"It is customary in democratic countries to deplore expenditure on armaments as conflicting with the requirements of the social services. There is a tendency to forget that the most important social service that a government can do for its people is to keep them alive and free."
- John Cotesworth Slessor, 1897-1979, British Air Force Marshall
"What a society gets in its armed forces is exactly what it asks for, no more and no less. What it asks for tends to be a reflection of what it is. When a country looks at its fighting forces it is looking at a mirror: if the mirror is a true one the face that it sees will be its own."
- General Sir John Hackett, The Profession of Arms
"A generation which ignores history has no past and no future."
- Robert Heinlein
"History is the witness that testifies to the passing of time; it illuminates reality, vitalizes memory, provides guidance in daily life and brings us tidings of antiquity."
- Cicero
"History is a vast early warning system."
- Norman Cousins
It is good to see Taiwan emphasizing its Special Forces. As I have mentioned I would love to see a new US Special Forces Detachment Taiwan as we had in the 1950/1960s.
Taipei, June 21 (CNA) An Army special forces division is undergoing a 15-day training program that comprises a 350-kilometer march and is scheduled to conclude on Monday.
The special force's training mission, which started on June 8, is taking place in Taoyuan and Hsinchu, and was open to the press Friday when it conducted a drill in a scenario in which enemies established in a location in Hsinchu were trying to interfere with operations at a nearby air base.
Special forces soldiers rappel down a rope from a Black Hawk helicopter.
According to Lieutenant Colonel Chang Kuan-chun (張冠群), head of the special forces division, the training is different from the past practice of marching in the mountains and is more diversified because it is also supported by other army divisions, both on the ground and in the air.
Apart from armored vehicles, Friday's drill also deployed several types of helicopters, including the Boeing AH-64, the UH-60 Black Hawk and the OH-58D.
FDD is a Washington-based nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.
If you do not read anything else in the 2017 National Security Strategy read this on page 14:
"A democracy is only as resilient as its people. An informed and engaged citizenry is the fundamental requirement for a free and resilient nation. For generations, our society has protected free press, free speech, and free thought. Today, actors such as Russia are using information tools in an attempt to undermine the legitimacy of democracies. Adversaries target media, political processes, financial networks, and personal data. The American public and private sectors must recognize this and work together to defend our way of life. No external threat can be allowed to shake our shared commitment to our values, undermine our system of government, or divide our Nation."
