TODAY’S TOP 5
1. Moral Injury: The Grunts
(The Huffington Post) How do we begin to accept that Nick Rudolph, a thoughtful, sandy-haired Californian, was sent to war as a 22-year-old Marine and in a desperate gun battle outside Marjah, Afghanistan, found himself killing an Afghan boy? That when Nick came home, strangers thanked him for his service and politicians lauded him as a hero?
2. Report: Navy Yard killings could have been prevented
(Navy Times) A Navy investigation into a mass shooting at the Washington Navy Yard last year concluded that coworkers and supervisors of gunman Aaron Alexis failed to report clear signs that he was dangerously unstable.
3. The Pentagon Needs a New Way of War
(Robert Haddick) Can the Pentagon do the same with less? That seems to be what the White House expects. The U.S. Department of Defense recently released the 2014 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR), the Pentagon’s latest attempt to explain its global military strategy for the medium term.
4. Appeals court hears Abu Ghraib torture case
(Associated Press) Four former Iraqi detainees who say they were tortured at the notorious Abu Ghraib prison should be allowed to pursue their claims against the U.S. military contractor in charge of interrogating them, an attorney told a federal appeals court Tuesday.
5. DoD Official Fires Back at McKeon's Rejection of QDR
(Defense News) A senior Pentagon official fired back at House Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. Buck McKeon, who rejected the US Defense Department’s latest military strategy review earlier this month.
EUROPE
Russia's Putin Signs Treaty to Annex Crimea
(Wall Street Journal) Russian President Vladimir Putin signed treaties Tuesday to annex Crimea, even as the killing of the first Ukrainian soldier in the breakaway region raised doubts about how peaceful the takeover would be.
Ukraine Says Soldier Killed as Russia Moves on Crimea
(Time) Ukraine's government says Russian forces stormed a military base in Crimea and killed a Ukrainian officer, escalating tensions in the region.
Russia Could Take Command of Half of Ukrainian Fleet – Lawmaker
(RIA Novosti) Up to 20 warships and auxiliary vessels of the Ukrainian navy could become part of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet following the reunification of Crimea with Russia, a senior Russian lawmaker said Tuesday.
Ametov, murdered Crimean Tatar, called first victim of Russian occupation
(Kyiv Post) His name is Reshat Ametov, a 38-year-old Crimean Tatar, and many here suspect he is the first victim of Russia’s occupation of the Ukrainian peninsula.
UK offers Typhoons for Baltic Air Policing Mission
(IHS Jane's 360) The UK has offered to deploy a number of Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft to Lithuania to bolster the NATO-led Baltic Air Policing Mission, a senior government minister announced on 17 March.
Islamic Caucasus Emirate confirms death of emir Doku Umarov
(The Long War Journal) The Islamic Caucasus Emirate, an al Qaeda-linked group that operates in southern Russia, confirmed today that its emir, Doku Umarov, has died. Although Umarov was rumored to have been killed by Russian security forces late last year, the reports have not been confirmed until now.
INDUSTRY
US, Taiwan save F-16 upgrade deal after budget cut
(Christian Science Monitor) US officials have found a formula to upgrade Taiwan’s aging F-16 fighter jets despite a Pentagon budget cut, helping the island to defend itself as its large neighbor, China, increases military spending.
China Confident in Export Potential of Targeting Pod
(Defense News) China is confident enough with its fighter jet targeting pods to start pushing them for export at defense trade shows.
Philippines to acquire two new ASW helicopters for PHP5.4 billion
(IHS Jane's 360) The Philippine Department of National Defence (DND) announced on 17 March that it has allocated PHP5.4 billion (USD120 million) to fund the acquisition of two new anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopters for the Philippine Navy (PN).
India To Appeal Italian Court's Decision on Bank Guarantees Over Canceled Helo Contract
(Defense News) An Italian court has rejected a bid by the Indian government to obtain €278 million (US $386 million) held as bank guarantees for Finmeccanica’s canceled sale of AW101 helicopters to India. India plans to appeal the ruling.
Lockheed buys German commercial airport services firm
(Reuters) Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N), the No. 1 U.S. arms maker, on Tuesday said it had acquired BEONTRA AG, a small German company that provides forecasting services for big commercial airports around the world, including Dubai, London and Frankfurt.
Anglo-French Missile Contract Expected Soon, CEO Says
(Defense News) European missile maker MBDA expects to sign a long-awaited contract for an Anglo-French anti-ship missile “in the next few days,” according to CEO Antoine Bouvier, in a program seen by the company as a model for consolidation of the European defense industry.
Gripen Sensors Claim Counter-Stealth Performance
(Aviation Week) New sensors being developed for the JAS 39E and close to starting flight tests on the JAS 39-7 Gripen Demo testbed will be able to detect low-radar-cross-section (RCS) targets, and will provide the pilots in a Gripen formation with a new level of situational awareness, according to Bob Mason, Selex-ES marketing director for advanced sensors.
First Typhoon Flight With AESA Could Open Door to Exports
(Defense News) A Eurofighter Typhoon combat jet is due to fly for the first time with an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar later this year, marking a crucial milestone in the drawn-out development of the fighter’s new sensor.
CONGRESS
Sen. Tim Kaine interview with This Week in Defense host Vago Muradian
(Defense News) Kaine, D-va., discusses the need to maintain an 11-carrier Navy.
House asks VA for presumptive conditions for Gulf War vets
(USA Today) Gulf War veterans should have presumptive conditions associated with their service, including brain and lung cancer and chronic migraines, members of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs wrote in a letter Tuesday.
Union decries proposed DoD civilian cuts
(Military Times) Officials from largest federal employee union are blasting a California congressman’s plans to cut more than 115,000 defense civilian jobs over the next six years, calling it expensive and dangerous.
Cantor to Obama: Ramp up pressure on Russia
(The Hill) House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) on Tuesday called on President Obama to “reassess” his approach to Russia and "dramatically" strengthen the U.S. response to Moscow's military intervention in Ukraine.
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Admiral: Pentagon Will Not Redraw COCOM Boundaries
(Defense News) The Pentagon is not looking to redraw the boundaries of its geographical war-fighting commands, but is exploring the possibility of realigning forces around the world, a senior US military official said Tuesday.
In Game of Strategy, SOCOM Outsmarting Conventional Military
(National Defense Magazine) Of the three primary missions the Defense Department expects to tackle in the coming decade — protect the homeland, work with allies to increase global security, and prepare for a major conflict — at least one is being cornered by U.S. Special Operations Command.
DoD to add controls to security clearance process
(Military Times) The Defense Department wants to tighten up access to classified information by potentially shrinking the list of 3.5 million people who hold active security clearances.
Intelligence contractor at Fort Belvoir pleads guilty
(Washington Post) A government contractor on Tuesday pleaded guilty to submitting false claims while working for the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency at Fort Belvoir.
Pentagon steps up plan for long-range anti-ship missile
(USA Today) The Pentagon is making another deposit in its surge to build an arsenal of long-range missiles aimed at breaking down the defenses of potential adversaries, such as China and Iran.
U.S.-based Tricare Service Centers will close April 1
(Military Times) A reminder to military health care beneficiaries: Customer service at Tricare offices in military hospitals and clinics in the U.S. ends March 31.
Hypersonic Weapons Face Major Milestone In August Test
(Breaking Defense) Prompt Global Strike is a program to build a weapon that can destroy targets anywhere on earth within an hour of getting targeting data and permission to launch. Sandia Lab and the Army may have found the answer: the Advanced Hypersonic Weapon.
ARMY
24 soldiers receive Medal of Honor in 'historic' event
(Army Times) When Pfc. Leonard Kravitz was killed in Korea, his childhood friend Mitchel Libman was crushed.
Witnesses tell contrasting stories about Fort Bragg Brig. Gen. Jeff Sinclair during sentencing phase
(Fayetteville Observer) Depending on the witness, Fort Bragg Brig. Gen. Jeff Sinclair has been painted as an inspirational military leader, or as a senior leader who engaged in an affair and behaved inappropriately with other women.
MultiCam maker: Camo talks broke down over cost
(Army Times) Disagreements over fees for MultiCam, a top-performing contender to be the Army’s main camouflage pattern, have emerged as the main reason the Army has gone in search of a new pattern.
Fort Drum soldier airlifted to Syracuse after injury on post
(Watertown Daily Times) A soldier has been airlifted to Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, after sustaining an injury in a barracks on post around 2 p.m. today.
Trial begins for former Ft. Campbell soldier charged with killing his new bride
(The Leaf Chronicle; Clarksville, Tenn.) Retha Wright took the stand Monday afternoon and told the jury about the last time she saw her daughter, Spc. Shardae Wright, with her new husband Nicholas Durant.
Family whose home was hit by shrapnel from Picatinny settles suit for $100K
(Newark Star-Ledger) A Jefferson Township family whose home was struck in 2008 by a fragment of an artillery round detonated at Picatinny Arsenal, piercing the roof and killing the family cat, has settled its lawsuit against the U.S. government for $100,000.
NAVY
Navy scuttles plan to cut Tuition Assistance
(Navy Times) The service will continue to pay sailors’ tuition assistance fully through fiscal year 2015, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jon Greenert said Tuesday at an all-hands call in Kings Bay, Ga., squashing a recent proposal to make sailors foot more of the bill.
LCS Alternative Task Force Named
(Defense News) The effort to re-evaluate the US Navy’s small surface combatant program is underway under the direction of a new Small Surface Combatant Task Force (SSCTF).
Navy’s push to fill billets at sea may result in uncertainty for sailors
(Stars and Stripes) U.S. Navy officials are determined to fill 7,000 vacant billets at sea by giving detailers increased authority to alter transfer dates.
Trial begins in USNA sex assault case
(Navy Times) Attorneys for the prosecution and defense gave opening arguments and called their first witnesses Tuesday morning in a sexual assault case against a former Naval Academy football player stemming from an off-campus party two years ago.
AIR FORCE
B-1B, F-16s could be next if Congress blocks Air Force plan to retire A-10
(Air Force Times) The Air Force would be forced to make heavy cuts to its fighters and bombers if Congress rejects plans to retire the A-10 without providing additional funding, a top budget official said today.
Medical condition may have led to crash that killed four
(The Wichita Eagle) Jessica Metzger, 26, who was in the Air Force and was stationed at McConnell Air Force Base, was seated in the front passenger seat and – along with the 34-year-old survivor – tried to gain control of the speeding vehicle, Schroeder said. Investigators surmise they were the ones who swerved the Escape left at the last moment to avoid hitting the vehicle stopped at the red light.
Guardsman laid to rest in New Hampshire
(Air Force Times) A funeral service was held March 10 at the New Hampshire State Veterans Cemetery for Master Sgt. David Poirier, who died Feb. 28, one day after his arrival at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
New Threats, New Technologies Push New USAF Radar Program
(Defense News) For years, the AN/TPS-75 has been the US Air Force’s “grab and go” radar system. Get it into an operational field, set it up, and it provides wide-range coverage of what is going on in the skies.
Heithold nominated to be AFSOC commander
(Air Force Times) Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has nominated Lt. Gen. Bradley Heithold to be commander of Air Force Special Operations Command at Hurlburt Field, Fla.
MARINE CORPS
Q&A with the Corps' first female MEU sergeant major
(Marine Corps Times) Sgt. Maj. Lanette Wright made history Friday when she was named the Corps’ first female sergeant major of a Marine expeditionary unit.
Beaufort Marine helps save 23 from apartment fire
(The Beaufort Gazette; S.C.) A Marine from Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort is being hailed as a hero after his quick actions last month saved more than 20 people from a fire spreading through a Summerville apartment building.
Marine Corps Warfighting Lab assesses potential landing craft replacement
(Marine Corps Times) A potential replacement for the Marines’ 20-year-old air cushioned ship-to-shore craft has foam runners and a massive payload.
Marine Corps Reserve Welcomes First KC-130J Super Hercules
(Seapower) The first KC-130J Super Hercules aerial refueler/transport aircraft for the Marine Corps Reserve was accepted in ceremonies March 18 at Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base, Texas. The new aircraft is the first that will begin replacing the older KC-130T Hercules aircraft.
Tales of war and humanity: 5 Questions for a PAO turned short story writer
(Marine Corps Times) Phil Klay deployed to Iraq as a Marine public affairs officer in 2008. But his new collection of fictional short stories about the war, “Redeployment,” features a wide array of narrators, including infantry squad leaders, Marine and Army veterans, a foreign service officer and a chaplain.
VETERANS
Tactical Veteran: Make a job contingency plan
(Military Times) Like most Military Times readers, I’ve been following the news about the latest Defense Department budget cuts that could force thousands of service members into an early, unplanned transition from military to civilian life.
Some veterans will now have their Social Security disability benefits expedited
(Stars and Stripes) The federal government has launched a new process to expedite Social Security disability claims for a special category of veterans, the Social Security Administration announced Tuesday.
Volunteer sues after getting Legionnaires’ disease
(Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) A Vietnam veteran who says he contracted Legionnaires’ disease while volunteering at the Pittsburgh VA’s University Drive campus has filed the latest lawsuit over the Legionella outbreak that sickened at least 22 people and killed six patients.
AFGHANISTAN
Families sue Karzai, Iran for ‘11 chopper shootdown
(Washington Times) Three U.S. families filed a lawsuit Tuesday against Afghan President Hamid Karzai and his security forces, accusing them of betraying their sons in the Aug. 6, 2011, helicopter shootdown that killed 30 Americans, 17 of them Navy SEALs.
Watchdog questions USAID spending on controversial Afghan dam project
(Stars and Stripes) A controversial dam project in Afghanistan is now so over budget that even by the estimates of the U.S. government aid agency that continues to fund it, the cost has far surpassed its potential benefits, the top U.S. watchdog in Afghanistan said.
Afghanistan: as China forges new alliances, a new Great Game has begun
(The Guardian) As the disappearance of flight MH370 dominated the headlines across China, a party of senior US officials and AfPak experts arrived in Beijing last week for discreet talks with their Chinese counterparts. They were there as part of a little reported but crucial new Sino-American dialogue on Afghanistan, discussing the role China could play there after the US withdrawal. It is an important development in the new Great Game that is already realigning the delicate geopolitical balance of the region.
Karzai Nominates Member of Opposition as Vice President
(Wall Street Journal) Afghan President Hamid Karzai nominated an opposition politician from the ethnic Tajik minority for vice president, a choice that could help smooth political tensions as crucial elections approach.
MIDDLE EAST
Israel targets Syrian army positions after border bombing
(Los Angeles Times) Israel’s air force attacked Syrian military positions early Wednesday in response to a bomb attack against troops near the border, the Israeli army said in a statement.
Fears for Lebanon’s stability as al-Qaeda builds networks
(Washington Post) Al-Qaeda appears to be steadily building its support networks and capacity in Lebanon, where fears are growing that a new influx of militants from the Syrian border region could bolster the terror group’s ranks and stoke instability.
Egyptian cop sentenced to 10-year prison term for crackdown on protesters that left 37 dead
(McClatchy) An Egyptian court Tuesday sentenced a police officer to 10 years in prison for the killing of 37 Islamists during the height of the government crackdown on supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi, marking the first time the government has held its forces responsible for its often violent tactics toward government opponents.
Turkey Seeks Radar, Sensor Self-Reliance
(Defense News) Turkey is pushing toward self-sufficiency in radar and electro-optics technologies, with several programs underway to outfit fighter jets, UAVs and satellites.
U.S. orders closure of Syrian Embassy in Washington
(Washington Post) The State Department on Tuesday announced the official closing of the Syrian Embassy in Washington and said Syrian diplomats there and in consulates elsewhere in the United States must leave by the end of this month.
ASIA-PACIFIC
South Korea to shrink armed forces by a fifth in next 8 years
(Stars and Stripes) South Korea has announced plans to shrink its armed forces by almost one-fifth in the next eight years while increasing the number of non-commissioned officers with specialized skills, according to the Ministry of National Defense.
US to keep jurisdiction over erring servicemen
(The Manila Times) The United States government will have jurisdiction over American servicemen who violate Philippine laws while they are deployed in the country, a member of the Philippine panel negotiating an agreement on the increased rotational presence (IRP) of US forces said.
New U.S. Ambassador to China Gets a Fast Start
(New York Times) The new American ambassador to China, Max Baucus, got off to a fast start on his first day on the job in Beijing. Early Tuesday, he visited the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to present a copy of his credentials, a formality that allowed him to meet with journalists at the United States Embassy in the afternoon.
Navy P-8A Poseidon arrives in Australia as jetliner search widens
(Stars and Stripes) A U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon patrol aircraft arrived in Perth, Australia, late Tuesday night as the search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 shifted west in one of the largest international searches in aviation history, Navy officials announced.
COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS
Opinion: In Mustache March, I lose
(Maj. Jennifer Holmes in Air Force Times) One way to build camaraderie is to have a friendly competition. I, like everyone else, love a good, spirited competition. But I am not invited to be a part of the latest team-building game, Mustache March. I have been relegated to the bench to cheer the real players on.
What Does It Take to Win in the Littoral?
(Edward Lundquist in The Maritime Executive) Naval warfare in littoral waters is very different from open ocean operations. The U.S. Navy is dominant in “blue water” scenarios, but less so in the littoral, say naval experts.
Dictator's Handbook: Six Regrettable Lessons To Take Away From Crimea Crisis
(Daisy Sindelar in Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)The speed and ease with which Russia reclaimed its hold on the Crimean Peninsula have left much of the world reeling. But the factors that went into it were years in the making. Here are six life lessons for acquisitive future dictators and countries trying to break free of them.
Don't Just Sanction Russia, Deter It
(Job C. Henning, William Courtney in The National Interest) With Russian forces now occupying some positions in the southern mainland and massing on Ukraine’s eastern border, stronger -- and permanent -- US and NATO defense measures are required to deter Russian aggression and raise its costs. There will be no return to a Cold War, but Russia is now a military adversary, even as it remains a partner in other pursuits such as the International Space Station.
Ukraine and the Art of Crisis Management
(Lawrence Freedman in War on the Rocks) Half a century ago, after the conflicts over Berlin and Cuba, a new term of art came into vogue – “crisis management.” American Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara was even quoted as saying that crisis management had taken over from strategy. A small literature came to be devoted to the subject.
Walang komento:
Mag-post ng isang Komento