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Barack Obama warned his successor against hiring Michael Flynn. It was Nov. 10, 2016, just two days after Donald Trump upset Hillary Clinton to become the 45th president of the United States. Trump told aide Hope Hicks that he was bewildered by the president’s warning. Of all the important things Obama could have discussed with him, the outgoing commander in chief wanted to talk about Michael Flynn. The question of why Obama was so focused on Flynn is especially revealing now. The Department of Justice recently filed to withdraw charges against the retired three-star general for making false statements to...

CHICAGO (MarketWatch) -- Five Moroccan nationals arrested Wednesday for breaking into a San Antonio courthouse were found to have pictures of public buildings, water systems and malls across the country, Reuters reports. While they were nabbed by local police, the suspects will be interrogated by a joint terrorism task force that includes the FBI and immigration enforcement authorities, the wire service reported.

The President-Elect's intention to shift the focus of the fight against terrorism to Afghanistan has been bolstered by Robert Gates agreement to stay on as Defence Secretary. Mr Gates is a strong believer in an Afghan surge, which would not only put thousands more boots on the ground but involve negotiations with malleable branches of the Taliban. It would also aim to boost co-operation with Iran and Pakistan where some elements have supported the anti-Western insurgency. The need for more US troops in addition to the 32,000 already serving, has been accelerated by the Afghan presidential election in September 2009,...

ISLAMABAD -- Some 15,000 Pakistani troops have massed for a major assault on Islamic militants in a scenic northern valley, whose fall has raised concern about Pakistan's ability to withstand rising extremism, the army said Saturday. Security forces have been fighting in the Swat Valley, a former tourist destination just 160 kilometres from the capital, since July, when a bloody army raid on a radical mosque in Islamabad sparked a wave of militant violence. Foreign fighters have allegedly joined the armed followers of Maulana Fazlullah, a pro-Taliban cleric in the valley, amplifying western fears that swaths of Pakistan near the...

How Bush Decided on the Surge A year ago, we were losing in Iraq. Then the president made the most momentous decision of his presidency. by Fred Barnes 02/04/2008, Volume 013, Issue 20 The date: December 13, 2006. The location: a windowless conference room in the Pentagon known as the Tank. It was an inauspicious place for President Bush to confront the last major obstacle to the most important decision of his second term, perhaps of his entire presidency. And the president chose not to deal with his hosts, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as a commander in chief would...

WASHINGTON - In the Pentagon's newly expanded Special Operations office Assistant Defense Secretary Michael Vickers is working to implement the US military's highest-priority plan: a global campaign against terrorism that reaches far beyond Iraq and Afghanistan. The wide-ranging plan details the targeting of Al Qaeda-affiliated networks around the world and explores how the United States should retaliate in case of another major terrorist attack. The most critical aspect of the plan, Vickers said in a recent interview, involves US Special Operations forces working through foreign partners to uproot and fight terrorist groups. Vickers's job also spans the modernization of nuclear...

Interview with Michael G Vickers - Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations/Low-Intensity Conflict & Interdependent Capabilities Special Operations Technology by Jeff McKaughan November 14, 2007 Q: Good morning, Mr. Vickers. First of all, although it was several months ago, congratulations on the confirmation to the job. There has been shifting and tweaking of the role and office of the assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low intensity conflict. Can you give me an overview of the office today and what its purpose and missions are?A: Thank you very much. My responsibilities have been expanded substantially as a...

Produced by Wild Eyes Prods. Executive producers, Carl H. Lindahl, David Keane; producers, Ryan Spyker, Aaron Cowden; director, Keane; writers, Bowden, Terrence Henry. Narrator: Bill Lloyd. Editor, Justin Inda; music, Michael Plowman. Running time: 120 Min. “Charlie Wilson’s War” (Wide Release Theater Movie) Genres: Comedy, Drama, Adaptation, Biopic and War Running Time: 1 hr. 37 min. Release Date: December 21st, 2007 MPAA Rating: R for strong language, nudity/sexual content and some drug use. Distributors: Universal Pictures Distribution Production Co.: Icarus Productions, Participant Productions, Relativity Media, Playtone Studios: Universal Pictures Filming Locations: Morocco Los Angeles, California USA Produced in: United...

In the Pentagon's newly expanded Special Operations office, a suite of sterile gray cubicles on the "C" ring of the third floor, Assistant Secretary of Defense Michael G. Vickers is working to implement the U.S. military's highest-priority plan: a global campaign against terrorism that reaches far beyond Iraq and Afghanistan. The wide-ranging plan details the targeting of al-Qaeda-affiliated networks around the world and explores how the United States should retaliate in case of another major terrorist attack. -snip- Vickers's job also spans the modernization of nuclear forces for deterrence and retaliation, and the retooling of conventional forces to combat terrorism...