A recently released Congressional Research Service report warns us of the challenges inherent in the establishment of hundreds of biological research labs. Is there a future Bruce Ivins out there? USAToday covers the story: "In an awkward and disturbing irony, the most significant bioterrorism ...

It's always enduring to have the MSM tell us stories of the hard-pressed Israelis and their constant quest to just survive the day-to-day traumas that is the Middle East. Let's peek at the Washington Post's coverage yesterday. Sderot, hard by the Gaza Strip and the frequent target of roc...

I don't know retired Ambassador Chas Freeman from any other suit in Washington DC, but I find his resignation from the chair of the National Intelligence Council - which was not a political appointee position - very disturbing. This man is a smart, realistic thinker. From Laura Rozen...

Anthony Cordesman of CSIS must be feeling as irritated as I am by the low level of discourse on defense acquisition decisions. He sent out an email that was a transcript of a recent speech at NDU. The truth is, however, that the problems we face are part of a defense culture that has been building f...

It seems that the Marine Corps is discovering that wearing body armor that weighs 34 pounds in addition to all the combat gear an individual combat troop is expected to carry does have some side effects - like reducing their ability to move quickly and effectively when the shit hits the fan. "T...

I'm troubled over the lack of calm, clear analysis on the Obama administration's views of defense programs and what is within the realm of possible to get defense on the right track. To read some newspapers and bloggers, the Obama administration is winding up to put some hurt on defense cont...

You may find the title of this post slightly self-evident - the many dubious legal opinions that this man has stated stand in testimony of his duplicity in creating a "flexible" legal atmosphere within the Bush administration. But he just doesn't know when to shut up. He feels compelle...

War News Update has been following the nuke news, and last week he remarked on the National Intelligence Council's dire prediction of nuclear threats in the future. "The world of the near future will be subject to an increased likelihood of conflict over resources, including food and water,...

The LA Times remarks on how the United States has spent more than $50 billion on biodefense efforts when there have been absolutely zero bioterrorism attacks. But any potential bioterrorist attack has to be fully investigated... even when it's pretty clear that it's not a anthrax incident. T...

Andrew Exum, a.k.a. Abu Muqawama, penned this book before he became a famous blogger on Middle Eastern affairs. "This Man's Army" is a story about an East Tennessee native who decides to take the Army ROTC scholarship at University of Penn in 1996, goes through Infantry Officer Basic C...