A Quick Note

On the 25th, I flew home for a week of vacation and thought, "Oh, if I don't post Joshua Tree Reports for a couple of weeks, nobody will notice." I was wrong, and I'm quite flattered that someone (potentially several folks?) noticed. The Joshua Tree Report will return on the 12th in a special edition that covers the intervening period. Stay tuned.

UPDATE: I got engaged on a project this weekend. I'll post the special edition on the 13th.

Joshua Tree Report: February 19th, 2017

This is the Joshua Tree Report for February 19th, 2017.

General Data

The temperature in Cody is 50° Fahrenheit and the weather is fair. The temperature in Kirkwall is 8° centigrade and the weather is stormy. The temperature in Muscat is 24°; centigrade and the weather is clear. A barrel of crude oil is selling at $53.40, and $1.24 currently exchanges for £1. This week's geospatial image is the Korengal Outpost (featured in the documentaries Restrepo and Korengal) in Afghanistan.

In the News

Here are a few of this week's top stories.

Did Rogue Russian Agents Plot a Coup in Montenegro? (War is Boring)

Russia Deploys Banned Cruise Missiles While A Spy Ship Hangs Out Off The U.S. Coast (Foxtrot Alpha)

U.S. Commander Warns of Russian, Iranian, Pakistani Influence in Afghanistan (Voice of America via Small Wars Journal)

Why Is Russia Helping Anti-U.S. Insurgents In Afghanistan? (NPR via Small Wars Journal)

Spies Keep Intelligence From President Trump (Wall Street Journal)

Trump’s Flaws Don’t Justify Illegal Leaks (National Review)

House members: EPA officials may be using Signal to “spread their goals covertly” (Ars Technica via Small Wars Journal)

T.E. Lawrence and the Desert Bromance That Sold America on a War (The Daily Beast via Small Wars Journal)

U.S., Mideast Allies Explore Arab Military Coalition (Wall Street Journal via Small Wars Journal)

The battle of al-Bab (BBC)

Syria war: 'Dozens killed' as jihadists clash in Idlib (BBC)

Somaliland agrees to UAE military base in Berbera (BBC)

New Mac malware pinned on same Russian group blamed for election hacks (Ars Technica)

Border Agent Demands NASA Scientist Unlock Phone Before Entering the Country (Gizmodo)

A Guide to Getting Past Customs With Your Digital Privacy Intact (Wired)

De-Anonymizing Browser History Using Social-Network Data (Schneier on Security)

How to Secure Your Home From Corporate Snoopers (Gizmodo)

Probe after Aberdeen cinema fight during T2 Trainspotting (BBC)

Fight at Aberdeen theatre during Michael Jackson Thriller Live (BBC)

Top Podcasts

These were my favorite podcasts from this week.

The spy who couldn’t spell: how the biggest heist in the history of US espionage was foiled – podcast (The Guardian)

#272: C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and the Myth of Progress (The Art of Manliness)

No, the Trump transition isn’t endangering U.S. nukes. Here’s what to really worry about (War College)

The huns have got my gramophone: advertisements from the Great War (The National Archives)

Course Report

ENG 199: I gave ENG 199 a pass this week.
PAC 130: Due to unforeseen circumstances, PAC 199 is cancelled until further notice.
BA 480: I read five pages in The Design and Evaluation of Physical Protection Systems by Mary Lynn Garcia.
HST 406 (O): I re-outlined my manuscript, made some edits (additions and culls) to my master Great War timeline, re-organized my manuscript, and re-wrote my preface.
REL 199: I completed Symbolon 2:4.

Quote of the Week

"There are no two words in the English language more harmful than 'good job'."
- J.K. Simmons as "Terence Fletcher", Whiplash, 2014

The 2017 Course Curriculum

I recently posted about my personal and professional development plans for 2017. I wanted to post my 2017 reading list. I don't have any illusions about finishing all of these readings - I absolutely won't. However, and as I mentioned previously, I hope that by changing a few aspects of my lifestyle (e.g., reading more) and organizing my various projects as if they were university courses.

I've divided my year into four academic quarters. I'll be engaged in ENG 199 ("General Literary Studies") and PAC 130 ("Conditioning") for the entire year, and ARAB 101/102/103 ("First Year Arabic") during the latter three quarters. In the first quarter, I'll be working on BA 480 ("Information Systems Security"), HST 406 ("Orcadian Gordon Highlanders of the Great War"), and REL 199 ("Introduction to Roman Catholicism"). In the second quarter, I'll switch to CS 406 ("Projects in Information Technology Management") and PI5502 ("Middle Eastern Security"). In the third quarter, I'll switch to HST 406 ("The Dhofar Rebellion") and PI5001 ("Remedial Advanced Strategy"). I'll round out the year with GIS/GEOG 151 ("Introduction to OSGEOINT") and HST 387/388 ("Remedial Islamic Civilization"). That's five "courses" per "quarter", and a lot of reading for each one. So, what will I be reading?

My list for ENG 199 consists of a bunch of books I've read and enjoyed in the past, a handful of books I've started without ever finishing, and a couple of books I've wanted to read and haven't gotten around to.

An Unorthodox Soldier: Peace and War and the Sandline Affair by Tim Spicer

Arabian Sands by Wilfred Thesiger

Armor by John Steakley

Dune by Frank Herbert

Moby-Dick; or, The Whale by Herman Melville

Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell

Orkneyinga Saga: The History of the Earls of Orkney

Quantum of Solace: The Complete James Bond Short Stories by Ian Fleming

Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein

The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne

The Terminal Experiment by Robert J. Sawyer

The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells

The Worst Journey in the World by Apsley Cherry-Garrard

I don't expect to be a powerlifter or marathoner by 2018, but I'd like to ramp things up a bit for PAC 130. Here are the books and pamphlets I'll be consulting along those lines.

The Complete Guide to Navy SEAL Fitness by Stew Smith

Power to the People by Pavel Tsatsouline

Royal Marines Commando Get Fit to Apply Guide

Ranger School Prep

Naval Special Warfare Injury Prevention Guide

Naval Special Warfare Physical Training Guide

Special Operations Nutrition Guide

HSS PT Standards

For BA 480, I have a handful of books to prepare me for a variety of professional certifications.

ATTP 3-39.32 Physical Security

CompTIA Network+ Study Guide: Exam N10-006 by Todd Lammle

The Design and Evaluation of Physical Protection Systems by Mary Lynn Garcia

For my research on the Orcadian Gordon Highlanders' service in the Great War, I have two major sources yet to consult (aside from primary source documents that are too numerous to consult). At this point, Life of a Regiment is on course to be the first book I finish in 2017.

Life of a Regiment, Volume 4 by Cyril Falls

Daffodils on the Battlefield, and Other Sketches by Robert Annan Leitch

I need to get smart about Catholic, so that means...

Catechism of the Catholic Church

I have a bunch of Arabic resources, but I won't be reading any of them as if they're a formal book. I also don't have any formal books relating to CS 406. So, that brings us to PI5502. There are a couple of books, but the bulk of these listings are scholarly or semi-scholarly articles that relate to a scholarly article I intend to write during Spring term.

Globalized Islam by Olivier Roy

Tower of the Sun: Stories From the Middle East and North Africa by Michael J. Totten

China’s Reported Ballistic Missile Sale to Saudi Arabia: Background and Potential Implications by Ethan Meick

New alliances dynamics in the Gulf and their impact on the small GCC states by Jean-Marc Rickli

Arab Threat Perceptions and the Future of the U.S. Military Presence in the Middle East

The Future of the Arab Gulf Monarchies in the Age of Uncertainties

The Gulf Moment: Arab Relations Since 2011

The New Arab Regional Order: Opportunities and Challenges for U.S. Policy

The Saudi-Iranian Rivalry and the Future of Middle East Security

The Strategic Importance of the Global Oil Market

United States-Gulf Cooperation Council Security Coopeeration in a Multipolar World

For my second installment of HST 406, I have a handful of books (that will probably be supplemented with more) about the Dhofar Rebellion, its background, and its aftermath.

Buraimi: The Struggle for Power, Influence and Oil in Arabia by Michael Quentin Morton

Oman and the World: The Emergence of an Independent Foreign Policy by Joseph A. Kechichian

SAS Secret War: Operation Storm in the Middle East by Tony Jeapes

The Secret War: Dhofar 1971/1972 by David C. Arkless

We Won a War: The Campaign in Oman 1965-1975 by John Akehurst

I don't exactly need remedial strategic studies attention, but there were some resources that I wanted to read between 2012 and 2013, and didn't. So, I've made a few selections to that end.

History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides

MCDP 1-1 Strategy

Strategy in the Contemporary World by James J. Wirtz, Colin S. Gray, and John Baylis

I didn't do anywhere near the volume of undergraduate reading that I should have. Two of the following are books I was supposed to have read in 2002, one was an assigned reading in a course by the same professor that I audited in Spring of 2012, and the book by Bernard Lewis is one that I picked up at a book sale in 2014 that seemed to fit (and isn't too long).

Islam: The View from the Edge by Richard Bulliet

The Age of the Caliphs by Bertold Spuler

The Crisis of Islam by Bernard Lewis

The Modern Middle East: A History by James L. Gelvin

Finally, I intend to follow up on some 2016 investigation into open source geospatial intelligence. As I've mentioned elsewhere, I took a course in Strategic Intelligence at Aberdeen. This final course in Fall quarter will focus on the operational outlook on intelligence, as well as the specific "tactical" aspects of operating some of the open source GIS resources that I hope to use for future endeavours.

ATP 2-01.3/MCRP 2-3A Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield/Battlespace

Getting Started With GIS Using QGIS by McCartney Taylor and Nik Freeman

Learning QGIS by Anita Graser

Mastering QGIS by Kurt Menke

MCDP 2 Intelligence

MCWP 2-21 Imagery Intelligence

MCWP 2-26 Geospatial Information and Intelligence

QGIS By Example by Alexander Bruy and Daria Svidzinska

I have my work cut out for me. This is a total of forty-two books and fifteen pamphlets. Again, the prospect of reading all of this is pretty nonsensical, but I think that if I commit to reading in lieu of things like screwing around on Facebook or binge-watching shows on Prime or Netflix, I can demolish a big chunk of it. Here's to 2017!

More Podcasts on the Syrian Civil War

A few days ago, I posted about my intention to listen to every NPR interview with Syria expert Dr. Joshua Landis that was available for download. I ended up doing it last Wednesday, and it totalled between five and six hours. It was an interesting experience to listen to a review of Syrian history from 2009 to 2017 (with a blip in 2005), and to hear which of Dr. Landis' divinations were correct or incorrect (for example, he predicted around 2012 that the Assad regime would not use chemical weapons), and also to hear him defending the 2013 chemical weapons deal that most serious analysts now malign.

I mentioned in that prior post that I might listen to another old podcast. Well... Do I ever just leave well enough alone? Of course not. So, I ended up putting together a larger podcast list that I'll spend the next week or so chewing through. I figured I'd share in case anyone wanted to give themselves a crash course on the Syrian civil war. As with the Landis podcasts, these are listed in chronological order (and I've date-stamped these ones).

20141112 // FRONTLINE: Understanding The Rise of ISIS

20150415 // War on the Rocks: PODCAST: The Islamic State’s War in Iraq and Syria

20150608 // FRONTLINE: Obama at War

20150608 // FRONTLINE: The Rise of ISIS

20150924 // War on the Rocks: Navigating the Islamic State Challenge

20150928 // The Guardian: Why Isis fights - podcast

20150929 // Middle East Week: Syrian Diaspora in the Gulf

20151026 // The Guardian: ‘They were torturing to kill’: inside Syria’s death machine - Podcast

20151204 // The Guardian: How Isis crippled al-Qaida - Podcast

20160218 // Reuters War College: Is the Syrian war partly an ad for Russian arms sales?

20160520 // FRONTLINE: The Secret History of ISIS

I also want to do some remedial Syria reading in the next week or two. The big challenge with reading about Syria in English is that most of the reporting since 2014 focuses on ISIS/DAESH, or maybe the siege of Aleppo, rather than conflict's wider context. C'est la vie. At any rate, here are a few articles focusing specifically on the role of former Iraqi Baathists on the formation and administration of ISIS/DAESH.

The Intercept: ISIS Forces That Now Control Ramadi Are Ex-Baathist Saddam Loyalists

Reuters: How Saddam's fighters help Islamic State rule

New York Times: How Saddam Hussein Gave Us ISIS

Washington Post: The hidden hand behind the Islamic State militants? Saddam Hussein’s.

Der Spiegel: Secret Files Reveal the Structure of Islamic State

I probably should have saved this for April through June, when I'm slated to spend part of my life focused on Middle Eastern security... But, again, c'est la vie.

Joshua Tree Report: February 12th, 2017

This is the Joshua Tree Report for February 12th, 2017.

General Data

The temperature in Cody is 22° Fahrenheit and the weather is fair. The temperature in Kirkwall is 6° centigrade and the weather is cloudy. The temperature in Muscat is 28° centigrade and the weather is cloudy. A barrel of crude oil is selling at $53.86, and $1.24 currently exchanges for £1. This week's geospatial image is the a little wadi in the Wadi Rum in Jordan.

In the News

Here are a few of this week's top stories.

Is the United Arab Emirates America’s Best Friend in Middle East? (War is Boring)

Iran and Russia Are Apparently Fighting Each Other in Syria (War is Boring)

Turkey developing long-range ballistic missile (UPI)

All Blacks bug case: Man charged over listening device (BBC)

Hunting for evidence, Secret Service unlocks phone data with force or finesse (Christian Science Monitor)

Judge Breaks Precedent, Orders Google to Give Foreign Emails to FBI (Gizmodo)

How to Stop Your Smart TV From Spying On You (Wired)

Dozens of popular iOS apps vulnerable to intercept of TLS-protected data (Ars Technica)

Mac malware is still crude, but it’s slowly catching up to its Windows rivals (Ars Technica)

Sturgeon: 'Vital' that Scotland gets farming powers (BBC)

Cops Nab Notorious Hog Outlaw 'Piggy Smalls' After Months on the Run (Gizmodo)

Face of Orkney's St Magnus reconstructed (BBC)

Uzbek film blocked over lack of Morgan Freeman (BBC)

Top Podcasts

These were my favorite podcasts from this week.

The creation of the Iraqi state: 1914 to 1974 (The National Archives)

Big Ideas: The women's war in the Middle East - women's First World War service in Egypt, Gallipoli, Mesopotamia and Palestine (The National Archives)

From the Vault: Russians Behaving Badly Edition, Part 1 (SpyCast)

Russia's hybrid war against the West (War College)

Episode 233 - Coriolanus Breaks Down Russia Hack (SOFREP)

Course Report

ENG 199: I finished reading Arabian Sands by Wilfred Thesiger (six chapters), and reviewed two others.
PAC 130: Due to unforeseen circumstances, PAC 199 is cancelled until further notice.
BA 480: I read half a chapter in The Design and Evaluation of Physical Protection Systems by Mary Lynn Garcia.
HST 406 (O): As of this posting, I've accomplished nothing.
REL 199: I read Psalm 40, Nahum 1 through 3, and Habakkuk 1, and completed Symbolon 1:2, 1:3, 2:2, and 2:3.

Quote of the Week

"I went there to find peace in the hardship of desert travel and the company of desert peoples. I set myself a goal on these journeys, and, although the goal itself was unimportant, its attainment had to be worth every effort and sacrifice. Scott had gone to the South Pole in order to stand for a few minutes on one particular and almost inaccessible spot on the earth's surface. He and his companions died on their way back, but even as they were dying he never doubted that the journey had been worth while."
- Wilfred Thesiger, Arabian Sands

Catching Up on the Syrian Civil War

This morning, I read a couple of articles on recent events in Syria...

War is Boring: Iran and Russia Are Apparently Fighting Each Other in Syria

al Jazeera: Why are Islamist armed groups clashing in Syria?

... and remembered that I've been meaning to download a ton of NPR interviews with Dr. Joshua Landis, Director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Oklahoma. (I'd love to know the back story behind the University of Oklahoma having a Center for Middle East Studies.) My own professor of Islamic and Middle Eastern history from my undergraduate years has praised Dr. Landis' expertise and recommended his work and NPR interviews on Syria for several years, and I've never taken the time to follow up. Tonight, I downloaded a little under six hours worth of his NPR interviews, and I'm going to listen to them in chronological order to give myself a sort of crash course on the Syrian civil war.

U.N. Report on Syria Causes Ripples

Syria And Iraq Revive Business Ties

New Media Strain Government Tolerance In Syria

A Snapshot Of Syrian Protests

Unrest In Syria Raises Alarm In Washington

Protests In Syria Pose Challenges For The U.S.

Protesters Want Changes To Syria's Power Structure

Protesters Take To The Streets In Syria

Getting Real About Funding Mideast Reform

Syria's Assad Family Instills Legacy Of Fear

Landis Talks About Syria's Assad Regime

Few Good Options Remain To End Syrian Attacks

In Syria's Sectarian Battle, Who Are The Alawites?

Syrian General Defects, Heads To France As Assad's Opponents Meet There

Record Number Of Syrians Fled Country In August

Concerns Build Over Violence In Syria

Syrian Militia Leaders Depend On A Terrorist Faction

Syrian Government Fires Scud Missiles At Rebels

What's At Stake In Hotspots Across The Globe

Divisions Remain In Syrian Rebel Coalition

How Chemical Weapons Could Change Strategy For Syria

Analysts Divided On U.S. Arming Syrian Rebels

Why Syria Is More Complicated Than Libya

Syrian Loyalists 'Will Continue To Fight' For Assad

Syria Gives Up Chemical Weapons ... But A War Rages On

In Syria, The U.S. Weighs A Range Of Unpalatable Options

For Syria's President, The Year Ends Better Than It Began

How The Kurds Are Succeeding In Iraq

As Civil War Rages On, 'Life In Syria Has Crumbled'

Support For Syrian Regime Critical In Fight Against ISIS, Putin Says At U.N.

Pentagon Gets ISIS Metaphor Wrong, Critics Say

Defense Secretary Ash Carter Convenes Anti-ISIS Coalition Partners In Brussels

Russian President Vladimir Putin To Withdraw Majority Of Troops From Syria

For Aleppo Residents Under Siege, A Risky Journey To Relative Safety

Assessing The Successes And Failures Of Obama's Approach To Syria

World Views: January 6, 2017

In the coming days, I may also re-listen to a 2015 War on the Rocks podcast featuring Will McCants, author of The ISIS Apocalypse. At any rate, I figured I'd share the links in case anyone else was interested, rather than keeping the work of putting the links together all to myself.

Joshua Tree Report: February 5th, 2017

This is the Joshua Tree Report for February 5th, 2017.

General Data

The temperature in Cody is 39° Fahrenheit and the weather is fair. The temperature in Kirkwall is 7° centigrade and the weather is drizzly. The temperature in Muscat is 23°; centigrade and the weather is clear. A barrel of crude oil is selling at $53.83, and $1.25 currently exchanges for £1. This week's geospatial image is the Essaouira fishin port in Morocco.

In the News

Here are a few of this week's top stories.

Why Trump Had to Fire Sally Yates (Politico)

Trump’s Executive Order on Refugees — Separating Fact from Hysteria (National Review)

The Real Problem with Trump’s Executive Order (Michael J. Totten)

Why are Islamist armed groups clashing in Syria? (al Jazeera)

Yemen rebels film Saudi warship attack (BBC)

Morocco rejoins the African Union after 33 years (al Jazeera)

Iran confirms missile test, denies breach of nuclear deal (AFP)

UK minister accuses Russia of 'weaponising misinformation' (AFP)

Delta Becomes Second Airline in a Week to Ground US Flights Over Computer 'Issues' (Gizmodo)

Halal snack pack: The kebab that defined Australia in 2016 (BBC)

The Story Behind This Astronaut's Viral Photo Is Even Cuter Than His Dogs (Gizmodo)

Top Podcasts

These were my favorite podcasts from this week.

Cyber Special Forces: An Interview with Dmitri Alperovitch (SpyCast)

Risky Business #440 -- Matt "PwnAllTheThings" Tait on the politicisation of infosec (Risky Business)

The first Afghan war (The National Archives)

Whassigo 1st February 2017 (BBC Radio Orkney)

Course Report

ENG 199: I read 3 chapters from Arabian Sands by Wilfred Thesiger.
PAC 130: Due to extenuating circumstances, PAC 130 was cancelled this week. I'm evaluating whether to cancel it for the duration of the quarter.
BA 480: As of this posting, I've accomplished nothing.
HST 406 (O): I expanded my master timeline of the First World War.
REL 199: I read Zechariah 8 through 10, and I completed Symbolon Sessions 1:1 and 2:1.

Quote of the Week

"I hesitated - and suddenly realized that, if I didn't take a swing at it, I would wonder all my life whether I was anything but the boss's son. 'I'm going to chance it.'"
- Robert A. Heinlein, "Starship Troopers"