26 May Media Summary

New York Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain looks on as Lieutenant General Richard F. Natonski, Commander of the United States Marine Corps Forces Command, waves to the crowd as he takes the mound to throw out the first pitch before the baseball game between the Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium in New York, Thursday, May 21, 2009. (Associated Press Photo)

Lt. Gen. Richard F. Natonski, commander for U.S. Marine Corps Forces Command, shakes hand with Joe Girardi, manager for the Yankees. Lt. Gen. Natonski threw out the first pitch of the Yankee and Baltimore Game in Yankee Stadium May 22, 2009. He is in New York City as part of Fleet Week 2009. (Official Marine Corps photo by: Cpl. Patrick Fleischman)

Following a reenlistment ceremony at Ground Zero, Lt. Gen. Richard F. Natonski, commander for U.S. Marine Corps Forces Command, visited Ladder 10, located directly across the street from the World Trade Center site, to speak with New York City Fire Department fire fighters, May 10. (Official Marine Corps photo by: Cpl. Patrick Fleischman)

Early Bird summary

Tuesday’s Early Bird leads with a report from the Wall Street Journal stating that American public support for the Afghan war will dissipate in less than a year unless the Obama administration achieves "a perceptible shift in momentum," Defense Secretary Robert Gates said in an interview.Mr. Gates said the momentum in Afghanistan is with the Taliban, who are inflicting heavy U.S. casualties and hold de facto control of swaths of the country.The defense chief has been moving aggressively to salvage the war in Afghanistan, signing off on the deployments of 21,000 American military personnel and recently taking the unprecedented step of firing the four-star general who commanded all U.S. forces there. Mr. Gates, speaking in his cabin on an Air Force plane, said the administration is rapidly running out of time to turn around the war.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the job of rebuilding Afghanistan is shaping up as an ominous sequel to the massive, mistake-riddled U.S. effort to get Iraq back on its feet.Since 2001, the United States has committed nearly $33 billion for reconstruction projects in Afghanistan. Yet as President Barack Obama sends more troops and aid to quell a growing insurgency, there has been no detailed public accounting of where the money has gone and how effectively it's being spent.As in Iraq, where the U.S. has contributed $50 billion for rebuilding, the flow of money to Afghanistan outpaces the ability to track it. Already, an inspector general looking into the U.S. handling of Afghanistan reconstruction has found worrisome evidence of lax oversight and costly projects left foundering.
Facing the first direct challenge to his administration by an emerging nuclear weapons state, President Obama declared Monday that the United States and its allies would “stand up” to North Korea, hours after that country defied international sanctions and conducted what appeared to be its second nuclear test, according to the New York Times.Mr. Obama reacted to the underground blast as White House officials scrambled to coordinate an international response to a North Korean nuclear capability that none of his predecessors had proved able to reverse.Acutely aware that their response to the explosion in the mountains of Kilju, not far from the Chinese border, would be seen as an early test of a new administration, Mr. Obama’s aides said they were determined to organize a significantly stronger response than the Bush administration had managed after the North’s first nuclear test, in October 2006.
Several interviews were conducted with Adm. Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. For a roundup, please follow this link.

Media summary

1. Leading newspaper headlines: All the papers lead with the swift international condemnation of North Korea's second nuclear bomb test. (Slate Magazine)
2. Frederick J. Karch, 1917-2009: Marine Corps general led first ground troops into Vietnam. (Chicago Tribune)
3. Obama chooses former Marine to head NASA: After weeks of rumor and speculation over who President Barack Obama would choose to lead NASA , he has selected former Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Charles Bolden, Jr. who will be responsible for an interesting future facing the U.S. space agency. (Daily Tech)

Leading newspaper headlines

All the papers lead with the swift international condemnation of North Korea's second nuclear bomb test. The five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council denounced the test, calling it a "clear violation" of a 2006 resolution. Everyone points out that the quick condemnation from Russia and China was particularly significant, particularly when compared with the long discussions over a response after North Korea launched a long-range missile in April. President Obama called the test a "blatant violation of international law" and said the international community "must take action in response." The Wall Street Journal talks to a senior administration official who said the White House is optimistic that the Security Council will impose strong sanctions, partly due to China's reaction.
The Washington Post hears word that the White House was informed about the test around an hour before it happened, and officials had received several briefings in the past week about the possibility of such an event. The Los Angeles Times points out that while officials insisted Monday's events "did not catch them by surprise," it's bad timing for an administration dealing with so many international crises that it "has yet to develop its formal policy on North Korea." USA Today points out that North Korea's move came a mere five days after Iran carried out its own missile test and might be a sign that the two governments "could be testing the limits of a relatively new president who has emphasized diplomacy over military might." Indeed, the New York Times notes that Obama's aides are well aware everyone is likely to see this as an early test for the young administration, and the White House is determined to "organize a significantly stronger response" than the Bush administration did after North Korea's first nuclear test in 2006. Early morning wire reports reveal that North Korea launched two more short-range missiles today.The WP says that North Korea's test "appears not to have been a significant technical advance over its first underground test three years ago." Although the isolationist regime insisted the test was more successful than the one in 2006, experts say it showed how "North Koreans have not yet mastered the technology of creating a reliable nuclear bomb." It could take weeks to have a reliable estimate on how big the test was, but several papers have some initial analysis. The NYT hears from an administration official that the blast was "a several kiloton event," the WSJ talks to a senior Pentagon official who called it a "relatively small" bomb of around 1.5 kilotons, while an expert tells the WP the test was in the range of 2 to 4 kilotons. That would make it "two to five times" more powerful than the 2006 test but still far less than would be expected if the regime had mastered the technology of creating a reliable nuclear bomb. "You would expect 10 to 20 times that yield," one expert tells the Post. "These guys have not solved the problem." Still, it seems certain that, however small, it still represented a step forward in the country's nuclear capabilities.
Despite the fact that the world powers seem to be pulling together to condemn North Korea's actions, administration officials readily acknowledge that they have limited options in how to proceed. Trying to get North Korea to stop developing nuclear weapons is something that has eluded previous administrations. "We're back to the same problem Bush had," one intelligence official said. "The threat is not that they will shoot off a nuclear weapon; it's that they will sell nuclear material." The NYT details that the "most powerful untapped sanction" available to the administration may be one that was authorized after the 2006 test that permits nations to inspect all shipping into and out of the country for nuclear materials. "Other than having the Chinese cut off their oil, it might be the only step that would show them we are serious," a senior official said.
The WSJ hears word that the Pentagon believes North Korea purposefully picked Memorial Day for the test to send a message to the United States. "America was going to be memorializing the military and our own history, and boom, they pull this one off," a military official said. But others aren't quite so sure the communist regime's primary purpose was really to send a message to the United States. In a front-page analysis, the LAT says that while North Korea's previous tests and missile launches "had a ring of foot-stamping about them" because they could clearly be seen as demands for more attention from Washington, yesterday's "motives seem more complex." Particularly when considering that North Korea appears to have become more assertive in its foreign policy after the country's leader, Kim Jong-il, is believed to have suffered a stroke in August. In addition to considering the international dimensions, some analysts believe the test was Kim's way of boosting support from the military, maybe to ensure that power remains in his family. In its own analysis, the NYT echoes the belief that the test might have been a way for Kim to show solidarity with the military but also notes that some think the "intended audience was North Korea's largely impoverished population." The thinking is that Kim might have wanted North Koreans to believe that he managed to create a powerful country during his years in power.
The real question now is what the young administration will choose to do when confronted with "just the sort of national security crisis that President Obama's campaign rivals warned he would face early in his term," as USAT points out. Besides the fact that there might not be any good options, many believe Iran is going to be taking careful notes to figure out how Obama will deal with future confrontations. "I think North Korea and Iran are very closely comparing strategies," one expert tells USAT. "And whether the moves were coordinated or not, they are watching how the U.S. responds to each."Faced with such complicated questions, the WP's editorial page says it's time to "call Mr. Kim's bluff," and Obama "should simply decline to treat North Korea as a crisis, or even as a matter of urgency." That hardly means ignoring the country or cutting off communication, but there should be "no new economic favors to the North, no further political recognition, no grand visits by the secretary of state to Pyongyang."
Moving on to other stories, the WP fronts the growing fears that the Federal Reserve's "efforts to steer the economy away from a 1930s-era depression would push the country toward '70s-style inflation." The good news that has been coming out of the economy lately is making these fears more pronounced since experts warn that the Fed might have to make a choice between "propping up credit markets today and fighting inflation tomorrow." Considering there's a significant lag time between a change in Fed policy and when it starts showing up in the economy, the central bank might have to act while unemployment is still high and there are still problems in the financial sector, a politically unpalatable option.
In an interesting front-page piece, the NYT takes a look at how service members killed in Iraq and Afghanistan have been given CT scans and autopsies, something that was hardly ever done in previous wars. The information the military has been able to obtain from these procedures has helped it develop better equipment and get useful insight into how medical equipment used in a war zone could be improved. Families of the deceased are informed of the autopsies, and approximately 85 percent to 90 percent request reports.
The WP reports that Obama is likely to announce later this week that he will create a new "cyber czar," a senior official who will be in charge of figuring out ways to protect government and private computer networks. The official will have a broad mandate to deal with a range of issues and will probably be a member of the National Security Council while reporting both to the national security adviser and to the president's senior economic adviser. But the ultimate goal is that this new czar would be able to "pick up the phone and contact the president directly, if need be," an administration official said.

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BRIG. GEN. FREDERICK J. KARCH 1917-2009

Frederick J. Karch, 1917-2009: Marine Corps general led first ground troops into Vietnam

May 26, 2009 WASHINGTON -- Frederick J. Karch, 91, a Marine Corps brigadier general who led the first official ground combat troops into Vietnam, died on May 23 at his home in Arlington, Va.Gen. Karch, a Naval Academy graduate, served in the Marine Corps for 27 years, from before World War II through the Vietnam War. During World War II he was a part of the Pacific island-hopping campaign as U.S. forces fought the Japanese on a succession of islands, with Japan as the ultimate goal. He received the Bronze Star for his actions on Roi-Namur, Sapian, Tinian and Iwo Jima.Two decades later, on March 8, 1965, the "dapper-looking, mustache-sporting veteran of two bloody World War II island campaigns" -- Edward F. Murphy's description in "Semper Fi Vietnam" (2003) -- landed with the 9th Marine Expeditionary Brigade on Red Beach at Da Nang, South Vietnam. Before their arrival, all military personnel in Vietnam were there as "advisers," and Gen. Karch told reporters that the activities of his men would be strictly defensive.Later that year he voiced his respect for the stamina of the opposition fighters known as Viet Cong. "I thought that once they ran up against our first team they wouldn't stand and fight, but they did. I made a miscalculation."
Gen. Karch was born in Carmi, Ill., and attended the University of Illinois for a year before being admitted to the Naval Academy. He was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant in the Marine Corps in 1940. He graduated from the Army War College in 1961. Gen. Karch served as director of the Command and Staff College at Marine Corps Schools in Quantico, Va., before his retirement in 1967. In the late 1970s he formed the Institute for Professional Education, which offered continuing professional education courses.

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President Obama chooses new NASA leader

Michael Barkoviak - May 26, 2009 6:20 AM

Charles F. Bolden Jr (Source: AFP)

After weeks of rumor and speculation over who President Barack Obama would choose to lead NASA , he has selected former Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Charles Bolden, Jr. who will be responsible for an interesting future facing the U.S. space agency."He's a patriot, a leader and a visionary," Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) recently said in a video statement regarding Bolden. "He understands the workings of NASA and the importance of America remaining a leader in science and technology through space exploration."After graduating from the United States Naval Academy in 1968, Bolden then served as a naval aviator who flew in North and South Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos -- he flew more than 100 Marine combat missions. He joined NASA in 1980 as an astronaut and blasted into orbit during four different space missions during his NASA career that came to an end in 1994. There was concern among several space experts that Obama would become president and take money away from space programs -- a move he is obviously trying to prove will never happen now that Bolden will be given reigns to the agency.Most space experts agree Bolden is qualified for the position, though it'll be interesting to hear his thoughts on several important NASA issues, including the possible shuttle fleet retirement next year. Selecting a former astronaut and military officer may be a sign that, like other nations, the U.S. is interested in blurring the lines between NASA and space research funds used by the government, analysts say. Bolden reportedly is interested in delaying the shuttle fleet's retirement, and that will likely be one of the first topics discussed when he officially becomes the new head of NASA.

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19 May Media Summary

Four area high school seniors were honored recently with scholarships presented by the Tidewater Chapter of the National Naval Officers Association (NNOA) and Titus Masonic Lodge 592. From left to right are Vice Admiral Joseph R. Papp Jr., U.S. Coast Guard, Commander, Coast Guard Atlantic Area, recipients Michael Protacio, Bianca Lascano, Aaron Cunningham, Cheri Farrior and Maj. Gen. Cornell A. Wilson Jr., Deputy Commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Command, Norfolk. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Dennis Neal)

Naval Officers Association awards scholarships to local students
FLAGSHIP Newspaper, Naval Station Norfolk, VA

By Dennis Neal, MARFORCOM

NORFOLK — Four area high school seniors were honored recently at the Vice Admiral Samuel L.Gravely Jr. Scholarship Banquet with scholarships presented by the Tidewater Chapter of the National Naval Officers Association (NNOA) and Titus Masonic Lodge 592. The banquet was conducted, May 9 at the Breezy Point Officers’ Club on board Naval Station Norfolk.

The recipients of the Vice Admiral Samuel L. Gravely Jr. Scholarship from NNOA were:

•Bianca X. Lascano of Suffolk, a senior at Nansemond River High School, who received a $2,500 scholarship. Lascano plans to attend Norfolk State University in Norfolk, majoring in Chemistry. Her parents are Juan and Darlene Lascano of Suffolk.

•Michael Protacio of Norfolk, a senior at Norfolk Academy, who received a $1,500 scholarship. Protacio plans to attend Yale University in New Haven, Conn., majoring in Music. His parents are Patrick and Barbara Protacio of Norfolk.

•Cheri Farrior of Newport News, a senior at Woodside High School, who received a $1,500 scholarship. Farrior plans to attend North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University in Greensboro, N.C., majoring in Mass Communication. Her parents are Jerry and Cheryl Farrior of Newport News.

The recipient of the 2008-2009 Titus Masonic Lodge 592 Scholarship was:

•Aaron Cunningham of Suffolk, a senior at Menchville High School, who received a $1,000 scholarship. Cunningham plans to attend Old Dominion University in Norfolk, majoring in Business. His mother is Joyce Amey Cunningham, of Suffolk.

The guest of honor and speaker at the banquet was Maj. Gen. Cornell A. Wilson Jr., Deputy Commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Command (MARFORCOM) in Norfolk, who challenged the scholarship awardees to “grow in wisdom and compassion” and to be prepared to give back to society and assist other young people as they were being assisted that evening.

Wilson, a 37-year veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, is a native of Hartsville, S.C. and graduate of the University of South Carolina. As Deputy Commander of MARFORCOM, headquartered at Naval Support Activity, Norfolk, Maj. Gen. Wilson serves as second-in-command of all East Coast-based Marine Corps operating and associated supporting establishment forces – approximately 74,000 military and civilian personnel.

The Tidewater Chapter of the National Naval Officers Association, headquartered in Norfolk has more than 90 members comprised of active duty and retired U.S. Navy, Coast Guard, and Marine Corps officers. Volunteerism allows the Tidewater Chapter of the NNOA to award over $5,000 in scholarships each year to deserving high school seniors in the Hampton Roads area. They have continued to stretch their influence in the community by actively engaging youth at their partner school, Campostella Elementary School in Norfolk, working with veterans, and donating time and resources to provide food for low-income families throughout the year.

The Vice Admiral Samuel L. Gravely Jr. Scholarship Banquet is the culminating event of the NNOA’s annual mission of fostering a positive image of the United States sea services in the local community. The scholarships are awarded in honor of Vice Admiral Samuel L. Gravely Jr., who was the first African American to command a U.S. Navy warship, to be promoted to flag officer rank and to command a Naval fleet. Vice Admiral Gravely Jr.’s illustrious military career spanned 38 years, and he retired from active duty in 1980. He passed away at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD, on Oct. 22, 2004.

Early Bird summary

Tuesday’s Early Bird leads with an article from the Los Angeles Times, and a similar story in the Washington Post, that report the U.S. is jeopardizing its chances of success in Afghanistan by mistakenly inflicting casualties on civilians in airstrikes that undermine support for the war among the general population, the top U.S. military officer said Monday.Adm. Michael G. Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, cited the aerial bombing this month of a village in western Afghanistan that killed an undetermined number of civilians as one that has occurred despite changes in procedures aimed at reducing such deaths.

Agence France-Presse reports that Pakistan isn't using U.S. military assistance to expand its nuclear arsenal, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, said on Monday."I am not aware of any U.S. aid that's gone towards nuclear weapons," Mullen told a gathering at the Brookings Institution, a Washington think-tank.He said that the one exception was a portion of U.S. funds in the past few years focused on "improving" security safeguards for Pakistan's nuclear weapons, "which is exactly what we like."

As the Quadrennial Defense Review debates the need for various costly weapons, key military personnel programs must not become budgetary sacrificial lambs, the military's top officer warned today, InsideDefense.com reports.“We’re going through a big debate right now about systems, major acquisition programs – what we should buy for the future,” Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Michael Mullen said in a speech at the Brookings Institution. “What we should buy for the future is to make sure we get it right for our people. That’s healthcare, that’s housing, that’s benefits, that’s the compensation package, that’s bonuses, all those kinds of things.”Mullen commended the attention Marine Commandant Gen. James Conway and Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey have put into these priorities. Addressing such costs guarantees U.S. security in the future, he said.When asked whether the QDR -- which is set to produce recommendations on an array of topics this summer -- should shift a significant amount of money from procurement toward personnel costs, he said it is too early to tell. “We’re not far enough into the QDR to be able to say that -- whether that’s an answer,” he replied.

Pakistan said Monday that troops were locked in bloody street battles with Taliban fighters in the northwest's Swat Valley as rival politicians united behind the offensive to eliminate the Islamist militants, Agence France-Presse reports.The military said its troops are closing in on Swat's capital, Mingora, which is under Taliban control, and has issued a map showing security forces in a pincer movement pushing down from the north and up from the south.[Also Monday, the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said that 1,454,377 people have been registered as fleeing the fighting since May 2 and that 1,323,427 of them are living outside camps set up for the displaced.

Meanwhile, the Associated Press reports that Pakistani officials responded Monday to an assertion by the top United States military officer that the country was expanding its nuclear arsenal. At a Congressional panel last week, Adm. Mike Mullen, left, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said yes when asked whether there was evidence that Pakistan was adding to its nuclear weapons systems and warheads. On Monday, Pakistan’s information minister, Qamar Zaman Kaira, said: “Pakistan does not need to expand its nuclear arsenal, but we want to make it clear that we will maintain a minimum nuclear deterrence that is essential for our defense and stability.”In comments at a forum in Los Angeles, the Central Intelligence Agency director, Leon E. Panetta, said that the United States did not know the location of all of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons, but he was confident that there were “pretty secure” measures to keep them out of the hands of terrorists.

The Obama administration has decided to accept an appeals-court ruling that could undermine the military's ban on service members found to be gay, the Wall Street Journal reports.A federal appeals court in San Francisco last year ruled that the government must justify the expulsion of a decorated officer solely because she is a lesbian. The court rejected government arguments that the law banning gays in the military should have a blanket application, and that officials shouldn't be required to argue the merits in her individual case.The administration let pass a May 3 deadline to appeal to the Supreme Court. That means the case will be returned to the district court, and administration officials said they will continue to defend the law there.

A planned U.S. missile shield to protect Europe from a possible Iranian attack would be ineffective against the kinds of missiles Iran is likely to deploy, according to a joint analysis by top U.S. and Russian scientists, the Washington Post reports.The U.S.-Russian team also judged that it would be more than five years before Iran is capable of building both a nuclear warhead and a missile capable of carrying it over long distances. And if Iran attempted such an attack, the experts say, it would ensure its own destruction."The missile threat from Iran to Europe is thus not imminent," the 12-member technical panel concludes in a report produced by the EastWest Institute, an independent think tank based in Moscow, New York and Belgium.

Media summary

1. Leading newspaper headlines: All the papers lead with news that President Obama will announce new standards for automobile emissions and increase fuel-efficiency targets. (Slate Magazine)
2. The nightmare scenario: Why you should worry about Pakistan’s nukes. (Foreign Policy)

Leading newspaper headlines

All the papers lead with news that President Obama will announce new standards for automobile emissions and increase fuel-efficiency targets. The new regulations will mark the first time that the government will set rules on automobile emissions and combine it with fuel-economy standards. The rules would require new cars and light trucks sold in the United States to average 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016, four years earlier than required under federal law that was passed in 2007. The Wall Street Journal declares that the move "would accelerate the largest government-mandated transformation of vehicles on the American road since the late 1970s and early 1980s." The Los Angeles Times calls it a "potentially pivotal shift in the battle over global warming" as well as "a vindication of California's long battle to toughen standards."
The Washington Post reports that the new rules came as a result of negotiations between the administration, California, and the auto industry that have been going on "since the first days of the administration." Everyone characterizes this as a win for all the parties involved. California has long asked for a waiver to set its own emissions standards but has now agreed to accept the federal limits, which amounts to pretty much what it wanted except the automakers have more time to adjust. For their part, the automakers get the national standard they have long been craving and will be dropping their legal challenges against California. The new standard, coupled with other requirements Congress passed in 2007, would increase the cost of an average car by $1,300. The New York Times states that the new standard "will create a car and light truck fleet in the United States that is almost 40 percent cleaner and more fuel-efficient by 2016 than it is today." The administration says the new regulation will reduce U.S. oil consumption by 5 percent a year. USA Today points out that if the new rules push automakers to build smaller cars, "highway safety could decline" since they're less safe in crashes.
The LAT and WP front, while everyone covers, claims by the Sri Lankan government that Tamil Tiger chief Velupillai Prabhakaran was killed yesterday, effectively bringing to an and the 26-year civil war that killed around 100,000 people. Throughout his years at the helm of the rebel group, Prabhakaran "created one of the most ruthless and sophisticated insurgencies, with many of the tactics he pioneered becoming standard procedure for militant groups around the world," declares the LAT. The NYT points out that some believe the insurgency will come back using the militant tactics that were a hallmark of its existence, such as suicide bombings. But many others say that without Prabhakaran, the Tigers don't have anyone else to lead them. Everyone points out that it was Prabhakaran's ruthlessness and unwillingness to compromise with the government as he fought for a Tamil homeland that led to the destruction of the movement he had built over the years.
While people in Colombo, Sri Lanka's capital, celebrated in the streets, many within the Tamil community stayed indoors, afraid of what this development could mean for them. Even though many Tamils had long grown wary of the war, they still often saw the Tigers as their "only hope against the discrimination and alleged human rights abuses" of the government, notes the Post. Now many within the Tamil community are worried this victory over the Tigers will translate into violence against them.

The NYT fronts a look at how banks will now be looking at ways they can make more money from some of their best customers. Well, "best customers" might be how you might commonly think of the people who pay their bills in full and on time every month, but they're actually called "deadbeats" in the industry because they don't generate much revenue for the companies. These customers have not only failed to give much revenue to the poor credit card companies, but they dared to demand things like cash-back rewards and frequent flier miles. That may soon be a thing of the past. Now that Congress wants to impose limits on how much the companies can charge riskier borrowers, they're looking at how they can increase revenue from those with good credit. Banks are likely to bring back annual fees, cut back reward programs, and charge interest immediately upon a purchase. Or at least that's what banks want people to believe as they furiously lobby lawmakers, who are discussing a wide variety of rules that could soon be imposed on card companies. "Those that manage their credit well will in some degree subsidize those that have credit problems," said the head of the American Bankers Association.
The NYT fronts word that Zamay Khalilzad, the former ambassador to Aghanistan, might soon take up a powerful position inside the Afghan government. Khalilzad has been in discussion with Hamid Karzai to take on a government position that would essentially be the chief executive officer of Afghanistan. There has been lots of talk that Khalilzad might run for president, but he missed the filing deadline. The move would benefit Karzai, not only because it would help get a potential rival on his side but also because Khalilzad is widely respected in the United States and his appointment would come at a time when the administration has made it obvious that it is growing tired of Karzai. But officials insist the administration had nothing to do with the arrangement.

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The Nightmare Scenario

By Steven R. David

Why you should worry about Pakistan's nukes.

Few who lived through the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962 will forget the fear and apprehension they felt. The world stood on the brink of a nuclear holocaust as U.S. ships imposed a blockade to force Soviet missiles out of Cuba. Everyone heaved a sigh of relief as the Soviets agreed to remove their missiles in exchange for an American pledge not to invade Cuba, but all agreed a cataclysmic nuclear war had been only narrowly averted. Of the lessons that came from this episode, the one that stands out is that never again should the United States be put in a position where its cities are so close to nuclear destruction. Many assumed that lesson had been learned as decades of arms control, détente, and the end of the Cold War seemingly removed the specter of nuclear attack from our collective consciousness.
Well, just when you thought it was safe not to worry about nuclear annihilation, a new crisis has emerged that actually poses a greater threat of an American city being obliterated by a nuclear weapon than anything that occurred during the Cold War: As Pakistan becomes engulfed in chaos, there is a real chance that its nuclear weapons will fall into the hands of extremists determined to kill as many Americans as they can. Although the public has yet to pay much attention to what is happening in Pakistan and there is nowhere near the level of hysteria that gripped the United States nearly 50 years ago, the prospect of a nuclear weapon from Pakistan exploding on American soil is much higher than a Soviet attack from Cuba ever was. If anything can make one nostalgic for the bad old days of the Cold War, what is happening in Pakistan today is surely it.
It helps to first look back at the Cold War to see why the current nuclear threat from Pakistan is so much worse. To be sure, during the Cold War the United States and the Soviet Union each had some 10,000 nuclear warheads ready to strike each other. Neither the United States nor the Soviet Union could prevent the other from launching a devastating attack, nor could either country defend itself once a strike had been launched. The conflict between communism and capitalism, a series of regional confrontations, and the natural competition between the two strongest states in a bipolar system all threatened to turn the Cold War hot. And yet, a superpower nuclear war never happened. The reason the Soviet Union and the United States never came to nuclear blows is crystal clear: Deterrence worked. The leaders of the Soviet Union and the United States recognized that launching a nuclear attack would be suicidal, and neither leadership embraced death for their countries or themselves.
What is happening today in Pakistan, sadly, is very different. Pakistan has far fewer nuclear weapons -- about a hundred -- than the Soviet Union had during the Cold War. But it is far more likely that one of those weapons will be used against the United States because it is not the government of Pakistan that would order them to be launched. Pakistan hosts a wide range of extreme Islamist groups that seek to harm the United States. Of particular concern are the Taliban and al Qaeda, both of which originated in Pakistan. Both groups are blood enemies of the United States. Al Qaeda in particular has declared its intention to kill between 4 and 10 million Americans as payback for U.S. policies in the Middle East. If al Qaeda acquired a nuclear weapon and smuggled it into an American city, deterrence would be of little use. What threat could be invoked against al Qaeda terrorists to prevent them from killing millions of Americans once they had the capability to do so? Given its fanatical aims, lack of a "return address," and embrace of death, it is difficult if not impossible to conceive of a threat that would dissuade al Qaeda or a similar group from carrying out its horrific mission the way the Soviet Union was deterred during the Cold War.
The key, then, is to prevent extremist groups such as al Qaeda from getting control of a nuclear weapon in the first place. The good news is that nuclear weapons are not easy to make. They require fissile material such as plutonium or highly enriched uranium, which is beyond the capability of any group, including the Taliban and al Qaeda, to manufacture on its own. The only way for nonstate actors to get a nuclear weapon is acquiring one from a country that has one, and the most likely country where that would happen is Pakistan.
Even before the present crisis, Pakistan had been a hotbed of instability. Much of Pakistan's population is dirt poor; separatist movements have been active throughout the country; half of its people are illiterate; Islamists have penetrated the military; and the government has never exercised control over vast portions of its territory. Democracy has come and gone, with no elected government ever succeeding another. Pakistan has already experienced a horrendous civil war, and it remains the only nuclear-armed state to have experienced a successful coup.
As bad as the situation has been in the past, it has never been worse than it is today. The Taliban has moved from its sanctuaries along the Afghan-Pakistani border to come within 60 miles of the capital city of Islamabad. No longer members of a fringe movement, Taliban fighters have linked up with al Qaeda and other extreme Islamist movements in Punjab, Pakistan's most important province. The combination of the Taliban's local appeal with al Qaeda's global reach presents a nightmarish threat for the United States and much of the rest of the world. The threat is not so much that the Taliban and al Qaeda will take over Pakistan or that the state will collapse. The Pakistani military is probably too powerful for that to occur -- at least for now. Rather, the danger is of continued, escalating violence engulfing ever larger portions of Pakistan, with the government increasingly unable to restore control.
A Pakistan plunged into chaos raises the threat that its nuclear weapons might fall into the hands of those who would use them against the United States or its allies. This scenario could come about in several ways.
First, though safe for the time being, the Pakistani government might eventually fall victim to the Taliban onslaught, raising the prospect of a jihadi, nuclear-armed state. Maybe the United States could deter an al Qaeda-Taliban regime from launching a nuclear attack (it would have a return address), but maybe not. Fanatics like the Taliban and al Qaeda are not easily dissuaded.
Second, the weapons might be seized by the Taliban, al Qaeda, or some other extremist group. Such a seizure is most likely when the nuclear weapons are taken from their facilities, assembled, and moved around, as is the case when Pakistan fears a disarming strike from India. One can imagine jihadists deliberately provoking a crisis with India (à la the 2008 Mumbai attacks) precisely to get the nuclear weapons on the road, where they can be grabbed. One can also envision some variant of the above. A Taliban government, infused with religious fervor, might simply give the nuclear weapons to al Qaeda or some similar group for use against the United States, Israel, or India. A collapsing Pakistan might encourage security personnel to sell the weapons they are guarding, to wrest some profit from an otherwise dismal future. A Pakistan engulfed in crisis might simply be unable to defeat a determined assault on its nuclear arsenal, especially if the attackers have inside help. Once seized, it would be child's play to smuggle the weapons into an American city (just think of the tons of drugs brought into the United States each day). Whatever the scenario, the prospect of Pakistani nuclear weapons falling into the hands of religious terrorists is a nightmare no American wants to face.
The leadership of the United States recognizes the seriousness of the Pakistani threat, but has not figured out what to do about it. The United States provided Pakistan with a $100 million program to secure its nuclear arms, but it's unclear how Pakistan spent the money and whether what it did had any effect. Constraining U.S. efforts are Pakistani suspicions that the more the United States knows about its arsenal, the greater the likelihood that the United States will destroy or seize Pakistani nuclear arms in the event of a crisis. As a result, the United States does not know where all of Pakistan's nuclear weapons are located. Nor has the United States placed "permissive action links" (PALs) -- ATM-like locks for which one must know the code to arm the nuclear weapon -- on Pakistani nuclear weapons. The Pakistanis are concerned that any U.S. device placed on their weapons would be able to reveal their locations or disarm them remotely. As such, if a Pakistani nuclear weapon is stolen, the thieves might well be able to detonate it. Nor can the United States ensure that the right people are developing and guarding the nuclear weapons. The Pakistanis have told the Americans that they are careful in the selection of their nuclear technicians and guards, but who knows whether they are telling the truth or whether the Pakistani government is even capable of monitoring its personnel. It is worth remembering that the notorious Pakistani arms dealer A.Q. Khan sold sensitive nuclear technology to Iran, Libya, and North Korea under the very noses of those who were supposed to supervise his activities.
What then can the United States do to reduce the threat from Pakistan? Washington must first do more to mitigate the tensions between India and Pakistan, thus encouraging the Pakistanis to redirect their military away from the Indian threat and toward the more pressing dangers posed by the Taliban. The United States must be more creative in ways that might help the Pakistanis ensure the security of their arsenal, including assisting them with better command-and-control procedures and safer deployment options for their nuclear forces (thus avoiding a hair-trigger posture). For the long term, the United States can work to build up the Pakistani state, improve Pakistan's education system, enhance its economy (through the elimination of tariffs on Pakistani textiles), and subtly convince the Pakistanis that the moderate Islam for which the country is known is the best path.
Although all of these steps are necessary, none will end the threat of a Pakistani nuclear weapon falling into the wrong hands. So what the United States must do is confront the awful possibility that the Taliban or al Qaeda might one day get its hands on a Pakistani nuclear weapon. To prepare for that contingency, Washington must do more to learn where the Pakistani nuclear arms are located (to destroy or seize them), do a better job at preventing the smuggling of nuclear weapons, and, most horribly, prepare for the nightmare of losing an American city to a Pakistani bomb. That means issues such as continuity of government and public health plans must be made now, for "the day after." It also means that Washington must do better at determining the source of a nuclear explosion and think seriously about how to react if one occurs. Lashing out at Pakistan, especially if the regime was not behind the attack, makes little sense. Learning from the Pakistanis just how many weapons went missing, how it happened, and whether it could happen again might not be as emotionally satisfying as a counterstrike, but makes more sense.
Even during the worst days of the Cold War, Americans and Soviets recognized that a nuclear strike would be folly. The same is not true for the groups that are poised to seize Pakistani nuclear weapons. With luck, we may all survive this crisis. But that does not change the realization that an American city faces a far greater threat of nuclear destruction from a wayward Pakistani nuclear weapon than it ever did from a deliberate Soviet attack.
Steven R. David is professor of political science at Johns Hopkins University. His most recent book is Catastrophic Consequences: Civil Wars and American Interests.

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Armed Forces Appreciation Night
with the Tidewater Tides, Saturday, 16 May

The Tidewater Tides Baseball Club hosted its annual salute to all the Armed Forces at Harbor Park Stadium on Saturday, 16 May, featuring officer and enlisted representatives from all the uniformed services as well as a Joint Service Color Guard and static and recruiting displays. Above, the Senior Marine Corps Representative, Col James Sorg, of G-4, receives his service’s acknowledgement prior to the game.

The Tidewater Tides Baseball Club hosted its annual salute to all the Armed Forces at Harbor Park Stadium on Saturday, 16 May, featuring officer and enlisted representatives from all the uniformed services as well as a Joint Service Color Guard and static and recruiting displays. Above, the Joint Services Color Guard on the field at Harbor Park. Visible under the Marine Corps colors is Sgt Takching Shek of MARFORCOM’s Headquarters Service Battalion (HQSVCBN), and at far right, the Marine Corps Rifle Bearer, Cpl Christopher Haseltine, also of MARFORCOM’s HQSVCBN.

The Tidewater Tides Baseball Club hosted its annual salute to all the Armed Forces at Harbor Park Stadium on Saturday, 16 May, featuring officer and enlisted representatives from all the uniformed services as well as a Joint Service Color Guard and static and recruiting displays. Above, third from left, LCpl Gerald Lane of MARFORCOM’s G-3/5/7, winds up to throw one of the first game balls of the evening. Lane, MARFORCOM’s Marine of the Quarter, represented the Marine Corps enlisted community.


Early Bird summary

Monday’s Early Bird leads with an interview between CBS’ Katie Couric and Defense Secretary Robert F. Gates. For a full transcript, follow this link.
Defense News reports that U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who issued a gag order as the 2010 budget request was being prepared, is now inserting himself into a process designed by Congress to promote candid answers from military leaders, raising members’ fears that they are not receiving enough information on defense spending.
Members of Congress have been told in confidential briefings that Pakistan is rapidly adding to its nuclear arsenal even while racked by insurgency, raising questions on Capitol Hill about whether billions of dollars in proposed military aid might be diverted to Pakistan’s nuclear program, according to the New York Times.Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, confirmed the assessment of the expanded arsenal in a one-word answer to a question on Thursday in the midst of lengthy Senate testimony. Sitting beside Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, he was asked whether he had seen evidence of an increase in the size of the Pakistani nuclear arsenal.“Yes,” he said quickly, adding nothing, clearly cognizant of Pakistan’s sensitivity to any discussion about the country’s nuclear strategy or security.The Associated Press reports that Pakistani security forces fought Taliban militants on the outskirts of Mingora, the main city in the northwest's Swat Valley, and entered two other Taliban-held towns there, the army said Sunday, signaling bloody urban battles.A top government official said the offensive near Afghanistan had killed more than 1,000 Taliban fighters, while a group of pro-government religious leaders endorsed the operation but condemned U.S. missile strikes in the northwest. In a statement Sunday afternoon, the army said 25 militants and a soldier had died in the previous 24 hours.
The Pakistani army says it is making progress against the Taliban in this district 70 miles from Islamabad, but the fighting has left devastation in its wake, the Wall Street Journal reports.Burned vehicles, spent artillery shells and broken electric poles lay strewn along the dusty main road in Ambela, the small mountain town that became the main battleground when Pakistani troops moved in to Buner to oust the Taliban.Pakistan's troops have pushed the militants from the town after fighting that began when the Taliban occupied the district in what the government said was a violation of a peace agreement in neighboring Swat Valley.Rehman Malik, Pakistan's Interior Ministry chief, said Sunday that more than 1,000 militants had been killed in the latest military offensive against the Taliban in northwestern Pakistan. There hasn't been any independent verification of the claim.
An NBC Nightly News report described the U.S. military’s battle against Afghanistan’s lucrative opium trade. For a full transcript, follow this link.
The Honolulu Advertiser reports that a cash-strapped Navy has halted 14,000 duty station moves, is reducing by one-third the sailing time of non-deployed ships and is cutting back on aviation flight hours and ship visits to U.S. cities to counter a $930 million ship repair and manpower budget shortfall, officials said.That funding backlog is being addressed by Congress; U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, D-Hawai'i, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, on Thursday added $190 million to a defense supplemental bill.The mid-year funds are intended to pay for repairs to the Pearl Harbor-based cruiser Port Royal, which ran aground in February off Honolulu airport, as well as to fix the submarine Hartford and amphibious ship New Orleans following their collision in March in the Strait of Hormuz.Inouye also increased Navy personnel funding by $230 million to address a $350 million manpower-cost shortfall, officials said. The Navy expects to recoup about $89 million with the duty station freeze, Navy Times reported.Russia and the United States open fresh nuclear disarmament negotiations this week under pressure to strike a deal by year's end that experts say will have far-reaching consequences for world security, the Washington Times reports.The talks mark the resumption, after a generation of drift, of a process begun in 1969 at the height of the Cold War and are a central element of President Obama's stated desire to "reset" frayed ties with Russia.The initial two-day negotiating session was due to start Tuesday. Heads of the U.S. and Russian delegations held a technical meeting in Rome last month, but the Moscow talks will mark the formal start of the process, officials said.Disagreements between the two countries on the size, nature and purpose of their nuclear arsenals and strategic weapons systems abound, but both have indicated recently that the political will to overcome them now exists."There are good chances for bringing our positions closer and for working out agreements," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said last week after meeting Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in Washington.

Media summary

1. Leading newspaper headlines: The Washington Post and Los Angeles Times lead with President Obama's speech at Notre Dame University's graduation ceremony, at which he addressed the issue of abortion directly while several anti-abortion protesters attempted to disrupt the event. (Slate Magazine)
2. Marine Corps ready for review’s scrutiny: The Marine Corps is lean and built for a fight, including the scrutiny of the upcoming Quadrennial Defense Review, its commandant said during a military strategy forum here today. (Inside NoVa)
3. Retired Marine Corps General likely pick for NASA head: Former astronaut and retired Marine Corps General Charles F. Bolden, Jr., has risen to the top of President Obama's list of candidates to head the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. (FederalNews Radio)

Leading newspaper headlines

The Washington Post and Los Angeles Times lead with President Obama's speech at Notre Dame University's graduation ceremony, at which he addressed the issue of abortion directly while several anti-abortion protesters attempted to disrupt the event. The story also tops the Wall Street Journal's world-wide news box. The New York Times leads with U.S. officials' increasing concern that Pakistan is adding to its nuclear arsenal even as it struggles against an insurgency that threatens to topple the government. USA Today leads with news that local law enforcement agencies are cutting back services, merging or even shutting down altogether because of the recession.

Obama's speech was an attempt to bridge the gap between both sides of the abortion debate by calling on each side to respect the other with "open hearts, open minds, fair-minded words," as he said in a much-quoted part of his address. "Mr. Obama did not engage on the merits of the debate on abortion; he instead made an appeal to each side of the issue," the NYT wrote. Those on the anti-abortion side of the issue were not impressed: An anti-abortion mass was held in response to his presence, a small group protested outside (some were arrested, "nearly 40" according to the NYT), and some students registered their objection by skipping the ceremony. When he accepted the invitation to speak at Notre Dame, Obama originally planned to skirt the controversy around abortion, the NYT said. "But ultimately, he decided to devote most of his address to bridging the chasm over abortion and other moral issues," the paper wrote. The Post said he "relished" the task, and "appeared energized by the controversy." (You can read the whole address here.)
Pentagon officials recently have acknowledged that Pakistan's nuclear arsenal is growing and experts say Pakistan is buying nuclear materials on the black market and building two new plutonium reactors. Members of Congress are concerned that the substantial amount of military aid that the country receives from Washington could be diverted into the nuclear program, but a Pakistani official quoted in the story said that conditioning U.S. military aid on the nuclear issue—as was done in the 1990s—"will not send a positive message to the people of Pakistan."
All the papers front the apparent end to the war in Sri Lanka, where the Tamil Tigers rebel group announced on its Web site that it was laying down arms. The Post—the only paper to have a Sri Lanka dateline—called the news a "stunning and unprecedented admission of defeat in Asia's longest-running war." The government announced that the bodies of four senior rebels had been found, but the group's reclusive leader was not accounted for. (Early morning reports, however, said that he, too was dead.) While the government planned to declare victory on Tuesday, a government military official quoted in the LAT said he didn't believe the Tigers were truly giving up.
Several of the papers, in particular the LAT, have post mortems of the Tigers. "The Tamil Tigers, which at one point had a small navy and air force, were among the most innovative rebel groups in the world. They pioneered the use of suicide vests and refined them so that if the wearer lifted his arms in surrender, the device would detonate. They aggressively recruited female fighters and suicide bombers, and developed innovative financing methods," the LAT wrote. The NYT says the Tigers were forced to give up because of strategic errors that weakened them, and also because of "war on terror"-related financing restrictions that made it more difficult to raise money abroad.
China's auto industry is growing and is quietly looking at picking up some of the pieces of the collapsing U.S. carmakers, reports the Post on the front page: "Chinese companies have tried to dampen speculation, issuing regulatory filings that deny bids to buy Ford's Volvo or General Motor's Saab. But there's little doubt among analysts that Chinese automakers are interested in the United States and that Detroit's automakers are interested in them."
Also in the papers: Islamist rebels in Somalia are on a 10-day offensive that has threatened Somalia's weak central government, the Post reports.

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Marine Corps ready for review’s scrutiny

DoD photo by Marine Cpl. Erin A. Kirk
Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James T. Conway delivers the keynote address focusing on the Quadrennial Defense Review at the CSIS Military Strategy Forum in Washington D.C., on Friday. Conway said he expects the Marine Corps will withstand any scrutiny during QDR discussion.

By Samantha L. Quigley/American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, May 15, 2009 - The Marine Corps is lean and built for a fight, including the scrutiny of the upcoming Quadrennial Defense Review, its commandant said during a military strategy forum here today. “The Marine Corps pulls down about 6 percent of the department’s budget,“ Conway said. “For that 6 percent, you get about 15, 16 percent of the maneuver battalions; you get 15 percent of the attack aircraft [and] you get 19 percent of the attack helicopters. The average Marine costs the country about $20,000 less than the next closest service man in other services.“ The Corps also defines the kind of service Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates is seeking: a balanced force oriented toward the hybrid, but able to counter surprises that sometimes develop around the globe, Conway said. “One hundred percent of our Marine Corps procurement can be used in both the hybrid kind of environment or in major combat,“ he said. “It’s a record we’re proud of and we think that’s certainly going to continue on downrange.“ The QDR most likely will bring up three issues involving the Marine Corps, the commandant said. The first is the lay down of forces as it relates to the Corps’ pending move to Guam. The second is the shortfall in the Corps’ attack aircraft procurement. It hasn’t purchased such a craft in 11 years, but with good reason, he said. “We chose not to buy the F-18 E and F when the Navy did, so that we could await the arrival of a fifth-generation fighter called the Joint Strike Fighter, the F-35B,“ Conway said. “Interestingly, we are the first of all the services to get initial operation capacity out of that aircraft.“ That capacity won’t be a reality until 2012. Until then, the Marine Corps has taken steps to make sure its fleet of F-18 A through D fighter jets are viable resources, including extending the jets to 10,000 hours of flight time, Conway said. The third issue focuses on the need for amphibious capability and how much is necessary. “That is a major player as far as Marines are concerned, of course ... because it talks about that niche capability that we provide,“ Conway said. “I would rephrase the question a little bit and [ask], ‘How much does this maritime nation and world superpower need for purposes of security cooperation and theater engagement? If you ask that question of the combatant commanders, they will tell you almost uniformly that’s their number one requirement.“ Conway said he believes the chief of Naval Operations would say the amphibious ships are the best for that particular job. They provide a great range of capabilities including training, air, medical and dental. “We think that the value on a day-in and day-out basis is really the engagement that this nation has to be able to accomplish over time and [be able to do it] from the sea,“ Conway said. The military is seeing more nations request the aid the U.S. military has brought them, but they don’t necessarily want them creating a footprint ashore, he said.

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Retired Marine Corps General likely pick for NASA head
May 15, 2009 - 12:06pm
By Julia ZieglerFederalNewsRadio
Former astronaut and retired Marine Corps General Charles F. Bolden, Jr., has risen to the top of President Obama's list of candidates to head the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Bolden is scheduled to meet with President Obama on Monday according to sources who spoke with NBC News.
The nomination could come the same day.
As an astronaut, Bolden logged over 680 hours in space and is a veteran of four space flights. He was also involved in the deployment of the Hubble Space Telescope in 1990.
If confirmed by the Senate, he would be the first African American to hold the post.
(Copyright 2009 by FederalNewsRadio.com. All Rights Reserved.)

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14 May Media Summary

Early Bird summary

Thursday’s Early Bird leads with a report from the Associated Press stating that Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Wednesday said his decisions to scrap multibillion-dollar defense projects, like a new White House helicopter, were "no brainers."But some lawmakers expressed concerns over certain planned cuts and about the secrecy surrounding them.
Gates told the House Armed Services Committee that some programs, like the presidential helicopters, "didn't require deep analysis to figure out that (they) ought to be stopped as poster children for an acquisition process gone wrong."

Reuters reports that Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Wednesday he hoped momentum in the Afghan war would shift to the United States and its allies by the end of this year.
The United States is pouring tens of thousands of troops into Afghanistan this year as part of a new strategy by the Obama administration to reverse gains by a resurgent Taliban and other insurgent groups.

The Obama administration is weighing plans to detain some terror suspects on U.S. soil -- indefinitely and without trial -- as part of a plan to retool military commission trials that were conducted for prisoners held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The proposal being floated with members of Congress is another indication of President Barack Obama's struggles to establish his counter-terrorism policies, balancing security concerns against attempts to alter Bush-administration practices he has harshly criticized.
On Wednesday, the president reversed a recent administration decision to release photos showing purported abuse of prisoners at U.S. military facilities in Iraq and Afghanistan. Mr. Obama cited concern that releasing the pictures could endanger U.S. troops. Mr. Obama ordered government lawyers to pull back an earlier court filing promising to release hundreds of photos by month's end as part a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union.

The Los Angeles Times reports that the U.S. military has flown drones into Pakistan at least a dozen times in recent weeks in cooperation with the Pakistanis as part of a new program, U.S. officials acknowledged Wednesday.The military conducted test flights in March to demonstrate intelligence gathering capabilities to the Pakistanis. Those were followed by Pakistani requests for additional Predator flights to collect intelligence on suspected militants, said an official from U.S. Central Command, which oversees forces in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Lower oil prices are threatening Iraq's efforts to build a military capable of defending the country, raising the possibility that the Iraqis will need substantial U.S. help for years after the Americans leave by 2012, according to the Arizona Daily Star.
The budget crunch not only affects ground forces that bear the brunt of the fight against Sunni and Shiite extremists — it also slows development of an air force capable of defending the skies and a navy able to protect vital oil-exporting facilities in the Persian Gulf from terror attacks.All that is forcing U.S. and Iraqi planners to make tough choices during the countdown to the withdrawal of all American troops by the end of 2011. With the Obama administration shifting resources to Af-ghanistan, the U.S. is not in a position to finance the Iraqi budget shortfall.

USA Today reports that a Marine Corps official says he may be fired for demanding accountability for military leaders who have failed to provide troops with equipment urgently needed in combat, according to testimony he's scheduled to deliver to Congress on Thursday.Marine procurement problems led to "many lives unnecessarily lost" because of delays in fielding equipment such as armored vehicles, Marine science adviser Franz Gayl says in a copy of his testimony to the House oversight committee.The civilian official, a retired Marine major, says he anticipates being reprimanded for his appearance before the committee.Committee Chairman Edolphus Towns, D-N.Y., said Gayl's case shows that whistle-blower protections need to be strengthened.

Lt. Gen. Dennis Hejlik, the commander of the II Marine Corps Expeditionary Force, on Tuesday called the V-22 Osprey a good aircraft for combat search and rescue missions, according to The Hill.Pentagon leaders are trying to figure out the next step in replacing the Air Force’s existing search and rescue helicopter fleet after canceling the service’s high-profile replacement program over cost concerns. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he would like to find a solution that would work for all the services, or the so-called joint forces. The V-22, which was once a target for termination, is now being bandied about as a possibility.

Congressional Quarterly Today reports that Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead, in his first interview since President Obama submitted additional details of his fiscal 2010 budget request to Congress last week, said May 12 that the proposed Navy budget, which he will discuss before Skelton’s committee Thursday, would enable the Navy to continue to respond adroitly to perils as diverse as insurgents, pirates and cyberwarriors.Other countries and terrorist groups are amassing increasingly sophisticated weaponry to combat the Navy close to shore, and the emerging threats drove a major Navy decision recently, Roughead said. The inability of the Navy’s newest class of destroyer, the DDG-1000 Zumwalt, to deal with these adversary systems was the main reason the Navy decided to buy only three of them, not the originally planned 32. The Navy will instead buy more of its current class, the DDG-51 Arleigh Burkes, starting with one in fiscal 2010, plus parts for future destroyers.Among the eight ships the Navy has requested for the coming fiscal year is a Virginia-class submarine, along with parts for future subs and nearly a half-billion dollars to develop a new nuclear-missile submarine.Also included are three Littoral Combat Ships, which are fast, light, shore-hugging vessels that can deploy manned and unmanned aircraft and miniature submarines. The program has suffered from technical glitches, considerable cost growth and delays, but Roughead said the Navy is committed to it.

The London Times reports that Russia raised the prospect of war in the Arctic yesterday as nations struggle for control of the world’s dwindling energy reserves.The country’s new national security strategy identified the intensifying battle for ownership of vast untapped oil and gas fields around its borders as a source of potential military conflict within a decade.“The presence and potential escalation of armed conflicts near Russia’s national borders, pending border agreements between Russia and several neighbouring nations, are the major threats to Russia’s interests and border security,” stated the document, which analysed security threats up to 2020.

Media summary

1. Leading newspaper headlines: The Washington Post leads with President Obama's decision to try to block the release of photographs showing the abuse of detainees by U.S. soldiers. (Slate Magazine)
2. Marine receives rare opportunity: Lance Cpl. Sean R. Padfield, hardly ever gets the chance to show his family what he does in the Marine Corps. (military.com)

Leading newspaper headlines

The Washington Post leads with President Obama's decision to try to block the release of photographs showing the abuse of detainees by U.S. soldiers. Last month, the administration said it wouldn't fight a court order to release 44 photos by May 28, but Obama changed his mind after he saw some of the photographs and heard from top Pentagon officials that releasing the images could endanger troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Wall Street Journal leads its world-wide newsbox with word that the Obama administration is discussing ways to detain terror suspects. The administration is apparently considering a proposal to indefinitely hold some Guantanamo detainees inside the United Stats with the approval of a new national security court.
The New York Times leads with the unveiling of a new plan to increase oversight of derivatives, the complex financial instruments that were largely responsible for sparking the financial crisis. The Obama administration has called on Congress to increase regulation over derivatives, which largely managed to escape federal oversight even though the market has grown exponentially in the last few years. The Los Angeles Times leads with a look at how the hearing about the Colgan Air crash near Buffalo, N.Y., that killed 50 people is raising questions about the safety of regional airlines as a whole. The pilot was apparently unfamiliar with important emergency procedures, the co-pilot was paid $16,200 a year, they both commuted hundreds of miles to work, and they probably flew tired that fateful day. USA Today leads with a look at how around 20,000 soldiers are unavailable for combat because of wounds and injuries, the largest number since the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan began. At a time when investigators are looking into the soldier who shot five fellow service members in Baghdad, the Army says it might have to scrap plans to increase the time off between deployments. But Army officials are optimistic that the plan to withdraw troops from Iraq will be enough to help the situation.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he changed his mind about releasing the photographs that depict detainee abuse after the top commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan raised objections. It appears that is what swayed Obama as well. How shocking are these photographs? Last month, published reports made it seem as though the images wouldn't be anywhere as graphic as the infamous Abu Ghraib photographs. Now it's not so clear. The executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, which had fought for the release of the photographs, says officials have described them as "worse than Abu Ghraib." The WP hears the same view from a congressional staff member who says that the release of the photos would lead to "a major outcry for an investigation by a commission or some other vehicle." But one Pentagon official tells the NYT that while the photos do depict detainees in humiliating positions, they're not as provocative as the images from Abu Ghraib. For his part, Obama said the photos aren't "particularly sensational."
The LAT notes that while Obama's reversal has angered his liberal base, the president might see it as a "showdown" that is "politically necessary." After all the criticism he has received from the right lately, this is one decision that won him praise from Republicans. And now, even if the courts eventually force the release of the photographs, Obama can always say he tried to do what was best for the troops. The White House said the argument that the photos shouldn't be released because they could spark a backlash had never been made in court. But the LAT says that's not true and points out that the issue was rejected by both a district court judge and a court of appeals.
Currently, a big part of the trading in derivatives markets goes on behind closed doors. In fact, no one can even say how big the market is. Now the administration wants trading in these exotic instruments, such as the credit-default swaps that brought on AIG's demise, to be more open and transparent. Although one might expect the financial industry to be up in arms against the plan, it seems everyone recognizes that some sort of regulation is inevitable. The WP notes that under Obama's plan, specialized derivatives, such as those negotiated between companies, would still be allowed to continue trading largely outside the control of regulators. This has led some to worry that traders will be motivated to create even more complex derivatives just to stay one step ahead of regulation.
The WSJ goes inside with the administration's new drug czar declaring that he wants to end the idea that the United States is fighting "a war on drugs." The statement illustrates how the Obama administration is likely to focus on treatment rather than jail time for drug abusers. Gil Kerlikowske, the head of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, said that the popular phrase has become an impediment to dealing with the country's drug issues. "[P]eople see a war as a war on them," he said.
Remember yesterday's lead story in the LAT that revealed the U.S. military had begun working on a new joint program with Pakistani officials to operate armed Predator drones and go after insurgents? Well, today the NYT's sources say that's not true. And apparently there are no plans in the works for the military to even operate its own armed drones inside Pakistan. The NYT does say that the U.S. military flew "a handful" of unarmed drone surveillance missions and provided Pakistan with information that was collected along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. In an attempt to build up goodwill, the military offered a large amount of images and real-time footage, but it's "not clear whether the cooperation will continue," particularly since "requests for additional flights abruptly stopped without explanation," notes the NYT.

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Marine Receives Rare Opportunity
May 13, 2009
Marine Corps News

Lance Cpl. Sean R. Padfield, hardly ever gets the chance to show his family what he does in the Marine Corps. With Marine Week Chicago in full swing he’s taking advantage of the opportunity, including a static display at Sears Holdings today.
Marine Week Chicago is a week-long Marine Corps-sponsored event, which is currently underway with events scheduled through Sunday.
Padfield, a rifleman with the Chicago-based 2nd Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, volunteered to participate in Marine Week Chicago to give back to his community and showcase the Marine Corps.
“The idea behind Marine Week is great,” said Padfield, 23, from Zion, Ill. “It’s a good chance to show the people we’re not just warriors and to give back to the community.”
During Marine Week, Marines belonging to 2nd Bn., 24th Marines and other units, in an effort to help the community have been involved in cleaning up parks, providing vehicles at events and handing out and serving food to those in need within the Chicago area.
Families of the battalion have followed the Marines’ efforts and seem pleased with their Marines’ contributions.
“I’m incredibly proud of what my son is doing,” said David Padfield, Sean’s father. “I don’t think they get the credit they deserve. I wish every American taxpayer could see the quality of material the Marines work with. They’re getting their money’s worth.”
The materials Marines use to accomplish their mission have also been displayed during Marine Week Chicago. Many of the vehicles and the equipment Marines use have been showcased throughout the week at various locations. At these events both children and adults were found walking through the vehicles and handling an assortment of weapons.
“These events will answer a lot of questions for people,” said Sgt. James Guerra, 35, the scout sniper platoon sergeant for 2nd Bn., 24th Marines. “You can tell someone what a job is in the Marine Corps, but to actually see it in person is a different experience.”
Sean is hoping that brining his parents to an event will help them understand what he does in the Marine Corps.
“Sunday my family is coming out to the show in Arlington Park,” Sean said. “It’s going to be first chance for them to see what I do and what I used in Iraq.”

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