The Most Pressing National Security Issue That Nobody's Talking About

Epic Times: America’s “China Trade Deficit” Reaches Critical Mass

The most pressing national security issue that nobody's talking about

The US trade deficit with China hit a critical milestone in 2015. It now stands at a mind-numbing $1 billion a day, and that $365 billion annual trade deficit continues to rise with the lift of China’s illegal export subsidies, sweatshop labor, pollution havens, and undervalued currency.

The failure to understand that America’s Chinese import dependence has now reached critical mass as a national security issue comes from the very mind-numbing magnitude of the numbers involved. Let’s see, however, if we can put the size of the US trade deficit with China into some perspective; and let’s start with the F-22 – the only US fighter jet with the agility, speed, and stealth to overcome the latest Russian air defense systems and newest Chinese and Russian fighters.

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WNU Editor: All international conflicts are determined by industrial capacity, wealth/money, know-how, and population. If current trends continue (the next decade or two) .... the U.S. will definitely be subordinate to China on all four points in the future. Fortunately for the U.S. .... China does have a lot of problems .... economic/political/ethnic tensions/corruption/etc. .... and the U.S. also has many allies in Asia who are very wary of China and will align amongst themselves and with the U.S. to counter a rising a China.

The Kremlin's Biggest Fear Is Not What NATO Or The Pentagon May Think, But It Is What U.S. Shale Frackers Arel Doing To Oil Prices

Roughnecks wrestle pipe on a True Company oil drilling rig outside Watford, North Dakota, October 20, 2012. Thousands of people have flooded into North Dakota to work in state's oil drilling boom. Reuters

Mark P. Mills, Manhattan-Institute/Forbes: Russia's Big Worry Is Not What the Pentagon Thinks but What Shale Frackers Will Do to Oil Prices

Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter ruffled feathers this week when, in a February 2nd speech at the Economic Club of Washington D.C., he demoted ISIS and terrorism, to the bottom of a list of key threats to America’s national security. At the top of the list of “five evolving challenges”? Russia.

Right now, though, odds are that Vladimir Putin is more worried about what oilmen like Harold Hamm are thinking than what’s on the SecDef’s mind. Hamm, founder and CEO of Continental Resources, is one of the more outspoken amongst the multitude of shale pioneers who are collectively responsible for the global oil glut — and the consequent price collapse.

We can see what specifically must worry Putin in a new must-read interview with Hamm (courtesy of Christopher Helman at Forbes). Hamm, referencing the fact that American shale producers have in the past half-dozen years nearly doubled America’s oil output, says: “We can double it again.” If Hamm is correct, then the shale fields alone—never mind the rest of America’s onshore and offshore production—would be producing more oil than Russia, and the world markets would again be in oversupply.

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WNU Editor: It is not only Russia that is concerned about the shale fracking revolution to the oil industry, but every OPEC and oil producing county that is dependent on oil exports to finance their governments. And the problem for these oil producers who want higher oil prices .... is that there is nothing that they can do to stop the U.S. oil fracking industry unless they crash oil prices permanently.

Pentagon may Miss Deadline To Present To Congress Their Plan To Defeat The Islamic State

Washington Examiner: Pentagon may miss deadline for plan to defeat Islamic State

The Pentagon is not committing to meeting a congressionally mandated deadline to present lawmakers with the Obama administration's plan to "defeat" the self-proclaimed Islamic State, just days before that plan is due to be delivered to Congress.

President Obama in November signed the annual defense policy law that included a 90-day window for the administration to provide Congress with its plan to beat the radical Sunni terrorist group militarily.

"We are aware of the report and are actively working with multiple interagency offices to complete this legal requirement, per the NDAA, and look forward to submitting the completed report to Congress in the near term," a Pentagon spokesman told the Washington Examiner on Thursday.

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WNU Editor: If the Pentagon misses this deadline .... which by the looks of it they will .... it will tell me that besides waging a war of attrition, they do not have a strategic plan to defeat the Islamic State.

The Growing Russia - Iraq Military Alliance

Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari (R) and Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin (L) sign documents in Baghdad, Iraq February 11, 2016. REUTERS/Khalid al Mousily

Reuters: Russia boosts ties with Iraq in challenge to U.S. influence

Russia is ready to sell civil airliners to Iraq and keep providing it with military aid to fight Islamic State, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said on Thursday, accompanied on a trip to Baghdad by the biggest Russian delegation in years.

The mission by nearly 100 government and business officials was part of a drive by Moscow to strengthen commercial and security ties with Iraq, potentially eroding U.S. influence in one of the world's most critical regions.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari said discussions had revolved around providing military assistance to defeat Islamic State militants, also known as Daesh, who seized a third of Iraq in 2014 and want to redraw the map of the Middle East.

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WNU Editor; This enhanced military cooperation will not entail Russian air strikes in Iraq (for now) .... Deputy PM: Russia is not going to expand air operation in Syria to neighboring countries (TASS)

More News On The Growing Russia - Iraq Military Alliance

Iraq, Russia to Discuss Deliveries of Modern Russian Weapons to Iraqi Army -- Sputnik
Russian official hopes cooperation with Iraq will help free Mosul from IS -- TASS
Russia ready to cooperate with Iraq in many spheres — deputy PM -- TASS
Iraq appreciates Russia’s support in freeing its territory from terrorists — minister -- TASS
Iraq Striving to Expel All Terrorists from Country, Praises Russia's Help -- Sputnik
Russia, Iraq Sign Roadmap for Development of Relations - Russia's Deputy PM -- Sputnik

NATO Sends Ships To The Aegean Sea In Attempt To Stop The Human Smugglers

Ursula von der Leyen of Germany and Ashton B. Carter of the United States described NATO's reasoning for sending ships to the Aegean Sea to stop the smuggling of migrants.

New York Times: NATO Will Send Ships to Aegean Sea to Deter Human Trafficking

BRUSSELS — With more than a million migrants having reached Europe in the last year and many more on the way, NATO stepped into the crisis for the first time on Thursday, saying it would deploy ships to the Aegean Sea in an attempt to stop smugglers.

But while the hastily made decision reflected the growing urgency of the situation, it was not clear that it would have much practical effect on the flow of refugees fleeing Syria’s five-year civil war: The alliance said it would not seek to block the often rickety and overcrowded migrant vessels or turn them back, and military officials were scrambling to determine precisely what role their warships would play.

NATO’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, said that “this is not about stopping or pushing back refugee boats.”

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WNU Editor: This should have been done immediately when it became clear that a crisis was unfolding. This is the problem with Europe .... no leadership .... and in fact it is the leadership (as symbolized by Germany's Chancellor Merkel) .... who are the ones who opened the doors giving refugees the chance for a better life without realizing that the consequences of their words will result in millions making plans to migrate regardless of the cost.

Air Force Major General Faints In The Middle Of A Press Briefing On The F-35

Daily Mail: Air Force Major General FAINTS in the middle of a press briefing about $120bn F-35 fighter program

* US Air Force General James Martin Jr, 52, was talking about future of F-35 program when he passed out
* Aides rushed to official's side, offered him water and brought in a chair
* His subordinate took over the briefing, joking with reporters: 'That's what the F-35 would do to ya'
* It later emerged Martin was suffering from the flu or a cold
* He was taken to a hospital as a precaution and returned to work Wednesday

A Pentagon press briefing discussing the Air Force's $120billion budget took a tragicomic turn when a high-ranking official fainted at the podium - and the entire incident was caught on camera.

US Air Force General James Martin Jr, 52, was talking about the future of the F-35 program when suddenly he started to slump forward on Tuesday, dipping his head beneath the dais.

While subordinates who rushed to help Martin joked that he fainted after reading the budget, it was later revealed that he had been suffering from the flu.

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WNU Editor: I suspect that the General worked non-stop for a day or two before the press briefing .... and it caught up to him. But talk about bad timing.

Tweet For Today

.@OIRSpox: Counter-#ISIL Progress Continues https://t.co/6ovfvOiOG0 pic.twitter.com/kK6WpdkQX4

— DoDNews (@DoDNews) February 11, 2016

Picture Of The Day

Wreath Laying

Canadian Governor General David Johnston lays a wreath as Air Force Gen. Paul J. Selva looks on at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va, Feb. 10, 2016. Johnston also placed a wreath at the Canadian Cross of Sacrifice during his cemetery visit, honoring Canadian troops who served with U.S. forces. DoD photo by Army Staff Sgt. Sean K. Harp

Syrian Kurds With Russian Backing Have Seized A Major Air Base From Rebels

AFP: Kurds, allies seize Syria air base backed by Russia: monitor

Beirut (AFP) - Kurdish and Arab forces backed by Russian air strikes captured a strategic air base and the adjacent town in northern Syria from rival anti-government factions, a monitoring group said Thursday.

The Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) and Arab allies on Wednesday night expelled Islamist and other rebel fighters from Minnigh air base and the adjacent town, north of Syria's second city Aleppo, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

"The takeover of Minnigh air base and the adjacent town overnight was backed by at least 30 Russian air strikes," said Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman.

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WNU Editor: In a sign of greater Kurdish - Russian cooperation .... Syrian Kurds open Moscow office, amid Kremlin push (AFP). This new "alliance" is causing problems for the U.S. .... Analysis: Russia, US compete to ally with Kurds in ISIS fight (Jerusalem Post).

More News On Kurdish and Arab Forces Backed By Russian Air Strikes Have Seized A Major Air Base In northern Syria From The Rebels

Kurdish forces said to take air base near Turkish border -- Reuters
Kurdish fighters capture military air base in northern Syria -- AP
Syrian Kurds capture military air base from rebels -- Al Arabiya
PG Kurds successfully overrun former Syrian airbase -- RUDAW
Syria Kurds Liberate Strategic Base in North -- Al-Manar

U.S. Defense Secretary Carter: 'Anti-ISIS Coalition Has Agreed To Step Up’

New York Times: Defense Secretary Says Anti-ISIS Coalition Has Agreed to ‘Step Up’

BRUSSELS — All but a few of the 40 countries in the coalition now fighting the Islamic State have “stepped up to do more in the last months and days,” Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter said on Thursday after a meeting here with defense ministers from the group.

Mr. Carter said 90 percent of the countries had made pledges, but he did not offer many specifics on what the contributions would be. It also remained unclear what effect any new assistance would have on the battlefield, or even how many ministers would be able to deliver on their commitments.

“There’s just a great deal going on,” Mr. Carter said at a news conference after the meeting. He added that he was “happy to see so much going on” but that “we’re also impatient.”

“We want the pace to accelerate,” he said.

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Update: U.S. says wins Saudi air campaign commitment against Islamic State (Reuters)

WNU Editor: No word yet on how the just announced Syrian ceasefire may change this coalition commitment to fight the Islamic State .... but I suspect that it will not impede the campaign to defeat ISIS.

On The Front Lines Of The Battle For Aleppo

CNN: From stalemate to slaughter: On the front lines of the battle for Aleppo

Aleppo, Syria (CNN)Years of combat have turned Aleppo's old town into a neighborhood of rubble and dust.

What's left of this once-beguiling maze of narrow alleys and covered souks is a reminder of its tragic location at the heart of Syria's five-year civil war.

The city's once-famous Khan al-Wazir inn lies completely burned out; as we walked through one of its halls, eerie beams of light shone in through the broken windows.

On the streets nearby, we glimpsed movement inside buildings that looked, at first glance, to be nothing more than abandoned ruins, revealing that people are still living amid the wreckage.

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WNU Editor: This war will end one day .... but the recovery and reconstruction will take generations.

U.S., Russia, And Other Powers Agree To Implement A Cease-Fire In Syria Within The Next Week

Washington Post: U.S., Russia and other powers agree on ‘cessation of hostilities’ in Syria

MUNICH — The United States, Russia and other powers agreed to a “cessation of hostilities” in Syria’s civil war, to take place within the next week, and immediate humanitarian access into besieged areas, Secretary of State John F. Kerry announced here early Friday morning.

“It was unanimous,” Kerry said of a communique issued after hours of meetings among participants in a group of nations that have supported and armed one side or the other in the four-year war. “Everybody today agreed,” he said. But the proof of commitment will come only with implementation. “What we have here are words on paper,” Kerry said. “What we need to see in the next few days are actions on the ground.”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the projected date for ending at least some of his country’s airstrikes in Syria is a week from Friday, but he emphasized that “terrorist” groups would continue to be targeted, including the Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra, an affiliate of al-Qaeda’s in Syria that is involved in the fight against President Bashar al-Assad. The group in some instances fights alongside rebel forces supported by the United States and its allies.

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WNU Editor: This blog has been covering the conflict in Syria since the beginning. And while I will pray that this "ceasefire" will be successful .... another part of me knows that the misery, anger, and suffering is so great that I am sceptical that it will last even an hour. When I read reports that 11.5% of the Syrian population has been killed or injured .... sighhhh .... how can you have any reconciliation when there is that much anger and pain.

More News On U.S., Russia, And Other Powers Agreeing To Implement A Cease-Fire In Syria Within The Next Week

U.S. and Russia Announce Plan for Humanitarian Aid and a Cease-Fire in Syria -- NYT
Major powers agree to plan for 'cessation of hostilities' in Syria -- Reuters
Diplomats Aim for Temporary Syria Truce in a Week -- NYT/AP
World powers agree 'cessation of hostilities' in Syria -- AFP
World powers agree to 'cessation of hostilities' in Syria -- CNN
World powers announce plans to implement cease-fire in Syria -- L.A. Times
Major Powers Agree to Cessation of Hostilities in Syria -- VOA
Syria Truce Set for Next Week as U.S., Russia Back Peace Bid -- Bloomberg
Diplomats in Munich agree to Syria cease-fire in a week -- FOX News
U.S., Russia agree to a deal for a cease-fire in Syria's civil war -- USA Today

Russia Warns Of 'New World War'

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev (L) speaks during an interview at the Gorki state residence outside Moscow, Russia, February 11, 2016. REUTERS/Ekaterina Shtukina/Sputnik/Pool

The Telegraph: Russia warns of 'new world war' starting in Syria

Foreign and defence ministers of the leading international states are meeting in Munich and Brussels following the collapse of the latest round of peace talks.

Russia warned of “a new world war" starting in Syria on Thursday after a dramatic day in which Gulf states threatened to send in ground forces.

Foreign and defence ministers of the leading international states backing different factions in the war-torn country met in separate meetings in Munich and Brussels following the collapse of the latest round of peace talks.

Both Russia and the United States demanded ceasefires in the long-running civil war so that the fight could be concentrated against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) - but each on their own, conflicting terms.

But the Gulf states, led by Saudi Arabia, staged their own intervention, saying they were committed to sending ground troops to the country. Their favoured rebel groups have been pulverised by Russian air raids and driven back on the ground by Iranian-supplied pro-regime troops.

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WNU Editor: This is scary stuff. If the Gulf states intervene in Syria, Syria and its allies (Russia, Iran, etc.) will respond with deadly force. And while I am still sceptical that Saudi Arabia will directly intervene ....the situation on the ground is now fluid .... anything is now possible.

Update: Major powers agree to plan for 'cessation of hostilities' in Syria (Reuters).

Editor's Note

Blogging will return later today.

Update 20:22 EST: Wow .... today was one of those days. Blogging will resume in about 20 minutes.

World News Briefs -- February 11, 2016

Stalls are seen on a street beside damaged buildings in the rebel held al-Shaar neighborhood of Aleppo, Syria, February 10, 2016. REUTERS/ABDALRHMAN ISMAIL

The Guardian: Report on Syria conflict finds 11.5% of population killed or injured

Exclusive Syrian Centre for Policy Research says 470,000 deaths is twice UN’s figure with ‘human development ruined’ after 45% of population is displaced

Syria’s national wealth, infrastructure and institutions have been “almost obliterated” by the “catastrophic impact” of nearly five years of conflict, a new report has found. Fatalities caused by war, directly and indirectly, amount to 470,000, according to the Syrian Centre for Policy Research (SCPR) – a far higher total than the figure of 250,000 used by the United Nations until it stopped collecting statistics 18 months ago.

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MIDDLE EAST

Syria conflict: Powers divided over ceasefire. Ceasefire talk as 50,000 Syrians flee Aleppo fighting. Russia, pressed to end Syria bombing, proposes March truce.

Iraq PM says sending ground troops to Syria would be 'dangerous escalation'.

Turkey's Erdogan lambasts US over support for Syrian Kurds.

Turkey dismisses EU plan to resettle refugees in return for sealing sea route.

Iran defends its support for Syria and Iraq.

New App that detects morality police is instant hit in Iran. “Morality police” app blocked in Iran.

Banners and selfies as Iranians mark revolution anniversary.

Netanyahu plans fence around Israel to protect it from 'wild beasts'.

ASIA

With fewer U.S. troops in Afghanistan, pressure grows for more air strikes.

US Senate backs new North Korea sanctions. US, allies target North Korea finances after rocket test.

North Korea satellite not transmitting, but rocket payload a concern: U.S..

US Intel Chief concerned about Beijing's South China Sea militarization.

Pakistan warns of Islamic State's growing reach.

Short of options, Sri Lanka turns back to Beijing's embrace.

Dozens face riot charges over Hong Kong Lunar New Year violence.

AFRICA

Burundi crisis: US concerned over 'Rwanda's destabilising activities'.

RAF resumes Libyan sorties to help halt Isis advance.

Islamic State foothold in Libya poses threat to Europe.

Nigerian refugee camp hit by double suicide bombing.

U.S. says political crisis building in Democratic Republic of Congo.

Al-Shabab 'planning Somalia attacks using AU uniforms'.

Prosecutor recommends life jail sentence for Chad's ex-ruler.

EUROPE

'It's like the day before World War One': European chief's stark warning over scale of refugee crisis.

NATO agrees Russian deterrent but avoids Cold War footing.

NATO buildup in Black Sea violates Montreux Convention — Russian deputy.

Turkey, Greece seek NATO mission in Aegean: German official.

IMF secures reform commitment from Ukraine after bailout warning.

EU and Britain have big differences over 'ever closer union'.

Auschwitz: Reinhold Hanning goes on trial in Germany.

AMERICAS

Republican White House field narrows as campaign moves south. Christie, Fiorina drop GOP presidential bids.

Bernie Sanders wins N.H. handily, as Democrats settle in for a long race.

Crumbling economy in Venezuela puts Maduro’s socialist regime in peril.

Ex-president of El Salvador faces trial over source of $700,000.

Panel denies parole to Sirhan, assassin of Robert F. Kennedy.

Obama has had enough of selfies.

Church talks help make Cuba 'perfect place for negotiations'.

Zika virus: 'Strongest evidence yet' of effect on babies.

TERRORISM/THE LONG WAR

AQAP publishes insider’s account of 9/11 plot.

Russian airstrikes boost Islamic State in Syria, says U.S. envoy.

Concern over health of Guantanamo prisoner in 9/11 case.

ECONOMY/FINANCE/BUSINESS

Oil falls on U.S. supply record, weak demand outlook.

Twitter disappoints investors as user growth hits wall.

Janet Yellen hints further US rate rises on hold amid plunging markets. Yellen warns US financial conditions have worsened.

Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- February 11, 2016

Business Insider: These are some of the weapons the Pentagon wants for its $583 billion budget

President Obama's eighth and final $4 trillion-plus budget proposal will be sent to a Republican-controlled Congress on Tuesday.

Earlier this month US Secretary of Defense Ash Carter highlighted a few new weapons the Pentagon wants to add to its arsenal for a cool $583 billion budget in 2017.

The budget includes $7.5 billion to escalate the fight against the Islamic State (aka ISIS, ISIL, and Daesh).

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Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- February 11, 2016

Defense budget sacrifices weapons for wars -- Jeremy Herb, Politico

Half a Trillion for the Pentagon? Why Defense Spending Is Only Going Higher -- Martin Matishak, Fiscal Times

The War Over the Pentagon Budget -- Mark Thompson, Time

NATO ministers approve new force for eastern Europe -- AP

NATO says it’s adding a significant number of troops in Eastern Europe -- Washington Post

The Problem With NATO's Nukes -- Richard Sokolsky and Gordon Adams, Foreign Policy

Poland to join fight versus Islamic State in return for NATO help in east -- Reuters

NATO Pledge To Hit Islamic State 'Harder' -- SKY News

Obama envoy: 70 percent of Russian strikes don't hit ISIS -- The Hill

Russian deployment of new Pantsyr to Syria confirmed -- IHS Jane's 360

DIA Chief: I Expect Iran to Purchase New Russian Weapons and See Them in Syria in Two Years -- Washington Free Beacon

Russia to Upgrade Nuclear Weapons in Response to NATO's Buildup - Lawmaker -- Sputnik

Killer drone squad: Russia unveils anti-armor assault multicopter (PHOTOS, VIDEO) -- RT

Back From the Dead: India and Russia Revive Talks Over Fifth Generation Fighter Jet -- The Diplomat

Iranian defense minister's visit to Russia confirmed — embassy -- TASS

Iran to upgrade missiles, get Russian defense system: minister -- Reuters

New video from Iranian state television shows captured U.S. sailor crying -- Washington Post

U.S. Navy rebukes Iran after propaganda video shows sailor crying -- Navy Times

Turkey, Saudi Arabia to hold joint drills: Military sources -- Hurriyet Daily News

Israel's Robot Warship -- Kelsey D. Atherton, Popular Science

India’s Growing Naval Might -- The Diplomat

Documents Point to US Base for Polluting Okinawa Water Supply -- Sputnik

US to deploy hundreds of troops in Afghanistan to thwart Taliban -- The Guardian

US Air Force Updates Long Range Strike-Bomber Cost Estimate -- Defense News

F-35 Chief Lays Out Biggest Development Risks -- Defense News

US Navy Tests Electronic Systems on New Zumwalt-Class Destroyer -- Sputnik

Navy urged to slow Littoral Ship deployments until more testing -- Bloomberg

New US Spy Satellite Lifts Off as Obama Criticizes N. Korean Launch -- Sputnik

Special: Inside the Stealthy B-2 Bomber -- Scout Warrior

US Navy Adds Contract to Next Generation Nuclear Sub Planning Program -- Sputnik

BAE Secures Successor Missile Submarine Design Contract -- Defense News

Poll: Most women oppose registering for draft -- The Hill

DoD: Among Services, Army Had Highest Suicide Rate in 2014 -- Military.com/Stars and Stripes

Pentagon told to do more to monitor hazing -- The Hill

Air Force Warns Airmen Against Talking Politics on Social Media -- Military.com/Standard Examiner

The Real Cost of Nuclear Deterrence -- Peter Huessy, Gatestone Institute

Obama’s unsettled legacy on Iraq and Afghanistan -- Kristina Wong, The Hill

U.S. Intelligence Has Added Gene Editing To Its List Of WMDs

Image: Shutterstock/isak55

MIT Technology Review: Top U.S. Intelligence Official Calls Gene Editing a WMD Threat

Easy to use. Hard to control. The intelligence community now sees CRISPR as a threat to national safety.

Genome editing is a weapon of mass destruction.

That’s according to James Clapper, U.S. director of national intelligence, who on Tuesday, in the annual worldwide threat assessment report of the U.S. intelligence community, added gene editing to a list of threats posed by “weapons of mass destruction and proliferation.”

Gene editing refers to several novel ways to alter the DNA inside living cells. The most popular method, CRISPR, has been revolutionizing scientific research, leading to novel animals and crops, and is likely to power a new generation of gene treatments for serious diseases (see “Everything You Need to Know About CRISPR’s Monster Year”).

It is gene editing’s relative ease of use that worries the U.S. intelligence community, according to the assessment. “Given the broad distribution, low cost, and accelerated pace of development of this dual-use technology, its deliberate or unintentional misuse might lead to far-reaching economic and national security implications,” the report said.

Read more ....

More News On U.S. Intelligence Adding Gene Editing To Its List Of WMDs

Why Gene-Editing Technology Just Made the Government's List of WMDs -- Inc.
The US intelligence chief added gene editing to a list of threats that includes North Korea's nukes and Syria's chemical weapons -- Business Insider
Wait, Gene Editing Is a Weapon of Mass Destruction? -- Popular Mechanics
Potential, and Potential for Misuse -- Genome Web

The Pentagon's Third Offset Strategy

The Pentagon, headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, taken from an airplane in January 2008. Wikipedia

Kyle Mizokami, The Week: America's military is getting deadly serious about China, Russia, and North Korea

The Pentagon has a problem. After concentrating on guerrilla warfare for the last decade and a half, the U.S. military is entering a brave new world — one filled with new adversaries. Russia, China, North Korea and others have been building up air, space, ground, and naval forces over the last 15 years, and their progress is showing.

Russia is aggressively building new ships, tanks, and aircraft, while China is rapidly modernizing its air and naval forces. North Korea is honing its nuclear weapons program and constructing new long-range missiles, now capable of hitting the United States. The Pentagon needs a new strategy to deal with this.

Fortunately the military has one, and it's called the Third Offset Strategy. The First Offset Strategy, initiated in the 1950s, involved countering Soviet superiority in conventional ground forces with cheaper nuclear weapons. The Second Offset Strategy was conceived in the 1980s and involved using American technological superiority to compensate for greater Soviet numbers.

Read more ....

Update: New US Defense Budget: $18 Billion for Third Offset Strategy (The Diplomat)

WNU Editor: A lot of hope in this strategy ... and a reliance on new technologies that still have to be perfected.

Is The West's Military Edge In Technology Being Eroded?

RQ-4 Block 10 Global Hawk unmanned drones at an undisclosed location. The number of countries known to operate UAVs has doubled over the past five years. Photograph: Northrop Grumman

The Guardian: West's military advantage is being eroded, report warns

The west is losing its advantage in weapons technology as defence spending in Asia and other regions soars, survey says.

The west’s decades-long advantage in military technology is being eroded as defence spending in the rest of the world, notably Asia, soars, an authoritative report says.

The latest annual Military Balance by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) shows that advances in weapons-related technology once the preserve of the west – including cruise missiles, unmanned drones and electronic warfare – are becoming increasingly accessible to more and more countries.

The number of countries known to operate UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) has doubled over the past five years, and China has exported them to Iraq and Nigeria.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: What you pay is what you get .... and Asian countries are definitely spending money on modernizing their military forces.

Will A Long-Range Strike Drone Ever Be Built?

Northrop Grumman’s X-47B is one contender to provide new drone aircraft through the Navy’s Unmanned Carrier-Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike program. (Photo courtesy Northrop Grumman)

Popular Mechanics: Will America Ever Build a Long-Range Strike Drone?

​The Navy has shown that autonomous aircraft can take off and land on aircraft carriers. But what will those super-drones do?​

The X-47B was a fierce-looking piece of the future. The Navy's web-shaped drone demonstrator was the first unmanned aircraft to take off and land on an aircraft carrier autonomously. It seemed to herald a future in which drones potentially could take the place of fighter pilots, fulfilling far-flung advanced missions on their own.

That was then. Last week, Defense News reported that the X-47B's successor will likely be just an aerial re-fueler, rather than an intelligence-reconnaissance drone as envisioned by the Unmanned Carrier-Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) program. However, in a Tuesday morning speech unveiling President Obama's 2017 defense budget request, Secretary of Defense Ash Carter didn't say a word about turning the Navy's UCLASS system into a tanker.

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WNU Editor: Congress has been pushing for this drone for a long time .... Congress wants the Pentagon to develop a long-range, deadly superdrone (Washington Post).

The Pentagon Is Building An 'Arsenal Plane' (Updated)

Image: Wikimedia Commons/U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Robert J. Horstman.

David Axe, Daily Beast: Pentagon Wants a Plane Packed With Hundreds of Missiles to Beat Putin’s Air Force

The U.S. Air Force is short hundreds of fighter jets. To make up the gap, the Pentagon has come up with a wild concept: stuff hundreds of missiles into Cold War-era heavy bombers.

The next time America’s high-tech jet fighters fly into battle against a major foe, they might have some serious backup—heavy bombers, newly modified to haul potentially hundreds of missiles and fire them at the fighters’ command.
The upgraded bombers have picked up a cool new name: “arsenal planes.”

That’s right, the next global air war could involve the U.S. military newest, smallest warplanes—its “fifth-generation” stealth fighters—working in teams with the military’s Cold War-era heavy bombers, its oldest and largest warplanes.

Read more ....

Previous Post: The Pentagon Is Building An 'Arsenal Plane'

More News On The Pentagon's 'Arsenal Plane'

DOD aims to back up underarmed fighters with networked “arsenal planes” -- Ars Technica
The US Air Force wants to deploy ‘arsenal planes’ to improve the F-35’s limited firepower -- Extreme Tech
The Pentagon Is Building the "Arsenal Plane," a Giant Flying Battlewagon -- Popular Mechanics
The Pentagon Hints at Stuffing B-52s With Lethal High-Tech Weapons -- National Interest
How America's New Invisible Flying Gas Stations Could Keep Russia in Check -- VICE News

Water-boarding Becomes A U.S. Republican Presidential Election Issue

The Hill: McCain doubles down on waterboarding criticism

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) doubled down Tuesday on his criticism of Republican presidential candidates who support waterboarding, as the 2016 field battles for a win in the New Hampshire primary.

"It's been so disappointing to see some presidential candidates engage in loose talk on the campaign trail about reviving waterboarding and other inhumane interrogation techniques. It might be easy to dismiss this rhetoric, but these statement must not go unanswered," McCain said.

His comments come after he disavowed statements from presidential candidates — including front-runner Donald Trump — earlier this week.

Read more ....

Update #1: Spy chief: Waterboarding against American values (The Hill)
Update #2: Donald Trump’s Son Compares Waterboarding to Frat Parties (Time)

WNU Editor: We have not heard the last on this issue.

U.S. And India Considering Conducting Joint Patrols In The South China Sea

A USS Boxer LHD travels at an offshore location in Goa in this file photo. Washington wants its regional allies and other Asian nations to take a more united stance against China over the South China Sea

Reuters: Exclusive: U.S. & India consider joint patrols in South China Sea - U.S. official

The United States and India have held talks about conducting joint naval patrols that a U.S. defense official said could include the disputed South China Sea, a move that would likely anger Beijing, which claims most of the waterway.

Washington wants its regional allies and other Asian nations to take a more united stance against China over the South China Sea, where tensions have spiked in the wake of Beijing's construction of seven man-made islands in the Spratly archipelago.

India and the United States have ramped up military ties in recent years, holding naval exercises in the Indian Ocean that last year involved the Japanese navy.

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More News On Reports That The U.S. And India Are Considering Conducting Joint Patrols In The South China Sea

South China Sea dispute: US, India consider joint patrols, says US official -- Sydney morning Herald
Maritime Conflict Widens in South China Sea with Joint US-India Patrols -- Inquisitr
US and India consider joint patrols in South China Sea, US official says -- Times Of India
US & India mull over 'joint patrols' in South China Sea — report -- RT
US-India Patrols in the South China Sea? Maybe Not Just Yet -- The Diplomat

Update: The Indian Defense Ministry is denying this report .... No Indo-US naval patrol in South China Sea, defence ministry says (Times of India).

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South Korean Reports: North Korea's Military Chief Has Been Executed On Charges Of Corruption

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un with army chief of staff Ri Yong-Gil who has reportedly been executed. Picture: AFP/KCNA via KNS

Daily Mail: North Korea 'executes military chief on charges of corruption after he criticised Kim Jong-un's leadership appointments'

* Army General Ri Yong-gil 'was charged with pursuing personal gains'
* He may have raised objections to Kim's appointment of military leaders
* Source: 'It appears the North cited the charges to justify his execution'
* Ri absent from events celebrating North's controversial rocket launch

Kim Jong-un's military chief has been executed on charges of corruption, it was reported today.

Army General Ri Yong-gil, chief of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army, was conspicuous in his absence from events celebrating the North's controversial satellite launch on Sunday.

Ri is believed to have been charged with pursuing personal gains and may have been ousted after raising objections to Kim's recent appointments of party leaders to military posts, a source said.

If confirmed, it would be the latest in a series of executions, purges and disappearances under its young tyrant.

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WNU Editor: He may come back to life .... Don't Be Surprised If North Korea's 'Executed' Army Chief Comes Back to Life (VICE News).

More News On Reports That North Korea's Military Chief Has Been Executed On Charges Of Corruption

North Korea executes army chief of staff: South Korean media -- Reuters
North Korea ‘executes’ army chief of staff Ri Yong-gil -- News.com.au
North Korea’s Kim Jong Un Allegedly Executes Military Chief Gen. Ri Yong-Gil Over Corruption Charges -- IBTimes
Pyongyang executes army chief of staff, according to South Korean reports -- Irish Times