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It has been noted on more than one occasion that the United States is an island.  A big one, but an island nonetheless.  Our isolation from Europe and Asia has kept us out the direct contact and prevented invasion for most of our history, but has also made us extremely dependent on naval dominance.  Without a powerful navy, the US is largely unable to project force to combat zones around the world and the strength of our ground forces are moot.  It is therefore rather alarming to read this article from the US Naval Institute, indicating that there is now a consensus belief in the upper-echelons of the Navy that the Chinese have developed an anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) capable of killing aircraft carrers with a single hit from up to 2000 miles away. 

Ever since WWII, the US Navy has focused on the development of aircraft carrier battlegroups.  Simply put, the core strength of the fleet lies in our massive aircraft carriers, each of which is over 300 yards long with an on-board wing of 90 aircraft.  These carriers are able to project US force anywhere in the world very rapidly and very effectively, by launching both strike (ground attack) and air-superiority missions on a very large scale.  The carriers are by an assortment of cruisers, destoyers, frigates, and supply ships, which compose the rest of the battlegroup.  These ships are highly effective on their own, but the lynchpin to the whole concept is the strength of the carriers.  A Chinese program that can knock out carriers with virtual inpunity is therefore something of a problem.

The chief, current threat to the modern US supercarrier is the guided missile, which emerged as a major threat to vessels of all types during the Cold War.  In respose to this threat, the Navy developed the Aegis Combat System, which is a phased array and guidance system that directs surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) to multiple, simultaneous targets.  Basically, the gist of the whole system is that ships with Aegis can track and engage multiple targets simultaneously, including incoming aircraft and missiles.  This, coupled with close in defense systems, like the Phalanx CIWS, do a very good job or protecting our carrier battlegroups from incoming missiles and aircraft. 

Unfortunately, the Chinese missile in question, however, is not an ordinary anti-ship missile, but rather is a ballistic missile.  This means that instead of flying directly at a target, like an ordinary missile, the Chinese missile’s trajectory looks like a parabola; it flies up into the atmosphere (and possibly into space), then drops back down at extremely high velocity towards a target.  Neither Aegis nor CIWS can target the missile, due to its extremely high speed and its extremely high angle of attack, rendering our carriers extremely vulnerable.

By the sound of things, the US Navy (USN) is rather worried about the threat posed by these ASBM and is working on possible counter-measures.  At the moment, however, if the missiles really are already operational, our fleets are extremely vulnerable.  Few weapons systems perform to their full-potential on their first use, but if the capabilities of the Chinese ASBM approach what the USN appears to suspect, a near-future naval conflict may be over before it begins.

Watchmen, written by Alan Moore, is considered the premiere work in the graphic novel genre, so its film release has been highly anticipated since production began in 1989. Overall, the film is very entertaining, and worth shelling out a few extra dollars to see it with the full IMAX effects. Like his other noted film, 300, director Zack Snyder displays his skill in depicting violence, sex and superhero tricks in some of the most visually-appealing ways imaginable. The opening credits are particularly spectacular, making comic book panels come alive, something you might find on one of those newspapers from the Harry Potter films.

Despite the entertainment value, do not see Watchmen if you are looking for some escapism and a happy ending. That being said, it is not very clear what the message is, as one is expected in such a dark and dense work.

Moore has said that Watchmen is meant to be a message of “anti-Reaganism” but one is hard press to see it in the film. This alternative reality is a true bizarro world, set (and written) in 1985. Vietnam is the 51^st state after America’s success in Southeast Asia, thanks primarily to Dr. Manhattan, a nuclear physicist-turned-god/Blue Man Group member. With this great victory, President Richard Nixon is still in office after term limits are repealed. Yet at the start of the film, we see a faux McLaughlin Group segment featuring “Pat Buchanan” and “Eleanor Clift” as they debate why Russia is amassing troops in Afghanistan as the Cold War continues. more

Some are questioning whether the influence of Sharia law is spreading in the United States. Shaira law is, in a nutshell, Islamic law that serves as a code of conduct that practicing Muslims are required to follow. I will most likely dedicate a future post to the negative effects of the growth of Sharia law in Europe (a more deleterious situation), but for now I only wish to shed light on the increasing influence of it in the US.

The most drastic examples discussed here are still worrisome though. Many Minneapolis Muslim cab drivers had refused to transport passengers who were carrying alcoholic beverages, and the University of Michigan installing ritual foot baths for Muslims to use (how this is not a violation of the first amendment is beyond me). While Muslims should be free to practice their religion here, they must remember that America has its own customs, laws, and traditions. An overwhelming majority of Muslims surely understand this, but some still must learn. If the cab drivers do not want to cosume alcohol, they need not do so. But they must respect those that wish to.

The FBI has announced that it will add various technological updates to facilitate capturing wanted fugitives. For virtually no cost, the FBI can add the following upgrades:

“The bureau recently upgraded its use of widgets — mini-applications that can be added to a Web page or a PC’s desktop and updated remotely by simply copying and pasting Web code.

“It has designed interactive iPhone-looking posters that bloggers and MySpace and Facebook users can embed on their pages to showcase the bad guys.

“There are weekly podcasts, e-mail alerts and digital billboards posted across the country that have directly led to the capture of at least 70 fugitives.”

The FBI is also well known for its 10 most wanted list, which includes Osama bin Laden.

As the Army prepares to shift its efforts from Iraq to Afghanistan, the early preparation for a shift in equipment is already beginning.  The Army made great efforts to keep equipment up to pace with new and emerging threats in Iraq by listening to Soldier feedback and by undertaking a number of initiatives to rapidly field new equipment to deploying units.  Interceptor Body Armor (IBA) originally worn by troops, for example, provided excellent protection to the front and rear torso, but lacked side protection.  The Army worked to quickly supply side armor adapters and by 2007 had begun issuing the Improved Outer Tactical Vest (IOTV) which included integral side plates and a number of other incremental improvements over the old IBA.  Similarly, the Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected vehicle (MRAP) was quickly purchased and fielded to combat the IED threat.

Now, the Army is preparing to go to war on the battlefields of Afghanistan which is an entirely different fight.  In Iraq, units generally left on patrols or cordon and search missions from a nearby Forward Operating Base (FOB), making for fairly short duration missions.  Soldiers spent a comparatively large amount of time riding in vehicles rather than on foot, and most of the time spent on foot was spent walking across flat, even, often paved terrain.  In Afghanistan however, troops will need to move up and down mountains and broken terrain on foot continously and will frequently spend days away from their bases.

In an environment like Afghanistan, overly heavy equipment, like the aforementioned 35-pound IOTV simply will not do and will seriously over-encumber soldiers in battle.  As this ArmyTimes article notes, lighter equipment is already being purchased from existing manufacturers (including lighter body armor) in preparation for the Afghanistan fight, and it is likely that further new gear will be forthcoming as forces continue to leave Iraq for Afghanistan.

Reports indicate that two American journalists have been detained for shooting footage in the communist Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. It is questionable whether the two journalists and their guide were detained in territory actually belonging to North Korea, since they may have technically been on Chinese soil. The US State Department is working with Pyongyang to try and determine the location of the prisoners, and hopefully their eventual release.

North Korea is one of five communist countries left on earth (along with Laos, Vietnam, China, and Cuba), and is also one of the most repressive and totalitarian nations in existence. Kim Jong-Il naturally forbids foreign journalists from entering as part of an effort to prevent North Korean citizens from communicating with the outside world.

The journalists were caught near a river that separates North Korea and China. Here is a BBC article about refugees attempting to escape.

It appears that Iran is repudiating Obama’s attempts to start a new diplomatic relationship with the country. The United States has made every effort to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. While President Bush took a hard-line approach to relations with Iran, refusing to speak to them on a presidential level, and classifying the Islamic Republic as a member of the “axis of evil,” Obama promised a softer approach to diplomacy during his campaign. One promise of his was to speak to our enemies without preconditions.

A “softer diplomacy” may be desirable for intellectuals both domestic and abroad who are fed up with what they perceived as arrogant and unilateral foregin policy under the Bush administration, but we have no reason to believe that Obama’s diplomacy will necessarily achieve positive results for the United States. As this example shows, Iran will not respond to us simply “talking” to them. Since Iran has materially supported terrorist organizations dedicated to the destruction of the United States and Israel, and because Iran has been increasingly allied with socialist Hugo Chavez, Obama must not handle Iran with kid gloves simply to appease a few members of his political base. Obama must make the interest of the United States his top priority, and do everything in his power to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons; talking will not solve this problem.

Since Joe’s featured article is a few months old here are three recent stories to update you on the current state of European missile defense:

Czech Republic cancels missile defense vote

Pentagon in “intense review” of Europe missile shield

Russians See U.S. Missile Defense in Poland Posing Nuclear Threat

After being under the thumb of the Soviet Union for decades, some may find it hard to believe that the Czech Republic is now embroiled in an international dispute by entering in an agreement with the United States and becoming an intimate part of its international security policy. Recently, Former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice was in Prague standing alongside her Czech counterpart to sign the first of two treaties to allow the US to establish a radar station 55 miles outside the capital. The radar base is a key element of the missile defense shield that, when completed, is meant to intercept and destroy ballistic missiles aimed at Europe and the United States.

Though the right-leaning government has jumped at the opportunity to ally with the United States on this issue, two-thirds of the population opposes the treaties. Some concerns include environmental impact on the region. More importantly, the Czechs have major concerns on the international scene when it comes to the placement of the radar on their soil. The first is Russia and its rhetoric.

“There is a paranoia of the west,” in Russia, said Yuri Fedorov of the Association for International Affairs in Prague. Fedorov understands Russia’s need to be perceived as a dominant state despite its loss of superpower status. “Russia thinks that if they say ‘no’ it should just be accepted,” said Fedorov. It is that superiority complex that makes Russia appear so aggressive, when they are really more pragmatic. more

If you have not been paying close attention, you might have missed the grow trend of African democracies that are failing due to election violence and coups. Madagascar was the latest victim preceded by Guinea-Bissau, Zimbabwe and Kenya. Zimbabwe and Kenya were both examples of incumbents refusing to cede power after loosing an election and forcing the opposition party into a ‘unity government’. The stability of these governments are far from certain and the situation may erupt into violence at any serious disagreement between the two parties.

Africa’s Turn, a blog on African issues, points out these issues out and also brings up the rising problems in Sierra Leone, especially with a growing population of unemployed youth. In poor countries, the opportunity cost of starting or joining a rebel movement are pretty low since you do not have much to loose. Thus, susceptible youth might be easily lured in. Given Sierra Leone’s history with civil wars, another war by a dissatisfied rebel group is not entirely out of the question.