CNN Washington
February 10 2009
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton signaled Tuesday that the United States might rethink plans for a missile defense shield in Europe if Iran decides against pursuing nuclear weapons.
“If we are able to see a change in behavior on the part of the Iranians, then we will reconsider where we stand …
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/02/10/iran.clinton/
Speaker: Biden, Joseph R.
Vice President of the United States
February 7 2009
… we must recognize new forces shaping this young century:
In meeting these challenges, the United States will be guided by this basic principle:
There is no conflict between our security and our ideals. They are mutually reinforcing. The force of arms won our independence, and throughout our history, the force of arms has protected our freedom. That will not change. But the very moment we declared our independence, we laid before the world the values behind our revolution and the conviction that our policies must be informed by a “decent respect for the opinions of mankind.” Our Founders understood then and the United States believes now – that the example of our power must be matched by the power of our example. That is why we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. America will vigorously defend our security and our values, and in doing so we will all be more secure. As hard as we try, I know that we are likely to fall short of our ideals in the future, just as we have in the past. But I commit to you now: we will strive, every day, to honor the values that animate America’s democracy …
We will continue to develop missile defenses to counter a growing Iranian capability, provided the technology is proven to work and cost effective. …
We also support the further strengthening of European defense…
Read/hear the speech at
www.securityconference.de/konferenzen/rede.php?menu_2009=&menu_konferenzen=&sprache=en&id=238
Directive Expands Makeup and Role Of Security Body
Karen DeYoung
Washington Post
February 8, 2009
President Obama plans to order a sweeping overhaul of the National Security Council, expanding its membership and increasing its authority to set strategy across a wide spectrum of international and domestic issues. …
The new structure, to be outlined in a presidential directive and a detailed implementation document by Jones, will expand the NSC’s reach far beyond the range of traditional foreign policy issues and turn it into a much more elastic body, with Cabinet and departmental seats at the table — historically occupied only by the secretaries of defense and state — determined on an issue-by-issue basis.
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/07/AR2009020702076.html
Directive Expands Makeup and Role Of Security Body
Karen DeYoung
Washington Post
February 8, 2009
President Obama plans to order a sweeping overhaul of the National Security Council, expanding its membership and increasing its authority to set strategy across a wide spectrum of international and domestic issues. …
The new structure, to be outlined in a presidential directive and a detailed implementation document by Jones, will expand the NSC’s reach far beyond the range of traditional foreign policy issues and turn it into a much more elastic body, with Cabinet and departmental seats at the table — historically occupied only by the secretaries of defense and state — determined on an issue-by-issue basis.
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/07/AR2009020702076.html
Global Security Newswire – Washington, DC, USA
Feb. 5, 2009
The lower house of the Czech Republic’s parliament will vote no earlier than mid-March on making the nation host to a U.S. missile defense radar base …
Lawmakers in the chamber voted 100-73 in favor of removing the matter from consideration in this session, which is scheduled to end on March 15. The upper house of parliament has already signed off on the radar proposal.
http://www.globalsecuritynewswire.org/gsn/nw_20090205_6060.php
New York Times – United States
February 5, 2009
The Obama administration is facing its first big international test this weekend as Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. heads to a conference in Europe in the face of a confrontational stance from an old cold war adversary.
Administration officials have concluded that Russia pressed Kyrgyzstan, a former Soviet republic, to close the American base in that country, which they interpret as a shot across the bow. The base is crucial to the American-led fight in Afghanistan that Mr. Obama has identified as his central national security objective. Mr. Obama plans to deploy as many as 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan over the next two years …
…will Mr. Biden seek to reassure Russia that the Obama administration will ease up on western forays into the former Soviet sphere?
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/06/washington/06policy.html?_r=1&ref=world
A Ministry of Defence (MoD) byelaw banning camping outside the Atomic Weapons Establishment Aldermaston was quashed by the court of appeal today. The case, heard on 26th November 2008, was an appeal in the Judicial Review of the Secretary of State for Defence’s decision to introduce byelaws which would have criminalised camping as a form of peaceful protest.
The case brought by Aldermaston Women’s Peace Camp(aign) hinged on whether the government’s ban on camping violated their rights to freedom of expression and assembly guaranteed by Articles 10 and 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
Aldermaston Women’s Peace Camp(aign) have been camping outside the Atomic Weapons Establishment every month for the last 24 years, in opposition to the manufacture of UK’s nuclear weapons. Following the original hearing on 1st February 2008, the court quashed a byelaw outlawing the attaching of banners to the perimeter fence. The MoD chose not to appeal. Today’s judgement reverses the original ruling that the ban on camping was justified.
In a unanimous verdict, the Court of Appeal today rejected the Secretary of State for Defence’s arguments saying, “Rights worth having are unruly things”. The byelaw prohibiting camping was quashed and the women’s peace camp is no longer criminalised. This ruling has an impact beyond AWPC and the Aldermaston nuclear weapons factory. It strengthens the right to protest and legitimises camping as a form of protest.
Speaking outside the court after today’s judgement, a representative from the Aldermaston Women’s Peace Camp said “We welcome today’s outcome, which is not only a victory for the women’s peace camp but an important judgement on the right to protest. Aldermaston Women’s Peace Camp will continue to hold our lawful camp to protest against the government’s unlawful nuclear weapons”.
The judges unanimously determined that our camp – as a form of protest – should not be criminalised.
RIA Novosti – Russia
12 January 2009
Kyrgyzstan’s president plans to terminate an agreement with the U.S. on a military airbase in the Central Asian state …
President Kurmanbek Bakiyev … plans to sign a decree ordering the closure within six months of the Gansi base, located at Manas airport in the country’s capital, Bishkek, which the U.S. has run since the 2001 antiterrorism war in Afghanistan …
AfterDowningStreet.org
Sat, 31 Jan 2009
…. About two hundred activists of the “No Dal Molin” movement entered the area of the Vicenza airport where a few days ago the construction of the new U.S. military base Camp Ederle 2 began.
The blitz was announced by the members of the movement themselves.
The police are on the site – including the Questore of Vicenza – and are overseeing the peaceful occupation of the area.
To enter the area the protesters cut a piece of the fence. The Questore Sarlo is trying to start negotiations with the demonstrators. There are also members of the Disobbedienti who arrived from Padova and other cities of the Veneto region.
The situation for the moment is calm. The demonstrators displayed banners and posters against the U.S. military, and with the spray paint wrote “Vicenza City of Peace” and “You demolish, we build peace”. The protesters have not reached the area from the inside of Dal Molin, protected by a fence, which is being developed by the company in charge of demolishing the existing structures. ….
Video in ItalianYou can also follow updates in Italian on the No Dal Molin and And Global Project sites: http://www.nodalmolin.it For background, see the dossier in English: |
U.S. Department of Defense
January 29, 2009
The Department of Defense released today the 2009 Quadrennial Roles and Missions Review (QRM) Report to Congress in accordance with the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008. Although the department has completed similar reviews in the past, this was the first review conducted with the intention of establishing a framework for performing roles and missions analysis on a recurring basis every four years.
Within the 2009 QRM review, the DoD defined its core missions and core competencies. In addition, the department reviewed recent efforts undertaken across the force to improve its ability to conduct joint operations in several evolving mission areas.
The department defined its core mission areas as “missions for which DoD is uniquely responsible, provides the preponderance of capabilities, or is the U.S. government lead as established by national policy.” The DoD’s core mission areas are: homeland defense and civilian support; deterrence operations; major combat operations; irregular warfare; military support to stabilization, security, transition and reconstruction operations; and military contribution to cooperative security.
In order to link DoD core mission areas with its capabilities development processes, the department identified nine core competencies: force application; command and control; battlespace awareness; net centric; building partnerships; protection; logistics; force support; and corporate management and support.
The 2009 QRM review also describes how the department reviewed the rapidly-evolving roles, missions, and capabilities associated with irregular warfare, cyberspace operations, unmanned aircraft systems, and intratheater airlift. The report discusses ways the department is working to enhance operations in these areas, as well as opportunities to improve whole-of-government approaches to solving problems in today’s complex security environment.
The department will continue initiatives to establish the right balance between winning today’s wars while preventing tomorrow’s conflicts.
The report can be found at www.defenselink.mil/news/Jan2009/QRMFinalReport_v26Jan.pdf.
