On Thursday Russia stated that they would like to discuss a nuclear disarmament treaty with the United States, something that Obama has been trying to accomplish since his term began. The new treaty would be aimed at replacing or extending the current treaty between the US and Russia which is set to expire within the next month. The treaty that is set to expire is the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty or START. Russia stated, “we hope the constructive proposal that US National Security Adviser James Jones made in Moscow last week will let us bring our positions together and arrive at a balanced document.” From these comments we can gather that Russia is optimistically seeking to renew the treaty with new clauses and purposes.

The benefits of such a treaty with Russia are too many to count. Chief among these benefits is an agreement which will help to discourage any repeat of the Cold War. At the very least, the START treaty has been an integral deterrent for nuclear war or an arms race between the US and Russia. Arms races are expensive and scary so the avoidance of these is paramount.

Formerly the US and Russia tried to renew the START treaty with amendments while President Bush was still in command. However there was never any headway made because of the US plan for a missile shield which Russia opposed. However since the US has agreed to forgo the shield, Russia has become much more cooperative.

On Wednesday troops in Pakistan were fighting with taliban members in an effort to move further into Taliban territory. Reports indicate that the army took the town of Sararogha and in the process killed 30 militants who were believed to be associated with or part of the Taliban. The Pakistan troops are seeking to destroy Tehreek-e-Taliban in South Waziristan. South Waziristan is one of the most dangerous places in the Middle East because of the high population of members of Al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

You may have heard of Sararogha in the past, as it was the location where one Taliban warlord was killed by a US drone. It is times like that that I am so happy we spend so much money developing advanced robotics for war.

Troops from Pakistan started their air and ground attacks on October 17^th. All told there are 30,000 troops combined with air support. The death toll so far is as follows: 45 troops died while 390 militants and Taliban members have been killed.

While the information about the events of Wednesday has not yet been confirmed, it is believed to be reliable as it came strait from the army. It is pleasing to me to see how successful Pakistan is with their attempts to alleviate militants from the region. I wish them the best of luck and continued prosperity.

North Korea has admitted that their plutonium efforts are to develop weapons grade plutonium for atomic weapons. Their comments have come just in time to pressure the United States into one on one talks about the nuclear program. For months now North Korea has insisted that the US speak to North Korea about their nuclear program without any other countries present.

The Korean news reported, “Noticeable successes have been made in turning the extracted plutonium into weapon-grade for the purpose of bolstering up the nuclear deterrent.”

The most recent atomic test was conducted in May by North Korea. Experts have reason to believe that another test could be coming up. Historically North Korea has tested their weapons at strategic times to try to communicate messages of strength and power to the United States.

So I have a question – should we be scared that North Korea is developing atomic weapons? What does it say about our government that we have yet to resolve this issue? How probable is it that North Korea will try to use their weapons against the United States or one of our allies?

The longer that we wait to resolve this issue, the more dangerous that North Korea will become. Each day that we wait is another day for North Korea to advance their program and become more powerful, dangerous, and threatening to the rest of the world.

I talk a lot about China and the threat that they pose to the United States. I am very much interested in economics so I realize that China is an integral component of the US economy. I have never wanted to suggest that we should stop doing business with China. Rather my caution has always been about advancements from China. Each year they seem to develop more and more advanced systems which will allow them to move up on the international military ladder. Normally this scares me but I thought I would look at it from a different perspective today.

One good thing that comes out of healthy competition between two militaries for development is the development of new innovative products. NASA has been an integral component in the development of our economy because it forged the path for satellites and communications systems in outer space. Not to mention all of the household developments which have come from NASA.

NASA innovations include:

• memory foam
• Speedo’s LZR Racer swimsuits
• Space blankets
• Freeze dried food
• Cell phones (developed the mechanisms to allow for cell phones)
• many others in virtually every field

The point of the above list is to try to take a positive approach to the healthy competition which will ensue between the US, China, and other global powers. Competition is what the American economy is built on. When you have competition, some great innovations are produced and the people’s quality of life is often improved.

There you have it – a positive spin on the ensuing military and space competition from China.

Will China and the United States square off to determine who will own outer space? It’s not likely any time too soon but the reality remains that with any potential for military and commercial gain, someone will try to own and profit from the land or in this case the space. I was startled when I head the comments from the Air Force commander of China who stated that space militarization is inevitable. Additionally the US General Chilton echoed these comments as if to agree. If this will be the case, what steps does the US need to take in order to ensure that we have control or a share of control in what happens in outer space? I must admit that as I was writing that sentence I felt like I was talking about a movie. Are we really stepping into Star Wars here? After all, we are talking about militarizing space and a potential race which could ensue to control space and space weaponry.

Does this make anyone else a little scared?

China and other nations are becoming an increasing threat to the United States Military. Each year China advances their navy as well as they cyber programs and space programs. Our two greatest concerns are likely cyber espionage / attacks as well as space development from China. All I can say is that the US needs to take measures fast so that China does not eclipse us in capabilities and therefore power.

China would appear to be the number one US competitor in every field, including space advancement. According to US General Kevin Chilton, within the past ten years China has made incredible improvements to their space program. More importantly is the concern among US military leaders about what China could do with their new space technology. General Chilton commented on the program stating, “With regard to China’s capabilities, I think anyone who’s familiar with this business — and particularly our history in this business over the years — would have to be absolutely amazed at the advancement that China has made in such a short period of time, whether that be in their unmanned program or the manned program.” Additionally the General stated that it is necessary to continue building our relationship with China so that they will disclose the purpose of their advanced space program and the reasons behind all of the recent funding they have dumped into the program.

The air force leader of China, Xu Qilang stated that it is “historical inevitability” for space to end up a military field. After hearing this the US General Chilton stated that space has become a testing grounds for military strength and that it is a competitive environment. Additionally more countries are now pursuing space programs which allow them to utilize advanced weapons from space and control land weapons via space.

If you have never stopped to consider the implications associated with cyber threats, I beg of you, do so now. We are living in a world where entire companies and government organizations can be crippled by cyber attacks. It is in this increasingly threatening atmosphere that we must develop ours defenses so that our governmental and commercial websites and entities are not damaged by cyber attacks.

The history of these attacks is rather broad. Since governmental bodies began using computing systems and especially with the development of the internet, it has become more threatening than ever to work on governmental servers and websites. Traditionally the problem is as follows: a hacker will break into the website and system of a various institution. This can be either a business or a government entity. After this the hacker will disable the site with malicious software. In the past most US businesses and all governmental entities which have been on the receiving end of cyber attacks have responded rather quickly. The goal is always to get the site and server back online and repaired as quickly as possible. However I don’t want there to be a vast attack which brings down any governmental site for a long period of time. That is why I am advocating that the US dedicate more resources to the prevention of cyber attacks.

If I had to point the finger at one country for practicing cyber attacks it would be China. The country has been repeatedly accused of utilizing our own satellites to gather delicate information. If this trend continues things could get very dangerous.

South Korea has been on the receiving end of malicious cyber attacks lately. On Monday the South Korean police announced that South Korea would be seeking assistance from China in order to pinpoint the source for the numerous cyber attacks that South Korea has been facing lately. In July the United States and South Korea were both hit with a barrage of cyber attacks on business sites and government sites and servers. The South Korean police force is hoping that the Chinese investigation will provide some answers.

I was somewhat perplexed when I first learned that South Korea will be seeking help from China in this matter. I was perplexed because China is the number one source for cyber attacks on the United States and it has been suggested that they attack other security systems in other countries. Granted, it is not the Chinese government that makes these attacks. Rather it is hacker groups which reside in China. However the fact remains that the Chinese government does nothing to cut down or hinder these Chinese hackers from attacking American networks and government entities. It has been theorized that the Chinese government may support these hacker networks, although this has never been substantiated with evidence.

Either way, I am not sure that I would pay money to have China pinpoint my cyber attacks. There is simply too much risk in that equation for my liking.

Can China be trusted in this endeavor? Is it simply rumors which suggest China’s malfeasance or do you believe them to be truthful?

I have noticed a trend in my excursions abroad . . . I have found that people have strong feeling towards the US and the US military. Many times people either love or hate the US and often its a lot of both. People from other countries naturally envy the US and our military / culture / economic prosperity because we are the most successful and blessed country. This may be changing in the years ahead but for now, we are numero uno. This also causes a great deal of hate abroad. Countries who have fallen from power or who have never experienced power are doomed to harbor resentment for the United States and all that we stand for.

Why is this important?

This is so important because it impacts every aspect of our lives. It controls our relations with other countries. Since so many countries like North Korea are undoubtably bitter at our success and affluence they will try to work against us and pump us for as much as possible. Additionally these countries will try to advance themselves from a military standpoint so that they can eclipse the US. The reality is that every nation wants to be the premier economic and military power like the US. We NEED TO REALIZE THIS so that we are under no illusions. Alliances are so beneficial but we have to remember that even our allies will likely sell us out to advance themselves if the rewards are thought to be greater than the repercussions.

For those of you who have traveled abroad, did you experience the same love / hate relationship people seem to have with the US? Believe me if you see it in the people you will see it in the politics as well.

Why does North Korea want so badly to discuss its nuclear issues with the US alone? They want to separate us from our allies so that they can negotiate the best possible terms for their nuclear program. I have a hunch that they believe that they can get the US to provide huge sums of money in exchange for ending of the North Korean nuclear program. The truth is that they are probably right in this assertion. We will pay North Korea plenty of money because the alternative is much more costly. If North Korea attacks the US or our allies a costly war will ensue or worse we will be forced to use our nuclear weapons. Both of these avenues will cost substantially more than simply buying off North Korea.

Do you believe that it is the best move to buy off North Korea? What possible negatives are there to this scenario?

To answer my own question in part . . . North Korea will default on any terms we give them. We are ASKING FOR A REPEAT of past events and failed diplomacy if we buy off North Korea. They will accept our terms then try to secretly continue their nuclear program or connive the US in some other way.

BOTTOM LINE – I don’t trust North Korea and I am weary of making any kind of agreements with the nation.