ONLINE NEWS

The US is well informed in Moscow -- which is why Washington is skeptical that Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has much of a future. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, diplomatic cables make clear, is 'in the driver's seat.'

The report that the US ambassador to Moscow, John Beyrle, sent to Washington on Aug. 9, 2008, did not contain a lot that was flattering about the Russian president, Dmitry Medvedev. Beyrle, a diplomat who had been an expert on Russia since Soviet times, got his charges d'affaires to describe the reaction of Medvedev to the beginning of the war with Georgia the previous night. "A pale and hesitant Medvedev, with none of the bravado of Putin, was pushed forward into the limelight on Saturday morning," the report said.

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My Comment: Putin has (in the past few months) assembled the necessary organization and support to make a run at the Russian Presidency. But .... I believe that he is only going through the motions, and that his focus and heart is not to regain the Russian Presidency.

Why should he .... he has all the powers and influence that a man in his position can have .... therefore, why have the added headache of 'Head of State'. In addition, at the moment Russian President Medvedev is the perfect man for Putin to have in the top spot. Medvedev is not a threat to him .... and more to the point .... he is his protege.

Therefore .... If I was a betting man .... I would put my money on him to not run in the next Russian Presidential election.

On a side note, the U.K. Guardian rips into Putin for making Russia into a mafia-state. The link to that story is here.

FORWARD OPERATING BASE RAMROD, Afghanistan — It's just after sunup as Air Force Staff Sgt. Michael Tankersley, close to wrapping up another night shift, looks at several flat-screen monitors while trying to pull in a video feed from a drone.

Flying west of Kandahar, the Reaper's signal is fuzzy much the same way as an old rabbit-ear TV, the image forming and fading because of interference from other frequencies.

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My Comment: Regular readers know that I always enjoy posting good articles on America's drone fleet .... well .... here is another one.

December 1, 2010: The U.S. Army is facing another, and rather poignant, drug menace. It seems a growing number of infantry troops are using steroids, to help them build muscle mass, so that they can better handle the loads they have to carry in combat. For most of these troops, the additional muscle is seen as a matter of life and death. But there are short term (mood swings, especially irritability and increased aggressiveness) and long term (hypertension, damage to the heart or liver) risks from steroid use. Even so, many troops accept the risks, in order to obtain a little more speed in combat. Speed is often the key to survival out there.

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Update #1: US soldiers using steroids to increase brawn for battle -- Sydney Morning Herald
Update #2: Steroid use on the rise in the Army -- Seattle Times

My Comment: It's going to be the cigarettes that will kill them in the end.

NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--The U.S. Army wants to purchase nearly 1,900 infantry combat vehicles for an estimated $20 billion to replace an aging Bradley fleet that's been vulnerable to roadside-bomb attacks in Iraq and Afghanistan.

That estimate does not include development costs, which could double the vehicles' final drive-away price.

The military anticipates awarding up to three, fixed-priced incentive fee contracts in April to develop the initial design for the vehicle, the Army said late Tuesday in a news release. Total value of the awards is estimated to be about $450 million.

The first delivery of the next-generation vehicles are expected seven years later.

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Army wants proposals for combat vehicle -- UPI
Army revamps rules for vehicle competition -- Reuters
Army Relaunches FCS Son -- DoD Buzz
DoD Savings Push Hits U.S. Army Vehicle Program -- Defense News
Army issues revised RFP for ground combat vehicle -- Government Executive
U.S. Army RFP for new Ground Combat Vehicle -- Defense World
Army unveils new GCV requirements -- Army Times
U.S. Army Requests Bids for $1.35 Billion Ground-Combat Vehicles Contract -- Bloomberg
Army overhauls wish list for $40B combat vehicle program -- The Hill

From Boston.com:

Saturday, November 27th marked a milestone in Afghanistan - after that day passed, the United States and its allies have now been in Afghanistan longer than the Soviet Union had been when it withdrew in 1989. Recent announcements by the U.S. appear to show that it plans to remain at least another four years. In the south, U.S. forces are increasingly encountering abandoned buildings that are heavily booby-trapped as they pursue the Taliban, leading them to systematically destroy the structures. Arghandab district governor Shah Muhammed Ahmadi said "In some villages where only a few houses were contaminated by bombs, we called the owners and got their agreement to destroy them, In some villages like Khosrow that were completely empty and full of IED's, we destroyed them without agreement because it was hard to find the people - and not just Khosrow, but many villages. We had to destroy them to make them safe." Collected here are images of the country and conflict over the past month, part of an ongoing monthly series on Afghanistan. (43 photos total)

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Building was constructed by Israeli engineers prior to Islamic Revolution; Iranian officials incensed, call for Jewish symbol's removal.

Did Israeli prankster architects sneak a Star of David onto the roof of the Tehran airport, or is the controversy in Iran over a Google Earth revelation much ado about nothing?

Regardless of whether it was happenstance or an act of architectural subterfuge, government officials in Iran were incensed this week when they discovered the outline of a Star of David atop the roof of the headquarters of Iran Air, Al- Arabiya reported on Monday.

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Update: Iranians Furious After Finding Jewish Symbol Hidden In Plain View -- Gizmodo

My Comment: Hmmmm .... someone has a sense of humor. But I wonder if the Iranians are going to rid this "star" on the roof.