ON THE FIGHT
Malian and French forces have begun an extensive assault on militant strongholds in Mali affiliated with al-Qaida after a brief respite in which Islamic militants were able to rest control from government forces in what has become the third week on fighting in the conflict-riden African nation.
Algeria has come out on the defensive in response to criticism of their raid of a gas facility last week, where over 40 hostages were held captive by Islamic militants and at least three American citizens were killed.
Secretary of Defense Panetta offered a bold proclamation yesterday, saying that way in which the United States has responded to and continues to offer non-lethal aid and intelligence support to French forces waging war against Islamic militants in Mali is a model that will be utilized again in future small wars, as opposed to a one-off aid package to a favored ally.
The Russian government is in the process of deploying some 100 warplanes to Syria, amidst heaving fighting between the rebel forces and Syrian government forces there.
The Atlantic’s Armin Rosen examines one of the greatest scourges of modern conflict: how and why Iranian ammunition and weapons have come to permeate every corner and battlefield on the vast continent of Africa.
ON THE FORCE
The federal government and WMATA have agreed to establish a $245 federal transit subsidy that covers Metro travel, an increase from the previously $120 subsidy that allows federal employees to subside their travel in the the national capital region on public transportation.
POTOMAC TWO-STEP
At his inauguration speech yesterday, President Obama was careful not to articulate what his national security priorities are moving forwards into his second term. Among the conflicts raging even as his second term began on a cold Monday afternoon, counterterrorism operations in and around Somalia, Yemen and Pakistan stand most prominently.
ON TECH
The Air Force has taken a novel approach to enabling the networked battlefield by equipping some of its legacy fighter platforms with Wifi and broadband cellular repeaters, including a venerable A-10 Warthog.
ON SECRECY – OR LACK THEREOF
Wired’s Danger Room blog has posted a compendium of photos of nine of the world’s biggest intelligence agencies. The capsule descriptions accompanying the photos could use some work, but the pics are great. My favorite is the picture of the headquarters building in downtown London of the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), which technically you are not supposed to photograph. The collection of satellite images also includes the headquarters complex of the Mossad in Herzliya north of Tel Aviv.
Robert Caruso is a veteran of the United States Navy, and has worked for the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, Business Transformation Agency and the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
