A Threat to MILBLOGS

Blackfive weighs in on recent developments of critical interest of MILBLOGS, updated policies on MILBLOGS, and the tasking of a National Guard unit to monitor MILBLOGS for potential OPSEC violations.

Blackfive harbored concerns about potential DoD censorship of MILBLOGS, which in part motivated him to initiate what became The Blog of War:

One reason that I wanted "The Blog of War" published was to preserve several excellent military blogger entries from blogs that were either shut down by the military or the author decided to shut down in order to avoid trouble with the military (The Questing Cat, Armor Geddon, Training For Eternity, This Is Your War, A Day in Iraq, etc.).

In my opinion, milbogs have been far more effective in countering the mainstream media than the Department of Defense, and I'm not sure why the DoD has yet to realize their value and embrace their effectiveness. I'm not qualified to make a judgment on Rumsfeld's "penchant for secrecy," but I do agree with Noah's bottom line.

So you would think that the Defense Department would be doing everything it could to encourage positive coverage of the war –- to bring stories of brave American troops, risking their lives for Mideast democracy, to the Internet browsers everywhere. But Rumsfeld's penchant for secrecy -- and the military's fear that even the smallest, most innocuous detail about American operations could give insurgents the upper hand –- has scuttled this crucial media mission.

As I mentioned here, I'm hopeful that the DoD is coming around to the idea that milblogs are useful, and have a place in this information war. I hope I'm right. If I am, I hope it's not too little, too late.

(More commentary over at Dadmanly.)

Kim to Test Three More Nukes

Or that's what he's telling his friends in China, anyway.

North Korea has informed China that it is prepared to conduct "as many as three additional tests" following the first nuclear experiment Oct. 9, CNN television reported Wednesday.

Quoting U.S. intelligence analysts and officials, CNN and Fox News said U.S. spy satellites have detected activities which could be preparations for nuclear explosion tests at three North Korean sites.

CNN also said that latest U.S. intelligence show that North Korea's missile sites remain at a "very high state of readiness," and Pyongyang could use them "in the next several days."

On Tuesday, NBC News reported that the North Korean military has told China that it intends to conduct a "series of underground nuclear tests."

Since Kim only has a finite amount of fissionable material, let's hope that he has several more fizzles.

(HT: Drudge)

I'm not Dead...

But my site is down for maintenance, just in case you were concerned.

US Military: tool of the liberal elite!

Hey, who knew? And to think I left my copy of The Feminine Mystique at my last Pilates class.

"The military is not a conservative organization," said Elaine Donnelly, who heads the Center for Military Readiness (CMR). "It is on the cutting edge of liberal social change."

Almost makes you think of the old poem, "Hickory, dickory, dock."

Invisible ship?

You can't see this $2.3 billion dollar ship,'cause it's invisible ...sorta..

A friend for a friend of the Army

See the bird? The bird wants to be Lugnut's friend.

"Hello, Lugnut!" says the bird.

"Hi" says Lugnut, "what's your name?"

"You can call me Wingnut. Let's play!"

(Milblogs Jr. - for the childen)