TODAY’S TOP 5
1. McCain Won’t Block Defense Nominee in Over Littoral Ship
(Bloomberg) Senator John McCain says he won’t attempt to block the nomination of former Navy official Robert Work as the Pentagon’s No. 2 civilian over his unstinting support for the service’s $34 billion Littoral Combat Ship.
2. 2 killed in shooting at Naval Station Norfolk
(USA Today) A base spokeswoman says two people were killed in a shooting at Naval Station Norfolk.
3. How to Show Strength, Stabilize the Ukraine Crisis, and Revitalize NATO
(Ryan Evans in War on the Rocks) Secretary of State John Kerry’s first reaction to Russia’s occupation of Crimea was to preach: “You just don’t in the 21st century behave in 19th century fashion by invading another country on completely trumped up pretext.”
4. Littoral Combat Ship Faces Uncertain Future
(National Defense Magazine) On Feb. 24, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel confirmed rumors that had been swirling around the littoral combat ship program for months — instead of going forward with its planned 52 ship buy, purchases would be limited to 32.
5. Lawyer: General may retire at current rank despite plea
(USA Today) The attorney for Army Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Sinclair, who pleaded guilty last week to adultery and having inappropriate relationships with several women, said it is possible that his client could still retire as a general.
DEFENSE NEWS WITH VAGO MURADIAN
Interview with Air Force Maj. Gen. David Allvin, director of strategic planning and deputy chief of staff for strategic plans and programs
European arms exports to Russia
New Army physical fitness standards
Vago’s Notebook
INDUSTRY
Navy Budget Chief: Ship Decisions Affect Helicopter Procurement
(Seapower) Some of the Navy’s future decisions about ship procurement and sustainment will affect procurement of the MH-60R Seahawk helicopters that operate from them, according to the deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for budget.
South Korea Officially Selects F-35
(Defense News) The Republic of Korea has officially selected the F-35 as its next-generation fighter, the government announced this morning.
U.S. Army delays decision on General Dynamics vehicle protest
(Reuters) The U.S. Army said on Monday that it would delay until April 4 making a ruling on a protest filed by General Dynamics Corp about a new competition for armored vehicles.
Offshore Security Drives Gulf Naval Procurements
(Defense News) Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states are increasing security around their offshore oil infrastructure, due to an array of threats from sea-based dangers.
Growler Advocates Outline Stealth Vulnerabilities
(Aviation Week) Despite a squeeze on investment accounts, the Pentagon's fiscal 2015 budget strategy prioritizes funding for the stealthy F-35—but at what cost, some in industry ask.
UAE Naval Firms Seek Regional Sales
(Defense News) Having honed their skills on homegrown contracts, United Arab Emirates shipyards are seeking sales from their Arabian Gulf neighbors.
Requirements Debate Continues to Delay UCLASS RFP
(U.S. Naval Institute) The Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) has pushed back the release of the draft Request for Proposals (RFP) for the U.S. Navy’s Unmanned Carrier Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) aircraft because the service’s top leadership has not yet signed-off on those specifications.
CONGRESS
Inhofe praises Obama decision to send troops to Uganda
(The Hill) Top Republican lawmaker on the Senate Armed Services Committee praised President Obama for deploying 150 more special operators to Uganda to hunt down warlord Joseph Kony.
No Doubt: Cantor Says House Republicans Will Do a Budget
(National Journal) Majority Leader Eric Cantor said Friday that House Republicans will, in fact, produce a budget resolution this year.
Senate advances Ukraine aid package
(The Hill) The Senate voted 78-17 Monday to advance a bill that would impose U.S. sanctions against Russia and provide aid to Ukraine.
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Pentagon disapproves of Afghan president's support for Crimea seizure
(Reuters) The United States on Monday voiced disagreement with Afghan President Hamid Karzai's decision to back Russia's annexation of Crimea, a move made all the more striking by Washington's role as a chief opponent to recent Russian moves in Ukraine.
Defense trims could limit US military's vision for Pacific pivot
(Stars and Stripes) Budget constraints and force requirements in other regions will likely stall the Pentagon’s plans to beef up the U.S. military presence in the Asia-Pacific and send more high-tech weaponry to deter a rising China, officials and analysts say.
GAO Questions Affordability of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter
(Government Executive) In the latest downbeat assessment of the Pentagon’s 13-year struggle to build the Joint Strike Fighter, Congress’s watchdog on Monday warned that the high-tech aircraft’s $390.4 billion total acquisition cost may not be achievable in the current budget climate.
ARMY
Odierno weighs in on soldier concerns
(Army Times) Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno and a team of leaders reassured soldiers via Facebook on Friday during a virtual town hall meeting that tackled issues ranging from the status of Army bands (good to go, with “slight reductions”) to better representation for warrants (roger that) to whether soldiers can get away with offensive bumper stickers (not so much.)
Service honors soldiers who died in 1944 training
(The Tennessean; Nashville) On the last night of U.S. Army training exercises in Tennessee in 1944, after days of heavy rains, 23 soldiers boarded a small assault boat on the Cumberland River to prepare for combat in World War II.
Army expects 'family' of camo patterns
(Army Times) The Army envisions fielding a “family” of three camouflage patterns, but unless they’re headed into combat, soldiers will probably only wear a “standard stateside pattern,” according to a top Army equipment official.
Army to Equip Soldiers With New Sensors for Night Targeting
(National Defense Magazine) The wars of the past decade exposed weaknesses in Army technology for infantry troops. Close-combat equipment such as night vision goggles and weapon sights are bulky and drain batteries fast. In bad weather and darkness, soldiers want better visibility so they can correctly identify targets. They also want to be able to aim their weapons without exposing themselves to enemy fire.
Testimony: Soldier admitted he killed pregnant wife, unborn child died too
(The Florida Times-Union; Jacksonville) An Army soldier confessed that he killed his pregnant wife by persuading her to wear handcuffs during sex and then suffocating her with a plastic bag over her head, a former Army buddy testified before a court-martial Monday.
Alaska’s top NCO celebrates end of career with final jump with son
(Stars and Stripes) U.S. Army Alaska’s top enlisted leader parachuted for the last time as a soldier Thursday to cap a 31-year military career in style.
NAVY
Navy mulls banning tobacco sales on all bases, ships
(Military Times) The Navy is on the verge of eliminating tobacco sales on all its bases and ships, according to sources inside and outside the Defense Department.
CNO: Navy is not pushing for BRAC
(Associated Press) In what may provide some reassurance to coastal communities that are heavily dependent on military spending, the Navy's top admiral says he doesn't see a great need for the Navy to go through another round of base closures.
Gulf Partnerships
(Defense News) From its headquarters in Bahrain, US Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) looks out on a steady drumbeat of exercises, training operations and surveillance activities, many in cooperation with regional partners.
Navy chaplain in Naples dies following surgery
(Stars and Stripes) A Navy chaplain assigned to Naples died over the weekend following complications from surgery.
MCPON's next moves: Uniform fixes, fleetwide tablets and more
(Navy Times) A year ago, a lot of people were mad at Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (AW/NAC) Mike Stevens.
Cracks force Navy to shutter Arctic ice camp
(Navy Times) Alarming ice cracks spelled an early end to a Navy camp built on an Arctic ice floe north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, the Navy said Monday.
AIR FORCE
Cash to leave in 2015: AF cranks up retirement, separation budget
(Air Force Times) The Air Force is planning to spend as much as $1.6 billion on separations and early retirements by the end of fiscal 2015, according to budget documents submitted to Congress.
Air Force ‘ready to step to the plate’ on Ukraine, but drawdown still on track
(Stars and Stripes) As Russia moves to tighten its control over Crimea, the U.S. Air Force stands ready to “step up to the plate” with whatever it may be asked to do, Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James said Sunday, calling the situation in Ukraine “very serious.”
Ex-trainer pleads guilty in 'unique' recruit abuse case
(San Antonio Express-News) A former Air Force basic training instructor pleaded guilty Monday to charges that she abused recruits under her command, tried to cover up her actions and threatened one of them with violence.
UC training the next generation of war doctors (With Video)
(Cincinnati Enquirer) UC is one of three training sites for Air Force doctors, including those in the National Guard and Reserves, about to be deployed to Afghanistan or other active theater.
MARINE CORPS
Ending it all by their own hand
(The Desert Sun; Palm Springs, Calif.) As the sun rose over the sleepy desert town of Yucca Valley, Sgt. Martin Francis Scahill stood in his backyard, a black 12-gauge shotgun pressed against his chin, a single shell in the chamber.
Marines depart U.S. for next Australian rotation
(Marine Corps Times) About 1,150 Marines are deploying to Australia with four CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters, marking the start of the the second phase — and largest contingent — of Marines to head Down Under for a six-month rotational deployment.
Lakeville Marine pilot returns to scene of African copter tragedy
(Pioneer Press; St. Paul, Minn.) It was not easy for Susan Craig to return to the Horn of Africa.
Under proposed changes, cutting scores would be the least of promotion requirements
(Marine Corps Times) Marines may soon have to work even harder to earn the coveted blood stripe of a noncommissioned officer, thanks to new policies being evaluated by Marine officials, and promoted by the Corps’ top enlisted leader.
MCCS program battles stigma toward mental health treatment
(The Daily News; Jacksonville, N.C.) With its open-door policy, a new voluntary counseling service within the Marine Corps is all about getting service members and families the assistance they need.
Chances to pick up gunny climb as FY14 board nears
(Marine Corps Times) Promotion opportunity at this year’s gunnery sergeant selection board is up, according to a recently released Marine administrative message.
COAST GUARD
Sexual assault reports, DUI charges could disqualify Coasties
(Navy Times) Coast Guardsmen who’ve been convicted at court-martial, charged with drunk driving or have one of a number of other offenses on their record — even if they’ve yet to enter a courtroom — are no longer eligible to re-enlist, according to a March 7 servicewide message.
Oil Spill Closes Houston Ship Channel Indefinitely
(Wall Street Journal) A key waterway linking refineries and petrochemical plants with the Gulf of Mexico remained closed indefinitely to ship traffic, two days after a collision triggered an oil spill in Texas' Galveston Bay.
Crew of 'Coasties,' aging ship are all Dauntless
(Houston Chronicle) While the Coast Guard searches for drug traffickers and immigrant smugglers, the enemy it cannot defeat is time. The sea eats away at this aging ship as the crew works around the clock to maintain her.
Heated Facebook Comments Lands Coast Guardsman in Hot Water
(KMXT; Kodiak, Alaska) The off-hand comments of an enlisted Coast Guardsman on a public Facebook page about Kodiak have landed him in hot water with his superiors at Coast Guard Base Kodiak. In a post on Friends of Kodiak regarding Native land access restrictions Petty Officer Brandon Upchurch made derogatory comments toward Alaska Natives and claimed he accesses Native land despite it being private property.
Coast Guard lieutenant will be demoted, retire after pleading guilty for conduct on cutter Gallatin
(The Post and Courier; Charleston, S.C.) A Coast Guard lieutenant will be demoted and forced to retire after he pleaded guilty to sexual offenses during his time as the engineering officer of the North Charleston-based cutter Gallatin.
VETERANS
Vets group calls for better suicide prevention services
(Military Times) When Kristofer Goldsmith tried to kill himself six years ago, the Army responded by kicking him out of the military for misconduct.
Ex-soldier shot by deputy served in hard-hit JBLM Stryker battalion
(Tacoma News Tribune) The Army veteran shot to death late Friday by a Pierce County sheriff’s deputy was a former Wilson High School student who fought in Afghanistan with a Joint Base Lewis-McChord Stryker battalion that experienced more fatal casualties than any other comparable unit.
New rules on hiring disabled workers, vets go into effect for federal contractors
(St. Louis Post-Dispatch) New Labor Department regulations go into effect today that require federal contractors to take steps to hire minimum numbers of protected veterans and disabled workers.
AFGHANISTAN
Afghanistan election commission comes under attack
(Stars and Stripes) Afghan security forces say they are responding to an attack on an office of the country’s Independent Election Commission in Kabul. Afghan Ministry of the Interior spokesman Sediq Seddiqi said multiple suicide bombers attacked the office on Tuesday morning. By midday fighting was ongoing as security forces arrived at the scene.
Left Unmoored, Afghan Local Police Pose New Risk
(Wall Street Journal) Rural Afghan self-defense forces set up by the U.S. to counter the Taliban are becoming increasingly untethered from Kabul, raising security fears just as American troops return home.
Afghans Who Helped the U.S. Fear That Time for Visas Has Run Out
(New York Times) Raiz Ahmad may have the saddest vantage of the United States’ failure to issue visas to thousands of Afghans who put themselves at risk by helping Americans during the war.
MIDDLE EAST
Israel, Greek and US Navies Kick Off Annual Med Sea Drill
(Defense News) Israeli, Greek and US military personnel are slated to meet in Crete Tuesday to kick off Noble Dina 2014, a two-week, trilateral exercise in the Mediterranean Sea.
Analyst: Iran's carrier replica unlikely to be movie prop
(Navy Times) Iranian media reports that Iran is building a replica of a U.S. aircraft carrier for a prop in an upcoming movie strain credibility, a naval analyst told Military Times.
Iran resumes monetary aid to Hamas
(Al-Monitor) Al-Monitor has learned from Gaza sources that Iranian financial support has resumed to Hamas, but at a level lower than that which preceded the rupture between the two at the end of 2012.
Iran's 2 Navies Bring Mixture of Threats
(Defense News) Despite limited capabilities and lacking in modernization, Iran has always been seen as the major naval threat in the Arabian Gulf region.
Yemeni militants attack elite paratroopers, killing 20
(Los Angeles Times) Militants believed linked to Al Qaeda staged a deadly dawn strike Monday on a remote checkpoint in southern Yemen, killing 20 elite paramilitary troops and wounding eight others in the latest blow to government forces at the hands of Islamist extremists.
UK Bolsters Gulf Ops With New HQ
(Defense News) Britain is adding new headquarters and engineering buildings in Bahrain to better support its growing Arabian Gulf operations.
EUROPE
France and Czech Republic offer fighter support as Ukraine crisis continues
(IHS Jane's 360) France and the Czech Republic have become the latest NATO countries to offer fighter aircraft protection to those alliance members concerned over the situation in Crimea and the continuing Russian build-up on Ukraine's eastern border.
Ukraine Battles to Rebuild a Depleted Military
(Wall Street Journal) As the Kremlin began its invasion of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea last month, a days-old government in Kiev turned to its military to stem the tide. There was an immediate problem: No car batteries for the military vehicles.
Russian Defense Minister Shoigu Visits Crimea
(Defense News) Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu on Monday inspected troops and military facilities in Crimea, the first senior Russian official to travel to the Black Sea peninsula since Moscow absorbed the region into its territory, state television said.
ASIA-PACIFIC
Chinese Exhibitors Focus on Near-Seas Missions
(Defense News) China has become the bane of its regional neighbors in the East and South China seas as it attempts to enforce territorial claims of areas also claimed, and often administered, by neighboring countries.
PLAN commissions first Type 052D DDG, puts second on sea trials
(IHS Jane's 360) China's People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) commissioned the first of its Luyang III (Type 052D)-class guided missile destroyers (DDG) at the Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai on 21 March. The vessel was handed over in a ceremony presided over by PLAN commander Admiral Wu Shengli, who described the vessel as an asset that will "greatly enhance the navy's fighting capabilities".
Obama Juggles Itinerary in Bid to Ease Tensions Between Two Asian Allies
(New York Times) When President Obama brings together the estranged leaders of Japan and South Korea for a peacemaking session in The Hague on Tuesday evening, it will be the culmination of three months of intense behind-the-scenes American diplomacy.
Rough weather causes delay in search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
(Los Angeles Times) Attempts to recover physical evidence of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 in the southern Indian Ocean will have to wait another day: Australian officials postponed the search Tuesday because of rough weather.
COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS
Getting Missile Defense Right | Commentary
(Thomas Karako in Roll Call) Not long ago, missile defense was a contentious issue about Cold War strategic stability. Today, it has widespread bipartisan support on Capitol Hill. We no longer debate whether to have defenses, but which programs, at what cost, and how well they will work.
Confronting Putin’s Russia
(Former Ambassador Michael McFaul in the New York Times) The decision by President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia to annex Crimea ended the post-Cold War era in Europe. Since the late Gorbachev-Reagan years, the era was defined by zigzags of cooperation and disputes between Russia and the West, but always with an underlying sense that Russia was gradually joining the international order. No more.
NATO's Military Decline
(Wall Street Journal Editorial) Vladimir Putin and his American apologists like to blame NATO's post-Cold War expansion for his territorial conquests, which ignores that the alliance refused in 2008 to let Georgia and Ukraine even begin the process of joining. Those are the two countries the Russian has since carved up, and the question now is whether Russia's expansionism will slap Western leaders out of their self-defense slumbers.
Nukes, Crimea and Possible Putins
(Adam Elkus in War on the Rocks) As the Crimea crisis steadily worsens, many have floated the counterfactual: What if Ukraine hadn’t given up its nuclear weapons?
Walang komento:
Mag-post ng isang Komento