Thank You
Robert Serge
VVA 17 Member
Blog Master
To all my fellow veterans friends and family my we all remember
From: no-reply@navytimes.com
To: rserge1@outlook.com
Subject: Navy Times Early Bird Brief
Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2014 04:45:12 -0600
COMPILED BY THE EDITORS OF DEFENSE NEWS & MILITARY TIMES
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TODAY'S TOP 51. Marines open infantry training to hundreds more female officers(Marine Corps Times) The opportunity for women to attend the Marines' Infantry Officer Course experiment won't be limited to entry-level officers for much longer. Starting this October, company-grade officers - lieutenants and captains - who have already served in another primary occupation will be allowed to raise their hands and give IOC a shot. 2. Scandal-Plagued VA Is Overpaying Workers By Millions Of Dollars, Internal Audits Find (Huffington Post) The scandal-plagued Department of Veterans Affairs is systematically overpaying clerks, administrators and other support staff, according to internal audits, draining tens of millions of dollars that could be used instead to ease the VA's acute shortage of doctors and nurses. 3. Sinking The Next-13-Navies Fallacy (James Holmes in War on the Rocks) The war against naval factoids is a quagmire! A primary theater in this whack-a-mole struggle is the notion that America's navy is "stronger" than the next X navies, and thus, we should rest easy about our republic's strategic position in Eurasia. 4. General worries US special forces 'fraying' (The Hill) The Obama administration's nominee to lead the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) on Thursday expressed concerns about the physical and mental health of the troops he could soon command. 5. Afghan interpreters who served U.S. are in limbo as State Department runs out of visas (Washington Post) The cases of thousands of Afghan interpreters who worked with the U.S. military and hope to relocate to the United States are in limbo because the government will soon run out of visas designated for the resettlement program, State Department officials said Thursday. MIDDLE EASTObama speaks with Netanyahu, offering to broker ceasefire with Hamas(The Jerusalem Post) The United States is prepared to facilitate a cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, US President Barack Obama told Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu by phone today. Lebanese rockets strike Israel as Gaza offensive intensifies (USA Today) Israel continued to intensify its bombardment of the Gaza Strip Friday in an offensive against the Hamas militant group, with more than 900 targets attacked so far. As the tensions threatened to expand into a possible Israeli ground invasion of Gaza, apparent rocket fire from Lebanon struck near Israel's northern border, the Israeli military said. Gaza Death Toll Rises Sharply as Israel Escalates Attacks (Wall Street Journal) The death toll from Israel's air assault on the Gaza Strip rose sharply on Thursday, following the pattern of past conflicts when Palestinian fatalities far exceeded those on the Israeli side. Raw: Funeral in Gaza for Family of 8 (Associated Press) Palestinians in Gaza held a funeral for eight members of a family, killed in an Israeli airstrike early Thursday. Israel says it's doing all it can to avoid civilian casualties. ( The Next Generation of Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (The Atlantic) In recent weeks, the all-too-common elements of Israeli-Palestinian violence-rocks, rockets, and rubber bullets, Molotov cocktails and missile strikes-have included more unusual tactics: kidnappings and murders, remarkable not only for their viciousness but also for the youth of the victims and perpetrators. Islamic militants on offensive against Kurds (Associated Press) Islamic militants using weapons they recently seized in neighboring Iraq intensified an offensive against Kurdish areas in northern Syria as they fight to expand the territory under their control, activists said Thursday. IRAQISIL has added a lucrative new business line in Iraq: oil smuggling(Quartz) ISIL, the business-minded Islamic army threatening Baghdad, has established a new flow of revenue since seizing a large swath of Iraq-an estimated $1 million-a-day oil smuggling business. It's Hellfire missiles - not F-16s - that Iraq is ready to use now (Washington Post) For weeks, the Iraqi government and the U.S. media have pressed the Pentagon on why it will not deliver the first F-16 fighters promised to Baghdad until later this year. Barzani: Iraqi Kurds keeping their options open (Al-Monitor) On July 8, before the publication of this interview, the president of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region Massoud Barzani issued an open letter to the Iraqi people. In the letter, he reviewed a series of crises between the Kurdistan Region and Baghdad, which brought the option of self-determination to the forefront. Barzani allocated large parts of his letter to confirm that a unified Iraq requires joint action, a new administration and a new vision on how to manage the country in the future. Bruised Iraqi army leans on Shi'ite militias, volunteers (Reuters) The Iraqi soldier says he abandoned the army last week in despair. And while he still plans to fight he will not rejoin the unit he deserted in the western city of Ramadi. Al-Maliki's media war (CNN) The new guidelines, issued on June 18 by the state media commission to remain in effect "during the war on terror," in effect require local and international media to cheer on the government. For example, the rules forbid media from reporting information from insurgent forces and compel coverage of government forces in only glowing terms. INDUSTRYPentagon Launches Contest for New Long-Range Bomber(Wall Street Journal) The Defense Department said on Thursday it had launched a contest to develop a new long-range bomber, which is expected to pit Northrop Grumman Corp. NOC +0.10% against a team led by Boeing Co. BA 0.00% and Lockheed Martin Corp. LMT +0.16% for a contract that analysts value at up to $80 billion. F-35 Engine Fire May Be One-Time Incident, U.S.Says (Bloomberg) The engine fire that led the Pentagon to ground its fleet of F-35 fighters may have been caused by an isolated flaw, according to the Defense Department's top weapons buyer. Window Closing on F-35 Appearance at RIAT (Defense News) The F-35 joint strike fighter won't be appearing at Day 1 of the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) on Friday, but officials are holding out hope it could still appear over the weekend. Pentagon says no halt in F-35 contract talks with Lockheed, Pratt (Reuters) The Pentagon's F-35 program office on Thursday reversed an earlier statement and said it was continuing contract talks with Lockheed Martin Corp and engine maker Pratt and Whitney, despite an engine fire that has grounded the F-35 fighter jet fleet. Boy, Do I want To Get Away From Being The Trillion Dollar Airplane: Bogdan (Breaking Defense) Fairford, UK: Lt. Gen. Chris Bogdan hates being labeled the man who oversees the trillion dollar jet fighter, also known as the Joint Strike Fighter as you can tell from the headline. Raytheon Ready to Proceed With FAB-T in Wake of Victory Over Boeing (National Defense) The Raytheon Co. is preparing to ramp up production of the family of advanced beyond line of sight terminals (FAB-T) program now that the Air Force has changed course and awarded the company what remains of the once troubled program. France, UK To Sign Memo Kicking Off Combat Drone Study (Defense News) Britain and France plan to sign a memorandum of understanding for the study of a combat drone, bringing their air forces closer to an advanced fighter program worth billions, defense ministry spokespersons of the two countries said. Onodera sets out plans to buy amphibious assault ships (IHS Jane's 360) Japanese Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera has said that Tokyo is to consider the purchase of at least one amphibious assault ship. Alenia Aermacchi Delivers Pair of 30 M-346s to Israel (Defense News) The Israeli Air Force has taken delivery of the first two of 30 M-346 jet trainers ordered from Italy's Alenia Aermacchi in 2012. HAL issues RfI for help with stalled IJT programme (IHS Jane's 360) India's state-owned company Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) issued a global request for information (RfI) on 30 June seeking technical assistance aimed at streamlining the overweight Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT). VETERANSVA health care failed suicidal vets, families testify(Military Times) In March 2011, former Marine Clay Hunt faced a life full of promise. Having survived a gunshot wound and combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, he traveled to Haiti to do humanitarian work, had a new job and was shopping for a truck. How to Stop Burn Pits From Becoming the Next Agent Orange (National Journal) As veterans complain of health impacts from toxic fumes, advocates warn that burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan might come back to haunt the administration. Retired Navy doctor named to interim VA post (Military Times) The Veterans Affairs Department has named a career Navy doctor to serve as interim director of its Office of the Medical Inspector. 170 miles in his shoes (The Record; Stockton, Calif.) A half-hour appointment at the Department of Veterans Affairs' Palo Alto medical complex quite often translates into a full day or more of travel and added stress for veterans from the San Joaquin Valley and Sierra foothills. CONGRESSLawmakers propose bill to improve VA suicide prevention care(Military Times) House lawmakers on Thursday introduced legislation they say would improve suicide prevention at the Veterans Affairs Department and bring together former service members needing help. CBO lowers score on House veterans bill (The Hill) The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has released a new score for a House bill to overhaul the Veterans Affairs Department that is dramatically lower than its previous estimate. US House, Senate Appropriators Not Yet 'Pre-Conferencing' a 2015 Defense Bill (Defense News) Even as the US Senate remains unable to pass agency spending bills, the two chambers' Appropriations committees have yet to begin work on a compromise bill to fund the military next year. Royce: White House in 'Dramatic Retreat' from Security Norms in Nuclear Trade (Global Security Newswire) The chairman of a key House committee on Thursday charged that the Obama administration is gutting nonproliferation norms in its negotiating stance toward Iran, especially in light of its policy approach toward inking nuclear trade agreements elsewhere around the world. Senators debate Russian-Afghan helicopter contract (The Hill) Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) pushed back Thursday against fellow lawmakers' plans to stop Russia from supplying some 30 helicopters to Afghanistan's air force. Is the State Department Prioritizing 'Pretty Buildings' Over Preventing the Next Benghazi? (National Journal) Almost two years after the Benghazi terrorist attack, lawmakers are taking their investigation to a new front: architecture. Obama War-Funding Request Gets No Attention at Senate Hearing With Afghanistan Nominee (Defense News) US senators and senior military officials on Thursday discussed US cash for Russian helicopters, the ongoing drawdown in Afghanistan and missile defense programs. But a $58.6 billion war-funding request that arrived on Capitol Hill 114 days late received nary a mention. DEFENSE DEPARTMENTPentagon decries new Bergdahl photo as propaganda(USA Today) The photo of a smiling Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl posted to a Twitter account by a Taliban sympathizer is being dismissed by the Pentagon as "100% propaganda." Tricare to restore coverage for up to 40 genetic lab tests (Military Update) The Defense Health Agency, relying on medical laboratory experts and existing authority to conduct medical "demonstrations," will restore Tricare coverage this month for up to 40 genetic tests used in patient care. Military brass backed Bergdahl prisoner swap (Associated Press) The chairman and the Joint Chiefs of Staff unanimously supported the Obama administration's exchange of five Taliban leaders for an Army sergeant held prisoner in Afghanistan for five years. Gortney: Funding for Ballistic Missile Program In Jeopardy (USNI News) The Pentagon's pick to head U.S. Northern Command is concerned Congress could put the kibosh on the department's frontline missile defense system, exposing potential gaps in U.S. missile defense strategy. Pentagon spurs new work on a brain implant to aid memory problems (Los Angeles Times) It sounds like science fiction: A device that can be surgically installed in the brain to help form, store and recall memories. ARMYApache battalion leaders suspended, under investigation(Army Times) The command team for 1st Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment, stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado, has been suspended pending an ongoing investigation. Army recruiter: Tougher tattoo rules bring fewer -- but better -- recruits (Chicago Tribune) Uncle Sam still wants you - just not as heavily inked. Bradley commander is 1st Cav's first female 'Top Gun' (Army Times) Maj. Chrissy Cook is the first woman in the 1st Cavalry Division to qualify to command a M2A2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle. U.S. Army soldier stole equipment from armory, pawned it, agents say (Sun Sentinel; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) In early April, an estimated $400,000 worth of military equipment was reported stolen from a U.S. Army facility in West Palm Beach. Army announces new assignments for 32 generals, promotable colonels (Army Times) These generals and promotable colonels are going to new assignments, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno announced Thursday: US Army General Defends Aviation Restructure (Defense News) A US Army general defended his service's decision to buy 100 Airbus UH-72 Lakota helicopters for pilot training, saying the new aircraft will better prepare aviators at a lower overall operating cost. NAVYStackley: Navy Plans to Refuel Carrier George Washington(USNI News) The U.S. Navy's chief shipbuilder told Congress the service plans to reshuffle $7 billion in funds, over the next five years, to keep the nuclear aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73) and undertake a mid-life refueling and upgrade for the ship that previously was in question due to funding pressures. 'My Last Ship Was Older Than I Was': Sailor Quizzes SecDef On New SSBNs (Breaking Defense) Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel came here Wednesday to celebrate the Navy's nuclear deterrence force. But just 20 minutes in, a petty officer second class stood up in front of almost 200 of his comrades and pointed out the $95 billion elephant in the room: Can the Navy afford to buy the next generation of ballistic missile submarines? Navy Moves More Patrol Craft to 5th Fleet (USNI News) The U.S. Navy has sent two additional Cyclone-class patrol craft (PC) to U.S. 5th Fleet to increase U.S. naval presence in the Persian Gulf, U.S. Fleet Forces announced late Wednesday. US Navy Grilled on Cruiser Plan (Defense News) Sometimes it's all about trust, and right now, the US Navy is struggling to convince Congress it's on the level about a plan to take half the fleet's 22 cruisers out of service and gradually return them to active duty. US Army General Defends Aviation Restructure (Defense News) A US Army general defended his service's decision to buy 100 Airbus UH-72 Lakota helicopters for pilot training, saying the new aircraft will better prepare aviators at a lower overall operating cost. Navy is investigating rape threat allegedly made by sailor (Los Angeles Times) Navy officials are investigating Nicholas Lord, a petty officer stationed in Washington, for allegedly threatening on social media to rape a Navy recruit. In a July 6 posting on a Facebook page believed to be Lord's, he acknowledged making recent comments. AIR FORCEAir Force faces turbulent times(USA Today) Demand for Air Force spy planes, fighters and bombers from Eastern Europe to the Far East is spiking, and top generals say they're scrambling to meet commanders' needs as they struggle with shrinking budgets and keeping old planes flying. New F-35 pilots might get to skip training in F-16s (Air Force Times) New Air Force pilots might not have to fly F-16 jets before transitioning from T-38 trainers to the F-35 joint strike fighter. Coolant failure caused Predator to crash into Mediterranean (Air Force Times) A coolant problem that triggered a loss in fuel ultimately brought down an MQ-1B Predator in January as it was flying a mission in the Mediterranean Sea, the Air Force announced today. 9,403 selected for staff sergeant (Air Force Times) The selection rate for promotion to staff sergeant plunged this year to 25.59 percent - the lowest rate in 16 years. MARINE CORPSMom Of S. Florida Marine Jailed In Mexico Hopeful Despite Hearing(WFOR TV; Miami) The mother, and lawyer, of a Weston Marine jailed in Mexico is hopeful despite a judge's orders Wednesday to remain behind bars. Marine shot in neck while driving home: 'I feel very lucky that I'm alive' (WTCI-TV; New Bern, NC ) Deputies are looking for the person who shot a Marine while he was driving home from Cherry Point, causing a bullet to be lodged in his neck. Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 115 deploys to Western Pacific (Island Packet) Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 115 departed Beaufort Wednesday, headed for a deployment in the Western Pacific. AFGHANISTAN/PAKISTANKerry flies to Afghanistan to tackle presidential election dispute(Los Angeles Times) Secretary of State John F. Kerry made an unscheduled stopover in Kabul early Friday in an attempt to resolve the dispute between two politicians claiming to have won Afghanistan's protracted presidential election, the State Department announced. Nominee praises progress of Afghan security forces (Military Times) Senators stuck mostly to basic questions for Army Gen. John Campbell at his confirmation hearing Thursday to become the next commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan. America Is Leaving Afghanistan and Civilians Are Paying the Price (Foreign Policy) With American troops preparing to leave Afghanistan and the Taliban stepping up its attacks across the country, Afghan civilians are increasingly getting caught in the crossfire. Afghan aid is dropping, but how fast is too fast? (Associated Press) Civilian assistance to Afghanistan was always slated to shrink with America's military footprint, but U.S. aid officials were caught off-guard when Congress, upset by testy relations with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, slashed civilian aid by 50 percent this year. US drone strike kills 6 'militants' in North Waziristan (Long War Journal) The US launched its first drone strike inside Pakistan's tribal agencies in more than three weeks, killing six "militants" in an area that in the past has served as a command and control center for al Qaeda's military. Pakistan Claims Win Against Militants Along Afghan Border, but Enemy Slips Away (New York Times) A solitary donkey wandered through the deserted streets of this once-bustling tribal town of 100,000, but no other inhabitants were to be found 10 days after Pakistani troops backed by tanks and helicopter gunships seized control. Taliban seize district in central Afghanistan, launch suicide assault in Kandahar (Long War Journal) The Taliban launched two major attacks in central and southern Afghanistan today, overrunning a provincial center in Ghor province and launching a suicide assault on government buildings in the capital of Kandahar. Pakistani anti-terror offensive has forced 700,000 people to flee homes, U.N. says (Washington Post) More than 700,000 people are reported to have fled a Pakistani military operation against terrorists in North Waziristan, straining nearby towns and heightening concern about a long-term refugee crisis. EUROPEGermany orders CIA station chief to leave over spying allegations(Washington Post) The German government ordered the CIA's top officer in Berlin to leave the country Thursday in an extraordinary escalation of a conflict between the two allies over U.S. espionage. Shadowy Rebel Flexes Iron Fist in Ukraine Fight (New York Times) Late one afternoon last month, as separatist militia fighters and Ukrainian forces exchanged fire, a small-time thief by the name of Aleksei B. Pichko left his home on the southern edge of Slovyansk and headed for an abandoned residence at 17 Sadovaya Street. He had been drinking, and wanted to "see what could be stolen from there," according to documents recovered at the rebel headquarters after their retreat over the weekend. Rifts appear among Ukraine's pro-Russian rebels (Associated Press) Deep strains emerged Thursday in the ranks of Ukraine's pro-Moscow insurgents as dozens turned in their weapons in disgust at Russian inaction and bickering broke out between rebel factions. British Combatants of a Different Religious War (New York Times) It was nine years ago on July 7, 2005, that four suicide bombers killed 52 people on the London transit system during the morning rush hour, introducing Britons to a kind of terrorism that Americans had confronted on Sept. 11, 2001. COMMENTARY AND ANALYSISThe Army's next enemy? Peace.(Retired Army Lt. Gen. David W. Barno in The Washington Post) The Army is emerging from 13 years of war, battle-tested but weary. It is under pressure from budget cuts, the return of nearly the entire force to domestic bases, and a nation wary of deploying land power after two long conflicts. Yet perhaps the most important challenge facing the Army is not about finances, logistics or public opinion, but about culture - its own. How to Fix the Government's Security Clearance Mess (Steve Nguyen in Defense One) The federal government's security clearance process has been under intense scrutiny since last year's Washington Navy Yard shooting by Aaron Alexis, a Marine Corp contractor with secret-level clearance and Edward Snowden's unprecedented leak of classified information The Coming War with the Caliphate (Gary Anderson in Small Wars Journal) Osama bin Laden may be dead, but his vision of an Islamic caliphate transcending traditional international borders is becoming a reality in the form of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The Islamic State Isn't: A Legal Examination (Ben Farley in War on the Rocks) Statehood is more than men under arms, carrying a common banner, and forcing erstwhile authorities from the territory they administer. Statehood is the international legal personality that comes with the sovereign exercise of authority over a defined territory and defined population. Why Israel Must Destroy Hamas (Seth Cropsey in Real Clear Defense) In a true cycle, for example a biological one, life is sustained by a progression of changes that begin with new individuals who mature through stages that end in death but reproduce along the way thus completing a cycle. Why We Need to Spy on the Germans (James Kirchick in Foreign Policy) I've lived and loved in Germany, count Berlin as one of my favorite cities, and-pending reactions to this article-may even move back there someday. But given its intense business and political ties to Russia and Iran, and Moscow's decades-long cultivation of intelligence assets and collaborators from the first Cold War up through the current one, American intelligence agencies would be crazy not to conduct intensive espionage operations in Germany. | |||||
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