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, 15 Aug 2014 04:40:08 -0600
COMPILED BY THE EDITORS OF DEFENSE NEWS & MILITARY TIMES
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TODAY'S TOP 51. Marine sniper involved in controversial video found dead(Marine Corps Times) A Marine Corps combat veteran who endured a long, public legal battle with the service's senior leadership was found dead Wednesday night. 2. Maliki Agrees to Relinquish Power in Iraq (New York Times) Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki said Thursday night that he had agreed to relinquish power, state television reported, potentially ending a crisis in which his deployment of extra security forces around the capital had raised worries of a military coup. 3. How to Defeat ISIL (Bing West in National Review) By pulling our forces out of Iraq in 2011, Mr. Obama claimed, he "ended the war." Three years later, the winner of that war is a barbarous Islamist army that has seized the northern half of Iraq, threatening both Kurdistan and Baghdad. An alarmed Iraqi parliament has just elected a new prime minister, opening the door for American assistance. 4. The Public Will Soon Be Able to Buy Military-Grade Satellite Images (DefenseOne) On Wednesday, the world's premier marketer of high-resolution satellite imagery, DigitalGlobe, successfully launched their new WorldView 3 (WV3) satellite. As Defense One reported in April, the WorldView 3 will operate 380 miles above the Earth's surface and will go from pole to pole in 98 minutes, moving at 7 miles per second. 5. Perry gives Guard troops sendoff to border (San Antonio Express-News) Greeted with "hooahs" from National Guard soldiers he's about to deploy to the border, Gov. Rick Perry told the troops Wednesday they would face "narco-terrorists" who are threatening Americans in Texas and other states. IRAQObama: No Iraq rescue; further airdrops unlikely(Associated Press) President Barack Obama on Thursday promised to expand U.S. humanitarian relief to Iraqis threatened by the advancing army of the Islamic State militants. He took credit for alleviating the genocide threat to thousands trapped on a mountaintop but said the situation "remains dire" throughout the country. Nouri Maliki's departure sets stage for deeper U.S. role in Iraq (Los Angeles Times) The resignation of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki after a bitter final power struggle sets the stage for increasing U.S. arms shipments and military advisors, deepening America's role in a conflict President Obama had sought to avoid. Did the Pentagon misjudge the danger on Iraq's Mount Sinjar? (Washington Post) In the space of 24 hours this week, the U.S. military went from planning for a possible mass evacuation of Iraqi refugees to declaring that there was, in fact, no imminent crisis. What happened? Did the Pentagon misjudge the situation on Mount Sinjar, which only days ago was being reported as a site of a potential genocide? US jets strike IS armored vehicles in Iraq (Agence France-Presse) US jets and drones launched more air strikes in northern Iraq on Thursday to destroy vehicles operated by extremist fighters from the so-called Islamic State, the military said. Humanitarian mission could expand in Iraq (The Hill) A Pentagon spokesman left the door open to further U.S. involvement in Iraq for humanitarian purposes Thursday. Obama weighs strategy against Islamic State (Associated Press) The Obama administration is grappling with how to bridge the gap between its increasingly dire assessment of the threat posed by the Islamic State group and the limited, defensive air campaign it has so far undertaken, which military officials acknowledge will not blunt the group's momentum. More US military support unlikely to break militant hold on Iraq (Stars & Stripes) The U.S. is poised to ramp up military support for Iraq if a new, inclusive government takes shape. Even that won't be enough to beat back rampaging Islamic militants unless something extraordinary happens: Iraq mends age-old sectarian rifts, experts say. EU Prepares to Scale Up Iraq Involvement (Wall Street Journal) Europe is preparing to scale up its involvement in Iraq, as Brussels set an emergency foreign ministers' meeting for Friday to discuss the deepening crisis and France announced it would ship weapons to Kurdish fighters. Australia Joins Iraq Refugee Aerial Resupply Mission (NextGov) Australia has joined the United States and Britain in airdropping supplies to refugees trapped by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant forces on Mount Sinjar in Northwestern Iraq, with a Royal Australian Air Force C-130J parachuting 10 pallets of supplies yesterday. Germany to start airlifting aid to Iraq (Deutsche Welle) The German military is planning to send four aircraft to northern Iraq to airlift goods to the many Yazidi stranded in the Sinjar mountains. The UN has declared its highest level of emergency for the humanitarian crisis. INDUSTRYBoeing wins $296 million initial deal for 12 more P-8 spy planes(Reuters) Boeing Co (BA.N) has won an initial contract worth $296 million to buy parts needed for production of 12 more P-8A spy planes, including eight for the U.S. Navy and four for the government of Australia, the Pentagon announced Thursday. Army buys troposcatter equipment (C4ISR & Networks) TeleCommunication Systems Inc. has won a U.S. Army contract for Tactical Transportable Troposcatter (3T) systems. Army: DCGS Competition Planned for 2016 (DoDBuzz) The U.S. Army plans to hold a competition in fiscal 2016 to develop the next phase of its controversial battlefield intelligence system. 'Data, Algorithms, and Tradecraft': Keeping A Little Humanity In Big Data (Breaking Defense) "Big data" is big business nowadays. Defense contractor Lockheed Martin, for example, boasts their analytical tools have successfully predicted everything from Arab Spring uprisings to the onset of sepsis in hospital patients. Mexico orders next batch of T-6C+ Texan IIs (IHS Jane's 360) The Mexican Air Force (FAM) has issued a follow-up contract for a fourth batch of Beechcraft T-6C+ Texan II armed trainers, according to a Mexican Ministry of the Treasury (SHCP) document published on 8 August. Russia to fully pay for Mistral contract after 2nd ship delivery (ITAR-TASS) Russia will pay France in full under the contract for the construction of Mistral-class helicopter carriers only after the delivery of the second ship, the head of the Russian state-run arms trader Rosoboronexport said on Tuesday. Excalibur and Rafael develop modernised BMP-2 to meet Czech requirement (IHS Jane's 360) Czech defence manufacturer Excalibur Army has developed a modernised infantry fighting vehicle, together with Israel's Rafael, based on the Russian-designed BMP-2. Russia Brainstorms Strategy to Replace Banned Western Defense Imports (Moscow Times) Russia will launch a comprehensive import substitution program in October focused on replacing Western components used in its defense industry, access to which was cut off last month by expanded U.S. and European sanctions on Russia over the crisis in Ukraine, a senior defense industry official said Thursday. Vietnam Israel to establish framework for industry collaboration (C4ISR & Networks) The U.S. Air Force wants humans and machines to work together for ISR analysis. VETERANSMilitary veterans see deeply flawed police response in Ferguson(Washington Post) Jet-black rifles leveled at unarmed citizens and mine-resistant vehicles once used to patrol the roadways of Iraq and Afghanistan rumbling through small town America. These are scenes playing out in Ferguson, Mo., which has been racked by protests for the last week following the fatal shooting of an unarmed 19-year-old named Michael Brown. VA chief: Firings of workers a deliberate process (Associated Press) The Veterans Affairs Department is in the process of holding bad employees accountable amid a scandal about long wait times for patients and other problems, VA Secretary Robert McDonald said Thursday, but he declined to say how many people were being fired and who they were. VA's Opaque Discipline Process Clouds Outcomes in Wait-Time Scandal (NBC News) The Department of Veterans Affairs says it has recommended disciplinary actions against six employees at VA medical facilities in Colorado and Wyoming for manipulating patient wait times, but the punishments that are being meted out -- and what the employees did to receive them -- remain unclear. VA Regional Office employees got bonuses despite scathing report (WISTV; Columbia, S.C.) Despite a scathing report of the Columbia Regional Veteran's Affairs Office, hundreds of employees learned they will soon be getting bonuses. CONGRESSDefense Panels Hold Up $7M Funding Shift for Hellfire Missiles - for Now(Defense News) Two US Senate committees are holding up $7 million in new monies for the missile that has been America's munition of choice against al-Qaida. Lawmaker drafting bill to demilitarize local police (The Hill) A Democratic congressman from Georgia is drafting legislation to limit a Pentagon program that provides surplus military equipment to local law enforcement. Did Congress Help Create an Environment for Crisis in Ferguson, Missouri? (Defense News) Local US police departments like the embattled one in Ferguson, Missouri, look more like elite military units, in large part because of the United States Congress. DEFENSE DEPARTMENTExperts concerned about discrepancies in old, new PTSD criteria(Military Times) Changes to the diagnostic criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder made in 2013 provide flexibility for new PTSD diagnoses in troops, but leave out some who would have been diagnosed with PTSD under the old standards, according to a new study published Thursday in the prestigious journal Lancet Psychiatry. Asia pivot on track, Pentagon says (The Hill) The Defense Department's spokesman on Thursday said military leaders remain committed to carrying out President Obama's pivot to Asia, despite ongoing unrest in other parts of the world. Consumer agency: 'Fee scam' cheated troops of $5 on financing contracts (Military Times) Tens of thousands of service members will get restitution checks from a retailer that allegedly "tricked" them into paying a $5 fee for legal protections - protections that they already have - in order to get financing, as a result of an enforcement action by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. ARMY600 U.S.-based soldiers will deploy to Europe(Army Times) About 600 soldiers from the 1st Cavalry Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team will rotate into Europe in October as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve. Service honors general killed in Afghanistan (USA Today) Amid military ritual afforded a war casualty of high rank - this one the first general officer killed in a combat zone since the Vietnam War - Army Lt. Gen. Harold "Harry" Greene was laid to rest Thursday. He was buried among 876 others lost to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and aligned in symmetrical rows at Arlington National Cemetery. SFC wins $2.5 million with lottery scratch-off (Army Times) Back in Georgia after a two-year deployment to Baumholder, Germany, Sgt. 1st Class Misty Bowman began buying scratch-off lottery tickets at a convenience store outside Hunter Army Airfield, mostly as "a stress reliever." PR firm that represented disgraced general puts itself up for an award (Washington Post) Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Sinclair found himself under the bright lights of the national media after he was charged by Army authorities with forcible sodomy, wrongful sexual conduct and other crimes in 2012. It came at a time when the Pentagon already was under scrutiny for its inability to stop sexual assault in the military, and marked the rarest of occasions: a senior officer facing criminal charges. NAVYBibles are back in Navy Lodges, for now(Navy Times) The Navy has decided to put Bibles back in Navy Lodge rooms while leaders review policy on keeping donated Bibles in Navy Lodge guest rooms. The Aug. 14 announcement followed a widespread backlash from religious, conservative and veterans organizations after officials with Navy Exchange Service Command ordered the Bibles removed in June. Sailor to be punished for rape threat toward recruit on social media (Los Angeles Times) A sailor based in Washington state has been found guilty of threatening to rape a California naval recruit in a social media posting and will now face internal discipline, Navy officials told the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday. Chesapeake businessman pleads guilty to bribery (Virginian-Pilot) Timothy S. Miller, a wealthy businessman and philanthropist, pleaded guilty this afternoon to paying bribes in exchange for millions in government contracts. Missile destroyers to home port in Pearl Harbor (Stars & Stripes) Two guided-missile destroyers will arrive in Hawaii this week, making Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam their new home port. AIR FORCENew rotation arrives for exercises in Poland(Air Force Times) Approximately 75 airmen and two C-130J Super Hercules from Ramstein Air Base, Germany, arrived Thursday at Powidz Air Base, Poland, for exercises with Poland and neighboring Baltic States. Spangdahlem-based Air Force pilot convicted of rape (Stars & Stripes) An Air Force fighter pilot was convicted of rape last week, nine years after he committed the crime against a young airman. EPR change for tech sergeants raises new questions (Air Force Times) The Air Force's plan to introduce a standardized closeout date for evaluating the performance of all technical sergeants, as part of sweeping changes to the enlisted promotion system, has left some airmen unclear on when their next evaluation will occur. MacDill hurricane hunters to get $35 million overhaul (Tampa Tribune) The two old, lumbering Orion P-3 propeller driven aircraft that fly into hurricanes out of MacDill Air Force Base for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, will be getting a major overhaul over the next three years. Secretary of State John Kerry has to fly commercial after Air Force jet breaks down (Washington Post) Secretary of State John F. Kerry flew around the world over the past week, zipping hither and yon for nine days on his Air Force jet till the plane broke down Thursday. MARINE CORPSMarine Sgt. Hutchins Enlists Civilian Attorney for War Crimes Retrial(KNSD; San Diego) The attorney for a Marine set to be retried on war crimes is raising concerns about a possible breach in the defense's case. Work finally begins on building Marine Corps runway on Okinawa (Stars & Stripes) Workers began installing buoys and floats in the waters off Camp Schwab on Thursday, marking the start of construction that will one day facilitate the move of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma to the northern part of the island, as well as the relocation of thousands of U.S. Marines to Guam as part of the Pacific realignment. DOD submits master plan to Congress (Pacific Daily News) The Department of Defense has submitted the military buildup master plan, which the U.S. Senate required to lift the freeze on tens to hundreds of millions of dollars worth of annual funding toward building a Marine base on Guam. Fleet Readiness Center East Repairs Harrier Using 3-D Printing (Seapower) Marine Capt William Mahoney had no idea that his successful hard landing of an AV-8B Harrier jumpjet, whose nose gear failed to deploy, on the deck of the USS Bataan (LHD 5) on May 28 would go viral, making him and the event a social media sensation. AFGHANISTAN/PAKISTANAfghan Election Rivals Hit New Snags(Wall Street Journal) New strains have emerged in Afghanistan's delicate political transition, just a week after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry traveled to Kabul for the second time in a month to defuse a political crisis concerning who will take over from President Hamid Karzai. Female lawmaker endorses Taliban and Islamic State in Afghanistan (Khaama Press) A female Afghan lawmaker Huma Sultani has said she supports the Taliban ideology and endorses an Islamic State in Afghanistan, similar as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Thousands heading to opposition rally in Pakistan (Associated Press) Thousands of Pakistani opposition supporters were on the road for a second day Friday, heading in two separate convoys to the capital, Islamabad, for a massive rally meant to pressure the country's prime minister to resign over allegations of rigging last year's parliamentary elections. Border-Town Blues: Peshawar's Fortunes Fall Amid U.S.'s Afghan Exit (Wall Street Journal) The end of the U.S. war in Afghanistan, a 13-year conflict that made many fortunes in Peshawar, is bringing a bust to this Pakistani frontier metropolis that lives off cross-border trade. MIDDLE EASTTwo Final U.S. Navy Patrol Craft Arrive in Middle East(USNI News) The two final Cyclone-class patrol craft (PC) arrived in Bahrain this week, bringing the total PC count in U.S. 5th Fleet to ten, the service announced on Wednesday. Israel Braces for War Crimes Inquiries on Gaza (New York Times) The fighting is barely over in the latest Gaza war, with a five-day cease-fire taking hold on Thursday, but attention has already shifted to the legal battlefield as Israel gears up to defend itself against international allegations of possible war crimes in the monthlong conflict. Syrian claims victory over rebels in fight near Damascus (Reuters) Syrian television says that government forces have taken almost full control of a town just outside Damascus from Islamist rebels, who had held it for more than a year. Three hotspots could erupt into violence (Daily Star; Lebanon) The porous frontiers by Arsal, the overcrowded quarters of Roumieh prison and the labyrinthine confines of Ain al-Hilweh: These are Lebanese areas that could one day compromise national security, according to the Interior Ministry. EUROPENorthrop Grumman sponsors UK cyber-security challenge(IHS Jane's 360) Northrop Grumman has announced it has agreed to co-found a UK cyber-security challenge for young people to boost the UK's pool of cyber warfare experts. Ukraine: Inspectors to check Russian convoy (Associated Press) Ukraine says a team of several dozen of its customs and border service officials will inspect a Russian aid convoy parked just beyond its border. Two more top separatist leaders abandon eastern Ukraine battle (Los Angeles Times) Igor Girkin, who reportedly bragged of shooting down a Ukrainian jet on the day that a Malaysia Airlines passenger plane was blown from the sky, and self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic Gov. Valery Bolotov, were both reported by Russian media to have resigned. A Ukraine City Under Siege, 'Just Terrified of the Bombing' (New York Times) Every night, as darkness falls over Luhansk, the focus now of intense humanitarian concern and geopolitical intrigue, a cat-and-mouse artillery duel begins. Why Ukrainian politicians keep beating each other up (Washington Post) They look more like out-of-control boxers than politicians. Microphones are directed at Oleh Lyashko and Oleksandr Shevchenko while observers stand in a circle around them. Then, Shevchenko suddenly starts punching Lyashko in the head. Lyashko staggers, but bystanders grab him and prevent him from falling. ASIA-PACIFICPanel: Taiwan Facing Increasing Chinese Pressure(USNI News) Since the 1996 Taiwan Straits crisis, when China tried to intimidate the island by testing missiles in waters near Taiwan and the United States responded by sending two carrier battle groups to the region, Beijing has built up its naval forces of conventionally powered submarines, corvettes, and frigates to influence events in "the first island chain" off its coast-and looks to extend its reach by 2050 to the Mariana Islands with nuclear-powered submarines and aircraft carriers. Navy wraps up CARAT exercise in Singapore (Stars & Stripes) Navy crews have been picking up valuable lessons from their Singapore counterparts on how to maneuver in the sea version of heavy traffic - a mix of civilian and military vessels, sometimes spiced up with pirates. Japan PM sends offering to war dead shrine, cabinet ministers visit (Reuters) Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday sent a ritual offering to a Tokyo shrine to war dead but did not join cabinet ministers in a visit, seen as an effort to avoid further inflaming ties with China as he seeks a summit with Beijing. North Korea Says Rocket Launches Had Nothing to Do With Pope's Visit (New York Times) North Korea said Friday that the rockets it launched the previous day had not been meant to coincide with the start of Pope Francis' five-day visit to its rival, South Korea. AFRICAU.S. Evacuating Diplomats' Families from Sierra Leone due to Ebola(Wall Street Journal) The U.S. began evacuating families of embassy personnel in Sierra Leone on Thursday, citing concerns that local medical facilities have become overwhelmed by the spread of the deadly Ebola virus. Mogadishu hit by intense gun battles (Al Jazeera) Heavy fighting has broken out in Mogadishu after government troops launched a dawn attack on a house belonging to a former militia leader as part of a disarmament campaign, residents and officials said. South African Army preparing immediate response force (IHS Jane's 360) South African Army chief Lieutenant General V R Masondo has confirmed that his service is in the process of preparing to meet additional deployment commitments that could arise within the framework of the African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crises (ACIRC). Evidence suggests Ebola toll vastly underestimated: WHO (Reuters) Staff with the World Health Organisation battling an Ebola outbreak in West Africa see evidence the numbers of reported cases and deaths vastly underestimates the scale of the outbreak, the U.N. agency said on its website on Thursday. Health Officials Try to Quell Fear of Ebola Spreading by Air Travel (New York Times) The World Health Organization on Thursday swiftly sought to quell fears that international air travel could become a conduit for spreading the deadly Ebola virus from Africa around the globe, emphasizing that such a risk was low. COMMENTARY AND ANALYSISGet the Military Off of Main Street(Elizabeth R. Beavers and Michael Shank in The New York Times ) FERGUSON, Mo., has become a virtual war zone. In the wake of the shooting of an unarmed black teenager, Michael Brown, outsize armored vehicles have lined streets and tear gas has filled the air. Officers dressed in camouflage uniforms from Ferguson's 53-person police force have pointed M-16s at the very citizens they are sworn to protect and serve. Why Ferguson Looks So Much Like Iraq (Mark Thompson in Time) The photographs and videos of police trying to calm the rioting in Ferguson, Mo., look like a war zone. Military Force Structure Math-the American Way (Retired Air Force Col. Eric Jorgensen in Cicero Magazine) As the United States defense budget has been cut over the last several years, the Congress has been very disappointed with proposals from the military services for readjusting their force structure. The cold realism of America's defence secretary (The Economist) EVEN in cash-strapped times, America's defence secretary does not so much travel overseas as make an imperial progress. The Pentagon's boss flies aboard an airborne command post originally built to run nuclear wars, crammed with scores of aides, and often escorted by mid-air refuelling tankers. The plane's antiquity adds an extra superpower frisson. With its clunky gadgets and cold-war decor it feels like a set from Dr Strangelove, jammed into a Boeing 747. Why America Doesn't Need All Its Nukes (Kingston Reif in Real Clear Defense) Earlier this week in RealClearDefense, the Foreign Policy Initiative's Evan Moore made his case for "why America still needs nukes." Moore points to the conclusions of the recently released National Defense Panel (NDP) report on defense policy as evidence of the importance of nuclear weapons to U.S. security and the need to rebuild America's aging nuclear delivery systems and their associated warheads. Lost in the Middle East (Ali Khedery in Politico Magazine) The region's widening chaos could destroy what is left of President Obama's legacy. America: Beware the Siren Song of Disengagement (Richard Fontaine and former Undersecretary of Defense Michele Flournoy in National Interest) In authorizing airstrikes in Iraq, President Obama faces a challenge: making the case for U.S. action to an American population that is tired of energetic international engagement Don't Engage Russia on the INF Treaty Yet (Bilyana Lilly in War on the Rocks) U.S. accusations that Russia is in violation of the 26-year-old Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty) have left the treaty hanging by a thread. North Korea's Dangerous Invasion Bluff (Christopher Lee in Real Clear Defense) From weapons proliferation, to human rights matters, and to global security-North Korea is present. It is extremely difficult to find a major international issue in which North Korea is not playing a substantial role. Despite the small size of its population and breadth of its territory, North Korea has played a "disproportionately important role" in the last 30 years of world history, particularly due to its arsenal of advanced weapons systems and the consternation its warheads create both near and far. | |||||
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