TODAY’S TOP 5
1. White House Pushes Budget Hike
(Defense News) The White House and Pentagon, after weeks of back-and-forth debate, appear ready to expand the Defense Department’s budget starting in 2016.
2. Documents Reveal Chaotic Military Sex-Abuse Record
(Associated Press) The Associated Press originally sought the records for U.S. military personnel stationed in Japan after attacks against Japanese women raised political tensions there. They might now give weight to members of Congress who want to strip senior officers of their authority to decide whether serious crimes, including sexual assault cases, go to trial.
3. Five Questions With Senator Tim Kaine on War Powers and National Defense
(Ryan Evans in war on the Rocks) This is the latest edition of our Five Questions series. Each week, we feature an expert, practitioner, or leader answering five questions on a topic of current relevance in the world of defense, security, and foreign policy. Well, four of the questions are topical. The fifth is about booze. We are War on the Rocks, after all.
4. Robert Hoffman: The spy who struck out
(Virginian-Pilot; Norfolk, Va.) Meet the latest American to be convicted of attempted espionage: a retired sailor so enamored with a woman's breasts that he wrote about them in his diary.
5. Marine Corps Times first casualty in headquarters' war to 'professionalize'
(Marine Corps Times) Marine Corps leaders have ordered the independent Marine Corps Times newspaper removed from its prominent newsstand location at base exchange stores worldwide and placed instead in areas away from checkout lines, where it is harder to find and fewer copies are available.
INDUSTRY
DoD Skeptical of Companies' 'Rosy' Forecasts
(Defense News) Defense companies are telling investors that earnings-squashing budget pressures will soon ease, but DoD sees the future a bit differently, a Pentagon official said Wednesday.
Gen. Shelton: GPS III Launch Date to Slip; ‘Patience is Wearing Thin’ With Payload Maker (UPDATED)
(National Defense Magazine) The Air Force is running out of patience with Lockheed Martin and its subcontractor Exelis when it comes to developing the next-generation of navigation satellites, the head of Space Command said Feb. 7 at a Washington, D.C., breakfast.
Industry: UAE, Saudi Arabia Plan Purchases
(Defense News) The United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia are expected to launch discussions on submarine acquisitions “in the near future,” according to an executive with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri.
Defense Industry’s Team USA on the Ground in Singapore
(National Defense Magazine) Executives from the nation’s top military contractors and a bevy of federal government officials will be in Singapore this week in a bid to help Team USA win not gold medals but arms deals.
Italian Lawmakers Consider New Cuts to JSF Purchase
(Defense News) Eight months after the Italian parliament suspended new orders of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), members of the country’s biggest political party may try to halve the total purchase.
Europe To Demonstrate Space-Based UAS Airspace Integration
(Aviation Week) Europe’s defense and space agencies are to expand their cooperation on integrating unmanned aircraft systems into civil airspace for commercial and government missions with a second phase of a project to demonstrate that UAS can be controlled via satellite communications.
Serco Snags RAF Fylingdales Job After UK Lifts Ban
(Defense News) Serco is set to announce its first defense-contract win just days after the UK lifted a ban on the outsourcing giant following a scandal concerning overcharging on two Ministry of Justice contracts.
CONGRESS
Senate to vote Monday on repeal of COLA caps for retirees
(Military Times) Legislation that would repeal caps on annual cost-of-living adjustments for military retirees under age 62 will be considered next week by the Senate.
Lawmaker Holds Stock in Defense Contractor He Champions
(Gannett Washington Bureau) Congressman Tom Petri has long been an enthusiastic booster in Washington for Oshkosh Corp., a defense contractor in his Wisconsin district, but he not only has a political stake in the company’s success, he has a personal one as well. To the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
At Pentagon, pre-emptive budget strikes
(The Hill) Lawmakers are trying to strong-arm the Pentagon into saving favored programs and pet projects ahead of the release of its 2015 budget next month.
Coburn: Government should get its own cyberhouse in order
(C4ISR & Networks) The federal government needs to do a better job of protecting its own IT infrastructure from cyber threats before it can help the private sector, according to Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla.
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Work Officially Nominated for Pentagon's No. 2 Job
(Defense News) The White House has officially nominated Robert Work to be the next deputy secretary of defense.
Hagel hints at ethics enforcer
(The Hill) Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced Friday that he would appoint a senior general officer to address ethical lapses and misbehavior in the military.
DOD Completes Pair Of Major Mobility Capability Studies
(Inside Defense) The Defense Department has completed and delivered to Congress a pair of new major mobility studies assessing the adequacy of the military's cargo aircraft and cargo ship inventories to execute the current defense strategy.
US Shelves Combatant Command Proposals
(Defense News) The Pentagon is dismissing proposals to merge some regional warfighting commands and will instead push forward with efforts to shrink the sizes of these headquarters, sources said.
ARMY
Fallen medic receives Silver Star for heroism under fire
(Army Times) An Army medic who ran through a barrage of enemy fire to reach his wounded fellow soldiers was posthumously awarded the Silver Star during a ceremony Friday at Fort Campbell, Ky.
War hero fell hard in bonus scam
(San Antonio Express-News) Christopher Castro first came into the spotlight during the 2003 Iraq invasion, when he helped rescue seven prisoners of war in a daring raid. But that moment, captured in a dramatic photo, faded after a hero's homecoming at San Antonio International Airport.
Portrait of an Army Family
(At War) You might compare their lives to an opera or perhaps to a country music tune filled with politics and patriotism. Their story even has its own beat: eight service members with 11 deployments. All from one family.
JBLM soldier killed in van crash was bringing home soldiers from Afghanistan
(The News Tribune; Tacoma, Wash.) The Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldier killed Thursday in an accident on Interstate 5 was a combat engineer who joined the Army a little more than a year ago and was helping to bring home comrades returning from Afghanistan.
Chaplains help others grieve, but learn to grieve themselves
(The State; Columbia, S.C.) Seated at a table with other chaplains who have comforted grieving military families, retired Army Chaplain John Schumacher held the red rose in his hands before he passed it along, pausing to remember those who had died on the battlefield.
New Stryker vehicles arrive at Fort Carson (With Video)
(Colorado Springs Gazette) Looking for a good vehicle to take on Colorado's snow? Fort Carson just got a fleet of them - eight-wheeled drive monsters that can pound through drifts and grind their 18-tons over ice.
NAVY
Navy rebukes three admirals for taking questionable trip to Britain
(Washington Post) Amid a flurry of ethical scandals vexing the military comes a new transgression: The Navy has rebuked three admirals for taking a questionable trip to Britain and thereby flunking what was termed “The Washington Post Test.”
Attack sub Scranton tests 24-hour watchbill
(Navy Times) The submarine force has long resisted 24-hour watchbills during deployments, but the skipper of the first sub to test them said they yielded better sleep and more alert watchstanders than the standard 18-hour rotation.
Sailors get awards for Navy helicopter recovery efforts
(Virginian-Pilot; Norfolk, Va.) Sailors and divers from the Navy's Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 2 were presented awards Thursday for their efforts last month to salvage a downed MH-53E helicopter and recover a missing aviator off the coast of Virginia.
Admiral: It’s time to focus ‘in a big way’ on preventing sexual assault
(Stars and Stripes) The U.S. Navy admiral in charge of sexual-assault prevention told victims’ advocates here the time has come for the Navy to “shift rudder” and focus more on prevention.
War prepared them to save lives in Jacksonville
(The Florida Times-Union; Jacksonville, Fla.) On a dusty road in the middle of nowhere, Afghanistan, an IED explodes under a U.S. Humvee. It’s an ambush: rocket-propelled grenades, rifle and machine-gun fire rain down from the nearby hills.
AIR FORCE
US Air Force Gen. Selva Tapped To Head TRANSCOM
(Defense News) S President Barack Obama has nominated Air Force Gen. Paul Selva to be the next leader of US Transportation Command (TRANSCOM), according to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel.
General's last assignment unwanted, but life-changing
(Air Force Times) The two framed photographs would stay until the end, when Maj. Gen. Margaret Woodward left for the last time the Pentagon office where she’d served an unlikely role at the end of an extraordinary 31-year career.
Release of findings in Air Force Academy inquiry delayed
(Colorado Springs Gazette) The Air Force has interviewed former cadet informants and other key players as part of an Inspector General investigation of the secret informant program at the Air Force Academy, but will not say when findings, initially slated to be completed in January, will be released.
Transport plane diverted after pressure loss
(Air Force Times) A C-5B military transport airplane en route from Ramstein Air Base, Germany, to Dover Air Force Base, Del., was diverted to Westover Air Reserve Base in Massachusetts on Saturday after it suffered a loss of pressure over the Atlantic Ocean.
Delaware Air Guard's 1,100 flight jobs at risk
(Delaware News Journal) If the Air Force and Congress can’t agree on upgrades for its eight aging C-130s, the Delaware Air National Guard, founded in 1946, survivor of a 2005 base closure round and a fixture in New Castle ever since, will be grounded – making its 1,100 or so flight-related jobs superfluous and its future doubtful.
MARINE CORPS
Marine fitness experts: with the right training, anyone can do pullups
(Marine Corps Times) Athletic trainers at the Crossroads of the Marine Corps say anyone — at any age — should be able to do pullups, so they’ve launched clinics to help devil dogs improve their technique.
Congressman Meehan questions handling of Marine's body in Greece
(The Mercury; Pottstown, Pa.) U.S. Rep. Patrick Meehan, R-7th Dist., is continuing to question the Pentagon and Greek government after the parents of a Marine sergeant who died while stationed in Greece discovered that his body had been sent home without a heart.
Marine Corps headquarters raps congressman critical of the commandant
(Marine Corps Times) Frustration is building at Marine Corps headquarters over a congressman’s aggressive support for a whistle-blower who has accused the commandant’s office of abusing its authority.
Marines unite old, new Corps
(San Diego Union-Tribune) Old Corps and new Corps. Uniformed members of the 1st Marine Division and veterans of its fiercest battles. Together they marched, one pair after another, toward the flag to rededicate the battle colors.
VETERANS
Doctor to release findings on toxic dust from Iraq (With Video)
(CBS News) There are new developments coming this week in a story CBS News has been reporting on since last spring. A mysterious lung illness is affecting veterans who were exposed to open burn pits, which the U.S. military used in Iraq and Afghanistan to torch everything from batteries to body parts.
Congress Is Getting Tougher on the VA
(Wall Street Journal) Congress is poised to tighten its leash on the Department of Veterans Affairs over its response to what lawmakers say are management and medical errors, just as VA facilities are flooded with a new generation of injured troops.
A General in a Classroom Takes On the Ethics of War
(New York Times) Three years after Robert H. Latiff received his star as a brigadier general in the Air Force, the United States prepared to invade Iraq. A military man since 1974, General Latiff was hardly an innocent in matters of warfare, including the one being declared by President George W. Bush against global terror.
Equine-assisted therapy helps soldiers deal with PTSD
(Fayetteville Observer) Horses That Heal is a local nonprofit organization that serves veterans and at-risk youth through equine-assisted psychotherapy at Avalon Farms on East Reeves Bridge Road.
AFGHANISTAN
Afghan soldiers desperate for pact with U.S., criticize President Karzai for delay
(Washington Post) The Afghan soldiers fighting the Taliban have grown confident in their ability to combat an agile insurgency. But for those on the front lines, one question casts a shadow over the young army’s progress.
New No. 2 US Commander Takes Reins in Afghanistan
(Associated Press) The incoming No. 2 American commander in Afghanistan said Saturday that his immediate focus is on supporting upcoming Afghan elections — not on the possibility of U.S. troops remaining after the NATO-led combat mission ends.
Report: Insurgents blamed as civilian casualties mount in Afghanistan
(Stars and Stripes) Civilian casualties in Afghanistan rose 14 percent in 2013, with the noncombatant population continuing to take the brunt of the violence as international forces leave, the United Nations said in a report issued Saturday.
Taliban says captured British military dog is healthy
(Los Angeles Times) A British special forces dog captured by the Taliban in Afghanistan two months ago is in good health and being fed a diet of kebabs, his captors say.
US adds 4 Qods Force operatives to terrorism list for supporting terrorism in Afghanistan
(Long War Journal) The US Treasury Department added to its list of global terrorists today three Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force officers and one "associate" who are involved in the "use of terrorism and intelligence operations as tools of influence against the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan."
German FM Urges Afghan Leader To Sign US Troops Deal
(Defense News) Germany’s foreign minister arrived Sunday in Afghanistan on an unannounced visit and urged its president to sign a long-delayed security pact with the United States.
IRAQ
Iraq governor gives Anbar militants one-week ultimatum
(The Daily Star; Lebanon) An Iraqi provincial governor Saturday gave militants controlling a city near Baghdad one week to surrender as government forces made steady progress in an effort to end a weeks-long crisis.
Clans play decisive role in Iraqi elections
(Al-Monitor) In the Yusifiyah region, south of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, Sheikh Jassem al-Klabi plays host, on a nearly daily basis, to candidates for parliamentary elections scheduled for April 30. This hosting comes as part of social gatherings where clan loyalty intermixes with political affiliation.
Iraqi Parliament speaker in bid for ‘joint Iraq decision’ on oil exports to Turkey
(Al Hurriyet; Turkey) Iraqi Parliament Speaker Osama al-Nujaifi has underlined the importance of reaching a joint decision by the federal government in Baghdad and the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) on the controversial issue of planned pipe oil exports to Turkey.
MIDDLE EAST
Iran Agrees to Provide Data on Its Detonators
(New York Times) Iran’s government committed to providing information on detonators for the first time on Sunday as part of a new series of confidence-building measures it agreed to with the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog.
Israeli airstrike in Gaza targets militant
(Los Angeles Times) Two Palestinians were wounded in an Israeli airstrike on the Gaza Strip early Sunday.
In Homs, Syria, some decry U.N. aid effort as benefiting 'terrorists'
(Los Angeles Times) The international community is lauding a United Nations-brokered deal to provide relief to Homs' long-blockaded Old City, but the aid plan is far from universally welcome in this battle-scarred and profoundly divided city.
ASIA-PACIFIC
2 Years In, DoD Still Explaining Asia 'Pivot'
(Defense News) It has been more than two years since the Obama administration announced the US military would “pivot” — or as the Pentagon prefers, “rebalance” — to the Asia-Pacific region of the world.
South Korea, U.S. to Begin Military Drills on Feb. 24
(Wall Street Journal) The U.S. and South Korea said Monday they will begin their annual winter military drills on Feb. 24, overlapping with a scheduled meeting of families separated by the Korean War and producing an unusual test of North Korea's mood.
North Korea Balks Again at Bid to Free American
(New York Times) For a second time, North Korea has rescinded an invitation for a special American envoy to visit Pyongyang, the capital, to seek the release of Kenneth Bae, a Korean-American Christian missionary held in the country for over a year, the State Department said on Sunday.
North Korea Pays Hefty Cash Fine In Panama Over Cuba Arms Case
(Defense News) North Korea paid a fine Saturday for trying to ship undeclared Cuban arms through the Panama Canal, possibly in violation of UN sanctions, authorities said.
India Court to Decide on Anti-Piracy Law on Italian Marines Next Week
(Wall Street Journal) India's Supreme Court said Monday that it will decide next week whether Italian marines held in the killing of two Indian fishermen in 2012 should face charges under a stringent antipiracy law.
Indonesia Officials To Skip Singapore Airshow Amid Name Row
(Defense News) Indonesian defense officials have pulled out of this week’s Singapore Airshow, Jakarta
COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS
Airpower has eclipsed land power as the primary means of destroying enemy forces.
(Benjamin Lambeth in Air Force Magazine) Since the Cold War’s end, the classic roles of airpower and land power have changed places in major combat against modern mechanized opponents. In this role reversal, ground forces have come to do most of the shaping and fixing of enemy forces, while airpower now does most of the actual killing.
With the administration's Russia engagement policy in shambles, Amb. Mike McFaul heads for home
(James Traub in Foreign Policy) Earlier this week, Mike McFaul, the U.S. ambassador to Russia, announced on his blog that he would be stepping down after the Sochi Olympics, barely two years after taking the post.
India’s Rising Regional Military Engagement
(Nitin Gokhale in The Diplomat) Sometime in the latter half of 2013, the top brass of the Indian military had a short but effective brainstorming session with other stakeholders in the national security architecture. The participants were drawn from the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) which functions directly under National Security Adviser (NSA) Shiv Shankar Menon, senior officials from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the Research and Analysis Wing or RAW, India’s external intelligence agency and of course the Ministry of Defence. The main agenda: how to further India’s interests in the immediate and strategic neighborhood through effective use of India’s military.
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