The Underestimated Insurgency, Continued: Salafi-Jihadi Capabilities and Opportunities in Africa
"Let our position be absolutely clear," Carter said in January 1980; "An attempt by any outside force to gain control of the Persian Gulf region will be regarded as an assault on the vital interests of the United States of America, and such an assault will be repelled by any means necessary, including military force."
"We have internal threats within the region, such as the Iran-Iraq war at this time," Army Lt. Gen. Robert Kingston, CENTCOM's first commander, said upon taking the helm. "And then we also have the threat of external aggression, and we saw it just recently in 1979 with the Russian invasion of Afghanistan…This emphasizes their increased capability and will to enforce Russian interests outside of their current territory."
And this 40-year-old line may sound familiar: "We have what we call an 'over-the-horizon' concept, which my forces and headquarters, of course, would be invited in by a host nation or nations," Kingston explained in that same archival clip CENTCOM shared on Twitter on Tuesday. "We'd be invited in for specific purposes to assist militarily; when that is accomplished, we will return to the continental United States in as expeditious a manner as possible," Kingston said.
Meanwhile in Syria: Unknown militants fired two rockets toward U.S.-led coalition troops at Mission Support Site Conoco, in the northeastern part of the country, on Wednesday. It happened at 9 a.m. local time; fortunately, no one was hurt and no property was damaged either, according to CENTCOM officials. Coalition-backed Syrian Democratic Forces allegedly found an unlaunched third rocket at the launch site; but that's about all CENTCOM said about the incident. Read the rest, here.
Reax: "Prigozhin is likely setting information conditions to blame Wagner Group's failure to take Bakhmut on the Russian Ministry of Defense or the Russian industrial base," analysts at the Institute for the Study of War wrote in their latest assessment.
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Turkey’s Russian Red Light in Syria, by Sam Heller
The Jerusalem Post
December 18, 2022
https://www.meforum.org/63921/will-a-spark-in-jordan-ignite-the-kingdom
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Middle East Forum Webinar
December 23, 2022
https://www.meforum.org/63941/emanuele-ottolenghi-on-iranian-operations-in
By Phelim Kine & Lara Seligman, Politico: “Pentagon’s promise to shore up its forces in the Pacific in 2023 is meeting skepticism.”
U.S. Military to Transform Indo-Pacific Force Posture in 2023
By Christopher Woody, Business Insider: “The U.S. military will have a "transformative" year in Asia in 2023."
By R. Evan Ellis, National Defense Magazine: “Latin America’s latest “turn to the left” is both broader than the region’s last “pink tide,” and arguably more problematic for the United States in strategic terms . . .”
By Steven Arango, CIMSEC: “. . . the United States has treated Latin America with “benign neglect.””
The Jerusalem Post
December 23, 2022
https://www.meforum.org/63939/erdogan-seeks-rapprochement-with-assad