What is Invincible Shield 15?
A secret special operations exercise scheduled in Abu Dhabi by a secret organization practicing a compartmented plan to practice and prepare for the mission of the future? A codename that can't be found on Google or the Internet?
Invincible Shield 15 has everything that's interesting to me: the National Mission Force, the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), the National Counter-terrorism Joint Task Force (NCJTF), Focal Point, and Offensive Cyberspace Operations (OCO). In the Pentagon, they are already referring to the United Arab Emirates as "Little Sparta" and whether this exercise portends deeper cooperation or just the UAE's new status as base of choice isn't clear. Nor is the target? Iran? Pakistan?
I wrote extensively about the National Mission Force in my book American Coup and how this interagency beyond-the-Pentagon off-the-books organization lives by its own rules in the realm of counter-terrorism and weapons of mass destruction, specifically capturing/going after loose nukes or attacking nuclear facilities. Any readers want to help?
You can contact me at william.arkin@gawker.com, and follow us at @gawkerphasezero. If you are into the theater of being underground, you can anonymously deliver tips through the Gawker Media SecureDrop. I've also got a book on drones coming out in July called Unmanned: Drones, Data and the Illusion of Perfect Warfare. I'm open to your input and your questions, tough questions.