February 28th, 2011 by Misaki

North Korean and Chinese missile forces cast a long shadow over U.S. allies in Northeast Asia. The United States has sought to develop common missile defense policies among its allies-Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan-to defend the region against missile attacks from North Korean and Chinese launch sites. Yet the varied responses of its allies have led to a record of mixed success in dealing comprehensively with this ominous threat.

North Korea’s launching of a No Dong missile over the Japanese archipelago in 1998 generated a strong sense of national vulnerability and public support in Japan for intensifying construction of a missile defense system. South Korea’s tepid response to North Korean military provocations was the result of Seoul’s fear of undermining its diplomatic and economic outreach to Pyongyang. In Taiwan, the government finally managed to pass a budget to augment its missile defense system only to face a U.S. roadblock.

North Korea has deployed approximately 600 short-range Scud tactical ballistic missiles and 200 medium-range No Dong missiles. The Scud missiles have an estimated range of 320 km-500 km, which limits them to South Korean targets. The No Dong has a range of 1,300 km, allowing it to target most of Japan. Pyongyang is also developing two longer-range variants, the Taepo Dong 1 (TD-1) and Taepo Dong 2 (TD-2), but they have not yet been

February 25th, 2011 by Minsuh-Yael56

Quite often an individual’s perception of a simple assault can be quite misleading. In respect to military law, there are three areas addressed by this offence. These are by offer, by attempt, or by battery. By having a basic understanding of these three areas, individuals might think twice before acting out and landing themselves into trouble.

By Offer: If an individual thinks that something that someone is doing, or not doing, is going to mean having some type of force applied against him, then this is an assault by offer. This holds true only if the person is led to believe this by the intention or negligence of the other person. In order for the offense to have been committed it does not mean that the act suspected by the individual is even carried out. In this case, it is definitely the thought that counts.

So really, what constitutes leading one to believe that they are going to be physically harmed? To begin with, the actions leading one to believe they are in harm’s way do not have to be factual. For example, if one person points an unloaded gun at another, and the person the gun is being pointed at was under the belief that the gun was loaded, then the person with the gun has committed assault even if he was only joking.

If the victim really knows that no harm is intended then this is not assault by offer. The victim’s perspective

February 25th, 2011 by Lachlan

Today, Iran’s Amedinejad is demanding respect, and he is resorting to idle threats against the West and specifically the Jewish nation-state of Israel. The Iranian leader also often puts out international press releases of new military technology which has been manufactured indigenously, which is fine except for one thing, 90% of the claims made are complete and utter fabrication.

Still, the US must take some of those threats seriously, and in doing so means it must bring an overwhelming force in to stop Iran’s nuclear weapons program if the US decides to make good on its promise to enforce nuclear world nuclear weapons protocols. Now then, all this poses a huge problem in that if the US goes in full-tilt combat mode, it would be a terrible slaughter, and be looked on as a little more than people could stomach.

So the solution is to give Iran a fighting chance, no they still can’t win, but it would be nice to give them a few high-tech military hardware to use, or at least the technology to have a legitimate war, you know so they don’t look so pathetic in battle with toy boats, Sony video game living room fighter pilot simulators, and Estes toy rocket surface to air missile launchers.

Why not make some money selling Iran some serious military toys? It could help our defense industry immensely, and make the Iranian leadership drool with excitement, as if

February 25th, 2011 by Shira

When many people look back at World War II they only see a string of Allied victories and think victory was always certain, but in the early days of the war things looked very dark. The Nazi war machine had ravaged most of Europe, but that still didn’t stop a handful of determined volunteers from answering their nation’s call to duty, instead it only served to inspire them.

In the spring of 1940 British and French forces had been defeated by the Nazis and were evacuating France. Hitler had made it clear that he wouldn’t stop at the English Channel. The British military was in shambles and tons of valuable weapons and equipment were abandoned on the beaches of Dunkirk. Faced with a very real possibility of invasion, the British government formed the Local Defence Volunteers also known as the Home Guard. It was believed that if England was to survive the average citizen would have to know how to defend him or herself.

The Home Guard was the idea of Captain Tom Wintringham, a soldier, journalist, and World War I veteran. Between world wars the Oxford educated veteran became a communist supporter and fought in Spanish Civil War as part of the International Brigade against the Nazi supported Nationalists. The fighting he experienced was brutal and he was wounded several times. During this conflict he learned many valuable lessons that would help him in World War II.

February 24th, 2011 by Nadia

With the application of Six Sigma (SS), military leaders and process experts can help the U.S. Armed Forces improve the quality and efficiency of our national defense – while minimizing costs. If you are currently involved in Six Sigma or military process improvements and wish to enhance your expertise in this critical area, it’s important to have a thorough understanding of Six Sigma and how it can be applied to improve defense.

Why Six Sigma Works for the Military

The Six Sigma methodology is widely recognized as one of the most integral elements of a successful business strategy. There is simply no better way for a company to improve performance and optimize profitability than by implementing SS principles on a large scale. The benefits of Six Sigma are not limited to the world of private enterprise, however. In fact, the military has begun instituting Six Sigma on a broad scale and with impressive results.

Devising and coordinating ways to meet the needs of various military outfits and organizations is not an easy task. There are a variety of factors that must be taken into consideration when allocating military resources and funds. There are many ways in which the military differs from a traditional business, and it is not necessarily compatible with the type of fixed business model that might be suitable for a less complicated and

February 22nd, 2011 by Minsuh-Yael56

Most people decry any think tank which Designs weapon systems for military defense. However, those that find this to be an unworthy pursuit of knowledge forget that a nation must defend itself, against aggressors or it will cease to exist. A nation that fails to protect itself from an impending attack does so at the expense of its people and its civilization. In essence it is forfeiting its civilization in advance for not willfully defending it.

Now, I don’t mean to sit here and cite the wisdom, observations, and knowledge of the famous ancient philosopher of war, Sun Tzu or the military philosopher Karl von Clausewitz. However, it is important that you hear what they have to say prior to condemning those that use their mind to develop weapons systems to protect their nation.

Leonardo da Vinci was a famous painter and inventor. If you read through a good many of his sketch books you will note that he spent considerable time creating mechanical weapons for both offense and defense. Now then, anyone who condemns a great mind or creative genius for considering military weaponry is also condemning those famous folks in history including Leonardo da Vinci himself.

We cannot on one hand tell of his greatness, and then on the other hand condemn him for creating war machines. Just like we shouldn’t condemn the Think Tanks which advise our military on strategic

February 19th, 2011 by Lachlan

1) ECONOMY: Beyond the short term stimulus package there is a need for improved long term performance in the economy for growth. This requires improved competitiveness through Tort reform, education, healthcare insurance, immigration and tax reforms. Independently each of these programs is not the most crucial but together, and they are interdependent, they are the most crucial socio-economic issue facing the US.

- The energy policy must be about developing all sources of energy except for OPEC oil. The focus should be plug-in hybrids (and natural gas for trucks) along with nuclear energy.

-TORT REFORM, so that most if not all of the punitive damages go to the government not to the Plaintiffs, because it is the government not the victims that should punish, and certainly not the lawyers.

IMMIGRATION REFORM: Having improved significantly border control; increase by about 100,000 people, the immigration to US, through H1B level IV visas, of doctors, lawyers, bankers, executives, engineers, (and simplify that process) and thus help bring the wages down of some excessively compensated professions, (helping in reducing Health Care costs as well.)

- EDUCATION REFORM: SCHOOL VOUCHERS: A minimum of 40% of per student cost, mandatory school voucher to whomever student qualifies for it and chooses it. Not paying any percentage of the costs of those that do not

February 19th, 2011 by Misaki

Knowing the types and levels of court martial is vital for any service member or lawyer facing military justice action. The level of court can effect the level of discharge, whether the Federal conviction is a felony and misdemeanor, and the maximum sentence. In addition, depending on the level disposition, an accused may not be entitled to a jury. There are three types of court martial – summary, special, and general.

Summary CM

Trial by summary court provides a simplified procedure for the resolution of charges involving minor incidents of misconduct. The court is presided over by an officer from the same command as the accused but not a direct supervisor (what officer?) The officer does not have to be a lawyer.1 The maximum punishment includes confinement for up to 30 days, forfeiture of two-thirds pay for one month, and reduction to the lowest pay grade (E-1). The accused must consent to be tried by this level of disposition.2

Special CM

A special court is the intermediate evel. It consists of a military judge, trial counsel (prosecutor), defense counsel, and a minimum of three officers sitting as a panel of members or jury. An enlisted accused may request a jury composed of at least one-third enlisted personnel. An accused also may request trial by judge alone.3 Regardless of the offenses involved, the maximum sentence is limited to no more than

February 18th, 2011 by Minsuh-Yael56

A ruling passed by America’s Supreme Court said that the military personnel can not claim or sue for any injuries even if it was due to negligence. A ruling undertaken fifty years ago under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) prohibited military personnel for any military service injury happened on or off the job. This doctrine has been called unconstitutional by the present day judges as it makes judges to dismiss law suites forcibly. According to this Feres Doctrine, it was possible to claim for military medical malpractice by the dependence of military personnel. Thus a little security was still there for the families.

Not being able to claim or sue the government for any military medical malpractice has only given undue freedom to professionals to carelessly handle the law suites. This has been the view point of many critics including Jonathan Turley, Law professor, George Washington University.

Further according to Two Congressional Acts, the dependents of personnel can claim for injuries due to military medical malpractice. Where on one hand, FTCA let dependents sue the federal government for medical malpractice at a military area in U.S. on the other hand the military dependents are eligible to sue the government even if the malpractice has occurred in a military facility outside U.S as per the Military Claims Act (MCA).

Voices have been raised by

February 17th, 2011 by Noya

“If history teaches anything,” Ronald Reagan said, “it teaches that self-delusion in the face of unpleasant facts is folly.” These words, delivered to the British Parliament in 1982, ring just as true today. It is sheer folly to ignore the growing threat to the free world from ballistic missiles armed with nuclear, chemical, radiological, or biological weapons.

Since the end of the Cold War, these weapons have proliferated, their destructive capacity has grown, and their range has increased. We are still finding out the frightening extent of the proliferation by the A. Q. Khan network based in Pakistan. North Korea surprised the world by testing a nuclear weapon in late 2006, and Iran has missiles that can reach Europe and, despite the world’s best diplomacy, is still actively pursuing nuclear capabilities. Leaving ourselves vulnerable to these weapons would be pure folly.

We may no longer fear Armageddon at the hands of the Soviet Union, but we must worry about rogue regimes with nuclear weapons. Tyrants do not care about arms control, treaties, polarity, or international condemnation. They want these weapons so that they can act with impunity and dictate foreign policy to us. Once they have them, they can challenge us-perhaps by cutting off oil shipments or attacking our allies-because they doubt that we would send troops into countries capable of retaliating