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A year ago the Pentagon released its Quadrennial Defense Review. It was essentially a strategy for a 20-year "long war" and a generational battle plan designed to prepare the military for a Cold War type struggle against the forces of militant Islam.According to the official unveiling: "Since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, our nation has fought a global war against violent extremists who use terrorism as their weapon of choice, and who seek to destroy our free way of life. Our enemies seek weapons of mass destruction and, if they are successful, will likely attempt to use them in...

Thread 2 Since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, our nation has fought a global war against violent extremists who use terrorism as their weapon of choice, and who seek to destroy our free way of life. Our enemies seek weapons of mass destruction and, if they are successful, will likely attempt to use them in their conflict with free people everywhere. Currently, the struggle is centered in Iraq and Afghanistan, but we will need to be prepared and arranged to successfully defend our nation and its interests around the globe for years to come. DOD Our enemies include...

Since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, our nation has fought a global war against violent extremists who use terrorism as their weapon of choice, and who seek to destroy our free way of life. Our enemies seek weapons of mass destruction and, if they are successful, will likely attempt to use them in their conflict with free people everywhere. Currently, the struggle is centered in Iraq and Afghanistan, but we will need to be prepared and arranged to successfully defend our nation and its interests around the globe for years to come. DOD Our enemies include all the Muslims...

Taliban's new commander ready for a fight By Syed Saleem Shahzad KARACHI - The Taliban's military offensive has begun in earnest in southern Afghanistan, with many key districts already captured by the militia that retreated from power in 2001 after the US-led invasion. The scale and frequency of the Taliban's revitalized insurgency can be attributed directly to the recent appointment by Taliban leader Mullah Omar of legendary mujahideen leader Jalaluddin Haqqani as overall military field commander. In the latest action - the biggest since the Taliban's ousting - in Helmand province, between 300 and 400 heavily armed Taliban fighters stormed...

DEMAGOGUES TO THE RIGHT OF THEM, appeasers to the left of them, media in front of them, volleying and thundering. Can the Bush administration continue to charge ahead? Does it have the will--and the competence--to lead the nation for the next three years toward victory in the long war against radical Islamism? From Copenhagen to Samara, the radical Islamists are on the offensive. From Tehran to Damascus, the dictators are trying to regain the upper hand in the Middle East. From Moscow to Beijing, the enemies of liberal democracy are working to weaken the United States. Across the world, the...

LONDON - A British jury convicted radical Muslim cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri on Tuesday of fomenting racial hatred and inciting his followers to kill non-Muslims. Al-Masri, 47, the former imam at London's Finsbury Park mosque, also was convicted of possessing a terrorist document and threatening or abusive recordings. Al-Masri, Britain's best-known Islamist orator, could receive a maximum sentence of life in prison. The jury of seven men and five women found al-Masri guilty on seven of nine charges of soliciting murder. He also was convicted on two of four charges of stirring racial hatred. Though asked to stand for the...

http://www.jcs.mil/ Two links to must-read documents. JCS published "Long War Brief" - they've finally figured out how to communicate strategy to the public. QDR preface at Inside Defense contrasts today's environment with Cold War environment, lists accomplishments, and sets stage for all the force structure recommendations that will be getting publicity soon. All in all, looks to me like Rumsfeld's last shot - I'd bet he retires soon.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 24, 2006 – In the so-called "Long War," information will be as important as ammunition, a senior military officer said. "It is clear ... in a global perspective how important information is and its ability to influence people and their ideas," Army Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno, assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said. "We have to understand that." Odierno called the Jan. 19 Osama bin Laden statement claiming preparation for another terrorist attack and carried by all Western media as "information warfare, pure and simple." Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld has often spoken about...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 23, 2006 – As the United States confronts terrorism, military personnel have to make a cultural shift as they fight what officials now call "the Long War," senior DoD officials said. Army Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno, the assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in an interview that the generation of servicemembers entering the military today must focus on how the United States will deal with extremist networks that threaten America and its allies. Odierno said the situation is analogous to the situation confronting servicemembers who fought the Cold War. The Cold War was...

(The following is a speech given by James Woolsey at Restoration Weekend 2004. Frontpage will be posting more transcripts of other keynote speakers in the coming issues – The Editors)Introduction by General Thomas McInerney: Jim Woolsey is a great American and a Democrat. Last year there were two great Americans here; the other was Zell Miller. These men are Americans before they are politicians. They care about this great nation before they work an agenda. And I’ve had the opportunity to work with Jim on a number of things. We all know that he was Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. He’ll tell...