France's Re-Entry Into NATO Is No "Trojan Horse," Say Experts

By Laura Woodhead - Talk Radio News Service

A panel of foreign affairs experts argued Tuesday that France's re-entry into the Northern Atlantic Treaty Organization's military command is not a "Trojan Horse" plot to undermine the power of NATO. Speaking at the Atlantic Council's discussion "Going from Oui to fait Accompli: France's Normalization with NATO" the panel discussed the key role that France will play in bringing together the European Union and the United States within NATO.

Leo Michel, a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for National Strategic Studies, says the idea that France's re-involvement in NATO will allow them to undermine the organization is ridiculous.

"This is a win, win outcome. It is not cover for some a nefarious French plot to hobble NATO."

"French reintegration is a vote of confidence in the trans-Atlantic community and provides an example to the rest of the Europe of a common effort towards meeting challenges coming at us" explained Jim Townsend, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for European and NATO policy.

However, the panel stressed that France's new role did not mean that the relationship between France and the United States would be "simple and easy."

" There are some in town that think that the clouds are going to open and rainbows are going to appear and all of a sudden divisions after division of French forces are going to flow into the NATO system...that is just not realistic." However, Townsend added, "The addition of French strategic thought back into NATO military command...will be a tremendous plus for the alliance."

Republicans: Our Energy Proposal Creates “Real Jobs”

By Kayleigh Harvey - Talk Radio News Service

“Innovation, conservation and production,” were the key messages coming from the Republican Study Committee and the Western Caucus as Congressional Republicans unveiled their alternative energy proposal today.

Congressman Tom Price (R-Ga.) said, “Republican are wholly committed to finding positive solution to the challenges we face. Like with the stimulus, like with the budget and now in contrast to the Democrats national energy tax we are here to offer our vision.”

The American Energy and Innovation Act, as the proposal will be labeled, will create jobs and reduce debt according to Republicans. The main aims outlined in this bill are to, “encourage innovation” by creating renewable fuel options and environmental jobs. “Promote conservation” by “providing incentives for easing energy demand and creating a cleaner, more sustainable environment” and “increase production” by making use of all available technology and resources.

Congressman Rob Bishop (R-Utah) said there were now “two roads” Americans could chose to tackle energy needs. “The Democrat road is saying it can’t work we are not even going to it, our road is saying we have the ideas now is the time to do it, said Bishop.

Adding that “The Democrats have already given us an option on energy issues that will cost individuals up to $3000...the Republican road we want to go down is one that actually grows our energy supply so that no-one is harmed and in fact we have the chance to reduce the cost of energy.”

Bishop compared the two strategies to the movie ‘Back to the Future’ saying, “Remember those sequels to ‘Back to the Future’ where there were the two worlds? Our world is the one where the McFly family is happy, the Democrat version is the one where Biff runs everything.”

Congressman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) said the bill would be a “common sense act that is going to use our natural resources and our advanced technology to meet our energy needs and most importantly help our economy grow.”

In closing, Congressman John Fleming (R-La.) added, our vision “creates a vision for jobs, more jobs, not the so called paper mache jobs the green jobs, but real jobs created by industry.”

Afghan Journal: Photos from the firing range

Talk Radio News embedded Military Affairs Correspondent Richard Miller accompanies a group of soldiers in the Afghan National Army to the firing range on a training day


The Instructor


Loading AK-47 magazines one round at a time


The face of the NCO

Check out more photos from Richard's trip to Afghanistan on our Flickr Page!

Department of State “indirectly contributed to and has allowed corruption" in Iraq

In the Democratic Policy Committee hearing “Have Bush Administration Reconstruction and Anti-Corruption Failures Undermined the U.S. Mission in Iraq?” Chairman Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) said the U.S. government had contributed to the culture of corruption in Iraq, and that corruption involved both Iraqi and American money. This was the fourteenth in a series of oversight hearings to examine contracting fraud, waste, and abuse in Iraq.

Dorgan described the testimony provided in March to the Senate Appropriations Committee by Judge Radhi al Radhi, who had been the head of the Commission of Public Integrity (CPI), which Dorgan said is an anti-corruption committee established after the U.S. invasion of Iraq. He said Radhi estimated that corruption resulted in the loss of $18 billion in government funds, most of which had been U.S. taxpayer dollars.

Judge Arthur Brennan, former State Department Official who had served in Iraq in 2007 as the Director of the Office of Accountability and Transparency (OAT) at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, said that the OAT team discovered that the Department of State “indirectly contributed to and has allowed corruption to fester at the highest levels of the Iraqi Government.” He also said that “In a sense, the Department of State has contributed to the killing and maiming of U.S. soldiers; the deaths of thousands of Iraqi civilians; the bolstering of illegal militias, insurgents and al-Qaida, and the enrichment and empowerment of the thieves controlling some of the Iraqi ministries.”

Brennan said the State Department never responded to an OAT report on the level of corruption in the 31 Iraqi ministries, and that to his knowledge, the State Department has never seen an audit of any Iraqi agency or ministry. He said “many of the ministries are controlled by criminals and guarded by armed thugs,” creating a dangerous situation for investigators.

James Mattil, who had been Chief of Staff for the Office of Accountability and Transparency, said OAT was under-staffed and had no operating budget, and that “there was no transparency even with the office of transparency.” He said “corruption and its consequences are the fuel that sustains the insurgency, providing the money, the people and the motivation to fight Americans in Iraq.” He respectfully disagreed with Ambassador Crocker’s conclusion that “Iraq’s leaders have the will to tackle the country’s pressing problems.” He said Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki is fighting Iraq’s anti-corruption agencies, not corruption, and provided an example where a new CPI commissioner was appointed who three weeks earlier had been arrested and jailed on corruption charges.

Afghan Journal: Photos from the front

Richard Miller, Talk Radio News Service Military Affairs Correspondent in his combat reporting gear



The End of the Line: And Pakistan Beyond. Outer Defensive Perimeter, COP Skin



Machine Gunner in Advanced Outpost

Check out more pictures from Richard's trip to Afghanistan on our Flickr Page!