{"id":1108,"date":"2022-01-18T19:22:32","date_gmt":"2022-01-19T00:22:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cognitivewarriorproject.com\/?p=1108"},"modified":"2022-01-18T19:22:32","modified_gmt":"2022-01-19T00:22:32","slug":"daily-dump-the-texture-of-war-nato-ukraine-and-russia-playing-devils-advocate-and-more-january-18-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cognitivewarriorproject.com\/?p=1108","title":{"rendered":"Daily Dump: The Texture of War, NATO, Ukraine and Russia, Playing Devil\u2019s Advocate and More \u2013 January 18, 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Before we dive into the big news of the day, I\u2019d like to bring your attention to a couple podcasts that I think are definitely worth your time:<\/p>\n

The Texture of War in Afghanistan\u2019s Pech Valley: Part 1<\/a> <\/em>\u2013 Horns of Dilemma<\/p>\n

The Texture of War in Afghanistan\u2019s Pech Valley: Part 2<\/a><\/em> \u2013 Horns of Dilemma<\/p>\n

The podcasts focus on the U.S. efforts in Afghanistan\u2019s Pech Valley over time focusing not on a single unit or battle but on the conflict as a whole. They describe the two-part podcast this way:<\/p>\n

In this episode of Horns of a Dilemma, the first of two parts, author Wesley Morgan discusses his book, The Hardest Place: The American Military Adrift in Afghanistan\u2019s Pech Valley. Morgan has written an extraordinary biography of the American presence in Afghanistan, focusing on one particular place, and through the history of the American war in that place, capturing the 20-year American war effort in it heroism, nobility, hubris, and folly.<\/em><\/p>\n

Morgan provides a unique lens to look at the conflict there and listening I was struck with several realities; the U.S. Military loses an incredible amount of institutional knowledge in a unit-to-unit handover. All incoming units believe they onboarded the knowledge from the transitioning unit very well but the follow-on units don\u2019t. Hard lessons learned have to be re-learned following the transition which really made Afghanistan 21, 1-year wars instead of a 21-year war. These problems seemed universal and are challenges that the Taliban \/ Al Qaeda did not have to face. Listening reminded me of a section from David Kilcullen\u2019s Accidental Guerrilla<\/em>:<\/p>\n

While working in the Federally Administered Tribal Area with the Pakistani government, doing a detailed review of civil administration, economic development, and military policy on the frontier. Mr. Kilcullen\u2019s job was to assess the situation and report on how effectively Pakistan was employing the $100 million per month the United States was providing in aid to the Pakistani government. They were traveling with a small escort from the Khyber Rifles, a regiment of the paramilitary Frontier Corps. The escort commander was a young Punjabi major, a city boy from Lahore who now found himself up in the mountains commanding a unit of people whose language he didn\u2019t speak and whose culture, history, and outlook were distinctly different from his own. One afternoon, when they were eating together, after a long hot day in the hills, and discussing the latest developments with al Qa\u2019ida, Kilcullen used the term \u201cforeign fighters.\u201d The Punjabi Major said, \u201cYou know, we Punjabis are the foreigners here on the frontier. Al Qa\u2019ida has been here 25 years, their leaders have married into the tribes, they have children and businesses here, they\u2019ve become part of local society. It\u2019s almost impossible for outsiders, including the Pakistani army, to tell the terrorists apart from anybody else in the tribal areas, except by accident.\u201d\u2026This Pakistani officer described a syndrome that is easily summed up, though extremely hard to counter: Al Qa\u2019ida moves into remote areas, creates alliances with local traditional communities, exports violence that prompts a Western intervention, and then exploits the backlash against that intervention in order to generate support for its takfiri agenda\u2026Mr. Kilcullen hypothesizes that this or similar cases, is where the accidental guerilla emerges.<\/em><\/p>\n

The podcast did indicate that the Taliban wasn\u2019t exactly welcomed there either but given the choice between the two\u2026well I think we know how the turned out. Anyway, the biggest news in Today\u2019s Daily dump is out of Europe and the Russian build up of forces.<\/p>\n

Will Russia Attack Ukraine?<\/a><\/em> \u2013 Foreign Policy asks this very question with a compilation of all of their articles on the topic. Meanwhile the Center for Strategic and International Studies takes a deeper dive in: Russia\u2019s Possible Invasion of Ukraine<\/a> <\/em>where they consider the possibilities of an actual Russian invasion:<\/p>\n

If peace talks fail, the Russian military has several options to advance into Ukraine through northern, central, and southern invasion routes. But a Russian attempt to seize and hold territory will not necessarily be easy and will likely be impacted by challenges from weather, urban combat, command and control, logistics, and the morale of Russian troops and the Ukrainian population. The United States and its European allies and partners should be prepared for an invasion by taking immediate economic, diplomatic, military, intelligence, and humanitarian steps to aid Ukraine and its population and shore up defenses along the North Atlantic Treaty Organization\u2019s (NATO) eastern flank.<\/em><\/p>\n

The CSIS study is very detailed and is definitely worth your time as the AP reports: Russia moves more troops westward amid Ukraine tensions<\/a><\/em> as Russia Says Still Waiting on Western Response to Security Demands<\/a><\/em> \u2013 The Moscow Times. So, what are the security demands? The Moscow Times reports:<\/p>\n

Moscow said last month it sought \u201clegally binding security guarantees\u201d after Western governments warned that Russia\u2019s troop buildup could signal an imminent invasion of Ukraine.<\/em><\/p>\n

Washington and NATO have rejected some of Russia\u2019s key demands \u2014 which include banning Ukraine from joining the Western military bloc and scaling back NATO troops and missiles from Eastern Europe \u2014 as \u201cnon-starters.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Foreign Affairs makes the case against NATO expansion in Time for NATO to Close Its Door: The Alliance Is Too Big\u2014and Too Provocative\u2014for Its Own Good<\/a>. <\/em>They argue:<\/p>\n

The NATO alliance is ill suited to twenty-first-century Europe. This is not because Russian President Vladimir Putin says it is or because Putin is trying to use the threat of a wider war in Ukraine to force neutrality on that country and to halt the alliance\u2019s expansion. Rather, it is because NATO suffers from a severe design flaw: extending deep into the cauldron of eastern European geopolitics, it is too large, too poorly defined, and too provocative for its own good.<\/em><\/p>\n

Michael Kimmage<\/a><\/em> makes a strong argument for limiting the advance of NATO which would play Devil\u2019s Advocate to An article by the Defence Secretary on the situation in Ukraine: Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace discusses NATO, Ukraine and Russia<\/em>.<\/a> from Gov.UK. Ben Wallace\u2019s central claim in defense of NATO:<\/p>\n

NATO is, to its core, defensive in nature. At the heart of the organisation is Article 5 that obliges all members to come to the aid of a fellow member if it is under attack. No ifs and no buts. Mutual self-defence is NATO\u2019s cornerstone. This obligation protects us all. Allies from as far apart as Turkey and Norway; or as close as Latvia and Poland all benefit from the pact and are obliged to respond. It is a truly defensive alliance.<\/em><\/p>\n

If Russia does invade, how should the West respond? Well, DW has some thoughts in Russia sanctions: How to punish Moscow over Ukraine threat?<\/a><\/em> Here is the key proposal:<\/p>\n

Around the same time, rumors emerged that Washington may seek the so-called nuclear option of cutting off Russian banks from the SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications) payments system \u2014 a global network used by almost all financial institutions to wire sums of money to each other.<\/em><\/p>\n

The report continues and lists Russian Banks or Pipelines as possible alternatives to the self-described nuclear option. For more information on European Security check out: Protecting the European Security Order<\/a><\/em> from RUSI where they state:<\/p>\n

On 17 December 2021, Moscow formally submitted its demands, proposed as two \u2018draft treaties\u2019 \u2013 the first between Russia and the US, and the second between Russia and NATO. These demands \u2013 which would completely rewrite the fundamentals of the extant European security order, including halting further NATO expansion, specifically in Georgia and Ukraine, and effectively rolling back the Alliance to its 1997 boundaries \u2013 would obviously be rejected by the West. However, in presenting its demands as treaties, Russia has forced the West to discuss the proposals openly, and in doing so it has opened the space for discussion on more fundamental questions about the international status quo. Regardless of the diplomatic outcome of the current talks, activity in 2022 could drastically redefine European security.<\/em><\/p>\n

I’m not sure I agree with fundamentally change<\/em> or drastically redefine<\/em> European security but the matter does deserve our attention. If Europe or cool podcasts are not your thing…there in plenty more in Today’s Daily Dump!<\/p>\n

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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

As a reminder: The Cognitive Warrior Project is a private media site, and it is not affiliated in any way with Special Operation Forces, the Department of Defense or the U.S. Government. None of the U.S. Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard, DoD or Space Force have endorsed, supported, directed, or participated in the creation of the content at this site, or in the creation of the site itself. It\u2019s just a media site that happens to cover the U.S Military, DoD and other National Intelligence Assets.<\/em><\/p>\n

January 17\/18, 2022<\/p>\n

An article by the Defence Secretary on the situation in Ukraine: Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace discusses NATO, Ukraine and Russia.<\/a> \u2013 Gov.UK<\/p>\n

Podcast: Anytime, Anyplace: Air Force Special Operations Command in Future Irregular Warfare<\/a> \u2013 Irregular Warfare Podcast<\/p>\n

Podcast: The Robotic Revolution is Already Here<\/a> \u2013 MWI<\/p>\n

Protecting the European Security Order<\/a> \u2013 RUSI<\/p>\n

Germany\u2019s New Government and the Middle East<\/a> \u2013 RUSI<\/p>\n

Watch: Security Implications of Germany\u2019s Federal Election\u2014An Interim Assessment<\/a> \u2013 NSI<\/p>\n

Speaking Aloud What NATO Has Left Unsaid Could Help Ease Ukraine-Russia Impasse<\/a> \u2013 RAND<\/p>\n

Could the U.S. Play Offense in China’s Back Yard?<\/a> \u2013 RAND<\/p>\n

Islamic State claims Christmas day suicide bombing in Congo <\/a>\u2013 Long War Journal<\/p>\n

Podcast: The Texture of War in Afghanistan\u2019s Pech Valley: Part 1<\/a> \u2013 Horns of Dilemma<\/p>\n

Podcast: The Texture of War in Afghanistan\u2019s Pech Valley: Part 2<\/a> \u2013 Horns of Dilemma<\/p>\n

How the United Kingdom Can Confront Its Limited Capabilities<\/a> \u2013 War on the Rocks<\/p>\n

New Missiles, New Risks: The Escalatory Implications of Iran\u2019s Precision-Strike Weapons<\/a> \u2013 War on the Rocks<\/p>\n

Breaking the Diplomatic Deadlock with North Korea<\/a> \u2013 War on the Rocks<\/p>\n

Venezuela: Understanding Political, External, and Criminal Actors in an Authoritarian State<\/a> \u2013 Small Wars Journal<\/p>\n

1\/22\/2022 National Security and Korean News and Commentary<\/a> \u2013 Small Wars Journal<\/p>\n

Russia\u2019s Possible Invasion of Ukraine<\/a> \u2013 Center for Strategic and International Studies<\/p>\n

Getting to grips with Ethiopia\u2019s ethnic and political violence is vital for stability<\/a> \u2013 Institute for Security Studies<\/p>\n

The Overstretched Superpower: Does America Have More Rivals Than It Can Handle?<\/a> \u2013 Foreign Affairs<\/p>\n

The Winter of the Patriarch: The Nazarbayev Era Is Over, but What Comes Next for Kazakhstan? \u2013 Foreign Affairs<\/p>\n

Time for NATO to Close Its Door: The Alliance Is Too Big\u2014and Too Provocative\u2014for Its Own Good<\/a> \u2013 Foreign Affairs<\/p>\n

America Has No Good Options on Iran: But Reviving the Nuclear Deal Is the Least Bad<\/a> \u2013 Foreign Affairs<\/p>\n

Around 20 killed in deadliest coalition strikes on Yemen’s Sanaa since 2019<\/a> \u2013 Reuters<\/p>\n

Analysis: Best supporting actor? NATO in secondary role if Russia invades Ukraine<\/a> \u2013 Reuters<\/p>\n

Germany could halt pipeline if Russia attacks Ukraine, Scholz signals<\/a> \u2013 Reuters<\/p>\n

EXPLAINER: Why airlines fear 5G will upend travel this week<\/a> \u2013 AP<\/p>\n

North Korean missile tests signal return to brinkmanship<\/a> \u2013 AP<\/p>\n

Satellite photos show aftermath of Abu Dhabi oil site attack<\/a> \u2013 AP<\/p>\n

Before pullout, watchdog warned of Afghan air force collapse<\/a> \u2013 AP<\/p>\n

Russia moves more troops westward amid Ukraine tensions<\/a> \u2013 AP<\/p>\n

Germany and NATO urge Russia to deescalate on Ukraine border<\/a> \u2013 DW<\/p>\n

Russia sanctions: How to punish Moscow over Ukraine threat?<\/a> \u2013 DW<\/p>\n

Sudan: Seven dead after security forces open fire during protest<\/a> \u2013 DW<\/p>\n

Turkey aims to keep tensions high in northeast Syria through targeted killings<\/a> \u2013 Al Monitor<\/p>\n

Fighting in Yemen’s Marib intensifies amid government advances<\/a> \u2013 Al Monitor<\/p>\n

Iran says much of nuclear deal text is ready<\/a> \u2013 Al Monitor<\/p>\n

Last Christian in Idlib recalls his community<\/a> \u2013 Al Monitor<\/p>\n

The real deal behind selling Brahmos to the Philippines<\/a> \u2013 Asia Times<\/p>\n

Rebel yell: Arakan Army leader speaks to Asia Times<\/a> \u2013 Asia Times<\/p>\n

US senses opportunity in fraying Taliban-Pakistan ties<\/a> \u2013 Asia Times<\/p>\n

Hidden gap between US, Japan defense views<\/a> \u2013 Asia Times<\/p>\n

Crisis In Kazakhstan Pushes China, Russia Closer Together<\/a> \u2013 Radio Free Europe<\/p>\n

Podcast: Making Sense Of The Worst Unrest In Kazakhstan’s History<\/a> – Majlis Podcast<\/p>\n

Customs authorities in Senegal seize ammunition aboard a cargo ship<\/a> \u2013 Africa News<\/p>\n

Will Russia Attack Ukraine?<\/a> \u2013 Foreign Policy<\/p>\n

Houthis Strike Abu Dhabi as Yemen War Drags On<\/a> \u2013 Foreign Policy<\/p>\n

When America Invaded China: The Boxer Rebellion still shapes Beijing\u2019s attitude toward the United States.<\/a> \u2013 Foreign Policy<\/p>\n

How a single firefight in Afghanistan unraveled a Hollywood vision of war<\/a> \u2013 Task and Purpose<\/p>\n

The Pentagon wants next-generation night vision that can be worn like sunglasses<\/a> \u2013 Task and Purpose<\/p>\n

As war looms larger, what are Russia\u2019s military options in Ukraine?<\/a> \u2013 The Economist<\/p>\n

The Tao of Recce<\/a> \u2013 Wavell Room<\/p>\n

Russia Says Still Waiting on Western Response to Security Demands<\/a> \u2013 The Moscow Times<\/p>\n

Nazarbayev Denies Split Among Kazakh Elite, Says Tokayev Has \u2018Full Power\u2019 in First Post-Protest Comments<\/a> \u2013 The Moscow Times<\/p>\n

Assessing the Cognitive Threat Posed by Technology Discourses Intended to Address Adversary Grey Zone Activities<\/a> \u2013 Divergent Options<\/p>\n

The US-Russia Crisis Over Ukraine: All Options Should Not Be On the Table<\/a> \u2013 Just Security<\/p>\n

Swedish Security Agency Declares A National Event As Drone Incursions Over Nuclear Sites Grow<\/a> \u2013 The Drive<\/p>\n

Drones Suspected In Yemeni Rebels’ Multi-Target Attack On UAE (Updated)<\/a> \u2013 The Drive<\/p>\n

Russian Landing Ships Leave Baltic Sea Raising Concerns That Ukraine May Be Their Final Destination (Updated)<\/a> \u2013 The Drive<\/p>\n

Now You Can Rent a Robot Worker\u2014for Less Than Paying a Human<\/a> \u2013 Wired<\/p>\n

Microsoft warns of destructive disk wiper targeting Ukraine<\/a> \u2013 Ars Technica<\/p>\n

Did we miss anything? Drop a comment or a link to an article to further the discussion. And don\u2019t forget to subscribe! It\u2019s free and our articles can be emailed directly to you so you don\u2019t miss a thing!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Before we dive into the big news of the day, I\u2019d like to bring your attention to a couple podcasts that I think are definitely worth your time: The Texture of War in Afghanistan\u2019s Pech Valley: Part 1 \u2013 Horns of Dilemma The Texture of War in Afghanistan\u2019s Pech Valley: Part 2 \u2013 Horns of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1109,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"bgseo_title":"","bgseo_description":"","bgseo_robots_index":"index","bgseo_robots_follow":"follow","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1108","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bullets"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.cognitivewarriorproject.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Bear-attack.jpg","post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cognitivewarriorproject.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1108","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cognitivewarriorproject.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cognitivewarriorproject.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cognitivewarriorproject.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cognitivewarriorproject.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1108"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.cognitivewarriorproject.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1108\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1111,"href":"https:\/\/www.cognitivewarriorproject.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1108\/revisions\/1111"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cognitivewarriorproject.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1109"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cognitivewarriorproject.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1108"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cognitivewarriorproject.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1108"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cognitivewarriorproject.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1108"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}