B2B Global Military

The Conservatives' new commitment to increase defence spending by at least 0.5% above inflation every year until 2022 was overshadowed by the leak of Labour's draft general election manifesto on Wednesday evening (11 May).
Prime Minister Theresa May will make the pledge just a day after meeting Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary-general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).

A distinguished group of former military top brass has written an open letter to the prime minister warning that Britain's security is at risk unless the armed forces are properly funded.
The letter reflects concern right across the ranks. The list includes not just the "old and the bold" - retired admirals, generals and air marshals - but former colonels, corporals and academics, too. The reality is that defence is not always top of the list of voters' concerns at an election. These are some of the questions behind the letter:

Turning an idea into a product requires planning not only for success, but for failure, too. Having a backup plan is absolutely crucial because when “Plan A” changes -- and it will. The ability to adapt is absolutely paramount if you want to keep the momentum moving.  
Planning for failure is different than expecting to fail. The former allows a swift response to act when the unexpected unfolds and requires minimal effort to shift the “mental gears.” The latter, however, breeds negative self-talk, a toxic “never-will-be” attitude and a direct path to nowhere.  

Israeli satellite imagery confirms redeployment of at least one Russian A-50 Aerial Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) in Syria. 

Imagery captured May 3 by the ImageSat International (ISI) Eros B satellite, published here for the first time, shows the Russian special mission aircraft deployed at the Latakia Air Base in Syria.  

Qasim al Raymi, the emir of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), wants jihadists in the West to carry out “easy and simple” attacks. His message was delivered in a short video (just over 5 minutes long) that was released online yesterday by AQAP’s propaganda arm, Al Malahem Media.
Raymi addresses the “patient” jihadists “living in the Western countries” and he argues they should be viewed as part of a cohesive, global cause.

The MQ-9 Reaper drone is already the deadliest UAV in the U.S. Air Force’s arsenal. Designed with a payload capacity of 3,700 pounds and armament of AGM-114 Hellfire missiles and GBU-12 Paveway II bombs, it’s no wonder that Air Force officials announced in February that the Reaper would gradually come to replace the iconic MG-1 Predator drone as a fixture of the global war on terror.

Since the beginning of 2017, extremists have killed 2,835 people in 406 attacks around the world. An interactive terrorism map reveals that the vast majority of those attacks occurred in Afghanistan and Iraq and were perpetrated by the Islamic State. Created by Esri Story maps and PeaceTech Lab, the map uses real-time information crowdsourced from sites like Wikipedia.

Every employee, regardless of position within the company, serves as a leader in some capacity. However, being a leader while at the top of the organizational food chain is like receiving incoming enemy fire from multiple directions—you must be constantly vigilant about anything and everything going on around you because one false move and both you and the team are in trouble.

After spending 13 years in special operations, there are a few key behaviors I want to share that will optimize CEO performance both at the individual and organizational levels. Knowing how to direct oneself and one’s team amidst chaos requires a presence of mind, personal and situational awareness, and degree of humility that all serve as distinguishing factors between mediocrity and greatness.

Decision-making is something that rests upon the shoulders of everybody. In fact, the average adult makes roughly 35,000 decisions a day. Just the simple act of going through a decision-making process is enough to garner unwanted stress and give birth to unwanted grey hairs that never go away. However, the conclusions we derive are only as good as two critical factors supporting them -- the information being sourced and the self-awareness of the decision maker. Here’s what I mean.  

The information we use to make decisions must be accurate -- this much is obvious. Have you ever tied to navigate the streets of New York with a map of Los Angeles? It’s not easy. The point is, nobody arrives at the right conclusion using the wrong data.  

The overseas contracting industry is one of the most unique and demanding work environments in the world. Whether we are running a base camp in Africa, managing a static guard force in Iraq, jumping an oil rig in the Caspian, or fixing a generator in Afghanistan, an already challenging job is made exponentially harder by the project conditions. Living in a tent in close quarters, showering in a container, eating from a paper tray, and spending holidays like any other work day….these all add stress and complexity to already tough work.

What makes us successful is not as much the skills, degrees, and qualifications that we have learned. Rather, it is our ability to handle stress, deal with other coworkers, and manage a family far away that really determines our success or failures.

Inside the White House, opponents of Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, President Donald Trump’s second national security advisor, want him out. This week, they’ve made their campaign against him public, leaking to reporters details about the rocky relationship he has with his boss and trying to paint him as someone hellbent on overseas nation-building projects that are doomed to fail.

The timing isn’t accidental. The effort to damage McMaster comes as the Trump administration decides what its policy should be in Afghanistan, a debate that’s pitting McMaster against Steve Bannon, Trump’s chief strategist.

Iran will destroy "terrorist bases and safe havens" within Pakistan if the latter fails to curb cross-border terrorism, the army chief said on Monday (8 May).
"We expect the Pakistani officials to control the borders, arrest the terrorists and shut down their bases," Major General Mohammad Baqeri, the head of the Iranian armed forces, told state news agency IRNA. "We cannot accept the continuation of this situation."

A British man suspected of being part of an Islamic State group that beheaded hostages has been convicted of a terrorism offence in Turkey.
Aine Davis, 33, of London, had been arrested in 2015 near Istanbul.
He was found guilty of being a senior member of a terrorist organisation and jailed for seven-and-a-half years.
The BBC understands Davis was one of a four-man IS cell nicknamed "The Beatles", which included the person dubbed Jihadi John.
Davis, the only one of the group to face a trial, had denied the charges against him.

What the heck are we doing in Afghanistan right now?
I ask this very important question because President Donald Trump's senior advisers are proposing sending thousands of additional US troops there so they can "start winning" again, according to one official who spoke with The Washington Post.
That would be great if the word "winning" could be defined.

Jacqueline Hurley’s commemorative expressionist ‘War Poppy Collection’ will go on display from Saturday, 11 March 2017- 9th July 2017
Jacqueline Hurley’s War Poppy Collection is her tribute to our Armed Forces and a remembrance to all those fallen and injured in past campaigns. She paints to evoke emotion, reflection and remembrance.
The 41 individual works recognise the suffering and sacrifice of soldiers who fought in WW1 and WW2, through to present day, the exhibition is in the heart of the new Remembrance Centre.
Save money today for great discount enter Discount code - B2B0317 Jacqueline’s military poppy paintings have quickly become extremely popular and well received since she started painting in October 2014. Her pieces are often described as poignant and evocative and have touched the hearts and emotions of many, keeping the importance of remembrance in the forefront of people’s minds and reaching and connecting with many people from all over the world.