Joint Special Operations University

Exposure to blast overpressure has been a pervasive feature of combat-related injuries. Studies exploring the neurological correlates of repeated low-level blast exposure in career “breachers” demonstrated higher levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) and interleukin (IL)-6 and decreases in IL-10 within brain-derived extracellular vesicles (BDEVs). The current pilot study was initiated in partnership with the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) to explore whether neuroinflammation is seen within special operators with prior blast exposure. Data were analyzed from 18 service members (SMs), inclusive of 9 blast-exposed special operators with an extensive career history of repeated blast exposures and 9 controls matched by age and duration of service. Neuroinflammation was assessed utilizing positron emission tomography (PET) imaging with [18F]DPA-714. Serum was acquired to assess inflammatory biomarkers within whole serum and BDEVs. The Blast Exposure Threshold Survey (BETS) was acquired to determine blast history. Both self-report and neurocognitive measures were acquired to assess cognition. Similarity-driven Multi-view Linear Reconstruction (SiMLR) was used for joint analysis of acquired data. Analysis of BDEVs indicated significant positive associations with a generalized blast exposure value (GBEV) derived from the BETS. SiMLR-based analyses of neuroimaging demonstrated exposure-related relationships between GBEV, PET-neuroinflammation, cortical thickness, and volume loss within special operators. Affected brain networks included regions associated with memory retrieval and executive functioning, as well as visual and heteromodal processing. Post hoc assessments of cognitive measures failed to demonstrate significant associations with GBEV. This emerging evidence suggests neuroinflammation may be a key feature of the brain response to blast exposure over a career in operational personnel. The common thread of neuroinflammation observed in blast-exposed populations requires further study.

IntroductionThe phrase nonlethal weapons often brings to mind capabilities such as bean bags, rubber bullets, pepper spray, and electric stun guns. These capabilities are used domestically by law enforcement and by the military, primarily for protection and security missions. Nonlethal weapons (NLW) technology, however, has advanced significantly over the past 20 years.

NATO is faced with adversaries undertaking acts of aggression that deliberately stay below the lethal force threshold or aim to trigger a lethal response from NATO and incur costs to the Alliance such as undesired escalation, risks of collateral damage, including civilian casualties, or negative narratives. Examples of these activities range from dangerous aerial and maritime approaches, fomenting unrest and using refugees as a weapon, and even use of force short of lethal to intimidate opponents.

What should be expected of a covert action (CA) book, the infamous “third option” usually carried out by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)? As a scholar on the topic, I expect at least the foll...

Review of European, Comparative & International Environmental LawVolume 28, Issue 1 p. 102-103 BOOK REVIEWS Ship-Breaking in Developing Countries: A Requiem for Environmental Justice from the Perspective of Bangladesh by Md Saiful, Karim Published by Routledge, 2018, 150 pp., £115, hardback. Abul Hasanat, Abul Hasanat orcid.org/0000-0002-7302-1166 Joint District Judge, BangladeshSearch for more papers by this author Abul Hasanat, Abul Hasanat orcid.org/0000-0002-7302-1166 Joint District Judge, BangladeshSearch for more papers by this author First published: 06 February 2019 https://doi.org/10.1111/reel.12276Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume28, Issue1Special Issue: The Global Pact for the Environment and Gaps in International Environmental LawApril 2019Pages 102-103 RelatedInformation

Military reading lists, intended to promote professional reading and in turn enhance education and develop critical thinking skills and sound judgement, recommend key texts to military personnel. This is a noble intent but the lists themselves, while generally good, are not flawless. Critiques of military reading lists often focus on what sources they are missing. This article offers its own critique but from a different perspective. It does so by analysing why some sources, which have become outdated, are based on faulty or incomplete research, have been thoroughly disproven, or some combination of the above, nevertheless linger on military reading lists. It then offers a short list of such sources, which it recommends be either removed from existing reading lists or accompanied by other sources that place the original source in appropriate historical context. Where applicable, it also recommends alternative sources that provide insights into the same subject matter. In so doing, this article is intended generate debate and to assist militaries to achieve a better balance between evaluation, induction and retention of valid knowledge on one hand, and rejection of outdated or flawed knowledge on the other.

As the realm of Publicly Available Information continues to be codified by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), it is time to redefine the Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) discipline to leverage the digital data domain effectively. This article recommends focusing on the modernization and redefinition of Defense OSINT to yield the best results. It highlights the value of the proliferation of OSINT sources in the Digital Age. This article recommends professionalizing Defense OSINT by establishing an enlisted military OSINT occupation, identifying specialized OSINT skills for recruitment, documenting OSINT best practices, standardizing Defense OSINT training, establishing a service lead to leverage industry experts, and updating all relevant DoD policy and Service regulations. It also includes a brief account of policymakers urging these types of changes.

Skills Operators. These occupational specialties, collectively referred to as "Operators," are arguably the most demanding within the Department of Defense. All Operators undergo a rigorous assessment and selection process before entering their respective training pipelines. Once accepted into training, attrition among prospective Operators is typically around 70%. The arduous training program to gain entry into special operations is only the start for most Operators. It costs at least a million dollars or more to

this is not a global war against a tactic-terrorism or a religion-Islam." 2 Negative Muslim perceptions of the U.S. need to be understood if there is any hope of reversing the trend.