TODAY’S TOP 5
1. War-zone crime ring led to prison time, murder and suicide
(Army Times) One minute, Lt. Col. Roy Tisdale, the respected commander of the 525th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, was attending a July 4 safety briefing at Fort Bragg, N.C. The next minute, he was shot dead by a disgruntled soldier who wounded another and quicklyturned the gun on himself in front of 200 people.
2. NATO chief doesn't see Karzai signing security pact
(Reuters) President Hamid Karzai is unlikely to sign a pact for U.S. and NATO forces to stay in Afghanistan after 2014 and will probably leave the choice for his successor, NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on Saturday.
3. A new definition for al-Qaeda
(Katherine Zimmerman in the Washington Post) What exactly is al-Qaeda? And who cares? Confusion about how to define the terrorist group is rife. Was al-Qaeda involved in the Sept. 11, 2012, attacks in Benghazi, Libya , that left four Americans dead? The Obama administration says no. Are the groups proliferating around Africa and the Middle East really part of the al-Qaeda that toppled the World Trade Center and hit the Pentagon?
4. Gunman's Doctor Before Rampage: 'No Problem There'
(Associated Press) The gunman who killed 12 people in last year's rampage at Washington's Navy Yard convinced Veterans Affairs doctors before the shootings that he had no mental health issues despite disturbing problems and encounters with police during the same period, according to a review by The Associated Press of his confidential medical files.
5. Exclusive: General says more Marines could be based throughout Africa
(Marine Corps Times) Marine units that specialize in crisis response could be based in Africa in coming years as military leaders work with host nations that have shown interest in the U.S. posturing troops in their countries, according to a top general in the region.
INDUSTRY
Air Force Looking for JSTARS Recapitalization
(Defense News) The Air Force hopes to develop a new JSTARS surveillance aircraft based on a business jet, one which could be operational as soon as 2022.
The end of the tank? The Army says it doesn’t need it, but industry wants to keep building it
(Washington Post) When an armored vehicle pulled down the statue of Saddam Hussein in an iconic moment of the Iraq War, it triggered a wave of pride here at the BAE Systems plant where that rig was built. The Marines who rolled to glory in it even showed up to pay their regards to the factory workers.
Merger Prospects Still Murky After Murray-Ryan Deal
(Defense News) Since the US Budget Control Act created the specter of sequestration in August 2011, very few deals have been struck to sell or merge defense companies. The refrain has been that budget uncertainty was leaving many risk averse and timid.
Market for Service Contracts Shrinking, and So Is the Number of Competitors
(National Defense Magazine) Facing a steep decline in government spending on support contractors, companies in this sector are rushing to consolidate and cut expense as price-based competitions become the norm in service contracts.
CONGRESS
Bypassing Congress on defense cuts
(Politico Pro) The Pentagon has learned that if it can’t go through Congress to get what it wants, sometimes it’s best to try going around.
Gillibrand, Outside Group Push Back Against Military Sexual Assault Report
(National Journal) Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is pushing back on a subcommittee report released Thursday that recommended commanders keep their authority in sexual assault cases. A majority of the Role of the Commander subcommittee said they didn't believe removing commanders' authority in military sexual-assault cases would boost sexual-assault reporting or reduce the number of sexual assaults.
House targets Obama claim that al Qaeda is ‘on the path to defeat’
(The Hill) The House Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing on “al Qaeda, its affiliates and associated groups” on Tuesday, followed by a House Foreign Affairs hearing on al Qaeda’s resurgence in Iraq on Wednesday
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Hagel Calls on NATO Allies to Strategically Invest Defense Funding
(Defense News) US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel called on European allies to invest more strategically in military projects, particularly as NATO’s mission in Afghanistan comes to an end and many nations reduce defense spending.
Military Makes Ethics a Priority
(Wall Street Journal) Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that as part of this new emphasis, the military needs to place more importance on officers' character when weighing promotions.
Hale to step down as DoD finance chief
(Military Times) Pentagon Comptroller Bob Hale is stepping down after nearly 30 cumulative years of government service, including three years wearing a Navy uniform.
Pentagon to further study 4 possible East Coast missile defense sites
(Reuters) The U.S. Defense Department said on Friday it would conduct environmental impact studies for four possible missile defense sites in the eastern United States but stressed it had not yet decided to proceed with construction.
Interview: Gates talks pay reform, toxic leaders and more
(Military Times) Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates spoke to Military Times on Friday about ongoing efforts to curb military compensation, how to identify toxic leaders and whether the Iraq war was worth the sacrifice.
Military recruiters challenged to fill smaller, specialized force
(Baltimore Sun) Chief Petty Officer Tori Novo says she finds herself saying "no" to young people who want to ship out to sea with the Navy more often than she used to.
ARMY
Records show former Fort Carson commander made inappropriate comments, sexual innuendos
(Colorado Springs Gazette) Records show former Fort Carson commander made inappropriate comments, sexual innuendos.
Suicides in the Army decline sharply
(USA Today) Suicides in the Army fell by 19% in 2013, dramatically reversing a rising trend plaguing the Army for nearly 10 years.
Army looks to replenish its Catholic chaplain ranks
(Washington Post) For decades, the Catholic Church has struggled with a shortage of priests. But the problem is particularly acute in the U.S. military, which has trouble finding enough priests to serve as Catholic chaplains.
Paratrooper who died during JBER training identified
(Anchorage Daily News) U.S. Army Alaska has released the identity of a paratrooper who died after collapsing following a training jump at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.
Scout Mission Compromised by Funding Cut
(Defense News) US Army leadership is betting that an 80 percent solution to its aerial scout needs will be good enough in the coming years, as it scraps its OH-58 Kiowa helicopter fleet in favor of a manned-unmanned mixture for peering over the next ridgeline.
Military Olympians: Army sending 6 athletes to Sochi
(Stars and Stripes) Of the 230 athletes on Team USA competing at the Sochi Olympics next week, six will be military athletes from the Army World Class Athlete Program.
NAVY
Navy in 2014: Undersea drones, Arctic, Marines on new ships
(San Diego Union-Tribune) The chief of naval operations, Adm. Jonathan Greenert, spoke about the issues topping his agenda for 2014 in an interview this weekend with U-T San Diego. He also took questions about the Barrio Logan shipyard debate, the widening Navy bribery scandal in Asia and recent speculation about the Navy shrinking from 11 to 10 aircraft carriers.
Navy suicides drop from peak in '12
(Navy Times) The Navy made great strides in driving down the number of sailor suicides last year, a success officials credit to more robust awareness programs and the fleet.
Two Navy divers, out of reach
(Virginian-Pilot; Norfolk, Va.) The pond at Aberdeen Proving Ground was awash in the sounds of a military dive site: the thud of heavy equipment on a floating barge, air cylinders clanging against one another, the muffled tones and beeps of hand-held radio communications.
Audit Planned in Fraud Case as Navy Reinstates Shipper
(New York Times) The Navy has quietly lifted the suspension of a shipping contractor under investigation for possible fraud, allowing the company to compete for new work. In exchange, the company has agreed to pay for an independent audit that could help the Justice Department determine how much it may have overcharged the government.
X-47B Will Pair With Manned Aircraft in Testing Later This Year
(US Naval Institute) The U.S. Navy plans to take the Northrop Grumman X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System-Demonstrator (UCAS-D) aircraft out to sea onboard an aircraft carrier this summer to test how well it operates together with manned aircraft around the ship and on the flight deck.
Carrier Forrestal headed for scrap heap
(San Diego Union-Tribune) The decommisioned carrier Forrestal, the first of the Navy's "supercarriers" and a technological marvel when it was launched in the 1950s, will begin its final journey on February 4th when it is towed out of Philadelphia for a trip to Brownsville, Texas, where the ship will be dismantled and recycled.
AIR FORCE
Air Combat Command's challenge: Buy new or modernize older aircraft
(Defense News) After a tense budget battle last year, the Air Force is gearing up to defend what service officials have called a series of hard choices about what to keep and what to dump. With finances tight, the biggest fight is over whether to modernize older platforms or risk a capabilities gap while pushing that funding toward recapitalization programs.
Hagel calls Air Force nuclear officers in bunkers
(Associated Press) Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has made the rare gesture of phoning Air Force nuclear officers in their underground launch bunkers in Montana to update them on efforts to correct problems in their service.
Platform, personnel cuts likely in FY '15 Air Force budget
(Defense News) This close to the March 4 submission of the fiscal 2015 budget request, getting specifics from service officials can be like pulling teeth. But a number of statements, both in public appearances and during interviews, provide a sense of direction for the Air Force’s plans.
The F-22 is the air dominance cream of the crop. USAF intends to keep it that way.
(Air Force Magazine) Though there are potential fifth generation challengers on the horizon, pilots and maintainers of the stealthy F-22 Raptor say they’ll own the competitive edge in air combat for years to come, not just because of the advanced technology embodied in their fighter but because of their comprehensive training.
MacDill families fear commissary closings
(Tampa Tribune) For those who live on the base and the thousands of military retirees living nearby, the MacDill commissary offers about 30 percent savings over the cost of food and other items at civilian supermarkets.
MARINE CORPS
The pitfalls of power: Did Marine 2-stars abuse their authority or were they just careless?
(Marine Corps Times) To hear at least one Marine describe it, Maj. Gen. Angela Salinas was obsessed with having a subordinate who was readily recognizable as her aide. Specifically, she wanted the individual accompanying her to speaking engagements and other public events to wear an aiguillette, the braided cord worn across one’s shoulder to denote he or she is acting as a general’s aide-de-camp.
Marines raise money from their powerful 'brand'
(USA Today) Over its storied 238-year history the Marine Corps has built a powerful brand.
New uniform, same motivation: Former noncommissioned officer raves about jump from Corps to the Air Force
(Marine Corps Times) A former enlisted Marine who left the Corps for the Air Force has written an essay, sure to spark debate, in which he says the Air Force encourages more innovative thinking, that airmen are every bit as fit as Marines, and that, while he enjoyed helping junior Marines, he doesn’t miss having to “babysit” them.
Marine charged in groping incident
(The Island Packet; Bluffton, S.C.) A Marine was arrested Thursday and charged with assault after allegedly groping a woman at her home Jan. 11, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office.
VETERANS
Maj. Gen. Spragins, who introduced black beret, dies at age 90
(The Island Packet; Bluffton, S.C.) Retired Army Maj. Gen. Charles Echols "Pete" Spragins, who introduced the black beret to the uniform of the Airborne Rangers, died Wednesday at his Lady's Island residence.
Records workers dumped, destroyed or lost 1,800 veterans documents
(St. Louis Post-Dispatch) Paid for speed in handling documents pulled from 100 million federal employee records, two workers at the National Personnel Records Center here have admitted dumping, destroying or misfiling at least 1,800 of them, court records show.
Veterans given tools for civilian job hunting
(Sun Sentinel; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) They came out of the Army, Marines, Air Force and Navy more skilled than they went in, and many thought employers would welcome them with a job.
Lodi police kill Iraq veteran allegedly armed with knife
(The Sacramento Bee) When the aftereffects of his post-traumatic stress disorder made him very anxious, Parminder Singh Shergill, a Gulf War veteran from one of the Central Valley’s most established Sikh families, would simply start walking.
AFGHANISTAN/PAKISTAN
U.S. visa backlog leaves Afghan interpreters in limbo
(Los Angeles Times) Afghan interpreters in jeopardy because of their work for the U.S. military often have to wait years for their immigrant visa applications to be approved.
As campaign begins, Afghans look for results, not promises
(Stars and Stripes) Election posters and billboards appeared around Afghanistan’s capital Sunday as the campaign officially kicked off for the crucial April election to choose a successor to President Hamid Karzai, who has led the country since the U.S.-led coalition ousted the Taliban in 2001.
Pakistan, Taliban talks gain momentum
(Los Angeles Times) The Pakistani government’s efforts to open peace talks with Islamist insurgents gathered steam Saturday when Taliban leaders nominated a five-member committee to represent them at the negotiating table.
EUROPE
US Ready To Assist Poland With Indigenous Missile Defense System
(Defense News) The US wants to partner with Poland as the Eastern European nation pursues its own missile defense system separate from the American system already planned for the region.
American tanks return to Europe after brief leave
(Stars and Stripes) Less than a year after they left European soil, American tanks have returned to military bases in Germany where they had been a heavy presence since World War II.
Spurred by Global Crises, Germany Weighs a More Muscular Foreign Policy
(New York Times) German leaders are pushing a vigorous new case that it is time for their nation to find a more muscular voice in foreign affairs, even suggesting that Germany should no longer reflexively avoid some military deployments, as it did in Libya almost three years ago.
US and French navies complete combined strike group operations
(Stars and Stripes) The U.S. and French navies completed five weeks of rare combined carrier strike group operations in the Middle East Sunday.
UK, French Leaders Agree To Cooperate on Drone, Missile and More
(Defense News) Britain and France agreed Jan. 31 to invest £200 million (US $329 million) for two-year studies on a future combat drone, and signed up for work on an anti-ship missile and an anti-mine system, French government and industry sources said.
Kerry Meets With Ukraine Opposition
(Wall Street Journal) U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met with Ukrainian opposition leaders Saturday, as Russia and the West traded barbs over the ongoing crisis in Kiev.
AFRICA
Libya’s Cache of Toxic Arms All Destroyed
(New York Times) Even as the international effort to destroy Syria’s vast chemical weapons stockpile lags behind schedule, a similar American-backed campaign carried out under a cloak of secrecy ended successfully last week in another strife-torn country, Libya.
Probe Widens Into Dealings Between Finance Firms, Libya
(Wall Street Journal) The Justice Department has joined a widening investigation of banks, private-equity firms and hedge funds that may have violated antibribery laws in their dealings with Libya's government-run investment fund, people familiar with the matter said.
Algeria Prepares To Receive LPD Amid Defense Spending Boost
(Defense News) Algeria’s defense spending spree shows no sign of abating as the North African country gets set for a September delivery of a new amphibious ship from Italy. Algeria is also reportedly preparing to receive three Chinese frigates in 2015 as well as buying a new Italian minesweeper.
IRAQ
Iraqi army bombards Fallujah in preparation for ground assault
(Reuters) The Iraqi army intensified its shelling of Falluja on Sunday in preparation for a ground assault to regain control over the city, which has been under the control of militants for a month.
UN Says More Than 733 Iraqis Killed in January
(Associated Press) The United Nations said Saturday that at least 733 Iraqis were killed during violence in January, even when leaving out casualties from an embattled western province.
Statements on forming new Iraqi provinces cause uproar
(Al-Monitor) Iraqi Minister of State for Provincial Affairs Torhan al-Mufti caused confusion among the media and the public when he announced on Jan. 21 that the Iraqi government had agreed to transform two districts — Talafar in the Ninevah province and Tuz Khurmato in the Salahuddin province — into provinces. Both of these districts have a Turkmen majority.
MIDDLE EAST
Al-Qaida Disavows ISIL in Syria
(Voice of America) Al-Qaida said in a statement Monday that it is cutting off the group known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL.
Palestinian Leader Seeks NATO Force in Future State
(New York Times) Six months into peace talks dominated by discussion about security, President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority has proposed to Secretary of State John Kerry that an American-led NATO force patrol a future Palestinian state indefinitely, with troops positioned throughout the territory, at all crossings, and within Jerusalem.
Kerry tells Iran that existing sanctions will stay in place as nuclear negotiations continue
(Washington Post) Secretary of State John F. Kerry told Iran’s foreign minister Sunday that the United States will continue to enforce existing sanctions on Iran while bargaining over a deal to rein in Iran’s disputed nuclear program.
Al Nusrah Front launches another suicide attack in Lebanon
(The Long War Journal) The Al Nusrah Front for the People of the Levant, an al Qaeda branch in Syria, claimed credit for another suicide attack that targeted Hezbollah in Lebanon.
UAE summons Qatar envoy over Qaradawi remarks
(Al Jazeera) The United Arab Emirates has summoned Qatar's ambassador to formally protest against criticism of the Gulf country by a prominent religious leader who has lived in Qatar for decades, the UAE's official news agency has said.
Petraeus Discusses Energy Independence in the UAE
(Defense News) The US is on the verge of becoming an energy superpower, yet it still relies on oil and gas from the Arabian Gulf region, former CIA Director David Petraeus told an audience in Abu Dhabi this week.
ASIA-PACIFIC
Unfunded F-16 Upgrades Put Jet's Combat Value in Doubt
(Defense News) As officials in Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) were busying themselves for Chinese New Year celebrations last week, they received potentially devastating news for the Pacific nation’s air defense plans.
Tokyo Wants Swift Implementation of Crisis Management With China
(Wall Street Journal) In a sign of eagerness to prevent territorial tensions from escalating into military conflicts, Japan’s defense ministry called for the early establishment of a crisis management mechanism between Tokyo and Beijing in its annual security report on China released Saturday.
Japan-China tension has U.S. walking a fine line
(Los Angeles Times) Washington wants good relations with Japan and China, as well as South Korea. But war wounds keep animosity burning among the three.
China Accuses Japan of Stoking Tensions with Air Defense Rumors
(Defense News) China has accused Japan of heightening regional tensions with “rumors” that Beijing planned to declare a new air defense zone over the South China Sea.
Chinese New Year 2014: Lunar Calendar Indicates Possible War between China and Japan this Year
(International Business Times) The lunar Horse year has galloped its way to China, seemingly with a purpose to induce a renewed zeal in the political sphere as well. President Xi Jinping's greeting of 'may all go well' tended to suggest that the year of the wooden horse could perhaps bring more comfort for the land which is currently embroiled in a row with Japan over some island territories in the East China sea.
COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS
The Art of Restraining the Knife: Understanding the Limits of Drone Strikes in Pakistan
(Michael McBride in Small Wars Journal) Throughout the Global War on Terror, Pakistan has been a focal point of violent Islamist extremism and terrorism. President Obama remarked in 2009, “Terrorist attacks in London and Bali were tied to al Qaeda and its allies in Pakistan as were attacks in North Africa and the Middle East, in Islamabad and Kabul. If there is a major attack on an Asian, European, or African city, it, too, is likely to have ties to Al Qaeda’s leadership in Pakistan.”
Analysis: Obama's Asia policy set back by Democrat
(Associated Press) The top Democratic senator, Harry Reid, announced that he opposes legislation that's key for a trans-Pacific trade pact that is arguably the most important part of Obama's effort to strengthen American engagement in Asia.
China’s Deceptively Weak (and Dangerous) Military
(Ian Easton in The Diplomat) While recent years have witnessed a tremendous Chinese propaganda effort aimed at convincing the world that the PRC is a serious military player that is owed respect, outsiders often forget that China does not even have a professional military.
Century of Violence: What World War I Did to the Middle East
(Bernhard Zand in Der Spiegel) World War I may have ended in 1918, but the violence it triggered in the Middle East still hasn't come to an end. Arbitrary borders drawn by self-interested imperial powers have left a legacy that the region has not been able to overcome.
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