| December 16, 2014 |
THE EARLY BIRD BRIEF |
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TODAY'S TOP 5
1. Report: Destroyer's command triad blamed for suicide, assaults
(Navy Times) A young boatswain's mate committed suicide on the destroyer James E. Williams in June and a subsequent investigation has found the ship's skipper, the former executive officer and the command master chief responsible for a toxic command climate that contributed to the tragedy.
2. Suicide prevention bill likely sidelined until 2015
(Military Times) Supporters of a sweeping veterans suicide prevention bill suffered a major setback Monday when retiring Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., blocked the measure in the waning hours of the year's legislative session.
3. Revisit Afghanistan's End Game Plan
(Bruce Riedel in the Brookings Institution) The longest war in American history is approaching its moment of truth. Next year, the American- and Nato-built Afghan army will face Pakistani-backed Taliban insurgents with only modest and decreasing foreign assistance. President Barack Obama has promised even that small troop presence will end by 2017. He needs to revisit this decision.
4. Nuclear-Armed Subs May Cost U.S. 17% More, Budget Office Finds
(Bloomberg) The U.S. Navy's plan to build as many as 12 new submarines armed with nuclear missiles may cost $92 billion, 17 percent more than the $79 billion the service has estimated, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
5. AMERICA'S MILITARY: Were the wars worth the cost?
(Military Times) The longest war in American history has officially come to a close. And for many service members, the overwhelming feeling is: good riddance.
CONGRESS
Analysis: Congress Reworks 10 Percent of DoD Procurement Budget
(Defense News) Congressional committees tweaked nearly 10 percent of the money that the Pentagon requested for its fiscal year 2015 appropriations accounts before the "cromnibus" spending bill was passed on Dec. 11 - resulting in $4.4 billion in additional procurement and research and development projects - an analysis of the budget shows.
What the new budget bill means for defense, VA
(Military Times) The $1.1 trillion spending bill approved by the Senate over the weekend gives the Pentagon $554 billion for fiscal 2015, gives the Veterans Affairs Department $160 billion, and gives much needed predictability to the federal budget.
Budget Battle Is Likely to Heat Up Next Year
(Wall Street Journal) After four years of a divided Congress, Republicans will take full control of both chambers in January with hopes of passing individual spending bills under an orderly process rarely seen in recent years. But complicating their task will be the return of the across-the-board spending cuts known as the "sequester" birthed out of the 2011 debt-ceiling deal, which set caps on spending for the next decade.
New custody protections for troops in defense bill
(Military Times) Tucked into this year's annual defense authorization bill passed by Congress late last week is a provision preventing state judges from using military deployments against troops in child custody cases.
Cotton, Ernst to join Armed Services panel
(The Hill) Senate Republicans on Tuesday announced their assignments for the powerful Armed Services Committee in the 114th Congress, packing the panel with freshmen lawmakers, many from military backgrounds.
Will a GOP Senate Let Obama Close Guantanamo?
(National Journal) With Republicans poised to take over the Senate next month, President Obama is going to have to work with some of his harshest critics if he wants to fulfill his pledge to close Guantanamo Bay before he leaves office. But a few top Republicans are willing to help him try.
ISLAMIC STATE
A Desert War on ISIS, Fought From a Floating City
(New York Times) More than a dozen Navy F/A-18 warplanes roar off this aircraft carrier every day to attack Islamic State targets in support of Iraqi troops battling to regain ground lost to the militants in June.
US coalition hits ISIS with weekend barrage
(The Hill) U.S.-led forces conducted 18 airstrikes against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) over the weekend, according to defense officials.
U.S. Fears New Iraqi Prime Minister Isn't Serious About Sunni Outreach
(Foreign Policy) Washington believed Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi would get serious about recruiting Sunni tribes to fight the Islamic State. Now it's not so sure.
Al Nusrah Front, Ahrar al Sham advance in northwestern Syria
(Long War Journal) The Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda's official branch in Syria, Ahrar al Sham, and elements of the Western-backed Free Syrian Army have advanced on regime positions in the northwestern province of Idlib.
Embedding With the Women Who Are Kicking ISIS Ass
(The Daily Beast) Every morning when veteran fighter Lt. Col. Nasreen Hamlawa walks into her office, the first thing she sees is her daughter's martyr poster. Snapped on the front lines outside Kirkuk just days before she was killed, Rangin Hamlawa, 26, dressed in classic beige peshmerga fatigues and holding a sniper rifle, stares hard into the camera.
Al Nusrah Front uses American-made anti-tank missile in Idlib
(Long War Journal) The Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda's official branch in Syria, has posted a picture and video of its fighters using an American-made BGM-71 TOW anti-tank missile on an Assad regime tank.
INDUSTRY
SIPRI Releases Top 100 Defense Company Data
(Defense News) Sales of arms and military services by the world's 100 largest arms-producing companies declined for a third consecutive year to $402 billion in 2013, according to new data on international arms production by the Stockholm-based think tank SIPRI (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute).
USAF approves JASSM-ER FRP
(IHS Jane's 360) The US Air Force (USAF) has approved full-rate production (FRP) for the Lockheed Martin AGM-158B Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile - Extended Range (JASSM-ER), the company announced on 15 December.
Defense Bill Extends Disputed Small Business Program
(Government Executive) The massive fiscal 2015 defense authorization bill that cleared Congress on Friday renews for three years an obscure small business program that some industry advocates and the Pentagon itself had argued should be terminated.
Pawlikowski On Air Force Offset Strategy: F-35s Flying Drone Fleets
(Breaking Defense) Ellen Pawlikowski helps decide what weapons the Air Force buys and manages the buying process, so when the lieutenant general says she likes autonomy and 3-D printing as the most promising capabilities for her service to develop as part of the new offset strategy, it's worth listening.
Aselsan Launches Subsidiary in Jordan
(Defense News) Turkish military electronics specialist Aselsan inaugurated Dec. 15 a joint venture production plant in Jordan, hoping to create a gateway to Middle Eastern and North African markets.
US approves Chinook sale to Greece
(IHS Jane's 360) The US State Department has approved the sale of 10 Boeing CH-47D Chinook transport helicopters and ancillary equipment to Greece.
Royal Navy Subs To Get Upgraded Spearfish Torpedo
(Defense News) Royal Navy submarines are to be equipped with an upgraded version of the Spearfish heavyweight torpedo in a £270 million deal announced Monday by the British Ministry of Defence and BAE Systems Maritime Services.
Algeria may have received C-17 airlifter, report suggests
(IHS Jane's 360) A C-17 in Algerian Air Force (al Quwwat al Jawwiya al Jaza'eriya) markings landed at Algiers Houari Boumediene Airport on the same day as the announcement, the Secret Difa3 blog reported eyewitnesses as saying.
GSA developing vendor IT security assessments
(Federal Times) Federal agencies need a standardized way to talk with industry about the risk factors involved in IT projects, according to the General Services Administration.
Fort Bliss builds Gray Eagle UAV complex
(C4ISR & Networks) The Army plans to build an elaborate Gray Eagle and Shadow UAV complex at Fort Bliss, Texas.
L-3 to provide data link for UK UAVs
(C4ISR & Networks) L-3 Southern California Microwave (L-3 SCM) has been chosen by Lockheed Martin to provide a data link for British UAVs.
VETERANS
6 dead, manhunt underway after Pa. shooting spree
(USA Today) Six family members were killed and one was seriously wounded in shootings at three locations in suburban Philadelphia, and a manhunt was underway for a former U.S. Marine, authorities in Montgomery County said Monday.
Doctor says 'sham peer review' used to destroy his career after pointing out VA problems
(Stars & Stripes) For 24 years, Navy Cmdr. Jeff Hawker served his country, leaving active duty to continue treating his military brethren as a Department of Veterans Affairs doctor. Once he started working at the Salem VA Medical Center, though, he said it took just a few months for officials at the medical center to oust him and to destroy his career after he reported dangerous medical practices.
Kiewit-Turner encouraged in possible Aurora VA hospital deal
(Denver Post) It's far from final, but there soon could be a deal between the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the contractor it hired to build a new VA hospital in Aurora.
New faces for VA panel
(The Hill) Senate Democrats and Republicans have announced who will lead the panel tasked with overseeing the Veterans Affairs Department as it emerges from one of the worst scandals in its history.
MIA Korean War soldier finally buried next to mom
(Associated Press) More than 60 years after Pfc. Anthony La Rossa went missing while serving with the U.S. Army in the Korean War, the Brooklyn native's remains have been buried next to the mother who went to her grave never knowing his fate.
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Military's use of other than honorable discharges to get heavy scrutiny
(Colorado Springs Gazette) President Barack Obama is expected to soon sign a bill ordering a probe of whether the military has improperly used other than honorable discharges to rid the services of wounded troops who commit minor offenses.
DOD wants bullet that can change direction after being fired
(Stars & Stripes) New .50-caliber bullets that can change direction after they have been fired could soon make U.S. military snipers more deadly.
MDA Director 'Very Confident' in U.S. Defenses Against Missile Attacks
(Seapower) Navy VADM James Syring confirmed that the national missile defense system was designed to protect against the relatively small potential threats from those regional adversaries and was not intended to counter Russia's extensive intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) force.
Army-Navy football ratings hit 15-year-high
(Military Times) The Army-Navy game may have ended with the same team on top for the 13th straight year, but TV ratings show a one-sided rivalry hasn't hurt viewer interest a bit.
The Creepy, Kitschy and Geeky Patches of US Spy Satellite Launches
(Smithsonian Magazine) There may be method to the madness behind the outlandish designs of the National Reconnaissance Office mission patches
ARMY
US Army's AMPV Variants Report to Congress Due Soon
(Defense News) The US Army is planning to report a study to Congress next month that would impact the debate over ambulance and command variants for the Armored Multipurpose Vehicle (AMPV), due to replace the M113 infantry carriers.
2 soldiers killed in IED blast were combat engineers
(Army Times) Sgt. 1st Class Ramon Sheldon Morris was on his fifth deployment when he was killed Friday in Afghanistan, the Defense Department reported Monday.
Silence on Bowe Bergdahl, months after Army investigation concludes
(Washington Post) Six months after the military began an investigation into the disappearance of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl and his capture by the Taliban, which held him for five years, the results remain under wraps as senior Army officials determine what to do next.
Noncitizen recruiting program expanded, then stopped
(Army Times) The Military Accessions Vital to National Interest program, designed to help the Army fill critical billets by providing a streamlined path to citizenship, has been stopped cold by the kind of paperwork problems it was designed to circumvent.
Army Deserter Is Jailed for Chasing the Conflicts That Steadied His Mind
(New York Times) After graduating from the United States Military Academy at West Point near the top of his class in 2008, Second Lt. Lawrence J. Franks Jr. went on to a stellar career with three deployments, commendations for exceptional service and a letter of appreciation from the military's top general.
Staff sergeant tackles fugitive high on meth, cops say
(Army Times) A Utah National Guard fire brigade member tackled an allegedly drug-fueled man who had fled in a stolen police truck Wednesday evening outside of Salt Lake City, Utah.
Century later, Jewish soldier may get top medal
(Associated Press) Nearly a century ago, Sgt. William Shemin raced across a World War I battlefield three times to pull wounded comrades to safety. With all the senior leaders of the platoon wounded or killed, the 19-year-old survived a bullet to the head and led his unit to safety.
Amputee soldier earns Airborne wings; Ranger school next
(Army Times) Sgt. Joseph Mille said when he grows older, he doesn't want to "sit in my rocking chair, or on my death bed" with any regrets. He wants to be sure he did everything he possibly could, and that "life was awesome."
NAVY
Navy dumps unpopular recruiting slogan during Army game
(Navy Times) Viewers who watched the Navy's latest recruiting ad during the nationally televised Army-Navy football game might have noticed something missing - any mention of the Navy's recruiting slogan, "A global force for good."
Kirk retires from Navy after 23 years
(The Hill) Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) retired from the Navy on Monday after 23 years.
Navy: Fleet Put LCS Follow-on Focus on Surface and Sub Threats, Not Air
(USNI News) Navy operators said the service's next small surface combatant (SSC) top priorities should be fighting other surface ships at longer ranges and hunting and killing submarines - not fighting fighters, striking land targets at long range or conducting ballistic missile defense (BMD), service leaders outlined last week when they briefed the follow-on to the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) to reporters.
Replenishment ship to return to Norfolk
(Associated Press) A fleet replenishment oiler is returning to Virginia following a six-month deployment to waters off of Europe and Africa.
AIR FORCE
Obama visit could impact Christie, Joint Base
(Asbury Park Press; N.J.) Hulking gray aircraft lined a portion of the flightline at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst as Air Force One touched down Monday, perhaps just a customary display of hardware for a visiting dignitary, or maybe more than that.
Body of missing canoeist is pulled from Lake Manawa
(Omaha World-Herald) Officials will wait for an autopsy to be completed Tuesday before releasing the name of a U.S. airman who drowned at Lake Manawa State Park.
NOAA looks to build the next generation of hurricane planes
(Tampa Tribune) Kermit was bouncing around pretty good the last time I was on it, flying into the eye of Hurricane Irene as it was ramping up from a Cat 1 to a Cat 2.
AFA cadets build gliders, test them for final class project
(Colorado Springs Gazette) Nearly 400 cadets got to take flight at the Air Force Academy this month thanks to tiny wooden gliders.
Spangdahlem airmen found not guilty in negligent homicide retrial
(Stars & Stripes) Airman Basic Alan L. Lindgren was found not guilty of two counts of negligent homicide related to the deaths of Amanda Jotham, 19, and Brandon McDonald, 20.
MARINE CORPS
New MOS approved for Marine infantry squad leaders
(Marine Corps Times) A new military occupational specialty for infantry squad leaders will refine training and education for enlisted Marines in the key leadership positions, officials announced today.
Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer's emotional realization at Parris Island
(Washington Post) Marine Sgt. Dakota Meyer braved enemy fire repeatedly on Sept. 8, 2009, in a desperate attempt to find the members of his embedded training team who had gone missing in a bloody firefight in Afghanistan. He eventually found them dead in a mountainside trench - a memory that he has struggled with ever since, he says.
Marine's life leads him to become trainer to stars
(The Advocate; New Orleans) In the movie "Oldboy," Josh Brolin's chubby, alcoholic character is imprisoned early in the movie and remains there for 20 years.
Land to be preserved as wildlife habitat, buffer between training and development
(Jacksonville Daily News) Nearly 1,800 acres of undeveloped land in Onslow County will be preserved in its natural state, protecting wildlife habitat and creating a natural buffer between military training at Camp Lejeune and surrounding development.
Person of interest sought after Marine death
(Cincinnati Enquirer) Three days after a U.S. Marine veteran was found dead in Newport, police are still searching for one "dangerous" person of interest.
AFGHANISTAN/PAKISTAN
'An Army for Afghanistan'
(New York Times) The Afghan Army is now charged with leading an unfinished war against an ongoing insurgency. But how much do we know about the Afghan soldiers themselves?
With U.S. leaving, elite Afghan commandos take up mission
(Fayetteville Observer) In a valley south of Kabul, U.S. Special Forces are trying to work themselves out of a job.
Taliban kills at least 104 people in attack on Pakistan military school
(Los Angeles Times) Pakistani Taliban militants stormed an army-run school on Tuesday and killed at least 104 people, including 84 children, shooting some in the head, while hundreds of teachers and students were trapped inside the building, officials said.
MIDDLE EAST
Iranian support seen crucial for Yemen's Houthis
(Reuters) Iran has supplied weapons, money and training to the Shi'ite Houthi militia that seized Yemen's capital in September, as Tehran steps up its regional power struggle with Saudi Arabia, Yemeni and Iranian officials say.
Israel, Palestinians gird for showdown over U.N. resolution on withdrawal
(Washington Post) Israel and the Palestinians are girding for a showdown at the United Nations this week over a resolution that would recognize a Palestinian state and demand an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory in less than two years.
Iran's President Pledges to Face Down Forces Opposing a Nuclear Deal
(New York Times) Risking his political standing, Iran's president stressed on Monday that he was determined to cinch a nuclear deal and prepared to take on the conservative forces who would prefer not to see an agreement with the West, even if that means continued economic sanctions on Iran.
EUROPE
Russia says it has a right to put nuclear weapons in Crimea
(Los Angeles Times) "Crimea was not a non-nuclear zone in an international law sense but was part of Ukraine, a state which doesn't possess nuclear arms," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with Interfax news agency. "Now Crimea has become part of a state which possesses such weapons in accordance with the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.
Ukraine considering new push for NATO membership, prime minister says
(Stars & Stripes) Ukraine's prime minister on Monday called for more NATO support to reform its military as the country's crisis with Russia has given new life to a once abandoned effort to eventually join the U.S.-led alliance.
To halt crisis, Russia central bank hikes interest rates as ruble falls
(Washington Post) In a surprise move intended to prop up Russia's rapidly plummeting ruble, the Russian Central Bank imposed a massive interest rate hike in the middle of the night Tuesday.
ASIA-PACIFIC
Aussie gunman was not on terrorist watch list, PM says
(USA Today) The gunman who took 17 hostages in Sydney was not on a terrorist watch list despite being well known to federal police and the Australian security agency, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said Tuesday.
The Chinese Military's Response to Unannounced Drones: Blow 'Em Out of the Sky
(Wall Street Journal) Earlier this year, a court in suburban Beijing said it was preparing to try employees of a Chinese drone company on charges of "negligently endangering public safety" after an unmanned aircraft disrupted commercial flights and led the air force to scramble helicopters in response.
South Korean city says delayed US troop relocation hurting economy
(Stars & Stripes) The mayor of a city near the North Korean border is seeking $2.7 billion from the South Korean government, claiming the delayed relocation of American troops from Dongducheon is hurting the local economy and redevelopment plans.
AFRICA
The New Face of Boko Haram's Terror: Teen Girls
(The Daily Beast) Residents of northern Nigeria are more on edge than ever. On top of a year of unprecedented terror at the hands of Boko Haram, an increasing number of young girls are donning explosive devices and blowing themselves up in public places-all in the name of the terror group, known for its egregious crimes against Nigeria's women.
More air strikes near eastern Libyan oil port and border to Tunisia
(Reuters) Libya's recognized government conducted air strikes against rival government forces trying to seize major oil ports in the east and against targets in the west on Monday, witnesses said.
UN blames South Sudan's leaders for 'catastrophe'
(Associated Press) The U.N. Security Council is blaming South Sudan's "man-made political, security and humanitarian catastrophe" and the threat of famine on its feuding leaders.
COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS
Analysis: Firearms Maker Colt a Cautionary Take for Defense Contractors
(Andrew Schoulder and Robert Crowley in National Defense) In the wake of steep cuts to U.S. military budgets, many companies are finding themselves in financial distress. As they face declining sales and difficulties attracting investors, even firms with deep historical ties to the Defense Department are on the brink of collapse.
War authorization against the Islamic State should be a priority
(Washington Post Editorial Board) AMONG THE business that Congress will leave unfinished this month is legal authorization of the war against the Islamic State. Though the war has been underway for five months, President Obama has said he would welcome legislation, and congressional leaders have denounced the president's unilateral actions in other spheres, neither the White House nor Congress has made a passage of an Authorization for Use of Military Force a priority. That puts the ongoing military operations on shaky legal ground and deprives them of the political mandate they ought to have.
Ash Carter's Asia Plans
(Adam Tiffen in Defense One) The nomination of Ashton Carter to replace Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is rumored to be in part due to Hagel's objections to the White House plan for the Islamic State and the Middle East. But Carter's true impact may actually be felt most in the Pacific, where he has a record worth examining as U.S. security efforts expand to new, inclusive partnerships.
There's a new country claiming sole ownership of the North Pole
(Kabir Chibber in Quartz) After 12 years and $50 million of research, Denmark has surveyed the 2,000-kilometer-long underwater mountain range that runs north of Siberia and concluded that it is geologically attached to Greenland, the huge autonomous territory that, along with the Faroe Islands, is controlled by Denmark.
Russia's War on Information
(Matt Armstrong in War on the Rocks) Russian President Vladimir Putin has nearly completed his purge of independent news media in Russia. "This is not just a war of information," says one keen analyst at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. "It is a war on information."
Opinion: The Expanding Assault on China's South China Sea Claims
(Lt. Scott Cheney-Peters in USNI News) China's ambiguous claim to the South China Sea, approximately demarcated by a series of hash marks known as the "nine-dashed line," faced objections from an expanding number of parties over the past two weeks. While a challenge from the United States came from an unsurprising source, actions by Indonesia and Vietnam were unexpected in their tone and timing.
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