The Pentagon’s strategic shift to the Asia-Pacific has come under increasing scrutiny as conflicts continue in the Middle East, particularly in Israel. Former Assistant Secretary of Defense Paul McHale recently contributed to this debate at the annual El Pomar Conference in Colorado Springs, saying, “The Administration’s strategy fails because it …
Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement in Cairo today, bringing to a halt Operation Pillar of Defense. The ceasefire ends eight days of fighting in Israel and the Gaza Strip. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel sent a strong message to terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip by using …
Following the start of Israeli air strikes against Hamas, hacker groups, including Anonymous, have declared open season on Israeli cyber defenses. However, Israel has invested heavily in cybersecurity and cyber operations, allowing it to defeat more than 44 million hacking attempts on government websites, losing only one website for about …
Over the last four days, militants in Gaza have fired more than 840 rockets at Israel. Hamas rockets have reached the outskirts of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv for the first time, thanks to the smuggling of Iranian rockets into Gaza. The increasing range and sophistication of Palestinian rockets has expanded the …
After several days of rocket salvos launched at Israeli civilians, Israel responded yesterday with air strikes that killed the leader of the Hamas terrorist wing and targeted rocket launching, storage, and manufacturing sites in the Gaza Strip. The air campaign began with a precision air strike that killed Ahmed Al-Jabaari, …
Now that President Obama will never face re-election again, it is time for the campaigning to end. Perpetual political rhetoric and promises do not matter any more. Action—and leadership—are sorely needed on pressing issues that threaten the United States. America’s people are under threats to their livelihoods, their protection, and …
Three Arab kingdoms in the Persian Gulf region have been confronted with the destabilizing fallout of growing political tensions in recent days. On Monday, a series of bombings in Bahrain’s capital of Manama killed two men, an ominous sign that the struggle between the island nation’s predominantly Sunni ruling elite …
Last week, India assisted the U.S. in securing dialogue-partner status in the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC), a 20-member grouping of littoral nations of the Indian Ocean. India and the U.S.—as well as other Indo-Pacific nations such as Australia, Japan, Singapore, and Malaysia—share an interest in maintaining …
Russian President Vladimir Putin recently oversaw a strategic exercise—including a series of coordinated missile tests—that drew on Russia’s nuclear “triad” (bombers, intercontinental-range ballistic missiles [ICBMs], and submarine-launched ballistic missiles [SLBMs]). Both the ICBM and the SLBM reached their respective targets after having traveled distances of more than 6,000 kilometers. Less …
On Thursday, the U.S. military conducted a combined developmental and operational test of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missile defense system, and Aegis ballistic missile defense system. This has been the most complex and largest test the U.S. has ever conducted. The missile defense systems …
