Following the disintegration of Moammar Gadhafi's regime in Libya, the general in charge of U.S. Africa Command is most concerned about extremist organizations gaining access to the regime's weapons, most notably shoulder-launched, surface-to-air missiles.
Irregular Warfare Alert
September 14, 2011
September 8, 2011
A Pentagon program that seeks to boost international cooperation while addressing emerging security threats will continue funding a dozen ongoing projects that received funding in fiscal year 2011, according to Pentagon officials and documents.
August 25, 2011
Many Pentagon officials oppose the Defense Science Board's call for a new senior post to oversee intelligence, surveillance and reconnaisance for counterinsurgency operations, a source with knowledge of the discussions told Inside the Pentagon.
August 10, 2011
The sponsor
of legislation calling for a bipartisan Afghanistan-Pakistan Study Group says
he has received a lukewarm response from Pentagon officials on the creation of
the group after writing letters urging them to fast-track the panel.
August 5, 2011
Seeking to balance the Army's mission responsibilities in
Iraq and Afghanistan, the Government Accountability Office has recommended that
the service "asses and refine" those of its brigade combat teams which have
been augmented to perform advisory roles.
July 28, 2011
U.S. Africa Command is set to begin a new security assistance program in East Africa that aims to bolster the ability of Uganda's military to fight the Lord's Resistance Army, a rebel group that for more than 20 years has terrorized civilians.
Congress has lifted a hold it placed earlier this month on a Defense Department proposal to begin a new program to provide Ugandan defense forces with counterterrorism training and equipment, according to Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. James Gregory.
July 14, 2011
Defense Department officials are expected to meet with the director of national intelligence by early fall to recommend the best way to bolster management of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance for counterinsurgency operations, a source with knowledge of the discussions told Inside the Pentagon.
July 7, 2011
Senate authorizers want to shift $150 million from the Pentagon's global-train-and-equip program to create new military aid initiatives aims specifically at Yemen and Somalia.
July 1, 2011
The three
maritime services are working together on an overarching strategy for stability
operations with the hopes of completing the first draft by the end of this
year, according to Rear Adm. Sinclair Harris, who heads the Navy's irregular
warfare office.
June 30, 2011
A Defense Department proposal that calls for a new joint fund in the State Department's budget aimed at boosting the capabilities of security forces in foreign countries has garnered some support among lawmakers, but congressional defense committees are divided on the details.
June 24, 2011
An Army office of handpicked experts will continue to supply
frontline troops in Afghanistan with advisers and tips on asymmetric warfare
tactics as U.S. forces begin to leave the country in accordance with President's
Obama's drawdown plan, according to a service official.
June 24, 2011
The Navy has been operating MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned
helicopter drones off the east coast of Africa in addition to operations in
Afghanistan as Navy aviation enters an important era, Chief of Naval Operations
Adm. Gary Roughead said recently.
June 23, 2011
House lawmakers have proposed withholding large sums from the Pakistan Counterinsurgency Fund until the Pentagon submits a report on the strategy and metrics used for the fund, and it is "quite possible" the Senate will consider similar limitations, according to a congressional source.
June 16, 2011
The sponsor of legislation calling for a bipartisan Afghanistan-Pakistan Study Group says retired Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) would be a good fit for the proposed panel -- and Hunter says he is open to the idea.
June 16, 2011
Yemen is the most likely place for terrorists to plan major attacks, but al Qaeda's core leadership remains a top-tier threat, according to a senior State Department official.
June 16, 2011
Cyberattacks are more likely to come from nation states than terrorists, a senior counterterrorism State Department official said, contradicting recent remarks by Deputy Defense Secretary William Lynn.
June 14, 2011
Yemen is the most likely place for terrorists to plan major attacks, but al Qaeda's core leadership remains a top-tier threat, according to a senior State Department official.
State Department Counterterrorism Coordinator Daniel Benjamin said Yemen is home to al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula -- an affiliate of the terrorist organization that "has shown itself . . . wanting to carry out attacks against the United States at home." Benjamin noted that the intelligence community has found that the greatest likelihood for the next attack would come from Yemen.
June 10, 2011
As policy discussions regarding the planned drawdown in Afghanistan become more lucid, the U.S. commander of the NATO-led Afghan security forces training mission says he needs more time to build an army and police force that would ensure America receives a "return on investment."
June 9, 2011
As policy discussions regarding the planned drawdown in Afghanistan become more lucid, the U.S. commander of the NATO-led Afghan security forces training mission says he needs more time to build an army and police force that would ensure America receives a "return on investment."
June 2, 2011
House lawmakers are voicing concern about a widening gap between active-duty and Reserve forces' capabilities for military information support operations, formerly called psychological operations.