Welcome! Our goal at Winds of Change.NET is to give you one power-packed briefing of insights, news and trends from the global War on Terror that leaves you stimulated, informed, and occasionally amused every Monday & Thursday. In addition, we also have our in-depth Iraq Report today.

Today's Winds of War briefing is brought to you by Bill Roggio and evariste of Discarded Lies.

Top Topics

• A Chinese general threatened to nuke the US in a confrontation over Taiwan. The threat may be China trying to find out how vehement the response will be, or else to send a signal to the US and Japan. The general may only have two stars, but in an authoritarian regime like China's, he wouldn't be saying this if he wasn't cleared to do so. The conversation in QandO's comments is quite interesting. Strangely, the US is softening its stance somewhat on European arms sales to China. Meanwhile, the "People's" "Liberation" Army announced a massive restructuring, shedding 200,000 troops and modernizing equipment. The army/navy/air force middle-management chain of command is also getting an overhaul/downsizing as China appears to be learning from the US military doctrine of "jointness". Also-Why oppose China's UNOCAL bid? Here are a couple of non-petrostrategic reasons: UNOCAL owns advanced deep-ocean technology that the Chinese could use for undersea mapping with potential military submarine ramifications, and UNOCAL owns the only rare-earth mine remaining in the US (American military technology is heavily dependent on rare-earth elements).

• DHS Secretary Chertoff announced plans to centralize intelligence and terror analysis, prioritize bioterrorism, and improve WMD detection systems for public transportation. The chain of command is being shaken up extensively as well. Controversially, a split-up of FEMA, the federal emergency management, preparedness and disaster response agency, is also in the cards. The department's Emergency Preparedness Directorate may be dismantled.

• Australia is stepping up with 150 SAS special forces troops for the Afghanistan mission in the Global War on Terror. This is up from its current troop deployment level of one (there was previously a larger contingent, later withdrawn). It may also send a 200-person provincial reconstruction team later. More.

• Canada, too, is stepping up its commitment in Afghanistan in a major way. Its elite Joint Task Force 2 soldiers are joining Canada's new 2,000 man deployment to Afghanistan.

• Pakistan's madrassas are implicated not only in the London bombings but in every single British-born Islamic terrorist yet. This op-ed argues that we're not getting our money's worth from Musharraf. His promises to reform the madrassa system have come to nil. One of the London bombers met the Islamabad Church bomber, for instance. On the other hand, Pakistan claimed to have helped Britain avoid terrorism attacks during its May elections, and has arrested two accused of links with one of the bombers.

Other Topics Today Include:
US wags finger at Iran; Iran thumbs nose at US; new bunker-busters to be tested soon; Israel could be destroyed by two nukes; targeted assassinations to resume; Syria blockading Lebanon; Chavez training 2 million; VA life sentence; Canadian sleeper cell; border, ferry worries; Colombia paramilitary disarmament plan; threat to NJ hospitals; cyanide plotter competent for trial; Lodi deportations; gas station robber/convert to Islam had target list of military, Jewish facilities in US; LRA rebels killed by Ugandans; Russia inflaming Ivory Coast situation; Norks come back to 6-way yak; Thai headchoppers headstrong; copious London bombing developments coverage; Italian sweep; Ireland home to a Qaeda cell; anarchists create entropy; Saudi wallets wide open for the terrorists; DIY splodeydopery; FBI whingeing discredited and much, much more...

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