Free Republic

SAVING THE U.S. AIR FORCE By RALPH PETERS February 11, 2005 -- We need to save the United States Air Force — from itself. This critical component of our national security has become corrupt, wasteful and increasingly irrelevant. The problem doesn't lie with the front-line pilots or ground crews. The cancer is at the top, in the Department of the Air Force and on the Air Force Staff. Consider just a few recent problems: Former Air Force Secretary James G. Roche, who resigned last month to evade a corruption investigation, has just been cited for ethics violations in dealing with...

Most of the punditry got it right about GW’s second inaugural address: it was a monumental speech that prescribed a major shift in our foreign policy and national security posture. Not only was it a true description of the dangerous world we live in, it also established the framework for our military operations in the years to come. Some analysts have examined the implications of the speech for our armed forces and their roles and responsibilities in ensuring freedom and promotion of democracy around the world. But they lose sight of the historical context of how this changes our strategic...

People from all walks of life keep asking me the same question: “Are there moderate Muslims?” I know myself that there are, but… Many of the moderates are faced with intimidation by militant Muslims (“Islamists”). Muslims also have to contend with their own old cultural habits, hateful religious leaders, a bigoted press, and schools that teach hatred and homicide bombings. As usual, just as things seem the darkest, I happen upon something that brightens my spirit -- at least a little. Last week, FOXNews mentioned the organization “Free Muslim Coalition Against Terrorism” (FMCAT). I immediately went to their website, and...

Latin America was not the only place in the world to have military governments where death squads reigned in to purge their nations of leftists. South Korea had its brush with the military government. This comes even before the Dirty War in Argentina and Augusto Pinochet's Chile. South Korea had freedom and democracy, which Koreans rarely had in their long history. Koreans were ruled by a monarchy, like Medieval Europe. During the Second Republic, South Korea adapted a parliamentary system, which Prime Minister Chang Myon was elected. However, it was a turbulent time and lot of political turmoil and polarization....

I know that I'm little bit late in posting this thing-they've already finished the first segment-but I've always abided by the motto: "Better late, then never."Farah Pahlavi is discussing her husband, her recently published book (An Enduring Love), and the future of Iran.

Futuristic Project Includes Drones, Unmanned Vehicles, 'Smart' Munitions The Army outlined yesterday a restructuring of its modernization program, the Future Combat System, increasing the cost by between $20 billion and $25 billion, accelerating the deployment of key technology and adding new models of drones and ground vehicles. The program, which is critical to the Army's transformation into a lighter, more mobile force, was originally expected to cost about $92 billion. Boeing Co. and Science Applications International Corp. are jointly managing the project. The program aims to connect soldiers to a mobile and wireless network to assist them in battlefield decisions....

THE IMPACT OF FOREIGN WEAPONS AND TECHNOLOGY ON THE MODERIZATION OF CHINA'S PEOPLE'S LIBERATION ARMY   A Report for the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission January 2004   by Richard D. Fisher, Jr. Center for Security Policy   INTRODUCTION               While the most recent phase of the modernization of the People?s Liberation Army (PLA) of the People?s Republic of China (PRC) has been a vast undertaking spanning two decades, a critical element feeding its success has been consistent access to foreign weapons and military technologies.  Successful PLA modernization is also dependent upon ongoing reform of its doctrine, strategies,...

Army leaders have recommended canceling a multibillion-dollar helicopter program, citing an Army study that suggests the funds would be more effective improving other areas of the service's aviation program. Acting Army Secretary Les Brownlee today announced that he and the service's chief of staff, Gen. Peter Schoomaker, recommended canceling the 11-year-old Comanche helicopter program after a comprehensive review of Army aviation technology and structure. The roughly $14 billion allocated to the program between now and 2011 will go toward other aviation programs, he said. The study "reflects lessons learned and experiences gained in the recent 2½ years of combat in...

The Army chief of staff "adamantly opposes" an end- strength increase to the size of his service. Gen. Peter Schoomaker told the House Armed Services Committee today that an unfunded end-strength increase "puts readiness at risk, it puts training at risk, it puts modernization at risk, it puts transformation at risk – and that's why I'm resisting it." Many in Congress believe the Army is stressed with worldwide operations. One proposal calls for adding two more combat divisions. Another calls for a 40,000-man increase in the Army, while other, more general proposals just call for end-strength increases. Schoomaker agrees the...

Although the Israel Defense Forces' decision of March 3, 2003, did not make waves in the public, it was indicative of an important turning point. On that date, the IDF established its C4I Directorate, which includes the spheres of communication, computers and information technology, headed by Major General Yitzhak Harel. The new directorate will lead the IDF's digital revolution. Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz's statement last week about the readiness to slash NIS 15 billion from the defense budget over the next five years rested primarily on the benefits the IDF will enjoy thanks to the planned communications and data systems...

As Berlin Walls go, the 20-foot-high dirt berm around Iraq's southern port of Umm Qasr — the first wall to fall in the liberation of Iraq — isn't much to look at, but it's a fitting symbol for this war. It is a sand wall, easily breached by American power, exposing a rotten dictatorship with little popular support on the other side. This area is full of regimes protected by such sand walls. But unlike the Berlin Wall, whose fall unleashed a flowering of freedom all across Eastern Europe, the fall of the Sand Wall alone will not do that....

Two decades ago a heated controversy erupted in the Arab world over the relationship between intellectuals and ruling authorities. In the course of the debate, some participants proclaimed the need to "bridge the gap" between the two parties -- the "thinker" and the "prince". Proponents of this goal argued that it would be advantageous to both sides: for the intellectual it would keep wolves of hunger and fear at bay, while the prince would feel secure from the spectres of intrigue and revolution. Some intellectuals were against it, maintaining that they should dedicate themselves solely to the pursuit of truth...

Why the Pentagon Can't Modernize By Lawrence J. Korb Friday, April 26, 2002; Page A29 Loren Thompson is correct [op-ed, April 15]. The Pentagon cannot find enough money to modernize the military. But it's not because of the amount of money the military services need to spend on personnel and readiness and the small size of the investment budget.Rest here The writer is director of studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and served as assistant secretary of defense in the Reagan administration.