Austin Bay Austin Bay is author of three novels. His third novel, The Wrong Side of Brightness, was published by Putnam/Jove in June 2003. He has also co-authored four non-fiction books, to include A Quick and Dirty Guide to War: Third Edition (with James Dunnigan, Morrow, 1996). Bay writes a syndicated column on international affairs for Creators Syndicate. He is a commentator on National Public Radio's Morning Edition, covering foreign affairs but often addressing issues in Texas that have a national interest. Bay has appeared as a guest commentator on Fox News Channel, CNN, C-SPAN, MSNBC and ABC News' "Nightline," as well as on numerous regional radio and TV shows. As a journalist, he has filed reports from throughout Europe, Central America, Africa, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. He is a contributing editor to FYEO, an Internet foreign affairs newsletter found at www.StrategyPage.com, and writes a weblog on his home page, www.austinbay.net. Bay, who has had two commercial wargames published, worked for four years as a special consultant in wargaming in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (1989-1993). He is a colonel (retired) in the U.S. Army Reserve. In 2004, he was recalled to active duty and served in Iraq as chief of strategic initiatives, Multi-National Corps-Iraq (May-September 2004). He received the Bronze Star for meritorious service in Iraq. Bay also served on active duty in the Pentagon during Operation Desert Storm (1991). On active duty in the 1970s, Bay served in Germany as a tank platoon leader in the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment and as an assistant operations and chemical/nuclear defense officer in the headquarters of 1st Infantry Division's forward brigade group. (Goeppingen, Germany). While with 1st Infantry Division, his duties included liaison work with NATO allied units - in particular with West German, Canadian, and French forces. In 1995, the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization sent him to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to observe anti-ballistic missile training exercises. In 1999, Bay accepted a special reserve tour in Guatemala, where he was deputy commander of a Hurricane Mitch recovery operation and medical relief mission. In October 2001, Bay served a two-week tour with Central Command headquarters at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. Bay has a bachelor of arts from Rice University (1973) and has a Ph.D. in English and comparative literature from Columbia University (1987). He is a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff School and the U.S. Army War College. He currently teaches a course in strategy and strategic theory for the University of Texas' PLAN 2 undergraduate honors program. Recent projects include organizing a micro-development aid project for the Episcopal Church's Diocese of Texas. Bay is a member of The Authors Guild, Mystery Writers of America, The Modern Language Association, The Reserve Officers Association, The National Conference of Editorial Writers and The Society of Professional Journalists. http://www.townhall.com/columnists/AustinBay http://media.townhall.com/TownHall/icons/TH-feed-icon-128x128.gif http://www.townhall.com/columnists/AustinBay TownHall.com, Where your opinion counts. 128 Copyright (c) 2009 Townhall.com, A Salem Communications Web. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED jim.dearras@townhall.com (Jim De Arras) Wed, 16 Dec 2009 05:01:00 GMT Wed, 16 Dec 2009 05:01:00 GMT http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss RSS.NET: http://www.rssdotnet.com/ In November 2002, a Hellfire missile launched from a CIA-operated Predator hit a vehicle on a road in Yemen's Marib province. The strike killed six al-Qaida terrorists, among them Qaed Senyan al-Harthi. Al-Harthi... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/AustinBay/2009/12/16/predator_war 3dcc8751-2ffe-4d31-a86f-413cc82e5f73 Wed, 16 Dec 2009 05:01:00 GMT Last April during the Summit of the Americas, President Barack Obama shook hands with Venezuela's Hugo Chavez. Their greet-and-grip photo op had that street-smart flair -- hooked thumbs, hip dude grins, brothers in... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/AustinBay/2009/12/09/cooling_hugo_chavez 8619a8c7-b702-4f69-9bda-b0a85705646a Wed, 09 Dec 2009 05:01:00 GMT President Barack Obama's "new" approach to Afghanistan is a surge in sheep's clothing. Robert Gibbs' woolly explanation prior to Obama's speech is illustrative: "What the president will announce is an acceleration... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/AustinBay/2009/12/02/triangulating_afghanistan 43a9a38c-7f54-4ca8-9ab6-e217de095ec5 Wed, 02 Dec 2009 05:01:00 GMT At the height of its imperial power, "all roads led to Rome." The Latin capital, as the seat of government, center of commerce and central transportation hub, connected the entire empire. Now the Internet is, in a... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/AustinBay/2009/11/25/on_cyber_war 16b7f511-d5aa-4e23-8014-3cc1e77aa47b Wed, 25 Nov 2009 05:01:00 GMT Maj. Nidal Hasan's treachery and terror jolted Americans. As Hasan's attack demonstrates, al-Qaida and al-Qaida-influenced fanatics can strike and kill on American soil. While Hasan serves warning the... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/AustinBay/2009/11/18/al-qaudas_prospects 43da999d-01e6-47da-af73-9e0a8fdc6010 Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:14:55 GMT One word aptly describes Ft. Hood mass murderer Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan: traitor. Traitor is a tough word. It doesn't smudge and squish. "Traitor" draws a hard line, one that sharply divides essential life-determ http://www.townhall.com/columnists/AustinBay/2009/11/13/hasans_treason 8e753697-07ae-43e2-b11d-9dabac3378f1 Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:01:00 GMT One word aptly describes Ft. Hood mass murderer Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan: traitor. Traitor is a tough word. It doesn't smudge and squish. "Traitor" draws a hard line, one that sharply divides essential... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/AustinBay/2009/11/11/hasans_treason 2e01e203-35dd-4493-ba08-1a6da20c7144 Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:01:00 GMT On Nov. 9, 1989, large crowds of German citizens from both East and West Berlin approached the Berlin Wall. At several border crossing points, East Berliners began shouting at the armed communist guards, demanding they... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/AustinBay/2009/11/04/cracking_the_berlin_wall 888198e8-8038-4b4f-8885-491626d5326a Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:01:00 GMT Maintaining a competent military organization is a challenge for wealthy nations, even in times of relative peace. Bureaucrats and politicians hijack budgets as politically connected officers wrangle promotions at the... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/AustinBay/2009/10/28/building_an_army_under_fire 646a8583-b449-4acd-9663-bcd32807a666 Wed, 28 Oct 2009 04:01:00 GMT Action in the world ought to trump worlds evoked by words, especially when awarding a global prize allegedly recognizing sustained, courageous effort on behalf of peace in our world's deeply conflicted corners. We... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/AustinBay/2009/10/14/what_kind_of_action_in_the_world_justifies_a_nobel_peace_prize f4646f46-cacd-4362-9ae3-701e1f8547eb Wed, 14 Oct 2009 04:01:00 GMT Eliminate commercial jet transports connecting continents, and the tangled tribal, economic, anarchic and ideological problems vexing Afghanistan become more localized torments afflicting Afghanis and their neighbors.... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/AustinBay/2009/10/07/afghanistans_changing_battleground f98e2b0e-530d-4ec2-a2e0-34bc7d723bcc Wed, 07 Oct 2009 04:01:00 GMT Sudan's genocidal Darfur war still attracts international attention, and though large battles pitting national government troops against Darfur rebels are less frequent there, violent anarchy still afflicts that sad... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/AustinBay/2009/09/30/sudans_simmering_north-south_war f31d22ea-3f38-4260-8502-b1ce2d16c123 Wed, 30 Sep 2009 04:01:00 GMT When it came to acting on behalf of peace in the 21st century, the Obama administration weighed "sphere of influence" against "sphere of security" and came down solidly on the side of the Russian czars. I am... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/AustinBay/2009/09/23/obama_lets_sphere_of_influence_trump_sphere_of_security d4487fb7-8079-461e-a2f4-715a7e455e37 Wed, 23 Sep 2009 04:00:00 GMT When American special operations forces (SOF) operating in Somalia killed a terrorist mastermind this past week, media reports focused on the drama and the bombast. The drama was palpable. U.S. SOF used helicopters... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/AustinBay/2009/09/16/sof_targets_and_soft_targets 8cb1f6d8-bff1-49d6-bbb3-6bd4301ab798 Wed, 16 Sep 2009 04:01:00 GMT Morale matters -- especially in a time of war. Morale even matters in an "overseas contingency operation," the hazy bureaucratic phrase the Obama administration sought to substitute for "The Global War on Terror."... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/AustinBay/2009/09/09/dont_damage_the_first_line_of_defense 0f30bb47-fc31-43a3-8669-88507b916a0d Wed, 09 Sep 2009 04:01:00 GMT