Marine Corps considering new class of Cyber-Warriors

Ever since the Department of Defense created its Cyber-Defense program in 2009, the US has been gradually catching up with the army of hackers countries like China have up their sleeve. The recent use of the Stuxnet virus against the Iranian nuclear program has demonstrated to the world how powerful cyber-warfare can be, and earlier today, Lt. Gen. George Flynn, deputy commandant for combat development and integration, told a House Armed Services Committee panel that a new breed of "Cyber-Warriors" is in our future.


The teams that pilot UAV's from Nellis Air Force Base could be considered Cyber-Pilots, so the announcement of Cyber-Warriors should be of no surprise. Flynn was tight lipped about the role these Tron-esque soldiers would play in future conflicts, but he did say that given the extensive training they would undergo, these recruits would be expected to serve for lengthy periods of time. 

Tom Donilon: Right guy for the job?

Deputy National Security Advisor Tom Donilon is slated to replace his boss, General James Jones, when he steps down as President Obama's right hand man on all things threatening. Donilon has plenty of credentials to support his hiring, but according to Bob Woodward's "Obama's Wars," there are plenty of reasons this news will not be welcomed by defense insiders.


Jones was quoted telling Donilon, "You have no credibility with the military. The book also quotes Secretary of Defense Rober Gates as saying Donilon would be a "disaster" as a Jones' replacement. During an Afghanistan strategy pow-wow, Jones was said to be displeased with his deputy's conduct and asked to speak with him after the meeting. Jones' concern was that Donilon made far-reaching comments about Iraq and Afghanistan without having visited either country. He advised his deputy to see these places for themselves, telling him, "The White House, Situation Room, interagency byplay, as important as they are, are not everything."


Although there is cause for concern, his lack of street-cred does not necessarily rule him out as a competent advisor. After all, Condoleezza Rice, George W. Bush's first National Security Advisor/second Secretary of State, had little practical experience in defense issues. At Stanford University she was an assistant professor who specialized in Soviet Russia, which no longer existed when she served in the White House. That worked out in the end... didn't it?

BREAKING: Obama's National Security Advisor to Retire

Obama's National Security Advisor, General James Jones, is set to retire today, according to David Makovsky, Director of the Project on the Middle East Peace Process at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

He is currently speaking as I write this at the Anti-Defamation League's Annual National Committee Meeting, discussing the peace process between Israeli's and Palestinians. He has spoken in depth about the leadership gap facing the Arab world when Egypt's Hosni Mubarak and Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah pass away.

I will continue to follow this story as it unfolds...

iPhone coming to Verizon?

According to The Wall Street Journal, "Apple Inc. plans to begin mass producing a new iPhone by the end of 2010 that would allow Verizon Wireless to sell the smartphone early next year,' said people briefed by Apple."


Apple fans have been waiting for the worlds most popular smartphone to disseminate to other wireless providers since its launch in January, 2007. Buzz has been building that Verizon would be the next network to carry the iPhone since word went out that Apple decided to use Qualcomm Inc. to supply CDMA technology as an alternative wireless technology for non-AT&T iPhones.


No official word has come from the notoriously secretive Apple about whether or not they will be launching a Verizon iPhone in the first quarter of 2011... but having the Journal getting into this conversation is certain to stimulate the rumor mill even more.

Israeli Tilt-Roter UAV Debuted

Israeli Aerospace Industries unveiled the Panther tilt-rotor drone today, providing the Jewish State with another notch on its belt as a world leader in UAV Technology.  Like the V-22 Osprey, the Panther can take off like a traditional helicopter and then fly like a fixed wing aircraft once in the air. Aviation Weekly reported, "An intriguing option is the Panther's ability to hover or land quietly in enemy territory, conduct surveillance like a ground sensor and then take off again." The IAI has produced large, long-range UAV's, as well as the Mosquito, which weights 1.1 lbs and has a flight average of 30-40 minutes. The Panther was designed to fill in the operational gaps between their largest and smallest UAV's. 

NFL throws a flag at Russ Feingold

The NFL has asked Senator Russ Feingold to stop using footage of players dancing in the end zone as part of a campaign ad that targets the GOP's premature celebration prior to the upcoming election. It's no coincidence that Feingold, who represents Wisconsin, utilized footage of then-Minnesota Viking Randy Moss pretending to moon the crowd because the Vikings are the arch rivals of the Green Bay Packers. GOP-mouthpiece The Weekly Standard chose to run this news as an opportunity to slam the Democratic incumbent for misconduct, even though he has championed campaign reform and co-wrote the McCain-Feingold law on campaign finance.

I don't blame the NLF for continuing their policy of enforcing the copyright of past footage, but I will give a tip of the hat to Feingold's people for creativity.

Taliban infiltrates Afghan forces

Seeing as low-level soldiers in the Taliban and Afghan army have been known to work for the highest bidder, this should come as no surprise.