TODAY’S TOP 5
1. Experimental force will test Marine women in combat roles
(Marine Corps Times) The Marine Corps plans to establish an experimental force consisting of at least 25 percent women in the most far-reaching effort yet to determine how females will perform in ground combat jobs that remain closed to them.
2. Debate over military sexual assaults far from over
(Associated Press) The tumult over how to stop sexual assaults in the U.S. military is a long way from over as Congress grapples to find legislative solutions and new details emerge about a high-profile case involving an Army general and a female captain under his command.
3. Ain't No Party Like a Clausewitz Party: Part 3
(Christopher Mewett in War on the Rocks) Our approach to the question of what war is depends on what we’re trying to accomplish. Defining war for the purposes of law is a rather different proposition to defining it for the purposes of theory, strategy, or doctrine. In the case of the former, “war” is what the law-giver says it is.
4. Gaza Strikes Stress Israel's Iron Dome
(Defense News) Two Gaza-launched rockets evaded Israel’s Iron Dome defenses in a stormy evening that rained at least 60 rockets on Israel, five of which hit populated areas.
5. Scientific panel unable to come up with singular definition for Gulf War illness
(Military Times) A scientific panel convened to define Gulf War illness for researchers and doctors who treat veterans of the 1990-91 Persian Gulf War failed to find a singular definition, saying a lack of evidence hampered that effort.
INDUSTRY
Lockheed Martin to buy cybersecurity firm
(Washington Post) Lockheed Martin on Wednesday announced that it would acquire a Massachusetts company that helps protect electrical grids, oil and gas pipelines and other pieces of critical infrastructure against cyberattacks.
U.S. adds $750 million to Northrop ballistic missile defense contract
(Reuters) The Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency said on Wednesday it had added $750 million to Northrop Grumman Corp's contract to manage the information technology of the U.S. ballistic missile defense system.
Bad Soldering Pushes 3rd MUOS Satellite Toward End of the Launch Queue
(Space News) A soldering problem has delayed the completion of the third satellite in the U.S. Navy’s next-generation satellite communications system, according to a top executive from Lockheed Martin Space Systems, the satellite’s prime contractor.
Indian Navy To Open Search for Carrier Air Defense System
(Defense News) The Indian Navy has declined, for now, a Russian offer to mount the Kashtan air defense system on India’s INS Vikramaditya aircraft carrier, and instead will seek a system through open competition, a Defence Ministry source said.
Germany orders 76 more Eagle Vs
(IHS Jane's 360) Germany has ordered 76 more General Dynamics European Land Systems (GDELS) Eagle V 4x4 protected command vehicles, the company announced on 10 March.
Prague Extends Lease of 14 Swedish Gripen Fighters
(Defense News) The Czech government on Wednesday renewed its lease on 14 Swedish fighter jets until 2027, its defense minister said.
Denmark selects M60E6 as new LMG
(IHS Jane's 360) The Danish Defence Forces (Forsvaret) have selected the US Ordnance M60E6 machine gun (MG) to replace its ageing LMG m/62 (Rheinmetall MG3) 7.62 mm squad support weapons, it was announced on 7 March.
CONGRESS
Forbes criticizes Navy’s ‘paper ships’
(The Hill) Rep. Randy Forbes (R-Va.) on Wednesday took aim at the Navy’s decision to change the way it counts ships, chalking up the revision to adding “paper ships” to the fleet.
Speier calls on Hagel to screen sex assault counselors
(USA Today) A member of the House Armed Services Committee late Tuesday called on Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to direct the Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy to re-examine troops in sensitive posts in light of an Army review that disqualified 588 soldiers serving as sexual assault counselors, recruiters and instructors.
The ‘Good Soldier’ Defense Is Mortally Wounded
(Time) Legislation passed by the Senate on Monday puts an end to a defense commonly used in military sexual assault cases.
Military to Congress: Help Us Avoid 'Gravity II'
(National Journal) If America wants to retain its space dominance, it will have to invest in tracking the debris that has made Earth's orbit increasingly hard to navigate, military officials told a Senate panel Wednesday.
McKeon blasts ‘looney’ Senate Ukraine bill
(The Hill) House Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon (R-Calif.) on Wednesday blasted the Senate’s bill to enact sanctions against Russia and provide aid to Ukraine because it offsets some of the costs through cuts to the military.
Are Veterans Getting the Money They Deserve in Latest Budget?
(National Journal) Although budget requests are routinely dismissed as pie-in-the-sky wish lists doomed to be slashed, lawmakers fear that the Veterans Affairs Department actually might not be asking for enough money to meet its needs.
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Secretive Pentagon think tank knows no bounds
(Politico) The Office of Net Assessment, which is headed by a seldom-seen, 92-year-old Nixon-era defense analyst named Andrew Marshall, is just a tiny compartment in the labyrinthine Defense Department, but its interests are vast. In a recent solicitation, the ONA said it’s seeking research about nuclear proliferation, future naval warfare and the use of space, among other topics.
Pentagon Push for More Money Looks Like a Losing War
(National Defense Magazine) The Pentagon’s budget request for next fiscal year has been slammed for being awkward, confusing and in violation of the law.
Pentagon officials: We need more base closures
(Stars and Stripes) Each military branch has excess capacity and needs another round of base realignment and closure, defense officials told a House panel Wednesday.
Energy degrees fuel the boom
(Military Times) For Marine Corps Reserve Sgt. Nigel Bliss, military work as an electrical systems technician and generator mechanic has been a natural starting point for a career in power distribution. To that end, he’s pursuing a bachelor’s degree in renewable energy engineering and electrical engineering at Oregon Institute of Technology.
ARMY
Army tests both women, men in combat fitness study
(Associated Press) Military researchers put dozens of soldiers, both women and men, through a series of drills Wednesday aimed at helping the Army develop a unisex test to decide which troops are fit for combat, regardless of gender.
Female soldiers taking on new roles in JBLM combat brigades
(The Tacoma News Tribune) Capt. Pete Middleton had his choice of two rookie lieutenants he could bring in to his artillery battery last summer. One was a man, the other a woman applying for a traditionally all-male Army assignment.
Fort Carson cops will stop cars for ‘retreat’ salute
(Colorado Springs Gazette) After a soldier’s “selfie” portrait caused Internet outrage, Fort Carson is taking steps to make sure soldiers salute the flag for retreat.
How a Military Sexual Assault Case Foundered
(New York Times) The most important sexual assault prosecution in the military came apart on Monday. But cracks had appeared two months earlier in the same North Carolina military courtroom.
AUSA president: Commission plan shows 'lack of trust' in leaders
(Army Times) In an open letter Tuesday, the president of the Association of the United States Army defended the organization’s opposition to a commission that would determine the Army’s force structure and sent a message to his critics: let’s trust our leaders.
Judge: Decorated soldier won't get Medal of Honor
(Associated Press) Lt. Garlin Murl Conner left the U.S. Army as the second-most decorated soldier during World War II, earning four Silver Stars, four Bronze Stars, seven Purple Hearts and the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions during 28 straight months in combat.
Army vet takes plea for S.A. military base shooting
(San Antonio Express-News) A retired Army sergeant and businessman admitted Wednesday that he shot his estranged common-law wife multiple times last June at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston because she was leaving him.
NAVY
Navy disqualifies 151 sailors after sex assault review
(USA Today) The Navy has disqualified 151 sailors serving as sexual assault counselors, instructors and recruiters — up from just five last year — after a review found that most of them lacked proper training, USA TODAY has learned.
2013 training jet crash result of pilot error, Navy report says
(The Spokesman Review; Spokane, Wash.) Pilot error caused a training jet with three aboard to crash and explode in a farm field near Harrington, Wash., a year ago, the U.S. Navy said.
U.S. Black Sea naval drills start near Crimea
(Reuters) A joint exercise involving U.S., Bulgarian and Romanian naval forces in the Black Sea started on Wednesday just across the water from the Crimean Peninsula, where Russian military groups have seized control from Ukrainian authorities.
Why the Navy Wants More Growlers
(U.S. Naval Institute) The Navy is eyeing expanding its fleet of electronic attack aircraft to better fit into the service’s next generation plan for fighting a high end air war.
Sailor-Less Ships Soon Could Be a Reality in U.S. Navy
(National Defense Magazine) It was 15 years ago when Vice Adm. Walter Cebrowski and Professor Wayne Hughes discussed the need to develop a network of small, inexpensive, minimally manned and unmanned platforms that would complement the Navy’s larger force-projection ships and provide access to the contested littorals.
Navy vessel Arctic embezzlement trial starts
(Virginian-Pilot; Norfolk, Va.) Ismael "Mike" Estrada was about to board a plane on his way to the Philippines in October when Navy investigators stopped him at the gate. They had some questions for him about $350,000 that was missing from the safe aboard the Navy supply ship Arctic.
AIR FORCE
AF stops work on most force-shaping programs
(Air Force Times) The Air Force has halted work on most of its force reduction programs while it re-evaluates them, according to a statement released Wednesday.
Ex-Missile Crew Members Say Cheating Is Part Of The Culture
(National Public Radio) Edward Warren was shocked when he learned that the airmen in charge of the nation's nuclear-tipped missiles regularly cheated on tests
U.S. Air Force looking to revamp, cut costs of space programs
(Reuters) To tackle a rising demand for space-based surveillance in an era of flat budgets, the U.S. military is looking at smaller satellites, cheaper rockets and partnerships, the head of Air Force Space Command said on Tuesday.
Air Force looks down the hall for next Space Command boss
(Colorado Springs Gazette)Air Force leaders didn't have to look far to find the new commander of Air Force Space Command. He was right down the hall from the old boss.
President nominates Lt. Gen. McDew as AMC commander
(News-Democrat; Belleville, Ill.) The Defense Department has announced that Lt. Gen. Darren McDew, the 18th Air Force commander, has been nominated to serve as the next commander of the Air Mobility Command, located at Scott.
MARINE CORPS
Amos: USMC of 175K is 'moderate risk' force
(Marine Corps Times) If the Marine Corps is forced to draw down to 175,000 Marines, the “moderate risk” force that’s left will be built around fewer infantry battalions with impaired readiness, the service’s top general told lawmakers Tuesday. In the event of a major theater war, new privates first class might have to head straight to the battlefield.
Stymied by technical hurdles, leaders mum on Camp Lejeune cancer study launch
(The Daily News; Jacksonville, N.C.) Leaders of the federal agency researching the health effects of Camp Lejeune’s polluted water are refusing to say whether they will launch a sweeping study that could reveal elevated cancer rates among veterans of the Marine Corps base.
Congressman questions Amos about sniper video scandal at budget hearing
(Marine Corps Times) Gen. Jim Amos weathered questions Tuesday from a member of the House Armed Services Committee about his handling of the infamous scout-sniper urination video scandal and its aftermath. But Navy Secretary Ray Mabus quickly came to Amos’ defense after the hearing, saying he had full trust in the commandant.
US Marine chases down alleged robber in Chinatown after purse snatching
(Boston Globe) A US Marine chased an alleged robber for four city blocks, all to save a woman’s purse, according to the Suffolk district attorney’s office.
Report: Okinawa helo fails to land properly aboard transport dock Denver
(Marine Corps Times) An AH-1W SuperCobra out of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma on Okinawa, Japan, failed to land properly aboard the amphibious transport dock Denver, according to a report by Ryukyu Shimpo, Okinawa’s largest newspaper.
VETERANS
VA: Funding decline for TBI care is good news
(Military Times) Funding for traumatic brain injury care would drop under the White House’s proposed fiscal 2015 budget, but Veterans Affairs Department officials say that’s actually good news.
Spokane Veterans Affairs hospital brings budget concerns to Sen. Patty Murray
(The Spokesman Review; Spokane, Wash.) Staff shortages and the worry of possible budget cuts prompted local managers at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Spokane to ignore the chain of command and take their concerns straight to U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, who put pointed questions to senior officials during a Wednesday hearing.
Accountability demands grow as more VA patients complain of bad care
(The Augusta Chronicle; Ga.) Richard Johnson tried seven times in three years to speak to Rebecca Wiley’s administration about issues with his care at the Charlie Norwood Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
Philly cop charged with false imprisonment of war veteran
(Philadelphia Inquirer) A Philadelphia police officer was suspended with intent to dismiss after being charged with false imprisonment and other counts in a 2013 arrest of an Operation Iraqi Freedom war veteran who had pointed out the officer was driving the wrong direction on a one-way street.
AFGHANISTAN
Dunford: Lack of Afghanistan agreement doesn't affect U.S. troops yet
(Military Times) The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan said the lack of a new security agreement for American troops there doesn’t create additional risk and won’t affect any operations through the end of this summer.
Existing Afghan deal would cover US post-2014
(Associated Press) President Barack Obama has threatened to withdraw all American forces from Afghanistan if a new security agreement is not signed by the end of the year, but there is no legal reason the U.S. has to resort to the "zero option," as administration officials have repeatedly claimed.
ISAF Chief: Taliban No Longer 'Existential Threat' to Afghanistan
(Defense News) The Taliban no longer presents an “existential threat” to the Afghan government, the commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan told a congressional panel Wednesday morning, but the Afghan armed forces still aren’t ready to operate alone without significant US and NATO assistance.
MIDDLE EAST
Iraq’s Sunni tribal leaders say fight for Fallujah is part of a revolution
(Washington Post) In offices above busy commercial streets here in the Jordanian capital, Iraqi tribal and religious leaders are plotting a revolution in their own country.
Israeli warplanes strike back over Gaza rocket salvo
(Agence France Presse) Israeli warplanes pounded 29 Palestinian targets in the Gaza Strip Thursday night in response to heavy Palestinian rocket fire into the Jewish state earlier, the military said.
Israel MPs Pass Law To Conscript Ultra-Orthodox Jews
(Defense News) Israeli MPs on Wednesday voted through a law which will compel ultra-Orthodox Jews to either serve in the military or perform national civilian service.
Across Turkey, New Unrest as Teenage Boy Is Buried
(New York Times) An enormous outpouring of grief and antigovernment rage during the funeral procession for a teenage boy felled by a police tear-gas canister turned into another mass confrontation with the Turkish authorities on Wednesday as mourners clashed with antiriot squads in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir. At least one person was killed.
EUROPE
Obama gives assurances to Ukraine's acting prime minister
(Los Angeles Times) A senior military officer said Obama was also likely to order the aircraft carrier George H.W. Bush to remain in the Mediterranean instead of staying on course to the Persian Gulf, in response to the crisis that began when Putin dispatched troops to Crimea.
G7 Tells Russia To Stop 'Annexation' Of Crimea Or Face Action
(Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty) Leaders of the G7 group of advanced economies told Russia on March 12 it risked facing international action unless it stops its moves toward the "annexation" of Crimea, as U.S. President Barack Obama prepared to host Ukraine's prime minister at the White House.
Ousted Ukrainian leader warns of civil war; Russia adds to forces
(Los Angeles Times) Ukraine is on the verge of civil war, warned ousted President Viktor Yanukovich, who reemerged in the Russian southern city of Rostov-on-the-Don to make a statement more than a week after his first news conference in Russia.
Italy's Defense Minister Says Military Programs Could Be Reduced
(Defense News) As Italy seeks to raise revenue for tax cuts, the country’s new defense minister said big-spending military programs could be cut back.
ASIA-PACIFIC
Q&A with Tai Ming Cheung: 'Forging China's Military Might'
(Voice of America) Tai Ming Cheung, the Director of the University of California Institute on Global Conflict & Cooperation in San Diego, along with several colleagues has been assessing China’s level of defense technology innovation. Their findings are in the new book, Forging China’s Military Might, to which Tai Ming Cheung contributed and edited. He spoke with VOA Daybreak Asia host Jim Stevenson about his research.
Vietnam Fails to Find Jet Debris At Site of Satellite Images
(Bloomberg) Vietnam failed to find any debris in the location where Chinese satellite images captured three floating objects amid a report the missing aircraft may have been airborne for several hours after it vanished.
US Hits 'Provocative' China Move On Philippine Ships
(Defense News) The United States on Wednesday accused China of raising tensions by blocking two Philippines vessels as it urged freedom of navigation in the tense South China Sea.
Judge dismisses indictment against Indian diplomat
(Washington Post) A federal judge dismissed an indictment Wednesday against an Indian diplomat whose arrest in December on visa fraud charges led to a major diplomatic crisis between the United States and India.
COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS
Persistent Engagement for 21st Century Challenges
(Eric Thompson in War on the Rocks) In her public address rolling out the quadrennial Defense Review on March 4, Christine E. Wormuth, deputy undersecretary of defense for strategy, plans and force development, noted that under the fiscal realities reflected in the QDR, there will be “increased risk in some areas,” when it comes to execution of the Defense Strategic Guidance. Wormuth also said that in the long term, there is “a lot of uncertainty in a security environment as dynamic as the one we face with a smaller force.”
Opinion: Are Aerospace CEOs Up To The Challenge?
(Anthony Velocci in Aviation Week) Within the last 18 months, Clay Jones, Bob Stevens and Bill Swanson retired from their CEO positions at Rockwell Collins, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, respectively. They joined a growing list of peers who also passed the torch to a new generation of aerospace and defense (A&D) leaders in recent years. In the second half of 2009 alone there were nine similar transitions.
The Leaderless Doctrine
(David Brooks in the New York Times) We’re in the middle of a remarkable shift in how Americans see the world and their own country’s role in the world. For the first time in half a century, a majority of Americans say that the U.S. should be less engaged in world affairs, according to the most recent Pew Research Center survey. For the first time in recorded history, a majority of Americans believe that their country has a declining influence on what’s happening around the globe. A slight majority of Americans now say that their country is doing too much to help solve the world’s problems.
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