| January 6, 2014 |
THE EARLY BIRD BRIEF |
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TODAY'S TOP 5
1. U.S., Turkey agree to Syrian rebel training, but not whom they'll fight
(McClatchy) The United States and Turkey have agreed tentatively to start joint training of Syrian rebel fighters in March but have put off the question of defining the enemy - the government of President Bashar Assad or Islamist extremists - the Turkish Foreign Ministry said Monday.
2. Prospects Dim For 'Ryan-Murray II' Budget-Relief Deal
(Defense News) Many US defense insiders are hoping for another federal budget deal that again eases military spending limits, but crafting a deal will resemble a political Rubik's Cube.
3. Protesters disrupt ceremony for 100-year old Navy vet
(OregonLive ) U.S. Navy veteran Dario Raschio was all smiles Saturday as he awaited a special honor from U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, who joined him at Portland Community College's Southeast Campus to present the 100-year-old with a handful of medals. Shortly after Wyden began speaking, though, protesters erupted in the back of the room, shouting "hands-up, don't shoot!"
4. Why the AF's chief prosecutor left to fight for sex assault victims
(Air Force Times) One day earlier, on Capitol Hill a few blocks away, Christensen had joined a bipartisan group of senators who were again calling for a military justice system where prosecutors, instead of commanders, decide whether serious crimes like sexual assault and rape should go to court-martial.
5. Obama Nears Goal for Guantanamo With Faster Pace of Releases
(New York Times ) In a series of secret nighttime flights in the last two months, the Obama administration made more progress toward the president's goal of emptying the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, than it had since 2009. The accelerated pace came after an era of political infighting and long bureaucratic delays.
CONGRESS
GOP drops veterans jobs bill into early House fights
(Military Times) House Republicans will use a veterans jobs bill to help launch their new congressional session and renew their attacks on the president's health care priorities.
Feinstein Sends Obama Instructions for Stopping 'Future Use of Torture'
(National Journal ) Senate Intelligence Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein will introduce four recommendations as legislatioa bill that would serve to codify an executive order President Obama issued upon taking office in 2009 that outlawed certain interrogation methods, including waterboarding. It would, additionally, establish the U.S. Army Field Manual as the "exclusive set of interrogation techniques" and require the government to promptly notify the Red Cross of all captured detainees.
Interview: US Rep. Randy Forbes
(Defense News) Rep. Randy Forbes, a Virginia Republican, returns in 2015 as chairman of this influential subcommittee, one of a handful of congressional entities that directly shape and alter the makeup and direction of the US Navy.
Air of unpredictability as new Obama-McConnell relationship begins
(Reuters) President Barack Obama and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell are warily looking for areas of agreement as they begin a new chapter in a relationship that is likely to remain frosty but businesslike.
Speaker Boehner staves off dissenters
(Politico) Speaker John Boehner hopes Tuesday is the beginning of a new reality on Capitol Hill. For years, Boehner has had to stroke the egos of his House Republican Conference's far-right fringe, the hardline conservatives who had an outsized voice in every legislative debate and often dragged the entire party with them, even when he implored them to ease up.
ISLAMIC STATE
US Troops Under Fire; Baghdad Gets Hundreds of MRAPs
(Defense News) The 320 US soldiers and Marines at Al Asad air base in western Iraq have been coming under "regular" mortar fire from insurgent forces for several weeks, Defense Department spokesman Col. Steve Warren told reporters Monday.
ISIS puts payments to the poor and disabled in $2 billion budget
(The Hill) The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) will have a budget of $2 billion for 2015, the group's leaders in Iraq told a London-based news outlet.
Kurdish Fighters Capture Key District of Kobani
(Associated Press) Kurdish fighters have captured a key district of the northern Syrian town of Kobani after heavy fighting with Islamic State militants, a Kurdish official and an activist group said.
Syrian refugees become less welcome in Lebanon, as new entry rules take effect
(Washington Post) Lebanon introduced unprecedented entry restrictions for Syrians on Monday, imposing visa-like requirements in an apparent effort to curb inflows of refugees fleeing Syria's civil war in massive numbers.
The Isis economy: Meet the new boss
(Financial Times ) At first glance, Iraq's second city of Mosul looks like a model of success for its new rulers from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isis), the world's most feared jihadi group. Well-swept thoroughfares bustle with cars, the electricity hums and the cafes are crowded.
Islamic State and the idea of statehood
(BBC ) Planes, bombs and crack commandos are at the forefront of the battle against Islamic State, but in the background a crucial battle of ideas is tackling one of the biggest questions in international life: what exactly is a state?
Foreigners fighting Islamic State in Syria: who and why?
(Reuters) While illegally crossing the Iraqi-Syrian border, Canadian Peter Douglas was adamant that his incursion was for humanitarian reasons - to help the people of Syria. Douglas is one of a growing band of foreigners to dodge authorities and join the fight against Islamic State militants who have killed thousands and taken vast parts of Iraq and Syria, declaring a caliphate in territory under their control.
INDUSTRY
J-10B, F-35 Nearing In-Service Debuts
(Aviation Week ) The U.S.-led Lockheed Martin F-35 project will continue to dominate the -direction of the global fighter market-including investments by allies and potential adversaries-for 2015, with several key milestones along the way to mark its progress. However, new fighters in China and Russia are also nearing their in-service dates, which will provide alternatives to countries that might not want to rely on the Pentagon.
U.S. Weighs Armor, Anti-Sniper Upgrades for Iraq's Army Tanks
(Bloomberg) The U.S. Army is considering equipping the Iraqi Army's M1A1 tanks with upgrades to provide greater protection from land mines and roadside bombs and to add rotating, remotely operated machine guns to attack snipers.
Elbit Begins Year With Twin Israeli PFI Wins
(Defense News) Elbit Systems began the year with US $190 million in long-term business from two new private financing initiative (PFI) outsourcing deals with Israel's Ministry of Defense.
Arming New Platforms Will Push Up Value Of Missiles Market
(Aviation Week ) Missile and platform development tends to be countercyclical. Once a new aircraft is operational, attention turns to developing weapons that exploit its capabilities. With several new and upgraded aircraft and helicopters being fielded, the missile industry has entered an active phase.
Army wants self-loading unmanned vehicles
(C4ISR & Networks) The Army wants unmanned ground vehicles that can be loaded and unloaded by other unmanned vehicles.
Northrop Delivers AESA Radar For Taiwan F-16 Upgrade
(Aviation Week) More than 40 years after its first flight, the F-16 is entering a new phase of life as the aircraft's manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, has taken delivery of the first active, electronically scanned array (AESA) radar to be used to upgrade the widely used multirole fighter. Northrop Grumman has delivered an APG-83 Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR) engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) unit to Lockheed for use in its system integration laboratory for the F-16 upgrade.
Harris wins Philippines tactical radio contract
(C4ISR & Networks) Harris Corp. has been awarded an $18 million contract to provide tactical radios to the Philippine Army's Light Armored Division.
VETERANS
Campaign streamer authorized for Somalia
(Army Times) Flag- and guidon-bearing units that participated in Operations Restore Hope and United Shield are authorized to display the Armed Forces Expeditionary Campaign Streamer that recognizes their service in Somalia during 1992-1995.
Veterans take homeless housing program to court
(KING 5 News ) Veterans looking for a way out of homelessness say they were misled by a Tacoma charity that rented them homes with the promise they would get help repairing their credit so that they could eventually buy either the home they were renting or another home.
Calhoun veterans affairs director resigns
(Battle Creek Enquirer ) The head of Calhoun County Veterans Affairs has resigned after an allegation that he asked a widow to give him money when she went to the office seeking help applying for benefits, the county announced Monday afternoon.
State: New Veterans' Affairs nursing home will be named for Fort Pierce Medal of Honor recipient
(TCPalm) The state veterans nursing home in Tradition will be named after Fort Pierce native Army Sgt. Ardie R. Copas, who was killed in action during the Vietnam War.
Teenager documents stories of U.S. veterans for Eagle Scout project
(Fox News) A Pennsylvania teenager is documenting the stories of U.S. veterans, honoring those who have served from World War II through the Iraq War, as part of his Eagle Scout project. Derek Copeland, 17, of University City, enlisted 16 veterans to tell their stories, which will be archived at the Library of Congress.
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
The Pentagon's mission against Ebola is quietly shrinking
(Washington Post) It has been more than three months since President Obama first ordered thousands of U.S. troops to West Africa to help stop the spread of the Ebola virus. That mission prompted everything from applause to outrage, but it has now moved to another phase: the quiet return home of troops.
U.S. Forces, Returning to Iraq, Unearth the Things Their Brethren Carried
(New York Times) When the American troops left Iraq three years ago, they left behind a fragile country that collapsed into civil war. They also left behind the detritus of soldiers' lives that, in the ensuing years, was left untouched, frozen in time.
CSIS Panel: U.S. Needs to Clarify Pacific Priorities
(USNI News) One of the first questions facing the new Congress and the administration when they look at security issues in Asia this year is deciding whether to invest in new capabilities, to counter new threats including cyber or continue to invest in platforms - like aircraft carriers - to demonstrate the United States continued commitment to the region, a senior policy analyst said Monday.
White House: No change to Afghan withdrawal plan
(Military Times) The White House gave no indication Monday that the U.S. plans to heed the Afghan president's appeal to re-evaluate its plan to withdraw most U.S. troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2016.
U.S. Army Aims to Build a Better Bullet
(Time) The Army is working on a new round, combining the best of both, by reducing the bad guy's ability to hide.
ARMY
Army to send even more troops, tanks to Europe
(Army Times) Just months after bringing home the last of its M1 Abrams tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles from Europe, the Army's heavy vehicles are back in the region as it faces a new but familiar threat.
New hours for Fort Carson soldiers with winter fully upon us
(Colorado Springs Gazette) The old Army slogan, "We do more before 9 a.m. than most people do all day," won't apply after Jan. 5. For the balance of the winter, Fort Carson is going on banker's hours.
Conviction stands for LT convicted in Afghan slayings
(Army Times) The commander of the 82nd Airborne Division has reduced the prison sentence but upheld the guilty verdict for a former lieutenant convicted of murder in the deaths of two Afghan men during a 2012 deployment, sending the case to the U.S. Army Court of Criminal Appeals.
Ft. Campbell soldier shot on New Year's remains critical
(The Leaf-Chronicle) A Fort Campbell soldier who was shot by the father of her child on New Year's Day remains in critical but stable condition at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Special investigator planned to look into Alaska Guard allegations
(Associated Press) Alaska's new attorney general is in the process of hiring a special investigator to look into the handling of sexual assault complaints within the Alaska National Guard, Department of Law spokeswoman Cori Mills said Monday.
NAVY
Bin Laden 'shooter' under NCIS investigation
(Navy Times) On the week of Veteran's Day, Fox News aired a two-part interview with the former SEAL who said he shot and killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden in 2011. The stories he's told since that mission have landed him at the center of a criminal investigation, according to a Navy official.
In Much-Needed Manpower Reform, U.S. Navy Set To Be the Next Proving Ground
(Jesse Sloman in Council on Foreign Relations ) Since assuming his position in 2013, Vice Admiral William Moran has been pushing hard to implement programs that will better align the Navy's manpower policies with the expectations and aspirations of its younger sailors-especially millennials, those individuals born between 1980 and the mid-2000s.
LCS Fort Worth joins AirAsia search in Java Sea
(Navy Times) The littoral combat ship Fort Worth has joined the destroyer Sampson in the search for wreckage and debris from downed AirAsia flight 8501 and has deployed its Tow Fish side scan sonar system to search the ocean bottom.
Navy modifies environmental impact statement for offshore training, invites comment
(OregonLive) About 36 times more sonobuoys than the Navy suggested previously could be deployed off the coasts of Oregon, Washington, northern California and Alaska under a modified proposal for offshore training.
Kauffman deploys Wednesday, the last frigate cruise
(Navy Times) The frigate Kauffman will depart on its final deployment Wednesday. It will be the last deployment for an Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate.
AIR FORCE
USAF newsmakers of 2014
(Air Force Times ) Air Force Times' staff retells and updates the stories of people and events that were top newsmakers in 2014. Expect some of them to continue to make news in 2015.
Air Force analysts in heat of battle, half a world from the front
(Los Angeles Times) The Dec. 5 airstrike, one of 462 last month, underscores the Pentagon's increased reliance on personnel far from the battlefield. Improved surveillance and reconnaissance systems over the last decade have boosted aerial intelligence-gathering capabilities and allowed President Obama to vow not to reintroduce ground combat troops.
Dover AFB says contaminants did not enter drinking water wells
(Associated Press) Officials at Dover Air Force Base say chemical compounds used in firefighting foam have been found at four sites on base but not in drinking water supply wells.
Air Force orders radar signal simulators
(C4ISR & Networks) Exelis has received a $6.3 million contract to provide Air Force radar warning simulators. The order, which comes under a 2012 indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract, calls for delivery of AN/PLM-4 Radar Signal Simulators, according to an Exelis news release.
SpaceX plans to launch rocket, then land its engines on an ocean barge
(Los Angeles Times) Entrepreneur Elon Musk's SpaceX is planning to launch a rocket early Tuesday that could ultimately be most notable for what happens as it returns to Earth.
Air Guardsman's death: Jury selection in murder case
(Associated Press) A former bar manager will soon stand trial for the death of a 28-year-old New York Air National Guard member he's accused of shoving down a flight of stairs. Jury selection is scheduled to begin in Buffalo Monday for the second-degree murder trial of Jeffrey Basil.
MARINE CORPS
Changing sea duty: Marines prep to deploy aboard new ships
(Marine Corps Times) Marines and sailors are at the center of a test that could change naval warfare.
Former Marine appointed to Massachusetts Secretary of Veterans Affairs
(Eagle Tribune) Francisco Urena, a Purple Heart Marine and much respected ally to the city of Lawrence, was appointed Massachusetts Secretary of Veterans Affairs by incoming Gov. Charlie Baker Monday.
Marines deploy to Africa for crisis response mission
(Marine Corps Times) The latest contingent to support the Marine Corps' unit responsible for responding to crises in Africa arrived in Spain this weekend for a six-month deployment.
AFGHANISTAN/PAKISTAN
Thousands flee intensifying India-Pakistan clashes
(Reuters) Thousands of Indians have fled from their homes as fighting between India and Pakistan spread along a 200-km (124 mile) stretch of the border in the disputed region of Kashmir.
Afghanistan's first lady steps into public eye with rural aid effort
(Los Angeles Times) Although President Ghani's administration has yet to decide on a Cabinet, the first lady's aid delivery was in part a way to show that the Afghan government could serve the country in ways other than politics. Yet it also carries risks for the first lady, a Lebanese-born Maronite Christian who has not concealed her background, which could be used against the president by conservative critics.
MIDDLE EAST
Few options for fixing Libya: analysts
(Middle East Eye ) Three years after NATO intervened to help overthrow long-time Libyan leader Moamer Gaddafi, two rival governments claim his mantle and a rash of heavily armed militias fight for territory and oilfields. Hopes for a diplomatic solution are fading, say analysts.
Palestinians Seen Gaining Momentum in Quest for Statehood
(New York Times ) When the Palestinians sought statehood at the United Nations in 2011, it was widely dismissed as a symbolic gambit to skirt negotiations with Israel and Washington's influence over the long-running conflict. But the Palestinians have begun to translate a series of such symbolic steps, culminating in last week's move to join the International Criminal Court, into a strategy that has begun to create pressure on Israel.
Saudi Arabia Cuts Light Oil Prices in the U.S.
(Wall Street Journal) Saudi Arabia on Monday cut the price it charges for its oil in the U.S., prolonging a price war to regain market share lost to American shale producers.
Hezbollah Appears to Acknowledge a Spy at the Top
(New York Times) The admission from Hezbollah's deputy chief was startling. The group, he said over the weekend, is "battling espionage within its ranks" and has uncovered "some major infiltrations."
EUROPE
NATO's priority in 2015: Setting up reaction force in Europe
(Associated Press) Leaving combat operations in Afghanistan behind, NATO is shifting its focus to Europe in 2015 and the creation of its new ultra-rapid-reaction force, designed as a deterrent to Russia.
Inside Putin's Information War
(Politico) As soon as Vladimir Putin assumed the presidency in 2000, he seized control of television, arresting and exiling the oligarchs who stood in his way. In a country covering nine time zones and one-sixth of the world's land mass, stretching from the Pacific to the Baltic, from the Arctic to the Central Asian deserts, from near-medieval villages where people still draw water from wooden wells by hand, through single-factory towns and back to the blue glass and steel skyscrapers of the new Moscow-TV is the only force that can unify, rule and bind the people.
French Leader Urges End to Sanctions Against Russia Over Ukraine
(New York Times) Western nations should stop threatening Russia with new sanctions and instead offer to ease off on existing restrictions in exchange for progress in the peace process in Ukraine, President Francois Hollande of France said in an interview on Monday.
ASIA-PACIFIC
China launches military procurement website
(IHS Jane's 360) China launched a website on 4 January dedicated to facilitating military procurement as part of the government's continuing emphasis on promoting transparency and competition in defence acquisition procedures.
Why North Korea Sanctions Are Unlikely to Be Effective
(The Atlantic ) President Obama's punishment allows him to fulfill his promise to respond to the Sony hack, but probably won't have much effect on the country.
Japan's leader says he will express remorse for World War II
(Associated Press) In a year that marks the 70th anniversary of World War II's end, a question weighs on the minds of policymakers in Asia and as far away as Washington, D.C.: What will Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe say about his country's role in the war?
AFRICA
France says ready to strike extremists on Libya border
(Associated Press) France said Monday its troops south of Libya are ready to strike extremists crossing the border, but the speaker of Libya's internationally recognized parliament rejected any Western military intervention in his country.
Two Americans Charged in Plot to Overthrow Gambian Government
(Wall Street Journal) The U.S. charged two Americans with attempting to overthrow Gambia's government in a failed coup last week, including a Texas property developer who allegedly planned to install himself as the country's leader.
UN: Ebola kills 8,153 people in West Africa, infects 20,650
(Associated Press) The World Health Organization says at least 8,153 people have died in the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. The Geneva-based body said Monday that the total number of confirmed, probable and suspected deaths from the disease comes from 20,656 cases in the three most affected countries - a mortality rate of 39 percent.
Greek oil tanker bombed in Libyan port of Derna
(BBC) Libyan air force jets have bombed a Greek-operated oil tanker chartered by Libya's national oil company, killing two crew members.
COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS
Let's abolish West Point: Military academies serve no one, squander millions of tax dollars
(Bruce Fleming in Salon) Many pundits have suggested that the Republicans' midterm gains were fueled by discontent not merely with the president or with the (improving) state of the economy, but with government in general and the need to fund its programs with taxes. Indeed, the Republican Party of recent decades, inspired by Ronald Reagan's exhortation to "starve the [government] beast," has been anti-tax and anti-government. Government programs, as many of their thinkers note, primarily exist to perpetuate their own existence. At the very least, they have to justify that existence.
Editorial: New Shot at Sequester Relief
(Defense News) With Republicans poised to take control both chambers of Congress, it's up to them to strike a budget deal that will avert automatic spending cuts slated to resume in full force this year.
How Mosul went from carefree to conservative
(Rasha Al Aqeedi in The National - Abu Dhabi Media) A spring day in Mosul in 1995 and male and female college students are picnicking in Iraq's second city. Most of the girls aren't wearing hijabs. Those who can remember this will be struck by the change that came about by 2002. By then, not wearing hijab was enough to tarnish a young woman's reputation. How the city turned socially conservative in just a short period of time is yet another facet of Mosul's takeover by Islamists.
Commentary: The Next Secretary's Task
(Lamont Colucci in Defense News) The recent resignation of Chuck Hagel as US defense secretary is a sign of the times. During his short, unglamorous tenure as the Obama administration's defense chief, Hagel had become a symbol of the White House's failed foreign and defense policies.
The Long War: Four Views
(Retired Army Colonel and former Deputy Asst. Secretary of Defense Joseph J. Collins in Small Wars Journal ) While the Long War continues to march, four new books have presented challenging and sometimes contradictory conclusions about the war and its lessons for the future. This review essay looks at: the memoir of a Secretary of Defense, a recent RAND study, the cri de coeur of a retired general, and the memoir of a combat veteran and leading coindinista. What follows is not just a review essay, but also an exploration of lessons encountered, but not yet learned. It ends with a call for help from the Small Wars Journal readership.
Commentary: Swarming the Battlefield
(Paul Scharre in Defense News) The US Department of Defense has launched a long-range research and development planning effort, and DoD leaders have stated that robotics and autonomous systems will be a critical component.
It's Time to Pursue Regime Change in Iran
(John Hannah in Foreign Policy ) Currently out of favor in many circles, regime change has a proven track record in helping put a number of bad actors out of the nuclear weapons business.
Editorial: Honor Andy Marshall
(Defense News) 2015 will be the first year since 1972 that Andy Marshall won't be the Pentagon's chief strategist. Marshall, 93, retired Jan. 2 as director of DoD's Office of Net Assessment, but the office he founded will survive, reporting directly to the defense secretary and his deputy.
The Case For LCS: Searching For The AirAsia Plane
(Breaking Defense) The Littoral Combat Ship Fort Worth joined the search for the remains of Air Asia Flight QZ8501. This grim mission marked more than a real-world test of a new and controversial class of ship. It also shows why the Navy needs something like LCS at all.
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