Podcasts about transition initiatives

Last month, the Harvard National Security Journal published what's thought to be the first legal scholarship on the subject matter of unidentified anomalous phenomena, the modern term for UFOs. Dillon Guthrie — a D.C.-based attorney who has served as a counsel at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, an advisor on the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, and a legislative aide to Senator John Kerry — is the author of that article. In it, he attempts to analyze legislation and other government efforts to keep pace with UAP research and to continue to bring awareness to the topic. Pentagon correspondent Brandi Vincent, who regularly covers the Defense Department's growing investigations into UAP reports for DefenseScoop, recently sat down with Guthrie to discuss his new article and his thoughts on the federal government's work — from Congress to the DOD — around UAP. The Trump administration's broad efforts to remake the U.S. government have been met with widespread criticism from federal workers. On Tuesday, dozens of federal workers and their supporters gathered outside the Office of Personnel Management in Washington to push back on Musk's apparent leadership on the Trump administration's efforts to reshape the workforce. They also carried signs with phrases like “arrest Elon,” “stop the coup” and “fork Musk.” Some even held forks in reference to OPM's “Fork in the Road” email about deferred resignation. That offer echoed a message Musk sent to Twitter employees after he bought the company and was also the title of an art piece Musk said he commissioned. The protests come after reports that Musk and his DOGE team entered OPM and stood up an unauthorized, insecure commercial server connected to other agency systems to support the sending of mass email blasts to the entirety of the federal workforce, to include the aforementioned Fork in the Road email. USAID is turning off government devices for employees tending to the agency's missions around the world, several sources told FedScoop. As the future of the agency remains unclear — Secretary of State Marco Rubio is now reportedly its acting administrator — the disconnections risk the safety of U.S. government workers based in dangerous and hard-to-access regions. Several people familiar with the matter confirmed that USAID workers are having their phones disconnected. Those whose devices have been deactivated can assume they've been placed on leave, one person said, since those deactivations are outpacing formal human resources notifications. A second person familiar said that the phones of USAID workers who are currently abroad have also been disconnected. A third USAID employee confirmed earlier Monday that agency employees in the West Africa region lost access to their computers and phones, and that some Washington, D.C. offices — like the Office of Transition Initiatives — had experienced the same. The same employee later told FedScoop that they had also lost access to their email address with no warning. Thousands of USAID email accounts had been deactivated, one source said, following widespread reports that the Trump administration plans to shut down the agency and possibly integrate it with the State Department. The Daily Scoop Podcast is available every Monday-Friday afternoon. If you want to hear more of the latest from Washington, subscribe to The Daily Scoop Podcast  on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Spotify and YouTube.

Welcome to One CA Podcast.  As we go into the holidays, the One CA brings on the show's founder, John McElligott, to talk with Brian Hancock and Jack Gaines about the show's beginnings, current updates and goals for the future. So, stay tuned.  --- One CA is a product of the civil affairs association  and brings in people who are current or former military, diplomats, development officers, and field agents to discuss their experiences on the ground with a partner nation's people and leadership. We aim to inspire anyone interested in working in the "last three feet" of U.S. foreign relations.  To contact the show, email us at CApodcasting@gmail.com  or look us up on the Civil Affairs Association website at https://www.civilaffairsassoc.org/podcast --- Episode list: Past Episodes: 202 Andrew Gonzalez on Marine Civil Affairs in the Pacific (Part II)  201 Andrew Gonzalez on Marine Civil Affairs in the Pacific (Part I)  200 Jörg Grössl on the NATO Civil-Military Cooperation Centre of Excellence  199 Jeffrey Fiddler and the U.S. Gaza Relief Mission  198 David Luna, State-sponsored criminality in strategic competition  197 Scott Mann "Nobody is Coming to Save You"  196 Jeffrey Fiddler on the DOD response to COVID 19  195 Cleo Paskal on PRC operations in Guam  194 Doug Stevens on faith-based diplomacy  193 Patrick Alley on Global Influence (Part II)  192 Patrick Alley on Global Influence (Part I)  191 Drew Biemer on Energy Sector Civil Affairs  190 Pavlo Kuktha on Ukraine Reconstruction  189 Phillip Smith in discussion with Brian Hancock  188 Part II, Mickey Bergman on Diplomacy in the Shadows  187 Part I, Mickey Bergman on Diplomacy in the Shadows  186 Major Gustavo Ferreira testifies at the U.S. China Economic and Security Review Commission.  185 Scott Mann, Life After Afghanistan  184 Megan O'Keefe-Schlesinger on Information Operations. Part II.  183 Megan O'Keefe-Schlesinger. Leading Information Operations and Influence. Part I  182 Natacha Ciezki, from Zaire to America  181 Proxy Wars, by Pawel Bernat, Juneyt Gurer, and Cyprian Kozera  180 Sandor Fabian: Europe is Learning the wrong lessons from the conflict in Ukraine  179 Civil Affairs Innovation with Colonel Brad Hughes, part II  178 Civil Affairs Innovation with Colonel Brad Hughes, part I  177 Patrick Passewitz on the Sicilian Model  176 Part II, interview with J. David Thompson  175 Part I interview with J. David Thompson  174 Direct Commissions with Heater Cotter  173 Achieving post conflict stabilization with Prof. Beatrice Heuser (Pt.2)  172 Achieving post conflict stabilization with Prof. Beatrice Heuser (Pt.1)  171 Civil Military What?  170 Combat First Aid in Ukraine by Michael Baker  169 Part II, Bas Wouters on Influence and Persuasion  168 Part I, Bas Wouters on Influence and Persuasion  167 Electronic Warfare with Michael Gudmundson  166 On Alexei Navalny and Political Dissent  165 Part II of the Courtney Mulhern and Dan Joseph interview  164 Part I, Courtney Mulhern and Dan Joseph on the book "Backpack to Rucksack"  163 Sam Cooper on China political and Economic Warfare  162 Rob Boudreau and Joel Searls  161 Curtis Fox, Part II on Russian Hybrid Warfare  160 Curtis Fox: Part I, Russian Hybrid Warfare  159 Albert Augustine and V Corps CA  158 Introducing the 1st CAG Human Dimension Podcast  157 Part II Robert Curris on Psychological Operations integration with CA and SOF  156 Part I, Robert Curris on Psychological Operations integration with CA and SOF  155 Gen (R) David Petraeus at Carnegie  154 Angie Smith, Environmental Science and Foreign Policy  153 One CA Classic. John visits AUSA  152 Dan Blumenthal and Fred Kagan  151 Dan Blumenthal and Fred Kagan  150 The WestPoint Center for the Study of Civil-Military Operations  149 Part II. Tony Vacha on Civil Affairs in Europe and Africa  148 Part I.Tony Vacha on Civil Affairs in Europe and Africa  147 Jack's first year hosting the One CA Podcast  146 Jess Langerud talks on medical diplomacy in Poland  145 Courtney Mulhern. Three tools to improve local public outreach  144 Garric Banfield on the 95th Civil Affairs Brigade  143 Richard Messick. Advising partner nations on Rule of Law and anti-corruption  142 Scott DeJesse and the new Monuments Men and Women  141 Paul Hutchinson on the film ”Sound of Freedom” and human trafficking  140 Brian Hancock interview Col. Rachael Sherrer discuss Army Europe and Africa  139 John Cassara on China's Criminal Economy  138 Part II. Joseph Long on relational leadership and military diplomacy  137 Part I. Joseph Long on relational leadership and military diplomacy  136 Joe Pastorek and the 95th CA Advanced Skills Detachment  135 Jack Gaines interview with Global Integrity  134 Calvin Chrustie on conflict and hostage negotiation  133 Part II: Afghan resettlement in the U.S.  132 Part I: Afghan resettlement in the U.S.  131 Climate and Security  130 Chris Hyslop on human rights and diplomacy  129 Special Episode: Digital Civil Reconnaissance with Carrick Longley and Stephen Hunnewell  128 128 Josh Bedingfield on Shadow Governments Part II  127 Josh Bedingfield on Shadow Governments, Part I  126 Juan Quiroz on CA leading in Competition  125 Chris Hyslop: The Peace Corps  124 Special episode. Jordan Harbinger interviews H.R. McMaster on his book ”Battlegrounds”  123 Part II 38G: Agriculture and foreign policy  122 Part I 38G: Agriculture and foreign policy  121 Korea Reunification by David Maxwell  120 Special episode. IWP: The Columbia Plan  119 Discussing the USMC, 31st MEU CA Marines  118 Part II. Integrating Civil Affairs, field operations and diplomacy, by former Under-Secretary, Michael Patrick Mulroy  117 Part I. former DASD, Michael Patrick Mulroy on Integrating Civil Affairs, field operations and diplomacy  116 Assad Raza talk-back on the Frank Sobchak interview  115 Frank Sobchak on advising and training partner nation forces  114 Special Episode from the IW Podcast: Slow Burn: How Security Cooperation shapes operational environments  113 Jodi Harman and the HillVets Foundation  112 David Maxwell on grand strategy  111 Civil Affairs and Security Cooperation with Chris Stockel  110 CSM Riccio Christmas Day Concert  109 John Hutcheson on Hiring our Heroes  108 Advertisement for the CSM Riccio holiday concert  107 Operation Joint Endeavor  106 Special episode: John McElligott passes the mic  105 Major John Burns on Ghost Team at NTC  104 Stanislava Mladenova on Civ-Mil Relationships in Low-Intensity Conflict and State Fragility  103 Benjamin Ordiway and Anthony Pfaff  102 Nick Krohley and Lt Col Stefan Muehlich on Doctrinal Comparison, Part 2  101 Nick Krohley and Lt Col Stefan Muehlich on Doctrinal Comparison, Part 1  100 Episode 100 of the One CA Podcast  99 Theater Information Advantage Element 98 Brig Gen Chris Dziubek of the 351st CACOM  97 Mark Delaney on Civil Affairs Skills for Post Military Life  96 Colonel Marco Bongioanni on Emergency Preparedness Liaison Officers  95 Maj Gen Jeff Coggin of USACAPOC(A)  94 Operation Allies Refuge: Lessons on Interagency and Multinational Collaboration  93 Vish Odedra on COVID-19 Vaccinations in the UK  92 LTC Greg Banner on Training for Unconventional Warfare  91 Chris Bryant on Social Media for CA  90 CA Issue Papers 2021 - Part 3  89 CA Issue Papers 2021 - Part 2  88 CA Issue Papers 2021 - Part 1  87 USACAPOC(A) Command Strategic Initiatives  86 Civil Affairs Interagency Panel - Part 2  85 Civil Affairs Interagency Panel - Part 1  84 Zach Hyleman and Kevin Chapla on FAO and CA  83 Civil Affairs in Regional Competition for Influence - Part 2  82 Civil Affairs in Regional Competition for Influence - Part 1  81 SFC Josh Spiers on San Pedro Sula, Honduras  80 Major Lauren Holl on San Pedro Sula, Honduras  79 Josh Bedingfield on Human Network Analysis  78 Lieutenant General Eric Wesley on Civil Competition - Part 2  77 Lieutenant General Eric Wesley on Civil Competition - Part 1  76 Maj Gen Hugh Van Roosen on a Career in SF, CA, and PSYOP  75 Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Coggin of USACAPOC(A)  74 Colonel Mattia Zuzzi of the Multinational CIMIC Group  73 Jonathan Papoulidis on Country Coordination Platforms  72 Colonel Frank van Boxmeer of NATO CCOE  71 LTC Matthias Wasinger of the Austrian Armed Forces  70 Request for Capabilities Brief Guests and Show Hosts  69 Lt Col Jahn Olson and Lt Col Korvin Kraics on III Marine Expeditionary Force  68 LTC Albert Augustine on CA Missions in Africa  67 Justin Constantine  66 John Steed of Tesla Government on GIS  65 65 Digital Civil Reconnaissance with Carrick Longley and Stephen Hunnewell  64 Joe Pastorek on the 95th Civil Affairs Brigade's Advanced Skills Detachment  63 Lauren Ladenson, Lieutenant Colonel Matt Holmes, and Lieutenant Colonel Kyle Kouri on Defense Support to Stabilization (DSS)  62 CPT Al Oh and SGM Chris Melendez discuss Civil Reconnaissance  61 Dr. E. Casey Wardynski, ASA (M&RA) on Talent Management  60 LTC Scott Dickerson on the Army CA Force Modernization Assessment  59 MAJ Ashley Holzmann on the History of US Propaganda and Psychological Operations  58 Doowan Lee on Innovating Influence Intelligence  57 LTC Marco Bongioanni on the International Visitor Leadership Program  56 Paul Giannone on CA in Vietnam and his Career in Public Health  55 LTC Jeff Uherka and COL Steve Barry of Joint Task Force - Bravo  54 John Barsa, Acting Administrator of USAID  53 Dr. Ajit Maan - Narrative Warfare  52 Karen Walsh and Bron Morrison of Dexis Consulting  51 Intergrating Civil Affairs, with MAJ Brian Hancock and Dr. Timothy Darr  50 COL Steve Battle on CA Support for the COVID-19 Outbreak in Korea  49 LTC Rachel Sullivan and MAJ Mike Karlson on CA during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Korea  48 Dr. Lynn Copeland on the Future of Civil Information Management  47 Letting the CAT out of the Bag Part 2  46 Letting the CAT out of the Bag, Part 1  45 MAJ Ian Duke on the need for a Civil Knowledge Battalion  44 MAJ James Ontiveros discusses Civil Affairs and Megacities  43 Captains Chapla, Micciche, and Staron on Storyboards as the TPS Reports of the Army  42 LTC Sue Gannon on Leading the 450th CA Battalion  41 Sean McFate on the New Rules of War, Part 2  40 Sean McFate on the New Rules of War, Part 1  39 Abubakr Elnoor on Darfur and Terrorist Recruitment  38 Devin Conley on the National Training Center  37 General Anthony Zinni on a Unified, Interagency Command  36 Garric Banfield on the 95th Civil Affairs Brigade  35 Justin Richmond on the Impl. Project  34 Alexandra Lamarche on Internally Displaced People in Cameroon  33 Jamie Schwandt on Swarm Intelligence, Swarm Learning, and Red Teams  32 Jay Liddick and Scott Dickerson on the CA Force Modernization Assessment  31 Narayan Khadka on Nepal, castes, and community trauma  30 Jay Liddick and Scott Dickerson on CA in Large Scale Combat Operations  29 Giancarlo Newsome and Jesse Elmore on Military Government Specialists  28 Nicholas Krohley on Human Terrain and CA Integration  27 Dale Yeager with Travel Safety Tips  26 Cori Wegener on Cultural Heritage Preservation  25 Major General Darrell Guthrie of USACAPOC(A)  24 Kwadjo Owusu-Sarfo on Ghana and Boko Haram  23 Manya Dotson on Life in the NGO Community  22 Wyatt Hughes Trains the Central Readiness Force of Japan  21 Bonus episode with Ryan McCannell of USAID  20 Ryan McCannell of USAID on the Evolution of CA in Sub-Saharan African  19 Arnel David on Strategy in the 21st Century  18 Michael Coates and Mark Grimes, Startup Radio Network  17 Max Steiner and Mazi Markel, CA Issue Paper  16 Diana Parzik, USAID Office of Civilian-Military Cooperation  15 Will Ibrahim, S-9 of 2/1 CAV  14 What is Civil Affairs - AUSA Answers  13 Scott Fisher and Information Operations  12 Aleks Nesic and James Patrick Christian of Valka-Mir  11 Norm Cotton of the Institute for Defense Analyses  10 Kevin Melton, USAID Office of Transition Initiatives  9 Dr. Larry Hufford discusses the 20th Anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland  8 Valor Breez and Jarrett Redman on "Beyond Hearts and Minds"  7 John Stefula and PKSOI  6 Michael Schwille, Iraq and Djibouti and RAND  5 Gonul Tol, Middle East Institute, on Turkey  4 Roberto Carmack, PhD, on Russian actions  3 Sean Acosta, Instructor, USAJFKSWCS  2 Valerie Jackson, 4th CA Group, USMC  1 Jon May: Artificial Intelligence for HA/DR Operations - LORELEI  --- Special thanks to Cool Jazz Hot Bassa for sampling music in their  album, Energy Jazz Playlist. Retrieved at: https://youtu.be/bdWUj2NYDYQ?si=00ylFfJ6DhGCwPsO

Welcome to One CA Podcast.  As we go into the holidays, the One CA brings on the show's founder, John McElligott, to talk with Brian Hancock and Jack Gaines about the show's beginnings, current updates and goals for the future. So, stay tuned.  --- One CA is a product of the civil affairs association  and brings in people who are current or former military, diplomats, development officers, and field agents to discuss their experiences on the ground with a partner nation's people and leadership. We aim to inspire anyone interested in working in the "last three feet" of U.S. foreign relations.  To contact the show, email us at CApodcasting@gmail.com  or look us up on the Civil Affairs Association website at www civilaffairsassoc.org   --- Past Episodes: 202 Andrew Gonzalez on Marine Civil Affairs in the Pacific (Part II)  201 Andrew Gonzalez on Marine Civil Affairs in the Pacific (Part I)  200 Jörg Grössl on the NATO Civil-Military Cooperation Centre of Excellence  199 Jeffrey Fiddler and the U.S. Gaza Relief Mission  198 David Luna, State-sponsored criminality in strategic competition  197 Scott Mann "Nobody is Coming to Save You"  196 Jeffrey Fiddler on the DOD response to COVID 19  195 Cleo Paskal on PRC operations in Guam  194 Doug Stevens on faith-based diplomacy  193 Patrick Alley on Global Influence (Part II)  192 Patrick Alley on Global Influence (Part I)  191 Drew Biemer on Energy Sector Civil Affairs  190 Pavlo Kuktha on Ukraine Reconstruction  189 Phillip Smith in discussion with Brian Hancock  188 Part II, Mickey Bergman on Diplomacy in the Shadows  187 Part I, Mickey Bergman on Diplomacy in the Shadows  186 Major Gustavo Ferreira testifies at the U.S. China Economic and Security Review Commission.  185 Scott Mann, Life After Afghanistan  184 Megan O'Keefe-Schlesinger on Information Operations. Part II.  183 Megan O'Keefe-Schlesinger. Leading Information Operations and Influence. Part I  182 Natacha Ciezki, from Zaire to America  181 Proxy Wars, by Pawel Bernat, Juneyt Gurer, and Cyprian Kozera  180 Sandor Fabian: Europe is Learning the wrong lessons from the conflict in Ukraine  179 Civil Affairs Innovation with Colonel Brad Hughes, part II  178 Civil Affairs Innovation with Colonel Brad Hughes, part I  177 Patrick Passewitz on the Sicilian Model  176 Part II, interview with J. David Thompson  175 Part I interview with J. David Thompson  174 Direct Commissions with Heater Cotter  173 Achieving post conflict stabilization with Prof. Beatrice Heuser (Pt.2)  172 Achieving post conflict stabilization with Prof. Beatrice Heuser (Pt.1)  171 Civil Military What?  170 Combat First Aid in Ukraine by Michael Baker  169 Part II, Bas Wouters on Influence and Persuasion  168 Part I, Bas Wouters on Influence and Persuasion  167 Electronic Warfare with Michael Gudmundson  166 On Alexei Navalny and Political Dissent  165 Part II of the Courtney Mulhern and Dan Joseph interview  164 Part I, Courtney Mulhern and Dan Joseph on the book "Backpack to Rucksack"  163 Sam Cooper on China political and Economic Warfare  162 Rob Boudreau and Joel Searls  161 Curtis Fox, Part II on Russian Hybrid Warfare  160 Curtis Fox: Part I, Russian Hybrid Warfare  159 Albert Augustine and V Corps CA  158 Introducing the 1st CAG Human Dimension Podcast  157 Part II Robert Curris on Psychological Operations integration with CA and SOF  156 Part I, Robert Curris on Psychological Operations integration with CA and SOF  155 Gen (R) David Petraeus at Carnegie  154 Angie Smith, Environmental Science and Foreign Policy  153 One CA Classic. John visits AUSA  152 Dan Blumenthal and Fred Kagan  151 Dan Blumenthal and Fred Kagan  150 The WestPoint Center for the Study of Civil-Military Operations  149 Part II. Tony Vacha on Civil Affairs in Europe and Africa  148 Part I.Tony Vacha on Civil Affairs in Europe and Africa  147 Jack's first year hosting the One CA Podcast  146 Jess Langerud talks on medical diplomacy in Poland  145 Courtney Mulhern. Three tools to improve local public outreach  144 Garric Banfield on the 95th Civil Affairs Brigade  143 Richard Messick. Advising partner nations on Rule of Law and anti-corruption  142 Scott DeJesse and the new Monuments Men and Women  141 Paul Hutchinson on the film ”Sound of Freedom” and human trafficking  140 Brian Hancock interview Col. Rachael Sherrer discuss Army Europe and Africa  139 John Cassara on China's Criminal Economy  138 Part II. Joseph Long on relational leadership and military diplomacy  137 Part I. Joseph Long on relational leadership and military diplomacy  136 Joe Pastorek and the 95th CA Advanced Skills Detachment  135 Jack Gaines interview with Global Integrity  134 Calvin Chrustie on conflict and hostage negotiation  133 Part II: Afghan resettlement in the U.S.  132 Part I: Afghan resettlement in the U.S.  131 Climate and Security  130 Chris Hyslop on human rights and diplomacy  129 Special Episode: Digital Civil Reconnaissance with Carrick Longley and Stephen Hunnewell  128 128 Josh Bedingfield on Shadow Governments Part II  127 Josh Bedingfield on Shadow Governments, Part I  126 Juan Quiroz on CA leading in Competition  125 Chris Hyslop: The Peace Corps  124 Special episode. Jordan Harbinger interviews H.R. McMaster on his book ”Battlegrounds”  123 Part II 38G: Agriculture and foreign policy  122 Part I 38G: Agriculture and foreign policy  121 Korea Reunification by David Maxwell  120 Special episode. IWP: The Columbia Plan  119 Discussing the USMC, 31st MEU CA Marines  118 Part II. Integrating Civil Affairs, field operations and diplomacy, by former Under-Secretary, Michael Patrick Mulroy  117 Part I. former DASD, Michael Patrick Mulroy on Integrating Civil Affairs, field operations and diplomacy  116 Assad Raza talk-back on the Frank Sobchak interview  115 Frank Sobchak on advising and training partner nation forces  114 Special Episode from the IW Podcast: Slow Burn: How Security Cooperation shapes operational environments  113 Jodi Harman and the HillVets Foundation  112 David Maxwell on grand strategy  111 Civil Affairs and Security Cooperation with Chris Stockel  110 CSM Riccio Christmas Day Concert  109 John Hutcheson on Hiring our Heroes  108 Advertisement for the CSM Riccio holiday concert  107 Operation Joint Endeavor  106 Special episode: John McElligott passes the mic  105 Major John Burns on Ghost Team at NTC  104 Stanislava Mladenova on Civ-Mil Relationships in Low-Intensity Conflict and State Fragility  103 Benjamin Ordiway and Anthony Pfaff  102 Nick Krohley and Lt Col Stefan Muehlich on Doctrinal Comparison, Part 2  101 Nick Krohley and Lt Col Stefan Muehlich on Doctrinal Comparison, Part 1  100 Episode 100 of the One CA Podcast  99 Theater Information Advantage Element 98 Brig Gen Chris Dziubek of the 351st CACOM  97 Mark Delaney on Civil Affairs Skills for Post Military Life  96 Colonel Marco Bongioanni on Emergency Preparedness Liaison Officers  95 Maj Gen Jeff Coggin of USACAPOC(A)  94 Operation Allies Refuge: Lessons on Interagency and Multinational Collaboration  93 Vish Odedra on COVID-19 Vaccinations in the UK  92 LTC Greg Banner on Training for Unconventional Warfare  91 Chris Bryant on Social Media for CA  90 CA Issue Papers 2021 - Part 3  89 CA Issue Papers 2021 - Part 2  88 CA Issue Papers 2021 - Part 1  87 USACAPOC(A) Command Strategic Initiatives  86 Civil Affairs Interagency Panel - Part 2  85 Civil Affairs Interagency Panel - Part 1  84 Zach Hyleman and Kevin Chapla on FAO and CA  83 Civil Affairs in Regional Competition for Influence - Part 2  82 Civil Affairs in Regional Competition for Influence - Part 1  81 SFC Josh Spiers on San Pedro Sula, Honduras  80 Major Lauren Holl on San Pedro Sula, Honduras  79 Josh Bedingfield on Human Network Analysis  78 Lieutenant General Eric Wesley on Civil Competition - Part 2  77 Lieutenant General Eric Wesley on Civil Competition - Part 1  76 Maj Gen Hugh Van Roosen on a Career in SF, CA, and PSYOP  75 Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Coggin of USACAPOC(A)  74 Colonel Mattia Zuzzi of the Multinational CIMIC Group  73 Jonathan Papoulidis on Country Coordination Platforms  72 Colonel Frank van Boxmeer of NATO CCOE  71 LTC Matthias Wasinger of the Austrian Armed Forces  70 Request for Capabilities Brief Guests and Show Hosts  69 Lt Col Jahn Olson and Lt Col Korvin Kraics on III Marine Expeditionary Force  68 LTC Albert Augustine on CA Missions in Africa  67 Justin Constantine  66 John Steed of Tesla Government on GIS  65 65 Digital Civil Reconnaissance with Carrick Longley and Stephen Hunnewell  64 Joe Pastorek on the 95th Civil Affairs Brigade's Advanced Skills Detachment  63 Lauren Ladenson, Lieutenant Colonel Matt Holmes, and Lieutenant Colonel Kyle Kouri on Defense Support to Stabilization (DSS)  62 CPT Al Oh and SGM Chris Melendez discuss Civil Reconnaissance  61 Dr. E. Casey Wardynski, ASA (M&RA) on Talent Management  60 LTC Scott Dickerson on the Army CA Force Modernization Assessment  59 MAJ Ashley Holzmann on the History of US Propaganda and Psychological Operations  58 Doowan Lee on Innovating Influence Intelligence  57 LTC Marco Bongioanni on the International Visitor Leadership Program  56 Paul Giannone on CA in Vietnam and his Career in Public Health  55 LTC Jeff Uherka and COL Steve Barry of Joint Task Force - Bravo  54 John Barsa, Acting Administrator of USAID  53 Dr. Ajit Maan - Narrative Warfare  52 Karen Walsh and Bron Morrison of Dexis Consulting  51 Intergrating Civil Affairs, with MAJ Brian Hancock and Dr. Timothy Darr  50 COL Steve Battle on CA Support for the COVID-19 Outbreak in Korea  49 LTC Rachel Sullivan and MAJ Mike Karlson on CA during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Korea  48 Dr. Lynn Copeland on the Future of Civil Information Management  47 Letting the CAT out of the Bag Part 2  46 Letting the CAT out of the Bag, Part 1  45 MAJ Ian Duke on the need for a Civil Knowledge Battalion  44 MAJ James Ontiveros discusses Civil Affairs and Megacities  43 Captains Chapla, Micciche, and Staron on Storyboards as the TPS Reports of the Army  42 LTC Sue Gannon on Leading the 450th CA Battalion  41 Sean McFate on the New Rules of War, Part 2  40 Sean McFate on the New Rules of War, Part 1  39 Abubakr Elnoor on Darfur and Terrorist Recruitment  38 Devin Conley on the National Training Center  37 General Anthony Zinni on a Unified, Interagency Command  36 Garric Banfield on the 95th Civil Affairs Brigade  35 Justin Richmond on the Impl. Project  34 Alexandra Lamarche on Internally Displaced People in Cameroon  33 Jamie Schwandt on Swarm Intelligence, Swarm Learning, and Red Teams  32 Jay Liddick and Scott Dickerson on the CA Force Modernization Assessment  31 Narayan Khadka on Nepal, castes, and community trauma  30 Jay Liddick and Scott Dickerson on CA in Large Scale Combat Operations  29 Giancarlo Newsome and Jesse Elmore on Military Government Specialists  28 Nicholas Krohley on Human Terrain and CA Integration  27 Dale Yeager with Travel Safety Tips  26 Cori Wegener on Cultural Heritage Preservation  25 Major General Darrell Guthrie of USACAPOC(A)  24 Kwadjo Owusu-Sarfo on Ghana and Boko Haram  23 Manya Dotson on Life in the NGO Community  22 Wyatt Hughes Trains the Central Readiness Force of Japan  21 Bonus episode with Ryan McCannell of USAID  20 Ryan McCannell of USAID on the Evolution of CA in Sub-Saharan African  19 Arnel David on Strategy in the 21st Century  18 Michael Coates and Mark Grimes, Startup Radio Network  17 Max Steiner and Mazi Markel, CA Issue Paper  16 Diana Parzik, USAID Office of Civilian-Military Cooperation  15 Will Ibrahim, S-9 of 2/1 CAV  14 What is Civil Affairs - AUSA Answers  13 Scott Fisher and Information Operations  12 Aleks Nesic and James Patrick Christian of Valka-Mir  11 Norm Cotton of the Institute for Defense Analyses  10 Kevin Melton, USAID Office of Transition Initiatives  9 Dr. Larry Hufford discusses the 20th Anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland  8 Valor Breez and Jarrett Redman on "Beyond Hearts and Minds"  7 John Stefula and PKSOI  6 Michael Schwille, Iraq and Djibouti and RAND  5 Gonul Tol, Middle East Institute, on Turkey  4 Roberto Carmack, PhD, on Russian actions  3 Sean Acosta, Instructor, USAJFKSWCS  2 Valerie Jackson, 4th CA Group, USMC  1 Jon May: Artificial Intelligence for HA/DR Operations - LORELEI  --- Special thanks to Cool Jazz Hot Bassa for sampling music in their  album, Energy Jazz Playlist. Retrieved at: https://youtu.be/bdWUj2NYDYQ?si=00ylFfJ6DhGCwPsO

Brittany Brown, Acting Assistant to the Administrator of USAID's Bureau for Conflict Prevention and Stabilization, joins Mike Shanley to discuss the Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI). OTI has been an ongoing effort for 30 years, and Brittany shares some of their successes with working in other countries. Localization is a large aspect of the work that OTI is focused on, by working with local partners and change makers to ensure that everyone has a buy-in on the project a grant is funding. OTI partners with the National Security Council, State Department, and DOD in a variety of ways, and with someone from the OTI team on the Administration this year, they are seeing success with educating the government on impacts of certain decisions.   IN THIS EPISODE: [1:17] Brittany covers some of the key successes and lessons learned across 30 years of OTI.  [4:00] Brittany shares an example of the OTI's work in Libya.  [6:30] Brittany shares about the work that has been done in Columbia. [9:55] How does OTI work with local partners and what lessons can they share with other parts of USAID to best implement localization agendas and engage local partners? [18:22] Brittany explains how OTI engages with the National Security Council. [18:22] How does OTI work together with the State Department and DOD? [20:50] What are some of the innovations and challenges that OTI has come up with?  [23:00] Brittany shares what initiatives and strategies she is excited about looking forward to with OTI.  [28:22] Brittany talks about how impactful it is when everyone works together on a project.  KEY TAKEAWAYS:  [3:30] OTI goes to countries to create a collaborative model, where everyone has buy-in. It isn't only the U.S. Government that determines what they need, instead it is the country requesting what they need, and then everyone working together to make that happen.  [24:00] One of the reasons that OTI is an important organization is because they are limited and can be very targeted in the places they are engaging. They typically only have around 15 programs happening at any moment.  [27:26] None of us are as smart as all of us thinking together. There are a lot of creative ways that can help get things done better and differently than before, and those ideas will come with everyone working together.  QUOTES: [5:00] “We started asking the displaced people, what would it take for you to return? What is it, what do you need to return to Sirte, and then we immediately started doing the things they were asking for. So that meant we were just restoring regular services. It meant just government services, it meant sewage and trash collection, it meant running water, access to running water, it meant schools actually had to be functioning. It meant healthcare systems had to be stood up. We had to start cleaning up graffiti and signage that was left over from the ISIS occupation to make people feel like they actually had a future for themselves and their kids” - Brittany Brown [12:44] “We don't have the brilliant ideas. It's actually the people who live in these communities and understand the local context, the local dynamics about what is happening, and it's using systems that already exist in these countries.” - Brittany Brown [27:25] “I think government bureaucrats get a bad rap for not being innovative and creative in these different ways. Everytime I interact with anyone in this building at the state department, anywhere else, there are these big, brilliant change makers in government that are thinking about how we do things better. They also are very open to ideas from the outside.” - Brittany Brown RESOURCES: Aid Market Podcast Aid Market Podcast YouTube   BIOGRAPHY:  Brittany Brown serves as Deputy Assistant Administrator of USAID's Bureau for Conflict Prevention and Stabilization (CPS). She was appointed by the Biden-Harris Administration to also serve as the Director for the U.S. Agency for International Development's Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) in CPS. Prior to OTI, Brittany worked as the Chief of Staff at the International Crisis Group after more than a decade in the U.S. Government, working for a range of government agencies, including USAID, the U.S. Departments of Justice, State, and Defense, and both the Obama and Trump White Houses. She served on the staff of the National Security Council as the acting Senior Director for African Affairs under the Trump Administration, and as the National Security Council's Horn of Africa Director under President Obama. Brittany began her government career as a Presidential Management Fellow with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Before joining the U.S. Government, she worked with juvenile detainees and children in the foster care system. She also managed a GED program for women awaiting trial at Chicago's Cook County Jail. She holds a Bachelor's degree in political science and sociology from DePaul University in Chicago and a Master of Arts in Public Policy and Administration from Northwestern University.

Terry McKearney, President of the SDMAC Foundation, discusses the Foundation's mission and it's efforts to provide scholarships to transitioning veterans. Gloria McKearney, Foundation Treasurer, talks about the Foundation's 2nd Annual Golf Tournament that will be held at Oaks North in Rancho Bernardo on October 30.

On this episode of Intrigue Outloud, Ambassador Rick Barton joins to discuss his career as a peace-builder in war zones across the world, why conflict might be getting more common after decades of relative peace, and what strategies diplomats use to end wars. Ambassador Barton is the founding director of the Office of Transition Initiatives at the U.S. Agency for International Development, former Deputy High Commissioner of the United Nations Refugee Agency, and former Assistant US Secretary of State. Break Haiti's death spiral by empowering its police by Ambassador Barton. Thanks to our sponsor,

Needless to say, the Afghanistan situation just basically was a rapid implosion once we started to reduce our presence there.    The Beyond the Soundbite guest this week is Owen Kirby. He's a fellow with the University of Central Florida's Office of Global Perspectives & International Initiatives.   He recently served as the director of USAID Office of Transition Initiatives where he oversaw U.S. assistance programs to nations struggling to build democracy and peace.   Prior to that, he was the senior governance advisor in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, in 2009 and served as the senior adviser in the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs from 2004 to 2009.   He has worked on projects in Afghanistan since the initial U.S. occupation.   Kirby was in Kabul in early August working on civil society projects and engaging with Afghan government officials before the Taliban took over.   ABOUT THE SHOW Political figures and influencers are often heard in brief bites that don't capture the context of the whole story. “Central Florida: Beyond the Soundbite” expands the conversation with these newsmakers along the I-4 corridor and beyond. Join award-winning Spectrum News 13 anchor and Orlando Woman of the Year Ybeth Bruzual, political reporter Greg Angel, and veteran producer Gary Darling for a must-hear interview each week and learn about the issues affecting Central Florida.

Operation Safe Corridor (OSC), Nigeria's national rehabilitation and reintegration program for members of Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa who have surrendered, defected or were repentant, remains among the most mature and large-scale disengagement programs that currently exist.  In a recently released report, USAID's Office of Transition Initiatives details unique findings on OSC's demobilization, disassociation, reintegration and reconciliation effort. Drawing from data collected from OSC graduates, communities where reintegration is occurring and other sources, the report provides key programming and policy insights on the individual and community impact of rehabilitation and reintegration of armed actors from violent extremist organizations.  Join USIP, the report's authors and experts on Nigeria and violent extremism to discuss these timely, policy-relevant findings about what it really takes for armed actors to leave terrorism behind. The conversation will look at ways to better understand policy-relevant trends like the risks of recidivism, explore effective predictors of support for violence, and uncover how community members actually view reintegratees. Speakers MaryAnne Iwara  Jennings Randolph Senior Fellow, U.S. Institute of Peace Nikki Milnes M&E Advisor, USAID/OTI Dean Piedmont  Senior Reintegration and Armed Group Advisor, Creative Associates International Oge Onubogu, moderator Director, West Africa, U.S. Institute of Peace For more information about this event, please visit: https://www.usip.org/events/leaving-boko-haram-behind

About the lecture: Ethiopia today is at a crossroad, the government of Ethiopia recently launched a campaign to uphold the rule of law in order to keep the peace and security of its citizens. The government is also gearing up to conduct its first election in the Post-TPLF era in June 2021. All eyes will be on the reformist leader Abiy Ahmed, a 2019 Nobel peace prize laureate who promised to bring his nation of over a hundred million people back to its historical prominence by unlocking the country's untapped natural resources. Our panelist will analyze the challenges facing the Prime Minister as he embarks on his goal to achieve making Ethiopia a middle-income nation by 2025. One of these challenges currently is the conflict between the federal government of Ethiopia and TPLF leadership in Tigray. About the panelist: Dr. Gedion Timothewos Hessebon, is the current attorney general of Ethiopia. Bronwyn Bruton, a democracy and governance specialist with extensive experience in Africa was a 2008-2009 international affairs fellow in residence at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). Ms. Bruton has also served as a program manager on the Africa team of the U.S. Agency for International Development's Office of Transition Initiatives, as a policy analyst on the international affairs and trade team of the Government Accountability Office, and as a program officer at the Center for International Private Enterprise. Yoseph Mulugeta Badwaza is the Senior Regional Advisor at Freedom House, having formerly served as the Senior Program Officer for Ethiopia. Besu Feleke has been a human rights and democracy advocate for 18 years. He is on the board of Friends of Angola, PRO Leadership Inc, Global Innovation Network, Senior Policy Advisor at Solidarity Movement for New Ethiopia, and Community Advisor to the Chief of Police in Alexandria, Virginia. Besu works in various Peacebuilding initiatives and programs in the US and Africa. Professor Jon Abbink is an anthropologist-historian and carries out research on the history and cultures of the Horn of Africa (Northeast Africa), particularly Ethiopia. Learn more about the panelists: https://www.iwp.edu/events/38022/.

Highlights:    [8:12] - Leadership requiring empathy [28:39] - Connecting the mind to what matters - What's important to you [48:30] - Volunteering - The ultimate perspective shift to change your life Meet Frank So:    Frank is a Senior Mission Adviser for US Agency for International Development Mission in Colombia where he coordinates USAID’s efforts on Venezuela with the international donor community, multilateral organizations, the Government of Colombia, Government of Venezuela, and the USG interagency.  Frank previously served as Mission Adviser with USAID Honduras from where he managed efforts to foster stronger ties with the human rights community and promote justice for the most vulnerable.  Frank also served as the acting USAID Country Adviser in Venezuela and worked with USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives as a Worldwide Advisor to the Haiti, Mali, Pakistan, Ukraine missions and Washington.  Prior to joining USAID, Frank worked with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations in Darfur. He’s worked on Presidential campaigns, has a Masters in Conflict Studies and perhaps my favorite thing about Frank is that his LITERAL job is to make the world a better place.   Connect with Frank:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frankso/   ... Want more InJoy? LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffbaietto/ Instagram: jeff.baietto injoyglobal.com ... Want more wisdom and happiness in your own life? Come get that and more for FREE at InJoyDaily.com

Hear how real peace can be accomplished in the world I had the pleasure of meeting Ambassador Rick Barton when he was Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations under Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. He joins us on the podcast today to share with you his perspective on how to bring peace to the world — not a simple subject. Joining him is his very successful wife, Kathryn (Kit) Lunney. Together they share their perspectives on their journeys throughout the world trying to understand conflicts and find ways to bring people together to end them. This is truly one you do not want to miss. Peace starts with a willingness to understand both sides of a conflict As Ambassador Barton tells us, the only way you will really know about conflict is to be there and see it with your own eyes, listen to people tell you their stories, and try to help them craft new stories that might reduce their pain, eleviate their hatred for others, and meliorate the horrifying results that come from the failure of peace. The work he describes in our podcast will help you realize how important it is for us all to work toward peace and find ways to stop the pain that separates us. In his book, "Peace Works: America's Unifying Role in a Turbulent World,"  Ambassador Barton states that “leadership is most likely to be effective if there is a sincere effort to develop a common understanding of what is most important, a clear set of priority actions, an integrated team, independent measures of progress and tireless communication. Over the past twenty years, I worked in 40-plus countries, always finding local people and opportunities to catalyze progress. When you expand trust, seek innovation, and encourage ingenuity, risk-taking is rewarded.” About Rick Barton and Kit Lunney Frederick D. (Rick) Barton currently teaches at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, where, with his wife, Kit Lunney, he serves as Co-Director of the Scholars in the Nation’s Service Initiative (SINSI) and the Richard H. Ullman Fellowship. His 2018 book, "Peace Works: America's Unifying Role in a Turbulent World," uses a mix of stories, history and analysis to offer an affirmative approach to foreign affairs through concrete and attainable solutions. Ambassador Barton was the U.S. ambassador to the UN's Economic and Social Council, the UN’s Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva, and the first Assistant Secretary of State for Conflict and Stabilization Operations. He founded USAID's (U.S. Agency for International Development) Office of Transition Initiatives and has led conflict management initiatives in over 40 crisis zones across the globe, including Haiti, Iraq, Nigeria, Burma, Pakistan and Turkey. His articles are published in numerous international outlets and he is a frequent guest on news broadcasts, ranging from NPR to all of the major networks. He now resides in Washington, D.C. with his wife of 44 years, Kit Lunney. You can contact Rick at barton@princeton.edu. Kathryn R. (Kit) Lunney, with her husband, Ambassador Rick Barton, is Co-Director of the Scholars in the Nation’s Service Initiative (SINSI) and the Richard H. Ullman Fellowship at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. Previously, Kit was the first state court planner for Maine’s judicial system, an intergovernmental relations officer at the U.S. Department of Transportation, and deputy general counsel at the U.S. Department of Commerce. As co-leader of Book Relief, First Book’s response to the 2005 Gulf Coast hurricanes, Kit worked with the U.S. Department of Education, state and local governments, and hundreds of nonprofits and individuals to deliver 5 million new books to more than 2,200 groups and organizations in 20 states impacted by the storms. In the private sector, Lunney worked as counsel to two technology companies in Maine. Most recently, she was COO of and then a consultant to Smith Dawson & Andrews, a government and public affairs firm based in Washington, D.C. You can contact Kit at klunney@princeton.edu.  Want more stories about people changing the world? Here are three: Podcast: Sevetri Wilson—How To Make Sure Money Flows To Where The Need Is Podcast: Lisa Broderick—How To Build Peaceful Communities With Our Peace Officers Podcast: Theresa Carrington—Transforming Impoverished Artisans Into Entrepreneurs Additional resources My award-winning book: "On the Brink: A Fresh Lens to Take Your Business to New Heights" Simon Associates Management Consultants website  

Former Ambassador Frederick Barton has conflict management experience in over 40 crisis zones -- Haiti, Iraq, Nigeria, Turkey and more. He served as first Assistant Secretary of State for Conflict and Stabilization Operations, and previously as U.S. Ambassador to the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations in New York. He founded USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives among other roles. His book is called Peace Works: America’s Unifying Role in a Turbulent World.

Listen to https://www.linkedin.com/in/ambassadorrickbarton/ (Ambassador Rick Barton) talk about international affairs and America's role in a turbulent world on Valley Business Radio in Phoenix, Arizona. Ambassador Barton teaches at the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University, where he serves as a co-director of Princeton's Scholars in the Nation's Service Initiative and Ullman Fellowships. His 2018 book, https://www.amazon.com/Peace-Works-Americas-Unifying-Turbulent/dp/1538113007 (Peace Works: America's Unifying Role in a Turbulent World), uses a mix of stories, history, and analysis to offer an affirmative approach to foreign affairs through concrete and attainable solutions. Barton started USAID's Office of Transition Initiatives, and was America's ambassador to the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations in New York, the UN's Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva and the first Assistant Secretary of State for Conflict and Stabilization Operations. He led conflict management initiatives in over 40 crisis zones across the globe, from Haiti, Iraq, Nigeria, Burma, Pakistan to Turkey. Published in The New York Times, the Washington Post, Politico, The Boston Globe, and numerous other international outlets, Barton is a guest on news shows ranging from NPR to all of the major networks. He resides in Washington, D.C. with his wife of 44 years, Kit Lunney. Ambassador Barton's visit to Arizona was made possible by the https://pcfraz.org/ (Phoenix Committee on Foreign Relations). Valley Business Radio is recorded and produced in the studio of https://phx.fm/ (PHX.fm), the leading independent B2B online radio station and podcast studio in Phoenix.

Yemen: Most of us don't know where that is but we Americans have been participating in a war there since 2015. In a surprise move, the 116th Congress recently put a resolution on President Trump's desk that would LIMIT our participation in that war. In this episode, learn about our recent history in Yemen: Why are we involved? When did our involvement start? What do we want from Yemen? And why is Congress suddenly pursuing a change in policy? In the second half of the episode, Jen admits defeat in a project she's been working on and Husband Joe joins Jen for the thank yous. Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links Click here to contribute monthly or a lump sum via PayPal Click here to support Congressional Dish for each episode via Patreon Send Zelle payments to: Donation@congressionaldish.com Send Venmo payments to: @Jennifer-Briney Send Cash App payments to: $CongressionalDish or Donation@congressionaldish.com Use your bank's online bill pay function to mail contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North, Number 4576, Crestview, FL 32536 Please make checks payable to Congressional Dish Thank you for supporting truly independent media! Recommended Congressional Dish Episodes CD167: Combating Russia (NDAA 2018) LIVE CD131: Bombing Libya CD102: The World Trade Organization: COOL? Additional Reading Article: Hurricane Michael upgraded to a Category 5 at time of U.S. landfall, NOAA, April 19, 2019. Article: US carries out first airstrikes in Yemen in nearly 3 months by Ryan Browne, CNN, April 1, 2019. Article: The assassination of Jamal Khashoggi by Joyce Lee and Dalton Bennett, The Washington Post, April 1, 2019. Article: Trump revokes Obama rule on reporting drone strike deaths, BBC News, March 7, 2019. Article: US carried out 36 airstrikes in Yemen last year by Andrew Kennedy, The Defense Post, January 7, 2019. Article: See no evil: Pentagon issues blanket denial that it knows anything about detainee abuse in Yemen by Alex Emmons, The Intercept, January 7, 2019. Report: Senate bucks Trump's Saudi approach by Jeff Abramson, Arms Control Association, January/February 2019. Article: Saudi strikes, American bombs, Yemeni suffering by Derek Watkins and Declan Walsh, The New York Times, December 27, 2018. Article: The wooing of Jared Kushner: How the Saudis got a friend in the White House by David D. Kirkpatrick, Ben Hubbard, Mark Landler, and Mark Mazzetti, The New York Times, December 8, 2018. Report: Saudi lobbyists bout 500 nights at Trump's DC hotel after 2016 election by John Bowden, The Hill, December 5, 2018. Article: Hidden toll of US drone strikes in Yemen: Nearly a third of deaths are civilians, not al-Quaida by Maggie Michael and Maad al-Zikry, Military Times, November 14, 2018. Article: Jamal Khashoggi's friends in Washington are in shock by Scott Nover, The Atlantic, October 12, 2018. Report: Catastrophic Hurricane Michael strikes Florida Panhandle, National Weather Service, October 10, 2018. Article: Yemen's President Hadi heads to US for medical treatment, Aljazeera, September 3, 2018. Article: Bab el-Mandeb, an emerging chokepoint for Middle East oil flows by Julian Lee, Bloomberg, July 26, 2018. Report: YEM305: Unknown reported killed, The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, March 29, 2018. Article: Yemen: Ex-President Ali Abdullah Saleh killed, Aljazeera, December 10, 2017. Article: In Yemen's secret prisons, UAE tortures and US interrogates by Maggie Michael, AP News, June 22, 2017. Report: Yemen: UAE backs abusive local forces, Human Rights Watch, June 22, 2017. Article: What we know about Saudi Arabia's role in 9/11 by Simon Henderson, Foreign Policy, July 18, 2016. Report: Yemen: Background and U.S. relations by Jeremy M. Sharp, Congressional Research Service, February 11, 2015. Article: How al Qaeda's biggest enemy took over Yemen (and why the US government is unlikely to support them) by Casey L. Coombs and Jeremy Scahill, The Intercept, January 22, 2015. Report: Yemen protests erupt after fuel price doubled, Aljazeera, July 30, 2014. Article: U.S. charges saudi for 2002 oil tanker bombing by MAREX, Feburary 6, 2014. Report: "Between a Drone and Al-Qaeda": The civilian cost of US targeted killings in Yemen, Human Rights Watch, October 22, 2013. Article: Yemen: Opposition leader to be sworn in Saturday by Reuters, The New York Times, December 7, 2011. Article: Yemen's Saleh signs deal to give up power by Marwa Rashad, Reuters, November 23, 2011. Article: Yemen's leader agrees to end 3-decade rule by Kareem Fahim and Laura Kasinof, The New York Times, November 23, 2011. Article: Yemeni president's shock return throws country into confusion by Tom Finn, The Guardian, September 23, 2011. Article: Yemen: President Saleh 'was injured by palace bomb', BBC News, June 23, 2011. Article: Government in Yemen agrees to talk transition by Laura Kasinof, The New York Times, April 26, 2011. Article: Hundreds take to streets in Yemen to protest by Faud Rajeh, The New York Times, February 16, 2011. Article: U.S. plays down tensions with Yemen by Eric Schmitt, The New York Times, December 17, 2010. Article: Cables depict range of Obama diplomacy by David E. Sanger, The New York Times, December 4, 2010. Article: Yemen's drive on Al Qaeda faces international skepticism by Mona El-Naggar and Robert F. Worth, The New York Times, November 3, 2010. Article: Op-Ed: The Yemeni state against its own people by Subir Ghosh, Digital Journal, October 11, 2010. Roundtable Summary: Reform priorities for Yemen and the 10-Point agenda, MENAP, Chatham House, February 18, 2010. Article: As nations meet, Clinton urges Yemen to prove itself worthy of aid by Mark Landler, The New York Times, January 27, 2010. Article: After failed attack, Britain turns focus to Yemen by John F. Burns, The New York Times, January 1, 2010. Resources Congress.gov: S.J.Res.54 - A joint resolution to direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities in the Republic of Yemen that have not been authorized by Congress Govtrack: S.J.Res. 7: A joint resolution to direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities in the Republic of Yemen that have not been authorized by ... Congress IMF.org: Gulf Cooperation Council Countries Middle East Institute: Addressing the Crisis in Yemen: Strategies and Solutions Open Knowledge Repository: Leveraging Fuel Subsidy Reform for Transition in Yemen US Dept. of Treasury: International Monetary Fund Sound Clip Sources House Proceedings: Yemen Resolution Debate, 116th Congress, April 4, 2019. Congressional Record Sound Clips: 1:06:30 Rep. Michael McCaul (TX):This resolution stretches the definition of war powers hostilities to cover non-U.S. military operations by other countries. Specifically, it reinterprets U.S. support to these countries as ‘‘engagement in hostilities.’’ This radical reinterpretation has implications far beyond Saudi Arabia. This precedent will empower any single Member to use privileged war powers procedures to force congressional referendums that could disrupt U.S. security cooperation agreements with more than 100 countries around the world. 1:14:30 Rep. Barbara Lee (CA): Yes, Madam Speaker, I voted against that 2001 resolution, because I knew it was open-ended and would set the stage for endless wars. It was a blank check. We see this once again today in Yemen. We must repeal this 2001 blank check for endless wars. Over the past 18 years, we have seen the executive branch use this AUMF time and time again. It is a blank check to wage war without congressional oversight. 1:21:30 Rep. Ro Khanna (CA): My motivation for this bill is very simple. I don’t want to see 14 million Yemenis starve to death. That is what Martin Griffith had said at the U.N., that if the Saudis don’t stop their blockade and let food and medicine in, within 6 months we will see one of the greatest humanitarian crises in the world. Senate Floor Proceedings: Yemen Resolution Debate, 115th Congress, 2nd Session, December 12, 2018. Congressional Record Pt. 1 Congressional Record Pt. 2 Sound Clips: 7:09:00 Sen. Bernie Sanders (VT): Finally, an issue that has long been a concern to many of us—conservatives and progressives—is that this war has not been authorized by Congress and is therefore unconstitutional. Article I of the Constitution clearly states it is Congress, not the President, that has the power to send our men and women into war—Congress, not the President. The Framers of our Constitution, the Founders of this country, gave the power to declare war to Congress—the branch most accountable to the people—not to the President, who is often isolated from the reality of what is taking place in our communities. The truth is—and Democratic and Republican Presidents are responsible, and Democratic and Republican Congresses are responsible—that for many years, Congress has not exercised its constitutional responsibility over whether our young men and women go off to war. I think there is growing sentiment all over this country from Republicans, from Democrats, from Independents, from progressives, and from conservatives that right now, Congress cannot continue to abdicate its constitutional responsibility. 7:14:45 Sen. Bob Corker (TN): I have concerns about what this may mean as we set a precedent about refueling and intelligence activities being considered hostilities. I am concerned about that. I think the Senator knows we have operations throughout Northern Africa, where we are working with other governments on intelligence to counter terrorism. We are doing refueling activists in Northern Africa now, and it concerns me—he knows I have concerns—that if we use this vehicle, then we may have 30 or 40 instances where this vehicle might be used to do something that really should not be dealt with by the War Powers Act. 7:49:06 Sen. Todd Young (IN): We don’t have much leverage over the Houthis. We have significant leverage over the Saudis, and we must utilize it. 7:58:30 Sen. Jim Inhofe (OK): The Sanders-Lee resolution is, I think, fundamentally flawed because it presumes we are engaged in military action in Yemen. We are not. We are not engaged in military action in Yemen. There has been a lot of discussion about refueling. I don’t see any stretch of the definition that would say that falls into that category. 8:01:00 Sen. Jim Inhofe (OK): Saudi Arabia is an important Middle Eastern partner. Its stability is vital to the security of our regional allies and our partners, including Israel, and Saudi Arabia is essential to countering Iran. We all know that. We know how tenuous things are in that part of the world. We don’t have that many friends. We can’t afford to lose any of them. 8:04:30 Sen. Chris Murphy (CT): It is important to note some-thing that we take for granted in the region—this now long-term detente that has existed between the Gulf States and Israel, which did not used to be something you could rely on. In fact, one of the most serious foreign policy debates this Senate ever had was on the sale of AWACS to Saudi Arabia back in the 1980s. The objection then was that by empowering Saudi Arabia, you were hurting Israel and Israeli security. No one would make that argument today because Saudi Arabia has been a good partner in trying to figure out a way to calm the tensions in the region and, of course, provide some balance in the region, with the Iranian regime on the other side continuing to this day to use inflammatory and dangerous rhetoric about the future of Israel. So this is an important partnership, and I have no interest in blowing it up. I have no interest in walking away from it. But you are not obligated to follow your friend into every misadventure they propose. When your buddy jumps into a pool of man-eating sharks, you don’t have to jump with him. There is a point at which you say enough is enough. 8:06:00 Sen. Chris Murphy (CT): Muhammad bin Salman, who is the Crown Prince, who is the effective leader of the country, has steered the foreign policy of Saudi Arabia off the rails. Folks seem to have noticed when he started rounding up his political opponents and killing one of them in a consulate in Turkey, but this has been ongoing. Look back to the kidnapping of the Lebanese Prime Minister, the blockade of Qatar without any heads-up to the United States, the wholesale imprisonment of hundreds of his family members until there was a payoff, the size of which was big enough to let some of them out. This is a foreign policy that is no longer in the best interests of the United States and cannot be papered over by a handful of domestic policy reforms that are, in fact, intended to try to distract us from the aggressive nature of the Saudis’ foreign policy in the region. 8:08:15 Sen. Chris Murphy (CT): I am appreciative that many of my colleagues are willing to stand up for this resolution today to end the war in Yemen. I wish that it weren’t because of the death of one journalist, because there have been tens of thousands who have died inside Yemen, and their lives are just as important and just as worthwhile as Jamal Khashoggi’s life was, as tragic as that was. But there is a connection between the two, which is why I have actually argued that this resolution is in some way, shape, or form a response to the death of Jamal Khashoggi, for those who are primarily concerned with that atrocity. Here is how I link the two: What the Saudis did for 2 weeks was lie to us, right? In the most bald-faced way possible. They told us that Jamal Khashoggi had left the consulate, that he had gotten out of there alive, that they didn’t know what happened, when of course they knew the entire time that they had killed him, that they had murdered him, that they had dismembered his body. We now know that the Crown Prince had multiple contacts all throughout the day with the team of operatives who did it. Yet they thought we were so dumb or so weak— or some combination of the two—that they could just lie to us about it. That was an eye-opener for a lot of people here who were long-term supporters of the Saudi relationship because they knew that we had trouble. They knew that sometimes our interests didn’t align, but they thought that the most important thing allies did with each other was tell the truth, especially when the truth was so easy to discover outside of your bilateral relationship. Then, all of a sudden, the Saudis lied to us for 2 weeks—for 2 weeks—and then finally came around to telling the truth because everybody knew that they weren’t. That made a lot of people here think, well, wait a second—maybe the Saudis haven’t been telling us the truth about what they have been doing inside Yemen. A lot of my friends have been supporting the bombing campaign in Yemen. Why? Because the Saudis said: We are hitting these civilians by accident. Those water treatment plants that have been blowing up—we didn’t mean to hit them. That cholera treatment facility inside the humanitarian compound—that was just a bomb that went into the wrong place, or, we thought there were some bad guys in it. It didn’t turn out that there were. It turns out the Saudis weren’t telling us the truth about what they were doing in Yemen. They were hitting civilian targets on purpose. They did have an intentional campaign of trying to create misery. I am not saying that every single one of those school buses or those hospitals or those churches or weddings was an attempt to kill civilians and civilians only, but we have been in that targeting center long enough to know—to know—that they have known for a long time what they have been doing: hitting a lot of people who have nothing to do with the attacks against Saudi Arabia. Maybe if the Saudis were willing to lie to us about what happened to Jamal Khashoggi, they haven’t been straight with us as to what is happening inside Yemen, because if the United States is being used to intentionally hit civilians, then we are complicit in war crimes. And I hate to tell my colleagues that is essentially what the United Nations found in their most recent report on the Saudi bombing campaign. They were careful about their words, but they came to the conclusion that it was likely that the Saudi conduct inside Yemen would amount to war crimes under international law. If it is likely that our ally is perpetuating war crimes in Yemen, then we cannot be a part of that. The United States cannot be part of a bombing campaign that may be—probably is— intentionally making life miserable for the people inside of that country. 8:14:00 Sen. Chris Murphy (CT): There is no relationship in which we are the junior partner—certainly not with Saudi Arabia. If Saudi Arabia can push us around like they have over the course of the last several years and in particular the last several months, that sends a signal to lots of other countries that they can do the same thing—that they can murder U.S. residents and suffer almost no consequences; that they can bomb civilians with our munitions and suffer no consequences. This is not just a message about the Saudi relationship; this is a message about how the United States is going to interact with lots of other junior partners around the world as well. Saudi Arabia needs us a lot more than we need them, and we need to remind folks of that over and over again. Spare me this nonsense that they are going to go start buying Russian jets or Chinese military hardware. If you think those countries can protect you better than the United States, take a chance. You think the Saudis are really going to stop selling oil to the United States? You think they are going to walk away from their primary bread winner just because we say that we don’t want to be engaged in this particular military campaign? I am willing to take that chance. We are the major partner in this relationship, and it is time that we start acting like it. If this administration isn’t going to act like it, then this Congress has to act like it. 8:44:15 Sen. Mike Lee (UT): Many of my colleagues will argue—in fact some of them have argued just within the last few minutes—that we are somehow not involved in a war in Yemen. My distinguished friend and colleague, the Senator from Oklahoma, came to the floor a little while ago, and he said that we are not engaged in direct military action in Yemen. Let’s peel that back for a minute. Let’s figure out what that means. I am not sure what the distinction between direct and indirect is here. Maybe in a very technical sense—or under a definition of warfare or military action that has long since been rendered out- dated—we are not involved in that, but we are involved in a war. We are co-belligerents. The minute we start identifying targets or, as Secretary James Mattis put it about a year ago, in December 2017, the minute we are involved in the decisions involving making sure that they know the right stuff to hit, that is involvement in a war, and that is pretty direct. The minute we send up U.S. military aircraft to provide midair refueling assistance for Saudi jets en route to bombing missions, to combat missions on the ground in Yemen, that is our direct involvement in war. 8:48:00 Sen. Mike Lee (UT): Increasingly these days, our wars are high-tech. Very often, our wars involve cyber activities. They involve reconnaissance, surveillance, target selection, midair refueling. It is hard—in many cases, impossible—to fight a war without those things. That is what war is. Many of my colleagues, in arguing that we are not involved in hostilities, rely on a memorandum that is internal within the executive branch of the U.S. Government that was issued in 1976 that provides a very narrow, unreasonably slim definition of the word ‘‘hostilities.’’ It defines ‘‘hostilities’’ in a way that might have been relevant, that might have been accurate, perhaps, in the mid-19th century, but we no longer live in a world in which you have a war as understood by two competing countries that are lined up on opposite sides of a battlefield and engaged in direct exchanges of fire, one against another, at relatively short range. War encompasses a lot more than that. War certainly encompasses midair refueling, target selection, surveillance, and reconnaissance of the sort we are undertaking in Yemen. Moreover, separate and apart from this very narrow, unreasonably slim definition of ‘‘hostilities’’ as deter- mined by this internal executive branch document from 1976 that contains the outdated definition, we our- selves, under the War Powers Act, don’t have to technically be involved in hostilities. It is triggered so long as we ourselves are sufficiently involved with the armed forces of another nation when those armed forces of another nation are themselves involved in hostilities. I am speaking, of course, in reference to the War Powers Act’s pro- visions codified at 50 USC 1547(c). For our purposes here, it is important to keep in mind what that provisions reads: ‘‘For purposes of this chapter [under the War Powers Act], the term ‘introduction of United States Armed Forces’ includes the assignment of members of such Armed Forces to command, coordinate, participate in the movement of, or accompany the regular or irregular military forces of any foreign country or government when such military forces are engaged, or there exists an imminent threat that such forces will become engaged, in hostilities.’’ In what sense, on what level, on what planet are we not involved in the commanding, in the coordination, in the participation, in the movement of or in the accompaniment of the armed forces of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia-led coalition in the civil war in Yemen? 9:57:15 Sen. Richard Blumenthal (CT): In March of this year, I led a letter to the Department of Defense with my colleague Senator JACK REED of Rhode Island, along with many of our colleagues on the Senate Armed Services Committee, stating our concern regarding U.S. support for Saudi military operations against the Houthis in Yemen and asking about the DOD’s involvement, apparently without appropriate notification of Congress, and its agreements to provide refueling sup- port to the Saudis and the Saudi coalition partners. We were concerned that the DOD had not appropriately documented reimbursements for aerial re- fueling support provided by the United States. Eight months later—just days ago— the Department of Defense responded to our letter and admitted that it has failed to appropriately notify Congress of its support agreements; it has failed to adequately charge Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for fuel and refueling assistance. That admission 8 months after our inquiry is a damning indictment. These errors in accounting mean that the United States was directly funding the Saudi war in Yemen. It has been doing it since March of 2015. Video: Trump: Khashoggi case will not stop $110bn US-Saudi arms trade, The Guardian, October 12, 2018. Donald Trump: I would not be in favor of stopping from spending $110 billion, which is an all-time record, and letting Russia have that money, and letting China have that money. Because all their going to do is say, that's okay, we don't have to buy it from Boeing, we don't have to buy it from Lockheed, we don't have to buy it from Ratheon and all these great companies. We'll buy it from Russia and we'll buy it from China. So what good does that do us? Hearing: U.S. Policy Toward Middle East, House Foreign Affairs Committee, C-SPAN, April 18, 2018. Witnesses: David Satterfield: Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Wess Mitchell: Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Sound Clips: 18:00 David Satterfield: We all agree, as does the Congress, that the humanitarian crisis in Yemen is unacceptable. Last month, the governments of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates provided $1 billion to Yemen's humanitarian response appeal, and this complements the US government pledge of $87 million and more than $854 million contributed since beginning of fiscal year 2017. 19:45 Wess Mitchell: Turkey is a 66 year member of the NATO alliance and member of the defeat ISIS coalition. It has suffered more casualties from terrorism than any other ally and hosts 3.5 million Syrian refugees. It supports the coalition through the use of Incirlik air base through its commitment of Turkish military forces against Isis on the ground in (Dibick? al-Bab?) And through close intelligence cooperation with the United States and other allies. Turkey has publicly committed to a political resolution in Syria that accords with UN Security Council. Resolution 2254. Turkey has a vested strategic interest in checking the spread of Iranian influence and in having a safe and stable border with Syria. Despite these shared interests, Turkey lately has increased its engagement with Russia and Iran. Ankara has sought to assure us that it sees this cooperation as a necessary stepping stone towards progress in the Geneva process, but the ease with which Turkey brokered arrangements with the Russian military to facilitate the launch of its Operation Olive Branch in Afrin district, arrangements to which America was not privy, is gravely concerning. Ankara claims to have agreed to purchase, to, to purchase the Russian S 400 missile system, which could potentially lead to sanctions under section 231 of CAATSA and adversely impact Turkey's participation in the F-35 program. It is in the American national interest to see Turkey remains strategically and politically aligned with the west. Hearing: U.S. Policy Toward Yemen, Senate Foreign Relations Committee, C-SPAN, April 17, 2018. Witnesses: Robert Jenkins: Deputy Assistant Administrator at USAID Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, & Humanitarian Assistance David Satterfield: Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Robert Karem: Assistant Defense Secretary for International Security Affairs Nominee and former Middle East Adviser to Vice President Cheney Sound Clips: 9:30 Chairman Bob Corker (TN): Well, Yemen has always faced significant socioeconomic challenges. A civil war, which began with the Houthis armed takeover of much of the country in 2014 and their overthrow of Yemen's legitimate government in January 2015, has plunged the country into humanitarian crisis. 17:25 Chairman Bob Corker (TN): Our first witness is acting assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs, Ambassador David Satterfield. Ambassador Satterfield is one of the most distinguished, one of our most distinguished diplomats. He most recently served as director general, the multinational force and observers in the Sinai peninsula and previously served as US Abassador to Lebanon. 17:45 Chairman Bob Corker (TN): Our second witness is Robert Jenkins, who serves as the Deputy Assistant Administrator for USA ID Bureau for Democracy, conflict and humanitarian assistance. Mr. Jenkins, recently mark 20 years at USAID and previously served as the Director of Office of Transition Initiatives. 18:15 Chairman Bob Corker (TN): Our third witness is Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, Robert Kerem. Prior to his Senate confirmation last year, Mr. Karem served as National Security of Staff of Vice President Cheney and then as National Security Advisor to the House, majority leader's Eric Cantor and Kevin McCarthy. 20:15 David Satterfield: US military support serves a clear and strategic purpose to reinforce Saudi and Mrid self defense in the face of intensifying Houthi and Iranian enabled threats and to expand the capability of our Gulf partners to push back against Iran's regionally destabilizing actions. This support in turn provides the United States access and influence to help press for a political solution to the conflict. Should we curtail US military support? The Saudis could well pursue defense relationships with countries that have no interest in either ending the humanitarian crisis, minimizing civilian casualties or assisting and facilitating progress towards a political solution. Critical US access to support for our own campaign against violent extremists could be placed in jeopardy. 30:00 Robert Karem: Conflict in Yemen affects regional security across the Middle East, uh, and threatens US national security interests, including the free flow of commerce and the Red Sea. Just this month, the Houthi, his attack to Saudi oil tanker and the Red Sea threatening commercial shipping and freedom of navigation and the world's fourth busiest maritime choke point, the Bab el Mandeb. 32:00 Robert Karem: The Defense Department is currently engaged in two lines of effort in Yemen. Our first line of effort and our priority is the fight against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and ISIS in Yemen, two terrorist organizations that directly threaten the United States, our allies and our partners. To combat AQIP, AQAP, and ISIS, US forces in coordination with the UN recognized government of Yemen are supporting our regional key counter terrorism partners in ongoing operations to disrupt and degrade their ability to coordinate, plot and recruit for external terrorist operations. Additionally, US military forces are conducting airstrikes against AQAP and ISIS in Yemen pursuant to the 2001 a authorization for the use of military force to disrupt and destroy terrorist network networks. Our second line of effort is the provision of limited noncombat support to the Saudi led coalition in support of the UN recognized government of Yemen. The support began in 2015 under President Obama and in 2017 president Trump reaffirmed America's commitment to our partners in these efforts. Fewer than 50 US military personnel work in Saudi Arabia with the Saudi led coalition advising and assisting with the defense of Saudi territory, sharing intelligence and providing logistical support, including aerial refueling. 35:45 Sen. Ben Cardin (MD): Mr. Karem. I'm gonna Start with you. Um, in regards to the US military assistance that we give to the kingdom, you said that is to embolden their capacity and to reduce noncombatant casualties. Last March, the CENTCOM commander General Votel stated that the United States government does not track the end results of the coalition missions. It refills and supports with targeting assistance. So my question to you is, how do you determine that we are effectively reducing the non combatant casualties if we don't in fact track the results of the kingdoms military actions? Robert Karem: Senator, thank you. Um, it's correct that we do not monitor and track all of the Saudi aircraft, um, uh, a loft over Yemen. Uh, we have limited personnel and assets in order to do that. Uh, and CENTCOM's focus is obviously been on our own operations in Afghanistan, in Iraq and in Syria. Sen. Ben Cardin (MD): I understand that, but my question is, our stated mission is to reduce noncombat and casualties. If we don't track, how do we determine that? Robert Karem: So I think one of our stated missions is precisely that. Um, there are multiple ways that I think we do have insight into, uh, Saudi, uh, targeting behavior. Um, we have helped them with their processes. Um, we have seen them implement a no strike list. Um, and we have seen their, their, their uh, capabilities, uh, improved. So the information is based upon what the Saudis tell you, how they're conducting the mission rather than the after impact of the mission. I think our military officers who are resident in Saudi Arabia are seeing how the Saudis approach, uh, this, this effort that took getting effort. Sen. Ben Cardin (MD): But you know, obviously the proof is in the results and we don't know whether the results are, there are not fair statement. Robert Karem: I think we do see a difference in how the Saudis have operated in Yemen, how they operate. Sen. Ben Cardin (MD): I understand how they operate but we don't know whether in fact that's been effective. The United Nations Security Council panel of experts on Yemen concluded in recent reports that the cumulative effect of these airstrikes on civilian infrastructure demonstrates that even with precaution, cautionary measures were taken, they were largely inadequate and ineffective. Do you have any information that disagrees with that assessment? Robert Karem: Senator, I think the assessment of, uh, our central command is that the Saudi, uh, and Emirati targeting efforts, uh, have improved, um, uh, with the steps that they've taken. We do not have perfect understanding because we're not using all of our assets to monitor their aircraft, but we do get reporting from the ground on what taking place inside Yemen. 40:15 Sen. Rand Paul (KY): Ambassador Satterfield. I guess some people when they think about our strategy might question the idea of our strategy. You know, if your son was shooting off his pistol in the back yard and doing it indiscriminately and endangering the neighbors, would you give hmi more bullets or less? And we see the Saudis acting in an indiscriminate manner. They've bombed a funeral processions, they've killed a lot of civilians. And so our strategy is to give them more bombs, not less. And we say, well, if we don't give him the bomb, somebody else will. And that's sort of this global strategy, uh, that many in the bipartisan foreign policy consensus have. We have to, we have to always be involved. We always have to provide weapons or someone else will and they'll act even worse. But there's a, I guess a lot of examples that doesn't seem to be improving their behavior. Um, you could argue it's marginally better since we've been giving them more weapons, but it seems the opposite of logic. You would think you would give people less where you might withhold aid or withhold a assistance to the Saudis to get them to behave. But we do sort of the opposite. We give them more aid. What would your response be to that? David Satterfield: Senator, when I noted in my remarks that progress had been made on this issue of targeting, minimizing or mitigating civilian casualties, that phrase was carefully chosen into elaborate further on, uh, my colleagues remarks, uh, Robert Karem. We do work with the Saudis and have, particularly over the last six to nine months worked intensively on the types of munitions the Saudis are using, how they're using, how to discriminate target sets, how to assure through increased loiter time by aircraft that the targets sought are indeed clear of collateral or civilian damage. This is new. This is not the type of interaction… Sen. Rand Paul (KY): And yet the overall situation in Yemen is a, is a disaster. David Satterfield: The overall situation is extremely bad. Senator. Sen. Rand Paul (KY): I guess that's really my question. We had to rethink...And I think from a common sense point of view, a lot of people would question giving people who misbehave more weapons instead of giving them less on another question, which I think is a broad question about, you know, what we're doing in the Middle East in general. Um, you admitted that there's not really a military solution in Yemen. Most people say it's going to be a political solution. The Houthis will still remain. We're not going to have Hiroshima. We're not going to have unconditional surrender and the good guys win and the bad guys are vanquished. Same with Syria. Most people have said for years, both the Obama administration and this administration, probably even the Bush administration, the situation will probably be a political solution. They will no longer, it's not going to be complete vanquished meant of the enemy. We're also saying that in Afghanistan, and I guess my point as I think about that is I think about the recruiter at the station in Omaha, Nebraska, trying to get somebody to sign up for the military and saying, please join. We're going to send you to three different wars where there is no military solution. We're hoping to make it maybe a little bit better. I think back to Vietnam. Oh, we're going to take one more village. If we take one more village, they're going to negotiate and we get a little better negotiation. I just can't see sending our young men and women to die for that for one more village. You know the Taliban 40% in Afghanistan. Where are we going to get when they get to 30% don't negotiate and when we it, it'll be, it'll have been worth it for the people who have to go in and die and take those villages. I don't think it's one more life. I don't think it's worth one more life. The war in Yemen is not hard. We talk all about the Iranians have launched hundreds of missiles. Well, yeah, and the Saudis have launched 16,000 attacks. Who started it? It's a little bit murky back and forth. The, the Houthis may have started taking over their government, but that was a civil war. Now we're involved in who are the good guys of the Saudis, the good guys or the others, the bad guys. Thousands of civilians are dying. 17 million people live on the edge of starvation. I think we need to rethink whether or not military intervention supplying the Saudis with weapons, whether all of this makes any sense at all or whether we've made the situation worse. I mean, humanitarian crisis, we're talking about, oh, we're going to give my, the Saudis are giving them money and I'm like, okay, so we dropped, we bomb the crap out of them in this audience. Give them $1 billion. Maybe we could bomb last maybe part of the humanitarian answers, supplying less weapons to a war. There's a huge arms race going on. Why do the Iranians do what they do? They're evil. Or maybe they're responding to the Saudis who responded first, who started it? Where did the arms race start? But we sell $300 billion a weapons to Saudi Arabia. What are the Iranians going to do? They react. It's action and reaction throughout the Middle East. And so we paint the Iranians as the, you know, these evil monsters. And we just have to correct evil monster. But the world's a much more complicated place back and forth. And I, all I would ask is that we try to get outside our mindset that we, uh, what we're doing is working because I think what we're doing hasn't worked, and we've made a lot of things worse. And we're partly responsible for the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.  48:30 David Satterfield: The political picture on the ground in Yemen has changed radically with the death, the killing of a Ali Abdullah Saleh, uh, with the fragmentation of the General People's Congress. All of that, while tragic in many of its dimensions, has provided a certain reshuffling of the deck that may, we hope, allow the United Nations to be more effective in its efforts. 1:05:45 Sen. Todd Young (IN): Approximately how many people, Mr. Jenkins require humanitarian assistance in Yemen? David Jenkins: 22 million people. Sen. Todd Young (IN): What percent of the population is that? David Jenkins: Approximately 75% was the number of people requiring humanitarian assistance increase from last year. It increased by our, we're estimating 3.5 million people. Sen. Todd Young (IN): And how much has it increased? David Jenkins: About 3.5 million people. Sen. Todd Young (IN): Okay. How many are severely food insecure? David Jenkins: 17.8 million. Sen. Todd Young (IN): How many children are severely malnourished? David Jenkins: 460,000 Sen. Todd Young (IN): How many people lack access to clean water and working toilets? David Jenkins: We estimate it to be around 16 million people. Sen. Todd Young (IN): Does Yemen face the largest cholera outbreak in the world? David Jenkins: It does. Sen. Todd Young (IN): How many cholera cases have we seen in Yemen? David Jenkins: A suspected over a 1 million cases. Sen. Todd Young (IN): And how many lives has that cholera outbreak claim? David Jenkins: Almost 2100. 1:46:00 Robert Jenkins: I do know that the vast majority of people within that, the majority of people in need, and that 22 million number live in the northern part of the country that are accessible best and easiest by Hodeidah port, there is no way to take Hodeidah out of the equation and get anywhere near the amount of humanitarian and more importantly, even commercial goods into the country. Hearing: Violence in Yemen, House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Middle East and North America, C-SPAN, April 14, 2015. Witnesses: Gerald Feierstein: Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs. Former Ambassador to Yemen (2010-2013) Sound Clips: 1:45 Rep. Illeana Ros-Lehtinen (FL): On September 10th of last year, President Obama announced to the American public his plan to degrade and destroy the terrorist group ISIL. While making his case for America's role in the fight against ISIL, the president highlighted our strategy in Yemen and held it up as a model of success to be emulated in the fight against ISIL. Yet about a week later, the Iran backed Houthis seized control of the capital and the government. Despite this, the administration continued to hail our counter-terror operations in Yemen as a model for success, even though we effectively had no partner on the ground since President Hadi was forced to flee. But perhaps even more astonishingly in what can only be described as an alarmingly tone deaf and short sighted, when Press Secretary Ernest was asked at a press briefing if this model was still successful after the Yemeni central government collapsed and the US withdrew all of our personnel including our special forces, he said yes, despite all indications pointing to the contrary. So where do we stand now? That's the important question. President Hadi was forced to flee. Saudi Arabia has led a coalition of over 10 Arab nations and Operation Decisive Storm, which so far has consisted of airstrikes only, but very well could include ground forces in the near future. 4:45 Rep. Illeana Ros-Lehtinen (FL): Iran has reportedly dispatched a naval destroyer near Yemen in a game of chicken over one of the most important shipping routes in the Gulf of Aden. This area is a gateway between Europe and the Middle East and ran was not be allowed to escalate any tensions nor attempt to disrupt the shipping lanes. 13:30 Rep. David Cicilline (NJ): I think it's safe to say that the quick deterioration of the situation in Yemen took many people here in Washington by surprise. For many years, Yemen was held up as an example of counter-terrorism cooperation and it looked as if a political agreement might be achieved in the aftermath of the Arab spring. The United States poured approximately $900 million in foreign aid to Yemen since the transition in 2011 to support counter-terrorism, political reconciliation, the economy and humanitarian aid. Now we face a vastly different landscape and have to revise our assumptions and expectations. Furthermore, we risk being drawn deeply into another Iranian backed armed conflict in the Middle East. 17:30 Rep. Ted Deutch (FL): Following the deposition of Yemen's longtime autocratic Saleh in 2011, the US supported an inclusive transition process. We had national dialogue aimed at rebuilding the country's political and governmental institutions and bridging gaps between groups that have had a long history of conflict. Yemen's first newly elected leader, President Hadi made clear his intentions to cooperate closely with the United States. 18:00 Rep. Ted Deutch (FL): Yemen, the poorest country on the peninsula, needed support from the international community. The United States has long viewed Yemen as a safe haven for all Qaeda terrorists, and there was alarming potential for recruitment by terrorist groups given the dire economic conditions that they faced. In fact, the US Department of Homeland Security considers al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the affiliate, most likely the al Qaeda affiliate, most likely to attempt transnational attacks against the United States. 18:30 Rep. Ted Deutch (FL): While the national dialogue was initially viewed as successful, the process concluded in 2014 with several key reforms still not completed, including the drafting of the new constitution. The Hadi government had continued to face deep opposition from Yemen's northern tribes, mainly the Shiite Iranian backed Houthi rebels, over the past year. The Houthis, in coordination with tribes and military units still loyal to Saleh, began increasing their territorial control, eventually moving in to Sanaa. Saleh had long been thought to have used his existing relationship to undermine the Hadi government. Houthis are well trained, well funded, and experienced fighters, having fought the Yemeni government and Saudi Arabia in 2009. 23:15 Gerald Feierstein: I greatly appreciate this opportunity to come before you today to review recent developments in Yemen and the efforts that the United States is undertaking to support the government of Yemen under president Rabu Mansour Hadi and the Saudi led coalition of Operation Decisive Storm, that is aimed at restoring the legitimate government and restarting the negotiations to find peaceful political solutions to Yemen's internal conflict. 26:45 Gerald Feierstein: To the best of our understanding, the Houthis are not controlled directly by Iran. However, we have seen in recent years, significant growth and expansion of Iranian engagement with the Houthis. We believe that Iran sees opportunities with the Houthis to expand its influence in Yemen and threatened Saudi and Gulf Arab interests. Iran provides financial support, weapons training, and intelligence of the Houthis and the weeks and months since the Houthis entered Sanaa and forced the legitimate government first to resign and ultimately to flee from the capitol, we have seen a significant expansion of Iranian involvement in Yemen's domestic affairs. 27:30 Gerald Feierstein: We are also particularly concerned about the ongoing destabilizing role played by former President Saleh, who since his removal from power in 2011 has actively plotted to undermine President Hadi and the political transition process. Despite UN sanctions and international condemnation of his actions, Saleh continues to be one of the primary sources of the chaos in Yemen. We have been working with our Gulf partners and the international community to isolate him and prevent the continuation of his efforts to undermine the peaceful transition. Success in that effort will go a long way to helping Yemen return to a credible political transition process. 42:00 Gerald Feierstein: From our perspective, I would say that that Yemen is a unique situation for the Saudis. This is on their border. It represents a threat in a way that no other situation would represent. 52:30 Gerald Feierstein: I mean, obviously our hope would be that if we can get the situation stabilized and get the political process going again, that we would be able to return and that we would be able to continue implementing the kinds of programs that we were trying to achieve that are aimed at economic growth and development as well as supporting a democratic governance and the opportunity to try to build solid political foundations for the society. At this particular moment, we can't do that, but it's hard to predict where we might be in six months or nine months from now. 1:10:00 Gerald Feierstein: When the political crisis came in Yemen in 2011, AQAP was able to take advantage of that and increase its territorial control, to the extent that they were actually declaring areas of the country to be an Islamic caliphate, not unlike what we see with ISIL in Iraq and Syria these days. Because of our cooperation, primarily our cooperation with the Yemeni security forces, uh, we were able to, uh, to defeat that, uh, at a significant loss of a life for AQAP. Uh, as a result of that, they changed their tactics. They went back to being a more traditional terrorist organization. They were able to attack locations inside of, uh, inside of Sanaa and and elsewhere. But the fact of the matter is that, uh, that we, uh, were achieving a progress in our ability to pressure them, uh, and, uh, to keep them on the defensive as opposed to giving them lots of time. And remember in 2009 in 2010, uh, we saw AQAP mount a fairly serious efforts - the underwear bomber and then also the cassette tape effort to attack the United States. After 2010, uh, they were not able to do that, uh, despite the fact that their intent was still as clear and as strong as it was before. And so a while AQAP was by no means defeated and continue to be a major threat to security here in the United States as well as in Yemen and elsewhere around the world, nevertheless, I think that it was legitimate to say that we had achieved some success in the fight against AQAP. Unfortunately what we're seeing now because of the change in the situation again, inside of Yemen, uh, is that we're losing some of the gains that we were able to make, uh, during that period of 2012 to 2014. That's why it's so important that we, uh, have, uh, the ability to get the political negotiation started again, so that we can re-establish legitimate government inside of Sanaa that will cooperate with us once again in this fight against violent extremist organizations. 1:16:45 Rep. Ted Yoho (FL): How can we be that far off? And I know you explained the counter-terrorism portion, but yet to have a country taken over while we're sitting there working with them and this happens. I feel, you know, it just kinda happened overnight the way our embassy got run out of town and just says, you have to leave. Your marines cannot take their weapons with them. I, I just, I don't understand how that happens or how we can be that disconnected. Um, what are your thoughts on that? Gerald Feierstein: You know, it was very, it was very frustrating. Again, I think that, if you go back to where we were a year ago, the successful conclusion of the National Dialogue Conference, which was really the last major hurdle and completion of the GCC initiative, Houthis participated in that. They participated in the constitutional drafting exercise, which was completed successfully. Uh, and so we were in the process of moving through all of the requirements of the GCC initiative that would allow us to complete successfully the political transition. I think there were a combination of things. One, that there was a view on the part of the Houthis that they were not getting everything that they wanted. They were provoked, in our view, by Ali Abdullah Saleh, who never stopped plotting from the very first day after he signed the agreement on the GCC initiative. He never stopped plotting to try to block the political transition, and there was, to be frank, there was a weakness in the government and an inability on the part of the government to really build the kind of alliances and coalition that would allow them to sustain popular support and to bring this to a successful conclusion. And so I think that all through this period there was a sense that we were moving forward and that we believed that we could succeed in implementing this peaceful transition. And yet we always knew that on the margins there were threats and there were risks, and unfortunately we got to a point where the Houthis and Ali Abdullah Saleh, my personal view is that they recognized that they had reached the last possible moment, where they could obstruct the peaceful political transition that was bad for them because it would mean that they wouldn't get everything that they wanted, and so they saw that time was running out for them, and they decided to act. And unfortunately, the government was unable to stop them. Hearing: Targeted Killing of Terrorist Suspects Overseas, Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Constitution, Civil Rights, and Human Rights, C-SPAN, April 23, 2013. Sound Clips: 44:30 Farea al-Muslimi: My name as you mentioned, is Farea al-Muslimi, and I am from Wessab, a remote village mountain in Yemen. I spent a year living with an American family and attended an American high school. That was one of the best years of my life. I learned about American culture, managed the school basketball team and participated in trick or treat and Halloween. But the most exceptional was coming to know someone who ended up being like a father to me. He was a member of the U S Air Force and most of my year was spent with him and his family. He came to the mosque with me and I went to church with him and he became my best friend in America. I went to the U.S. as an ambassador for Yemen and I came back to Yemen as an ambassador of the U.S. I could never have imagined that the same hand that changed my life and took it from miserable to a promising one would also drone my village. My understanding is that a man named Hamid al-Radmi was the target of the drone strike. Many people in Wessab know al-Radmi, and the Yemeni government could easily have found and arrested him. al-Radmi was well known to government officials and even local government could have captured him if the U.S. had told them to do so. In the past, what Wessab's villagers knew of the U.S. was based on my stories about my wonderful experiences had. The friendships and values I experienced and described to the villagers helped them understand the America that I know and that I love. Now, however, when they think of America, they think of the terror they feel from the drones that hover over their heads ready to fire missiles at any time. What violent militants had previously failed to achieve one drone strike accomplished in an instant. 1:17:30 Farea al-Muslimi: I think the main difference between this is it adds into Al Qaeda propaganda of that Yemen is a war with the United States. The problem of Al Qaeda, if you look to the war in Yemen, it's a war of mistakes. The less mistake you make, the more you win, and the drones have simply made more mistakes than AQAP has ever done in the matter of civilians. News Report: Untold Stories of the underwear bomber: what really happened, ABC News 7 Detroit, September 27, 2012. Part 1 Part 2 Hearing: U.S. Policy Toward Yemen, Senate Foreign Relations Committee, C-SPAN, July 19, 2011. Witnesses: Janet Sanderson: Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Daniel Benjamin: State Department Counterterrorism Coordinator Sound Clips: 21:00 Janet Sanderson: The United States continues its regular engagement with the government, including with President Ali, Abdullah Saleh, who's currently, as you know, recovering in Saudi Arabia from his injuries following the June 3rd attack on his compound, the acting president, Vice President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, the opposition, civil society activists, and others interested in Yemen's future. We strongly support the Gulf Cooperation Council's initiative, which we believe would lead to a peaceful and orderly political transition. The GCC initiative signed by both the ruling General People's Congress party and the opposition coalition, joint meeting parties. Only president Saleh is blocking the agreement moving forward and we continue to call on him to sign the initiative. 22:30 Janet Sanderson: While most protests in Yemen have been peaceful over the last couple of months, there have been violent clashes between pro- and anti-government demonstrators and between protesters and government security forces and irregular elements using forced to break up demonstrations. The United States is strongly urged the Yemeni government to investigate and prosecute all acts of violence against protesters. 27:00 Janet Sanderson: We strongly believe that a transition is necessary, that an orderly, peaceful transition is the only way to begin to lead Yemen out of the crisis that it has been in for the last few months. 34:30 Daniel Benjamin: Really, I just want to echo what ambassador Sanderson said. It is vitally important that the transition take place. 1:02:15 Daniel Benjamin: The the view from the administration, particularly from a DOD, which is doing of course, the lion's share of the training, although State Department through anti-terrorism training is doing, uh, uh, a good deal as well, is that the Yemenis are, uh, improving their capacities, that they are making good progress towards, uh, being, able to deal with the threats within their border. But it is important to recognize that, uh, uh, our engagement in Yemen was interrupted for many years. Uh, Yemen, uh, did not have the kind of mentoring programs, the kind of training programs that many of our other counter-terrorism partners had. Um, it was really when the Obama administration came into office that a review was done, uh, in, in March of, uh, beginning in March of 2009, it was recognized that Yemen was a major challenge in the world of counter terrorism. And it was not until, uh, December after many conversations with the Yemenis that we really felt that they were on-board with the project and in fact took their first actions against AQAP. This, as you may recall, was just shortly before the attempted, uh, December 25th bombing of the northwest flight. So this is a military and a set of, uh, Ministry of Interior that is civilian, uh, units that are making good progress, but obviously have a lot to learn. So, uh, again, vitally important that we get back to the work of training these units so that they can, uh, take on the missions they need to. Press Conference: Yemen Conference, C-SPAN, January 27, 2010. Speakers: David Miliband - British Foreign Secretary Hillary Clinton - Secretary of State Abu Bakr al-Kurbi - Yemeni Foreign Minister Sound Clips: 3:30 David Miliband: And working closely with the government of Yemen, we decided that our agenda needed to cover agreement on the nature of the problem and then address the, uh, solutions across the economic, social, and political terrain. Five key items were agreed at the meeting for the way in which the international community can support progress in Yemen. First, confirmation by the government of Yemen, that it will continue to pursue its reform agenda and agreement to start discussion of an IMF program. The director of the IMF represented at the meeting made a compelling case for the way in which economic reform could be supported by the IMF. This is important because it will provide welcome support and help the government of Yemen confront its immediate challenges. 11:45 Hillary Clinton: The United States just signed a three year umbrella assistance agreement with the government of Yemen that will augment Yemen's capacity to make progress. This package includes initiatives that will cover a range of programs, but the overarching goal of our work is to increase the capacity and governance of Yemen and give the people of Yemen the opportunity to better make choices in their own lives. President Saleh has outlined a 10 point plan for economic reform along with the country's national reform agenda. Those are encouraging signs of progress. Neither, however, will mean much if they are not implemented. So we expect Yemen to enact reforms, continue to combat corruption, and improve the country's investment in business climate. 15:45 Abu Bakr al-Kurbi: This commitment also stems from our belief that the challenges we are facing now cannot be remedied unless we implement this agenda of reforms and the 10 points that her exellency alluded to because this is now a priority number of issues that we have to start with, and I hope this is what will be one of the outcomes of this meeting. 16:30 Hillary Clinton: One of the factors that's new is the IMF's involvement and commitment. the IMF has come forward with a reform agenda that the government of Yemen has agreed to work on. 24:30 Hillary Clinton: We were pleased by the announcement of a cease fire, um, between the Saudis and the Houthis. That should lead, we hope, to broader negotiations and a political dialogue that might lead to a permanent, uh, end to the conflict in the north. It's too soon to tell. The Daily Show with John Stewart: Terror 2.0 by Yemen - Sad Libs, CC.com, January 6, 2010. The Daily Show with John Stewart: Terror 2.0 by Yemen, CC.com, January 4, 2010. Community Suggestions See Community Suggestions HERE. Cover Art Design by Only Child Imaginations Music Presented in This Episode Intro & Exit: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio)

Kevin Melton, Senior Civil-Military Transition Assistance Specialist, USAID Office of Transition Initiatives, discusses OTI's structure and functions and connection to Civil Affairs. He highlights the Stabilization Assistance Review, a report drafted by DoD, State, and USAID.

For many years now - and its just crazy that I can say that about this podcast at this stage - I’ve been saying the social sector is filled with lots of very smart, well educated people who truly want to lift up others in pursuit of greater human flourishing.  Almost always, this is a fantastic thing, I mean, having intelligent, thoughtful people on your team is something we all wish for. But, at the same time, something I’ve also noticed over my career is that when we create teams with many highly intelligent, ambitious, motivated people… those teams often miss the forest for the trees.  Reports that could be 2 or 3 pages end up being 100 page tomes, people dive deep into their passions or niches and often have trouble seeing how their initiatives are interconnected with others and, as has been so often pointed out on just this show alone, we frequently forget to just listen to the very people and communities we’re trying to serve. One area where this rings true is in the area of planning. We plan so we can measure. We plan so we can articulate the theory behind the change we expect to see. We plan because of budget cycles and resource allocations. We plan so much that sometimes - and no, I’m not kidding here - we forget to “do”. This partially why phrases often associated with places like silicon valley - things like innovation, iteration and fail fast - have become such buzzwords around the social sector.    So, what if it was your job to lead a US Government Agency that had to operate without a plan and literally embrace the unknown to achieve foreign policy objectives? For most of the people I know in our sector, this would be  highly undesirable. Now, this isn’t a value statement, this is just common sense - most of us look for stability, predictability and minimal risk in what is otherwise a unique career choice. But for people like Stephen Lennon, my guest for the 171st Terms of Reference Podcast, delivering positive outcomes in turbulent situations is his sweet spot. Stephen is the Director of the Office of Transition Initiatives for the US Government. OTI helps local partners advance peace and democracy by providing fast, flexible, short-term assistance targeted at key political transition and stabilization needs. If your like me - or really any shade of an Aidpreneur - you’re going to love this conversation  about how OTI operates, how they innovate on the fly in situations across the globe and why sometimes not having a plan is the best plan of all.

Stephen Morrison is the Senior Vice President and Director of the Global Health Policy Center at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. He's had a long and fascinating career working on development, human rights and health issues around the world. His PhD work focused on the political economy of countries that bordered apartheid South Africa and spend much of the 1980s and 1990s working on African issues in Congress and for the clinton administration. We discuss the origins of the Eritrean-Ethiopian conflict, and his experiences working in the Horn of Africa during a pretty turbulent time. Later, he started USAID's Office of Transition Initiatives and served in Bosnia during the height of the civil war, where he had a few very close calls... Enjoy!  

Nichole Graber-Simmons is Director of the Office of Citizen Security for USAID in Kingston, Jamaica. The Office of Citizen Security is part of USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI), which in turn is part of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance (DCHA). The OTI was established in 1994 to provide fast, flexible, short-term assistance to take advantage of windows of opportunity to build democracy and peace, seeking to lay the foundations for long-term development by promoting reconciliation, jump starting economies and helping stable democracy take hold. Prior to joining USAID nearly six years ago, Graber-Simmons worked for the American National Red Cross in its response to pandemic influenza, and before that she worked for the UNDP in Fiji, mainly on disaster preparedness projects. Graber-Simmons has a Master’s in International Development from Monash University and a Graduate Diploma in International Relations/Development from the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University.