Geopolitics / Syria – Whose sarin?

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– London Review of Books – Barack Obama did not tell the whole story this autumn when he tried to make the case that Bashar al-Assad was responsible for the chemical weapons attack near Damascus on 21 August. In some instances, he omitted important intelligence, and in others he presented assumptions as facts. Most significant, he failed to acknowledge something known to the US intelligence community: that the Syrian army is not the only party in the country’s civil war with access to sarin, the nerve agent that a UN study concluded – without assessing responsibility – had been used in the rocket attack. In the months before the attack, the American intelligence agencies produced a series of highly classified reports, culminating in a formal Operations Order – a planning document that precedes a ground invasion – citing evidence that the al-Nusra Front, a jihadi group affiliated with al-Qaida, had mastered the mechanics of creating sarin and was capable of manufacturing it in quantity. When the attack occurred al-Nusra should have been a suspect, but the administration cherry-picked intelligence to justify a strike against Assad.

US Navy – Navy says training could kill dozens of sea mammals

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– Virginian Pilot – Navy testing and training could kill dozens of dolphins, whales and other sea mammals and injure thousands more over the next five years, according to the service’s own analysis. But while environmental groups say those estimates only scratch the surface of the impact that sonar and explosives can have on sea life, the Navy believes that most of those injuries would be temporary, that the numbers will likely be lower and that the long-term effects on the species will be negligible.

US Navy – U.S. Navy Expanding Simulator Use To Cut Costs

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– Aviation Week – The US Navy’s aviation simulation master plan for 2020 calls for progressively boosting the fidelity of individual simulators among Navy aircraft as well as the connectivity between simulators located anywhere. Rather than eliminate live aircraft training, the simulator plan is designed to cautiously and progressively increase the amount of cost-saving virtual training while maintaining enough in-aircraft practice to ensure safety.

Chinese Navy – Chinese warship nearly collided with USS Cowpens

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– Stars and Stripes – On Dec. 5, a Chinese warship nearly collided with a U.S. Navy guided missile cruiser, according to U.S. Pacific Fleet. “While lawfully operating in international waters in the South China Sea, USS Cowpens (CG 63) and a PLA Navy vessel had an encounter that required maneuvering to avoid a collision. This incident underscores the need to ensure the highest standards of professional seamanship, including communications between vessels, to mitigate the risk of an unintended incident or mishap,” PACFLT said in a statement.