From Air Force Link: Former Iraqi citizen returns to serve as Air Force officer.

     The journey to American citizenship and eventual commissioning in the Air Force was a long and dangerous path for Iraqi-born Capt. Rasul Alsalih of the 732nd Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron.

     He was 29 years old and living in his hometown of Samawah, Iraq, when the United States and its coalition partners ejected the Iraqi army from Kuwait in 1991.

    I am always amazed at how strong the dedication that we Americans have to our Nation, wteher we were born here or came here from another land.  Captain Alsalih represents everything that is great about America, and Americans.  He has my unending respect and admiration for the courage he showed in fighting against opression and tyranny and risking all to build a better life.

    "I had a lot of admiration and respect for the military because my experience in the refugee camp gave me a good impression of them -- of how strong they are, how caring they were. They took good care of us in the camp," Captain Alsalih said. "I formed my opinion about the military and I wished to become one of them because they did a good job for us. I still remember the names and the faces of the soldiers who helped us in the refugee camp."

Capt. Rasul Alsalih, a project officer for the 732nd Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron, discusses a construction project with an Iraqi national. An Iraqi by birth, Captain Alsalih fought against Saddam Hussein shortly after Desert Storm and found refuge in an Army camp in Saudi Arabia. He was educated in the U.S. before seeking a commission in the Air Force. He was one of four servicemembers recognized as an "Outstanding American by Choice" this year. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Jonathan Snyder)

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From First Multi National Force Iraq and Combined Joint Task Force-82 and Air Force Link:

Local citizens help Iraqi Security Forces seize terrorist weapons cache in Hillah.

Baghdad dramatically increasing Police Force: Stryker Brigade picks best recruits.

Coalition forces disrupt terrorist operations, 11 detained.

Unyielding dedication: Soldier makes national defense a career.

New U.S. northern cmdr says he hopes diplomacy will resolve Iraq-Turkey standoff.

Father gains sense of son’s last moments in Iraq.

Ramadi war zone now rare bright spot. (I would say that Ramadi is just one bright spot of many, but the story is from the Guardian so what can you expect. - RT)

Marines declare war on garbage.

Another dispute in Iraq presents an opportunity for reconciliation.

Tammimi, Jibouri tribes uphold reconciliation in Diyala.

U.S. Soldiers free Hostage from al Qaeda.

Iraqi Policemen Learn the Basics during Prep Course.

Common-Sense Recruiting, Cutting-Edge Training Lift Iraq’s Air Force.

Petraeus gets Feedback from Surge Troops.

Coalition forces disrupt al-Qaeda in Iraq, three terrorists killed. (Kirkuk)

Coalition forces capture targeted Special Groups member, eleven others detained.

Rock Hammer III disrupts enemy supply network in Baqouba.

British Commitment to Coalition, Oct. 31.

Kirtland gifts reach Afghan school children.

ANSF, Coalition forces kill several Taliban fighters in Oruzgan Province.

Several militants killed, two detained in Ghazni Province.

 A-10 pilot awarded Mackay Trophy.

Children of fallen troops honored at remembrance ceremonies.

CSAF presents Bronze Star to Royal Air Force exchange officer.

F-15C's from the First Fighter Wing, out of Langely AFB.  Offical USAF Photo.

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From the Chosin Ilbo: Bush Sends Tougher Message to N.Korea.

     U.S. President George W. Bush has warned North Korea against failure to fulfill its part of a six-nation agreement whereby it is to disable nuclear facilities by the end of the year. “There will be consequences to the North Koreans if North Korea renege on their promises,” Bush said in a press conference at the White House. “They have declared that they will show us weapons and get rid of the weapons programs, as well as stop proliferation … If they don't fulfill that which they've said, we are now in a position to make sure that they understand that there be consequences.”

     So the US continues to take the hard line with the North Koreans, while the Japanese have from a all pressure approach to one of pressure and dialog, with the hopes of making more progress than in the past.  From the Yomuiri Shimbum: Govt's new North Korea line: More carrots, less stick.

     Reflecting Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's intentions, the government increasingly has been focusing on dialogue in its diplomatic relations with North Korea," revealing a shift in the foreign policy line from that taken by the Abe administration, which favored pressuring the country.

     "If some of the abductees return to Japan, I think we can consider that to be 'progress' on the abduction issue," Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura told reporters Friday at the Diet.

     Suggesting that the government might lift sanctions on, or give aid to, North Korea in phases, Komura said: "We may take measures in accordance with the [degree of] progress. That's a matter of course when it comes to improving relations with North Korea."

     Aiming at the return of all abductees, the Cabinet of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe repeatedly emphasized that it would never provide assistance to North Korea without progress on the abduction issue, while avoiding clarifying how it defined "progress." Abe said, "It's us who decide the definition of 'progress,'" and former Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki said, "We don't think we can call it 'progress' if North Korea merely promises to continue its investigation into the issue and offer [any] information."

     I am aware of the apparent progress of the six party talks, but I remain very wary of North Korea, they have decieved in the past nad may yet do so agian.  Witht he reports filtering out about their involvement with the Syrian nuclear program we should not let up one bit, but rather tighten the sanctions untill we have the full and toatl truth.  The economic and military impact of the various embargoes against North Korea are working as this valuable tidbit from the China Post shows: North Korea stops spy flights due to fuel shortage.

     SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea has suspended flight training for military aircraft aimed at infiltrating special operation forces in rival South Korea because of fuel shortages, a news report said Sunday.

     Yonhap news agency, quoting unidentified government and military sources, said the impoverished country's military has had to halt training flights of the Soviet-designed AN-2 planes as the fuel shortages have been worsened by soaring oil prices.

     "We found (North Korea) is diverting fuel oil for AN-2 planes to training of other aircraft, and that is why their flights have been suspended for a long time," Yonhap quoted a South Korean government official privy to North Korean affairs as saying.

     Of course US efforts aren't helped by the pussyfooting at the State Department, which as always wants to talk about thing forever and a day without getting anywhere nearer to a solution. The dust up between State and everyone else over the Nork's involvement with the Syrian nuke program is case in point. From the Chosin Ilbo: U.S. Leaders at Odds over N.Korea-Syria Nuke Connection.

     Suspicions over a nuclear connection between North Korea and Syria are dividing the Bush administration in the U.S., the New York Times reported Saturday. "A dispute has broken out between conservatives and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice over the administration’s pursuit of diplomacy with North Korea in the face of intelligence that North Korea might have helped Syria design a nuclear reactor," the daily said.

     In recent days, Vice President Dick Cheney has reportedly urged Rice to reconsider her North Korea policy, pointing to the rumor. Rice reportedly countered this by saying that President George W. Bush was briefed on the intelligence and issued a statement in support of talks with Pyongyang early this month.

     If we continue to pressure North Korea we can force them to put all their cards on the table, because they know that it is their best interests to do so.  If they continue down the nuclear path and help others to do so things might get a bit, kinetic as it were.  And in that case they would loose, so it is better to give it up and avoid the alternative.

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From Defend America, First Multi National Force Iraq and CJTF-82:

Senior Citizen Stops Suicide Bomber.

Paratroopers Sign Up for Another Tour.

Concerned Local Citizens turn in three IEDs. (Kalsu)

Kidnapped Catholic priests freed in Iraq.

Iraq boy treated for defect with U.S. help.

Prince honours reservists for Iraq tour.

Gov’t in attempt to extend troops’ mandate in Iraq.

Tip leads to cache in western Baghdad.

Army Engineers work to improve Maysan’s electrical system.

Key Madrid train bombins suspect killed in Iraq: report.

Iraqi Army visits school children in Jerf Al-Mila.

Soldiers find huge weapons cache.

Coalition forces disrupt al-Qaeda: 11 killed, two detained.

ANSF, Coalition forces defeat insurgents for second time in 2 days.

ANSF, Coalition forces focus on Haqqani network.

Afghanistan milestone has special meaning for Bagram Airmen.

And in 1950, 1965, 1983, 1990, and 2001 or any other time

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     Weak nations talk about how strong they are, while strong nations let that power speak for its self.  The US is a strong nation, while Iran is most definately a weak nation. They talk, we demonstrate compare and contrast.

The US:

And Iran:

From the China Post, but just about everywhere really: Iran can fire 11,000 rockets a minute: commander.

     TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran is capable of firing 11,000 rockets into enemy bases within the first minute after any possible attack, state-run television quoted a top Revolutionary Guards Corps commander as saying Saturday.

     Gen. Mahmoud Chaharbaghi, the missile commander of the Guards, said Iran has identified all enemy positions and was prepared to respond in less than a minute to any possible attack.

     "Enemy bases and positions have been identified. ... The Guards ground force will fire 11,000 rockets into identified enemy positions within the first minute of any aggression against the Iranian territory," the television quoted Chaharbaghi as saying.

     Of course what the Iranians fail to mention is that most of these raockets are in fact just that unguided free flight artillery rockets whose accuracy is measured in hundreds of meters, and are of highly limited range.  Typical artillery rocket systems have maximu ranges of between fiteen to fifty miles for the larger system.  And the longer ou fling them the less accurate they become.  This is the main reason that the US MLRS and HIMARS systems use cluster munition warheads, rather than relying on one wrahead to hit the target each rocket carries over 600, making accuracy less of an issue.  As for their guided systems, thes are all either old Soviet system dating form the fifties and sixties or indeigenous variations thereof.  Alot of them are little better than upgraded Scuds, which itself is directly descended from the less than stellarly accurate V-2.   This is just more saber rattling by a nation that really doesn't have much in the way of sabers to be rattled.  The Iranians know how weak they are and this kind of posturing just proves that to anyone who looks at the reality of the Iranian's capability versus their daft proclamations.

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Both From the Yomuiri Shimbun:  New antiterrorism law to last 1 year.

     The government decided Monday that a bill to establish a new law to continue the refueling mission by the Maritime Self-Defense Force in the Indian Ocean will include a one-year time limit.

     The new law, which would replace the Antiterrorism Law due to expire on Nov. 1, will not contain a clause stating that the government must periodically report on the MSDF's activities to the Diet.

       The rational for the new law is clear, but the editors at the Yomuiri and I are in agreement that a permanent solution is needed.  Japan is hamstrung by the need to pass a law in order to respond to each new crisis, and needs tp put in place a permanent law spelling out when and when not the SDF can become involved.

Japan mustn't quit war on terrorism.

     Japan must not abandon the war that the international community is waging against terrorism. It is a matter of course for the government and the ruling camp to do their utmost to quickly establish new legislation to replace the current Antiterrorism Law. The main opposition Democratic Party of Japan, for its part, will be tested on how it handles a bill for the new law.

     The government has submitted to the Diet the bill for the new antiterrorism law to allow the Maritime Self-Defense Force to continue its refueling mission in the Indian Ocean.

     The new law will limit the Self-Defense Force's antiterrorism support activities to the MSDF's refueling and water supply mission. The subjects of the mission will be limited to other countries' vessels participating in maritime interdiction activities to prevent the movement of terrorists and the transportation of weapons and drugs.

Permanent law needed.

     The government initially sought a two-year term for the new law. However, in consideration of New Komeito's view that having it enforced for one year would make it easier to maintain civilian control over the MSDF mission, the government set the term of the law at one year.

     But for Japan to properly tackle the war on terrorism, which will be a long and difficult task, the term of the law that governs the nation's efforts for the war should be longer. After the law is established, creating a permanent law regarding the overseas dispatch of the SDF likely will become a topic of discussion.

     Of course this would all be a moot point if the Japanese consitution is amended to remove article nine or the Japanese goverment decides that it can simply ignore article nine and get away with it.  I talked about that here and here.

JDS Murasame, DD-101. The lead ship in a class of nine multipurpose destroyers laid down in 1991.

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From Fox News: North Carolina Rep. Walter Jones Calls for Inquiry of Army General Involved in Soldier Scrutiny.

     WASHINGTON —  Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C., has asked the Pentagon to open an investigation of a high-ranking Army official who is at the center of two probes involving possible wrong-doing by U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

     Jones said he believes Lt. Gen. Frank Kearney has overstepped his authority in the investigations and in turn is hurting troops' morale.

     "When men and women are asked to go to war for this country, then in my humble opinion they should be given every benefit of the doubt, and if there are any questions then they should not be handled in the press," Jones said in an interview with FOX News.

     I, and I am sure a lot of other people are glad to see that the highly questionable behavior of Gen. Kearney is finally being looked into.  It has been a point of serious contention and complaint among personel in the Afghan theater and people back home for some time now.  His continual invetsigations into behavior that has been deemed perfectly acceptable, and his sudden withdrawl of  a USMC unit for being too aggressive should have raised flags on the hill some time ago, or if not their then at the Pentagon.  If nothing else he needs to be removed from command and sent to job where he can do no further harm to our efforts in Afghanistan.

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From First Multi National Force Iraq and Defend America:

Airmen Patrol Streets of Baghdad.

Diamond heroes visit battlefield heroes.

Soldiers capture kidnapper, free hostage. (Adhamiyah)

Concerned Citizens discover improvised explosive device. (Arab Jabour)

Citizen volunteers vastly improve security in Iraq’s Diyala Province.

Marines team with Iraqi Security Forces.

International news links, Oct. 13, 2007.

Scouts assist in propane distribution. (Arab Jabour)

Coalition forces disrupt terrorist operations; one killed, 17 detained.

New Iraqi Air Force Continues to Grow.

Afghan National Police Continue Progress.

Coalition forces clear former insurgent stronghold.

Renovations Bring Reliable Power.

The ships of the US Navy's Destroyer Squadron 15 Steaming in the Pacific during exercise Valiant Shield '06.

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From the Taipei Times: Fukuda seeks greater military role.

     Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda yesterday told a resurgent opposition that Japan must not be a "bystander" in the US-led "war on terror" as he fought to extend a naval mission in the Indian Ocean.

     The opposition won control of one house of parliament in July elections and has vowed to defeat government proposals to extend the naval mission providing fuel and logistical support to US-led forces in Afghanistan.

     It has so far ignored a government compromise that would stop refueling operations backing combat troops, restricting support to ships policing the Indian Ocean.

     Addressing a parliamentary committee attended by key lawmakers from the ruling coalition and opposition, Fukuda said that Japan, as the world's second-largest economy, needed to contribute to international security.

     Saying that the international community was united after the 2001 terrorist attacks on the US, Fukuda said: "How can we sit back as a bystander?"

     He also assured the opposition that the Indian Ocean mission does not violate Japan's pacifist Constitution, which was imposed by the US after World War II.

     "First of all, the mission is not an act of force," Fukuda said. "It does not infringe on the Constitution at all."

     Ok, Ozawa doesn't want the MSDF to support combat ops but he is OK with sending ground troops to participate in ISAF, where the inevitable result would be real, live (or dead) Japanese casaulties.  This plays up what I was saying earlieer, the longer you go with out adressing the reality of the situation the more warped your preception of reality becomes.  If Fukuda wants to play a bigger role in such military operations he should go ahead and do one of three things.

1.  Bluntly admit that the mere exsistance of the SDF violates the constitution (which it does as noted here) and that of you are already in violation then there is nothing holding Japan back from violating the rest of article nine.  Call this the 'in for a penny, in for a pound' approach.

2.  Force through a revision to the constitutional amendment law to get rid of the three year waiting period before the constitution can be amended and move for an immeadate amendment of article nine.  This is the legalistic approach, and the one that offers the most legitimacy, at least to those that would scream bloody murder if Japan went for option one.

3.  Deny that the current constitution is not binding on Japan due to the fact that it was adopted under duress.  This of course ignores the fact the current constitution was ratified by a plebicite before it came into effect, but the argument can be made that the involvement of the occupying power in the drawing up of the governmental charter taints it due to the clearly superior-inferior status of the two nations. 

     Of these three options I would say one would only happen if a PM had an unassailable majority in both houses, massive popularity and a mjor crisis on Japan's doorstep, in which case national security takes precedence over what other people may think.  Number two is by far the most likely, but still a long shot as the DPJ was largely opposed to the current amendment law that was passed back in may.  As for number three it is only possible on an earth in some paralell universe, the political  and practical fall out at home and abroad would simply not be worth the results in any sense of the word.

     So how do you play a bigger role in military operations when you can not allow your military to actually fight?  That is a question that I certainly can't answer, one can either fight or not.  I am deeply apreciative of the actions that Japan has taken thus far, but once more I have to say that Prime Minister Fukuda should change the debate from wether or not Japan should be supporting such operations, but rather why she must participate directly, and that article nine is a relic of the past that needs to placed firmly where it belongs, in the past.

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From Fox News: Democrats Edge Away From Troop Withdrawal Legislation Despite Heavy Rhetoric.

     WASHINGTON  —  Congressional Democrats have put on the back burner legislation ordering troops home from Iraq and turned their attention to war-related proposals that Republicans are finding hard to reject.

     The legislative agenda marks a dramatic shift for party leaders who vowed repeated votes to end combat and predicted Republicans would eventually join them. But with Democrats still lacking enough votes to bring troops home, the party runs the risk of concluding its first year in control of Congress with little to show for its tough anti-war rhetoric.

     "We can no longer approach the discussion on Iraq as a partisan issue," said Rep. John Tanner, a conservative Democrat from Tennessee. "Our soldiers, sailors, Marines, airmen and Guardsmen aren't fighting as Democrats or Republicans but as Americans."

     Damn, I thought my head was going to explode there for a minute.  Some little birdy must have reminded that next year is an election year and that pandering to the far left was a sure way to get un-elected.  Now I don't believe for a minute that most of these dummy Dems are merely following the latest polling data, and would say they supported an immeadate invasion of North Korea if they thought that was what the public wanted to hear.  Their Viet Nam legacy has once more bitten them in the ass, the American public, unlike Dimocratic legislatures want to make damn sure another Viet Nam doesn't happen. Why can't these America hating hippie commie wanna bes just hurry up and fade from the scene already.  Their rhetoric was tired in the seventies and it is only more so thirty some odd years later.

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     Talking about military issues in Japanese politics is like trying to have a frank discussion about social security in the US, everyone knows the issue needs to be adressed yet no one really wants to risk the political backlash of changing the status quo.  Largely this is the result of years of smeantic footwork to avoid and conceal the fact the Japanese government has long been in violation of Article nine of the Japanese constitution.  See my previous thoughts on that issue here.

Exhibit 1: PM treads softly on collective self-defense issue.

From the Yomuiri Shimbun:

     Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda said Tuesday at the House of Representatives Budget Committee that the issue of the right to collective self-defense has to be handled "carefully," a departure from former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's tendency to lean toward approving the use of the right.

     "Sufficient discussions are necessary on what kind of international activities the Self-Defense Forces may exercise the right to collective self-defense in terms of the constitutional interpretation," he said.

      Under the government's interpretation of the Constitution, Japan has the right of collective self-defense under international law, but may not exercise the right.

     So we can have a military but we can not use it.  If that is the case then why maintain a military at all?  Everyone knows that this is utter bullshit but no mone has the stones enough to stand up and say so.  If Japan is ever going to become a normal nation the continual self deluding, feel good semantic trickery needs to come to an end.  Just as when the SDF was formed no one bought into the concept of a military witout military potential as it was described, I do not think anyone really believes the position that has been continuously put forward by the Japanese government, even by the current PM.  For him it is simply an excuse to shoot down a proposal by the DPJ, one that he probably should have siezed and run with because, A) it would help to further normalize Japan militarily and B) because Ozawa probably figured that Fukuda would reject his offer.  If he had agreed he could have shifted the playing field further toward normal than by only pursuing the current path, which is important and helpful, but why have just one piece of cake when the offer of two is on the table?

Exhibit 2:

From the Japan Times: Ozawa's Afghan gambit rejected.

     Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura on Tuesday rejected Democratic Party of Japan President Ichiro Ozawa's suggestion that Japan participate in NATO's International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.

     Afghanistan is "a very dangerous area and can be called a combat zone," Machimura said during a session of the House of Representatives Budget Committee.

     "Based on the Constitution (which prohibits the use of force), we cannot support" Ozawa's opinion that Japan should participate in ISAF activities, he said.

     The semantic confusion surrounding the SDF creates another problem, namely that it isn't entirely clear who has the final say regarding the conduct and scope of ongoing SDF missions.  This lack of a readily identifiable civilian commander and chief is something that I have noted before, here.  The editors at the Japan Times seem to think that the Diet needs to approve evry detail of the operations as the continue, at least that is how I read what their syaing.  You have to give someone a final say, because if you let the whole of the diet run things nothing will ever get done as any slightly contentious issue gets bogged down in days or weeks of debate when an important decision might need to be made in hours or even minutes.

Exhibit 3:

From the Japan Times: Refueling bill undercuts Diet.

     The ruling coalition has presented the opposition bloc with an outline of a new law to continue the Maritime Self-Defense Force's refueling mission in the Indian Ocean. The new law, if enacted, will replace the current special law, which expires Nov. 1. Although similar to the current law, the new law would undermine civilian control of the Self-Defense Forces because it would not require Diet approval for starting a new operation.

     Under the current law, the MSDF is refueling naval ships of the United States and other countries to support antiterrorism operations in and around Afghanistan following the 9/11 attacks in the U.S. The law, which was enacted in late October 2001 and remains in effect for two years, has been renewed three times.

     At some level a degree of autonomy must be given, because the person on the scene is typically much better equipped to make a decision than some one commanding a desk in Tokyo.  The smeantic maze that Japanese defense issues are trapped in can only be escaped from by a prime minister saying what should have been said long ago.   That Japan will take any actions she deems necessary to maintain her security, up to and including pre-emptive unilateral military action.  Every other country in the world takes this position, so why should Japan be any different?  She shouldn't be, and it is time to accept that break with the past.  Idealism is all well and good, but the world today calls for hard and cold pragmatism.  Until then the endless semantic maze will keep Japan's full potential on the international scene trapped inside.

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     Sometimes somebody has to state the obvious and this is just such a case.  The Japanese have managed to muddle through each crisis as it developed, but the inadequacy of having a basic framework fro using and governing the use of her military Japan hamstrings herself even in situations where she has both a vested interest in participating in operations and a public consenus to do so.

From the Japan Times: Permanent SDF law should set dispatch principles: Ishiba.

     Japan needs a permanent law that lays out the basic rules for dispatching the Self-Defense Forces overseas, instead of enacting short-term special laws for each mission, newly appointed Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba said in a recent interview.

     "We should set basic principles and rules to decide under what conditions we will send (SDF units) overseas," said Ishiba, a noted expert on defense issues. "Enacting a special law each time is problematic.

     Given the fact that the world is only going to become more unsettled before stability returns one hope that the Diet will sit up and take notice of Defense Minister Ishiba's words.  The current mission in the Indian ocean looks to be continued despite the opposition of the DPJ, so why not prevent such wasted energy and time in the future by permanently fixing the problem now than putting off down the road for a nother two years.  The results would likely be the same and would give Japan a lot more manuvering room on the international front.

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From the Japan Times: DPJ faces dilemma as MSDF support grows.

     Opposition camp leader Ichiro Ozawa is facing his first big challenge since his party marked a historic victory in July's Upper House election — a widening gap between public support for Japan's refueling mission in the Indian Ocean and his resistance to it.

     While new Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda is calling on Ozawa for dialogue on the contentious diplomatic issue in the Diet, which reopened Monday, everyone is waiting to see how Ozawa can survive what critics are calling a "shrewd" trap set by the soft-spoken and more seasoned prime minister than his inexperienced predecessor, Shinzo Abe.

     Ozawa, head of the Democratic Party of Japan, is against a government plan to continue the refueling mission by Maritime Self-Defense Force vessels to support antiterrorism operations in and around Afghanistan on the grounds that there is no U.N. authorization for the naval mission. The special temporary law authorizing the mission expires Nov. 1.

     The public apparently backed Ozawa's argument several weeks ago, with a Kyodo News poll showing at the end of August that 48.2 percent opposed the continuation of the mission, while 38.6 percent supported it.

     However, after Fukuda took office Sept. 25, the trend has reversed, with 49.6 percent in the latest poll saying the government should continue the MSDF mission and 39.5 percent opposing it.

     This is reversal is due to two things, the utter comitment and resolve the LDP has shown and the politically brilliant move of obtaining the UN Resolution praising the JMSDF's mission in the Indian ocean.  Whoever came up with that play is a master, understanding and using the Japanese public's love of multilateral organizations to give the mission a huge amount of piblic legitmacy.  That will be difficult to overcome, as the Japanese man on the street wants his nation to be respected and admired in the brotherhood of nations, and perhaps even more so given Japan's past.  I would be willing to sya that the DPJ is going to have to except a new law allowing the mission to continue, and use what political capital they have to win concessions to advance other parts of their platform.

The JDS Mashu resupplies the USS Anzio in the Indian ocean. (USN Photo)

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From First Multi-National Force Iraq and Defend America:

Maj. Gen. Kevin Bergner and Brig. Gen. Michael Walsh, Oct. 3 (Briefing, with a PowerPoint presentation!)

Cache found in Mansour.

Coalition forces disrupt al-Qaeda killing six terrorists, two suspects detained.

Attack aviation crews kill roadside bombers.

Cavalry Soldiers, ISF detain high-value individual.

Coalition forces detain 12 suspects during operations to disrupt al-Qaeda.

Iraqi Security Forces, U.S. Special Forces detain four extremists in Southern Iraq But the most important news comes at the end of the story "No Iraqi or U.S. forces were injured during these raids."

Iraqi, Coalition Forces detain six extremists in Tha’Alba raid.

New Ramps Increase Bagram Capacity.

Al Mamoon rises again.

82nd SB enhances Polish capabilities.

International news links, Oct. 3, 2007 A link to links, some good stuff though.

New Exchange Makes Life Better for Deployed.

Concerned citizens turn in cache.

New School Offers Space for Learning.

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1 Ooohhh, I bet Gen. Walsh has LOTS of slides......

Posted by: Nick at October 03, 2007 10:07 PM (Z7Vo0)

2 PowerPoint, crack for staff officers.  There is even a seperate link to the PowerPoint slides in quetsion too, for the really dedicated types. 

Posted by: Raging Tachikoma at October 04, 2007 05:40 PM (cqI3i)

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From the Yomiuri Shimbun: Bill would require MSDF mission reports.

     Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura, Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura and Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Tuesday drew up an outline for a new bill that would extend the Maritime Self-Defense Force's refueling mission in the Indian Ocean.

     Key elements of the new bill would restrict the MSDF's activities to refueling and supplying water to vessels of other countries, and would require the government to periodically report on the MSDF's activities to the Diet.

     On Tuesday, the government and the ruling parties reached a broad agreement on the outline of the bill, government sources said.

     A clause in the current Antiterrorism Law that requires Diet approval for the activities likely will be scrapped.

     The DPJ seems to get some, but not all of what it wants in this bill.  They would be kept in the  loop but they would, quite rightly not have a veto over the operations themselves.  Really this whole flare up is due in part to the fact that the exsistence of article nine means that their is no one person or entity that is readily identifiable as the civilian comander and chief of the Japanese military.  In a more normal constitutional monarchy this would typically be the Prime Minister, acting on behalf of the sovergien.  But it is all up in the air right in Japan.  This is something that needs to be corrected, because if a war were to break out that pulled in Japan the current situation would have far too many chefs in the kitchen.

And some more evidence for the continuation of the JMSDF's mission in the Indian ocean. MSDF pullout would hit antiterror efforts.

     The legal authority for the Maritime Self-Defense Force's logistical support operations in the Indian Ocean, primarily involving the refueling of warships that form the multinational force patrolling the region as part of the war on terrorism, looks set to end next month.

     In mid-September, reporters were shown the MSDF's activities in the Indian Ocean ahead of a Diet session in which the ruling and opposition parties were to debate whether the Antiterrorism Law should be extended.

     The first-hand look at the operations, conducted as part of the ongoing antiterrorism efforts, help answer questions arising from the military tie-up with the multinational force and clarify Japan's national interests.

     During the press briefing on the Indian Ocean, the Tokiwa, an MSDF supply vessel, provided fuel to a Pakistani Navy destroyer in the Arabian Sea, north of the Indian Ocean. At sea, the blazing sun had sent temperatures soaring to 39 C. From the bridge, an MSDF officer spoke in English over a walkie-talkie to guide the Pakistani warship in. The ship approached the stern of the Tokiwa then drew up on its starboard side.

The Towada class AOE JDS Tokiwa at sea.

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