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Over the past year, US citizens have become increasingly aware of the substandard consumer-level goods flowing out of China, but new reports indicate that the counterfeit products and dubious quality controls are not confined to the consumer sector. An increasingly large number of supposedly military-grade electronic components are turning out to be counterfeit commercial-grade hardware that, in some cases, is decades older than the manufacturing label indicates. The problem, to be sure, is not entirely China's fault. Back in 1994 and 1996, the Clinton Administration passed two bills, the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act (1994), and the Clinger-Cohen Act of 1996...

The FBI and Department of Homeland Security today issued an analytical "note" to U.S. law-enforcement officials cautioning that al-Qaida terrorists have in the past expressed interest in attacking public buildings using a dozen suicide bombers each carrying 20 kilograms of explosives. Authors with the U.S. Office of Intelligence and Analysis added that they have "no credible or specific information that terrorists are planning operations against public buildings in the United States." *snip* According to the note obtained by NBC News, a "recently discovered audio recording of al-Qa‘ida training sessions conducted several years ago provides instruction to potential suicide terrorists on...

The mainstream media has justified ignoring this story based on a “conspiracy theory” chain email (politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/465) making the rounds from some African missionaries. Politifact.com examined the email—which claims Obama gave $1MM to Odinga’s campaign—and declared it “a pants on fire”. However, the underlying (more important issues) are verifiably true. In August and September 2006, Senator Barack Obama traveled to South Africa, Chad, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Chad and Kenya as a congressional delegation of one (Codel Obama) (“Codel Obama” The Hill 9/7/2006) While in Kenya, Obama consistently appeared at the side of fellow Luo Raila Odinga (“your agent for change’), who was...

The American military faces a growing threat of potentially fatal equipment failure—and even foreign espionage—because of counterfeit computer components used in warplanes, ships, and communication networks. Fake microchips flow from unruly bazaars in rural China to dubious kitchen-table brokers in the U.S. and into complex weapons. Senior Pentagon officials publicly play down the danger, but government documents, as well as interviews with insiders, suggest possible connections between phony parts and breakdowns. In November 2005, a confidential Pentagon-industry program that tracks counterfeits issued an alert that "BAE Systems experienced field failures," meaning military equipment malfunctions, which the large defense contractor traced...

Help Us, Pleads Afghan Government by: Jesse Masai, October 02, 2008 Seven years after the fall of the Taliban, Afghanistan has seen an increase in security incidents that have killed soldiers and civilians, including assassination attempts on President Ahmed Kharzai. While larger parts of the country remain safe and democratization and development continue moving forward, Afghan Minister of Defense General Abdul Rahim Wardak says the rise in violence requires new approaches involving Afghan institutions, regional partners and the international community. Speaking at the Heritage Foundation, General Rahim said Afghanistan has made considerable progress over time, but also suggested that three...

PITTSBURGH - A federal judge does not have the jurisdiction to second-guess security clearance decisions and should throw out a lawsuit by a Muslim scientist who claims he wrongly lost his clearance — and his job — at a nuclear warship plant, U.S. Justice Department attorneys said in court documents. Lawyers for the Department of Energy contend the lawsuit filed by Egyptian-born scientist Abdel Moniem Ali El-Ganayni is an effort to publicize the security review process, which could pose a threat to the U.S. The American Civil Liberties Union helped El-Ganayni sue this year, saying he was wrongly fired for...

AOL’S DEBATE POLL: NATIONAL SECURITY PLACES A DISTANT SECOND AOL News, not your classic example of conservative opinion, published some early poll results on Friday’s McCain-Obama debate: http://news.aol.com/elections/debates/article/obama-mccain-wrestle-over-war-taxes/172887?icid=200100397×1209889398x1200623043. According to that poll, Obama won by 2% and seemed more presidential by 2%, a statistical and surprising tie. On handling the economy, McCain won by 54%-46%. On dealing with the Iraq War, McCain won, 56% to Obama’s 44. On choice for president, McCain won by 12%. Those figures seem fair and accurate enough. What baffles me are the answers to the question on “the most important issue” in the election. Some...

THE new president will have one modestly useful extra resource, a bipartisan report commissioned by two former US senators and written primarily by Middle East expert Michael Rubin of the American Enterprise Institute. The Weekend Australian has obtained a copy of the report, to be released later this week. Before I got the report, I had a long discussion with Rubin. Rubin is a Republican, but the report he wrote was the consensus work of a bipartisan taskforce that includes Dennis Ross, Obama's key Middle East adviser. The report is sobering and in some ways shocking reading. It begins baldly:...

BALTIMORE, Md. -- Biden accepted the endorsement of the National Association of Police Organizations this morning on behalf of the Democratic ticket, pledging to again provide a seat at the table for local law enforcement. Biden, speaking on a conference call with NAPO President Tom Nee, made a plug for the “Biden Crime Bill,” which he said was contributed to a 30 percent drop in violent crime in the 1990s. “Then, for some reason, because this administration and my good friend John don’t think it’s a role of the federal government to be involved in local law enforcement … they...

Was the Stephenville UFO a National Security Threat? american chronicle Franklin D. Fields, Jr. Esq. Stephenville, Texas attracted worldwide attention earlier this year (Jan, 08) after residents sighted an unidentified flying object (UFO) that some say was a mile long. By news accounts, there were more than 30 residents to specifically report the sighting. It was front-page headlines in a large number of news forums. Many of the witnesses were interviewed on national television programs such as CNN´s Larry King Live. All of the witnesses were credible and none were shown to be perpetrating a hoax. They might have been...

Here's the issue. For the sake of argument, let's just say Barack Obama was correct in what he was saying. Was there any reason to be yelling at the elderly lady questioning you? Sure, maybe it ruffled his feathers. Sure, her tone was a little confrontational. So what? As President, many many people will be doing exactly that. Every time someone questions Obama or gets a little confrontational with him, is he going to lose his composure and yell at them, too?

Myth 1. It's a dangerous world. We face an array of serious national security threats that require an experienced Commander-in-Chief. Myth 2. The surge has worked. To withdraw from Iraq now would snatch defeat from the jaws of victory and embolden Islamic extremists.

Star Wars In Nonfiction by: Lance Nation, September 18, 2008 Power lost . . . communication down . . . millions die from starvation . . . the United States has just been hit by an Electro-Magnetic Pulse, or EMP. This is not a new Lucas or Spielberg script, a fantasy concocted in the minds of a sci-fi junkie. “The threat of an EMP attack is serious, and the United States is increasingly vulnerable to such an attack,” stated Frank J. Gaffney Jr. during the recent Heritage Foundation seminar, The Case for Missile Defense. “An EMP attack is produced by...

Soldier in the Rain by: Emily Miller, September 15, 2008 Michael Chertoff admits that three and a half years after Hurricane Katrina, the Defense and Homeland Security (DHS) he heads still falls short from protecting the American national structures from natural disasters. In a speech last Friday at the Brookings Institution, Chertoff said that while the DHS has made strides in protecting the U.S. against possible terrorist attacks, much is left to be desired in keeping common good national assets, such as bridges, highways and levees safe from hurricanes, tropical storms and other potential Katrina-esque catastrophes. “Regrettably, I don’t think...

Whether it’s due to government restrictions, personal-privacy lawsuits or mistakes, Google Maps has slapped a "Prohibited" sign on the following 51 places. 1. The White House: Google Maps' images of the White House show a digitally erased version of the roof in order to obscure the air-defense and security assets that are in place. 5. PAVE PAWS in Cape Cod, Mass.: PAVE PAWS is the U.S. Air Force Space Command’s radar system for missile warning and space surveillance. There are two other installations besides the one in Cape Cod. 19. Bahrain: In August 2006, Bahrain's Ministry of Information instructed the...

WAR MOM PALIN TAKES HARD LINE By CHARLES HURT Bureau Chief September 12, 2008 -- WASHINGTON - Vice-presidential hopeful Sarah Palin saw her eldest son off to war yesterday as she took a hard line on Russia, Iran and terrorists "hellbent on destroying America and our allies." Asked in her first extended interview since becoming John McCain's running mate if she thinks she's qualified to take over the presidency, Palin replied, "I do." "I have the confidence in that readiness and knowing that you can't blink," she told ABC News. "You have to be wired in a way of being...

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, emerging from media silence for her first serious interview as the GOP vice presidential pick, said Thursday that the United States might have to go to war if Russia were to invade Georgia again. And on the seventh anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, she appeared entirely unfamiliar with the Bush Doctrine, the central foreign policy tenet of the current administration, which asserts the right to wage preventive strikes in the aftermath of such terrorist attacks. Palin made her statements during an interview with ABC "World News" anchor Charles Gibson in which she was pressed on...

Long before the 9/11 attacks, the Federation for American Immigration Reform warned that our unsecured borders and lax enforcement of our immigration laws posed a threat to our national security. We have advocated for specific reforms to minimize the risks to our nation and our citizens. On the seventh anniversary of those attacks we review those proposed remedies and how they would address three aspects of immigration-related threats to national security. ... cont.

Greenberg, Quinlan, Rosner has just released a survey that indicates voters perceive Republicans once again as far and away better on national security issues than Democrats. Forty nine percent of those surveyed thought.... ...Republicans were better on national security while 35% thought Democrats better. When it came to combating terrorism, 48% thought Republicans superior to Democrats while 33% gave Democrats the advantage. This could blossom into a serious problem for the Obama-Biden ticket and down-ballot races -- or opportunity for Republicans -- by Nov. 4. The Greenberg poll, done for the think tank Third Way, echoes a recent NBC/Wall Street...

Washington, D.C. - At a conference in Washington, D.C., this week, a Department of Defense official sounded a startling alarm. "The defense community is critically reliant on a technology that obsoletes itself every 18 months, is made in unsecure locations and over which we have absolutely no market share influence," said Ted J. Glum, director of the DoD's Defense Microelectronics Activity unit. "Other than that," he cracked, "we're good."

NICE audio interview Lars has posted at his website. Worth the listen. Two quotes: "Alaskans want to see Anwar developed" "What we [Alaska] need if for congress to unlock our lands!"

Sunday, August 31, 2008 Sarah Palin's National Security Credentials John McCain's selection of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as vice-presidential running mate is proving more shrewd by the hour. As Blackfive points out, Governor Palin, as Alaska's chief executive, has shared strategic command of the 49th Missile Defense Battalion of the Alaska National Guard: One area of Sarah Palin's background that may help her is Alaska's unique role in our national security and homeland defense. Several folks have have mentioned this but Tom W. was specific and his info jibes with the record. Alaska is the first line of defense in...

And not just Biden either. Pay attention to what she says about Bush lacking a national energy policy and kowtowing to the Saudis to boost production, a line that’ll take a tiny bit of the sting out of the left’s “McSame” jabs. This’ll be her issue on the trail, for obvious reasons; presumably McCain will be having his duly appointed epiphany about ANWR any day now, since I cut about four minutes here of her explaining why people who wet themselves about the sainted caribou actually have no idea of what ANWR looks like and how little a threat drilling...

National security can also mean spending money at home, they say DENVER (MarketWatch) -- Democrats have an ambitious agenda in this year's election: To stimulate the economy, cut taxes for middle-class families and seniors, increase spending on vital domestic issues, and not blow up the federal deficit. But their plans to promote the general welfare could be hobbled by an equally urgent need: To protect America from its enemies, foreign and domestic. 'There are just so many things that need to be fixed. If we don't start funding the Veterans Administration, if we don't start taking care of the veterans,...

TWENTY YEARS after the fall of the Soviet empire, it is much easier to see that the current Russian regime wants to reclaim great power status. It more resembles the earlier Soviet regime and those of the czars than it does any Middle European liberal state. Indeed, its exploitation of Russian-speaking minorities in the Georgian provinces of Abkhazia and Ossetia as pawns is reminiscent of the tactics of the Nazi regime in the 1930s. Russia has invaded Georgia not just to punish Georgia's elected leadership, but also to reclaim Russian control of gas and oil pipelines in the Caucasus region....

Aafia Siddiqui, 36, is a Pakistani mother of three, an alumna of MIT, and a Ph.D. in neuroscience from Brandeis University. She is also accused of working for Al-Qaeda and was charged last week in New York City with attempting to kill American soldiers. Her arrest serves to remind how invisibly most Islamist infiltration proceeds. In particular, an estimated forty Al-Qaeda sympathizers or operatives have sought to penetrate U.S. intelligence agencies. Such a well-placed infiltrator can wreck great damage explains a former CIA chief of counterintelligence, Michael Sulick: "In the war on terrorism, intelligence has replaced the Cold War's tanks...

Less than two years after Democrats finally bridged the decades-long gap between the parties on national security issues, Republicans have opened it right back up — a shift likely tied to the party's new standard-bearer John McCain and the perception of improvements in Iraq. ... "Reagan was able to polarize the situation verbally and to some extent McCain is doing just that vis-a-vis Obama," Brzezinski said. Brzezinski added, "I thought that the first comments" by Obama "were perhaps too general and didn't perhaps address sharply enough the moral and strategic dimensions of the problem." Obama's later statements, he said, struck...

Fred Thompson gives us a little perspective and reminds us that in a world growing more dangerous by the day, literally so in the Russia v. Georgia war, we cannot trust the security of the free world to a rank amateur. My mind goes back to August 2002 in Tbilisi, as I visited Georgia with John McCain. I remember it feeling rather dark and secretive, with the former-Soviet Union’s heavy hand still making its presence felt. President Eduard Shevardnadze, formerly Soviet minister of foreign affairs, presented a friendlier face to the United States, but was beset by economic problems and...

It was mid December 2006, days before the biggest Holiday in America, the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ; only weeks after Americans angrily removed Republicans from control of congress in the mid-term election and replaced them with Democrats who promised to end the unpopular Bush war on terror. Americans were busy working, shopping, decorating, cooking, traveling and preparing for guests. The memory of September 11th 2001, the American financial center, the military command in ruins and 3,000 innocent American civilians dead with countless others injured, had faded into distant recesses of the subconscious. Democrats had been warning for...

The opponents of increased domestic drilling complain that it will take too many years before the oil it produces will get to market, and that it will make very little difference in the price of gasoline at the pump. Both arguments are totally without merit, as I have shown here, here and here. But let's forget all that for the moment. Though high prices at the pump hurt us all, there's a much more compelling reason to ramp up domestic exploration, production and refining. It's the most important issue in the United States right now, and it has been since...

Carlyle sells off steel group for $3.53bn By Julie MacIntosh in New York Published: August 13 2008 00:24 | Last updated: August 13 2008 00:24 The Carlyle Group agreed on Tuesday to sell John Maneely, a US manufacturer of steel pipes and tubes, to Russian steelmaker Novolipetsk Steel for $3.53bn, culminating a two-year turnround process. Carlyle has voluntarily filed to have the deal reviewed by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (Cfius), a panel that seeks to protect certain US national security interests from foreign investment.

When the North Caucasus slid into war Thursday night, it presented John McCain and Barack Obama with a true “3 a.m. moment,” and their responses to the crisis suggested dramatic differences in how each candidate, as president, would lead America in moments of international crisis. While Obama offered a response largely in line with statements issued by democratically elected world leaders, including President Bush, first calling on both sides to negotiate, John McCain took a remarkably — and uniquely — more aggressive stance, siding clearly with Georgia’s pro-Western leaders and placing the blame for the conflict entirely on Russia. 'snip'

When the North Caucasus slid into war Thursday night, it presented Senators John McCain and Barack Obama with a true '3 a.m. moment,' and their responses to the crisis suggested dramatic differences in how each candidate, as president, would lead America in moments of international crisis. While Obama offered a response largely in line with statements issued by democratically elected world leaders, including President Bush, first calling on both sides to negotiate, John McCain took a remarkably-and uniquely-more aggressive stance, siding clearly with Georgia's pro-Western leaders and placing the blame for the conflict entirely on Russia. The abrupt crisis in...

Blood Brothers or Cousins...? Reviewing Paula Abeles' "Obama and Odinga" Rumors always abound, but this well documented [from highly credible news sources] article by Paula Abeles is a treasure of truth, and one that everybody should see. Not only did Obama endorse the candidacy of Odinga, but actually went to Kenya and campaigned along side of Odinga. Why does this matter? The attached article explains in full detail. It addresses the startling danger to our national security that lies behind the poor judgment and questionable associations that plague Barack Obama wherever he goes. A brief synopsis follows. The full article...

A longtime adviser and close confidant of President Bush funneled millions of dollars in U.S. government grants to radical Islamist organizations, many of whose leaders have been convicted or indicted in terrorism cases in the United States, respected terrorism expert Steven Emerson told Congress last week. “When Ms. [Karen] Hughes was appointed as undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs, she set the tone to continue a disastrous policy of outreach with Islamist partners,” Emerson told the House International Relations Committee. Among the recipients of the State Department grants actively championed by Hughes was Ahmed Younes, formerly an...

The Pakistan Paradox by: Rachel Paulk, August 01, 2008 Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani met with President Bush Monday to mark the beginning of a three-day trip to Washington D.C. With talks expected to focus on aid and security issues, maintaining a solid political relationship with the Islamic nation is vital to the success of the U.S. mission in Afghanistan. The porous border between Afghanistan and Pakistan has frustrated the coalition troops as Al-Qaeda and Taliban extremists can—and do—easily slip through the mountainous region to evade capture. Gilani’s trip is timely, coming on the heels of the mistaken U.S....

To better understand Sen. Barack Obama, his speech before 200,000 Germans in Berlin is one good place to start. As we shall see, however, it does not leave one secure as to the senator's understanding of history, of America's role in the world, and what to do about evil, among other important issues. Obama: "At the height of the Cold War, my father decided, like so many others in the forgotten corners of the world, that his yearning -- his dream -- required the freedom and opportunity promised by the West." Promised by the West? Or promised by America? It...

News item: Russia announced plans on Sunday to revive its once-mighty navy by building several aircraft carriers and upgrading its fleet of nuclear submarines in the coming years. Russia's power at sea is a shadow of the formidable Soviet navy which challenged U.S. military dominance in the Cold War. But, with a strong economy now from booming oil exports, it is seeking to raise its profile on the world stage by modernizing the armed forces. Russia will build five or six aircraft carrier battle groups in the near future, RIA news agency quoted Navy Commander Vladimir Vysotsky as telling Navy...

Immigration and National Security by Michelle Malkin The following is excerpted from a speech delivered at a Hillsdale College National Leadership Seminar on May 20, 2008, in New York City. Michelle Malkin, a columnist for Creators Syndicate since 1999, has also worked at the Los Angeles Daily News and the Seattle Times. A graduate of Oberlin College, she blogs on michellemalkin.com and is founder and co-editor of hotair.com. In 2002, she published Invasion: How America Still Welcomes Terrorists, Criminals, and Other Foreign Menaces to Our Shores. WE ALL KNOW what happened on September 11, 2001. But how many of us...

It's time to update our national security strategy to stay one step ahead of the terrorists - to see clearly the emerging threats of our young century, and to take action to make the American people more safe and secure. It's time to look ahead — at the dangers of today and tomorrow rather than those of yesterday. America cannot afford another president who doesn't understand the threats that confront us now and in the future.

Billboards bearing a photo of the Twin Towers burning and a plea not to vote for Democrats has sparked controversy in Orlando, Florida. The person behind the billboard, Mike Meehan, is holding the Democrats responsible for the 9/11 attacks: "I'm holding the entire Democratic Party responsible for the attacks on 9/11," said Meehan, who wrote, sang, produced and recorded the song. He said people should not vote for Democrats because they are too focused on solving the problems in the economy when they should be focused on the war on terrorism. [. . .] "Democrats are relaxed on fighting the...

I'm here today to discuss with you several issues that worry you and most Americans, our slumping economy, job loss, rising_gas and food_prices, and what we need to do to get our economy growing again, create jobs and reduce our dangerous dependence on foreign oil. But there is another urgent issue I want to address before I take your questions, which I know concerns you because brave Americans are risking their lives right now to deal with it. Over the last year, Senator Obama and I were part of a great debate about the war in Iraq. Both of us...

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- A controversial billboard in Orange County has a picture of the burning World Trade Center and the message, "Please Don't Vote for a Democrat." The man who paid for the ad says he's trying to help Republicans, but officials with both political parties are calling the billboard inappropriate. There are billboards up and down busy Orange Blossom Trail, but this at John Young Parkway (see map) one sticks out. "Just looking at it, I'm not thinking about Democrat or Republican, I'm thinking about the twin towers and all the people killed," resident Mary Anderson told Eyewitness...

EMP is electromagnetic radiation from an explosion (especially a nuclear explosion). The worst of the pulse lasts for only a second but any unprotected electrical equipment - and anything connected to electrical cables, which act as giant lightning rods or antennas - are affected by it. If a nation with a nuclear bomb and the ability to explode it high above an American city were to do so, it would have a massive effect in all directions. Almost immediately all communications systems in the country would be disrupted completely. No radio. No television. No internet. Indeed no electricity at all....

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- A controversial billboard in Orange County has a picture of the burning World Trade Center and the message, "Please Don't Vote for a Democrat." The man who paid for the ad says he's trying to help Republicans, but officials with both political parties are calling the billboard inappropriate. There are billboards up and down busy Orange Blossom Trail, but this at John Young Parkway (see map) one sticks out. "Just looking at it, I'm not thinking about Democrat or Republican, I'm thinking about the twin towers and all the people killed," resident Mary Anderson told Eyewitness...

Who read Free Republic? Apparently the U.S. Secret Service does!This past weekend, I posted an article alerting the Secret Service that members of the terrorist supporting group Code Pink were using fake presses to gain access to events headlined by Secret Service protectees like presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain (AZ).This morning, McCain spoke at the LULAC convention in Washington, D.C. Usually when he speaks at an event in D.C., McCain can expect to have his speech disrupted by Code Pink activists who rush the stage and heckle him from the audience and the press section.That didn't happen today....

How does the pro-terrorist group Code Pink infiltrate closed events where the U.S. Secret Service is in charge of security? One way is with fake press credentials made by a diarist at the Daily Kos.Code Pink has made a habit of infiltrating events and getting close to officials under the protection of the U.S. Secret Service.Yesterday Code Pink member Desiree Farooz rushed the stage and came dangerously close to President Bush at Monticello. The weekend before she rushed John McCain. Last fall she got close enough to Condoleeza Rice to place her hands around the Secrtary of State's head.At the...

While all the military services are concerned about operational security and compromising the mission, each branch has its own rules for servicemembers who want to sound off in the blogosphere. Army An April 2007 operational security policy mandated that soldier blogs get "eyes on" by a blogger’s immediate supervisor and OPSEC officer before publication. The policy also covered (but was not limited to) "letters, resumes, articles for publication, electronic mail, Web site postings, discussion in Internet information forums, discussion in Internet message boards or other forms of dissemination or documentation." The free-speech firestorm was fast and furious, and the Army...

Now that Sen. Barack Obama has become the Democratic Party’s presumptive nominee for president, the media and punditocracy has focused their attention on the veepstakes. Speculation about Obama’s running mate reveals an enormous deficiency in the Democrats' standard bearer. Most suggest that Obama needs someone with a military background, such as retired General Wesley Clark or Sen. James Webb to “balance the ticket.” However, it would take military men like George S. Patton or Douglas MacArthur to make up for Obama’s shortcomings on national security. I find it amusing that Democrats find no hypocrisy in essentially turning over the responsibility...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate John McCain wants the U.S. military to be much larger than current expansion plans envision, an adviser to the Arizona senator said this week. The Bush administration has begun expanding the U.S. Army and Marine Corps to create a combined strength of around 750,000 active duty troops -- a process backed by McCain's Democratic rival, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois. But McCain believes an Army and Marine Corps with a combined strength of up to 900,000 troops is necessary, said Randy Scheunemann, an adviser to the candidate on foreign policy and national security. "Sen....