Security Developments

• N. Korea Declares 'No Sail' Zone Off West Coast
  North Korea has announced a ban on shipping off part of its west coast and South Korea is watching for any signs of missile tests, the defense ministry in Seoul said June 25.
• Three sought in home invasion
  Law enforcement officials are seeking three suspects in connection with a home invasion in Pasquotank County Tuesday that involved one armed suspect breaking into the residence after claiming to be an FBI agent.
• Two German aid workers kidnapped in Darfur
  Unknown gunmen kidnapped two German aid workers last night from their residence in Nyala the capital of South Darfur State, the hybrid peacekeeping mission reported on wednesday.

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Defense News

• Gates says he agrees with Obama decision on McChrystal
  Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday that he agrees with President Obama's decision to replace Gen. Stanley McChrystal with Gen. David Petraeus as the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan.
• Afghanistan Sinking
  President Obama announced a winning strategy last night, in fact the only strategy can ensure success.   He was talking about battling the oil spill, but the same strategy is the only way to guarantee victory in real war as well.  The problem is this particular strategy is often THE most expensive option, and therefore the price can sometimes be too high.
• Next Marine Commandant Must Resolve Frictions With Navy Over Missions And Money
  Defense analyst and consultant Loren Thompson is hearing some of the same things we are about the budget pressure induced friction growing between the Navy and the Marine Corps
  
• Marine Prowlers 'Jam' Afghan Skies
  Although the bureau numbers on the fuselages of Marine Electronic Attack Squadron 2's EA-6B Prowlers tell of jets harkening from the Cold War, the venerable jammers have found a new and vital niche in the counterinsurgency of Afghanistan.

Afghanistan–Pakistan Developments

• Troop pullout in Afghanistan set for next summer
  The Obama administration reaffirmed Sunday that it will begin pulling U.S. troops out of Afghanistan next summer, despite reservations among top generals that absolute deadlines are a mistake.
  
• Pakistan conflicted over targeting rising extremists in its heartland
  Even as its army battles insurgents on the mountainous western border, Pakistan's government remains deeply ambivalent about tackling extremist Sunnis it says are a rising menace within its populous heartland.
• U.S. indirectly paying Afghan warlords as part of security contract
  The U.S. military is funding a massive protection racket in Afghanistan, indirectly paying tens of millions of dollars to warlords, corrupt public officials and the Taliban to ensure safe passage of its supply convoys throughout the country, according to congressional investigators.
• Next for Afghanistan, the Curse of Plenty?
  Let’s suppose there is $1 trillion worth of minerals under Afghanistan, as senior American officials and a confidential Pentagon memo said last week.
• 'D.C. Five' jailed in Pakistan on terror charges
  Five Americans arrested on terror charges in Pakistan have been sentenced to at least 10 years in prison, the deputy prosecutor general said Thursday.

Homeland Security

• Mexican Gangs Maintain Permanent Lookout Bases in Hills of Arizona
  Mexican drug cartels have set up shop on American soil, maintaining lookout bases in strategic locations in the hills of southern Arizona from which their scouts can monitor every move made by law enforcement officials, federal agents tell Fox News. 
• House panel OKs $44B Homeland Security spending bill
  A House panel on Thursday approved a $44 billion fiscal 2011 spending bill for the Homeland Security Department while rejecting a controversial proposal by the Obama administration to spend $200 million to bring terrorist suspects to New York City for criminal trials.
• Times Square Bomb Suspect Pleads Guilty
  The Pakistani-born man accused of trying to set off a car bomb in New York City's Times Square is facing spending the rest of his life in U.S. prison after pleading guilty to terrorism-related charges.

Weapons and Tactics

• Gun rights among Supreme Court's final decisions
  The Supreme Court is handing down eagerly awaited rulings on gun rights and three other remaining cases in its last meeting until the fall and the final day of Justice John Paul Stevens' long service.
• New MRAPs Must Be Funded With 2010 Budget
  Denmark's military has come under increased pressure from government and opposition parties to acquire new Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) personnel carriers that provide superior armored chassis protection.
• High Court Rules in Favor of Gun Rights
  The Supreme Court ruled for the first time that gun possession is fundamental to American freedom, giving federal judges power to strike down state and local weapons laws for violating the Second Amendment.
  
• US Defense Officials Questioned About Afghan Trucking Contract
  U.S. Defense Department officials say they take any allegation of corruption and wrongdoing seriously in response to a congressional report saying tens of millions of dollars in U.S. taxpayers' money have been paid as extortion money to Afghan warlords, public officials and even the Taliban to make sure U.S. supply convoys get to their destinations.

High Risk Logistics

• British Gas inks logistics deal to support smart meter rollout
  The high-profile plans of British Gas to roll out smart meters to all of its customers edged closer to reality yesterday when the energy giant confirmed it has hired logistics giant DHL to implement a national supply chain system to support the installation programme as part of a £17m deal.
• Shipping- Logistics Digest: China-US port trade up
  Economic rebound is gaining strength, if US containerized imports and exports figures are any indication, according to PIERS Global Intelligence Solutions. China imports continue to rule trade but Vietnam's apparel industry is becoming a key component in U.S. trade growth.
• In wake of crisis in Kyrgyzstan, UN agencies boost aid efforts
  United Nations aid agencies and partners are stepping up humanitarian efforts in Kyrgyzstan, where a planeload of emergency supplies arrived today to help some of the 300,000 people displaced by ethnic conflict, and in neighbouring Uzbekistan where thousands of refugees have fled the violence.

Related Information

OUR WORLD

Good military leaders are not given freedom to lead but dictated to by others who have little or no experience and are not on the field themselves.  Seldom a day passes that we do not lose precious lives on a foreign battlefield because of lack of something that is needed in the form of more troops, more supplies of the right type or more freedom to exercise the actions to defeat enemies and win wars. Neither Afghanistan nor Iraq want Democracy... They will revert to War Lord rule as soon as we are totally out of their countries...

Full article can be seen at: http://www.ustraining.com/new/btw/chaplain/062810chaplain.htm

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