Archive for February, 2007

“This relates back to the capacity of our acquisition staffs to deal with the myriad definitization of task orders, particular line items, the ability to interact with the extensive amount of nodes that you have in ICGS.”

It’s definitely hard defining all those task orders.

Send nonword nominations to Jack Wittman at jwittma@atpco.com. …

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Contractor crackdown

Civilian contract employees can now be prosecuted under the UCMJ

As they headed to the Baghdad airport in July, two security guards working for the contract firm Triple Canopy say they were …

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Nuclear fusion

The most important fact of America’s new strategic partnership with India is not just that it recognizes India as a nuclear power, but that it also represents open American acceptance and acknowledgement …

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Trans-Atlantic trade challenges

Defense cooperation among allies, whether programmatically or intellectually, is critical. As the saying goes, “No one’s got a monopoly on good ideas.” And treasuries worldwide want to curb spending. That means doing …

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Buying boots

The challenge of expanding U.S. land forces

At last, more than five years after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the Bush administration has come to realize that the land forces of …

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To the British government

For its scandalous decision to drop the corruption probe into the Al Yamamah arms deal with Saudi Arabia.

The U.K.’s Serious Fraud Office was investigating allegations that BAE Systems set up a …

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New strategic partners

The Bush administration’s 2004 Global Posture Review was primarily about reshaping America’s global military footprint for easier deployment in the changed geopolitical environment.

Building new alliances with strategically important countries dovetailed with …

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Progress and peril

New counterinsurgency manual cheats on the history exam

The final version of Army FM 3-24, “Counterinsurgency,” (MCWP 3-33.5 for the Marine Corps) deserves applause for coming a long way fast. The Sept. …

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Fighting long small wars

Creating indigenous security forces for counterinsurgency operations

“Counterinsurgency and the Global War on Terror: Military Culture and Irregular War,” by Robert M. Cassidy; Praeger, $49.95.

With a slight nod to Mr. Dickens, …

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A betrayal of our heritage

The awards process is broken

The Defense Department last year initiated a comprehensive review of how military awards and decorations are awarded. With our nation at war, it is particularly important that …

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