Morning Briefing

As a service to our readers, the Mudville Gazette will begin presenting The Morning Briefing, the same compilation of news from around the world that top US militay officials are starting their day with. Links in this section are presented without editorial comment and do not represent an endorsement by this web site, the DoD, any component thereof, etc.

Don Rumsfeld has a copy in the limo on the ride in. Why shouldn't you start your day the same way? We ask only that you, like our SecDef, use this information only for good.

(Well, you could also hat tip this way should you use this info or find it potentially useful.)

Note: Today's entries are actually last Friday's briefing. Those that could not be found online are designated "NA". Thanks and enjoy.

TOP STORIES

1. Rice Is Agreeable To Return For More Of 9/11 Panel's Queries
(New York Times)...Adam Nagourney and Richard W. Stevenson
Under mounting pressure from Democrats about its response to the investigation into the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the White House offered Thursday to have Condoleezza Rice, the national security adviser, answer more questions from the Sept. 11 panel. At the same time, President Bush forcefully denied accusations that he had ignored the severity of the threat from Al Qaeda.

2. Up To 2,000 Marines To Go To Afghanistan From Gulf
(New York Times)...Eric Schmitt
As many as 2,000 marines now aboard ships in the Persian Gulf will be sent to Afghanistan in the coming weeks to reinforce the American-led operation there to combat fighters of Al Qaeda and the Taliban, Pentagon officials said Thursday.

3. U.S. Officials Fashion Legal Basis To Keep Force In Iraq
(New York Times)...John F. Burns and Thom Shanker
With fewer than 100 days to go before Iraq resumes its sovereignty, American officials say they believe they have found a legal basis for American troops to continue their military control over the security situation in Iraq.

4. In City Seen As Iraqi Success, Extremists Rise
(Philadelphia Inquirer)...Ken Dilanian
...Shiite religious extremists, backed by armed militias, are waging a campaign of intimidation to enforce a strict Islamic code of conduct in Iraq's second-largest city. Neither the Iraqi police nor the British military forces that occupy Basra seem willing or able to stop it.

5. Sudden, Painful Rebirth Unsettles Stagnant Region
(Los Angeles Times)...Megan K. Stack
...The United States has paid for the war and the occupation with a profound anti-American backlash. The fires of jihad have been fueled in the hearts of a new generation of extremist recruits. Sectarian tensions are spilling from Iraq, drawing out tribal, religious and ethnic splits in neighboring countries and raising fears of instability.

IRAQ

6. 3 Troops Killed In Iraq Attacks
(Washington Post)...Sewell Chan
Two U.S. soldiers and a Marine were slain over the past two days in separate attacks, including a fierce firefight in which five insurgents were also killed, the military announced Thursday.

NA
7. U.S. Marines Come Under Fire From Syria Near Border Of Iraq
(Wall Street Journal)...Greg Jaffe and David S. Cloud
U.S. Marines and their helicopters have come under regular fire in recent days from Syria's side of its border with Iraq, and some U.S. officials say the fire sometimes seems to be coming from Syrian border guards.

8. New Iraq Defence Ministry Announced
(London Financial Times)...Nicolas Pelham
The US-led administration in Iraq has announced the re-establishment of the Iraqi Ministry of Defence it dissolved last May, to be manned by civilians. A minister is expected to be appointed next week.

9. Iraqi Police Target Of Guerrilla Attacks
(Washington Times)...Christopher Torchia, Associated Press
At least 350 U.S.-trained Iraqi police officers have been killed in the past year, and rebel attacks one likely to increase before the coalition hands over sovereignty on June 30, U.S. military officials warned .

10. US Soldiers Face Charges Of Prisoner Abuse
(Christian Science Monitor)...Ann Scott Tyson
...The breaches involve only a tiny fraction of the more than 150,000-strong US occupation force, which military ethicists and human rights groups have given generally good marks for their comportment in Iraq. Still, such violations could cause disproportionate damage to the US military's image among Iraqis.

11. At Prison Gate, Iraqi Families Vent
(Christian Science Monitor)...Dan Murphy
Indefinite detentions are within the law, US says, but angry Iraqis liken practice to Hussein's repression.

NA
12. For The Japanese Military, Iraqi Desert Is Now Land Of The Rising Property Price
(Wall Street Journal)...Yochi J. Dreazen
...Both of those armies come from nations Iraqis consider wealthy. To some Arab communities, that could spell easy money as troops new to the region's ways -- especially its formidable bargaining -- scout for land and supplies.

13. Chalabi, Nimble Exile, Searches For Role In Iraq
(New York Times)...Dexter Filkins
...Now, with his credibility under assault in Washington, Mr. Chalabi is reinventing himself, searching for a new political constituency in a country where the people hardly know him — and very few trust him, according to a recent opinion poll. Though he has shown himself to be one of the most energetic of Iraq's new leaders, he is largely bereft of a grass-roots following. Now Mr. Chalabi, who spent the last 45 years outside the country, has begun trying to appeal to Iraqis who bore the brunt of Mr. Hussein's rule.

DEFENSE DEPARTMENT

14. U.S. Still Weighing Troop Roles
(Washington Times)...Rowan Scarborough
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said yesterday that plans to shift forces in Asia and Europe have not yet reached a point where proposals have been taken to the countries involved.

NA
15. Rumsfeld Says Much Talk Of Iraq Military Options Early On
(Wall Street Journal (wsj.com))...Alex Keto, Dow Jones Newswires
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said Thursday there was much talk of exactly what options the U.S. had in regards to Iraq early in the Bush administration, but said this was natural considering that Iraq was shooting at U.S. aircraft.

16. Pentagon Can Hire 2,500 Experts For National Security Needs
(Washington Post)...Stephen Barr
A new Pentagon policy will allow the Defense Department to hire as many as 2,500 experts with state-of-the-art knowledge in fields of critical importance to national security.

17. Retired Brass Urge Delay In Anti-Missile Shield
(Reuters)...Unattributed
Forty-nine retired U.S. generals and admirals are urging President Bush to postpone the scheduled launch this year of a multibillion-dollar missile shield and spend the money instead on securing potential terror targets. In a letter to be released at a news conference today, the officers say the complex technology is untested and a poor use of scarce defense dollars.

ARMY

18. In Army Survey, Troops In Iraq Report Low Morale
(Washington Post)...Thomas E. Ricks
A slim majority of Army soldiers in Iraq -- 52 percent -- reported that their morale was low, and three-fourths of them said they felt poorly led by their officers, according to a survey taken at the end of the summer and released yesterday by the Army.

19. U.S. Army Finds Its Suicide Rate In Iraq Is Higher Than For Other G.I.’s
(New York Times)...Eric Schmitt
A major Army study has found that suicide-prevention teams were left behind when units left their home bases to go to war in Iraq, mental-health workers felt untrained to treat combat stress, and many soldiers seeking help for depression and emotional problems faced significant hurdles getting care.

20. Federal Officials Set Aside Worries Over Desert Tortoise, Rare Plant
(Los Angeles Times)...Louis Sahagun
Reversing an earlier opinion, federal wildlife managers have concluded that expanding tank training at the Army's Ft. Irwin in the Mojave Desert is not likely to jeopardize desert tortoises or the last remnants of a rare plant.

AIR FORCE

21. Judge Won't Dismiss Guantanamo Spy Case
(Washington Post)...Reuters
A U.S. military judge denied a motion Thursday to dismiss the case against a Syrian American airman accused of spying at the U.S. military base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

NATIONAL GUARD/RESERVE

22. U.S. Sent Medically Unfit Soldiers To Fight In Iraq
(Miami Herald)...David Goldstein
To meet the demand for troops in Iraq, the military has been deploying some National Guard and Army Reserve soldiers who aren't fit for combat.

GUANTANAMO

23. Terror Suspect Will Get Day In Court
(Los Angeles Times)...Associated Press
Australian terrorist suspect David Hicks will be able to challenge his detention at the Guantanamo Bay military base in eastern Cuba before the U.S. Supreme Court, his Australian lawyer said today.

WHITE HOUSE

24. Bush Defends Response To Threats Of Terrorism
(Washington Post)...Amy Goldstein
President Bush sought Thursday to knock down allegations that the administration was inattentive to the threat posed by al Qaeda before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, saying he would have "used every asset, every resource, every power of this government" to prevent the terrorist hijackings had he been warned of them.

CONGRESS

25. Lawmakers Keep Up Fight Against 2005 Base Closures
(Norfolk Virginian-Pilot)...Dale Eisman
Lawmakers launched a new attempt Thursday to derail plans for additional base closings in 2005, challenging Pentagon claims that the military has too many facilities and arguing that it may need more in the future.

26. Cornyn Wants To Land More Troops In Texas
(San Antonio Express-News)...Gary Martin
As the Pentagon looks to realign its global force structure, Sen. John Cornyn on Thursday urged Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to station returning U.S. military troops at Texas military installations.

27. Defense Officials Press Attack On Entitlement Growth
(Newport News Daily Press)...Tom Philpott
A senior Defense official has warned Congress against creating an entitlement-rich military that the nation cannot afford.

28. U.S. Lawmaker Vows To Scrutinize Expensive Aircraft Programs
(DefenseNews.com)...Jason Sherman
A key U.S. lawmaker warned the Pentagon that two big-ticket tactical aircraft programs — the F/A-22 Raptor and Joint Strike Fighter — face increased scrutiny by Congress.

29. Lawmakers Approach Rumsfeld
(Hartford Courant)...Michael Remez
Connecticut's Democratic lawmakers wrote Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld Wednesday to express concern about the Navy's decision to delay choosing who will build the next-generation presidential helicopter.

30. Leaders Push Pentagon Memorial
(Washington Times)...Sean Salai
Two Virginia Republican congressmen say they will do whatever it takes — including asking Congress for financial help — to speed up the construction of a memorial honoring those killed in the September 11 terrorist attack on the Pentagon.

SEPTEMBER 11

31. Pols Take Heat For Not Avenging Cole Attack
(New York Daily News)...James Gordon Meek
The failure of both the Clinton and Bush administrations to retaliate against Al Qaeda for bombing the destroyer Cole emboldened the terrorists, experts and victims' family members said yesterday.

ASIA/PACIFIC

32. Al Qaeda Urges Musharraf's Overthrow
(Washington Times)...Sarah El Deeb, Associated Press
A tape purportedly recorded by Ayman al-Zawahri, the No. 2 figure in the al Qaeda terror group, called Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf a "traitor" and urged people to overthrow his government.

33. Anti-Al Qaeda Force, Militants Stalemated
(Miami Herald)...Malcolm Garcia
A military offensive to nab a key al Qaeda operative who officials now say was probably never in the area has become a prolonged stalemate between the Pakistani army and militants and could be a major political liability for Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf.

34. U.S. Base's Transfer On Hold
(Washington Times)...Takehiko Kambayashi
Despite a 1996 agreement that the United States would return a major military facility to Okinawa prefecture within five to seven years, U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma and its 1.75-mile-long runway remains in the middle of residential areas of Ginowan, a city in southern Okinawa, taking up 25 percent of its space.

35. Governor Seeks Balance Between Reality And Ideal
(Washington Times)...Takehiko Kambayashi
Okinawa Gov. Keiichi Inamine, first elected in 1998 and re-elected in December 2002, spoke to Washington Times reporter Takehiko Kambayashi about the U.S. military presence in his tropical island prefecture of Japan.

RUSSIA

36. Russia Sees U.S., NATO Actions As Reason To Watch Its Back
(Los Angeles Times)...David Holley
Russian Defense Minister Sergei B. Ivanov warned Thursday that American development of new types of nuclear weapons, armed actions that bypass the U.N. Security Council and anti-Russian attitudes inside NATO could force his nation to adopt tougher defense measures.

AMERICAS

(NA Subscription only)
37. Colombia Asks US To Boost Drugs War Manpower
(London Financial Times)...Andy Webb-Vidal
The US appears set to boost the level of its aid to Colombia to help combat its illegal drugs industry and the rebel groups financed by the narcotics trade. The development follows a four-day visit by Alvaro Uribe, Colombian president, to Washington, which ended yesterday.

BUSINESS

38. Comanche's Cancellation Brings Layoffs
(Washington Post)...Greg Schneider
Boeing Co. and Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. have begun laying off workers because of the Army's decision last month to cancel the Comanche stealth helicopter program.

OPINION

39. Stand Firm
(Wall Street Journal)...John Howard
...Yet in the wake of the indiscriminate slaughter of almost 200 commuters in Madrid, global commentary seems as much focused on the political implications for Western governments as on the perpetrators. It will be doubly tragic if mass murder is rewarded with even the perception that our resolve has weakened.

40. The Wrong War
(New York Times)...Bob Herbert
The most compelling aspects of Richard Clarke's take on the world have less to do with the question of whether the Bush administration could somehow have prevented the Sept. 11 attacks and much more with the administration's folly of responding to the attacks by launching a war on Iraq.

41. 'Wartime President' MIA
(Washington Post)...David Ignatius
...Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld's crisp, candid testimony illustrated why so many people once assumed he would someday be president himself. He lauded the committee's work and then explained the difficulties he faced in framing a military response to al Qaeda in the months before Sept. 11. Perhaps most important, he reached out to the families of Sept. 11 victims in the hearing room, speaking of "the pain and the heartbreak and the suffering of the families whose loved ones perished."

42. Sept. 11, Lies And 'Mistakes'
(Washington Post)...Charles Krauthammer
...Clinton was in office eight years, not eight months. As Clarke himself said in a 2002 National Security Council briefing, the Clinton administration never made a plan for dealing with al Qaeda and never left one behind for the Bush administration.

43. Military Is Limited In Fighting Terror
(Long Island Newsday)...Marie Cocco
...The coldest stare might now be better fixed upon the independent 9/11 commission's look at the role of the military in fighting this war on terror that is like no other war. Nothing the military has done so far has brought victory.

EDITORIAL

44. Army Misfires In 'Spy' Case
(Los Angeles Times)...Editorial
The Army used a megaphone to announce the arrest of Capt. James Yee as a spying suspect last October. It dismissed the criminal case with a whisper last Friday night, its timing designed to minimize the effect of the news. This week, foolishly digging itself a deeper hole, the Army issued a written reprimand to Yee, a Muslim chaplain who ministered to prisoners at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

45. Guantanamo Captives In A Legal No-Man's Land
(Miami Herald)...Editorial
More than two years since the Pentagon opened a Guantánamo Bay prison for terror suspects, the United States still is operating outside an established legal framework or international standards. Since the Supreme Court decided to consider challenges to indefinite detention at Guantánamo, however, the administration has accelerated the release of detainees, finally allowed others to meet with lawyers and announced plans for an administrative panel that would review detainees for release.

46. A President's Job
(Wall Street Journal)...Editorial
Give President Bush's critics credit for versatility. Having spent months assailing him for doing too much after 9/11 -- Iraq, the Patriot Act, the "pre-emption" doctrine -- they have now turned on a dime to allege that he did too little before it. This contradiction is Mr. Bush's opportunity to rise above the ankle biting and explain to the American public what a President is elected to do.

47. The Wrong Target
(New York Times)...Editorial
...The White House is so thin-skinned and defensive, however, that it simply cannot bring itself to join what ought to be a grown-up national conversation of how best to deal with terrorism. Its schoolyard name-calling does no one any good, least of all Mr. Bush, who is made to appear far more interested in undermining Mr. Clarke's credibility than in addressing the heart of his critique.

48. Oil For Fraud?
(Washington Post)...Editorial
Mr. Annan owes it to the Iraqis to make this investigation real and thorough. If the United Nations cannot disprove its critics -- and punish wrongdoers, if any -- it will be harder to trust the organization to manage humanitarian and peacekeeping missions in the future.

More to come