TODAY’S TOP 5
1. US Intel Officials Differ With Obama in View of al-Qaida
(Defense News) Senior US intelligence officials on Tuesday offered a more alarming assessment of al-Qaida than President Barack Obama’s declaration that the organization is on the run and headed toward defeat.
2. Nuke reform drive features ideas tried 5 years ago
(Associated Press) Five years ago the Air Force considered a series of proposals to boost morale and fix performance and security lapses in its nuclear missile corps, according to internal emails and documents obtained by The Associated Press. But many fell short or died on the vine, and now, with the force again in crisis, it's retracing those earlier steps.
3. The Pickup Truck Era of Warfare
(Jack Mulcaire in War on the Rocks) Readers, let’s take a moment to salute a true workhorse. In the world of war machines, the expensive and high-tech items get all the attention and budget—drones, anti-ship ballistic missiles, cyber warfare, and the like. But, on the battlefields of the twenty-first century, a humble and under-rated weapon has quietly showed up these expensive attention-hogs: the pickup truck.
4. Chuck Hagel Is Washington's Invisible Man
(Bloomberg) The big four in the cabinet look more like the big three with Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel being nearly invisible.
5. SOCOM Targets Boost in Procurement Investments
(Defense News) US Special Operations Command is looking to boost its procurement investments as operational costs come down after more than a decade of war, its commander said.
AFRICA
Leaders: US Marines, Army, SOF Boost African Missions
(Defense News) While headlines and congressional committees continue to focus on Washington’s strategic rebalance to the Asia-Pacific region, the US Army and Marine Corps remain busy elsewhere, although only the most dramatic bits and pieces of their mission have received much attention.
3-star AFRICOM commander details future missions on the continent
(Marine Corps Times) The Marine Corps’ partnership with African military forces is likely to expand as those nations look to the U.S. for the training and expertise they need to combat violent extremist organizations, insurgencies, piracy or threatening neighbors, according to a top officer at U.S. Africa Command.
Kerry: US Working to Strengthen African Peace, Security
(Voice of America) U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says the United States continues to work toward obtaining and maintaining peace and security in Africa, as well as promoting development initiatives.
Lone Survivor Found As Scores Killed In Algeria C-130 Crash
(Defense News) A military aircraft carrying 103 people crashed in Algeria’s mountainous northeast on Tuesday, with just one survivor found in one of the country’s deadliest air disasters, security and emergency officials said.
INDUSTRY
ST Engineering Parades New Defense Products and Deals at Air Show
(Defense News) Singapore-based ST Engineering exhibited a variety of new systems and equipment at the Singapore Airshow in what was the largest exhibition space at the show — 2,000 square meters.
Tiltrotor Debut For Singapore
(Aviation Week) With foreign interest in the V-22 Osprey rapidly gathering pace, the U.S. has decided to show off the type’s capabilities here at the Singapore air show.
IAI Unveils Larger, More Powerful UAV at Singapore Airshow
(Defense News) A heavy fuel version of Israel Aerospace Industry’s big-selling Heron UAV literally had the wraps taken off on the opening day of the Singapore Airshow Feb. 11.
Singapore Airshow: Rafael launches Iron Beam
(IHS Jane's 360) Rafael Advanced Defense Systems has unveiled its Iron Beam high-energy laser (HEL) system designed to defeat rockets, mortars, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) at short ranges.
China Pushing Into SE Asia's Defense Market
(Defense News) At this year’s Singapore Airshow, Chinese aviation companies AVIC and CATIC are pushing into the export defense market for Southeast Asia.
Singapore Airshow: Vietnam in talks over Camcopter S-100 purchase
(IHS Jane's 360) Schiebel is in talks with the Vietnam People's Navy (VPN) to supply its Camcopter S-100 rotary-wing unmanned aerial vehicle, company officials confirmed at the Singapore Airshow.
Boeing Eyes P-8 Exports
(Aviation Week) “Four or five nations” are showing strong interest in the Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol and antisubmarine warfare (ASW) aircraft, according to Chris Raymond, Boeing Defense, Space & Security vice president for business development and strategy.
UK F-35 order seen next month, US orders seen down - sources
(Reuters) Britain is still expected to order 14 F-35 fighter jets built by Lockheed Martin Corp although the $5 billion deal may not be finalized until next month, several sources familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.
Army to Continue Radio Procurement Amid IG Audit
(National Defense Magazine) The Defense Department's top acquisitions review panel in February 2004, assigned the Army to oversee the Joint Tactical Radio System. Exactly 10 years later, the department's inspector general announced it would begin a comprehensive audit of the program, which remains bogged down in low-rate production.
Trade group defends contractors' role in clearance investigations
(Federal Times) Government investigators looking into the security clearance vetting system should focus on procedures and processes, not whether federal agencies ought to do all of the work in-house, the head of a service contractor trade group said Monday.
Lockheed inks deal to produce energy from ocean waves in Australia
(Reuters) Top U.S. arms maker Lockheed Martin Corp on Tuesday said it had signed an agreement with a unit of Ocean Power Technologies Inc to harness the motion of ocean waves to generate electricity off the coast of Victoria, Australia.
CONGRESS
House votes to repeal COLA caps
(Military Times) A measure that would repeal caps on annual increases in military retired pay steamed through the House on Tuesday, receiving well over the two-thirds majority required for fast-tracked legislation.
Reid pans House pension bill over offset
(The Hill) Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Tuesday said he was opposed to a House bill repealing the $6 billion military pension cuts by extending the sequester to Medicare for one year.
Levin: DoD Unlikely To Breach Spending Caps in 2015 Request
(Defense News) US Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. Carl Levin said Tuesday he doubts the Pentagon’s 2015 budget request will breach spending caps set by Congress.
McKeon: Obama 'AWOL' in discussions (With Video)
(The Hill) Rep. Buck McKeon (R-Calif.) on Tuesday said President Obama was “AWOL” in discussions about cuts to military spending, which the lawmaker suggested made the Benghazi compound more vulnerable to the 2012 attack.
Unanimous approval in U.S. House for in-state tuition for vets
(Military Times) Lawmakers in a deeply divided House of Representatives can’t agree on much anymore, but they’re unanimous on at least one thing: Veterans shouldn’t be stuck with out-of-state tuition costs at public universities.
House approves 'clean' debt ceiling extension
(USA Today) House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, bowed to political reality on Tuesday and allowed a vote on a debt ceiling increase with no conditions attached despite strong resistance from the GOP rank and file and outside conservative forces.
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
SOCOM working on 'Iron Man' suit
(Military Times) Old-fashioned battery power is proving to be the biggest challenge in the military’s push to develop an “Iron Man suit,” a futuristic full-body armor that aims to offer individual troops a revolutionary level of protection and capability on the battlefield.
Pentagon Questions Niche Vessels as Littoral Ship Debated
(Bloomberg) The Pentagon’s No. 2 civilian said the U.S. Navy needs more ships with the protection and firepower to survive an advanced adversary, not just “niche platforms,” weeks after she ordered cuts in the $34 billion Littoral Combat Ship program.
Officers are more likely to text while driving
(Military Times) Your commander may be worse than a typical teenager when it comes to texting and driving.
DoD to require documentation to replace lost CAC cards
(Stars and Stripes) The Defense Department is about to require documentation to fully account for lost and stolen common access identification cards, officials say.
ARMY
82nd Airborne Division soldier found unresponsive on Fort Bragg dies
(Fayetteville Observer) An 82nd Airborne Division soldier died Saturday after being found unresponsive on Fort Bragg, according to a news release issued today.
JBLM soldier pleads guilty in sex text case
(Tacoma News Tribune) A former Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldier pleaded guilty Monday to charges he solicited and received sexually explicit images of a West Virginia teenager while stationed at the South Sound base.
CID: Accidental fall may have killed Fort Sam Houston soldier
(Army Times) Investigators say a South Texas soldier who was found in a stairwell outside his barracks may have died in an accidental fall.
Contracting group pushes for Supreme Court review of contractor liability
(Federal Times) The Professional Services Council is pushing the Supreme Court to review a U.S. Court of Appeals ruling that a lawsuit filed by the family of a soldier over faulty electrical wiring can continue.
NAVY
Removal of USS Germantown sailor made permanent
(Stars and Stripes) A top USS Germantown sailor being investigated for sexual assault was permanently removed from command Tuesday as the investigation into the allegations continues, Navy officials said.
As Navy helicopter goes down, survivor takes stock
(Virginian-Pilot; Norfolk, Va.) It took just seconds from the time the crew noticed a problem to the moment the helicopter hit the water.
First of four missile destroyers arrives in Spain
(Stars and Stripes) The first of four U.S. Navy destroyers to form the centerpiece of Europe’s missile defense shield arrived in southern Spain on Tuesday.
Topeka named as 4th sub to be based in Guam
(Navy Times) Attack submarine Topeka will be the fourth sub homeported in Guam after it emerges from its extended overhaul, Naval Submarine Force Pacific announced Monday night.
AIR FORCE
New life for Air Force logistics
(Federal Times) Air Force Brig. Gen. Kathryn Johnson and Robert Shofner, a civilian senior executive, were brought in to salvage have been leading the Air Force’s logistics modernization efforts following the cancellation of the Expeditionary Combat Support System (ECSS) in late 2012.
Air Force Academy boss Johnson joins Twitter
(Colorado Springs Gazette) The general joined the online messaging service in February, tweeting “Glad to be on Twitter, and looking forward to hearing from you!”
AF panel: Industry, DISA partnerships essential to deflect cyber threats
(Flightlines) If industry is willing to pitch new IT system ideas, the Air Force is here to listen.
MARINE CORPS
Marine Corps commandant weighs in on DOD's ethics push: 'Remember, you are mortal'
(Marine Corps Times) Against the backdrop of Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel’s announcement that the Pentagon will create an “ethics czar” to police misbehavior among the military’s most senior officers, the Marine Corps commandant told a Washington audience Tuesday that he believes it’s a small minority who are causing problems.
Mother searches for answers in Okinawa Marine's death
(Stars and Stripes) Angela Carnero never wanted to return to Okinawa this way. Last fall, the 52-year-old New Jersey woman came to the island to visit her only son, Lance Cpl. Manuel B. Carnero. She arrived at an Okinawa police station on Monday to press authorities for answers in his unsolved death.
Marine Corps Task Force Uses Ospreys for Crisis Response
(National Defense Magazine) If an event such as the 2012 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, were to occur today, a Marine Corps crisis response force could be called to secure government installations and help evacuate personnel, a senior official said.
Charges filed against female guard linked to Miramar brig scandal
(Marine Corps Times) A female Marine prison guard is facing charges following an inmate’s claims that he was sexually assaulted and harassed by staff at Naval Consolidated Brig Miramar, Calif.
VETERANS
Marco Rubio and Jeff Miller Tackle Veterans Affairs Reform
(Sunshine State News; Tallahassee, Fla.) U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., the chairman of the U.S. House Veterans Affairs Committee, introduced the VA Management Accountability Act of 2014.
Moore tornado victim learns to live with injuries
(The Oklahoman; Oklahoma City) One night recently, military veteran EH Pittman accidentally hit himself in the mouth, busting his lip open.
Dozens gather to honor Marine who died alone
(Santa Fe New Mexican) The streets of downtown Santa Fe shut down temporarily Tuesday to make way for the funeral procession of a reclusive former Marine who died alone in his home from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
AFGHANISTAN
US: Afghanistan orders release of 65 'dangerous' detainees
(The Hill) Afghanistan has now announced it will release 65 of 88 Afghan detainees that the United States deems dangerous and played a role in killing and wounding dozens of American and coalition forces.
Afghanistan ‘As Good As It’s Going To Get’: Marine Commandant
(Breaking Defense) As America winds up its 13-year war in Afghanistan, where do things stand? “I leave this Saturday night [for Helmand province] to meet the governor and the provincial police chief,” Gen. James Amos said this afternoon. “My sense is, it’s about” — and here he paused — “it’s about as good as it’s going to get.”
Afghan policewoman killed in Pakistan, fourth in a year from one province
(Stars and Stripes) A female police officer from the volatile Afghan province of Helmand has been abducted and killed in Pakistan, her son said. She is the fourth policewoman from the province to die in the past year.
Escape from Afghanistan: A father's journey
(WUSA; Washington, D.C.) The war against terrorism in Afghanistan has dragged out for more than 12 years. President Obama has ordered U.S troops to start coming home in 2014. But, what will happen to the Afghan interpreters who risked their lives and fought side by side with the U.S. soldiers?
Veterans of an earlier Afghan War: 'You have a brotherhood'
(Stars and Stripes) On a dark night in 1986, the sky above the mountain plains of Soviet-occupied eastern Afghanistan lit up. Forty fuel tankers went up in flames as mujahedeen fighters poured automatic gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades into a Red Army supply convoy stretched along a road north of Kabul.
IRAQ
Official: US will step up training for Iraq forces
(The Hill) The United States is planning to step up training for Iraq forces as it battles a resurgent al Qaeda in the country, a U.S. official said Tuesday at a congressional hearing.
Islamic Extremists Slaughter 15 Soldiers in Northern Iraqi City
(New York Times) Fighters from a Sunni extremist group attacked an army unit in a northern Iraqi city on Tuesday, killing 15 soldiers in a rampage of beheadings, shootings and a hanging, security officials said.
Pakistan Sells Trainer Aircraft to Iraq, Seeks Further Contracts
(Defense News) Pakistan on Monday signed deals to supply basic trainer aircraft to the Iraqi Air Force and help train its personnel, sparking hopes it can secure further deals as the Middle Eastern country tries to rebuild its air arm.
MIDDLE EAST
DoD Will Continue to Place Premium on Middle East
(Seapower) Defense officials made it clear during a Feb. 11 House Armed Service Committee hearing that the ongoing Asia-Pacific pivot is not deterring or distracting the United States from its responsibilities in the Middle East.
Diplomacy is failing in Syria, Obama acknowledges
(Washington Post) The Obama administration acknowledged Tuesday that diplomacy, the main pillar of its Syria policy, is failing even as civil war is destroying the country, leaving open the question of what the United States will or can do to stop the slaughter.
Israeli Firms See Money in Peace Deal
(Defense News) Israeli defense executives here are eyeing potentially lucrative, US-subsidized sales of advanced border security systems should Secretary of State John Kerry manage to prod Israeli and Palestinian sides toward a two-state peace deal.
In the U.A.E., Designing a Drone is a Million Dollar Contest
(Wall Street Journal) The United Arab Emirates will offer a $1 million prize to the winner of a contest to invent a drone that can be used to deliver government documents such as identity cards to residents’ doorsteps.
ASIA-PACIFIC
North Korean and South Korean officials meet for high level talks
(Los Angeles Times) Officials from North and South Korea sat down Wednesday for their first high-level government talks since 2007, with two issues expected to be at the center of discussion: upcoming inter-Korean family reunions and the annual U.S.-South Korean military exercises.
Source: Taiwan Defense Minister Visiting Singapore
(Defense News) Taiwan’s defense minister is visiting Singapore to shore up military relations which were reportedly damaged after his predecessor’s visit in 2012 was publicly disclosed, a military source and local media said Tuesday.
U.S. Reaches Out to India's Modi
(Wall Street Journal) The top U.S. diplomat in India is set to meet the main opposition candidate for prime minister this week in a stark shift by Washington, which has kept a distance from the polarizing Hindu nationalist politician.
EUROPE
France Eyes King Air, Upgrades for C-130
(Defense News) The French Air Force is eyeing the King Air for ISR missions, while France’s special operations forces are keen to fit mission packages to their Hercules airlifters, a US source said.
Schiebel CAMCOPTER S-100 Wins Italian Navy Contract
(Seapower) The Italian Navy has selected the CAMCOPTER S-100 unmanned air system (UAS) to provide support for its fleet, making it the first European Navy that has S-100 in operational use, Schiebel announced in a Feb. 11 release.
Russia's Kalashnikov Eyes Production Increase
(Defense News) Russian small-arms manufacturer Kalashnikov Concern is planning to double its annual production to 150,000 weapons per year and increase its revenues fourfold to 24 billion rubles (US $690 million) by 2020, said Alexei Krivoruchko, the company’s chief executive and co-owner.
COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS
Air Interdiction
(Phillip Meilinger in Air Force Magazine) The interruption, delay, or destruction by air of enemy forces and supplies approaching the battle area is termed air interdiction (AI), a core mission of air forces since World War I. Ground commanders usually assume that a land battle is imminent, and air interdiction is designed to either prevent that battle altogether or lower its threat to friendly forces by shaping or isolating the battlefield.
Use Force to Save Starving Syrians
(Danny Postel and Nader Hashem in the New York Times) The Syrian people are starving. According to the United Nations, about 800,000 civilians are currently under siege. In areas around the cities of Homs, Aleppo and Deir Ezzor and in parts of the capital, Damascus, no food, medical supplies or humanitarian aid can get in, and people can’t get out.
'Thanks Obama:' Presidential Culpability for the Syrian Civil War?
(Peter Munson in War on the Rocks) After several months out of the limelight, relatively speaking, the Syria crisis has once again begun to rise on the agendas of the international community. The UN issued a call for action in December 2013, asking for $6.5 billion in donations; the largest sum requested for a single humanitarian emergency. High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres lamented, “This goes beyond anything we have seen in many, many years, and makes the need for a political solution all the much greater.
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