Militarisation of the US Mind

Jul 31, 2023

UPDATE: The US Senate is now debating an $886 billion defense authorization bill. Unless there are major changes to the bill, Bernie Sanders will vote against it, “as everyone knows, our country faces enormous crises”.

Gen. Michael A. Minihan, lauded by hawks in Congress, has disturbed some in the Pentagon with his fiery prognostications of a looming conflict. “Lethality matters most!” he told the crowd. “When you can kill your enemy, every part of your life is better! Your food tastes better. Your marriage is stronger.”

Russia and Ukraine are still a long way from agreeing on a cease-fire, primarily because of the US' involvement. To promote peace talks, it would be better to reach small agreements on specific issues first, and gradually accumulate more.

By stating China is a threat in clear, unambiguous words in its Defense of Japan 2023 document, the Japanese government has set a typical example to the whole world of how a thief cries "catch thief".

American intelligence officials are spreading disinformation in a story about how they are searching for malware that might be hidden in various defense systems that if it exists might disrupt military communications and resupply operations.

During his latest Asia-Pacific trip, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken tried to persuade New Zealand to join the AUKUS alliance. The response he got was clear -- it would cost New Zealanders their soul to accept the top U.S. diplomat's advice.

Bernie Sanders: USA faces huge crises

The US Senate is now debating an $886 bn defense authorization bill. Unless there are major changes to the bill, I intend to vote against it. Here’s why, explains Bernie Sanders, a US Senator (Dem.), the ranking member of the Senate budget committee.

As everyone knows, our country faces enormous crises.

As a result of climate change our planet is experiencing unprecedented and rising temperatures. Along with the rest of the world, we need to make major investments to transform our energy system away from fossil fuels and into more efficient and sustainable energy sources, or the life we leave our kids and future generations will become increasingly unhealthy and precarious.

Our healthcare system is broken. While the insurance companies and the pharmaceutical industry make hundreds of billions in profit, 85 million Americans are uninsured or underinsured, our life expectancy is declining, and we have a massive shortage of doctors, nurses, mental health practitioners and dentists.

Our educational system is teetering. While we have one of the highest rates of childhood poverty of almost any major country, millions of parents cannot find affordable and quality childcare. The number of our young people who graduate from college is falling behind many other countries and 45 million Americans are struggling under the weight of student debt.

Our housing stock is totally inadequate. While gentrification is causing rents to soar in many parts of our country some 600,000 Americans are homeless, and 18 million are spending more than half of their limited incomes on housing.

These are some of the crises our country faces. And we’re not dealing with them. And then there is defense spending – well, that’s a whole other story.

I will oppose this bloated defense budget and efforts to further increase military spending through a defense supplemental for three main reasons:

First, more military spending is unnecessary. The $886 bn in defense spending agreed in the debt ceiling deal matches the Pentagon’s budget request and is more than sufficient to protect the United States and our allies.

Second, the Pentagon cannot keep track of the dollars it already has, leading to massive waste, fraud and abuse in the sprawling military-industrial complex. Last year, the department was unable to account for over half of its assets, which are in excess of $3.1 tn (sic!). The Government Accountability Office (Gao) reports that DOD still cannot accurately track its finances or post transactions to the correct accounts.

Third, much of this additional military spending will go to line the pockets of hugely profitable defense contractors – it is corporate welfare by a different name. Almost half of the Pentagon budget goes to private contractors, some of whom are exploiting their monopoly positions and the trust granted them by the United States to line their pockets.

Let’s be clear. Defending the American people is not only about pouring money into the Pentagon. It’s about making sure our children go to good schools and will have a habitable planet when they get older. It’s about making sure that every American has a decent standard of living and can enjoy quality healthcare and affordable housing.

As a nation, the time is long overdue for fundamental changes to our national priorities. Cutting military spending is a good first step, stresses senator Sanders.

Read more here.

US stalls Ukraine cease-fire

Russia and Ukraine are still a long way from agreeing on a cease-fire, primarily because of the US' involvement, Chinese experts said on Sunday, noting that in terms of promoting peace talks, it would be better to reach small agreements on specific issues first, and gradually accumulate more.

Russian authorities claimed that three Ukrainian drones attacked Moscow in the early hours on Sunday, injuring one person and prompting a temporary closure to traffic of one of four airports around the Russian capital, according to TASS. It was the fourth such attempt at a strike on the capital region this month and the third this week.

The Russian Defense Ministry said three drones targeted the city. One was shot down in the surrounding Moscow region by air defense systems and two others were jammed. Those two crashed into the Moscow City business district.

Experts believe that Russia and Ukraine are still a long way from reaching a cease-fire agreement, primarily because of the US' involvement. It is expected that the deadlock may end after the US elections next year, after which the US may push Ukraine to negotiate a cease-fire to shift attention to China, Cui Heng, an assistant research fellow from the Center for Russian Studies of East China Normal University, told the Global Times on Sunday.

Saudi Arabia is set to host peace talks among Western countries, Ukraine and key developing countries, including India and Brazil, early next month, as Europe and Washington intensify efforts to consolidate international support for Ukraine's peace demands, the Washington Street Journal reported. Saudi Arabia and Ukraine have invited 30 countries, including Indonesia, Egypt, Mexico, Chile and Zambia.

The UK, South Africa, Poland and the EU are among those who have confirmed attendance. For now, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan is expected to attend, according to a person familiar with the plan.

Many countries are willing to mediate, with proposals from Africa and the Middle East. However, the success of mediation depends not only on willingness but also on their capabilities and international political influence, a Middle East analyst told the Global Times on Sunday.

In view of this, a country that can play a mediation role needs to have the capability to ensure future security, preventing large-scale conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and must be respected by both Russia and Ukraine, experts said. Saudi Arabia's invitation to these countries is a pragmatic approach, as Saudi Arabia does not yet have the ability to mediate international conflicts strongly.

On the question of starting peace talks, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that "We did not reject them... In order for this process to begin, there needs to be agreement on both sides," when speaking at a press conference after meeting African leaders in St Petersburg on Friday and hearing their calls for Moscow to move ahead with their plan, according to CNA.

Putin also said that an African initiative could be a basis for peace in Ukraine but that Ukrainian attacks will make it hard to realize.

There is a huge gap between the positions of Russia and Ukraine when it comes to future negotiations, especially on issues of territory and sovereignty. There is hardly any room for compromise, Cui said.

What can be done is to make some compromises on other issues, such as food issues, stop attacks on infrastructure, and create an atmosphere for future negotiations. In terms of promoting peace talks, it would be unrealistic to expect Russia and Ukraine to lay down their arms all at once. It would be better to reach small agreements on specific issues first, and gradually accumulate more, he said.

Read more here.

Top Gun “Maverick” at war with China

By Dan Lamothe (edited)

Gen. Michael A. Minihan, lauded by hawks in Congress, has disturbed some in the Pentagon with his fiery prognostications of a looming conflict. He’s been called a “big teddy bear,” a gruff “football coach” and a “cowboy” who needs to be put out to pasture. But one thing Gen. Michael A. Minihan is not: is shy.

Here, where the suburbs of St. Louis meet the cornfields of southern Illinois, resides the four-star commander who, in uncommonly confrontational language for such a senior military officer, has ordered the 110,000 troops under his command to prepare for war.

Two years from now, maybe.

“I hope I am wrong,” he informed them in a January memo that went viral after one of its recipients leaked the document online. “My gut tells me we will fight in 2025.”

Minihan’s combustible rhetoric, including a directive for personnel to sharpen their marksmanship skills and “aim for the head,” is red meat for the China hawks in Congress who fear the United States is woefully underprepared should a conflict erupt in that part of the world. It has disturbed some in the Pentagon, however, as the general’s assertiveness has felt startlingly at odds with the Biden administration’s carefully calibrated attempt to reset relations with Beijing. Senior officials nonetheless have stuck by him — and he has pressed forward with an ambitious plan to “explode” into the Pacific in the event of a war.

“There can be no ambiguity on what my expectations are,” Minihan said. “I’m not trying to be somebody that I’m not, nor am I trying to use theater or a pedestal. I’m simply trying to make sure that my command is ready to win if called upon.”

Minihan was selected for the job after 10 years in the Pacific, a tenure that included a posting as the No. 2 officer at U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, which coordinates military operations spanning thousands of miles from the Aleutian Islands to Australia.

The general took charge of Air Mobility Command two months after the haphazard U.S. evacuation of Afghanistan.

“What I discovered is that when you pack a body on ice in the back of C-130 and it smells horrific, and you can’t wash it off you, that’s something to deal with,” he said, misty-eyed. “When you’re in the Pentagon on 9/11, that’s something to deal with. When your squadron is supporting operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, 2003 to 2006, and your squadron moves hundreds of angels [deceased U.S. troops] … there’s something to talk about.”

Speaking last fall at an Air Force conference, Minihan told a crowd of hundreds of airmen, defense contractors, and civilian officials that he wants his team to “fly it like we stole it.”

“Lethality matters most!” he told the crowd. “When you can kill your enemy, every part of your life is better! Your food tastes better. Your marriage is stronger.”

Minihan followed up by releasing a 20-page “Mobility Manifesto” that was both urgent and irreverent. “If you are easily offended by intentional crass, please stop reading now,” he wrote in the opening. The document goes on to criticize “excuse-laden admiration for the status quo” and declare that air mobility forces were in “crisis.” There is “significant risk” in inaction that requires “revolutionary” moves to ensure that the Air Force can continue to do its part.

“If this comes across as harsh, good,” Minihan wrote. “We are not looking for blue skies or smooth air. We are looking to deliver.”

Weeks later, Minihan’s memo predicting war within China drew international attention. He ordered airmen to get their personal affairs in order and to “fire a clip into a 7-meter target with the full understanding that unrepentant lethality matters most.”

“Aim for the head” when doing so, he directed.

The Pentagon distanced itself from the remarks, while China’s state-run Global Times cited analysts decrying what they called the U.S. military’s prevalence of “super-hawkish war maniacs.”

One influential retired general, Barry McCaffrey, tweeted that Minihan needed “to be placed on terminal leave,” effectively fired, after showing bad judgment and “cowboy aggression.” One senior U.S. defense official said that he was incredulous upon learning about the memo

Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr, now awaiting confirmation to become the Joint Chiefs chairman, told Military.com that he was “disappointed” in aspects of Minihan’s memorandum.

Flat maps of the Pacific do not do justice to the “tyrannies of distance” there, Minihan said. He wants his organization assessing where they can accept additional risk, what equipment already is available that might help, and whether any new technology needs to be developed.

“I, like everybody else, don’t think this war is inevitable,” Minihan said. “ … But, you know, the deterrent factor is born from readiness — as is the decisive victory.”

Read more here.

Japan military calls white black

In the 32 pages of its digest version, "China" is mentioned 64 times to portray it as "an unprecedented and the greatest strategic challenge" to Japan. Among the charges that are leveled at China in the paper to support this claim are the country is enhancing its military capabilities, making "unilateral changes" to the "status quo" in the East China Sea and the South China Sea through displays of force and intensifying its military activities in the Taiwan Strait.

However, it is Japan that seeks to take these false charges as a pretext to amend its so-called pacifist Constitution to enhance its military capabilities.

As the defense paper itself states, Japan is planning to spend 43.5 trillion yen ($322.2 billion) on defense in the coming five years, a significant increase from 17.2 trillion yen in the 2019-2023 period. Further, its military spending has already been increasing for more than a decade in a row when the country does not face any imminent security threats.

Despite Tokyo claiming the nation is dedicated to self-defense, its defense spending is already the third-largest in the world, and its average per capita defense spending is much higher than that of China.

Japan has never discarded the ambition of seeking a re-rise to be not only a regional but also global military power. And its de facto military forces can only be described as world-class.

As for its shows of force in the South China Sea, Japan is acting like someone who backs up an intruder who has entered someone's backyard waving a gun, as vessels of the Japanese Self-Defense Force have sailed there many times in moves aimed at emulating the US' repeated "freedom of navigation" provocations.

And it is simply absurd for Japan, which officially recognizes the one-China principle that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, to support the secessionists on the island.

A simple review of history shows that Japan always seeks alliance with the most powerful military force of the world, with the UK in 1902, Nazi Germany in the 1930s and 1940, and the US in the postwar world. And it abused every alliance to invade or threaten its neighbors. And it is now colluding with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to establish a regional "liaison office" in Tokyo.

It called China "a threat" before invading China's northeastern provinces in 1931 and launching a full attack in 1937. Now, with the encouragement of the US, Japan is openly threatening China once again.

But 2023 is not 1931 or 1937. China loves peace, and it has the capability to defend peace. Under whatever excuse or with whichever ally Japan dares to challenge China, it will only repeat the failure of 1945.

Tokyo should not be beguiled by the tune Washington is piping as it is only leading it astray.

Read more here.

U.S. Military Fabricates Malware Story

A totally fake story

American intelligence officials believe malware could disrupt or slow American deployments or resupply operations, including during a US-led war in Asia. US officials are searching for possible malware hidden in various defense systems that could disrupt military communications and resupply operations, The New York Times reported Saturday.

The administration believes computer code has been hidden inside “networks controlling power grids, communications systems and water supplies that feed military bases,” officials told the Times. The assertion has heightened concerns that hackers could “disrupt US military operations in the event of a conflict,” according to the Times. The US has been increasing propaganda claims as it expands its actions in the Indo-Pacific.

One congressional official told the newspaper that malware is “a ticking time bomb” that could cut off power, water and communications to military bases, because military bases often share the same supply infrastructure as civilian homes and businesses, many other US citizens could also be affected, officials told the Times.

The malware story echos a pattern of recent disinformation by US military reported by CNN.

Last week, the email account of US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns was hacked, three US officials familiar with the matter told CNN.

Earlier this month, Microsoft and the White House confirmed hackers breached email accounts at two dozen organizations, including some federal agencies. The Biden administration believes the hacking operation gave insights about US thinking into Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s mind.

Among the agencies targeted by hackers were the State Department and the Department of Commerce, which has sanctioned thousands of individuals, corporations and governments globally. US officials and Microsoft analysts initially had trouble identifying how the hackers got into the email accounts, which made clear that Microsoft’s security protocols are insufficient.

US officials have consistently complained that the US is no longer able to control cyberspace, a domain that has repeatedly been the major source of US attacks, hacking and spying in recent years. The FBI has said the US has a larger hacking program than all other governments combined.

Blinken raised the hacking incidents in a meeting, but officials had no idea what he was complaining about.

“We have consistently made clear that any US action that targets government, companies or civilians, is of deep concern and that appropriate action to take responsibility and be accountable is not up to the secretary of state.

Read more here.

Why Blinken is snubbed in Asia-Pacific

"It's a club we'd have to sell our soul to join," said New Zealand Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta. Mahuta replied to Blinken on Thursday that her country was "not prepared to compromise or change our nuclear-free position," and continued to support a nuclear-free Pacific.

In fact, this was not the only time the top U.S. diplomat got snubbed during his visits.

At a joint press conference after meeting with Tongan Prime Minister Hu'akavameiliku Siaosi Sovaleni on Wednesday, Blinken called Beijing's engagement in the region "problematic behavior," but was only told that Tonga had "no concerns" about its relationship with China.

The reasons why Washington was given the cold shoulder are obvious. Blinken claimed that "We really understand what is a priority for the people here," but his real priority is nothing but "American First." What he and those decision-makers back in Washington have proposed for the region are simply not in line with or even counterproductive to its key interests and urgent needs. That is something the regional countries understand fairly well.

In recent years, the United States has been bent on peddling the so-called "Indo-Pacific strategy" and "great power competition" in an attempt to build an alliance in the Asia-Pacific region against China's rise.

From throwing mud at China's cooperation with local countries to trying to expand the AUKUS grouping, Blinken's current visit is actually seeking to either sabotage Beijing's image or to force the island nations to take sides.

Nations in the region want peace, stability and development. The AUKUS pact, which has violated the principles and practices of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and severely undermined the international non-proliferation regime, can only stir up confrontation and fuel an arms race in the area.

That is also why former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating warned earlier this month against the U.S.-led NATO's Asia expansion attempt, saying that "exporting that malicious poison (NATO) to Asia would be akin to Asia welcoming the plague upon itself."

Despite Washington sparing no efforts in smearing China, countries in the Asia-Pacific region see Beijing as an equal partner and a real friend.

Take Tonga. Over the past years, China has provided around 100 grant-aid projects, big and small, to the Tongan government and Tonga people, which covered agriculture, fishery, education, health, environment protection and climate change.

When Tonga was faced with multiple challenges, including volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, and the COVID-19 pandemic, China rushed to its assistance. As facts have proven, China's friendship has always been based on deeds rather than words, Tongan King Tupou VI has said.

As for New Zealand, China is the country's largest trading partner for trade in goods, both in terms of imports and exports.

The relationship with China is incredibly important for New Zealand and both countries now enjoy a very constructive and positive relationship, New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said during a visit in China last month, adding that his country hopes to further expand bilateral trade and sees it as a priority to re-establish economic activity with China in the post-pandemic era.

Between confrontation and common development, it's not difficult for Asia-Pacific countries to choose.

Read more here.

Long Mekong

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