CIA Director Affirms Obama’s ISIS Strategy Is Not Working

No, President Barack Obama—we aren’t winning the war against the Islamic State.

The head of the CIA, John Brennan, testified on Thursday that, “Despite all our progress against [the Islamic State] on the battlefield and in the financial realm, our efforts have not reduced the group’s terrorism capacity and global reach.”

Week in Review: Germany Builds an Airbase in Turkey, Islamic State in Mexico, Canada to Legalize Weed, and More

 

Highlights:

Germany to build a military base in Turkey

• Spiegel magazine reported that Germany is spending $73.7 million to build a new air base in Turkey.
• It will be built at the site in Incirlik where the Bundeswehr (German Army) is currently flying reconnaissance and refueling missions into Syria.
• The German Ministry of Defense expects its military campaign against the Islamic State will drag on, and therefore believes it needs to provide some more permanent solutions.
• One politician expressed surprise at how quickly Germany has been able to turn Europe’s initial reaction to the Paris attacks into a long-term military presence in Turkey.
• Is this part of Germany’s whirlwind strategy?

The Complex ‘Military-Style’ Raid on California Power Station Spooks U.S.

When U.S. officials warn about “attacks” on electric power facilities these days, the first thing that comes to mind is probably a computer hacker trying to shut the lights off in a city with malware. But a more traditional attack on a power station in California has U.S. officials puzzled and worried about the physical security of the the electrical grid–from attackers who come in with guns blazing.

Around 1:00 AM on April 16, at least one individual (possibly two) entered two different manholes at the PG&E Metcalf power substation, southeast of San Jose, and cut fiber cables in the area around the substation. That knocked out some local 911 services, landline service to the substation, and cell phone service in the area, a senior U.S. intelligence official told Foreign Policy. The intruder(s) then fired more than 100 rounds from what two officials described as a high-powered rifle at several transformers in the facility. Ten transformers were damaged in one area of the facility, and three transformer banks — or groups of transformers — were hit in another, according to a PG&E spokesman.