Welcome to The View from the Front podcast. My name is Stan and this is the Jan. 11 edition.
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I really hope you get something out of it.
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Questions? Comments? You are welcome to comment below. I read all comments and answer most of them. You can also reach out privately at: authorstanrmitchell@yahoo.com. (You can say “hi,” vent, or send news tips! I love all three of those things!)
If you just happened to stumble by, let me say a quick word about what we’re doing here.
For those who don’t know, my name is Stan R. Mitchell, and I’m a prior Marine and journalist.
Every week, I primarily do three things with my podcast:
Cover emerging hotspots and foreign policy news that you absolutely should know. (Why I focus on foreign policy...)
Work to unite our country and remind us of how lucky we are to live in America. (My thoughts on the division in this country...)
And finally, I always share plenty of motivation and wisdom at the end of each episode.
Take a listen to the podcast. I really hope you get something out of it.
Selected source notes for podcast and transcript above.
I got a HUGE compliment this week!
U.S. news:
Pentagon Officials Host Chinese Counterparts for High-Level Talks
Senior U.S. and Chinese military officials met at the Pentagon this week for discussions focused on U.S.-China defense relations.
The two-day meeting marked the resumption of the U.S.- People's Republic of China Defense Policy Coordination Talks last held in September 2021. This was the first time the dialogue has been held in-person since January 2020.
Michael S. Chase, deputy assistant secretary of defense for China, Taiwan and Mongolia, led the U.S. delegation in hosting Chinese army Maj. Gen. Song Yanchao, deputy director of China's Military Commission Office for International Military Cooperation. The talks are designed, in part, to set the agenda for further exchanges between the U.S. and China for the remainder of the calendar year.
U.S. defense officials said resuming the talks, which were once held annually, was an important step toward reopening lines of communication between the two sides."Dr. Chase highlighted the importance of maintaining open lines of military-to-military communication in order to prevent competition from veering into conflict," the meeting summary stated.
The meeting also provided a forum for the two sides to discuss regional and global security issues.
During the discussion, Chase underscored the importance of maintaining operational safety across the region and "reaffirmed that the United States will continue to fly, sail, and operate safely and responsibly wherever international law allows," according to the meeting summary.
Chase also underscored the United States' commitment to allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region and across the globe.
Self-Defense Strike in Iraq Kills Terrorist Leader
U.S. forces in Iraq today conducted a self-defense strike which killed Mushtaq Jawad Kazim al-Jawari, a leader of the Iran-backed Harakat al-Nujaba terrorist group that is operating both in Iraq and Syria, said the Pentagon press secretary.
Al-Jawari, also known as Abu Taqwa, was actively involved in planning and carrying out attacks against American personnel. Abu Taqwa, along with another member of Harakat al-Nujaba, were both killed in a strike that took place around noon, Jan. 4, in Iraq, said Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder during a briefing today.
"It is important to note that the strike was taken in self-defense, that no civilians were harmed, and that no infrastructure or facilities were struck," Ryder said.
The U.S. currently has a military presence in Iraq as part of Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve. The CJTF-OIR mission is to advise, assist and enable partnered forces in the defeat of ISIS within designated areas of Iraq and Syria. Inside Iraq, the U.S. works in partnership with both the Iraqi Security Forces and the Kurdish Security Forces to carry out that mission.
"U.S. forces are in Iraq at the invitation of the government of Iraq," Ryder said. "They're there for one reason, which is to support the defeat-ISIS mission. We'll continue to work very closely with our Iraqi partners when it comes to the safety and security of our forces. When those forces are threatened, just like we would anywhere else in the world, we will maintain the inherent right of self-defense to protect our forces."
The mission to defeat ISIS in Iraq and Syria has been ongoing for nearly a decade, and Ryder said the successes of CJTF-OIR are worth maintaining.
"It was 10 years ago this coming summer that ISIS was approximately 24 kilometers outside of Baghdad, when we kicked off the counter-ISIS mission after they had subsumed large swaths of Syria and Iraq," Ryder said. "No one wants to see a return of ISIS ... our focus is going to continue to remain on the defeat-ISIS mission. But again, we're not going to hesitate to protect our forces if they're threatened."
Reuters: Iraq prepares to close down US-led coalition's mission
Politico: Iraqi officials privately signal they want US forces to stay
Iraq’s prime minister privately told American officials that he wants to negotiate keeping U.S. forces in the country despite his recent announcement that he would begin the process of removing them from the country.
Senior advisers to Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani told U.S. officials that his declaration was “an attempt to satisfy domestic political audiences” and that Sudani himself “remained committed” to negotiating the coalition’s future presence in Iraq, according to a Jan. 6 State Department cable obtained by POLITICO.
…
Iraq’s willingness to keep U.S. troops in the country is critical for the Biden administration. The U.S. sees its presence in Iraq as important for not only preventing a resurgence of ISIS but also for countering Iranian influence in the region. Any decision by al-Sudani to kick American forces out of the country could also undermine the administration’s effort to prevent the war in Gaza from widening.
While U.S. officials have been told that Iraq is willing to discuss keeping American forces in the country, it is possible that political machinations inside the Iraqi parliament force him to take steps to remove American forces.
Hicks: U.S. Aims to Prevent Conflict in Space, Other Domains Through Deterrence
U.S. Space Command is crucial in helping to develop, innovate, promote and practice supporting the safety, stability, security and sustainability of the space domain, said Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks.
"I want to be clear: Conflict is not inevitable in space or anywhere else. And the United States of America is committed to preventing conflict through deterrence by making clear to our competitors that the costs of aggression would far outweigh any conceivable benefits," Hicks said.
Hicks pointed out how the Defense Department has launched an ever-growing constellation of smaller, more resilient, lower-cost satellites than were ever previously deployed.
"America's dynamic commercial space industry enables it and also enables the United States to significantly outpace growth in space launches and payloads over the last five years," she said.
From 2019 to 2023, China doubled its number of annual space launches and more than tripled how many payloads it put into orbit. That's real growth, she said.
But over that same time, American space launches per year more than quadrupled, while U.S. payloads launched increased by nearly 13 times, she said.
In 2023, China launched 240 payloads to orbit while the U.S. lofted over 2,500 payloads, she said.
"As DOD invests more in space, the whole of America's lead will only grow," she said.
Sexual Assault Now Tried Outside Military Chain of Command
Beginning today, the decision to prosecute sexual assault and several other serious crimes has moved from an accused service member's chain of command to new Offices of Special Trial Counsel, which have general or flag officer leaders who report directly to the secretaries of the military departments.
This military justice reform is an important step in restoring faith that the system is fair, just and equitable, said senior Defense Department and military officials, who emphasized that the offices will be staffed by specially trained, independent military attorneys uniquely qualified to address complex cases. The OSTCs will handle cases professionally, applying the best practices and procedures of civilian prosecution offices, a senior DOD official said.
The covered offenses that fall under the authority of the new OSTCs include: murder, manslaughter, kidnapping, domestic violence, stalking, child pornography and most sexual assault and sexual misconduct.
Sexual harassment will become a covered offense on Jan. 1, 2025, for crimes committed after that date where a formal complaint is made and substantiated.
Ukraine news:
Gift link: Ukraine marines recount deadly mission to free towns east of Dnieper River
Motivation and inspiration:
And here’s some more motivation for your soul.
If you have someone like this, try to spend some more time with them in the next couple of weeks. Because people like that don’t come along very often.
I always like to share a few from the Bible, because that book has become such a source of strength and wisdom and calm for me during the past year.
Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
And, I always like to end with this one:
And with that, thanks for joining us this week on The View from the Front.
If you can, consider at some point becoming a paid subscriber.
That’s it for this edition.
As a reminder, please be kind and try your best to love your fellow Americans.
So many men and women have sacrificed, fought, and died to keep this country together the past 240-plus years. Please work daily to unite our country again. The vast majority of Americans are decent, loving, great people.
Also, please try to be a better person each and every day. Try to be kinder on social media and how you interact with others with whom you disagree.
Please join me again in our next episode, and please stay safe until then.
Don’t forget: You can comment anytime — I try to monitor those. You can also reach out privately at: authorstanrmitchell@yahoo.com. (You can say “hi,” vent, or send news tips! I love all three of those things!)
Love and peace,
Stan R. Mitchell
P.S. Don’t forget to check out my books. I’ve written a CIA/Marine sniper series, a detective series, a private investigator series, an action-packed Western, a motivational self-help book about President Obama, and two realistic war novels: one about World War II and one about Afghanistan. You can find all of these books on Amazon.
Want to know more about me? Click here: About me. You can also learn more about my journey here: Writers are crazy, and I’m crazier than most.
Podcast Episode 1-11-24. (Includes video.)