TODAY’S TOP 5
1. Locator beacons for Air Force ejection seats failing at 'unacceptable' rate
(Air Force Times) For three days, the family of Capt. Lucas Gruenther waited while rescuers searched for the F-16 pilot in the Adriatic Sea.
2. Islamic Militants Extend Battle Into Another Iraqi Province
(New York Times) A powerful jihadist group that has been fighting in Iraq’s Anbar region has taken over parts of a neighboring province, seizing three villages on Wednesday after a battle with government forces, according to security officials.
3. War on Error
(J.M. Berger in Foreign Policy) We're fighting al Qaeda like a terrorist group. They're fighting us as an army.
4. Commissaries won't close, but prices may increase
(Military Times) Pentagon proposals to reportedly slice $1 billion from the annual commissary budget may not hinge on closing stores, but on raising prices for patrons, sources said.
5. China Will Deploy Subs that Could Nuke Alaska or Hawaii This Year
(US Naval Institute) China is set to deploy submarines sometime this year armed with nuclear tipped missiles capable of striking Alaska or Hawaii, according to a January assessment from the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI).
INDUSTRY
Defense Department not comfortable if major contractors look to merge: official
(Reuters) The Defense Department remains skeptical of mergers involving its major contractors, a Pentagon official said on Wednesday, amid industry expectations that defense deal-making could revive this year.
Former Army CIO heads to Booz Allen Hamilton
(FCW Insider) Lt. Gen. Susan Lawrence, who retired in October 2013 as Army CIO, started work on Feb. 3 as a senior vice president at defense contracting giant Booz Allen Hamilton, according to the company.
General Dynamics Awarded $520 Million for Virginia-Class Submarine Procurement
(Seapower) The U.S. Navy has awarded General Dynamics Electric Boat a $520 million contract modification to buy long lead-time material for four Virginia-class submarines, the company announced in a Feb. 5 release. Electric Boat is a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics.
Private-equity firms play major role in defense industry today
(Washington Post) When Fairfax-based government contractor Anteon International was bought by Falls Church-based General Dynamics in 2006, it was a moment the private-equity industry couldn’t ignore.
This Year's Defexpo Focusing on Domestic Indian Firms
(Defense News) Defexpo 2014, the eighth biannual exhibition showcasing land, naval and homeland security systems beginning here Thursday through Sunday, will focus on indigenous capabilities in line with new government procurement rules that favor homegrown weapons.
Canada Unveils Sweeping New Procurement Rules
(Defense News) Canada’s government announced on Wednesday the creation of a defense procurement secretariat, along with initiatives meant to streamline the purchase of equipment for the military and Coast Guard.
CONGRESS
Defense Cuts Remain Off Table in Debt-Ceiling Talks - For Now
(Defense News) House Republicans have yet to settle on a plan to raise the nation’s borrowing limit, but it appears using defense cuts as a bargaining chip is not an option.
Bill would require Tricare to cover breast-feeding expenses
(Military Times) Tricare would cover the cost of breast-feeding equipment, support and counseling for new moms who want to nurse their babies under a bill introduced by Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo.
Lawmakers Discuss U.S. Alternatives for Addressing Rising Iraqi Violence
(Seapower) As Iraq has grown more violent and unstable during the past year, panelists and committee members at a Feb. 5 House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing debated how the United States should proceed going forward, and highlighted the importance of understanding the political solution in Iraq.
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Hagel 'deeply troubled' by ethics scandals in the ranks
(Military Times) Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel thinks there may be a “systemic” ethics crisis inside the military, his top spokesman said Wednesday.
Skinny Puppy bills Pentagon for Guantanamo 'royalties'
(BBC) A Canadian rock band has sent a bill to the US military after being told its music was used to torment suspected terrorists at the US prison at Guantanamo Bay, a member has said.
National Guard Fights For Cyber Role In 2015 Budget
(Breaking Defense) Chinese and Russian hackers have everybody running scared. So whatever else happens with the president’s budget request for fiscal year 2015, we know it will include more money for things cyber, from purely defensive network security to black-budget “offensive cyber weapons” such as the Stuxnet worm. But one big thing remains in doubt: the role of the National Guard.
Sikhs Say New US Military Rules on Beards Not Enough (With Video)
(Voice of America) The United States military recently announced new rules that it says will give service members more freedom to wear beards and certain garments for religious reasons. Members of some religious groups, however, believe the new rules don't go far enough.
ARMY
Army to push for new BRAC round in 2017
(Army Times) Army officials will begin a public push for a new round of base closures that could take place as early as 2017, according to an Army spokesperson.
Army holding tight to report on commanders who led Robert Bales before massacre
(The News Tribune; Tacoma, Wash.) The Army is refusing to release its investigation into the officers who commanded Staff Sgt. Robert Bales just before the former Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldier slipped out of his combat outpost and murdered 16 Afghan civilians two years ago.
Fort Knox lands first female CG
(The News-Enterprise; Elizabethtown, Ken.) In a change of command ceremony scheduled for early March, Fort Knox will install its first female commanding general in its 96-year history.
Colorado Springs' third homicide victim was Fort Carson soldier
(The Colorado Springs Gazette) The man who died in a stabbing Tuesday has been identified as Brandon Alfonzo Jones, a 25-year-old Fort Carson soldier, officials said Wednesday.
Fort Worth’s impostor general gets 5 years probation for ruse
(Fort Worth Star-Telegram) A Fort Worth man who wove an elaborate web of lies, convincing friends, family and even some government officials that he was a brigadier general in the Army, fessed up to his ruse Tuesday, pleading guilty to impersonating a public servant.
NAVY
Analysts: US Should Cut Carriers, Buy Subs and Work With Allies
(Defense News) It’s hard to find consensus on most anything in Washington DC, but four national security-focused think tanks managed to forge something of a rough outline for the future of defense spending.
USS Denver to be replaced in 2015; minehunters coming in May
(Stars and Stripes) USS Denver, the Navy’s second-oldest active ship, will be decommissioned later this year and eventually replaced by USS Green Bay at Sasebo Naval Base in Japan, officials announced Thursday.
Navy Aviators Brace for Budget Turbulence
(National Defense Magazine) The Navy’s aviation programs are still very much under the gun. “Anything that has a big number is a target,” said Rear Adm. Michael C. Manazir, director of air warfare.
USS Mount Whitney, USS Taylor in Black Sea ahead of Olympics
(Stars and Stripes) A pair of Navy ships has entered the Black Sea, where the top U.S. commander in Europe has said they will be available to respond to any emergencies arising from the Winter Olympic games in Sochi.
Navy to Rename DC Building Where Gunman Killed 12
(Associated Press) Navy Vice Adm. William Hilarides said in an email to employees on Tuesday that Building 197 will be named after Joshua Humphreys, who designed the Navy's first six frigates. Hilarides said officials are also "exploring renumbering the building.
AIR FORCE
Investigation prompts removal of Yokota commander
(Air Force Times) Col. Kevin Sampels was relieved of command of the 374th Maintenance Group at Yokota Air Base Japan, due to “a lack of confidence in his ability to lead,” a spokesman for the 374th Airlift Wing said.
Yeager in Sacramento court as part of lawsuit
(The Sacramento Bee) Retired Air Force Brigadier Gen. Chuck Yeager could have thought of a few other things he’d rather be doing Tuesday, but there he was in a Sacramento courtroom defending himself in a lawsuit that’s gone to trial.
Airman found dead on Osan Air Base
(Stars and Stripes) An airman with the 694th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconaissance Group was found dead Monday in his dormitory at Osan Air Base, according to the 51st Fighter Wing.
Area 51 spy plane and other aviation tales
(CNN) It looks like an upside-down bathtub with wings, pretty odd for a spy jet that was among the nation's most highly classified pieces of military hardware.
MARINE CORPS
Marines change command in Helmand province
(USA Today) Helmand province was a Taliban stronghold when U.S. Marines led a surge of U.S. forces into the region in 2010.
Marine appeals court: Assume Heritage Brief created appearance of command influence
(Marine Corps Times) The military judge in a Marine sergeant’s sexual assault trial should have assumed that the commandant’s 2012 Heritage Brief tour amounted to unlawful command influence and granted the defense appropriate legal relief, the Corps’ appellate court ruled.
Marines board USS Denver at Okinawa, head for Cobra Gold
(Stars and Stripes) The USS Denver made a brief stop at Okinawa on Wednesday to pick up members of the 3rd Marine Division and their gear before proceeding to Thailand in support of Exercise Cobra Gold 2014.
COAST GUARD
Coast Guard: Budget Cuts Led to 30 Percent Increase in U.S. Drug Traffic
(US Naval Institute) “The only place we could squeeze” to meet the $200-million bill the Coast Guard faced under sequestration “was drug interdiction and migrant interdiction,” the service’s outgoing commandant told a key oversight subcommittee on Tuesday. He estimated that because of those cutbacks there was a 30 percent increase in the volume of drugs that successfully entered the United States last year.
CGA cadet accused of sexually abusing another cadet
(The Day; New London, Conn.) A cadet at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy is accused of breaking into a dorm room and sexually abusing another cadet.
Mexican nationals convicted in 2012 death of Coast Guard officer
(Los Angeles Times) A Mexican national was found guilty of second-degree murder and other federal charges Wednesday in the 2012 death of a veteran Coast Guard officer who was fatally injured when his boat was struck by a panga off the Santa Barbara coast, prosecutors said.
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
CFC overhaul coming next year, document indicates
(Federal Times) The Office of Personnel Management is set to proceed with major changes to the Combined Federal Campaign starting next year, according to a draft of final regulations obtained by Federal Times.
Union opposes Homeland Security’s overtime suspension
(Washington Post) The Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association on Monday called for Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson to repeal his department’s suspension of an overtime program that employees have allegedly abused.
Obama seeks to strengthen safeguards for federal job applicants
(Federal Times) Federal agencies should not discriminate against job applicants who are out of work or who run into money troubles through no fault of their own, President Obama said in a newly issued memorandum.
AFGHANISTAN/PAKISTAN
Afghan Taliban Denies NYT Report of Talks with Government
(Voice of America) The Afghan Taliban is denying reports it has been talking with the Afghan government.
Afghanistan's election watchdog plagued by delays, funding woes
(Reuters) Afghanistan's election watchdog may not be ready in time for a presidential vote in April because of funding and staffing problems, a setback that could undermine a ballot already threatened by a repeat of the widespread fraud seen in 2009.
Afghan farmers now feeding U.S. troops
(Army Times) Under a program that began in September, Afghan farmers have been supplying broccoli and cauliflower at all of the dining facilities at U.S. military bases in Afghanistan, said Army Brig. Gen. Steven Shapiro, the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support commander.
Pakistan-Taliban talks 'under way'
(BBC) The first formal meeting between Pakistan government and a Taliban-nominated team has begun in an undisclosed location, local media say.
‘Without sharia, TTP won't accept talks’
(Dawn.com) Negotiators representing Pakistani Taliban insurgents said Wednesday there was no chance of peace in Pakistan until the government embraces Islamic Sharia law and US-led forces withdraw completely from neighbouring Afghanistan.
IRAQ
US Defends Sales of Hellfire Missiles, Apaches to Iraq
(Defense News) As sectarian violence nudges Iraq toward a political abyss, its government’s fight against brutal Sunni fighters is becoming a boon for American arms manufacturers.
Iraqi Tribes to Take Lead in Falluja Fight, U.S. Says
(New York Times) The Iraqi Army is planning to cordon off a key Sunni city now occupied by jihadists so that Sunni tribes can lead the mission to secure it one neighborhood at a time, a senior State Department official told Congress on Wednesday.
U.S. Ambassador: Iraq in "precarious situation" in combating 2,000 extremists (With Video)
(On the Radar) Just two years after U.S. troops pulled out of Iraq, the U.S. ambassador there says the country may be one suicide attack away from a full-on civil war.
Former U.S. ambassador says Iraq’s potential obscured
(Tampa Tribune) Christopher R. Hill, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia, was U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, South Korea, Macedonia, and Poland, a U.S. special envoy for Kosovo, a negotiator of the Dayton Peace Accords, and the chief U.S. negotiator with North Korea from 2005-2009.
MIDDLE EAST
New Iranian sub seen for the first time
(IHS Jane's 360) Iran's new Fateh-class submarine was seen briefly in an Iranian television montage about the Islamic Republic's military achievements, even though the boat's launch has not been officially announced as yet.
Head of Iran TV accused of trying to block Rouhani interview
(Al-Monitor) According to the administration’s news agency, a scheduled television interview with President Hassan Rouhani was nearly blocked by the head of state television in what appears to be controversy over the choice of the journalists who would conduct the interview.
Jihadist Return Is Said to Drive Attacks in Egypt
(New York Times) In just the last two weeks, Islamist militants have detonated a car bomb at the gates of the capital’s security headquarters, gunned down a senior Interior Ministry official in broad daylight and shot down a military helicopter over Sinai with a portable surface-to-air missile.
ASIA-PACIFIC
North Korea Developing Mobile Missile: U.S. Intelligence
(Bloomberg) North Korea has taken the initial steps toward fielding a road-mobile intercontinental ballistic missile that could be capable of hitting parts of the U.S., according to U.S. intelligence agencies.
South Korea's possible omission from Obama trip seen as snub
(Stars and Stripes) While the schedule for the April trip has not been formally announced, he is widely expected to visit Japan, Malaysia and the Philippines. Bypassing Seoul would be viewed here as a diplomatic snub to Korea and a sign that the U.S. places greater value on its relationship with Tokyo.
Scandal Tests Chinese President's Standing With Military
(Wall Street Journal) Ask for the "General's Mansion" in this corner of Puyang city in central China, and residents will point you toward a discreet metal door next to the Flourishing Era Celebrity karaoke club.
EUROPE
First troops move through new US transit point in Romania
(Stars and Stripes) Afghanistan-bound U.S. troops departed from the military’s new transit hub in Romania this week, marking a first for the new facility, which will play a key role as the United States draws down in Afghanistan in the year ahead.
Ukraine Chief Loses Support in Stronghold
(New York Times) As violence flared late last month in Kiev after Parliament approved a draconian law against dissent, two of the richest men in this industrial city 300 miles to the east of the Ukrainian capital met in an expensive Italian restaurant that they own and made a fateful decision.
Britain Releases News on Secret Aircraft's Test Flight
(Defense News) Britain partially lifted the veil of secrecy surrounding its Taranis unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) program Wednesday by confirming a first flight last year and releasing pictures in flight of the demonstrator.
Nexter completes upgrade of French EBG Val engineering vehicles
(IHS Jane's 360) Nexter has completed the upgrade programme for the French Army's Engin Blindé du Génie Valorisé (EBG Val) engineering vehicles, with final deliveries on 5 February.
Rosoboronexport To Deliver 24 Jet Trainers To Bangladesh
(Defense News) Russia’s arms exporter Rosoboronexport has signed a contract for the sale of 24 Yakovlev Yak-130 jet trainers to Bangladesh’s Ministry of Defense, according to a late January 2014 report from Anatoly Isaikin, director general of Rosoboronexport.
AFRICA
Niger: France and US should Intervene in Libya
(Associated Press) Niger's interior minister says France and the United States should intervene in southern Libya "to eradicate the terrorist threat" in the region.
Central African Republic soldiers lynch man at army ceremony
(Los Angeles Times) The day was supposed to be a rousing moment of hope in a country convulsed by horrific sectarian violence: the Central African Republic, where children have been beheaded, mothers carrying babies on their backs have been gunned down and rampaging mobs have descended on their targets in a storm of machetes and knives.
US Urges End to Sectarian Attacks in CAR
(Voice of America) The United States is urging people in the Central African Republic to take advantage of international support and their new transitional government to break a cycle of violence that has affected the country for nearly a year.
COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS
The Reality Beyond Zero and 10,000: Choosing a Meaningful Option in Afghanistan
(Anthony Cordeseman in the Center For Strategic & International Studies) The United States needs to address the war in far more depth, with far more honesty and transparency, and make hard decisions about the cost-benefits of staying in Afghanistan. It also lacks the time to skim over it in a state of Panglossian indifference. The United States must be ready for the time almost all U.S. and allied forces leave Afghanistan at the end of 2014, and ready to deal with the economic consequences of major cuts in military spending and all forms of aid.
Abstracting War, From Afghanistan to Syria
(Thomas Gibbons-Neff in War on the Rocks) I was at dinner a few months back when they brought up the little dead Afghan girl. A girl I had watched die, but had forgotten about. Buried, repressed, pushed into the same compartments in my mind that hold images of my father riddled with lung cancer and the wounded seagull I killed with a rock when I was twelve.
'Responsive and Relevant'
(Rear Adm. Michael Manazir in Proceedings) As history has proven time and again, the question isn’t ‘How can we afford to build aircraft carriers’ but ‘How can we not afford to build them?
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