TODAY’S TOP 5
1. Pentagon to Outline How It Would Spend an Additional $26 Billion
(Bloomberg) The Pentagon’s budget plan for the fiscal year starting Oct. 1 will outline how it would spend an additional $26 billion if Congress could find the money, according to U.S. officials.
2. Karzai suspects U.S. is behind insurgent-style attacks, Afghan officials say
(Washington Post) Karzai has formalized his suspicions with a list of dozens of attacks that he believes the U.S. government may have been involved in, according to one palace official. The list even includes the recent bomb and gun assault on a Lebanese restaurant in Kabul, one of the bloodiest acts targeting the international community in Afghanistan, the official said.
3. Are U.S. Veterans Selfish?
(Mark Thompson in Time) It’s an impudent question, but one that naturally surfaces given the outrage rolling in from assorted veterans’ groups as Congress and the Pentagon seek ways to trim government spending that sometimes affect those who have volunteered to fight America’s wars.
4. Mattis: 2012 DoD Counter-Mine Exercise Bought US Time for Diplomacy with Iran
(Defense News) A 2012 minesweeping exercise in the Arabian Gulf helped diffuse tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and buy time for US diplomats to engage Iran, a former senior military commander in the Middle East said Monday.
5. US resumes nonlethal aid to Syrian opposition
(Associated Press) The United States has restarted deliveries of nonlethal aid to the Syrian opposition, officials said Monday, more than a month after al-Qaida-linked militants seized warehouses and prompted a sudden cutoff of Western supplies to the rebels.
INDUSTRY
Pentagon Holds Back Contractor Funds on Business Systems
(Bloomberg) The Defense Department is withholding funds from some of its largest contractors -- led by Northrop Grumman Corp. (NOC), Boeing (BA) Co. and BAE Systems Plc (BA/) -- until they correct inadequate business systems.
Pentagon notifies Congress of possible F-16 upgrades for UAE
(Reuters) The Pentagon has notified Congress of a possible sale of weapons and other equipment valued at $270 million that would be part of a larger, multibillion-dollar deal for 30 more F-16s that is still under discussion by Lockheed Martin Corp and the United Arab Emirates.
UTC Weighs Sikorsky's Future
(Defense News) United Technologies Corp. (UTC) is considering the future of America’s leading helicopter maker, Sikorsky, and whether to sell, spinoff or forge a strategic merger for the manufacturer of the Black Hawk, one of the world’s most popular military helicopters, sources said.
U.K. To Spend £454M On Merlin Modernization Program
(Aviation Week) AgustaWestland has been awarded a £454 million ($750 million) contract to transform the U.K.’s Merlin battlefield support helicopter fleet for amphibious operations.
Israel Navy Restricts Safe Boat Ops
(Defense News) The Israel Navy is restricting use of a US-built, rigid-hulled, inflatable boat pending an investigation of technical and operational conditions that caused one of the small craft to capsize last week off the coast of Gaza.
U.S. Relaxes Some Data Disclosure Rules
(New York Times) The Obama administration says it will allow Internet companies to give customers a better idea of how often the government demands their information, but will not allow companies to disclose what is being collected or how much.
CONGRESS
Reid: Senate will vote on military sexual assault bill
(The Hill) Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) listed several legislative items Monday that he said the Senate would consider during February.
Agreement reached in Washington to Sell Billions in Apache Helicopters to Iraq
(Defense News) A key congressional panel has finally removed obstacles to the White House’s plan to sell 24 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters to Iraq, along with spare parts and maintenance, in a massive $6.2 billion deal.
Week ahead: Congress to tackle military pensions
(The Hill) The Senate Armed Services Committee will dive into the most controversial part of last month’s budget deal this week when it holds a hearing on the $6 billion cut to military pensions.
Lawmakers call for Clapper's ouster
(C4ISR & Networks) A group of lawmakers are demanding President Obama fire the James Clapper, the director of national intelligence, and reform the NSA collection of data. The group -- five Republicans and one Democrat -- made their case in a Jan. 27 letter.
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Heading into 2014, the state of defense is solidly ill-defined and in flux. And the brass knows it
(Defense One) Just about every top military leader has at once touted U.S. military dominance while warning that politics and spending cuts are hollowing out the forces. Now, there’s little clarity about what to do with those forces after the wars. If the message of 2013 was budget uncertainty, the message of 2014 seems to be mission uncertainty. The war in Afghanistan is finally ending. What comes next?
Panel Says DoD Could Save Billions by Changing Business Practices
(Defense News) The US Defense Department could save $27 billion to $37 billion annually over the next four to five years by instituting business practices commonly adopted by major corporations in cash-strapped periods, an influential Pentagon advisory board said in a new report.
Same-sex couples hit roadblocks overseas
(Military Times) When Alex Viana Hart and his husband, an Army sergeant, were discussing where they wanted to live for their next duty assignment, they knew they wanted to go to Vicenza, Italy.
Medals for Drone Pilots? Hagel Still Can't Decide
(Foreign Policy) Just before Leon Panetta left the Pentagon, the former Defense Secretary threw a political grenade into the building's E-Ring when he created a new award -- a "distinguished warfare medal" -- in recognition of the work drone operators do. But so far, no medals have been issued. They may never be. Chuck Hagel, Panetta's successor, still can't make up his mind about how to handle an issue that may seem silly to the civilian world -- but is beyond-radioactive within the military.
Panel slammed for closing sex assault policy hearings
(Military Times) An independent panel formed to recommend changes to how the military oversees, investigates and prosecutes sexual assault cases will meet Thursday in Arlington, Va., to discuss publicly the role of commanders in such cases.
Pentagon, scientists closing in on rapid DNA technology
(USA Today) Pentagon researchers expect to finish evaluating prototypes of the Accelerated Nuclear DNA Equipment (ANDE) system by June, said Jenn Elzea, a Pentagon spokeswoman. The Departments of Homeland Security and Justice are also investigating prototypes, she said.
ARMY
Plan to pull Guard Apaches spurs controversy
(Army Times) The Army’s combat aviation brigades are in for an overhaul if the service moves forward with a sweeping — and already controversial — proposal to restructure Army aviation.
Fort Hood victim to attend State of the Union
(Fort Worth Star-Telegram) On Tuesday, retired Army Sgt. Alonzo Lunsford will walk into the U.S. House for President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address wearing his dress blues.
Cavity-fighting 'combat gum' in the works
(Army Times) A first-of-its-kind, plaque-fighting chewing gum could change the way Army dentists treat soldiers and help save billions of dollars in dental care.
Pinellas soldier crashes, dies during Texas police pursuit
(Tampa Tribune) A Fort Hood soldier from Seminole was killed last week when his car crashed during a high-speed pursuit by police in Bell County, Texas, officials said.
NAVY
MCPON's new rules for CPO 365
(Navy Times) The Navy’s top sailor revamped the chief-season rites last year, a controversial move that shook up many chiefs, old and new. Now, after the first season under the new rules, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (AW/NAC) Mike Stevens is ordering some course corrections to build on the new direction — many of them changes suggested by his chiefs.
Rear Adm. Sean Buck is the Navy's 21st century man
(San Diego Union-Tribune) The U.S. Navy recently established the 21st Century Sailor office to address a variety of issues facing sailors including suicide, sexual assaults and alcohol problems. Rear Adm. Sean Buck, a career naval officer and the director of the new office, was in San Diego recently to kick off a world tour of Navy bases to meet with sailors and talk about the programs his office offers to help keep sailors resilient. The U-T San Diego Editorial Board met with Rear Adm. Buck to discuss his mission. The following is a condensed and edited transcript of the interview.
Fleet's oldest amphib begins 7th Fleet deployment
(Navy Times) The Navy’s second-oldest deployable warship — behind only the frigate Constitution — left Sasebo, Japan, on Monday for its spring 7th Fleet patrol.
2nd lawsuit over Navy, marine mammals
(San Diego Union-Tribune) A second lawsuit was filed Monday against the National Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Navy over a five-year plan for military training off Southern California and Hawaii.
AIR FORCE
F-16 Upgrade Dropped From US Budget Proposal, Sources Say
(Defense News) A major F-16 upgrade program is likely to be left out of the president’s fiscal 2015 budget request, according to multiple sources.
Two airmen awarded Silver Stars for heroics in Afghanistan
(Air Force Times) Master Sgt. Delorean Sheridan still can’t remember the sound of the machine gun fire that killed his comrades.
Ayotte: Air Force violating law with A-10 retirement prep
(The Hill) Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) says the Air Force may be violating the law by preparing to retire A-10 aircraft.
More drums dug up near Kadena schools amid pollution scare
(Stars and Stripes) The Japan Ministry of Defense on Tuesday began unearthing at least 11 more containers from a soccer field adjacent to Kadena Air Base schools where 22 buried dioxin- and herbicide-tainted drums were discovered last summer.
IG: 1-star had romantic relationship with waitress, drinking problem
(Air Force Times) A married one-star general had a romantic relationship with a waitress while serving as the president of the 2013 senior master sergeant promotion board, according to an Air Force inspector general’s report.
MARINE CORPS
Marine Corps to retry sergeant for 2006 death of Iraqi civilian
(Los Angeles Times) The Marine Corps has decided to retry a sergeant from Camp Pendleton who spent six years behind bars for his alleged role in killing an unarmed Iraqi civilian but whose case was overturned on appeal.
Marine Corps crafts deployment strategy for post-war missions in Africa, Europe, Middle East
(Marine Corps Times) The Marine Corps’ post-Afghanistan deployment plans are taking shape, and personnel can expect today’s vigorous operational tempo will continue as leaders reorient the service and rebrand it as a nimble crisis-response force.
City to pay $200,000 to family of Marine veteran killed by off-duty police officer
(Baltimore Sun) Baltimore is poised to pay a $200,000 settlement to the family of a Marine veteran killed outside a Mount Vernon nightclub by an off-duty police officer in June 2010.
Marines in tanks unit decorated for bravery in Afghanistan
(Marine Corps Times) Two noncommissioned officers and a captain from a West Coast tank battalion were honored Jan. 21 for exemplary service and bravery during deployments to Afghanistan.
VETERANS
Top enlisted retirees push back on COLA cuts
(Military Times) Chip Hoynes retired from the Coast Guard in 2007, landing a high-paying job with a defense contractor in the same field he worked in on active duty.
Want to know why Wilmington's VA compensation case backlog keeps growing? So would we.
(Delaware News Journal) Today marks the 38th day since I asked the Dept. of Veterans Affairs in Washington, D.C., for an on-the-record official to discuss why disability compensation cases were being transferred from Baltimore and Philadelphia to Wilmington and other northeast Veterans Benefits Administration offices last year, increasing Wilmington’s backlog – which continues to grow despite an overall national trend in the opposite direction.
For injured veteran, war continues even at home
(Virginian-Pilot; Norfolk, Va.) People with post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury often land in the news when violence erupts, but the reality is, thousands struggle quietly in day-to-day battles that never cross the public's radar screen.
Afghan war vets, St. Louis researchers seek answers on head injuries
(St. Louis Post-Dispatch) For hours on route clearance missions in southern Afghanistan, Sgt. Michael Ritchey crammed his short body into a Husky, a single-seat vehicle that loosely resembles an armored road-grader.
New health coverage for vets' service dogs
(Military Times) Free medical coverage for the service dogs of veterans is now being handled under a new Veterans Affairs Department contract with pet health insurance company Trupanion.
AFGHANISTAN
US military denounces release of “dangerous” Afghan prisoners
(Stars and Stripes) American military leaders in Afghanistan on Monday accused the Afghan government of flouting the judicial process to free dozens of prisoners considered by the U.S. to be “legitimate threats to security.”
As Afghanistan war wanes, ungoverned spaces remain
(Politico Pro) The threat of terrorists using ungoverned spaces to target the U.S., one of the central rationales for launching the invasion of Afghanistan and the bid to dismantle the Taliban, remains a very present danger, with Syria, western Iraq and parts of Africa and Afghanistan itself all potential nightmares.
Inspector general: Literacy lags among Afghan troops
(USA Today) Despite spending more than $200 million, NATO's efforts to to teach Afghan soldiers and police reading, writing and arithmetic have failed to reach many of their goals, according to a report released Tuesday.
Lack of bilateral agreement would be blow to Afghan army, NATO chief says
(Stars and Stripes) NATO’s top official warned on Monday that failure to achieve a Status of Forces agreement with Afghanistan could result not just in a “zero option” for foreign troops remaining there after 2014, but it also puts at risk further financial assistance for the government’s security forces.
Propaganda pushes Karzai to sign pact
(USA Today) Every day in Afghanistan, the U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan broadcasts unattributed propaganda.
PAKISTAN
Afghanistan instability weighing on Pakistan
(Associated Press) Pakistan's national security adviser warned U.S. officials on Monday that his country "will have to face the brunt of any instability that may engulf Afghanistan" as the 12-year war there winds down at the end of the year.
Pakistani Taliban, with new leader, is back on the offensive
(McClatchy) Eight months after Pakistan’s newly appointed prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, suspended counterterrorist operations against Taliban militants and sought negotiations to end their six-year insurgency, the country has discovered that the militants exploited that time and space to reverse major losses they’d suffered over the years at the hands of the 150,000 Pakistani soldiers arrayed against them.
Bhutto son urges Pakistan military action on Taliban
(BBC) The son of the assassinated former prime minister of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto, has called on the country's authorities to take military action against militant groups.
The Doctor At The Heart Of The U.S.-Pakistan Rift
(National Public Radio) Prickly relations between the U.S. and Islamabad are becoming even thornier because of one issue: the case of Shakil Afridi, the Pakistani doctor who helped the CIA find Osama bin Laden in 2011. Afridi is seen as a hero by many Americans, but that didn't deter Pakistan from jailing him for alleged militant ties. The U.S. Congress is withholding $33 million in aid to Pakistan until the doctor is freed. But Afridi's lawyer fears this tactic will antagonize Islamabad. He urgently wants Afridi freed, warning that the doctor is at severe risk of being killed by fellow prisoners.
MIDDLE EAST
Gunmen kill senior Egyptian Interior Ministry official in Cairo
(Los Angeles Times) Drive-by gunmen on Tuesday assassinated a police general outside his home in the capital, state media reported, in the rare targeting of a senior member of Egypt’s security establishment.
Egyptian Military Commander Set to Run for President
(New York Times) Field Marshal Abdul-Fattah el-Sisi, the military leader who removed Egypt’s first freely elected president last year, took the first formal steps on Monday to become president himself, setting the stage for a return of the military-backed government that had appeared to end three years ago after a popular uprising.
Zawahiri's message 'to our people in Sinai'
(Long War Journal) In an audio message released to jihadist forums on Jan. 24, al Qaeda emir Ayman al Zawahiri "praised Chechen insurgents, reflected on recent Egyptian history, and called upon Islamic revolutionaries to adhere fiercely to their religion," according to the SITE Intelligence Group, which translated the nearly 70-minute message.
Key Al-Qaida Militant Reportedly Killed in Syria
(Associated Press) A senior figure in an al-Qaida-linked group in Syria has been killed in a bloody dispute with rival rebel factions that has raged for more than three weeks across opposition-held parts of the country, activists and an Iraqi intelligence official said Monday.
Turkey deals with terrorist blowback on Syria
(Al Monitor) The future of Syria may ultimately be influenced as much by a shift in Turkey’s Syria policies as it will be by the talks in Geneva.
ASIA-PACIFIC
China, Taiwan Schedule Formal Talks
(Wall Street Journal) Top officials in charge of relations between China and Taiwan have set a date for talks next month, in what is seen as a minor breakthrough for the two governments since they split in a civil war six decades ago.
Shots Fired as Thai PM Meets, Election Body Warns of Chaos
(Voice of America) Shots were fired at a Thai army facility where the prime minister was meeting on Tuesday and two people were hurt, an anti-government protest leader said.
In North Korea, meth is offered as casually as a cup of tea
(Los Angeles Times) The government once produced the drug. Entrepreneurs have since set up their own labs and may be distributing the drug beyond the nation's borders.
Japan Revises Teaching Guidelines to Bolster Claim to Disputed Islands
(Voice of America) Japan is revising its middle and high school teaching guidelines to bolster its claim to a series of disputed islands that are also claimed by South Korea and China.
Japan: Broadcast Chief Apologizes for Comment on ‘Comfort Women’
(New York Times) The new chairman of Japan’s public broadcaster apologized Monday after drawing sharp criticism for saying that his nation should not be singled out for forcing women into sexual servitude during World War II.
COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS
Congress Handcuffs Pentagon Cost-Cutters
(Todd Harrison and Mark Gunzinger in the Wall Street Journal) While the budget battles in recent years have been difficult for many parts of the federal government, they have forced the Pentagon into a perpetual state of crisis management, limping from one budget showdown to the next. This fiscal chaos is not conducive to carrying out the nation's defense.
Congress Needs to Look Hard at Military Pay
(Navy Capt. Peter Brennan in the US Naval Institute) Popular support of the U.S. military over the last few decades has helped lead to an increase in personnel-related costs across the force. If left unchecked, these increasing costs will overwhelm the Defense Department budget. Yet, there is no political will in Congress to implement change.
10 Good Reasons to Save the A-10
(J. Furman Daniel, III in Real Clear Defense) As the FY15 defense budget is finalized and the fiscal pressure of sequestration endures, there has been informed speculation that the Air Force will seek to retire its A-10 Warthog fleet. Congress has already prevented such a move in the National Defense Authorization Act, but yet the fight continues. Last week, RCD featured a proposal to transfer the A-10 to the Army. This week, J. Furman Daniel, III offers ten good reasons to save the beloved A-10.
Front Row Seat: Watching COIN Fail in Afghanistan
(Evan Munsing in War on the Rocks) The current strategy, which requires a unified national policy directed by a strong, legitimate government, is unrealistic in its expectations and inappropriate against violence that is dispersed and motivated by local concerns. Unless the United States begins pushing the Afghan National Security Forces to adopt policies more suited to their current needs and their military culture, the blood and treasure we have poured into Afghanistan over the past twelve years will have been for nothing.
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