| December 19, 2014 |
THE EARLY BIRD BRIEF |
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TODAY'S TOP 5
1. Report: DoD Bomb Hunters Pried into US Firms, Citizens
(Defense News) During some of the bloodiest days of US combat in Afghanistan and the roadside bomb threat there, the Pentagon's Joint IED Defeat Organization (JIEDDO) "improperly collected" intelligence on US citizens and corporations to try to stem the threat, a Pentagon Inspector General (IG) report has found.
2. Army Details Future Controversial Helicopter Swap
(Defense One) The U.S. Army is moving ahead with a controversial plan to shift helicopters between the active-duty and National Guard and buying new aircraft without competition, despite ongoing litigation trying to block it.
3. In the Last Days of Afghanistan, Too Many Shadows of Vietnam
(Navy Capt. Robert A. Newson in the Council on Foreign Relations) Recently, the Council on Foreign Relations hosted a screening of Rory Kennedy's film Last Days in Vietnam. The stunning documentary, with never-before seen-footage, tells the story of courageous Americans at the U.S. embassy and on ships at sea who put their lives and their careers on the line to rescue 77,000 South Vietnamese during the fall of Saigon. These heroes did all they could as individuals to meet an American obligation to those who stand with us in our foreign wars-those who risk their lives and the lives of their families against a common enemy. The film also tells the story of an American government that came very slow and far too late to uphold this obligation.
4. Former sex workers who serviced US troops get day in court
(Stars & Stripes) Former sex workers who have sued the South Korean government, claiming it encouraged them to prostitute themselves to U.S. troops after the Korean War, have their first court hearing Friday.
5. Top U.S. general says training effort in Iraq will last 'three years minimum'
(Military Times) The top U.S. commander overseeing the military mission in Iraq said a "minimum of three years" will be required until the Iraqis are capable of taking back and securing their country from Islamic extremists.
CONGRESS
Senior Republicans to McConnell: Move Carter Nomination Before AG
(Defense News) Two senior Republicans want the incoming majority leader to take up Ash Carter's nomination before an expected more contentious one for US attorney general.
Sony hack could mean new Senate subcommittee
(Military Times) Actors Seth Rogen and James Franco could become the focus of national security discussions on Capitol Hill next year.
Could Russia's economic meltdown lead to loose nukes?
(The Hill) Senior lawmakers alarmed by Russia's collapsing economy fear some of the nuclear power's atomic arsenal could fall into the wrong hands.
Marco Rubio Stakes Claim on Cuba Ahead of 2016
(National Journal) On Cuba, Sen. Marco Rubio has found a foreign policy cause to speak on with authority.
ISLAMIC STATE
Several Top ISIS Leaders Have Been Killed in Iraq, U.S. Says
(Wall Street Journal) U.S. airstrikes have killed several very senior military leaders of Islamic State forces in Iraq, the Pentagon's top uniformed officer disclosed Thursday.
Hundreds of US troops now deployed in Iraq's Anbar province
(Stars & Stripes) Hundreds of American troops are now in Iraq's volatile Anbar province helping the Iraqi military take on the Islamic State, Joint Chiefs of Staff officials said.
Pentagon calls ISIS 'Daesh' for first time
(The Hill) A U.S. military commander used the term "Daesh" to describe the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) at a Pentagon briefing for the first time on Thursday.
Islamic State retakes Baiji after Iraqi forces withdraw
(Long War Journal) The Islamic State has retaken control of the central Iraqi city of Baiji after the Iraqi military ordered its forces to retreat to the nearby refinery. Iraqi forces withdrew yesterday just one month after taking the city from the Islamic State with the help of Iranian-backed Shiite militias.
A-10 attacking Islamic State targets in Iraq
(Military Times) The aircraft that the Air Force would love to kill is regularly raining death on Islamic State militants, defense officials confirmed.
Backed by U.S. Airstrikes, Kurds Reverse an ISIS Gain
(New York Times) Kurdish forces, backed by a surge of American airstrikes in recent days, recaptured a large swath of territory from Islamic State militants on Thursday, opening a path from the autonomous Kurdish region to Mount Sinjar in the west, near the Syrian border.
Botched cyberattack on Syria group blamed on IS
(Associated Press) A botched cyberattack aimed at unmasking Syrian dissidents has experts worried that the Islamic State group is adding malicious software to its arsenal.
Mass grave of Islamic State's victims reportedly found in eastern Syria
(Long War Journal) An activist group and online sources reporting from inside Syria claim that a mass grave filled with approximately 230 corpses has been discovered in eastern Syria. The victims are reportedly members of the Sheitaat tribe, which has been battling the Islamic State in the province of Deir Ezzor.
INDUSTRY
F-35 Program Weighs Security Concerns as It Creates Global Supplier Base
(National Defense) The U.S. military's most technologically sophisticated aircraft was designed to overwhelm enemies in combat but also as a novel multinational business consortium. A dozen countries so far have signed up for the F-35 either as buyer or as co-producer. Six nations recently were selected to provide depot maintenance for future F-35 fleets based in Europe and Asia.
A New, "Super" F-35 to Rule the U.S. Military?
(The National Interest) Advanced derivatives of the tri-service Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter could replace the Air Force's F-22 Raptor, Boeing F-15C Eagle and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, multiple sources told the National Interest. However, they added that the idea of replacing the high flying and fast Raptor with the slower and less agile F-35 was not well received by many within the Air Force.
Netherlands commits to first operational F-35s
(IHS Jane's 360) The Netherlands announced on 15 December that it will sign a contract in April 2015 for an initial eight Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters (JSFs).
South Korea balks as U.S. picks Japan, Australia to service F-35s in Asia
(Reuters) South Korea said on Thursday it will not send its F-35 fleet to Japan for heavy airframe maintenance, one of the two Asian hubs chosen by the United States to service the Lockheed Martin Corp stealth fighter.
Republic of Korea picks Heron UAS
(C4ISR & Networks) Israel-made UAV scores highest in price, capability and operational suitability.
Russia's Financial Woes Could Hurt Defense Spending
(Defense News) Russia's financial woes, triggered by cheaper oil and Western sanctions imposed on the country following its military intervention in Ukraine, could affect Russian defense spending in the long-term, local analysts say. The financial slump is mirrored in the plummeting value of the ruble, which hit an all-time low of 79 rubles to US $1 on Tuesday.
No C-17 delivered to Algeria, Boeing confirms
(IHS Jane's 360) A C-17 in Algerian Air Force (al Quwwat al Jawwiya al Jaza'eriya) markings was reported to have landed at Algiers Houari Boumediene Airport on 10 December, the Secret Difa3 blog reported eyewitnesses as saying. However, it has since emerged that this may have in fact been an aircraft belonging to the Qatar Emiri Air Force, though it is unclear how the roundels could have been confused.
VETERANS
Navy Cross recipient who battled military fakers laid to rest
(Marine Corps Times) A Navy Cross recipient who dedicated his life to protecting the integrity of valor awards has been interred at Arlington National Cemetery with his fellow heroes.
Inside the V.A.: Colonoscopy Horror
(MSNBC) Five years ago, V.A. hospitals exposed thousands of veterans to potential infections like HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis. Ronan Farrow Daily and the NBC News Investigative Unit report that, for some, that was just the beginning of the nightmare.
GAO Report: VA Provides Inconsistent Treatment To Veterans With Depression
(Hartford Courant; Conn.) The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs provides inconsistent treatment to veterans with depression and may be underestimating the number of vets who suffer from the condition, according to a government watchdog agency.
Researcher Sue Sisley gets $2M from state to study pot's potential for PTSD
(Daily Camera; Boulder, Colo.) The Colorado Board of Health on Wednesday approved eight grant proposals totaling just over $7.6 million for studies relating to medical marijuana, including one focused on its effects in treating veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Top VA executive over enrollment system resigns
(Atlanta Journal-Constitution) A senior VA executive whose duties include overseeing the troubled national health enrollment office in Atlanta is leaving the agency in an abrupt announcement put out by his executive assistant on Thursday.
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Norfolk companies accused of bilking service members
(Virginian-Pilot) A federal consumer protection watchdog is cracking down on three Norfolk companies that have been accused of using illegal tactics to collect debts from thousands of service members, here and across the country.
Defense Department IG investigating POV contract
(Military Times) The Defense Department Inspector General has opened an investigation into the program that moves troops' privately-owned vehicles to and from overseas locations, according to a spokeswoman for Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill.
AFES says it passed on 'The Interview' months before Sony hack
(Stars & Stripes) Months before Sony canceled the release of "The Interview," AAFES had already decided against showing the movie depicting the assassination of Kim Jong Un in any of its theaters.
ARMY
Christians-only ROTC job posting pulled, group says
(Army Times) A religious-freedom group that pushed the Army to remove a job posting for an ROTC assistant professorship at an Illinois college that required its applicants "be of Christian faith" got its wish earlier this month.
Father of Damascus man sentenced to prison for deserting Army hopes his son may return to duty
(The Oregonian) "He's alive," said a mysterious voice at the other end of the phone. "Your son is alive."
Army reverses forced separation for 160 officers
(Army Times) About 160 officers who were selected for separation from the Army can now remain on active duty or separate with retirement benefits, the service announced Thursday.
Lawyer for convicted Fort Bragg soldier Clint Lorance argues new evidence in Afghan shootings case
(Fayetteville Observer) The lawyer for a former Fort Bragg officer convicted of murdering two Afghanistan nationals says the Army might not have prosecuted the officer if it had done a more thorough criminal investigation.
Odierno: Departing Colbert 'part of our Army family'
(Army Times) Satirists can say things that would get others into the type of trouble they couldn't begin to imagine.
Pond security picks up another contract as GAO dismisses protest
(Stars & Stripes) An Army contract for security at its bases in Germany is moving ahead after the U.S. Government Accountability Office dismissed a protest against the award.
Army hockey prepares to host Russian all-star team
(Army Times) An ice hockey team featuring some of Russia's most skilled young players will visit New York later this month to face a squad of Americans, all amateurs, who'll enter the game as underdogs.
NAVY
Report: NCIS bungled rape, suicide investigations
(Navy Times) When Seaman Kyle Antonacci was found dead in his barracks room in early 2010, it looked like a suicide. His family, however, suspected foul play.
Guantanamo not part of U.S.-Cuban bargain
(Miami Herald) The Obama administration has no intention of withdrawing from the U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, despite the sudden shift in U.S.-Cuban relations.
Naval Academy gets $120 million for new cyber center
(Navy Times) The Naval Academy's dream of a building a center to teach cyber warfare took a big step closer to reality, with $120 million included in next year's federal budget to fund its construction, according to a Thursday news release.
Navy tests fish-sized UUV
(C4ISR & Networks) The GhostSwimmer is about the size of a tuna.
New U.S. Fleet Forces boss takes helm Friday
(Navy Times) Fleet Forces officials have confirmed that Adm. Phil Davidson will assume command Friday in a private ceremony.
AIR FORCE
San Antonio airmen: If you march on Saturday, stay out of uniform
(Air Force Times) Two days before a scheduled march in San Antonio highlighting the controversial killings of black men across the country, 25th Air Force public affairs is reminding airmen who participate to stay out of uniform - and remember an arrest can impact a security clearance.
McCain: I think A-10s will be part of fighter jet fleet for a long time
(Associated Press) The two Republican U.S. senators from Arizona visited four military installations in the state on Thursday and offered assurances that the installations will play a key role in national defense in the future.
6 Moody airmen arrested in child exploitation sting
(Air Force Times) Six airmen assigned to Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, were among 11 people arrested in a child exploitation sting targeting base personnel, the Lowndes County Sheriff's Office announced this week.
Air Force appears to be well short of Potato Bowl ticket-sales allotment
(Colorado Springs Gazette) Air Force has sold 3,500 tickets to the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, a number which likely falls well short of its allotment.
Air Force to increase op tempo in Europe in 2015
(Air Force Times) The U.S. will continue a high op tempo in Europe - predominantly Eastern Europe - until Russia de-escalates its threats in Ukraine.
MARINE CORPS
U.S. will keep custody of Marine accused of murder in the Philippines
(Marine Corps Times) A Marine accused of murder in the Philippines will remain in U.S. custody.
Former Marine not guilty in Beaufort pedestrian death
(Island Packet) A former Marine who fled naked from the Naval Hospital Beaufort in 2012, stole a firetruck and used it to kill a pedestrian was found not guilty by reason of insanity Thursday.
22nd MEU conducted air strikes, Iraq embassy reinforcement
(Marine Corps Times) The 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit launched more than 100 non-traditional intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions and four Harrier airstrikes on Islamic State targets during a nearly nine-month deployment that focused heavily on crisis response operations in the Middle East.
Marines test Navy's cyber range
(C4ISR & Networks) The Marine Corps has tested a Navy-developed cyber range that simulates battlefield conditions.
Mattis joins Center for a New American Security
(Marine Corps Times) Beloved retired Marine Gen. James Mattis is joining the board of directors for the Center for a New American Security, the think tank announced today.
AFGHANISTAN/PAKISTAN
CIA analysis: 'high-value targeting' had limited effect against Taliban
(Washington Post) Raids, drone strikes and other military operations designed to capture or kill "high-value targets" in the Taliban have had little overall effect in part because of the militant group's ability to replace leaders, according to a 2009 CIA analysis newly released by WikiLeaks.
It's Hard to Tell Whether U.S. Spending to Elevate Women in Afghanistan Is Working
(Government Executive) The Defense and State departments, along with the U.S. Agency for International Development, have spent least $64.8 million on 652 projects, programs and initiatives to support Afghan women in fiscal 2011 through 2013, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction said. "But none of the three agencies can readily identify the full extent of their projects, programs, and initiatives supporting Afghan women or the corresponding amount of funding expended on those efforts," auditors found, and there is "no comprehensive assessment available to confirm" whether reported gains by women in recent years are the result of U.S. efforts.
Pakistani military chief signs death warrants for six 'hard-core terrorists'
(Washington Post) Just two days after a school massacre that stunned the nation, Pakistani leaders on Thursday moved to expedite the executions of prisoners convicted of taking part in major terrorist attacks.
Pakistan: 67 militants killed after school massacre
(Associated Press) Pakistani jets and ground forces killed 67 militants in a northwestern tribal region near the Afghan border, officials said Friday, days after Taliban fighters killed 148 people - most of them children - in a school massacre.
MIDDLE EAST
Former Guantanamo detainee named 'global terrorist'
(Miami Herald) The State Department on Thursday designated a former Guantanamo detainee as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist for his work with the Yemen-based Al-Qaida of the Arabian Peninsula.
Malnutrition Hits Millions of Children in Yemen
(New York Times) A doctor in a bare, rural clinic here decided to extend his working week to five days from two, to cope with the rush of hollow-eyed children who kept showing up in the mornings.
Security plan in south Lebanon
(Daily Star; Lebanon) Given the fragile security situation in Lebanon, a security plan has been put in place in south Lebanon for the holiday season, to be implemented across the region, a security source told The Daily Star. - See more at: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2014/Dec-19/281618-security-plan-in-south-lebanon.ashx#sthash.SXNLsXZB.dpuf
EUROPE
Nordics React To 'Unprecedented' Russian Activity In Baltic Sea
(Defense News) Sweden's Joint Forces Command (JFC) is reporting "unprecedented" Cold War-era levels of activity by Russian military bombers and fighter aircraft over the Baltic Sea area.
Putin predicts economic recovery but warns West against pressuring Russian 'bear'
(Washington Post) Vowing that the West would never hold Russia down, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday promised that his nation's troubled economy would recover in two years despite a looming recession, a severely weakened ruble and growing fears about economic instability.
New Government Will Decide Future of UK Military, Defence Chief Says
(Defense News) The future shape and utility of the British armed forces will be decided by the actions a new government takes over the course of 2015, the country's top military officer said.
ASIA-PACIFIC
Japan, U.S. Delay Review of Security Cooperation
(Wall Street Journal) Japan and the U.S. said Friday that they will push back a review of their security-cooperation guidelines, citing the timing of Japan's legislative process.
Sony hack leaves U.S. in quandary on how to deal with North Korea
(Los Angeles Times) Options are limited, partly because the United States already imposes strict sanctions on North Korea's economy and because the country's leader, Kim Jong Un, relishes confrontation with the West. White House officials are wary of playing into an effort by nuclear-armed North Korea to provoke the U.S. into a direct confrontation.
U.S. to Continue Push for Stronger Military Ties With China
(Wall Street Journal) The next commander of U.S. military forces in the Pacific said Thursday he wouldn't deviate from his predecessor's strategy of seeking stronger military ties with China and other countries in the region despite conflicting territorial claims in the South China Sea.
AFRICA
South Sudan Hires Ex-Blackwater Chief to Restore War-Damaged Oil Facilities
(Bloomberg) The former head of U.S. security company Blackwater USA, Erik Prince, was hired by South Sudan to help repair damaged oil facilities and boost output cut by a year of civil war.
Suspected Islamic extremists kidnap 185 in Nigeria
(Associated Press) Islamic extremists killed 35 people and kidnapped at least 185 in an attack near the town where nearly 300 schoolgirls were taken hostage in April, witnesses said Thursday.
Security Bill Provokes Uproar in Kenya's Parliament
(New York Times) The Kenyan Parliament on Thursday passed a divisive, sweeping counterterrorism bill after a chaotic session in which lawmakers shredded copies of the text and tussled with one another. Even a few wild blows were exchanged.
In Sierra Leone, the ghosts of war haunt an Ebola graveyard
(Washington Post) To find Andrew Kondoh, walk through the gates of this city's largest cemetery, where teams in moonsuits bury more than 50 bodies in white plastic bags each day. Look for the man with the wispy goatee and big belly, who is overseeing one of the world's most chaotic, dangerous graveyards as if he's done it all before.
COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS
With Final FY15 Defense Budget, the Devil's in the Details
(Janine Davidson in the Council on Foreign Relations) After a process that could generously be described as touch-and-go, President Obama signed a $1.1 trillion dollar omnibus and continuing resolution spending package-the "cromnibus"-on Tuesday evening. It obligates $554 billion dollars for defense spending, which includes $490 billion for the base Pentagon budget and another $64 billion to the Overseas Contingency Fund (OCO). As Military Times reports, this marks an $18 billion dollar decrease from FY14-although the entirety of that reduction comes from a reduced OCO concurrent with the drawdown in Afghanistan. This top-line figure lines up almost exactly with President Obama's original March request.
A CIA Officer Runs for Congress
(Kevin Strouse in Overt Action) In addition to my background in intelligence, I'm also a former Army Ranger who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. I found when I shook hands and marched in parades that everyone across the political spectrum appreciated my military service-Democrat, Independent, and Republican. On the other hand, many regarded my intelligence background with skepticism. Some believed I had spent my time bombing people in Pakistan from unmanned aircraft, while others assumed that I had overthrown foreign governments.
Vershbow: NATO-Industry Partnership is Key
(Deputy Secretary-General Alexander Vershbow in Defense News) t has been a challenging year for the security of the transatlantic community. With its illegal annexation of Crimea and continuing aggression against Ukraine, Russia has ripped up the international rulebook and threatened the very foundations of the post-Cold War security order. At the same time, the rise of the Islamic State group has fueled extremism and sectarianism in the Middle East and North Africa, and threatens to export terrorism to our own nations.
Catch and Release in the Land of Two Rivers
(Craig Whiteside in War on the Rocks) National security officials are slowly realizing that its foes in the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) look very familiar-embarrassingly so. They look an awful lot like the people in various mugshots dressed in identical, yellow, made-in-the-USA jumpsuits that were released in years past.
The Taliban's Massacre in Peshawar Must Be Its Last
(Mira Sethi and Shehrbano Taseer in The New York Times) AT 3 p.m. on Wednesday, this city was striped with dust and light. Outside the main ward of the Lady Reading Hospital, where five teenage Muslim boys lay fighting for their lives, a Christian had come bearing roses.
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