Washington’s “Second Coming” to Asia: Militants, Ports, and Pressure Points

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President Trump’s renewed focus on regaining the Bagram Air Base and developing Pakistan’s Pasni Port signals Washington’s attempt to reassert strategic influence in a region increasingly dominated by China, Russia, and Iran.

Washington’s “second coming” to Asia

Pakistan’s Pasni Port, located in Balochistan province, sits at the crossroads of strategic infrastructure and insurgent resistance. The Western-backed Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), active in the region, has long targeted Chinese-financed projects. The BLA maintains ties with both the Pakistan Taliban and ISIS-K—a faction recently linked to recruiting Uygur militants. Separately, U.S. support for Uygur militants predates this trend, with allegations tracing back to the 1970s/1980s. Rep. Perry has claimed that ISIS-K received backing from USAID, adding another layer to the region’s militant entanglements. 

This only deepens my suspicion that recapturing Bagram Air Base could serve as a launchpad—not merely for tactical leverage, but to stir Uygur militant resistance against Beijing or pressure China with a second front in the event of a future Pacific conflict.

Sources:

BLA: U.S. Proxies in Balochistan document

ISIS-K & Uygur militants: ISIS has its sights set on a new potential ally—Uyghur jihadi groups

CIA & Uygur militants: US & TERRORISM IN XINJIANG

Uygur militants: *Xinjiang*

USAID & ISIS-K: Rep. Perry reveals what some of us already knew about USAID

Bagram Air Base: Why Does Trump Want U.S. Troops Back in Afghanistan?

Bonus: Chokepoints Are The Focus Of A New Cold War

In Pentagon shakeup, some see bid for more secret actions, less oversight

The selection of John Daniel Caine as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff may signal a new emphasis on irregular warfare, covert and clandestine operations, enabling swifter action with fewer legal constraints and less congressional scrutiny, say former military and senior defense officials who have worked in the intelligence community, special operations, the Defense Department, and the White House.

In Pentagon shakeup, some see bid for more secret actions, less oversight

Hot spots where war may break out or escalate in 2025: Balochistan

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Hot spots where war may break out or escalate in 2025

Balochistan – Iran and Pakistan

Balochistan is a little-known region spanning eastern Iran, western Pakistan, and southern Afghanistan. It is inhabited by the Baloch people, a unique nomadic ethno-linguistic group. Iran and Pakistan have struggled with insurgencies from the group for decades, embittered over a sense of disenfranchisement.

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Australia-Philippines Military Public Affairs workshop

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Throughout the three-day course, we’ve looked at the strategic, operational and tactical levels.  We’ve looked at the operational framework in which both nations work.  Some of the considerations that we have to work together with.  We’ve looked at media programs and media talent and preparing that talent and facilitating media embed programs.  And we also unpacked and looked at photography workshop as well, where we’ve been able to have lots of fun looking at the kits and the tools, and taking some photography and vision in order to amplify key messages into the region.

ADF | Australia-Philippines Military Public Affairs workshop

Related:

Great communication begins with connection

‘The workshop got our nations on one page to deliver the right information and messages that we want to convey across the globe.’

Embedded journalism:

The original purpose of embedding was to control journalists, according to Helen Benedict, a professor at the Columbia Journalism School.  Citing award-winning Australian journalist Phillip Knightley’s book “The First Casualty: The War Correspondent as Hero and Myth-Maker from the Crimea to Iraq” which describes how the U.S. government invented embedded journalism in response to critical coverage of the Vietnam War.  As civilian casualties in Afghanistan reached 5,000, the Pentagon sought a media strategy that would bring attention back to the military’s role in the war, especially the role played by ordinary American service members.  This would require bringing war correspondents on side.

What are Information Operations?

To obtain a competitive edge, information operations and warfare entail obtaining intelligence on opponents and disseminating propaganda.

DefinitionInformation operations are tactics used to sway people’s opinions and affect how decisions are made.

More information:

Embedded Journalism, Media Manipulation & Apathy

2012 NDAA – Propaganda – MISO – InfoOps – PsyOps

SeaLight document

CIA personnel land in Lebanon, ramp up intel gathering to support Israel’s war

The CIA has sent additional agents to Lebanon and has increased its communications with Lebanese military, security, and political officials in an effort to obtain information about Hezbollah, and may have played a role in Israel’s recent attempt to assassinate a Hezbollah political leader, Al-Akhbar reported on 14 October.

CIA personnel land in Lebanon, ramp up intel gathering to support Israel’s war

Related:

Reddit (English translation of Tweet by Al Akhbar): Al-Akhbar: Ibrahim Al-Amin | The U.S. Enters the War: Officers Join the Beirut Station to Undermine the Resistance from Within | Is the CIA Involved in an Assassination Attempt on Wafiq Safa?

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