The Irregular Warfare Initiative has a new podcast out, Lessons from the Hardest Place: Twenty Years of War in Afghanistan, that discusses the counterinsurgency in Afghanistan, how the integration of special operations and conventional forces didn’t always go well and other topics. It is definitely worth a listen. To that end, The Small Wars Journal has an article, Losing Small Wars: Why US Military Culture Leads to Defeat, which follows a similar thread where mission command is preached but rarely practiced as centralization rules the day. It makes you wonder how a whole of government approach to the Great Power Competition will work without some levels of autonomy and a broader strategic purpose or commanders’ intent. For an extreme example of decentralization, check out Task and Purpose’s: US suspends military support to Guinea after Special Forces-trained troops launch coup on their day off. I can add nothing to this story that isn’t stated in this quote, “The Defense Department has suspended military assistance to the African country of Guinea after Guinean special operations forces used their day off from being trained by American Green Berets to overthrow their government.” Once again there are plenty stories about Afghanistan, but DW’s How Afghan women are resisting Taliban rule is both inspirational and tragic in that these women face an extraordinarily tough path ahead. And for something completely different, the AP reports, Egypt team identifies fossil of land-roaming whale species. All of this more in Today’s Daily Dump.
Inspired by the Cognitive Raider Initiative, The Cognitive Warrior Project has put together a daily list of diverse articles that can easily be chosen from to play a part in developing a more mentally agile warfighter that embraces the adaptation required for tomorrow’s battlefield. Our intent is to create a space where you can choose one or two articles a day (about 10 minutes) instead of mindlessly scrolling social media.
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September 14, 2021
Podcast: Lessons from the Hardest Place: Twenty Years of War in Afghanistan – Irregular Warfare
Twenty Years After 9/11: The Terror Threat from Afghanistan Post the Taliban Takeover – Combating Terrorism Center at West Point
Podcast: WE’RE SO META: PODCASTING ABOUT PODCASTING – A Better Peace
#Reviewing The Other Face of Battle – The Strategy Bridge
Russia and the Taliban: Prospective Partners? – Royal United Service Institute
Watch: Episode 6: Transformation and Adaptation – A Call to Arms
Moscow Hesitated in Poland—Will It in Belarus? – RAND
Forward to the Past? Weigh Covert Options in Afghanistan Carefully – War on the Rocks
Beyond Biological Defense: Maintaining the U.S. Biotechnology Advantage – War on the Rocks
The state of police violence in the Americas – Small Wars Journal
Losing Small Wars: Why US Military Culture Leads to Defeat – Small Wars Journal
9/13/2021 National Security and Korean News and Commentary – Small Wars Journal
Afghanistan Aftershocks – Center for Strategic and International Studies
Afghanistan’s security sector reform test – Somalia take note – Institute for Security Studies
Al Qaeda Versus ISIS: The Jihadi Power Struggle in the Taliban’s Afghanistan – Foreign Affairs
Taliban deny their deputy prime minister, Mullah Baradar, is dead – Reuters
Biden to host leaders of Australia, India, Japan at White House next week – Reuters
Indonesia arrests key leader in al-Qaida linked group – AP
Chinese students hit by US visa rejections amid tension – AP
Egypt team identifies fossil of land-roaming whale species – AP
Russia’s Putin slams presence of foreign troops in Syria – AP
With Taliban’s rise, India sees renewed threat in Kashmir – AP
Once inmates, Taliban now in charge in a Kabul prison – AP
Germany and the Middle East: A tale of morals and markets – DW
DW launches shortwave radio service for Afghanistan – DW
How Afghan women are resisting Taliban rule – DW
Burkina Faso: Attack on convoy kills 6 as jihadist violence surges – DW
Israeli prime minister praises ‘foundation for deep ties’ in Egypt – Al Monitor
Turkish-backed Syrian forces intensify attacks on US-aligned Syrian Kurdish group – Al Monitor
Biden Doctrine abating US tensions with China – Asia Times
A Chinese Property Giant Warns of ‘Tremendous’ Financial Pressure – The New York Times
A Million Afghan Children Could Die in ‘Most Perilous Hour,’ U.N. Warns – The New York Times
Iran Nears an Atomic Milestone – The New York Times
Pentagon Defends Deadly Drone Strike in Kabul – The New York Times
Tajikistan: The Taliban’s Toughest Critic – Radio Free Europe
Afghanistan Updates with RFE – Radio Free Europe
Guinea junta to start ‘consensus’ talks with political, business leaders – Africa News
Burkina Faso says 374 children rescued from traffickers – Africa News
U.S. and China Reach Deal to Block Myanmar’s Junta From U.N. – Foreign Policy
US suspends military support to Guinea after Special Forces-trained troops launch coup on their day off – Task and Purpose
Russia holds the largest military exercise in Europe for 40 years – The Economist
The Long and the Short of the History of the Laws of War – Lawfare
Ukraine Says Soldier Killed by Separatists in Fresh Fighting – The Moscow Times
Questions to Investigate U.S. Drone Strike in Kabul: An Alleged Killing of 10 Civilians – Just Security
Twenty Years After 9/11, It’s Time to Prioritize Diplomacy and Development – United States Institute of Peace
This Mysterious Unmanned Vessel Was Just Spotted In San Diego Bay (Updated) – The Drive
Chinese Warships Sailing Near Alaska’s Aleutian Islands Shadowed By U.S. Coast Guard – The Drive
For the First Time, a Navy Drone Ship Launched a Missile at Sea – Popular Mechanics
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