for Contemporary German Studies (AICGS)
·
Integration 2.0: Local Government-NGO Cooperation and the Transformation of Citizenship
·
Legacies of the GDR

Atlantic Council
·
Afghanistan, Pakistan and NATO's Strategic Concept

BR McCaffrey Associates
·
Combating Weapons of Mass Destruction (Barry R. McCaffrey, General, Ret – Presentation – Apr 16, 2010)

Brookings
·
The Derivatives Dealers’ Club and Derivatives Markets Reform: A Guide for Policy Makers, Citizens and Other Interested Parties
·
The Design and Resourcing of Supply-Side Counternarcotics Policies
·
The Future of Vietnam-U.S. Relations
·
Russia-U.S. Relations and Russia’s Vision for International Affairs

Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict
·
Addressing Civilian Harm in Afghanistan: Policies and Practices of International Forces

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP)
·
Abolishing Nuclear Weapons: A Debate
· Afghanistan: Searching for Political Agreement
·
Armenia and Turkey: Bridging the Gap

Center for a New American Security
·
The Economic Imperative: Stabilizing Afghanistan through Economic Growth

Center for American Progress
·
Assessing the “Reset” and the Next Steps for U.S. Russia Policy
·
Securing Our Borders: Doing What Works to Ensure Immigration Reform Is Complete and Comprehensive

Center for Hemispheric Policy
· Challenges to Security in the Hemisphere Task Force
o China's Challenge, Latin America's Opportunities
o The Cuba-Venezuela Challenge to Hemispheric Security: Implications for the United States
o Grand Strategy for Assertiveness: International Security and U.S.-Brazil Relations
o Russia and Latin America: Motives and Consequences
o What are the Persians Doing Over Here?

Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
·
Comparative Connections v.12, n.1, 1st Quarter (January-March) 2010
o Regional Overview: They're (Not Quite) Baaaack!
o US-Japan Relations: Many Issues, a Few Bright Spots
o US-China Relations: The Honeymoon Ends
o US-Korea Relations: Nuclear South of the Border
o US-Southeast Asia Relations: Denouement and Delay
o China-Southeast Asia Relations: Trade Agreement Registers China's Prominence
o China-Taiwan Relations: ECFA and Domestic Politics
o South Korea-North Korea Relations: Torpedoed?
o China-Korea Relations: Fire Sale, Hot Money, and Anxieties about "Investment"
o Japan-China Relations: All's Well that Ends Well
o Japan-Korea Relations: Same As It Ever Was
o China-Russia Relations: Putin Invited Xi: Overture to 2012
o Special Assessment: Asian Regionalism: New Challenges, New Vision, Pedestrian Progress
·
Educating Globally Competent Citizens: A Tool Kit for Teaching Seven Revolutions
· The Uncertain Politics behind Iraq's Election: Political Controversies and the Formation of a New Government

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) FOIA Office
·
Strategic Warning and the Role of Intelligence: Lessons Learned From The 1968 Soviet Invasion of Czechoslovakia

Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW)
·
2010 Congressional Pig Book Source

Congress. House. Armed Services Committee
·
Hearings
o Supporting the Reserve Components as an Operational Reserve and Key Reserve Personnel Legislative Initiatives [April 15, 2010]
o Report on the Ballistic Missile Defense Review and the Fiscal Year 2011 National Defense Authorization Budget Request for Missile Defense Programs [April 15, 2010]
o Independent Panel’s assessment of the Quadrennial Defense Review [April 15, 2010]
o FY11 National Defense Authorization Budget Request for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency and Chemical Biological Defense Program and Counterproliferation Initiatives [April 14, 2010]
o United States Nuclear Weapons Policy and Force Structure [April 14, 2010]
o Department of Defense Medical Centers of Excellence [April 13, 2010]

Congress. House. Foreign Affairs Committee
·
Combating Anti-Semitism: Protecting Human Rights
·
Combating Climate Change in Africa

Congress. House. Homeland Security Committee
·
Federal Protective Service: Would Federalization of Guards Improve Security at Critical Facilities?
·
Markup of H.R. 4842: the “Homeland Security Science and Technology Authorization Act of 2010”

Congress. House. Oversight and Government Reform Committee
·
ONDCP's Fiscal Year 2011 National Drug Control Budget: Are We Still Funding a War on Drugs?

Congress. Senate. Armed Services Committee
·
U.S. Policy Towards the Islamic Republic of Iran
·
Current Readiness of U.S. Forces
·
Strategic Forces Programs of the National Nuclear Security Administration in Review of the Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 2011
·
Army Modernization in Review of the Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 2011 and the Future Years Defense Plan
·
Department of the Air Force and Department of the Navy Tactical Aircraft Programs in Review of the Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 2011 and the Future

Congress. Senate. Foreign Relations Committee
·
U.S.-Japan Relations
·
Unfinished Business in Southeast Europe: Opportunities and Challenges in the Western Balkans

Congress. Senate. Homeland Security & Government Affairs Committee
·
Wall Street and the Financial Crisis: The Role of Bank Regulators
·
Contracts for Afghan National Police Training
·
Deployed Federal Civilians: Advancing Security and Opportunity in Afghanistan
·
Wall Street and the Financial Crisis: The Role of High Risk Home Loans

Congressional Budget Office (CBO)
·
The Effects Of Health Reform on the Federal Budget

Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)
·
The Russian Economic Crisis
·
Strengthening the Nuclear Nonproliferation Regime
·
Sudan's Fractured Internal Politics

Demos
·
The Edge of Violence: A Radical Approach to Extremism

Department of Defense (DoD)
·
Interim Recommendation of the Ft. Hood Follow-on Review

Department of Homeland Security, Office of Immigration Statistics
·
Naturalizations in the United States: 2009

European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI)
·
ECRI Report on the United Kingdom

Feinstein International Center
·
Winning "Hearts and Minds" in Afghanistan -- Assessing the Effectiveness of Development Aid in COIN Operations
·
Winning Hearts and Minds? Examining the Relationship Between Aid and Security

Foreign Policy Research Institute
·
The Islamist Ghost Haunting Europe
·
A Note on the Western Sahara

Government Accountability Office (GAO)
·
Combating Terrorism: Planning and Documentation of U.S. Development Assistance in Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas Need to Be Improved, GAO-10-289
·
Contingency Contracting: Improvements Needed in Management of Contractors Supporting Contract and Grant Administration in Iraq and Afghanistan, GAO-10-357
·
Defense Acquisitions: Opportunities and Challenges for Army Ground Force Modernization Efforts, GAO-10-603T
·
Defense Management: Observations on Department of Defense and Military Service Fiscal Year 2011 Requirements for Corrosion Prevention and Control, GAO-10-608R
·
Defense Management: Observations on the Department of Defense's Fiscal Year 2011 Budget Request for Corrosion Prevention and Control, GAO-10-607R
·
Disaster Recovery: FEMA's Long-term Assistance Was Helpful to State and Local Governments but Had Some Limitations, GAO-10-404
·
Homeland Security: Federal Protective Service's Contract Guard Program Requires More Oversight and Reassessment of Use of Contract Guards, GAO-10-341
·
Homeland Security: Federal Protective Service's Use of Contract Guards Requires Reassessment and More Oversight [testimony] GAO-10-614T
·
Information Security: Agencies Need to Implement Federal Desktop Core Configuration Requirements, GAO-10-202
·
Information Security: Concerted Effort Needed to Consolidate and Secure Internet Connections at Federal Agencies, GAO-10-237
·
International Security: DOD and State Need to Improve Sustainment Planning and Monitoring and Evaluation for Section 1206 and 1207 Assistance Programs, GAO-10-431
·
Military Training: Actions Needed to Further Improve the Consistency of Combat Skills Training Provided to Army and Marine Corps Support Forces, GAO-10-465
· Rare Earth Materials in the Defense Supply Chain, GAO-10-617R

Heritage Foundation
·
Congressional hearing on QDR Assessment Should Address Capability Gaps and Budget Shortfalls
·
Counterterrorism and Nonproliferation: Two Goals for the Nuclear Security Summit
·
The “New START” Treaty: Did the Russians Have Their Fingers Crossed?
·
The Nuclear Posture Review’s Missing Objective: Defending the US and Its Allies Against Strategic Attack
·
Obama’s Approach to Arms Control Misreads Russian Nuclear Strategy
·
Obamacare: Impact on Taxpayers
·
Tax Day or Payday? How the Tax Code Is Expanding Government and Dependency

Homeland Security Council
·
Planning Guidance for Response to a Nuclear Detonation

Human Rights Watch
·
“Off the Backs of the Children”: Forced Begging and Other Abuses against Talibés in Senegal
·
Sentenced to Stigma: Segregation of HIV-Positive Prisoners in Alabama and South Carolina
·
Transparency and Accountability in Angola
·
Turning a Blind Eye: Impunity for Laws-of-War Violations during the Gaza War

Information Security Oversight Office (ISOO)
·
Information Security Oversight Office (ISOO) Report to the President for Fiscal Year 2009

Institute for 21st Century Energy/U.S. Chamber of Commerce
·
A Key Pillar for Securing America's Energy Future

Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS)
·
Iran’s New Centrifuge: What Do We Know About It?
·
RevCon Update: G10 Position Papers

Institute for Security Studies
·
Enforcement of Environmental Crime Laws, A Framework Training Manual for Law Enforcement Agencies
·
Conference Report HIV and AIDS and the African Military Towards a Common and Comprehensive Approach

International Monetary Fund (IMF)
·
Preserving Debt Sustainability in Low-Income Countries in the Wake of the Global Crisis

International Relations and Security Network
·
The AfPak War: Failures of Success
·
Costs of War: Ghosts of Civilian Casualties Haunt US Forces
·
Fallen Angels in Bangkok
·
Forums and Flame Wars in Georgia
·
How to Win the Peace in Afghanistan
· India’s Maoist Revolt: Internal Crisis, External Reach
·
Old Wounds, Fresh Attacks in Kashmir
· Pirates vs Private Security
·
US, China: More Give, Less Take
·
US-Japan: Breaking Point for Alliance?

Iran Watch
·
Smooth Sailing for Iran's Blacklisted Fleet

Jamestown Foundation
·
China Brief, v. 10, no. 8, April 16, 2010
o Syria in China’s New Silk Road Strategy
o Karzai’s State Visit Highlights Beijing’s Afghan Priorities
o Taiwan’s Navy: Able to Deny Command of the Sea?
o Chinese Defense Expenditures: Implications for Naval Modernization
·
Terrorism Monitor, v. 8, no. 15, April 17, 2010
o Taliban Exploit Shi'a-Sunni Divide in Pakistan's Kurram Agency
o CIA Drone Strikes in Pakistan's FATA Region and the "Loss" of Actionable Intelligence: A Pashtun Perspective
o Yemen's Dangerous Addiction to Qat

Microsoft Research (Cormac Herley)
·
So Long, And No Thanks for the Externalities: The Rational Rejection of Security Advice by Users

National Academies Press
·
The Public Health Emergency Medical Countermeasures Enterprise: Innovative Strategies to Enhance Products from Discovery Through Approval: Workshop Summary [free download but registration required]

NATO Defense College
·
The Future of NATO's Nuclear Deterrent: The New Strategic Concept and the 2010 NPT Review Conference - A Workshop Report by David S. Yost

Nuclear Threat Initiative/Project on Managing the Atom, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
·
Russia's Lukewarm Support for International Sanctions against Iran: History and Motivations
·
Securing the Bomb 2010: Securing All Nuclear Materials in Four Years

Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
·
Pay and Benefits for Federal Civilian Employees in Combat Zones

Pakistan Security Research Unit (PSRU)
·
Socio-economic Cost of Terrorism: A Case Study of Pakistan

Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life
·
Islam and Christianity in Sub-Saharan Africa Website
·
PDF of full report
·
Sub-Saharan Africa Religion Interactive database

Pew Global Attitudes Project
·
Nuclear Reaction

Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility
·
Pentagon In-Sourcing Plan to Reverse Bush Contracting Gains

Rand
·
Developing an Assessment Framework for U.S. Air Force Building Partnerships Programs

Small Wars Journal
·
The Death of the Armor Corps
·
A District Approach in Afghanistan?
·
Improving the Coalition’s Understanding of ‘The People’ in Afghanistan: Human Terrain Mapping in Kapisa Province
·
Korengal Valley Observations

Strategic Studies Institute (SSI)
·
The Construction of Liberal Democracy: The Role of Civil-Military Institutions in State and Nation-Building in West Germany and South Africa
·
Criminal Sovereignty: Understanding North Korea's Illicit International Activities
·
The State-Owned Enterprise as a Vehicle for Stability
·
Thinking about Nuclear Power in Post-Saddam Iraq

UK Parliament House of Lords
·
Combating Somali Piracy: the EU's Naval Operation Atalanta

U.S. Geological Survey
·
Natural Gas Potential Assessed in Eastern Mediterranean

U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP)
·
Haiti: Towards and Beyond the Donors’ Conference
·
Integrating Internal Displacement in Peace Processes and Agreements: Peacemaker's Toolkit
·
The Rule of Law in Haiti After the Earthquake

U.S. Secret Service, Dept of Education and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
·
Campus Attacks: Targeted Violence Affecting Institutions of Higher Education

Washington Institute for Near East Policy
·
Continuity and Change: Reshaping the Fight against Terrorism
·
Enhancing International Cooperation against Terrorism Financing
·
Inside the Syrian Missile Crisis
·
Is Israel Facing War with Hizbullah and Syria?
·
Kirkuk in Transition: Confidence Building in Northern Iraq
·
The Perfect Handshake with Iran: Prudent Military Strategy and Pragmatic Engagement Policy

White House
·
"An Enormously Productive Day" [Nuclear Summit]

World Public Opinion.org
·
Israeli Public's Support for Dismantling Most Settlements Has Risen to a Five-Year High

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Friday's Miscellany 04-09-2010

3 D (Development, Diplomacy, Defense Security
· Advancing Peace & Mitigating Crises: Recommendations and Proposed Language for the Foreign Assistance Act (FAA)


Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU)
· The State of Transitional Justice in Afghanistan: Actors, Approaches and Challenges


Army Far East Command
· History of the North Korea Army [1952 report declassified]


Army National Guard
· The Azimuth magazine, April 2010, v. 7, no. 2

o Training Insights (Article by BG Huba Wass de Czege)
o Counterinsurgency-An Overview
o U.S. Army / USMC COIN Center
o Insurgency and Counterinsurgency-Historical Perspective
o Counterinsurgency-Doctrine Development
o Counterinsurgency-Afghanistan Update
o Counterinsurgency-Understanding the Operational Environment
o Enemy-and Population-Centric Coin
o Planning
o Vignettes and TTP
o COIN Library and Terminology

Army Nuclear and Combating WMD Agency (USANCA)
· Combating WMD Journal (Issue 4, Fall/Winter 2009)

o CWMD Planning
o Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction: Aligning Capabilities with National Strategy
o Just When We Thought the Hard Part Was Over
o Toward a New Deterrent Analysis and Recommendations for the Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States
o CBRN Standardization in NATO (Non-Medical)
o Medical Microbots Are Nearer Than You Think?
o The Zero Hour - Silver Bullets for Peace in the Middle East
o Opportunities for Higher Education in Nuclear Engineering at the University of Maryland
o "Peace is Our Profession": The U.S. Air Force during the Cold War
o Chemical Warfare: Part II
o Combating WMD Resources

Atlantic Council
· Bulgaria Energy Sector

· NATO Defense Capabilities: A Guide for Action
· NATO Initiatives for an Era of Global Competition

Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI)
· The US Nuclear Posture Review: What’s New, What’s Not


British American Security Information Council (BASIC)
· Considering NATO’s Tactical Nuclear Weapons After the US Nuclear Posture

· Keeping the Lid On: Nuclear Security and the Washington Summit

Brookings
· Afghanistan Index: Tracking Progress and Security in Post-9/11 Afghanistan [updated April 8, 2010]

o Archives
· The April 2009 London G-20 Summit in Retrospect

· Capacity for Change: Reforming U.S. Assistance Efforts in Poor and Fragile Countries

· Obama's New Nuclear Policies: A Step in the Right Direction
· Saving Money Through Cloud Computing


Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP)
· Armenia and Turkey: Bridging the Gap

· The New START—A View from Washington

· Nuclear Weapons and National Security—A New Strategy


Center for American Progress
· Climate Is a Security Issue: Defense Department Reports Project Mixed Impressions of Climate Threats

· A Strong Case for a New START: A National Security Briefing Memo


Center for a New American Security (CNAS)
· Promoting the Dialogue: Climate Change and US Ground Forces


Center for Nonproliferation Studies
· Inventory of International Nonproliferation Organizations & Regimes [2009 update]

· New START: Preliminary Thoughts in Moscow

· Nuclear-Weapon-Free-Zone (NWFZ) Clearinghouse

Center for Security Policy
· Who Lost Iraq?


Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA)
· Meeting the Challenge of a Proliferated World

· Understanding the Threat of Nuclear Terrorism

Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS)
· Bringing Energy Security to East Central Europe

· Capacity for Change: Reforming US Assistance Efforts in Poor and Fragile Countries
· Hemisphere Highlights, v. 9, no. 3, March 2010

· HIV Prevention among Injection Drug Users

· Iraq After the Election
· The Real Results of the Iraqi Election
· Shaping the War in Afghanistan: The Situation in the Spring of 2010

· South Asia Monitor: A Modern Insurgency: India's Evolving Naxalite Problem

Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI)
· The Obama Administration and Latin America: Towards a New Partnership?


Chatham House
· Achieving Effective Inter-Sectoral Collaboration to Prevent, Detect and Control the Emergence and Spread of Zoonotic Diseases


Congress. House. Foreign Affairs Committee
· Combating Climate Change in Africa


Congressional Budget Office (CBO)
· Monthly Budget Review, April 2010


Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)
· Iraq: Struggling Through 'Highest Risk' Window

· U.S. Nuclear Posture's New Priorities


Danish Institute for International Studies
· Liberia: Reintegration of Ex-Combatants and Refugees Endangers Fragile Peace


Department of Defense
· Nuclear Posture Review Report


Department of Defense Inspector General
· SPO-2010-001 Assessment of U.S. and Coalition Efforts to Develop the Medical Sustainment Capability of the Afghan National Security Forces


Department of Homeland Security
· Open Government Plan


Department of Homeland Security Science & Technology
· First Responder Communities of Practice [portal]


Department of State
· Protocol to the Treaty Between the United States of America and the Russian Federation on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms

· Treaty Between the United States of America and the Russian Federation on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms

European Union Institute for Security Studies
· A Good START


Fraser Institute
· Skating on Thin Ice: Canadian-American Relations in 2010 and 2011


Government Accountability Office (GAO)
· Coast Guard: Deployable Operations Group Achieving Organizational Benefits, but Challenges Remain, GAO-10-433R

· Critical Infrastructure Protection: Update to National Infrastructure Protection Plan Includes Increased Emphasis on Risk Management and Resilience, GAO-10-296

· GAO Review of the Department of Homeland Security's Certification of the Secure Flight Program--Cost and Schedule Estimates, GAO-10-535R
· Military Munitions Response Program: Opportunities Exist to Improve Program Management, GAO-10-384

· Nuclear Weapons: Actions Needed to Address Scientific and Technical Challenges and Management Weaknesses at the National Ignition Facility, GAO-10-488
· Troubled Asset Relief Program: Automaker Pension Funding and Multiple Federal Roles Pose Challenges for the Future, GAO-10-492


Government of Japan
· Diplomatic Bluebook 2009


Henley-Putnam
· Journal of Strategic Security, v. 3, no. 1, Spring 2010

o Geographic Trajectories of Al-Qaida and Taliban Terrorist Groups in Pakistan
o Global Risk of Nuclear Terrorism
o Intelligence and Its Role in Protecting Against Terrorism
o Variance, Violence, and Democracy: A Basic Microeconomic Model of Terrorism
o Toward a New Trilateral Strategic Security Relationship: United States, Canada, and Mexico
o Strategic Asymmetric Deception and Its Role in the Current Threat Environment

Heritage Foundation
· Budget Chart Book (The Federal Budget in Pictures)

· Deadlines and Delays: Chinese Revaluation Will Still Not Bring American Jobs

· Financial Regulation Reform: 16 Key Studies and Analyses
· Iran Economic Sanctions at the UN Security Council: The Incredible Shrinking Resolution

· Leadership Change in North Korea – What it Means for the US
· The Obama Administration's Ballistic Missile Defense Program: Treading Water in Shark-Infested Seas
· U.S. Foreign Aid Recipients and Voting at the United Nations

Human Rights Watch
· All Quiet on the Northern Front?: Uninvestigated Laws of War Violations in Yemen’s War with Huthi Rebels


Indian National Interest
· Pragati, The Indian National Interest Review, April 2010, no.37

o Peacekeeping: India’s Chance to Lead: Why India Should Redefine the Future of UN peacekeeping (p. 12-16) o India Should Extend its Role in Afghanistan: The World Can Ill-Afford a Taliban Triumph (p. 20-22)
o Nuclear Protected Terrorism: The Future of India-Pakistan Rivalry (p. 17-19)

Information Warfare Monitor and the Shadowserver Foundation
· Shadow in the Cloud: Investigating Cyber Espionage 2.0


Institute for the Study of War
· Empowering Local Village Elders and Women in Afghanistan


Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies
· Obama’s ‘Surge Strategy’ in AfPak: The French Perspective

· Obama’s ‘Surge Strategy’ in AfPak: the German Perspective

· Obama’s ‘Surge Strategy’ in AfPak: the Pakistani Perspective

· Strategic Dialogue: Pakistan and United States


Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)
· Latin American and Caribbean Macro Watch Data Tool


International Bureau for Children's Rights
· Children and Armed Conflict: A Guide to International Humanitarian and Human Rights


International Commission on Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament
· Eliminating Nuclear Threats: A Practical Agenda for Global Policymakers


International Crisis Group
· Congo: A Stalled Democratic Agenda

· Turkey and the Middle East: Ambitions and Constraints

International Monetary Fund (IMF)
· Determinants of China's Private Consumption: An International Perspective

· Russia's Output Collapse and Recovery: Evidence from the Post-Soviet Transition

International Relations and Security Network
· Bringing China to the Proliferation Party

· Cyberwar: Concept, Status Quo, and Limitations
· Ecuador Blacklisted for Money Laundering
· Fallout of a New Great Game?
· Moving Toward ‘No First Use’
· A New START?
· Opportunity and Peril in Kyrgyzstan

· Sudan Looks Ahead
· US, Pakistan: What Strategic Dialogue?

Jamestown Foundation
· Terrorism Monitor, v. 8, no. 14, April 9, 2010

o Taliban Spokesman Discusses U.S. Media and Military Strategies in Afghanistan
o Mass Arrests of al-Qaeda Suspects in Saudi Arabia Illustrate Security Threat from Yemen
o The Rise and Fall of the Islamic Jihad Union: What Next for Uzbek Terror Networks?

Lumension
· Federal Cyber Security Outlook for 2010


National Academies Press
· Gulf War and Health: Volume 8: Update of Health Effects of Serving in the Gulf War [free download but registration required]


National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC)
· National Drug Threat Assessment 2010


National Security Archive
· How Much is Enough? Part II: "Prague Treaty Cuts Are Modest, Real" Old Cold War Proposals Went Even Lower

· Kissinger Blocked Demarche on International Assassinations to Condor States

· Why is "Poodle Blanket" Classified?: Still More Dubious Secrets at the Pentagon

National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)
· 2009 Aviation Accident Statistics


Naval Postgraduate School, Acquisition Research Program
· International Journal of Defense Acquisition Management, v. 3, 2010
o Lean Thinking in an Uncertain Environment: The Implications for UK Defence Acquisition

· International Journal of Defense Acquisition Management, v. 2, 2009
o A Performance Model to Optimise the Capability Choices Made in the Procurement Phase within the Australian Defence Force


New America Foundation
· Improvised Explosive Devices: In Soutern Afghanistan and Western Pakistan, 2002-2009


Notre Europe
· Reshaping EU-US Relations: A Concept Paper


Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)
· Highlights of the 2008 National Youth Gang Survey


Office of the Director of National Intelligence
· April 6, 2010: Director of National Intelligence Dennis C. Blair Addresses the Bipartisan Policy Center's Conference on the "State of Intelligence Reform"

· April 6, 2010: Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Policy, Plans, and Requirements David R. Shedd Addresses the Bipartisan Policy Center's Conference on the "State of Intelligence Reform"

Peterson Institute for International Economics
· Global Economic Prospects for 2010 and 2011: Global Recovery Continues

· New PPP-Based Estimates of Renminbi Undervaluation and Policy Implications

Pew Global Attitudes Project
· Hungary Dissatisfied with Democracy, but Not its Ideals


RAND
· Assessment of the USCENTCOM Medical Distribution Structure

· Courses of Action for Enhancing U.S. Air Force "Irregular Warfare" Capabilities: A Functional Solutions Analysis

· In Search of the Holy Grail: Understanding Research Success
· Military Capabilities for Hybrid War: Insights from the Israel Defense Forces in Lebanon and Gaza

· A Repair Network Concept for Air Force Maintenance: Conclusions from Analysis of C-130, F-16, and

Refugees International
· Pakistan

o Field Reports

o In-Depth Reports

o Letters & Testimony

Small Wars Journal
· Dispatch: Red Horse

· Dispatch: Village Boys

· Information Sharing for Irregular Warfare

· A Third Way in Afghanistan
· The Toyota Horde: Examining a Lost Cost Military Capability

· Uncut: Lessons Learned From Six and a Half Years in Afghanistan

· The US Army’s Shift to Irregular Warfare

Trust for America's Health
· Shortchanging America's Health: A State-by-State Look at How Public Health Dollars are Spent and Key State Health Facts


UK House of Commons, Defence
· Defence Equipment 2010: Government Response to the Committee's Sixth Report of Session 2009-10

· Readiness and Recuperation of the Armed Forces - looking towards the Strategic Defence Review: Government Response to the Committee's Fourth Report of Session 2009-10


United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
· Afghanistan Opium Survey 2010: Winter Rapid Assessment

· UNODC 2010 Report: Promoting Health, Security and Justice

US Institute of Peace (USIP)
· Education and Conflict in Côte d’Ivoire

· Preventing Media Incitement to Violence in Iraq

US Treasury Department
· Efforts to Disrupt and Dismantle Terrorist Financing [speech]


The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
· Kirkuk in Transition: Confidence Building in Northern Iraq

· The Perfect Handshake with Iran: Prudent Military Strategy and Pragmatic Engagement Policy

· Too Little, Too Late? Nuclear Security and the Middle East

· Tracking Narco-Terrorist Networks: The Money Trail

A World of Possibilities
· Winning The Peace: From West Point to War Zones