| January 7, 2014 |
THE EARLY BIRD BRIEF |
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TODAY'S TOP 5
1. Defense pick advises careful use of military force
(Boston Globe ) Seemingly different recommendations illustrate how the 60-year-old physicist and former senior Pentagon official Ashton B. Carter - President Obama's nominee to be secretary of defense - might grapple with what could be the most weighty responsibility in his new role: when to recommend using military force.
2. Gunman, one other dead after El Paso VA shooting
(USA Today) A gunman and another man are dead after a Tuesday afternoon shooting at a West Texas Veterans Affairs facility, military officials confirmed Tuesday night.
3. DoD official: Mortars, rockets in Iraq 'not a major threat'
(Military Times) For the hundreds of U.S. troops based at Al Asad Air Base in Iraq, mortar fire from Islamic extremists has become a regular occurrence.
4. Syria rebel training could start in early spring
(Associated Press) The long-awaited coalition program to train the Syrian moderate opposition could begin by early spring, and officials are beginning to identify individual fighters who could participate, the Pentagon said Tuesday.
5. Carter hearing delay could mean more focus on pay, benefits
(Miltary Times) A delay in Defense Secretary nominee Ash Carter's Senate confirmation hearings could result in extra attention being focused on the future of military pay, benefits and retirement rules.
CONGRESS
Buoyed by Defense Sector Cash, Boehner Again Takes House Speaker's Gavel
(Defense News) US Rep. John Boehner will again serve as speaker of the House, re-elected by his colleagues just months after America's biggest arms makers helped fill his campaign war chest.
McCain urges Obama to visit scandal-plagued VA hospital in Phoenix
(The Hill) Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) wants President Obama to stop by the Veterans Affairs facility that was ground zero in the scandal over patient wait times when he visits Arizona later this week.
The New GOP Congress Is Preparing to Assert Itself on Iran
(National Journal) Increasing sanctions on the country is near the top of the Republican agenda for 2015.
ISLAMIC STATE
US Investigating Civilian Casualties in Airstrikes Against ISIS
(Military.com ) The Pentagon gave its most upbeat assessment to date Tuesday on progress in the fight against ISIS while acknowledging for the first time that U.S. Central Command was investigating "credible" incidents of civilian casualties from airstrikes.
Islamic State 'police' official beheaded: Syria monitor
(Reuters) A top figure in Islamic State's self-declared police force, which has carried out beheadings, was himself found decapitated in eastern Syria, a monitoring group said.
What Comes After the Islamic State Is Defeated?
(Foreign Policy) When American troops were about to invade Iraq in 2003 to dislodge Saddam Hussein from power, then-Maj. Gen. David Petraeus told a reporter: "Tell me how this ends." Eleven years and hundreds of billions of dollars later, thousands of U.S. troops are once again in Iraq fighting a different foe. But the same question still resonates.
Clashes with IS in Iraq kill 23 troops, allied fighters
(Associated Press ) A suicide blast targeting Iraqi security forces and subsequent clashes with Islamic State extremists on Tuesday killed at least 23 troops and pro-government Sunni fighters in the country's embattled western province of Anbar, officials said.
No, there aren't any Ebola cases in Iraq
(Washington Post) Iraq has many problems. Ebola isn't one of them. The World Health Organization and the Ministry of Health in Iraq made that clear in a statement late Monday, saying there are no suspected infections from the deadly virus in the country. That came after rumors spread online and through several media outlets on Dec. 31. Most of them cited anonymous medical sources in the city of Mosul, which has been under the control of Islamic State militants since June.
Report: France To Deploy Aircraft Carrier To Gulf in IS Fight
(Agence France-Presse) The French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and its fleet will be deployed to the Gulf to support operations against the Islamic State group, a military news site reported on Tuesday.
WBOC Twitter, website hacked by ISIL supporters
(The (Salisbury, Md.) Daily Times) The Twitter account for WBOC, a Salisbury-based television station, was hijacked Tuesday by a hacker claiming to be sympathetic to the Islamic State terrorist group.
INDUSTRY
Babcock Wins $1.4B UK Army Support Deal
(Defense News ) Babcock International has been given a £900 million (US $1.4 billion) contract by the Ministry of Defence to repair, maintain and upgrade vehicles for the British Army over the next 10 years.
Space assets open GEOINT, SIGINT in India
(C4ISR & Networks) India's growing number of space assets is opening up geospatial intelligence, signals intelligence and other types of data-gathering, according to a recent article posted on WebIndia123.com.
Will Upgraded Iraqi Abrams Survive Missile Attacks?
(Military.com ) Bloomberg's Tony Capaccio reported this week that the U.S. Army is considering beefing up the Iraqi Army's 70-ton M1A1 tanks with more armor to protect the vehicles and their crews from land mines and roadside bombs. But will the enhancements also include heavier protection from missile attacks?
Chinese naval ops expected to expand in 2015
(IHS Jane's 360) A review of Chinese naval activities in 2014 suggests a year of increasing normality, as People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) ships deployed on tasks familiar to all major navies.
Sierra Nevada Vows To Continue Dream Chaser Development
(Aviation Week) Sierra Nevada Corp. (SNC) says it "plans to further the development and testing of the Dream Chaser and is making significant progress in its vehicle design and test program," despite its failure to overturn NASA's selection of its two competitors-Boeing and SpaceX-in bidding for NASA's planned commercial crew vehicles.
Bluestone Dam to get geospatial data management
(C4ISR & Networks) The Army Corps of Engineers is looking for an architect-engineering firm to design a geospatial data management system for the Bluestone Dam Safety Assurance Project in Huntington, West Virginia.
GET Engineering Launches First Virtual Navy Tactical Data System
(Seapower) GET Engineering Corp. has launched Virtual NTDS (V-NTDS), a revolutionary new communications method for use in place of Navy Tactical Data Systems (NTDS), the company announced in a Jan. 6 release.
Boeing Defense, Space And Security Relatively Strong In 2014
(Aviation Week) Boeing's Defense, Space and Security sector delivered 179 aircraft and five satellites in 2014, representing a relatively strong year despite continuing cutbacks in U.S. military and space spending.
VETERANS
The Shadowy U.S. Veteran Who Tried to Overthrow a Country
(Daily Beast) A U.S. Army veteran and a Texas businessman appeared in federal court Monday charged with a most unusual crime: plotting to overthrow the West African government of Gambia. And there may have been more Americans-and possibly more American veterans-involved, based on statements given to an FBI agent by Papa Faal, the vet whose alleged role in the plot involved smuggling weapons into Gambia.
New project starts tracking exiting troops while still in uniform
(San Diego Union-Tribune) Zero 800 is military talk for 8 a.m., the time when most suit and tie-wearing workers arrive at the office. It's also the name of a new San Diego effort to help military veterans settle into civilian life.
Hampton VA has longest wait for primary care doctor
(Virginian-Pilot) Local veterans have to wait a month on average to get an appointment with a primary care physician at the VA medical center in Hampton, longer than any other veterans facility in the country, according to the most recent data released by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Here's What Happens When You Try To Rob A Former US Army Paratrooper
(Task & Purpose) Army veteran Andrew Myers posted a video confronting a would-be burglar to YouTube with the title "Mr. Wrong House - 'Robber meets Paratrooper,'" and encouraged anyone who shared it to use the hashtag #MrWrongHouse. He then set up a website - mrwronghouse.com - to share his message. Myers is courting donations for Paws and Stripes, a nonprofit that trains rescued and sheltered dogs to become service dogs for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injuries.
Air Force vet trying to save dog charged with attacking cop near burning home
(Chicago Tribune) An Air Force veteran was ordered held on $300,000 bond after he allegedly hit a police officer Friday at the scene of his burning home that left his dog dead and three firefighters hospitalized, authorities said.
An Army Chaplain, First Tested By War, Finds His Faith Renewed
(National Public Radio ) David Peters' life was supposed to be one continuous arc of piety and service. But for the U.S. Army chaplain, it's ended up a more circuitous route. Peters lost the very faith he was supposed to embody for his soldiers - but has also found his way back.
Robert Wolfe, keeper of German war records at the National Archives, dies at 93
(Washington Post) Few people in the world knew more about the paper trail of the Third Reich than Robert Wolfe, who for more than three decades was a chief custodian at the National Archives. The son of Jewish immigrants from Lithuania and an Army veteran of the Pacific and European theaters of the Second World War, he became a leader among the postwar archivists who took on the enormous job of cataloguing and copying the military and government documents captured in Adolf Hitler's Germany.
Marines honor veteran's dying wish to hug a tank
(Marine Corps Times) An ailing Kenneth White had a final, dying wish: He wanted to hug a tank.
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
More U.S. troops return from Ebola mission
(Military Times) The U.S. military mission to help contain the Ebola virus has begun winding down as hundreds of troops return home from West Africa earlier than expected.
US Donates More Abrams Tanks, Humvees to Iraq
(Defense News) The United States provided the Iraqi armed forces with $300 million in donated military equipment in 2014, and over the next two months will deliver six more Abrams tanks and 50 up-armored Humvees at no cost to the Baghdad government, according to information provided by the US Embassy in Baghdad.
US forces holding man claiming to be top-level Kony defector
(Associated Press ) U.S. forces in Africa have taken into custody a man claiming to be a top member of Lord's Resistance Army, the Obama administration said Tuesday, saying the defection could be a "historic blow" to Joseph Kony's nearly three-decade rebellion.
Did the Pentagon's Switch to the Cloud Actually Save Money?
(NextGov) Last month, the Defense Department inspector general published a hard-hitting report questioning the structure and execution of the department's cloud computing strategy. Now, auditors are putting DOD technology officials on notice that they're already beginning another probe of the agency's cloud efforts.
The Military's New Year's Resolution for Artificial Intelligence
(DefenseOne) In November, Undersecretary of Defense Frank Kendall quietly issued a memo to the Defense Science Board that could go on to play a role in history. The memo calls for a new study that would "identify the science, engineering, and policy problems that must be solved to permit greater operational use of autonomy across all war-fighting domains..."
ARMY
Leaders talk: uniforms, PT test, women in Ranger School
(Army Times) The new combat uniform, a pilot program allowing women to attend Ranger School, potential changes to the physical fitness test and future promotion opportunities were just a few of the topics discussed by Army senior leaders during a wide-ranging virtual town hall meeting Tuesday.
US Army Releases Rifleman Radio RFP
(Defense News) The US Army has released the final version of its request for proposals for the Rifleman Radio, but the service is not aiming at awarding a contract to a single vendor. Rather, it would create a "radio marketplace" for multiple vendors to compete to fill delivery orders as needed.
Governors to keep fighting plans to strip Guard of aircraft
(Army Times) The nation's governors plan to continually press Army leadership to let the National Guard keep its assets after a bitter battle last year when the service said it would move helicopters out of the Guard.
JBLM helicopter unit will shift to operations at sea
(News Tribune ) Joint Base Lewis-McChord's combat aviation brigade is about to turn its attention from the imposing peaks of Afghanistan to the "vastness of the Pacific."
Reservist pulls driver from burning SUV on New Year's
(Army Times) A reservist's rapid reaction gave a Northern California New Year's story involving a burning SUV, a concrete retaining wall, a skateboard and a suspected drunk driver a happier ending than one might expect.
NAVY
Navy commander guilty in bribery scheme
(San Diego Union-Tribune) The highest-ranking Navy commander to be charged alongside Singapore-based contractor "Fat" Leonard Francis in a far-reaching bribery scheme pleaded guilty Tuesday.
Kauffman to deploy Thursday, the last frigate cruise
(Navy Times) The frigate Kauffman will depart on its final deployment this week. The Kauffman will be the last frigate to be decommissioned.
Naval War College partners with Ivy League universities
(Associated Press) The U.S. Naval War College is partnering with two Ivy League universities to work on global security issues and figure out how to improve the response to humanitarian crises.
Rear Adm. Mat Winter arrives at U.S. Navy's Office of Naval Research
(USNI News) The former head of unmanned programs at Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) has taken charge of the U.S. Navy's Office of Naval Research, ONR announced on Monday.
AIR FORCE
Air Force adds airmen to nuke security forces teams
(Air Force Times) The Air Force is adding additional manpower to security forces groups that protect the service's nuclear missiles, addressing complaints of a lack of manning and morale issues including overwork.
AF medical tech accused of groping patients
(Air Force Times) Testimony began Monday in the case of a Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland medical technician accused of inappropriately touching three patients in June 2013.
U.S. Air Force "close" to certifying new satellite launch provider
(Reuters) The U.S. Air Force said on Tuesday it was close to certifying a second company to launch military and intelligence satellites into space, and announced a review of the process used to vet new entrants.
Aviators oppose US Air Force training space
(The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead) After earning his wings, investing in a hangar at the Baker Municipal Airport and building his own two-seater plane, Russell Burdick is worried that his time spent in the skies may be threatened by the proposed expansion of the Powder River Training Complex, a military training space that serves the Ellsworth, S.D., and Minot, N.D., Air Force bases.
SpaceX calls off rocket launch at last minute
(Florida Today ) SpaceX hopes to try again Friday to launch cargo to the International Space Station, after a technical problem scrubbed a first launch attempt Tuesday.
Air Force Academy selects new athletic director
(Air Force Times) The Air Force Academy has named its next athletic director: James Knowlton, an Army veteran who held the same post at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute for the past seven years.
MARINE CORPS
Lejeune Marines prepare for deployment to Afghanistan
(Marine Corps Times) Just months after marking the end of the Corps' combat operations in Afghanistan, officials revealed that Marines are headed back into the war-torn country, but details of the deployment remain scarce.
Amos joins board of directors for defense contractor
(Marine Corps Times) Recently retired Gen. Jim Amos, former commandant of the Marine Corps, has joined the board of directors at LORD Corporation, a manufacturing company with defense and aerospace customers. The news was announced today in a release published by the Cary, North Carolina-based company.
Marine officials publish new Reserve cutting score bonus message
(Marine Corps Times) Manpower officials have revised a message detailing this year's Reserve affiliation composite score bonus designed to encourage more noncommissioned officers to affiliate with drilling units in the Selected Marine Corps Reserve.
Marine Corps updates tuition assistance guidelines
(Marine Corps Times) The Marine Corps recently published details of its fiscal 2015 tuition assistance program, incorporating stricter requirements created earlier this year.
AFGHANISTAN/PAKISTAN
This new graphic shows the state of the U.S. war in Afghanistan
(Washington Post) The U.S. military has shifted to Operation Resolute Support in Afghanistan, ending the 13-year Operation Enduring Freedom as NATO and its allies move to new chapter there. There are many ways to contextualize that, and U.S. Forces-Afghanistan released this graphic Tuesday in an attempt to provide the scope of what they've done in the last year, and what comes next.
Afghan group finds uneven progress in Ghani's first 100 days
(Los Angeles Times) At the 100-day mark of President Ashraf Ghani's tenure in Afghanistan, his national unity government has made uneven progress on the scores of promises he and allies made to an increasingly weary Afghan public, an independent watchdog group reported Tuesday.
Afghanistan: Women's rights make big gains
(Christian Science Monitor ) Women's rights, regarded as one of the most tangible gains of international intervention in Afghanistan, have made epochal gains in recent years: 4 million girls - a record for the country - are in school. Women are police officers and pilots, judges and governors. The Constitution guarantees equality before the law.
MIDDLE EAST
Inspectors confident chlorine gas used in Syrian villages
(Associated Press ) Chemical weapons investigators concluded "with a high degree of confidence" that chlorine gas was used as a weapon against three opposition-controlled villages in Syria last year, affecting between 350 and 500 people and killing 13, according to a report obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press.
Middle East now home to world's largest number of refugees
(Middle East Eye) The Middle East and North Africa now hosts the world's largest number of refugees, a new UN report found on Wednesday.
Israeli military divided over Gaza war probes
(Associated Press ) A fierce debate is raging within Israel's military over the extent to which soldiers should be held legally accountable for their actions during last year's Gaza war, with commanders increasingly at odds with military lawyers.
Palestinians to Join International Criminal Court, U.N. Chief Says
(Wall Street Journal) The Palestinians will join the International Criminal Court on April 1, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Tuesday night, a move that opens the door for the Palestinian Authority to file war-crimes suits against Israel.
EUROPE
EU tops Cameron-Merkel talks agenda
(BBC) The economy and EU reforms are expected to be the focus of talks between David Cameron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Ukraine Reinforces Front Lines as Peace Talks Creep Forward
(Bloomberg) Ukraine deployed new military aircraft, heavy weapons and vehicles to bolster troops fighting separatists in the country's east as it continues peace talks with rebels and Russia's government.
ASIA-PACIFIC
South Korea: North Korea has 6,000-member cyber army
(Associated Press) South Korea said Tuesday that rival North Korea has a 6,000-member cyber army dedicated to disrupting the South's military and government, a dramatic increase from an earlier estimate of 3,000 such specialists.
China lodges protest after North Korea man 'kills four'
(BBC) China has protested to North Korea following reports that an army deserter killed four people in a Chinese border city.
North Korea Has Made 'Significant' Advances in Nuclear Arms Program, South Says
(New York Times) The Defense Ministry of South Korea said Tuesday that North Korea appeared to have made a "significant" advance toward making a nuclear warhead small enough to fit onto a long-range missile capable of reaching the West Coast of the United States. The ministry, which included the assessment in its latest white paper, also suggested that the North now had a missile that could fly that far.
AFRICA
Clinical trial starts at Ebola center for anti-viral drug
(Associated Press) A clinical drug trial is now under way at a major health center in Liberia's capital to determine if a medication already used to treat other viruses could help those suffering from Ebola.
UN peacekeepers struggle against IEDs in Mali
(IHS Jane's 360) The UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) was by far the most dangerous UN peacekeeping operation in 2014, when it became the main target for the Islamist militant groups operating in the north of the country.
Nigerian governors facing Boko Haram request more troops before election
(Reuters) Facing an increasingly violent Islamist insurgency, governors from three states in northeast Nigeria asked President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday to deploy extra troops to secure their regions before next month's presidential election.
Mali appeals for international intervention in Libya
(Associated Press) Mali's foreign minister appealed Tuesday for international intervention in Libya to combat the spread of terrorism in the Sahel region of Africa and restore a central government.
THE AMERICAS
U.S. surveillance drones largely ineffective along border, report says
(Washington Post) U.S. drones deployed along the borders are grounded most of the time, cost far more than initially estimated and help to apprehend only a tiny number of people trying to cross illegally, according to a federal audit released Tuesday.
Coast Guard Reports Surge In Cubans Trying To Reach Florida
(The Associated Press) Driven by fear that their window is closing, the number of Cuban migrants attempting to reach the U.S. illegally in rafts has surged since the two countries announced they would restore diplomatic relations after 50 years, Coast Guard officials said.
Obama Pledges to Help Mexico Eliminate 'Scourge' of Violence
(NBC News) Obama and Peña Nieto discussed last summer's spike in arrivals at the U.S. border by Central Americans who journeyed from their countries through Mexico. Obama credited Mexico with helping reduce that flow. Peña Nieto praised Obama's immigration executive action and steps Obama is taking to relax policies regarding Cuba.
Mystery surrounds 53 Cuban political prisoners supposed to be set free
(Washington Post) An air of secrecy surrounds the fate of 53 political prisoners whom Cuba agreed to free in its historic deal with the United States last month, as Washington and Havana's refusal to publicly identify the dissidents is fueling suspicion over Cuba's intentions.
COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS
Why The Air Force Is Paying Big Bonuses To Some Pilots And Forcing Others Out
(Matthew Gjertsen in Task & Purpose) While much of the Air Force spent 2014 worrying about force cuts, a select group of airmen faced the exact opposite situation. A small selection of pilots and combat systems officers were eligible for up to $25,000 per year if they signed up for an additional service commitment. Because they are in particularly high demand, fighter pilots could sign up for an extra nine years, earning them $225,000 in retention bonuses over that period. So, why is the Air Force paying some individuals to stay while forcing other airmen, including pilots, to leave? The answer to that lies in how pilots are made.
Congress' Missile Defense Opportunity | Commentary
(RollCall) One of the first tasks the new Congress will need to consider is how to strengthen the U.S. National Missile Defense program. No congressional responsibility is more important than protecting the American people against nuclear threats from North Korea and other U.S. adversaries.
Five Reasons Defense Lobbyists Are Facing Harder Times On Capitol Hill
(Loren Thompson in Forbes ) It's turning out to be a tough decade for defense lobbyists on Capitol Hill. Although lobbying is almost universally reviled in popular culture, it's an unavoidable facet of the marketing function when companies depend on the federal government for revenues. At the very least, contractors need to field congressional operatives who can protect key franchises from the efforts of competitors to turn them into bill-payers for other priorities. The legislative process is so baroque that it affords numerous opportunities for mischief.
​ All Is Not Lost in Afghanistan
(Retired Navy Adm. James Stavridis in Foreign Policy) While there has been an upsurge in attacks both in the capital and around the country, it still seems likely - better than even odds - that the Afghan Security Forces, backed up by a planned training force of about 15,000 coalition troops from 42 nations (and perhaps more as time goes by), will be able to contain the Taliban insurgency.
The Forgotten Invasion
(Joseph Hammond in Cicero Magazine) An invasion into a neutral country risked drawing Moscow or Beijing into the war. The Nixon administration's policies of detente however and outreach to China had significantly reduced that risk.
Led Zeppelin Comes to Washington
(Jeffrey Lewis in Foreign Policy ) While Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System deployment represents a response to cruise missile proliferation in general, it is also further evidence of the decaying relationship between the United States and Russia.
If Only America Cared About Actual Wars as Much as War Movies
(Gayle Tzemach Lemmon in DefenseOne) Talk to American soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and their families and it is the same story: they notice that precious few people at home feel that we are a country at war. Part of the reason may be because, officially, we are not.
What Critics of the Navy's Strategy Get Wrong
(War on the Rocks ) A series of articles, blog posts, and open letters have bemoaned the lack of a coherent American maritime strategy. Much of this criticism was generated by the difficult gestation of a follow-on document to the 2007 "A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower," commonly referred to as CS21. Some critics of CS21 have pointed to its lack of any mention of resources, while others have argued that it appears to be too focused on peacetime functions at the expense of warfighting.
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