{"id":8753,"date":"2013-08-26T14:34:31","date_gmt":"2013-08-26T04:34:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?p=8753"},"modified":"2013-08-27T11:43:21","modified_gmt":"2013-08-27T01:43:21","slug":"aspi-suggests-39","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/aspi-suggests-39\/","title":{"rendered":"ASPI suggests"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/a>Following what was probably a chemical weapon attack in Syria last week<\/a>, the White House appears to be moving closer to possible military action<\/a> (and here<\/a>). But while there is tremendous pressure on President Obama to act decisively, there appear to be very few good military options. Eliot Cohen writes<\/a>:<\/p>\n The temptation here is to\u00a0follow the Clinton administration\u2019s course<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 a\u00a0futile salvo of cruise missiles<\/a>, followed by self-congratulation and an attempt to change the topic. It would not work here. A minority regime fighting for its life, as Bashar al-Assad\u2019s is, can weather a couple of dozen big bangs. More important, no one \u2014 friends, enemies or neutrals \u2014 would be fooled. As weak as the United States now appears in the region and beyond, we would look weaker yet if we chose to act ineffectively. A bout of therapeutic bombing is an even more feckless course of action than a principled refusal to act altogether.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n On the home front, ASPI will be hosting the Great Defence Debate<\/a> on 29\u00a0August, in a week where Defence issues are likely to play a larger role in the Election than they have so far. If you have a question which you think should be asked, you can send it to us here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Here are some of the questions we have received so far:<\/p>\n The Indonesian military signalled its continuing interest in purchasing AH-64E Apache combat helicopters from the US<\/a>. But as Strategist<\/i> contributor, Haryo Adjie Nogo Seno, argues<\/a>, it\u2019s not clear how this capability is a high priority for a country with pressing maritime security interests.<\/p>\n Speaking of regional capability developments, we have been hosting an interesting debate here on The Strategist<\/i> about Japan\u2019s new Izumo<\/i> helicopter destroyer<\/a>. The Asahi Shumbun<\/em> has an article here suggesting that we needn\u2019t get too alarmed, its not an aircraft carrier<\/a>.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re interested in the drones debate, here\u2019s a long read in the latest Atlantic<\/i><\/a> that examines the various arguments for and against their use.<\/p>\n The Land Warfare Studies Centre recently released a report authored by Lieutenant Colonel Jason Logue that evaluates the media embedding of journalists with the ADF<\/a> on operations. According to the paper\u2019s abstract, this program \u2018has done much to humanise what is perceived as an increasingly clinical and sometimes detached way of waging war\u2019.<\/p>\n Sticking with military operations, here\u2019s the podcast of John Nagl\u2019s recent ANU presentation<\/a> on the lessons from Iraq and Afghanistan in counterinsurgency.<\/p>\n Britain\u2019s military is also facing cuts post a decade in the Middle East, with British Army troop numbers to be cut from 102,000 to 82,000 for example. But the new Chief of Britain\u2019s defence staff warns that downsizing the military will also limit the UK\u2019s options<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n
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