The U.S. and Global Security Review - Blog by Michael Novakhov

US Likely to Continue Support for Egyptby webdesk@voanews.com (Cecily Hilleary)
Tuesday May 10th, 2016 at 9:47 PM

For months, some U.S. lawmakers and activists have called on the government to suspend military aid to Egypt over its violent crackdown on dissent. But analysts say despite these concerns, aid levels will likely remain unchanged and perhaps even rise. Recent weeks have seen a flurry of visits senior U.S. officials, confirming that Washington views President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi as an important partner in maintaining stability in the region. Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Foreign Aid Lindsey Graham last month announced he’d push for “billions” of dollars in emergency aid to countries fighting Islamic State in Libya and Egypt's Sinai peninsula. “I think [Sissi] is somebody we can do business with. I think he’s the right guy at the right time,” Graham said. “We all understand that Sissi is not perfect, but the failure of Egypt would be a catastrophe for the world.” Friends with benefits The U.S. gives Egypt $1.3 billion a year in military aid annually. Egypt is the Arab world’s most populous country and, as a big Arab influencer, poised to advance U.S. interests among its neighbors. It houses Al Azhar University, a bastion of Sunni Islam and a counterweight to Iran’s Shi’a influence. “The U.S. Egypt relationship did a lot for the United States when it was created,” said Jon B. Alterman, Middle East director at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “It was a big flip during the Cold War, when Egypt went from being a client of the Soviet Union to a friend of the United States.” The friendship has given the United States access to Egypt’s airspace and the Suez Canal, as important in wartime as it is to peacetime trade. But most importantly, Egypt has upheld its 1979 peace agreement with Israel. “There really can’t be an Arab-Israeli war without Egypt on board, and Egypt has been very clear that it won’t fight another war with the Israelis,” said Alterman. “That has changed not only the U.S.-Israeli relationship by making the Israelis much more secure, but prevented any number of possibilities of what might have happened otherwise.” U.S. political and financial backing has helped Egypt build a strong military, outfitted with mainly U.S.-made equipment. Washington’s quandary After Sissi seized power from President Mohammed Morsi, of the Muslim Brotherhood, and in the wake of a violent clampdown on Morsi's supporters, the U.S. was forced to reassess its policy toward Egypt. Washington has faced similar dilemmas in the past, said Michael E. O’Hanlon, a defense and security policy expert at Washington’s Brookings Institution. “This reminds me of a lot of our Cold War dilemmas when we were trying to figure out how do you support somebody like Mobutu or Pinochet, these kinds of leaders,” O’Hanlon said. “Our view back then was they might just swap sides and be bought out by the Soviet bloc.” Many officials and analysts favored sending a strong message to Sissi about his violent crackdown on dissenters. “We weren’t all that thrilled by the coup in the first place,” O’Hanlon said.“But even those of us who might have been prepared to tolerate it do not in any way approve of the way in which he has turned any opposition, anybody who has any smacking of Islamism...into a mortal threat, indistinguishable from the hard-line jihadists.” In October 2013, the Obama administration decided to trim aid and loan guarantees to Egypt, pending a “credible” democratic process. Sissi then turned to Russia and France for weapons and political backing. “Egypt did not become more democratic after we pulled back,” noted Eric Trager, Esther K. Wagner Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. “And it was less than an ally.” Moreover, said Trager, the pullback reinforced a popular anti-American narrative in Egypt. “In their view, the political tumult of the previous five years was not the product of anything organic within Egyptian society; it was due to a foreign conspiracy to stir up trouble in the country and keep the region unstable,” Trager said. In the end, Washington reinstated military assistance, citing national security interests. Foreign policy is about national interests, said Dalia F. Fahmy, Professor of Political Science at Long Island University Brooklyn. “It’s our national interest to maintain the Camp David accord, protect Sinai, maintain flyover rights and access to the Suez Canal and cooperate against terror.” That said, she believes Washington may have signaled that Sissi can get away with violent political repression. “Because the United States isn’t going to do more than slap your hand publicly,” Fahmy said. “It was also a signal to the Egyptian people that they didn’t have democratic support that the West touted during the revolution.” For his part, O’Hanlon believes the United States still has choices. “If we were to, for example, hold back half our aid and have our visits to Egypt be primarily by lower level technical collaborators as opposed to high level prestigious officials, we could still collaborate on the fight in Sinai, we could still sustain enough influence in Egypt,” O’Hanlon said. He believes Egypt isn’t likely to break off its relationship with the United States. “Sissi’s main goal in life is actually to beat these hard-line terrorist elements,” O’Hanlon said. “He might work more closely with Russia if he got mad at us, but not in a way would deprive us of our security relationship.”

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Turkey Opens First Mideast Military Base in Qatarby webdesk@voanews.com (Heather Murdock)
Tuesday May 10th, 2016 at 9:46 PM

Latest From The Wilson Center

Late last month, Turkey’s first foreign military base in the Middle East opened in Qatar to counter what officials called “the same threats.” The threats include increasing isolation for both nations at a time of widespread instability in the region, according to Gulf State Analytics founder Giorgio Cafiero. The base, he said, is also symbolic, demonstrating Turkey’s move toward greater influence in the region and Qatar’s independence from its powerful neighbors. The return of Turkish troops to Qatar a century after Ottoman forces left the peninsula is largely about prestige,” Cafiero said during a recent trip to Qatar. Besides isolation, added Cafiero, Qatar and Turkey are united in their distrust of Iran, with both countries supporting Iran’s enemies in Syria and Yemen. And since the Iran nuclear deal, the United States is no longer seen as a reliable military counter to Iran’s considerable strength. “They think if the U.S. doesn’t see Iran as a threat, the U.S. will withdraw,” he said. Qatar is home to the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East, with roughly 10,000 personnel. The new Turkish base is expected to house more than 3,000 people, including ground troops, special operations teams and military trainers. “The security and stability of Qatar is like the security and stability of Turkey,” said Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in a speech late last month. “We want a stable and secure Gulf. Turkey and Qatar, we have the same destiny." In Egypt, where Qatar and Turkey have supported the now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, locals say the military alliance appears to be a power play in the region. The Egyptian government regularly becomes angry over Qatar's support of the Muslim Brotherhood and has banned that nation’s television network, Al-Jazeera. On Saturday, an Egyptian court recommended the death penalty for six people, including two Al-Jazeera journalists, charged with leaking state secrets to Qatar. Qatar may increase its strength through this alliance, according to Mohamed Salah, a 34-year-old international trade researcher, as he walked home from work Wednesday; but, Egypt will remain more powerful, he said. “It’s not a direct threat,” he said. “I believe that Egypt still has the upper hand in the Gulf region by its relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.” Isolation When the Arab Spring uprisings began, Turkey and Qatar supported Muslim Brotherhood factions across the region, angering many Arab governments as the two nations worked to increase their influence. Qatar, a rich but tiny nation of roughly 2 million people, lost some of its credibility among Gulf Cooperation Council members, including regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia. “Qatar’s lowest point in GCC relations came when Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Bahrain withdrew their ambassadors and threatened to close Qatar’s border for the alleged interference in GCC internal affairs,” writes Chris Solomon of Global Risks Insight, referring to a 2014 diplomatic dispute. More recently, however, Qatar and Saudi Arabia have stood together in withdrawing ambassadors from Iran after the Saudi embassy in Tehran was attacked in retaliation for the execution of a Shi’ite cleric in the Kingdom. Turkey has also found itself becoming more isolated internationally in recent years for other reasons. Turkey angered Russia by shooting down a Russian plane late last year, and its handling of Islamic State upset the United States. Turkey also is wrangling with Europe over free expression issues and is without active diplomatic relations in several Middle East countries. Goals Besides avoiding hardships that come with relative international isolation, Turkey and Qatar have other reasons for strengthening their military alliance, according to analysts. Turkey, with nearly 75 million people and one of the region’s strongest military forces, stands to gain not only influence, but money as it breaks into the Gulf’s “lucrative defense market,” said analyst Cafiero. “At this juncture,” he said, “Officials in Ankara view Qatar as Turkey’s most trusted Arab ally.” “A shared political vision regarding the Middle East has helped bring the Turks and Qataris even closer,” Olivier Decottignies and Soner Cagaptay of The Washington Institute wrote in a January policy analysis piece. Additionally, the move is part of a larger, long-term strategy, adds Cafiero. Qatari alliances are often with competing powers in order to play them off each other politically. The base, therefore, “further diversifies Doha’s web of defense partners and provides more states with higher stakes in a stable and prosperous Qatar.” Cairo’s relationship with Doha and Ankara And while people in Egypt do not necessarily see the move as aggressive, there is some worry that this strengthening alliance will further worsen relations. “The union of those two countries together and the fact that their relationship with Egypt is not good,” said Haj Mohy, a 52-year-old shopkeeper as he takes delivery calls while listening to Koran in a Cairo suburb. “Maybe there will be danger.” Then again, he added, with all of the volatility in the region, it is hard to say what one new base could bring. “There are American bases in the Gulf and there are Russian bases in the Gulf,” he said. “Is the Turkish base less or more dangerous?”

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В Афганистане при взрыве автомобиля со смертником погибли 10 человек - РИА Новости
Tuesday May 10th, 2016 at 9:45 PM

В Мире – Новости Google

РИА Новости

В Афганистане при взрыве автомобиля со смертником погибли 10 человек
РИА Новости
МОСКВА, 10 мая — РИА Новости. Террорист-смертник подорвал автомобиль в провинции Нангархар на востоке Афганистана, в результате чего по меньшей мере десять человек погибли, 23 пострадали, сообщает агентство Синьхуа со ссылкой на заявление властей провинции.
Заминированный автомобиль убил десять человек в АфганистанеФедеральное агентство новостей No.1
СМИ: 11 человек погибли, пятеро пострадали при взрыве в АфганистанеТАСС
Террорист-смертник подорвал автомобиль на востоке АфганистанаРусская Служба Новостей
Ура-Информ- БИЗНЕС.ua-Федеральное агентство политических новостей
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Call for Papers: Creating and Challenging the Transatlantic Intelligence Community by pbiersteker
Tuesday May 10th, 2016 at 9:45 PM

Call for Papers: Creating and Challenging the Transatlantic Intelligence Community

Taking place in Washington, D.C., March 30 - April 1, 2017

Joint Conveners: International Intelligence History Association, German Historical Institute, and the History & Public Policy Program of the Woodrow Wilson Center

Как бежать через границу за 55 минут - 10 мая, 2016by Иван Толстой
Tuesday May 10th, 2016 at 9:44 PM

Радиопрограммы И Подкасты - Радио Свобода

Советская граница была заперта не столько для лазутчиков снаружи, сколько от собственных граждан. Наша программа – о тех, кто смог прорваться в «свободный мир», о личном мужестве, выносливости, находчивости. О человеке и преграде. Старые записи из архива Свободы.

Download audio: http://audio.rferl.org/RU/2016/05/10/20160510-190500-RU081-program.mp3

IS Radio Broadcasts Re-emerge in Afghanistanby webdesk@voanews.com (Zia-U-Rahman Hasrat, Noor Zahid)
Tuesday May 10th, 2016 at 9:43 PM

After being knocked off the air by government airstrikes, so-called Islamic State group (IS) has restarted radio broadcasts into a restive area of Afghanistan. The radio channel, which broadcasts from a remote mobile transmitter in the mountains along the Pakistan border, has returned with new programming to its lineup. It can now be heard in the Arabic and Punjabi languages besides its former programs in Pashto and Dari, the two official languages of Afghanistan. The programs encourage people to join IS and air religious chanting. The IS-run FM station, “Voice of the Caliphate,” started programming last year, terrorizing locals with threats and IS propaganda. In February, Afghan authorities said airstrikes, conducted with the support of the United States, destroyed the IS transmitting site along with its Internet communications and other facilities. The governor of Achin district in Nangarhar, Haji Ghaleb Mujahed, confirmed to VOA that IS broadcasts are airing daily for one hour in the morning and one-and-a-half-hours in the evening. The broadcasts can be heard in the Dehbala, Ghanikhail and Achin districts in the province. Residents say they are alarmed. “The radio programs are anti-government, anti-people and have a very bad impact,” said one listener, Ubaidullah, who, like many Afghans, uses a first name only. It is not clear what the Afghan government will do next. The provincial director of information and culture told VOA that the Afghan communications and technology department is responsible for looking into the matter. And despite reports from listeners, Attaullah Khogyani, a spokesperson for the Nangarhar governor, told VOA the government has no knowledge of the broadcasts. “We are not aware that this (radio) is back,” he said. “The radio has been shut down and does not exist.” “If the radio has started broadcasts, it will be taken off air soon,” he said Analysts say IS is taking a new propaganda-based tactic to help it recruit more people. “It is a logical step from Daesh right now to put more energy into those kinds of outreach efforts,” Rebecca Zimmerman, a Rand Corporation military policy analyst, told VOA, using an acronym for the jihadist group. IS has established a footprint in some parts of Nangarhar province, where its fighters have launched multiple attacks on Afghan security checkpoints. The Afghan government has said it is making gains against IS in Nangarhar. Government and NATO forces recently launched offensives against IS and some areas have been cleared of IS fighters.

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US Officials Promote Intelligence-sharing in Belgiumby webdesk@voanews.com (Associated Press)
Tuesday May 10th, 2016 at 9:42 PM

A U.S. government delegation is in Belgium to promote greater intelligence-sharing by Belgian and European authorities in the wake of the March suicide bombings that killed 32 victims here, the group's members said Tuesday. Lisa Monaco, assistant to the president for homeland security and counterterrorism, said "what we have learned in the hard work that we did and continue to do after 9/11 is the importance of sharing information, both across our services as well as rapidly with our international partners." Monaco said she will meet at U.S. President Barack Obama's request Wednesday with Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel, and that meetings are also planned with security services and other Belgian agencies on how to cooperate better in the fight against the Islamic State extremist group. "The only way we are going to be effective ... is if we work together in partnership," Monaco said. The March 22 bombings in Brussels, as well as attacks also claimed by IS that killed 130 victims in Paris on November 13, revealed numerous shortcomings in Belgium's response, including breakdowns in communication between law enforcement agencies and with other nations. "The U.S government is not perfect in that regard," Monaco said. "But we have learned lessons. We have learned that our orientation must and can be to share information across the intelligence services and across the police services." Monaco is accompanied by Department of Homeland Security Undersecretary Francis Taylor and John Mulligan, deputy director of the National Counterterrorism Center. Mulligan said recent trends in Islamic State's actions make it more vital than ever to exchange intelligence quickly. "What we see are small cells executing plots in a very efficient way," she said. "Every time we think we have achieved some degree of success, we find that they have developed new ways, new methods of operation, that require us to be further adaptive."

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Strongman Vladimir Putin falls during ice hockey game in Russia's Sochi - Telegraph.co.uk
Tuesday May 10th, 2016 at 9:36 PM

Russia - Google News

Telegraph.co.uk

Strongman Vladimir Putin falls during ice hockey game in Russia's Sochi
Telegraph.co.uk
Mr Putin's team included veteran hockey players, many who are now board members of the league, against an amateur team who qualified during a Sochi festival in the Amateur 40+ division, TASS reported. Sergei Shoigu, Russian defence minister, was also ...
Hockey Night in RussiaDetroit Free Press

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BBC told to stop race for ratingsby syndication@telegraph.co.uk (Patrick Foster)
Tuesday May 10th, 2016 at 9:36 PM

Georgia Now Boasts One Stalin Statue Fewerby webdesk@voanews.com (Isabela Cocoli)
Tuesday May 10th, 2016 at 9:36 PM

Some residents of Gori, the area in the Republic of Georgia that was the birthplace of the Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, apparently still revere the former Kremlin leader. Villagers in Ateni, just outside Gori, erected a bust of Stalin on Monday to celebrate the 71st anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. The bust was taken down immediately, a government statement said Tuesday, because the unauthorized display violated a long-standing ban on "the public display of symbols of totalitarianism." Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili said his government unequivocally condemns the abuses of the Soviet regime, both in Georgia and throughout the Caucasus region, according to a statement. Although most people in the West chiefly remember Stalin as the absolute ruler responsible for the deaths of millions of people, he still has "favorite son" status in the hearts of many Georgians. A Stalin museum — a reverent record of the personality cult that surrounded the dictator — still survives in Gori, but the government removed a large statue and monument to the Communist Party ruler in 2010. While opinion surveys have shown that many Georgians have a positive attitude toward Stalin, Western visitors have seen no nostalgia for the former Soviet Union or a risk of a return to authoritarianism. VOA's Georgian service contributed to this report.

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Порошенко отменил визит в Великобританию из-за проблем в Раде - РБК
Tuesday May 10th, 2016 at 9:34 PM

В Мире – Новости Google

РБК

Порошенко отменил визит в Великобританию из-за проблем в Раде
РБК
Петр Порошенко отменил визит в Великобританию из-за ситуации с избранием генпрокурора и непринятием законопроектов для сотрудничества с МВФ. В Лондоне Порошенко собирался принять участие в антикоррупционном саммите. Президент Украины Петр Порошенко решил ...
Порошенко отложил визит в Великобританию из-за реформ на УкраинеLenta.ru
Порошенко отменил визит в Великобританию из-за ситуации с генеральным прокуроромТАСС
Порошенко отменил визит в Великобританию из-за проблем в Верховной радеИА REGNUM
Взгляд-Известия-НТВ.ru-Газета.Ru
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Представитель России рассказал о беседе глав МИД «нормандской четверки» - Росбалт.RU
Tuesday May 10th, 2016 at 9:34 PM

В Мире – Новости Google

Росбалт.RU

Представитель России рассказал о беседе глав МИД «нормандской четверки»
Росбалт.RU
На встрече заместителей глав МИД «нормандской четверки» в Берлине обсуждались вопросы организации и безопасности местных выборов в Донбассе, сообщил переговорщик от РФ, замминистра иностранных дел Григорий Карасин. «Все вопросы поднимались: тема выборов, как ...
Замглавы МИД стран "нормандской четверки" обсудили повестку дняРИА Новости
Замглавы МИД Украины считает главным добиться прекращения обстрелов в ДонбассеТАСС
При подготовке встречи глав МИД «нормандской четверки» обсуждались выборы в ДонбассеГазета.Ru
Русская планета -Deutsche Welle -РИА Новости Украина -IA Novorosia (пресс-релиз) (Блог)
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US, China Engage in New South China Sea Face-offby webdesk@voanews.com (VOA News)
Tuesday May 10th, 2016 at 9:33 PM

Cyber Warfare - Google News

The U.S. and China engaged in a new face-off Tuesday in the South China Sea, with an American warship sailing near disputed artificial islands claimed by Beijing, and China scrambling fighter jets to warn off the U.S. vessel. The U.S. Defense Department said it sent a guided missile destroyer, the USS William Lawrence, to within 22 kilometers (13.7 miles) of Fiery Cross Reef, a land feature in the South China Sea. In response, China said it dispatched two fighter jets and three vessels to monitor the U.S. ship's passage and warned it to leave the waters near the reef. Fiery Cross is composed of about 280 hectares (690 acres) of mostly dredged material from the ocean floor, to which China and other nations lay claim. Beijing in the last several years has built a 3,000-meter runway there, opened a port and erected other military facilities. In less than a year, the U.S. has conducted three so-called freedom-of-navigation operations in the South China Sea to contest what it believes to be excessive claims to the territory by nearby countries. The Lawrence operation was meant to "challenge excessive maritime claims of some claimants in the South China Sea," Defense Department spokesman Bill Urban said in an emailed statement. "These excessive maritime claims are inconsistent with international law as reflected in the Law of the Sea Convention in that they purport to restrict the navigation rights that the United States and all states are entitled to exercise." State Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau stressed later that the operation challenged attempts by China, Taiwan and Vietnam to restrict navigational rights around the feature they claim. The operation is not singling out China, she said. The Chinese foreign and defense ministries described the U.S. ship's maneuver as provocative and said the American operation was justification for Beijing's construction of military facilities on the island. Although the United States is not a claimant to the sovereignty over disputed islands in the South China Sea, senior officials have been saying it is vital to U.S. interests that various claimants pursue their claims peacefully and in accordance with international laws. About $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year through the South China Sea, the majority of which China claims. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei also have claims to parts of the sea. VOA's Nike Ching at the State Department contributed to this report.

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4 stabbed in separate attacks at Massachusetts mall and home
Tuesday May 10th, 2016 at 9:12 PM

Stars And Stripes News

Four people have been stabbed in two separate attacks at a shopping mall and a home in Massachusetts.

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Donald Trump may be the US military's least liked Republican presidential candidate in over a decade - Quartz
Tuesday May 10th, 2016 at 9:11 PM

Quartz

Donald Trump may be the US military's least liked Republican presidential candidate in over a decade
Quartz
US active-duty career military personnel would vastly prefer Donald Trump as president over Hillary Clinton. To even a casual observer of US politics that should be unsurprising; the militaryhas for years preferred candidates from the political right.
Military Times survey: Troops prefer Trump to Clinton by a huge marginMilitary Times

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U.S. warships, Chinese fighters in tense showdown on South China Sea by Carlo Muñoz
Tuesday May 10th, 2016 at 9:11 PM

Www.Washingtontimes.Com Stories: Security

Tensions between the U.S. and China are again rising as Beijing scrambled a team of fighter jets and warships into the hotly contested South China Sea, in response to what China claims is a breach of its territorial waters by U.S. Navy destroyer.

A pair of Chinese fighters and three ...

Ex-Rendell aide pleads guilty after FBI sting - Elmira Star-Gazette
Tuesday May 10th, 2016 at 9:10 PM

Fbi - Google News

Elmira Star-Gazette

Ex-Rendell aide pleads guilty after FBI sting
Elmira Star-Gazette
HARRISBURG, Pa. - A onetime top aide to former Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell snared in an FBIsting pleaded guilty Tuesday after he was caught pocketing thousands of dollars in supposed campaign contributions from a fake company set up by the FBI to ...
Former Rendell aide pleads guilty for role in FBI pay-to-play stingPittsburgh Post-Gazette
Ex-Rendell aide to plead guilty in FBI campaign cash stingAllentown Morning Call
Details on the FBI's Pay-to-Play InvestigationPoliticsPA
LancasterOnline
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Russia Withdraws Su-25s From Syria
Tuesday May 10th, 2016 at 9:09 PM

Eurasia Daily Monitor - The Jamestown Foundation

Russia’s air operations in support of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), which commenced on September 30, 2015, continue to experience modification and experimentation despite President Vladimir Putin’s order to begin withdrawing military forces in mid-March. Efforts to bring a meaningful ceasefire to Syria’s civil war has had little impact on Russian political-military decision-making regarding the need to steadfastly support the SAA in its latest efforts around the heavily populated city of Aleppo (Vedomosti, May 5). However, though the Aerospace Forces (Vozdushno Kosmicheskikh Sil—VKS) campaign continues, albeit at a reduced tempo, Moscow has announced the complete withdrawal of its Su-25 ground-attack aircraft from its airbase near Latakia. Their role, performance, missions and actual departure from Syria reveal considerable detail concerning VKS operations and the possible “lessons learned” that the Russian General Staff may draw from these experiences. Indeed, the deployment of various military assets in the theater of operations in Syria has provided the General Staff with an experimental combat testing ground, which is the sine qua non of reaching an understanding of the overall nature of Moscow’s use of hard power. It appears that, to an extent, this also applies to well-known and reliable assets such as the Su-25 (Interfax, May 4-9; see EDM, January 26).

On May 4, Major-General Igor Konashenkov, the defense ministry’s spokesman, announced the Su-25 withdrawal. Konashenkov noted their departure among around 30 aircraft from the airbase, but said the remaining air grouping deployed in Syria is sufficient to support an effective fight against “terrorist groups.” At the same time, he dismissed reports that the VKS was responsible for recently bombing a hospital in Aleppo, as alleged by the London-based Observatory for Human Rights in Syria. Officially, the VKS operation targets groups such as Jabhat al-Nusra, supports the SAA, and strictly adheres to various forms of ceasefire. Moscow is keen to advertise its constructive role in distributing humanitarian aid, demining in Palmyra, and it has quickly denied using ordinance in civilian areas (TASS, May 7; Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Izvestia, May 4). Much of the Russian media coverage concerning the “withdrawal” of forces from Syria, or the latest decision to pull out the Su-25s from Latakia, is scant on detail, leaving commentators guessing about the operational motivations.

Of course, the deployment of Su-25s as part of the VKS air grouping in Syria came as no surprise, as most of the air group consisted of platforms traditionally used in Russian military operations. The Su-25 (Grach, Rook), North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) designation “Frogfoot,” first entered service in the mid-1970s, designed for close-air-support (CAS) operations for Soviet Ground Forces. Since its introduction, the Su-25 has been a hallmark of Russian air operations, known familiarly by various terms such as the “flying tank”; recent VKS pilots say the Su-25 is like flying a Kalashnikov. In line with Putin’s order to begin withdrawing forces from Syria—misinterpreted by some as meaning a total end to Russian operations—the Su-25s can quickly be re-deployed if necessary (Voyenno Promyshlennyy Kuryer, April 26).

The aircraft is a veteran of conflicts in Afghanistan, Tajikistan, both Chechnya wars, and the August 2008 Russia-Georgia War. Despite its modernization, even the latest variant—the Su-25SM—cannot protect itself against many current anti-aircraft systems and is consequently seen as too vulnerable for modern conflicts. Its twin weaknesses are a proclivity for early detection and its inability to evade enemy air defenses. During the Russia-Georgia War, Su-25s and Su-25SMs proved vulnerable to enemy small arms fire and man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS). In the VKS operations in Syria, these aircraft performed an estimated 3,500 sorties out of a total, to date, of around 9,000. In its combat missions in Syria, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and special operations forces were the eyes and ears of the platform, with much of its ordinance proving to be highly accurate. The Su-25, despite the deployment of more modern assets, is the real workhorse of the air campaign (Voyenno Promyshlennyy Kuryer, April 26).

Two questions emerge from the removal of the Su-25s from Latakia: why did Moscow choose to do so at this time, and what did the General Staff glean from their combat performance? It appears that the progress of the campaign and the recent advances made by the SAA resulted in the decision to pull the Su-25s; they were no longer needed as the fighting had ebbed in its intensity. As far as the experimental dimension, their role in Syria—though quite standard and operating at altitudes to avoid MANPADS (above 5,000 meters)—was also tied to refining modernization plans (Voyenno Promyshlennyy Kuryer, April 26).

An important aspect of the plane’s use in Syria relates to the intermittent calls to completely scrap and replace the fleet of Su-25s. Since 2011, the defense ministry examined several such schemes, with consensus emerging around developing a new workhorse platform based on the Su-25SM. However, according to the chief designer of the Su-25, Vladimir Babak, the deep modernization of the platform began immediately after the conclusion of the Russia-Georgia War and envisaged equipping it with a modernized pressurized cabin, new electronics, including jamming equipment and radars, and the latest anti-tank missiles. The task of modernizing the Su-25s involved enabling the platform to be used in theaters with advanced air defenses and correcting its existing weaknesses. The result of the modernization effort is to introduce the Su-25SM3, with advanced capabilities, including modern electronic warfare (EW) systems, in particular the “Vitebsk-25” protection system. The Vitebsk-25, also developed for use on board Mi-8AMTSh, Mi-8 MTV-5, and Ka-52 helicopters, protects the aircraft against advanced MANPADS and allows the targeting of enemy radars using the Kh-58 missile (Voyenno Promyshlennyy Kuryer, April 26).

The VKS plans to procure at least 45 Su-25SM3s by 2020. In addition, the defense industry is working on another Su-25 upgrade: the Su-25SMT. This modernized platform will possess the same modernized electronics and capabilities as the Su-25SM3, but with an increased flight range: with its pressurized cabin, it will operate at up to 12,000 meters, thus ensuring its longer-term importance in modern warfare. With much of this planning stemming from 2008, the Su-25 modernization plans were consolidated. They are cheaper to produce than other modern platforms and will take the place of multirole strike aircraft. In this sense, at least some of the military experimentation in Syria is nothing revolutionary, but merely an ironing out of details concerning ongoing modernization (Voyenno Promyshlennyy Kuryer, April 26).

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· · · ·

Cyber Risk: People are Often the Weakest Link in the Security Chain - Forbes
Tuesday May 10th, 2016 at 9:07 PM

Cyber Warfare - Google News

Cyber Risk: People are Often the Weakest Link in the Security Chain
Forbes
The threat of cyber-crime has created a significant increase in interest on the topic of cybersecurity, with organizations spending billions of dollars to protect themselves against a fast evolving array of current and potential future threats. Many ...

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More than 3 dozen immigrants rescued from Texas stash house
Tuesday May 10th, 2016 at 9:07 PM

Www.Washingtontimes.Com Stories: Security

EDINBURG, Texas (AP) - Investigators say more than three dozen immigrants have been rescued from a South Texas stash house a few miles from the Mexican border.

A Border Patrol statement Tuesday says a U.S. citizen and a Mexican national were arrested in the human smuggling investigation.

Authorities say a ...

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Page 7

Report: Homegrown Violent Extremists Planting Roots Across U.S. by Adam Kredo
Tuesday May 10th, 2016 at 9:06 PM

Washington Free Beacon

At least 75 homegrown violent extremists were found to be operating across the United States in 2015, with the largest portion of these individuals pledging allegiance to the ISIS terror group, according to recent figures published by New Jersey’s Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness.

The largest number of homegrown extremists were caught providing material support to various terror organizations, while at least 21 percent of the terrorists were found to be planning attacks in the United States, according to the figures.

Another 10 percent successfully carried out terror attacks in California, New York, Tennessee, and Massachusetts, according to the data, which shows that the New York City area was home to the largest number of violent extremists.

Violent extremists were found be operating across the continental United States, including California, Texas, Missouri, Illinois, and states along the East Coast, according to the data, which confirms separate reports showing that there were more domestic terror-related arrests in the United States than at any time since the 9/11 attacks.

The figures come amid what some experts describe as an unprecedented rise in the number of foiled terror plots in the United States.

Congressional attempts to investigate the immigration histories of at least 113 foreign-born individuals snagged on terror charges since 2014 have been stymied by the Obama administration. There remain at least 1,000 open investigations into ISIS members residing in the United States.

Officials with New Jersey’s homeland security agency determined that radicalized extremists have demonstrated a continuing ability to operate across the United States, prompting concern from some terrorism experts who warn that the American homeland remains highly vulnerable to violent extremists.

“In 2015, [homegrown violent extremists] demonstrated an ability to operate in New Jersey and throughout the United States while connecting with like-minded individuals online and acting independently from organized terrorist groups,” New Jersey’s homeland security agency stated in a brief of the latest terror figures. “Since late 2014, a variety of radical groups such as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) have encouraged [extremists] to attack in their home countries.”

At least 87 percent of these terrorists are connected to ISIS, while the rest have aligned themselves with the al Qaeda-affiliated Al-Nusra Front and other Salafi jihadi groups.

The data shows that 23 of the 75 extremists discovered by authorities were either plotting attacks on the United States or caught after successfully conducting them, according to the figures.

A portion of these individuals, at least 4 percent, has fled overseas, the data shows. The rest were arrested or killed by authorities.

Nearly half of the 75 extremists attempted in some way to travel overseas, in many cases to receive training or resources from foreign terror groups.

Federal and local authorities continue to disrupt terror plots across America.

At the same time, the Obama administration is preparing to resettle at least 10,000 Syrian refugees in the United States in fiscal year 2016 by shortening the security screening process from around two years to about three months. Around 85,000 refugees will be resettled in the U.S. in total this fiscal year.

The plan has ignited further concerns about the possibility that some refugees also have ties to terror groups.

“Even after the terror attacks in Paris, San Bernardino, and Brussels, we still have so-called ‘experts’ telling us that the terror threat is overblown,” said Patrick Poole, a counterterrorism and national security analyst with Unconstrained Analytics. “But all of the indicators say the threat is escalating.”

Intelligence reports show that more than 40,000 individuals from 120 different countries have traveled to fight in war-torn Syria, with at least 250 known suspects from the United States, Poole noted.

“There are two dozen reported cases of terrorists traveling among Syrian immigrants, adding yet another dimension to the threat,” Poole said. “To ignore or dismiss the indicators of the metastasizing terror threat would be criminally negligent.”

Michael Rubin, a former Pentagon analyst and expert on rogue regimes, warned that the domestic terror threat will continue to grow so long as U.S. officials continue to dismiss the problem.

“Home-grown extremism is accelerating and those around Obama are more interested in attacking those calling attention to the problem rather than the actual terrorists,” Rubin said.

“Globalization isn’t a one-way street. And so the problem of homegrown extremism isn’t going away,” he said. “The question now is whether the U.S. response is going to be denial or handicapped by political correctness. If there’s one lesson historians should take from the Obama administration, it is that declaring a problem non-existent or contained doesn’t make it so.”

“Al Qaeda didn’t die with Bin Laden, no matter how much the journalists seeking Obama’s good graces desired,” Rubin added. “The Islamic State wasn’t a mere JV terror team, as not only Iraq and Syria, but also Egypt, Libya, and Afghanistan know too well.”

The post Report: Homegrown Violent Extremists Planting Roots Across U.S. appeared first onWashington Free Beacon.

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Roadside bomb hits IDF patrol in Jerusalem; one seriously injured
Tuesday May 10th, 2016 at 9:04 PM

DEBKAFile

May 10, 2016, 10:01 PM (IDT)

In the second terrorist attack in less than 12 hours in Jerusalem, a roadside bomb blew up next to an IDF patrol in the area of the Hizma checkpoint next to Pisgat Zeev. One person was seriously injured. The security forces are checking the area to determine whether any other bombs were planted.
DEBKAfile: The incident marks a major escalation in terrorist attacks by the Palestinians. It was the first time in the current wave of terror for a bomb to be placed next to a road used by IDF patrols.

Report: Clinton Aide, DOJ Agreed to Keep Certain Topics ‘Off-Limits’ in FBI Interview by Alana Goodman
Tuesday May 10th, 2016 at 9:03 PM

Washington Free Beacon

Hillary Clinton aide Cheryl Mills briefly walked out of an FBI interview when an investigator asked her an “off-limits” question about State Department emails, according to the Washington Post.

The Post reported that Mills and the Department of Justice had set pre-determined boundaries on the interview process. Investigators were reportedly supposed to avoid asking questions about the email production procedure at the State Department.

According to the report, Mills was caught off guard when an FBI agent pressed her on the issue, and asked to leave the room to confer with her attorney:

Near the beginning of a recent interview, an FBI investigator broached a topic with longtime Hillary Clinton aide Cheryl Mills that her lawyer and the Justice Department had agreed would be off limits, according to several people familiar with the matter.

Mills and her lawyer left the room — though both returned a short time later — and prosecutors were somewhat taken aback that their FBI colleague had ventured beyond what was anticipated, the people said. […]

The questions that were considered off limits had to do with the procedure used to produce emails to the State Department so they could possibly be released publicly, the people said. Mills, an attorney herself, was not supposed to be asked questions about that — and ultimately never was in the recent interview — because it was considered confidential as an example of attorney-client privilege, the people said.

Mills returned after a short time and completed the interview, according to the Post. Her attorney, Beth Wilkinson, told the paper that “Ms. Mills has cooperated with the government.”

Clinton aides Huma Abedin and Bryan Pagliano have already been interviewed in the FBI investigation, and federal officials are expected to question Clinton in the coming weeks.

The post Report: Clinton Aide, DOJ Agreed to Keep Certain Topics ‘Off-Limits’ in FBI Interviewappeared first on Washington Free Beacon.

Clinton aide reported to have walked out of FBI interview - The Hill
Tuesday May 10th, 2016 at 9:01 PM

Fbi - Google News

The Hill

Clinton aide reported to have walked out of FBI interview
The Hill
According to reports, the FBI and federal prosecutors have found little evidence of mishandled government documents that would warrant pushing ahead with a criminal case. Still, the episode with Mills shows the process has not been entirely smooth ...
Clinton aide leaves interview when FBI asks off-limits questionChicago Tribune
If Hillary's Not Charged, Don't Dare Accuse FBI Director Comey of PoliticizationLawNewz
Clinton Aide Cheryl Mills Caught Off Guard During FBI QuestioningNewsmax
Hot Air-The Inquisitr
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Whitey Bulger Trial Witness, Former FBI Special Agent Robert Fitzpatrick, Pleads Guilty to Perjury - People Magazine
Tuesday May 10th, 2016 at 8:57 PM

Fbi - Google News

People Magazine

Whitey Bulger Trial Witness, Former FBI Special Agent Robert Fitzpatrick, Pleads Guilty to Perjury
People Magazine
Between 1981 and 1986, Robert Fitzpatrick served as the assistant special agent in charge for the FBI's offices in Boston. Authorities had accused the 76-year-old of lying to jurors and inflating his professional accomplishments during Bulger's 2013 ...
Ex-FBI agent pleads guilty to perjury during Bulger trialFox News
Former FBI agent pleads guilty to perjury in 'Whitey' Bulger caseThe Boston Globe
Ex-FBI agent admits lying during 'Whitey' Bulger trialReuters
Boston Herald-Daily Mail
all 74 news articles »

Bizarre video shows diver cuddling and stroking a sharkby syndication@telegraph.co.uk (Helena Horton)
Tuesday May 10th, 2016 at 8:56 PM

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Page 8

Study: Some Extra Weight OK After Allby webdesk@voanews.com (Kevin Enochs)
Tuesday May 10th, 2016 at 8:53 PM

Researchers in Denmark say it may be time to add a few kilograms to the scale that charts our optimal weight. They've done new research suggesting that carrying a bit of extra weight is less dangerous now than it was 40 years ago. The surprising results came from a study that looked at mortality rates, and compared them to people's body mass index. BMI not what it used to be Also called BMI (body mass index), the index is a ratio of a person's height to their...

Hillary Clinton Takes a Step to the Left on Health Care - New York Times
Tuesday May 10th, 2016 at 8:53 PM

New York Times

Hillary Clinton Takes a Step to the Left on Health Care
New York Times
Hillary Clinton campaigned at the Mug 'n Muffin in Stone Ridge, Va., on Monday. Credit Doug Mills/The New York Times. For months during the Democratic nominating contest, Hillary Clinton has resisted calls from Senator Bernie Sanders to back a ...
Clinton pledges that no family pays more than 10 percent of income on child careWashington Post

all 89 The Courier-Journal
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Top US Hedge Fund Managers Made Nearly $13B in 2015by webdesk@voanews.com (Ken Bredemeier)
Tuesday May 10th, 2016 at 8:52 PM

A new U.S. survey shows even with stock market volatility on Wall Street last year, top hedge fund managers were paid huge sums to handle the investments of the country's wealthiest people. Institutional Investor's Alpha magazine said its annual look at the earnings of the leading hedge fund managers showed the 25 best-paid collectively took home nearly $13 billion in income. Hedge funds pool money from investors, mostly capital from wealthy individuals and institutions, such...

2 Israeli Women Stabbed in a Jerusalem Forestby Tia Goldenberg / AP
Tuesday May 10th, 2016 at 8:52 PM

World – TIME

(JERUSALEM) — Two masked attackers stabbed two Israeli women taking a walk in a Jerusalem forest on Tuesday, police said, setting off a manhunt to capture the assailants.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said five women were walking along a Jerusalem promenade near the “Peace Forest” when they were attacked from behind. Two of them, both said to be about 70 years of age, were stabbed and were taken to a hospital with moderate injuries.

After setting up checkpoints and searching an Arab area of east Jerusalem, police arrested two men, but they were released soon after.

Israel has seen nearly eight months of Palestinian attacks, mostly stabbings, but also shooting and vehicular assaults, that have killed 28 Israelis and two Americans. About 200 Palestinians have been killed during the same time, most of them said by Israel to have been attackers while the rest were killed in clashes with Israeli forces.

In recent weeks, violence has also flared up on the Gaza border, with militants launching mortar rounds at Israel and Israeli aircraft and tanks responding. Israel has also discovered two underground tunnels stretching from the coastal territory into Israel and on Tuesday, the military said it has arrested a Hamas operative who has provided information about the Islamic militant group’s tunnel network. Israel said it arrested another Hamas member last week who also had divulged details about the tunnels.

Israel and Hamas fought a 50-day war in 2014 that killed some 2,200 Palestinians, about two-thirds of them civilians. On the Israeli side, 66 soldiers and seven civilians were killed.

Toward the end of the 2014 war, Israel destroyed more than 30 tunnels that Hamas had dug under the border. Hamas militants had used the tunnels to infiltrate Israel and carry out attacks.

The war left entire neighborhoods in Gaza flattened, destroying 11,000 homes. Tens of thousands of people remain displaced.

In Gaza on Tuesday, Belgium’s visiting Foreign Minister Didier Reynders called Gaza’s reconstruction “too slow,” urging Israel to allow in more construction materials. Israel says the flow of goods into Gaza has been increasing gradually since the war.

Reynders also urged Israel and the Palestinians to return to peace negotiations.

Also Tuesday, the Israeli military said that based on “situation assessments,” it would close the crossings out of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip until Thursday, barring Palestinians from entering Israel except for humanitarian cases. Israel is marking its Memorial Day and Independence Day during that period.

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Brazil Government Asks High Court to Halt Rousseff Impeachment
Tuesday May 10th, 2016 at 8:50 PM

WSJ.Com: World News

Brazil’s solicitor general on Tuesday asked the Supreme Court to suspend the impeachment process against President Dilma Rousseff a day before a vote in the Senate that could remove her from office, at least temporarily.

Strongman Vladimir Putin falls during ice hockey game in Russia's Sochi by syndication@telegraph.co.uk (Our Foreign Staff)
Tuesday May 10th, 2016 at 8:47 PM

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Page 9

U.S. will not seek death penalty for accused ringleader in Benghazi attacks by Spencer S. Hsu
Tuesday May 10th, 2016 at 8:44 PM

World

Decision clears way for plea or terrorism trial in Washington, second in U.S. since 2015

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In Mexico missing students case, suspects allege tortureby Mark Stevenson | AP
Tuesday May 10th, 2016 at 8:43 PM

World

Within weeks of the September 2014 disappearance of 43 college students, Mexican authorities had rounded up scores of suspects and announced they had solved the case.

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· · ·

State psychologist testifies suspected Planned Parenthood shooter's delusions keep him from participating in defense - The Denver Post
Tuesday May 10th, 2016 at 8:42 PM

CBS Local

State psychologist testifies suspected Planned Parenthood shooter's delusions keep him from participating in defense
The Denver Post
Two state psychologists have said they do not believe Robert Lewis Dear Jr. is competent, but Chief District Judge Gilbert Martinez will make the final determination. By Jordan Steffen The Denver Post. Posted: 05/10/2016 10:59:22 AM MDT. Updated: ...
Psychologist: Accused Planned Parenthood shooter is delusionalColorado Springs Gazette
Judge to Rule on Clinic Shooting Defendant's Mental StateABC News
Planned Parenthood shooting defendant back in courtHickory Daily Record
StreetInsider.com
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Court Papers Reveal Qaeda Operative’s Work as Trainer and Bomb Expert by SCOTT SHANE and BENJAMIN WEISER
Tuesday May 10th, 2016 at 8:41 PM

NYT > World

Anwar al-Awlaki, an American imam who joined Al Qaeda in Yemen and was later killed in a U.S. drone strike. Court filings in New York offer the most detailed account yet of a hidden side of Mr. Awlaki’s work.

New Jersey Man Gets 15 Years in Prison for Trying to Join Islamic State by webdesk@voanews.com (Ken Schwartz)
Tuesday May 10th, 2016 at 8:40 PM

A New Jersey man will spend 15 years in prison for attempting to join Islamic State and helping his brother fly to Syria to fight with the terrorist group. Alaa Saadeh was arrested last June by the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force and later pleaded guilty in federal court. "Today's sentence is an appropriate punishment for his role in a conspiracy that would have supplied new recruits to a terrorist organization that regularly threatens American lives at home and...

May 10, 2016
Tuesday May 10th, 2016 at 8:39 PM

A look at the best news photos from around the world.

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Page 10

Prince DEA Raids Paisley Park Feds Launch Criminal Investigation - TMZ.com
Tuesday May 10th, 2016 at 8:38 PM

TMZ.com

Prince DEA Raids Paisley Park Feds Launch Criminal Investigation
TMZ.com
The DEA is currently at Prince's Paisley Park home, executing a search warrant, and TMZ has learned there is an active federal investigation into doctors who prescribed meds to Prince ... sources connected with the investigation tell TMZ. Our sources ...
Prince Investigation: Warrant Names Doctor Treating Star Before DeathNBCNews.com
Prince's local doctor identified in search warrantMinneapolis Star Tribune
Warrant: Minnesota doctor saw Prince, prescribed drugsCBS News
Tulsa World -CBS Local -Hollywood Life -Minnesota Public Radio News
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Shooting and stabbing reported at Taunton, Mass., mall - New York Daily News
Tuesday May 10th, 2016 at 8:36 PM