New guidance on declassification marking (pdf) of documents and materials originating in Department of Defense special access programs was issued by the new Under Secretary of Defense (Intelligence) James R. Clapper, Jr. on April 26.
A Joint Chiefs of Staff publication presents doctrine on “barrier, obstacle, and mine warfare.” The document, newly updated, “greatly expands coverage of improvised explosive devices, mines, and other unexploded explosive ordnance.” See “Barriers, Obstacles, and Mine Warfare for Joint Operations” (pdf), Joint Publication 3-15, 26 April 2007.
A U.S. Army “smart card” (pdf) provides soldiers a summary overview of the threat from Improvised Explosive Devices. The unclassified smart card on “The IED and VBIED [vehicle borne IED] Threat” dated January 2004 — not the latest edition — is available here.
Satellite imagery of RAF Lakenheath reveals new construction of a security perimeter around ten protective aircraft shelters in the designated nuclear area, the latest measure in a series of upgrades as the base prepares for the ability to store U.S. nuclear weapons.
It will take consistent leadership and action to navigate the complex dangers in the region and to avoid what many analysts considered to be an increasingly possible outcome, a nuclear conflict in East Asia.
Getting into a shutdown is the easy part, getting out is much harder. Both sides will be looking to pin responsibility on each other, and the court of public opinion will have a major role to play as to who has the most leverage for getting us out.
How the United States responds to China’s nuclear buildup will shape the global nuclear balance for the rest of the century.