So begins another week…..and welcome to the briefing…..

Item 1–We have a new Sec of Defense…..what type of defense person will he be?

President Obama announced that he’s nominating Ashton Carter to be the next Secretary of Defense. Carter has had a long career in national security, including two stints at the Pentagon, and most media profiles of him note that he’s widely respected on the right and probably won’t face too much opposition from Senate Republicans at his nomination hearing.

Part of the reason Republicans are so keen on him is that Carter, the words of the New York Times, “may advocate a stronger use of American power,” which is to say that he’s a fan of blowing things up. He’s especially fond of blowing things up in North Korea, and there’s already been quite a bit of discussion about a 2006 Washington Post Op-Ed he co-authored advocating that the U.S. “immediately make clear its intention to strike and destroy the North Korean Taepodong missile before it can be launched.”

Does that answer the question?

item 2–We have a new command for handling ISIS…….

The Pentagon has announced today the creation of a new military command, dubbed Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve, which will oversee the war against ISIS in both Iraq and Syria.

The Pentagon seemed to be trying to downplay the significance of establishing a formal command specifically for the war, saying only that it would mean press releases about the war would come from the command instead of from Centcom.

But the US doesn’t establish new conflict-centric military commands, particularly for ones spanning multiple countries, just every day, and the move reflects the continued escalation of the war in both size and length.

War is good business…….sounds like a perpetual war to me…..

Item 3–ISIS is once again threatening another Syria military base…….

ISIS is once again pushing against the air base, the easternmost military site still under Assad government control, and which has faced several previous sieges.

The base is also the last real site from which the Syrian military can launch airstrikes against a large portion of ISIS territory, and the loss of it would seriously curb the Assad government’s ability to bring air power forth against ISIS.

Item 4–Over the weekend Israeli planes bombed Syria…….

Earlier Sunday, Israeli warplanes launched multiple attacks on Syria, hitting at least 10 distinct sites, mostly in and around the Damascus International airport, but also including a military installation along the Lebanese border in Dimas.

What was attacked is still a subject of no small speculation, as the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) said it was conceivable the sites were Hezbollah arms dumps, though they appeared to have no evidence supporting that

Israel needs to remain on the sidelines….any action they start could have wider implications…..the fragile Coalition could be at stake.

Item 5–Afghanistan could be part of the problem with ISIS…….

For young jihad-minded students in Afghanistan, joining the Taliban or one of its associated groups has long been a no-brainer. They are, after all, one of the longest-standing such groups in the world.

But the ISIS bandwagon is growing even in remote Afghanistan, with students seeing the large territory ISIS has carved out in such a short time, and seeing the Taliban as comparatively feckless.

A situation that needs deep scrutiny……..

This concludes today’s briefing and I  now return you your normal internet viewing day….

Thanx for your time and attention……..

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