| December 9, 2014 |
THE EARLY BIRD BRIEF |
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TODAY'S TOP 5
1. Release of CIA interrogation report prompts military warnings
(Marine Corps Times) Defense Department officials directed combatant commanders worldwide to prepare for possible violence ahead of the expected release of a Senate report on interrogation tactics employed during the Bush administration.
2. Bell Boeing V-22 Tests Forward-fired Rockets
(Defense News) V-22 Osprey manufacturer Bell Boeing V-22 successfully tested its forward-firing capability last month at the US Army Proving Ground in Yuma, Arizona, it was announced Monday.
3. Failure of State: They Fired the Wrong Guy
(Retired Army Col. Philip Lisagor in Cicero Magazine) The firing of Chuck Hagel as Secretary of Defense raises more questions than it answers. Is it correct to blame military failures on the military establishment when the executive has not articulated a foreign policy based upon clear and sustainable national interests? Is it proper to criticize the Secretary of Defense for discussing foreign policy issues when the Secretary of State has failed to bring forth a coherent foreign policy? The state of play in Washington, not only currently, but over the last decade, is that the military is being used to make and execute foreign policy, often on the fly, because the State Department is AWOL. This change in President Obama's cabinet is a distraction from having to deal with the dilution of the role of Secretary of State and the Department of State. They fired the wrong guy in the wrong department.
4. Special Forces' $77M 'Hustler' Hits Back
(The Daily Beast) First he worked for U.S. commandos. Then he made millions. Then the American government seized his money. Now, for the first time, Hikmatullah Shadman is publicly fighting back.
5. U.S. General Has Misgivings as Afghanistan Mission Ends
(New York Times) Shortly after the speeches concluded, the flags were folded and the band silenced, the last American general to lead combat operations in Afghanistan offered his candid assessment of the war.
ISLAMIC STATE
4,600 International Troops Pledged to Train Iraqi Forces
(Defense News) About 4,600 foreign troops will be available in Iraq to help train Iraqi and Kurdish forces, a senior US commander told reporters Monday in Kuwait.
In Baghdad, Hagel underscores U.S. role in Iraq's fight against Islamic State
(Washington Post) The United States is providing increasing assistance to Iraq as it battles Islamic State militants, but the outcome of that fight will hinge on the Shiite-led government's ability to build wide support among Iraqis, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said on Tuesday during a visit to Baghdad.
Airstrikes in Iraq, Syria climb as battle in Afghanistan wanes
(Air Force Times) Coalition aircraft are continuing their high rate of airstrikes in Iraq and Syria, with statistics showing total airstrikes in support of Operation Inherent Resolve since August almost double the number of all airstrikes in Afghanistan this year.
Iraqi Officials Push to Take Fight to ISIS in Mosul as U.S. Urges Restraint
(New York Times) Allied warplanes and Iraqi ground troops are increasingly isolating Islamic State militants in the captured city of Mosul, prompting Iraqi officials to push for a winter offensive to wrest control of the area months ahead of the previous schedule - and over American warnings.
Islamic State Is On the 'Defensive' As a Coalition Builds in Iraq
(Defense One) The war commander for the international effort against the Islamic State said the group is on the "defensive" and that coalition nations will soon be pledging to send hundreds more troops to join U.S. forces in Iraq.
Three Turkish soldiers 'killed by gunfire' on Syria border
(BBC) Three Turkish soldiers have been killed by gunfire in the town of Ceylanpinar on the border with Syria, Turkish news agencies have reported.
INDUSTRY
Industry Pivots From New Simulators to Services
(Defense News) Amid a global downturn in defense spending, the training and simulation world is booming. But in a series of interviews at this year's I/ITSEC conference here, executives for some of the world's largest defense firms acknowledged that the sector's market strategy is changing.
Filing Suggests Jurisdictional Challenge in SpaceX Lawsuit against U.S. Air Force
(Space News) The U.S. Justice Department is arguing that a federal court lacks jurisdiction to hear some or all elements of a lawsuit challenging the Air Force's $11 billion bulk purchase of rockets from United Launch Alliance, according to legal experts and recent court filings.
Pentagon Launches New Future Weapons Research Effort
(DoDBuzz) Described as an effort to create a new technological offset strategy like that which the U.S. pursued in the 1950s and 1980s, the Long Range Research and Development Plan, or LRRDP, involves a solicitation to industry, academia, and small business to begin enterprising ideas on areas of focus for new weapons and technology research and development.
EXCLUSIVE: X-47B May Begin Automated Aerial Refueling Demonstrations Next Year
(National Defense) The Navy's carrier-based unmanned aircraft demonstrator is undergoing preparations for automated aerial refueling testing next year, including a possible flight demonstration using the aircraft itself, said officials from the service and X-47B manufacturer Northrop Grumman.
US Navy approves Super Hornet IRST for low-rate initial production
(IHS Jane's 360) The US Navy (USN) has awarded Milestone C acquisition approval for an infrared search-and-track (IRST) system for the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet combat aircraft, the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) announced on 2 December.
Airbus To Service UK, French A400Ms
(Defense News) Britain and France have awarded a service contract to Airbus Defence and Space for support of the A400M airlifter flown by the Royal Air Force and French Air Force, the British and French defense ministries said.
Aero Surveillance reveals new ASV-100 rotary-winged UAV
(IHS Jane's 360) French systems integrator Aero Surveillance has unveiled a new rotary-winged unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that it says fills a gap in the market not covered by other larger platforms.
Companies Submit Final Proposals for Denmark Armored Vehicles
(Defense News) One of Europe's most important armored vehicle export contests moved closer to resolution today when four manufacturers delivered best and final offers covering five different platforms to the Danish Ministry of Defence.
Ukraine reorganising state defence group
(IHS Jane's 360) Ukroboronprom, the Ukrainian state-owned defence company that manages roughly 130 different businesses, will be reorganising its holdings around "clusterisation", company head Roman Romanov announced on 5 December. The plan is part of a larger move to wean the group off of Russian Federation parts and components that have historically been critical to production. All co-operation was cut between the two countries after Russia's annexation of territory earlier in 2014.
Turkish TAI Launches Center for Space Programs
(Defense News) Turkey's national aerospace company Tusas Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) has said that its ambitious space center recently became operational.
Periscope-spotting radar software poised to go wide
(C4ISR & Networks) The Navy has successfully tested software that detects submarine periscopes peeking above the waves, even when the seas are choppy.
Leidos takes electronic warfare contract
(C4ISR & Networks) Leidos has won a $49 million Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) electronic warfare contract, calling on the company to research, develop and test a variety of warning and countermeasures systems.
VIDEO: New mobile command centers are like a 'TOC on wheels'
(C4ISR & Networks) Commanders have increasingly robust on-the-move command capabilities thanks to ongoing improvements in vehicle-mounted systems. The point-of-presence (POP) vehicles tested in the recent Network Integration Evaluation 15.1 are essentially a "TOC on wheels," said SPC Gerardo Cabrera.
VETERANS
D.C. conference to focus war wounds' impact on sex and intimacy
(Military Times) A two-day conference in Washington, D.C., this week will tackle an often overlooked result of combat injuries: the impact war wounds can have on fertility, sex and relationships.
"Lottery ticket" helps vets transition to new career
(CBS News) Many veterans returning from wars overseas face a new challenge at home: finding a job. Many times employers say they want to hire veterans but then don't because many are seen as unqualified. But one unusual program has a simple solution -- give the veterans a job skill needed in tens of thousands of businesses worldwide, reports CBS News correspondent Wyatt Andrews.
Former VA official gets prison for Agent Orange benefits scheme
(Stars & Stripes) An Army veteran and former VA official has been sentenced to prison for defrauding the agency out of $1.15 million in diabetes benefits, according a U.S. attorney's office in Maryland.
Enlisted to police officer
(Military Times) Departments in Texas, Florida and Maryland lead Best for Vets: Law Enforcement 2015
Methodology
(Military Times) We invited law enforcement agencies across the country to participate in our detailed survey comprising more than 90 questions. Agencies were evaluated on their military recruiting, service member-related policies, rules for reservists and departmental culture. They are listed alphabetically in the chart, with those that described the most accommodating practices and environments designated with a diamond by their names. Not everything listed in the chart was considered when evaluating agencies, and many items not listed were considered.
CONGRESS
McCain: Military Times report on low morale should spur Congress to act
(Military Times) Sen. John McCain said Monday that a new Military Times report about sagging morale in today's force should spur Congress to repeal defense budget cuts.
Levin Expects $560B NDAA on Senate Floor by 'Late' Tuesday
(Defense News) Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin expects a $560 billion Pentagon policy bill to hit the chamber floor on Tuesday.
Defense hearings: Final work of the year
(Military Times) Just a handful of defense hearings this week for what most staffers expect to be the final days of Congress' 2014 legislative session.
McConnell: Senate to OK military action on ISIS in early 2015
(CNN) The Senate will send President Barack Obama legislation authorizing the use of military force against ISIS shortly after the GOP takes majority control in January, presumed Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Monday.
After Yemen hostage rescue failure, congressman urges rethinking no-negotiation policy
(McClatchy) Two days after an American hostage was killed during a failed rescue mission in Yemen, a member of Congress on Monday questioned the U.S. policy of not negotiating with terrorists, saying that approach leaves highly risky military operations as the only means to bring an American back alive.
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Source: Fiscal 2016 Base Budget Request Will Be $36B Over Spending Caps
(Defense News) The White House is developing a fiscal 2016 defense budget that would align with its long-planned $535 billion top line, ensuring that the administration would ignore the congressionally mandated budget caps put in place in 2011, according to a source with knowledge of the deliberations.
Male military sex assault victims slow to complain
(Associated Press) Greg Nelson had just turned 21 when he went out partying with friends in Southern California and got really drunk. So, when a man he didn't know offered to let him crash in a nearby apartment, his friends urged him to accept.
Who Will Be the Next 'Mayor of the Pentagon'?
(Government Executive) The selection of the next secretary of Defense is in the headlines. But there's a new senior-level Defense Department position that will be important in the coming years, and who is appointed will matter.
DoD fumbled IPv6 transition, IG says
(C4ISR & Networks) Missteps have left the DoD behind the curve on upgrading to the new Internet protocol.
Make your money work for you
(Military Times) When Military Times put out a call for volunteers to have their finances reviewed by a financial professional, more than 80 responded. Their ranks, family status and financial situations vary widely. But the majority said they don't know whether they're on the right track.
ARMY
Defense attorney: Soldier killing was a 'tragic accident'
(Army Times) Spc. Jeffrey T. Page pulled the trigger of his M4 on May 15 in Jordan, fatally wounding fellow infantryman, Spc. Adrian Perkins. That fact was not in dispute Monday, as Page's Article 32 investigation began at Fort Carson, Colorado.
Personalized Approach to Army Avatars
(Defense News) New innovations for the Army's virtual training game will personalize avatars to look and act like their soldiers and integrate more troops, vehicles and aircraft into the simulated training environment.
18th Airborne Corps soldiers leave Afghanistan for Fort Bragg
(Fayetteville Observer) The last few dozen members of the 18th Airborne Corps - and a small group of soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division - boarded a C-17 bound for Fort Bragg's Pope Field just after 12:30 p.m. Monday.
Army launches new graduate school program
(Army Times) Applications are being accepted for a new professional development initiative that will provide up to 18 months of fully-funded graduate studies to basic-branch captains and majors of the active component.
NAVY
The Anchorage helps NASA recover Orion spaceship
(Navy Times) NASA and the Navy rekindled an old flame in the last few days.
Fire Scout helo deployments intensify
(Defense News) An entirely new level of activity is taking place right now with the Navy's Fire Scout unmanned helicopter program - for the first time, Fire Scout will be at sea on at least four ships at the same time - and they'll be different kinds of ships, and both aircraft variants will be active.
Tribute to Hospital Corpsmen to be unveiled Friday
(San Diego Union-Tribune) A monument to Navy Corpsman designed by a Camp Pendleton Marine who was wounded in Iwo Jima will be unveiled at a ceremony Dec. 12 at the Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton.
Navy, San Diego State set for 2010 bowl rematch
(Navy Times) San Diego-based sailors hoping to catch the Navy Midshipmen in action at the Poinsettia Bowl later this month may have some locals to contend with.
AIR FORCE
A Look at F-35 Close Air Support Tactics Development
(Defense News) The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter - a stealthy, high-tech, fifth-generation strike fighter - may also become a major player in close-air support (CAS) missions. Last week, we talked with the US Air Force general who is leading the testing and preparation for the CAS mission.
Report: Poor planning for training exercise led to July Humvee death at Pope
(Air Force Times) Some members of the 43rd Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron had grown bored after two days of classroom instruction to prepare them for future deployments and exercises. But leadership hoped the final day of the four-day exercise at Pope Army Airfield, North Carolina, would capture their attention.
Air Force fans don't share team's excitement over bowl destination
(Colorado Springs Gazette) Even as its fan base seemed to scrunch its face in disgust, Air Force's coach, athletic director and a few players celebrated the Falcons' bowl fate Sunday.
Wrong study guides sent for Course 15
(Air Force Times) Some technical sergeants enrolled in an Air University distance learning course in March erroneously received two sets of materials.
MARINE CORPS
Marines begin 21-day monitoring period following Ebola mission
(Marine Corps Times) The 100 Marines and sailors who deployed from Spain to Liberia in October to assist with Ebola containment efforts have arrived in Germany for three weeks of monitoring before returning to their home station.
New Presidential Helicopter to be Designated VH-92A
(Seapower) The new Marine One helicopter design will be designated VH-92A, according to a Marine Corps document.
Guard arrested in death of NYC inmate in hot cell
(Associated Press) Carol Lackner faces multiple counts of falsifying business records, filing a false instrument and official misconduct charges for falsely indicating she checked on homeless ex-Marine Jerome Murdough and other inmates every half hour Feb. 14 even though video didn't show her doing so, according to prosecutors.
Marines reflect on Camp Leatherneck
(Jacksonville Daily News) In the months leading up to the significant handover of Camp Leatherneck to Afghan authorities, Marines with 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, based out of Camp Lejeune, executed countless missions - both combat and security in nature - to ensure the continuing drawdown of troops in Afghanistan went as smoothly as possible, according to Maj. Giles Walger, executive officer for the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment.
Marines head to Los Angeles for urban combat training
(Marine Corps Times) One of the most populated and busiest parts of the world is turning into a training ground for Marines who are preparing for a deployment.
AFGHANISTAN/PAKISTAN
Symbolic 'end' to Afghanistan war overshadowed by new Obama plans
(Christian Science Monitor) The US and NATO closed their combat command in Afghanistan Monday, but US troops will remain and recent developments raise questions about their role.
The Taliban indoctrinates kids with jihadist textbooks paid for by the U.S.
(Washington Post) After the United States helped chase out the Taliban government in Afghanistan in 2001, it came across a legacy of its earlier intervention in the region. As The Washington Post reported in 2002, the United States had spent millions of dollars beginning in the 1980s to produce and disseminate anti-Soviet textbooks for Afghan schoolchildren. The books encouraged a jihadist outlook, which was useful propaganda at the time for a Washington driven by the imperatives of the Cold War.
Pakistani Taliban confirms death of al Qaeda leader Adnan Shukrijumah
(Long War Journal) Muhammad Khurasani, the spokesman for the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, released a statement today that confirmed the death of Adnan Shukrijumah, al Qaeda's operations chief for North America. The Pakistani military said that it killed Shukrijumah on Dec. 6 in a raid in Shin Warzak in the Taliban-controlled tribal agency of South Waziristan.
Pakistan Clashes Leave at Least One Dead
(Wall Street Journal) A confrontation between supporters of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and antigovernment protesters in central Pakistan on Monday left at least one person dead, escalating tensions between the ruling party and its main opponent.
MIDDLE EAST
Blast near Manama kills Bahraini, wounds expatriate: interior ministry
(Reuters) An explosion killed a Bahraini citizen and wounded an expatriate man on Tuesday, the Interior Ministry said on its Twitter account, in the second fatal attack in the Gulf Arab state in two days.
Bahrain policeman killed in bomb attack
(Al Jazeera) Bahraini authorities said a policeman has been killed in a "terrorist" attack using a bombing provided by Hezbollah
Israel Struggles With Its Identity
(New York Times) When Israel was founded nearly seven decades ago, its Declaration of Independence clearly defined the new nation as a Jewish state.
EUROPE
Canada Signs Deal to Train Parts of Ukraine Military
(Wall Street Journal) The Canadian government signed an agreement with Kiev that could see Canada training parts of the Ukrainian military, in a move that was struck outside of NATO and broadens Ottawa's involvement in the conflict in Ukraine.
Ukraine attempts new cease-fire in the east
(Associated Press) Ukraine's military authorities said they suspended hostilities Tuesday against Russian-backed separatists in the east in line with a truce declared last week.
Russia displays air defense systems amid Ukraine tensions
(Reuters) Russia displayed its mobile air defense missile systems in central Moscow on Monday, underlining its military might amid tensions with the West over Ukraine.
ASIA-PACIFIC
India's weapons plans raise specter of nuclear arms race in Asia
(McClatchy) India has embarked on a series of crucial weapons-systems tests that will result in the first deployment by air, sea and land of nuclear weapons by rival powers in Asia, in 2016.
Philippines typhoon downgraded, but death toll rises to at least 22
(Los Angeles Times) Typhoon Hagupit weakened into a tropical storm Monday as it continued its slow march across the Philippines, leaving at least 22 people dead in its wake, according to the Red Cross.
Official in US to promote South Korean reunification policy
(Stars & Stripes) South Korea's top official on North Korea is in the United States to promote his president's policy on reunification on the peninsula.
COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS
Military Sexual Assault Unresolved
(New York Times) The surest measure of the scale of the problem of sexual assault in the military - and the failure of the Pentagon and Congress to deal with it - is that the Defense Department thinks it has really achieved something because the total number of rapes and other sexual assaults decreased to 19,000 in 2014 from about 26,000 in 2012.
The Fight Over The A-10 Is About More Than Just A Plane
(Christian Beekman in Task & Purpose) The A-10 "Warthog" once again has found itself in the retirement crosshairs. Yet again, the main support for its retirement comes from the Air Force and proponents of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program. Last week, Congress again moved to protect the A-10 from the boneyard, at least for the time being. But the continued struggle over the A-10's future is about more than the plane itself; the arguments to trash the A-10 highlight a larger problem with the Air Force's institutional self image as a service that projects air power strategically to win wars, rather than principally supporting forces on the ground.
Saving Iraq and Destroying ISIL are Not the Same Thing
(Jonathan Lord in War on the Rocks) It has been reported that President Obama is revisiting his policy toward Syria. Perhaps he is now pausing to assess, before incautiously and unadvisedly wading into a conflict with no clear or imaginable resolution. But before he leads America into the next season of a regional conflict he wants a better plan, and he has turned to his national security advisors to provide him with one.
John Kerry: Clear land mines off the earth
(Secretary of State John Kerry in USA Today) Earlier this year, a 10-year-old boy was collecting scrap metal in Bosnia when he stepped on a land mine, which killed him instantly. The mine was planted during a war of which the boy had no memory. Days later, a man met a similar fate only a few miles away. He had left home to gather firewood.
Commentary: Offset 3.0: Why It's Not Enough
(Defense News) US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel recently announced the launch of a Defense Department-wide effort to pursue innovation. Despite his departure, the formidable Defense Department bureaucracy has now been aligned in pursuit of the so-called "third offset strategy."
Want Bipartisan Success in Congress? Pass Defense Acquisition Reform
(Andrew Hunter in Defense One) On a gorgeous spring day in May 2009, President Obama sat down in the White House Rose Garden with the bipartisan leadership of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees to sign the Weapon System Acquisition Reform Act of 2009. The bill had passed both houses of Congress without a single dissenting vote and with strong administration support. The president was embracing a signature issue of his opponent in the 2008 campaign, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who sponsored the bill with Sen. Carl Levin, R-Mich., so the moment seemed to perfectly capture the potential for bipartisan cooperation.
Commentary: Sequestration: Bad Business Practice
(Defense News) Sequestration was seldom spoken this fall, but averting the harmful across-the-board cuts must once again become a topic of conversation within the halls of Congress.
Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible in Putin's Russia
(Ann Marlowe in Tablet Magazine) Peter Pomerantsev arrived in Moscow in 2001 with the idea that everything was possible in "a city living in fast-forward, changing so fast it breaks all sense of reality, where boys become billionaires in the blink of an eye"-a sense of speedy exuberance he conveys in colorful, punchy prose in his new book, Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible. He worked at a think tank as a consultant and then began a career as an independent producer at TNT, an entertainment channel whose slogan is "Feel our Love." But Pomerantsev began to notice that feel-good stories were hard to find, despite the rapid development of a middle class and its exuberant embrace of Western goods.
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