*** Swami Vivekananda’s Vision Of Universal Religion And The West

http://swarajyamag.com/culture/swami-vivekanandas-vision-of-universal-religion-and-the-west

Ram Madhav - Jan 12, 2017, 

Even after over a century since his demise, Vivekananda is still considered as the most powerful youth icon and an inspiration to the country.

In his day, he propagated the idea of a ‘universal religion’ and equated it with Vedanta.

He was also a channel -- one of the best, even -- for Indians to learn about and understand the real India.

The very name of Swami Vivekananda sends through us a stirring current of strength. “I am one of the proudest men ever born” he proclaimed while speaking about his Hindu roots, “but let me tell you frankly, it is not for myself, but on account of my ancestry.”

Only the sinners live long, goes an adage. It shouldn’t be taken to mean that all those who live long are sinners. But the reverse of it is also equally true. Lives of many great men are shorter. Adi Shankara, for instance, lived for only three decades. Shivaji died at the age of 51. Similarly, Vivekananda’s life was short. Born in 1863, he died at a very young age of 39, in 1902. But the amount of good work that he did in such a short period can be gauged from the fact that even after over a century since his demise, he is still considered as the most powerful youth icon and an inspiration to the country.

Among his contemporaries was Mahatma Gandhi, though they never met. On a visit to the Ramakrishna Mutt at Belur, which was founded by Vivekananda, Gandhi claimed that his patriotism grew a thousand-fold after reading Vivekananda.

I have gone through his works very thoroughly, and after having gone through them, the love that I had for my country became a thousand-fold.Mahatma Gandhi

Romain Rolland, renowned French philosopher and Nobel prize winner, had authored a biography of Vivekananda. He had boundless admiration for Swamiji.

*** 2017 Preview: Cyber power presents new prospects and perils

by Azhar Unwala

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Cyber power presents new risks to global politics, security, and commerce. Analyzing the emerging cyber-threat environment is crucial to contain those risks in 2017.

In 2017, cyberspace will penetrate the globe at a greater scale and scope. Nearly half of the world’s population will possess Internet access by 2017. Global information technology (IT) spending is projected to reach $3.5 trillion, up nearly 3 percent from 2016. Governments and private enterprises will continue to migrate their services to the cloud to improve data-sharing and generate greater operational efficiencies. The 2017 global public cloud market alone is estimated to grow by almost 22 percent, topping $146 billion. More and more objects across various industries will also become network-enabled and interconnected, making their functions intelligent and automatic. The number of these Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices is forecasted to reach 20.35 billion in 2017 — up 30 percent since 2015.

These cyber developments will enable and correspond with developing cyber threats. Cyber power was ubiquitous in 2016; it included an $81 million electronic heist from a Bangladeshi bank, an unauthorized breach of the U.S. National Security Agency network, Russian cyber operations against U.S. Democratic Party members and institutions, and the exposure of 500 million private Yahoo! accounts. The prevalence and magnitude of 2016’s cyber operations suggest that cyber power will present more advanced and frequent risks to global security, politics, industry, and infrastructure in 2017.

** India’s Manufacturing Powerhouse: Threat To China?

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BY S. MAJUMDER

In a surprise revelation, a Chinese daily rang alarm for China’s manufacturing powerhouse to rally behind India. It warned of China losing its competitive edge in manufacturing and and which could dent job opportunities in China. Foreign investors were already on the spree to dislocate their manufacturing activities to low cost countries.

The target countries are India and Vietnam. In addition, US President-elect Donald Trump’s pledge to bring back jobs in USA will be double whammy for Chinese manufacturing activities, the Chinese daily warned.

The recent decision of Apple for considering to set up manufacturing facilities in India after failing to retail due to tough domestic procurement rules and the exodus of Apple production chain, Foxconn, perked up concerns for loss of ten of thousand jobs in China. Foxconn is the contract manufacturer for Apple and is the world’s largest contract manufacturing company in electronic industry. Foxcon has decided to invest US $ 5 billion in India.

If Apple expands in India, it may lure other tech giants in India and China is likely to face more transfer of supply chains in India, the Chinese daily apprehended.

** The Reborn Armada Of Cheng Ho

RAJA MENON

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In 17th-century India, ships were built sans drawings, limiting their size to what carpenters memorised

In the year 1500, China accounted for 30 per cent of the world’s GDP while India ran a close second with 25 per cent. Three centuries later, these figures had chan­ged dramatically, with a small group of nor­th­west European countries contributing the greater part of the world’s GDP while retaining only a small percentage of its population. The story of how the European nations conquered the world is deeply rooted in industr­ial strength exerting its influence upon the sea power of these nations. In fact, the subjugation of a vast country like India by a small European nation and its commercial represe­ntative—the East India Company—is a classic example of the change in global power equations. Economists refer to the period around 1500 as the Great Divergence, when per cap­ita income began to grow astronomically in the European countries while it remained static in India and China. In the case of India, there is little doubt that the question of who was entitled to hold knowledge, rat­her than what the level of knowledge was, led to the beginning of the Great Divergence and a change in prosperity. The fact that non-Brahmins were kept in ignorance prevented India from progressing in many fields.

** 2017 Preview: Oman threatened as risks multiply

by Jeremy Luedi

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Since the Arab Spring and subsequent regional unrest, Oman has been increasingly touted as an island of stability. Despite being next door to the civil war in Yemen, Oman has sought to remain neutral, in line with its larger efforts to balance between neighbour Saudi Arabia and long-term partner Iran. While Oman has so far managed to weather the storm of violence and instability gripping much of the Middle East, 2017 will present a range of challenges that threaten to undermine the country.

Security situation increasingly complex

2017 began with a major move from Oman, with Muscat agreeing to join the Saudi-led coalition against terrorism. This is a major departure from Oman’s largely non-interventionist stance, as well as an interesting shift in regional power dynamics. Given Oman’s longstanding relationship with Iran, the fact that it is joining a Saudi-led effort is key, and a development to watch closely. It remains to be seen if this an indication of a more long-term geopolitical realignment, or rather a marriage of convenience given the instability on Oman’s doorstep.

* Trump, the Presidency and Policymaking

By George Friedman 

What makes a president great isn’t what you think. 

There are four classes of people in Washington. There are those who research policy papers. There are those who write policy papers. There are those who present policy papers. There are those who throw away policy papers. Political power is in the hands of the latter. For those climbing the hierarchy of the policy-production industry – the think tanks, universities and government departments – writing policy papers is a serious attempt to create deep and comprehensive guidance for leaders. The issue is the relationship between policymaking and the presidency. On the surface, they are the same. In my view, they are at most indirectly connected.

One of the accusations against President-elect Donald Trump is that he is inconsistent or disengaged from the complexities of policymaking. That is probably true. However, it gives me an opportunity to consider the relationship between policymaking and the American presidency and, by extension, other political systems. I would argue that the idea that policy optimization is at the core of the presidency is incorrect. The president is not the U.S.’ chief administrative officer. He is a leader and manager of the political process. His job is to be a symbol around which a democratic society draws the battle lines of who we are. He must express his vision as something aesthetic, not prosaic. The president cannot spare time from his real job to craft policies. Successful presidents know that and hide it. Trump doesn’t try to hide it. 

* US Army Looking to 3D-Print Minidrones in 24 Hours

BY PATRICK TUCKER

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Future soldiers will make their own eyes-in-the-sky on the go. 

Imagine a squad of Army Rangers prepping to capture a high-value subject barricaded inside a three-story building. The Rangers decide send in a small camera drone to check for IEDs — but there’s a problem: the enemy has begun putting its booby-traps on the ceiling, where the downward-facing drones can’t see them. If only those little gizmos had cameras on the top…? 

India, Vietnam in Talks Over Surface-to-Air Missile System

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By Ankit Panda

In another manifestation of a closer defense relationship, India and Vietnam have entered talks over a SAM platform.

The Indian government has entered talks with the government of Vietnam over the potential sale of India’s indigenously developed Akash mobile surface-to-air missile system. The talks represent another manifestation of growing defense ties between India and Vietnam.

The Akash was developed by India’s Defense Research and Development Organization and is a medium-range supersonic surface-to-air system, capable of striking aircraft within a range of 30 kilometers. The Akash delivers a 60 kilogram high-explosive warhead and can travel at speeds of up to March 2.5.

“Talks are in progress to arrive at a common plan. It’s relatively easier on the Akash front since the missile system is 96 percent indigenous,” a source told the Times of India.

The two countries have seen their convergence accelerated in recent years given their mutual concerns over a rising China. India has provided training to the Vietnamese navy’s submariners on operating the country’s six Russian Kilo-class submarines. Vietnam is also receiving Indian assistance in the modernization of its Petya-class frigates (specifically for anti-submarine warfare).

James Mattis: Toughness and Restraint at the Pentagon - New York Times editorial

James Mattis retired from the Marine Corps in 2013 as a four-star general with a folk-hero reputation, moved west and never imagined serving in government again, he said. But his testimony on Thursday before the Senate Armed Services Committee suggests the most consequential chapter of his career lies ahead.

As President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to head the Defense Department, General Mattis has the potential to act as a restraint in an administration led by an impulsive and uninformed leader. General Mattis’s performance at the hearing, in which he answered questions directly and thoughtfully, felt like a brief reprieve from a chaotic presidential transition.

It was encouraging that he had no qualms in stating views at odds with positions Mr. Trump campaigned on, including America’s relationship with Russia and the future of the Iran nuclear deal. It’s to Mr. Trump’s credit that he would appoint a strong-minded defense secretary who is likely to challenge assumptions held in the White House…

Read on.

CHINA LEVERAGES BASE IN DJIBOUTI FOR EXTENDING ITS REACH IN AFRICA

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by RC Porter

A multibillion-dollar China-built rail line linking the Horn of Africa with the continent’s vast interior was officially launched on Tuesday, an important ­milestone for China’s burgeoning influence in the region.

The 750km line connects port city Djibouti and Addis Ababa, the capital of landlocked Ethiopia, the fastest-growing economy in­ Africa. The railway is expected to reduce the travel time between the two cities, from three days by road to just 12 hours by train.

It is also widely seen as the start of a trans-African railway project, in which a 2,000km track will connect Djibouti, a gateway to the Suez Canal and one of the world’s busiest shipping routes, with the Atlantic Ocean.

The high-speed electric line is expected to one day be part of a railway connection stretching across the continent. Photo: Felix Wong

How China Wins the South China Sea War (Without Firing a Shot)

Bill Gertz

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China is engaged in a broad-ranging information warfare campaign as part of a covert effort to take control of the South China Sea — in the words of ancient strategist Sun Tzu, without firing a shot.

The Chinese cyber attacks have been carried out extensively on regional states along with political influence operations designed to falsely convince the international community that the waters of the sea are and have been China’s sovereign maritime territory.

James Clapper, the US director of national intelligence, told a Senate hearing last week that aggressive Chinese cyber attacks were continuing. ” China continues to succeed in conducting cyber espionage against the US government, our allies, and US companies,” he said.

In the South China Sea, the covert effort remained at low levels over the past 10 years as China built up more than 3,000 acres of new islands and in recent months began militarizing the islands in the takeover campaign.

Iran, Mattis, and the Real Threat to U.S. Strategic Interests in the Middle East

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Iran, Mattis, and the Real Threat to U.S. Strategic Interests in the Middle East by Anthony H. Cordesman, Center for Strategic & International Studies

The events in Iran and the Gulf during the last week have been a grim reminder that Iran remains the major threat to U.S. strategic interests in the Gulf and the Middle East, and that General James Mattis has been all too correct in singling out Iran as such a threat. Islamist extremism and terrorism are very real threats—but they are limited in scope and lethality.

In contrast, Iran has the ability to trigger a major war in the region, and to threaten the world's main source of oil and gas exports—the 17 million barrels of oil a day that flow through the Strait of Hormuz. Any such Iranian action threatens the stability of the entire global economy, the global (and U.S. domestic) price of oil and of transportation fuels, and the import and export capabilities of America's key trading partners in Asia—more than a third of U.S. manufactured imports.

There is nothing theoretical about this threat. On January 8, four Iranian Revolutionary Guards fast patrol boats came within 900 yards of the U.S.S. Mahan, a guided missile destroyer that was providing an escort to an amphibious warship with 1,000 Marines on board, and a Navy oiler making passage through international waters in the Gulf. They were heading directly towards U.S. vessels, and the U.S.S. Mahan had to fire warning shots to keep them at safe distance. Moreover, this is only the latest incident in a sustained pattern of harassment and provocation in the Gulf. The New York Times reports that there were 35 close encounters between American and Iranian vessels in 2016, most of which occurred during the first half of the year, and 23 encounters in 2015.

Blaming Russia Will Only Hold America Back

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Nicolai N. Petro

While pundits debate whether or not we are really in a new Cold War, most fail to see that we are already in the middle of a new Red Scare—the third in the past century.

The term “Red Scare” conjures up images of the illegal “Palmer Raids” of 1919–20, and the infamous House Un-American Activities Committee. The first Red Scare was mostly about closing America’s borders to anarchists, Bolsheviks and other undesirables, while the second was mostly about blocking out the siren song of Soviet communism, which seemed to exert a strange appeal for many academics, filmmakers, writers and even some government officials.

At the time, a common litmus test used to identify such covert agents of influence was their questioning of the existential nature of communism’s threat to America. Such questioning, it was argued, undermined national unity and played directly into the hands of the Soviets. It therefore became a matter of national security to uncover and eradicate such disloyalty.

5 things we can learn from the Russian hacking scandal

By Brandon Valeriano

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On Friday, we learned that we are witnessing new versions of what U.S. statesman George Kennan, in a then-classified 1948 memo, called political warfare: coercion short of war, involving a mix of overt propaganda and covert psychological warfare efforts. 

That’s what we can take away from the U.S. intelligence service’s release of an unclassified report, “Assessing Russian Activities and Intentions in Recent U.S. Elections.” In it, the CIA, the FBI and the National Security Agency (NSA), collectively referring to themselves as the “intelligence community,” concluded that Kremlin operatives used cyber methods to achieve a clear objective: “to undermine public faith in the US democratic process, denigrate Secretary [Hillary] Clinton, and harm her electability and potential presidency.” The Washington Post and other news outlets have already covered details of the report, including the 11 key lines. 

Here’s what we learned: “Political warfare” in cyberspace has come of age. Great powers have begun to attack their enemies’ credibility through cyber operations and propaganda spread in comment fields, social media and cable news broadcasts. 

Barack Obama's farewell speech in full

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It’s good to be home. My fellow Americans, Michelle and I have been so touched by all the well-wishes we’ve received over the past few weeks. But tonight it’s my turn to say thanks. Whether we’ve seen eye-to-eye or rarely agreed at all, my conversations with you, the American people – in living rooms and schools; at farms and on factory floors; at diners and on distant outposts – are what have kept me honest, kept me inspired, and kept me going. Every day, I learned from you. You made me a better President, and you made me a better man.

I first came to Chicago when I was in my early twenties, still trying to figure out who I was; still searching for a purpose to my life. It was in neighborhoods not far from here where I began working with church groups in the shadows of closed steel mills. It was on these streets where I witnessed the power of faith, and the quiet dignity of working people in the face of struggle and loss. This is where I learned that change only happens when ordinary people get involved, get engaged, and come together to demand it. 

After eight years as your President, I still believe that. And it’s not just my belief. It’s the beating heart of our American idea – our bold experiment in self-government. 

Nuclear doctrinal revision in its effects on the India-China dyad

By Ali Ahmed 

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In the latest brouhaha over the nuclear doctrine revision, Manoj Joshi offered the sage advice that Pakistan should not be the only referent in considering evolution of India’s nuclear doctrine. The discussion in the strategic circles sparked off by the defence minister recently voicing his personal opinion on nuclear doctrine, was rather Pakistan centric. Joshi rightly required that any changes in India’s nuclear doctrine would require reckoning with the effects in respect of China.

This article attempts to discern possible effects on the India-China nuclear dyad of the thrust areas of change in India’s nuclear doctrine. Since some of the impulse towards change is from a consideration of India-Pakistan nuclear dyad, if such change has no negative implications for the India-China dyad, then the proposed thrust line of change acquires greater credibility, if not plausibility.

Currently, India’s nuclear doctrine is fairly well adapted for the India-China nuclear dyad. By all accounts, China is the primary referent of India’s nuclear doctrine and the continuing suitability of the nuclear doctrine for the China front makes for little incentive for change. Both India and China subscribe to No First Use (NFU). Though to some, Chinese NFU is territorially caveated, India’s also is with a caveat that it would not hold in case of use of the other two types of weapons of mass destruction.

How to Battle Terrorism in 2017

Georgi Asatryan

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It's time to take stock of 2016. The past year can be termed as one of war against international terrorism. Unfortunately, we have to recognize that it has not brought victory over this phenomenon. Furthermore, I would even frankly recognize that the terrorists have triumphed. 2016 has changed the nature of international terrorism. “The plague of the XXI century” has become absolutely decentralized, diffused and multilayered. Let’s focus attention on the following factors during the analysis of international terrorism.

First of all, looking at the conditional map of terrorist activity, two sub-regions can be identified: Iraq-Syria and Afghanistan-Pakistan. The most significant activity and density of terrorism has been focused here throughout the year. It became obvious that availability of "safe haven", where acts of terrorism could be prepared, assists radical activity. The greatest activity occurred in Iraq. The largest number of attacks occurred in this long-suffering country--almost half of the committed for the full year. The density and the concentration of population have led to the large-scale casualties. Sometimes a single terrorist attack in Baghdad has led to the deaths of hundreds of people.

Trump’s Nuclear Twitter Menacing Ahead Of UN Talks In March – Analysis

By Ramesh Jaura

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Ahead of the inauguration of Donald Trump as 45th President of the United States on January 20, analysts are far from certain whether he would take to policies that reduce nuclear dangers or resort to actions resulting in a suicidal arms race.

The guessing game is taking place against the backdrop of the United Nations General Assembly having confirmed that beginning March 2017, it would hold a conference open to all member states, to negotiate a “legally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons, leading towards their total elimination”. The conference to be held at UN headquarters in New York will be divided into two sessions: from March 27 to 31 and from June 15 to July 7.

Adding to the uncertainty surrounding the prospects of a nuclear-weapons free world is the fact that the new UN Secretary-General António Guterres is not known to ever have directly challenged the nuclear weapons policies of the P5 (five permanent members of the Security Council: USA, Russia, China, UK and France) during his term as Prime Minister of Portugal (1995-2002).

Fight In Cyberspace: The State Strikes Back – Analysis

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By Eugene E G Tan

Ensuring that the state is secure from cyber threats is increasingly becoming the priority of states all over the world, sometimes clashing with concerns over privacy. There are four notable ways that states have increased their presence in cyberspace in 2016, and this presence is forecast to become more prominent in 2017.

In 2016, there are four main ways that states have tried to use cyberspace to either raise the level of security in cyberspace, or affect the security stance of other states. First, to misquote Clausewitz, states are increasingly using cyber as an extension of policy by other means. Russia was accused by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and Department of Homeland Security in October 2016 for interfering with the US presidential elections.

The agencies charged that the Russians hacked into the computers of the Democratic National Congress (DNC), and then leaked the emails to WikiLeaks to discredit the Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton, whom they thought would be less favourable to Russian interests. This episode provides an interesting twist to what is considered to be the critical information infrastructure (CII) in any given state.

US Navy Pushes Ahead With Plan to Build 12 New Nuclear Ballistic Missile Subs

By Franz-Stefan Gady

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The U.S. Navy officially approved the start of detailed design and engineering work on its new class of SSBNs. 

The Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) program, formerly known as the Ohio-class Replacement Program, is officially entering the next stage in the long and drawn out Department of Defense acquisition process by passing a so-called Milestone B review on January 4, USNI News reports.

That means U.S. shipbuilder General Dynamics Electric Boat can now commence detailed design and engineering work on what is slated to become the U.S. Navy’s priciest and at the same time deadliest ballistic missile submarine class in its history. The Milestone B review was originally scheduled for August 2016, but had to be pushed back due to price, design, and production readiness concerns by the Pentagon.

According to USNI News, Frank Kendall, the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics (AT&L), signed an acquisition decision memorandum (ADM), outlining total cost and the production schedule of the program, “and approved the program for Milestone B, as well as designated it a major defense acquisition program,” earlier in the week. In December, U.S. lawmakers also appropriated funds for the next stage of the Columbia-class program in the 2017 defense budget.

CLASH OF CLANS: THE AIR FORCE CAN NEVER DELIVER ENOUGH CLOSE AIR SUPPORT FOR THE ARMY

MIKE PIETRUCHA

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In spite of the fact that close air support has shown that it is often one of the truly pivotal uses of air power in modern warfare, even now no other single issue seems more quickly to lead to outspoken disagreement between professionals charged with coordinating the air-land battle. Through the years, the nature of the prime questions has been both philosophical and practical: whether or not air forces have a duty to provide battlefield aid to land forces at the point of engagement, or whether air action might be more cost-effective through interdiction elsewhere, or in long-range strategic operations against the political, economic, and societal underpinnings of an enemy war effort. –Case Studies in the Development of Close Air Support, AFHSO, 1990

The Air Force gets a bad rap on close air support (CAS). There is no shortage of articles, blog entries, and transcripts stating as a fact that the Air Force has “no interest in CAS.” The argument over the A-10 became forever mired in the discussions over CAS, as if it is the only aircraft that accomplishes the mission and as if CAS is the only mission that matters. Lost in the turmoil are the facts: The Air Force has consistently dedicated more sorties to CAS than to any other mission over the last 20 years. The service’s dedication to CAS has resulted in upgrades to training, aircraft, sensors, communications, and weapons far in excess of similar upgrades for any other mission. Fighter / attack aircrew have more experience in this mission type than in any other. That’s an awful lot of effort put on a mission that the Air Force allegedly doesn’t care about. So, if the Air Force has no interest in CAS, why is it flying so damned much of it? The answer is obvious. The Air Force cares a great deal about CAS.

U.S. Strategy Board – An Idea Whose Time Has Come?

Mark Safranski

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The National Security Council (NSC) staff was once called the Keepers of the Keys, managers of the coordinating process that is central to an administration’s ability to plan and conduct a successful grand strategy.[1] The NSC has had an evolving role, as has its staff.[2] The NSC evolves to the strategic context that any administration faces, and it must also reflect the information processing and decision-making style of the president. The inbound Trump administration will soon face the challenge of integrating America’s diplomatic, military, and economic tools and applying them globally and coherently.

Many have offered advice on how to properly focus NSC staff as well as the “right size” of the group. NSC structures and processes are designed to fulfill the needs of the president and should support his policy and decision-making requirements. These may vary from president to president to fit information processing and decision-making styles as well as the character of an administration’s foreign policy. Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn, the president-elect’s National Security Advisor, will manage the evolution of the NSC team to best support Mr. Trump and establish processes and coordinating mechanisms to tee up presidential decisions and implement the foreign policy initiatives of our 45th President.

'Fake news' morphs into information warfare

BY GEORGE LEOPOLD

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The "weaponization" of information exploded during the recent U.S. presidential campaign, prompting U.S. intelligence agencies to conclude that Russian meddled in the American presidential election. While one analyst insists that "fake news" is "old news" as its relates to sophisticated nation states and cyber adversaries, he also warns the impact of malware delivered via a single click on a fake news story or "spear phishing" campaigns could eventually knock out critical infrastructure and undermine security.

What's more, argues James Scott, a senior fellow at Center for Critical Infrastructure Technology, cyber-terrorists also are "beginning to leverage news and fake news lures."

The Washington-based cyber security think tank notes in a blog post this week that advanced persistent threat (APT) groups with access to significant resources and capable of launching sustained dedicated attacks are increasingly turning to news as "the most common social engineering lure."

In one recent example cited by the cyber center, a group called APT 30 used a spear phishing email with subject headers related to the disappearance of Malaysian Airlines fight 370 and the shoot down of MH 17 to lure victims. The emails included stories and video containing malicious code.

Isaac Asimov Asks, “How Do People Get New Ideas?”

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In 1959, I worked as a scientist at Allied Research Associates in Boston. The company was an MIT spinoff that originally focused on the effects of nuclear weapons on aircraft structures. The company received a contract with the acronym GLIPAR (Guide Line Identification Program for Antimissile Research) from the Advanced Research Projects Agency to elicit the most creative approaches possible for a ballistic missile defense system. The government recognized that no matter how much was spent on improving and expanding current technology, it would remain inadequate. They wanted us and a few other contractors to think “out of the box.”

When I first became involved in the project, I suggested that Isaac Asimov, who was a good friend of mine, would be an appropriate person to participate. He expressed his willingness and came to a few meetings. He eventually decided not to continue, because he did not want to have access to any secret classified information; it would limit his freedom of expression. Before he left, however, he wrote this essay on creativity as his single formal input. This essay was never published or used beyond our small group. When I recently rediscovered it while cleaning out some old files, I recognized that its contents are as broadly relevant today as when he wrote it. It describes not only the creative process and the nature of creative people but also the kind of environment that promotes creativity.

Defending Networks Emerges As Top Battlefield Priority

By Stew Magnuson 

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The first target Russia or China will go after in a shooting war may not be an F-35, an air base, or even an aircraft carrier. These peer competitors will probably attempt to take down the U.S. military’s communications enterprise first.

And if they don’t succeed on the first day, they will attempt to do so again, again and again, senior defense leaders recently said.

“Our adversaries will intentionally and frequently try to take down our network as an asymmetric means to get after our combat power. They are going to do it,” said William T. Lasher, deputy chief of staff, G-6, at U.S. Army Forces Command headquarters.

“We are watching them do it in other areas, so we know this is coming,” he said at the Milcom conference in Baltimore, Maryland.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Milley in October introduced the multi-domain battlefield concept, where he said ground forces of the future would have to be prepared to fight in the air, at sea and cyberspace.

The Coming Global Cyber War

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In December 2015 I predicted that in ’16 we’d see a major cyber attack against the US on our soil perpetrated by an enemy of the state. With the Russians interfering with our most prized democratic possession, the presidential election, I unfortunately nailed this prediction. As we begin ’17, I believe we’ll see far more cyber warfare activity. Similar to the “War on Terror” declared by President Bush shortly after the September 11th attacks in 2001, we’re now ushering in the era of Global Cyber War. Just as the War on Terror continues to be waged with no end in sight, I’d expect this Global Cyber War to continue for years to come.

Russian hackers have proven the US is vulnerable, with likely more alleged and even acknowledged infiltration to come. Other natural enemies will re-double efforts, emboldened by Russia’s success. The US will be provoked to publicly respond, which is why I’ve predicted in ’17 the US’ offensive cyber warfare activities will hit mainstream attention for the first time. The Global Cyber War will be a very different war than we’re accustomed to with far reaching implications. The challenges we face are immense:

Infographic Of The Day: How Much Is Your Personal Data Worth

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In a world where big data reigns supreme, sources of highly detailed and granular information can be very valuable to companies.

But what if that information is about you?

The Price of Personal Data

The following infographic from MBA@UNC looks at the business of data brokers, how they get their data, and what they sell it for.

It also puts a price tag on what users are willing to “pay” to not have their data collected.