Assignment: OVERWATCH! From MSIC at Redstone Arsenal to the U.S. Army Intelligence Center at Fort Huachuca, military intelligence is an important and oft-overlooked contributor to US military competence and superiority. Here on overwatch, we will be on your six, providing you with support and unobstructed views of the enemy. (If you’re looking for PC, go buy a computer!) This [...]
Colombia Throws Protection Racket Under The Bus
In many parts of Latin America, bus drivers are under threat from local gangs who demand regular extortion payments. Refusal to pay brings swift retribution, as seen with the murder of the sixth bus driver in Medellin, Colombia’s second city. Bus drivers say that the police only pay attention to the problem of “vacunas,” or [...]
Morocco Alliance – Not a “Marriage” of Convenience
While much of the Middle East and North Africa is bathed in turmoil, Morocco is placid and calm. President Barack Obama came under criticism recently for describing Egypt as neither an ally nor an enemy of the United States and then backtracking days later. It is apparent that Egypt’s relationship with the United States is [...]
US-Israel-Iran: The King and Pawn In The Same Box
Assuming the Iranians are lucid, their ideal strategy lies not in acquiring nuclear weapons and certainly not in using them, but instead in having a credible weapons development program that enables them to be seen as meaningful actors on the nuclear stage. Developing weapons without ever producing them gives Iran global political clout, while not [...]
El ‘Loco’ in Venezuela – The Colombian Connection
from our hilltop hideaway in San Cristobal, Venezuela The capture of Daniel “El Loco” Barrera in Venezuela illustrates how that country has become a sanctuary for Colombian narco-traffickers. The question: Will Venezuelan cartels take over Barrera’s criminal web? ‘El Loco’ Barrera’s arrest emphasizes how Venezuela is good at capturing high value target (HVT) Colombian drug [...]
Cyber Attacks Hit Japan Websites Amid Chinese Protests Over Senkaku Islands
TOKYO, Sept. 19, 2012 Kyodo News The websites of at least 19 Japanese public and other institutions, including banks and universities, have come under cyberattack since Japan nationalized the Senkaku Islands, also claimed by China, on Sept. 11, the National Police Agency said Wednesday. The cyber-attacks made it impossible for computer users to access the [...]
Iranian Daggers – Are They Ready to Get M.A.D.?
From the Iranian perspective, their nuclear program has been a propaganda coup. It has brought Iran respect in the Islamic world and has given it a good deal of worldwide credibility. Like North Korea, the Iranian nuclear program has created a psychological atmosphere in which Iran’s disposition to talk to the six permanent members of [...]
Furious Mexican Cartel Arrests – Not So Fast For Brian Terry
by Michael Tamburro, President, M4T International Security Consultants We all know about the death of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry who was shot by a suspect with an Ak-47 and killed near Rio Rico, Arizona. He and several other agents were attempting to arrest a group of armed suspects who had been preying on illegal [...]
THE ISRAELI CRISIS (part 4) – Israel’s Military and Domestic Political Challenges
“The Israeli Crisis is republished with permission of Stratfor.“ By George Friedman Last of Four Parts The crisis the Israelis face is that their levers of power, the open and covert relationships they had, and their military force are not up to the task of effectively shaping their immediate environment. They have lost the strategic initiative, and [...]
THE ISRAELI CRISIS (part 3) – The U.S. Role and Israel’s Strategic Lockdown
“The Israeli Crisis is republished with permission of Stratfor.” By George Friedman Third in a Four Part Series It is important to take into account the American role in this, because ultimately Israel’s national security — particularly if its strategic environment deteriorates — rests on the United States. For the United States, the current situation is a [...]
Flashpoint Between Turkey and Iran – The Caucasus Corridor
Mountain regions matter a great deal in military planning. The people who live in those regions have their own internal conflicts, competing with each other as forcibly as they defend themselves from intruders. The fusing of ethnic, familial and political factors makes mountain battles more barbarous and daunting than similar fights over less-rugged regions. These factors make [...]
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