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‘Get it right quickly’ | What is al Qaeda? | Navy, space leader

Daniel P. Bolger, a retired Army lieutenant general, writes about a military’s duty during times of uncertain peace. “The best the U.S. Army — or any military — can do is try …

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Spying goes “insane” | Iron Triangle, bending? | Revisiting a strategy for peace

Spying goes “insane” | Iron Triangle, bending? | Revisiting a strategy for peace

NSA slide (Washington Post)

Yesterday was the day “global spying allegations” went “insane,” according to Foreign Policy. The biggest news was the Washington Post blockbuster that NSA is hoovering up user data …

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From director to actor | Can-kicking. Face-saving? | Caliphate progress report

From director to actor | Can-kicking. Face-saving? | Caliphate progress report

The last combat brigade to leave Iraq. (Army)

Gordon Adams says the U.S. is no longer the undisputed director of the global play: “The most disconcerting part of this accelerating movement on …

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ISO Mideast strategy | SOF hunts Kony | Flipflop over NSA

ISO Mideast strategy | SOF hunts Kony | Flipflop over NSA

FSA rebels cleaning their AK-47s in Aleppo, Syria. (VOA News)

Dan Drezner tries to discern a grand-strategy approach to the Middle East, and lays out a few things he hopes the administration …

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Willfully blind | Poor strategic planning | 4th-gen war

Willfully blind | Poor strategic planning | 4th-gen war

PAKTYA PROVINCE, Afghanistan – U.S. Army Pfc. Michael W. Daley Jr.
(right) and Pfc. Travis B. Woolwine, both Soldiers with 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division …

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How to think about DoD’s budget choices | Split NSA/CyberCom? | CBO on USN

How to think about DoD’s budget choices | Split NSA/CyberCom? | CBO on USN

CSBA’s Harrison: Budget proposals on the table ignore BCA caps — and history.

CSBA’s Todd Harrison crunched the numbers and found that, if history is any guide, the budget levels prescribed under …

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Extreme tiered readiness | Regionally focused training | Do maritime security right

Extreme tiered readiness | Regionally focused training | Do maritime security right

The Army will have to move into an ‘extreme tiered readiness model’ as it struggles to train and equip soldiers amid the ongoing fiscal crisis, the service’s top officer said Chief of …

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Sequestration’s costs | AUSA coverage | NATO deterrence

Now that the insanity of the shutdown is past (for now), we can get back to railing against the inflexibity of the sequester. Here’s Lt. Col. Robert Bateman’s take. (Esquire).

Today’s the …

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Only two brigades are ready | Keeping the Arctic peace | U.S. ASW vision

Only two brigades are ready | Keeping the Arctic peace | U.S. ASW vision

Army Chief of Staff Ray Odierno says his service has just two combat-ready brigades. (Defense News). And don’t miss the rest of Defense News’ coverage from AUSA.

James Stavridis on avoiding war …

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Army seeks way forward | USAF QDR | China’s air force

Happy AUSA Week! As you head off to the year’s biggest domestic land-warfare convention, don’t miss Paul McCleary’s article about the Army’s attempt to find its way post-Iraq, post-Afghanistan. McCleary talked with …

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