| November 20, 2014 |
THE EARLY BIRD BRIEF |
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TODAY'S TOP 5
1. Dempsey Lays Groundwork for Larger 2016 Defense Budget
(Defense News) The top US military official on Wednesday made the case for growing the base defense budget significantly over the $535 billion spending cap imposed by Congress for fiscal 2015.
2. Political Dysfunction Is a Worse Threat Than Putin, Say National Security Workers
(Defense One) The Obama administration has no strategy for ISIS, the Pentagon is not leaving enough troops to protect Afghanistan and Congress isn't qualified to keep watch over the military and intelligence services, according to survey of federal workers and troops at the Pentagon, and other national security agencies.
3. What's the Plan? The NATO Coalition in Afghanistan
(Jason Campbell in War on the Rocks) As of January 1, 2015, the nature of the NATO mission in Afghanistan will change dramatically. The transition to Resolute Support Mission (RSM) will remove all coalition forces from combat and concentrate them into only a handful of regional bases from which they will continue to provide mentorship and limited indirect support to the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). Though a definitive reduction in the NATO mission's size and scope, it would be a mistake to judge this phase as any less important. While the ANSF have made important strides, fighting the insurgency on their own will be a massive undertaking and enduring coalition support will be crucial. Senior officials of NATO troop-contributing nations must resist the temptation to prematurely head for the exits.
4. Boeing Can Bill $61 Million That Pentagon Withheld for Months
(Bloomberg) The Pentagon withheld $60.5 million in payments from a Boeing Co. (BA) unit from February to late last month after military managers concluded that its internal system to track costs and schedules was flawed.
5. Veterans' suicides prove VA must improve services, mothers testify
(Military Times) The mother of an Army National Guard soldier who killed himself less than seven weeks ago pleaded with Congress on Wednesday to do more to save troops and veterans suffering from combat-related mental health conditions.
CONGRESS
Dem leadership fight frustrates veterans advocates
(Military Times) Democratic leaders on Wednesday will vote to sideline the only Iraq War-era veteran on the House Veterans' Affairs Committee and stave off an internal power struggle, a move that has infuriated some veterans advocates.
HASC Chair-elect Thornberry Envisions Two-Year Focus for New Agenda
(Defense News) The incoming US House Armed Services Committee chairman says he will set the panel's new agenda with a two-year focus, work that will ramp up in January.
Levin backs Pentagon proposals to cut benefits
(The Hill) Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) said Wednesday he'll work to save the Pentagon's proposals to cut health and housing benefits for armed services members and their families.
Religious advocates spar in House hearing
(Military Times) Neither conservative chaplains nor atheist advocates think the military is properly enforcing rules on religious expression in the ranks.
ISLAMIC STATE
Intel analysts sift spy plane feeds for ISIS targets
(USA Today) Airstrikes in Syria and Iraq, aided by intelligence reports developed by airmen here from spy-plane feeds, have helped stem the momentum of Islamic State fighters in the key city of Kobane, according to top military officials.
US renews airstrikes on Khorasan group
(The Hill) The U.S. military announced Wednesday it struck the Khorasan Group in an airstrike earlier this week.
White House Official Cryptic on Drafting, Submitting Islamic State War Measure
(Defense News) President Barack Obama's pick for deputy secretary of state delivered a cryptic message to lawmakers Wednesday about whether the White House will draft the new war authorization it wants.
More Than a Battle, Kobani Is a Publicity War
(New York Times) Two months after the United States began bombing militants attacking Kobani in northern Syria, the fate of the obscure border town has become the defining battle of the broader contest with the Islamic State - to solidify, or roll back, its borders and ambitions.
Turkey, US Struggle to Merge Interests in IS Fight
(Voice of America) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed Wednesday that Turkey will not open its bases to the U.S.-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group until his demands are met.
AP Exclusive: From IS militant to Iraq informant
(Associated Press) The former Islamic State group commander walked into the visitors' room of his Baghdad prison, without the usual yellow jumpsuit and shackles his fellow inmates wear. In slippers and a track suit, he greeted guards with a big smile, kissing them on the cheeks.
INDUSTRY
USAF Official: Boeing 'Challenged' by KC-46 Schedule
(Defense News) The US Air Force's top military acquisition official says Boeing is being challenged by integration of its KC-46A Pegasus tanker, and warned that further slips may imperil key target dates.
Boeing satellites will carry hyperspectral sensors
(C4ISR & Networks) Boeing satellites will carry the Raytheon-made sensors
Lockheed, Air Force Hit for Poor C-5 Upgrade Management
(Bloomberg) Pentagon inspector general outlines flaws with Lockheed Martin quality performance, lack of government oversight on $7.1b C-5 reliability, re-engine program
Northrop Grumman gets USAF contract to upgrade targeting pods
(C4ISRNET) The contract covers the Air Force, Marines, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard
All JLTV Rivals Finish Limited User Testing; Next Stop, RFP
(Breaking Defense) The better-protected, more-mobile replacement for the Humvee took a big step forward this month, when all three competitors' vehicles completed a crucial series of military tests. All three have also completed a government Production Readiness Review to certify their ability to mass-produce their vehicle. Next comes the final Request For Proposals (RFP) for the $23 billion program, expected any time now. Then, in mid-2015, the government must make a winner-take-all decision on which company gets to build the actual Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) for the Army and marines.
Eurofighter Nations Sign €1 Billion Development Deal for AESA Radar
(Defense News) Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain have signed up for a €1 billion (US $1.2 billion) development and integration program to equip the Eurofighter Typhoon combat jet with an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar.
Future Vertical Lift Begins Open Software Quest
(Breaking Defense) The first Future Vertical Lift Aircraft won't fly until the 2030s but the Army, Navy, and industry are already at work on software standards. Those include a new "model-based" approach to software architectures that will require a culture change among programmers and defense bureaucrats alike.
Israel, India Start To Equip Sea Forces With Barak-8 Defenses
(Defense News) Israeli and Indian navies are poised to equip their warships with advanced Barak-8 anti-missile and air defense systems following last week's long-awaited test, capping nearly eight years of cooperative development.
Raytheon Flies Prototype Next-Generation Jammer Pod
(Aviation Week) Raytheon and the U.S. Navy have completed flight tests of a prototype Next Generation Jammer (NGJ) pod against threat radars representative of enemy air defenses.
AAR Looks To Expand in the Mideast
(Defense News) Global aerospace and defense contractor AAR is looking to expand its business in the Middle East after securing a deal with a subsidiary of United Arab Emirates giant Mubadala.
Brazilian Army set to choose its 4x4 armoured vehicle
(IHS Jane's 360) Four industry teams have until mid-December to deliver offers to the Brazilian Army (Exercito Brasileiro) for an initial tranche of 32 4x4 tactical armoured vehicles, following a request for proposals issued in October.
MoD Chooses Babcock as Preferred Bidder for DSG Land Business
(Defense News) Babcock has been selected as the preferred bidder to acquire the British government-owned Defence Support Group's (DSG's) land business, the Ministry of Defence announced Wednesday.
Northrop Grumman to help Air Force upgrade targeting pods
(C4ISR & Networks) The Air Force has awarded Northrop Grumman a $116 million contract to upgrade its AN/AAQ-28(V) LITENING targeting pods.
VETERANS
Neck injections a viable treatment for PTSD, researchers say
(Military Times) A nearly century-old anesthesia technique is showing promise as treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, relieving symptoms in 70 percent of combat veterans who received it once or more, according to a new review.
Whistleblower complaint filed against St. Petersburg VA office
(Tampa Tribune) Just days after issuing a scathing report pointing out what he said was a "poor, inept and inaccurate" quality control process for benefit claims at the Department of Veterans Affairs St. Petersburg Regional Office, Javier Soto was told that his services as a Ratings Benefits Services Representative "were no longer needed."
2 more Legionnaires' disease lawsuits settled
(Pittsburgh Tribune-Review) The federal government has agreed to pay a total of $160,000 to settle two Legionnaires' disease lawsuits, according to court documents filed Monday.
VA moving forward with mobile app to schedule appointments
(Stars & Stripes) On Friday, the Department of Veterans Affairs will ask companies to make proposals for a new mobile application for scheduling care at its nationwide network of hospitals and clinics, officials said during testimony Tuesday in the House.
Founder of charity for wounded troops receives joint-service award
(Military Times) The president of Semper Fi Fund, a charity that provides immediate and continuing support to critically wounded, ill and injured service members and their families, has been awarded the joint-service civilian humanitarian award.
Bills would amend VFW charter to include women
(Daily Press; Newport News, Va.) Identical bills making their way through both chambers of Congress would amend the federal charter of the Veterans of Foreign Wars to include women.
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
The Pentagon's Budget Dilemma
(Foreign Policy) The Defense Department's response time to the Ebola crisis and ISIS fight -- and the money to pay for such operations -- is being severely limited by the lengthy legislative process and the brewing budget war in Congress.
Adversaries Will Copy 'Offset Strategy' Quickly: Bob Work
(Breaking Defense) The "third offset strategy" is officially just four days old, but the man in charge is already lowering expectations for what it will produce.
Why We Lost' author: Generals lost Iraq, Afghan wars
(Military Times) Retired Army Lt. Gen. Daniel Bolger argues in his book "Why We Lost" that U.S. generals failed to give Presidents Bush and Obama meaningful advice about the best way forward in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Defense agencies hope logistics can lower pharmaceutical costs
(Federal Times) The Defense Health Agency is working with the Defense Logistics Agency and the pharmaceutical industry to streamline logistics and better manage medications in the face of spiraling drug costs. They aim to save $3.5 billion on pharmaceutical expenses by fiscal 2024.
ARMY
Odierno: With Commitments Up, US Must Rethink Cuts to Army End Strength
(Defense News) The US Army's top general wants to redo a decision to cut end strength from 490,000 to 450,000, saying it was made before Russian aggression towards the Ukraine and Europe, the fight with the Islamic State group in the Mideast and deployments to Africa to fight Ebola.
SFC takes heroic action to save airman
(Army Times) A Sgt. 1st Class saved the life of an airman bleeding profusely from a head wound after a festival near Osan Air Base
Army to Revamp, Simplify Mobile Command Posts
(National Defense) To hear Army leaders describe it, assembling the typical mobile command post is organized chaos.
Army speeds up med screens for reclass, separation
(Army Times) The Army has defined the procedures it will use in 2015 to reclassify or, if necessary, screen for separation, injured Regular Army soldiers who likely could not perform the duties of their military occupational specialty in an austere or field environment.
Local military recruiter accused of sending lewd photos to minor
(Palm Beach Post) Army recruiter John Thomas McDonald II knew he was texting with a minor when he sent naked pictures of himself to her, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's office. He even joked about it in a message to the 16-year-old student:
Fort Stewart soldier charged in wife's murder
(WJCL; Savannah, Ga.) A Fort Stewart soldier has been arrested and charged in the shooting death of his wife in Hinesville earlier this month.
Army athletics rebranding may be end of 'Black Knights'
(Army Times) A rebranding plan for Army athletics could mean the end of "Black Knights" as an official team name as early as next spring.
NAVY
Retired admirals warn lawmakers against cuts to Navy
(Navy Times) A high-powered cohort of industry leaders and lobbyists has enlisted the help of 95 retired admirals and generals to pressure Congress to better fund the Navy, which, like the other services, faces heavy sequestration budget cuts in fiscal 2016.
Navy Starts Design Work On Next Generation Amphibious Warship
(USNI News) Early design work on the Navy's next generation amphibious warship - based on the San Antonio-class (LPD-17) hull - has begun ahead of a planned 2020 procurement, Navy officials said on Wednesday.
Fire Scout and Seahawk deploy together for first time
(Navy Times) An MH-60R Seahawk helicopter and MQ-8B Fire Scout are deploying together on the same ship - a first for manned and unmanned integration aboard a surface combatant.
F-35C Finishes Tests 3 Days Early? Really.
(Breaking Defense) Now the program did build several days into the F-35C's test schedule to embrace delays caused by weather or other unexpected problems, but the fact is every test point did get ticked off while the two aircraft were aboard the USS Nimitz off of San Diego.
Petty officer advancement rate rises 4 percent in fall 2014 cycle
(Navy Times) The countdown to the fall advancement results has begun for the 85,889 active-duty and full-time support sailors who sat for petty officer exams in September.
Vice CNO: Sequestration Threatens Littoral Combat Ship, Mission Modules
(National Defense) The littoral combat ship's mine countermeasures module will be a key enabler for the Marine Corps that will keep expeditionary forces out of bomb infested waters, the vice chief of naval operations said Nov. 18.
Top nursing group backs Navy nurse who wouldn't force-feed at Guantanamo
(Miami Herald) One of America's leading nursing organizations is trying to save the U.S. Navy career of an officer, a nurse like them, who refused to force-feed hunger strikers this summer.
AIR FORCE
Air Force begins notifying RIFed officers
(Air Force Times) The Air Force has begun notifying hundreds of officers that they will be separated under a reduction in force.
USAF Official: Budget Uncertainty 'Very Challenging'
(Defense News) The uncertainty over whether Congress will pass a budget has been "very challenging" for both the Air Force and its industry partners, the service's top military acquisitions official said Wednesday.
Academy fund-raising head arrested in prostitution sting
(Air Force Times) The head of a fund-raising group for the Air Force Academy's athletic department has resigned following his arrest in a prostitution sting.
Interview: Lt. Gen. Steven Kwast, Air University
(Defense News) Lt. Gen. Steven Kwast took over as commander and president of Air University, the center of education for the US Air Force at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama, on Nov. 10.
New commander nominated for U.S. Air Forces Central Command
(Air Force Times) Maj. Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. nominated to lead U.S. Air Forces Central Command.
Sick Air Force officer back from Africa being monitored at Fort Bliss
(Stars & Stripes) An Air Force officer is being monitored at William Beaumont Army Medical Center at Fort Bliss, Texas, after returning sick on Tuesday from deployment to a mission fighting Ebola in West Africa, military officials said.
F-22s, F-35s train together for first time
(Air Force Times) The Air Force's newest fighters trained together for the first time this month.
Pacific Air Forces will lose no one because of budget cuts
(Honolulu Star-Advertiser) The Air Force is reducing its ranks overall due to budget cuts, but staffing in the Pacific will remain at 100 percent due to the re-balance to the region, Air Force Secretary Debo-rah Lee James said Monday.
App speeds fixes to computer problems
(Air Force Times) Airmen will no longer have to wait on the phone to report a basic computer bug - now computer glitches can be reported and potentially solved through a self-service application right on their desktops.
MARINE CORPS
MARSOC corpsman to get Navy Cross for braving bombs to save Marines
(Marine Corps Times) A Navy corpsman attached to the Marines' elite special operations unit will receive the services' second-highest award for valor for working heroically and selflessly to treat wounded Marines in Afghanistan after he himself was wounded by a makeshift bomb.
Trial set after vanishing Marine request is denied
(Associated Press) A judge has declined a request for a new hearing on evidence against a U.S. Marine accused of deserting his unit a decade ago in Iraq and later winding up in Lebanon, a military spokesman said Wednesday.
Sgt. Maj. portrayed in 'Generation Kill' sentenced to prison for child sex offense
(Marine Corps Times) A retired battalion sergeant major who was portrayed in the HBO miniseries "Generation Kill" was sentenced to 10 years in prison Wednesday for a sex offense involving a minor.
The legacy of Clay Hunt: Marine recalled in new suicide legislation
(Washington Post) Marine Cpl. Clay Hunt already was a survivor when he deployed to Afghanistan in 2008. An infantryman, he'd been wounded in the wrist by an enemy sniper in Iraq in 2007, just weeks after watching a fellow Marine sustain a mortal gunshot wound to the throat by another enemy marksman.
Marine who died in Okinawa identified
(Marine Corps Times) Corps officials have identified the Japan-based Marine who was pronounced dead on Tuesday after being found unresponsive in his barracks as Lance Cpl. Michael A. Tuttle, 21, of Fountaintown, Indiana.
AFGHANISTAN/PAKISTAN
4 Taliban militants killed in failed Afghan attack
(Associated Press) Four Taliban militants who attacked a compound housing foreign workers in the Afghan capital were killed Wednesday night in a failed assault there, police said, the latest violence targeting foreigners in the country.
German Cabinet OK's Plan To Keep Small Group of Soldiers in Afghanistan
(Defense News) The German Cabinet approved a mandate on Wednesday to keep at least 850 soldiers in Afghanistan beyond the current NATO-led combat mission, which is due to end on Dec. 31.
The drone war in Pakistan
(The New Yorker) At the Pearl Continental Hotel, in Peshawar, a concrete tower enveloped by flowering gardens, the management has adopted security precautions that have become common in Pakistan's upscale hospitality industry: razor wire, vehicle barricades, and police crouching in bunkers, fingering machine guns. In June, on a hot weekday morning, Noor Behram arrived at the gate carrying a white plastic shopping bag full of photographs. He had a four-inch black beard and wore a blue shalwar kameez and a flat Chitrali hat. He met me in the lobby. We sat down, and Behram spilled his photos onto a table. Some of the prints were curled and faded. For the past seven years, he said, he has driven around North Waziristan on a small red Honda motorcycle, visiting the sites of American drone missile strikes as soon after an attack as possible.
MIDDLE EAST
Saudi Arabia Expands Buffer Zone on Border as Threats Mount
(Bloomberg) Saudi Arabia has widened a security buffer zone along its northern border with Iraq to ward off potential threats to the world's largest oil supplier.
Fear of deadly 'religious war' between Jews and Muslims raised after synagogue attack
(Washington Post) Israelis and Palestinians expressed fear Wednesday that their decades-old conflict was moving beyond the traditional nationalist struggle between two peoples fighting for their homelands and spiraling into a raw and far-reaching religious confrontation between Jews and Muslims.
Israel military: Gaza militants test rockets
(Associated Press) Israel's military says that militants in the Gaza Strip have test-fired rockets into the Mediterranean Sea.
EUROPE
Obama adviser: Arms for Ukraine 'on the table'
(The Hill) A top Obama adviser said Wednesday that the administration is considering lethal arms for Ukraine and said he believed it could deter Russia from further aggression against the Eastern European nation.
Ukraine outlines reasons for high aircraft loss rate
(IHS Jane's 360) A lack of experience and training, as well as poor tactics and intelligence not being acted on are the primary reasons for losses being incurred by the Ukrainian Air Force in the restive east of the country, a senior service official noted on 19 November.
Europe, facing multiple threats, still isn't spending on defense
(McClatchy) A column of Russian tanks and artillery weapons rolled toward Donetsk in Ukraine recently, the latest move in a proxy war that's seen Crimea and much of the country's Donbas region pass from government control.
ASIA-PACIFIC
US Report: China's Nukes Getting Bigger and Better
(Defense News) A new congressional-funded report paints a dark picture of China's nuclear weapons and missile modernization efforts.
North Korea Threatens to Conduct Nuclear Test
(New York Times) North Korea said on Thursday that the country had no option but to consider another nuclear test after the recent "political provocation" by the United Nations to try to indict the North's leaders for crimes against humanity.
As Keen Sword grows, so do Japan's security ambitions
(Stars & Stripes) The USS George Washington strike group may be the United States' most potent example of military power in the western Pacific Ocean - but for now, a Japanese admiral is directing its positioning at sea.
UWSA fielding Chinese FN-6 MANPADS
(IHS Jane's 360) Myanmar's largest and best-armed insurgent force, the United Wa State Army (UWSA), has carried out a broad upgrade of its anti-aircraft defences with the induction of Chinese third-generation FN-6 manportable air defence systems (MANPADS).
AFRICA
UN recognizes ties between Ansar al Sharia in Libya, al Qaeda
(Long War Journal) The United Nations Security Council today added Ansar al Sharia in Libya to its al Qaeda sanctions list. "As a result of the new listings," the UN announced, "any individual or entity that provides financial or material support to" Ansar al Sharia Libya, "including the provision of arms or recruits, is eligible to be added to the Al Qaeda Sanctions List and subject to the sanctions measures."
U.S. scales back number of Ebola treatment units in Liberia
(Washington Post) The United States is scaling back the number of Ebola treatment units it is building in Liberia because of a reduction in cases in that country, a spokesman for the U.S. Agency for International Development said Wednesday.
Ebola Response in Liberia Is Hampered by Infighting
(New York Times) The global response to the Ebola virus in Liberia is being hampered by poor coordination and serious disagreements between Liberian officials and the donors and health agencies fighting the epidemic, according to minutes of top-level meetings and interviews with participants.
COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS
Congress Must Act on War Authority
(New York Times Editorial Board) The United States is fighting a new and costly war in Iraq and Syria. Yet, for months, members of Congress have ducked their constitutional responsibility for warmaking. They have neither initiated a meaningful debate on the use of American force against the Islamic State, which is known as ISIS, nor shown any inclination to vote on whether to endorse or modify the mission.
When jihadis come marching home
(Brian Michael Jenkins in The Hill) As many as 15,000 foreign volunteers have swelled the ranks of rebel and jihadist formations currently fighting in Syria, according to the most recent United Nations report. Most come from neighboring Arab countries, but more than 2,000 have arrived from a handful of European countries, with smaller numbers coming from Australia and North America.
The Warrior Ethos at Risk: H.R. McMaster's Remarkable Veterans Day Speech
(Council on Foreign Relations) On November 11, Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster, Director of the Army Capabilities Integration Center (ARCIC) of U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, gave the keynote address at Georgetown University's Veterans Day ceremony. His message was simple and powerful: the study of war should not be confused with its advocacy; today's stakes are higher than ever; the warrior ethos is threatened by both tech evangelists (who believe all conflict might be resolved at a safe distance) and a growing gap between the U.S. military and civil society. It's a remarkably lucid speech by one of the Army's most energetic leaders. You can read the whole text below:
Add Humility to Leadership Conversation
(Retired Army Lt. Col. Joe Doty in ARMY Magazine) When someone thinks of the most important traits and competencies a successful ethical leader must possess, humility is rarely, if ever, mentioned. Some would even argue that if leaders have or display any humility, they are actually showing weakness. I beg to differ and argue that some level of humility can make people better leaders, be a mitigating or governing construct that helps leaders better control their thoughts and behaviors, and neutralize toxic behaviors and narcissism.
America's Overlooked Strategic Asset: Artists
(August Cole in War on the Rocks) At a pivotal moment when the U.S. national security establishment is coming to grips with the fact that the country may not be truly prepared for a messy and dangerous future, we are overlooking one of the most important assets in the American arsenal: artists.
The Rise and Fall and Rise of America's Last Battle Rifle
(Paul Huard in Real Clear Defense) Critics said the M-14 was what happened when the U.S. government took many years and spent millions of dollars designing a rifle that was really just a glorified M-1 Garand from World War II.
CBRN Robots: Unmanned Recon and Decon Systems Needed
(Dan Kaszeta in Cicero Magazine) Throughout my 23 years of experience across the full spectrum of Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) defense, I have witnessed many changes in the field. Over the last two decades, new technologies have vastly improved CBRN reconnaissance, protection, detection, and decontamination capabilities. Though most of the attention surrounding unmanned systems of late has been focused on the airborne variety, unmanned, ground-based CBRN systems promise further advancements in the CBRN field. In other words, it is time to boldly go with no man where man has gone before.
Set Emotion Aside in the A-10 Debate
(Robert Spalding & Adam Lowther in Real Clear Defense) The response to our article calling for the retirement of the A-10 Warthog clearly illustrates the passionate support the airframe has behind it. Unfortunately, at a time when Air Force budgets are declining and 25-30 percent is "pass through," passion does not help the Air Force maximize its ability to defend Americans and win the nation's wars.
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