TODAY’S TOP 5
1. 2015 budget released: How the cuts affect pay, BAH, per diem and Tricare
(Military Times) The Pentagon’s new budget released Tuesday says military personnel spending should fall to its lowest point since 2008 as cuts to compensation take effect and the force continues to shrink from its wartime peak.
2. The last casualties: As a long war ends, risks still prove real
(Washington Post) Shortly after midnight on this frigid night, Capt. Nicholas Ingham arrived at this massive air base, in the belly of an Air Force C-130. As the back door swung open, flooding the cabin with light, the heavily sedated Marine, strapped onto a stretcher, blinked away a tear. A black-and-white American flag tattooed on his chest rose and fell gently as a ventilator pumped air into his collapsed lung.
3. Congress Must Be Willing to Do More With Less Defense Spending
(Rep. Duncan Hunter in Defense One) When it comes to the Defense Department budget, the benefits of a strong national defense aren’t always visible or the product of any one weapons program or strategic initiative. While it’s true that no other country in the world matches the United States in terms of dollars spent on defense, no other country faces the same threats as America does or is equally capable of contributing to the overall state of global security. That makes America unique.
4. U.S. Takes Training Role in Africa as Threats Grow and Budgets Shrink
(New York Times) Across Africa, affiliates of Al Qaeda and other Islamist militants are proving resilient and in some cases expanding their influence, from Nigeria to Libya to Somalia, Western and African counterterrorism officials say.
5. DoD proposes wide-ranging Tricare fee hikes
(Military Times) Tricare Prime, Standard and Extra would go the way of the dodo, replaced by a single Tricare plan with a fee structure adjusted to where beneficiaries get medical care, under the Pentagon’s proposed fiscal 2015 budget.
CRISIS IN UKRAINE
Putin says he reserves right to protect Russians in Ukraine
(Washington Post) Russian President Vladimir Putin offered a vigorous defense Tuesday of Russian intervention in Ukraine, saying the pro-Russian former government in Kiev was illegally overthrown and that the man he regards as Ukraine’s legitimate president asked him for military help.
State Dept. Looks To Halve Military Financing for Ukraine
(Defense News) Despite the ongoing turmoil in the Ukraine, the State Department’s 2015 budget request includes halving the amount the agency earmarks for financing military equipment for the country currently facing partial occupation by Russian troops.
Ukraine: Russian Troops Fire Warning Shots (With Video)
(Sky News) Tensions remain high in Ukraine's Crimean peninsular after Russian soldiers fired warning shots into the air when around 300 Ukrainian troops demanded access to the seized Belbek airbase in the region.
NATO issues warning over Ukraine ahead of crisis talks with Russian officials
(Stars and Stripes) NATO’s top official again issued a stern warning to Russia on Tuesday, but stopped short of signaling whether the alliance would consider sending military assets into Poland following a meeting focused on concerns that the crisis in Ukraine could somehow spill into its territory.
At a glance: How close U.S. troops are to Ukraine
(Military Times) The U.S. has condemned the Russian incursion into Ukraine and now the Pentagon has suspended its military-to-military relationship with Russia, including exercises and planning conferences, a Defense Department spokesman said.
Planning for Joint U.S. and Russia Naval Exercise On Hold Pending Outcome in Crimea
(U.S. Naval Institute) Planning for the biennial Northern Eagle exercise between Russia, the U.S. and Norway has been “put on hold,” while the U.S. says troops have massed on the ground in the Crimea region of Ukraine, a military official told USNI News on Tuesday.
INDUSTRY
USAF To Award Combat Rescue Helo Contract This Year
(Defense News) The US Air Force will award a contract on its new Combat Rescue Helicopter (CRH) before the end of the year, despite the program not being included in the fiscal 2015 budget request.
U.S. may have competition for new missile defense "kill vehicle"
(Reuters) The U.S. Missile Defense Agency is evaluating a range of options for redesigning the current Raytheon Co "kill vehicle" on its ground-based missile defense interceptors, and may opt for a competition, the agency's director said on Tuesday.
AeroVironment takes stake in Swedish UAS maker CybAero
(IHS Jane's 360) US unmanned systems manufacturer AeroVironment has acquired an 8.5% stake in Swedish unmanned aircraft system (UAS) maker CybAero, CybAero announced on 3 March.
Ukraine crisis: Defense stocks as strong defensive plays
(CNBC) Should investors looking for safety park money in the defense sector? That's question that has arisen as a standoff over Ukraine has intensified in recent days. While most stock markets around the world sold off Monday, shares of major U.S. defense firms including Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman were eking out modest gains.
Sikorsky's Turkey Deal Earns Aselsan $491M Contract
(Defense News) As Turkey finally penned a $3.5 billion contract with US helicopter manufacturer Sikorsky Aircraft for the co-production of an initial batch of 109 utility helicopters, a Turkish company has won a substantial deal under the same contract.
CONGRESS
GOP Hawks Blast Obama Budget; $26B Wish List Could Be Doomed
(Defense News) Republican hawks say US President Barack Obama’s latest military spending request will embolden America’s foes to take aggressive acts, while his Democratic mates offered only tepid support.
Four Ways the Pentagon Is About to Infuriate Congress
(National Journal) Working on a tight budget, the Pentagon is proposing cuts to areas that lawmakers hold dear. And although top Pentagon officials appeared across Washington last week on a charm offensive, they'll need nothing short of sales magic as they try to get Congress to go along with a handful of sure-to-be-controversial changes.
Pentagon budget a 'zero sum game,' says Rep. Adam Smith, state's senior lawmaker on Armed Services
(The News Tribune; Tacoma, wash.) The Puget Sound’s senior lawmaker on military issues views Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel’s $496 billion proposed budget as a “zero sum game” that reflects hard choices in a time of postwar belt-tightening.
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
QDR Emphasizes Cyber, Science and Technology
(Defense News) The Pentagon’s latest Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) has emphasized the need to protect science, technology, research and development, specifically cyber capabilities, a key priority of senior defense officials.
Customers would foot bill for commissary budget cuts
(Military Times) As expected, commissary customers would foot the bill for operating the stores, according to details of the 2015 defense budget proposal released Tuesday.
DoD Official: Asia Pivot 'Can't Happen' Due to Budget Pressures
(Defense News) A senior Pentagon official said on Tuesday that, due to cuts to the defense budget, the Pentagon’s plans to pivot to Asia “can’t happen.”
The Pentagon's Budget Arrives With a $79 Billion Mystery
(National Journal) The Pentagon's $496 billion budget request released Tuesday contains a laundry list of weapons systems and troops' benefits the military wants for next year. What the massive request does not include, however, are any details about how it plans to spend money on its most important function: fighting wars.
Pentagon Rolls Out Evolving Strategy
(Wall Street Journal) The Pentagon rolled out long-awaited revisions to U.S. military strategy on Tuesday, displaying a renewed focus on homeland protection by emphasizing the development of cybersecurity capabilities, missile defenses and the ability to respond to natural disasters.
Pentagon planning to cut 6,300 civilians in 2015
(The Hill) The Pentagon plans to reduce the number of its civilian workers from about 755,400 in 2014 to 749,100 in 2015 — a reduction of 6,300 workers, or 1 percent, according to its 2015 defense budget request.
ARMY
US Army Plans to Cut 3 of 13 Aviation Brigades by 2019
(Defense News) US Army officials said Tuesday that as part of its wide-ranging aviation restructuring, the service is preparing to cut three of the service’s 13 combat aviation brigades (CAB) by 2019.
Shyu Sings The Army Electric: 2015 Budget Sacrifices Weapons For Electronics
(Breaking Defense) The 2015 budget effectively kills the Army’s top priority weapons program, the 60-plus-ton Ground Combat Vehicle — as we’ve been predicting since November — but GCV did not die in vain, the Army’s acquisition chief insists.
Military judge denies motion to drop charges against Sinclair
(Fayetteville Observer) A military judge at Fort Bragg this afternoon denied a motion to dismiss charges in the sexual assault case against Brig. Gen. Jeff Sinclair on the premise that political and command pressures unlawfully influenced the case.
New York to join lobbying efforts against proposed Army National Guard cuts
(Watertown Daily Times) New York will join the lobbying effort against a proposed cut of 20,000 soldiers in the Army National Guard as part of the 2015 defense budget.
NAVY
Navy: End strength to hold steady in fiscal '15
(Navy Times) Navy end strength will hold steady over the next year at 323,600. Sailors will avoid the drawdowns facing the Army and the Air Force, which will shed 20,000 and 17,000 billets respectively in fiscal 2015.
US Navy Budget Takes Bite Out of Aircraft, Weapons
(Defense News) Most of the US Navy’s aviation programs take significant hits in the 2015 budget, including the P-8A Poseidon, F-35C Joint Strike Fighter, and MH-60R helicopter, and plans to buy the MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned shipboard aircraft have been shelved for now.
Troopers: Navy corpsman on leave killed in crash near Starr
(WHNS; Greenville, S.C.) The coroner identified the passenger killed as 21-year-old Julio Sandoval.
Navy hikes sea pay rate for first time since 2001
(Navy Times) The Navy is hiking its career sea pay rates by 25 percent this summer, the first such hike in the pay in over a decade, the service announced Tuesday. The move is designed to better reward sailors for fleet time and to fill as many as 9,000 open jobs in the operational force.
Taya Kyle, widow of 'American Sniper' Chris Kyle, endures with help from Lake Oswego family
(The Oregonian; Portland) Everything has changed for Taya Kyle in the year since the death of her famed husband, Chris Kyle, a legendary rifleman known as the deadliest military sniper in U.S. history.
AIR FORCE
20,400 fewer airmen in 2015, budget proposal shows
(Air Force Times) The Air Force would shed 20,400 total force airmen in fiscal 2015 under the proposed budget released Tuesday.
Trainer Replacement, JSTARS Funded in 2015 Air Force Request
(Defense News) The US Air Force funded two secondary modernization programs in its budget request in a move clearly made with an eye towards modernizing for the next decade.
Air Force's budget proposal includes jump in procurement
(Air Force Times) The fiscal 2015 budget request uses cutbacks in the current Air Force fleet to make big investments in new systems, including a $1.2 billion increase for new aircraft purchases.
Colorado National Guard airmen take on 'full enchilada' at Red Flag exercise
(Colorado Springs Gazette) A high-tech battle in the desert drew 140 Colorado National Guard airmen to Nevada last month to fight their way through the Red Flag exercise at Nellis Air Force Base.
F-15 fighter jet loses canopy near Okinawa; no injuries reported
(Stars and Stripes) An Air Force F-15 fighter jet lost its canopy Tuesday morning during routine training off the coast of Okinawa, Japan, the 18th Wing at Kadena Air Base said.
Academy to cut 10 academic majors under tight 2015 budget
(Air Force Times) The Air Force Academy will be forced to cut 10 academic majors and 99 military and civilian staff positions under the fiscal 2015 budget.
Air Force Chief of Staff takes part in Mustache March
(Flightlines) When it comes to boosting morale, Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh goes all out.
MARINE CORPS
Budget plan: New embassy security detachments, continued funding for forward-deployed units
(Marine Corps Times) The Pentagon will provide for the creation of 12 new Marine Corps embassy security detachments over the next fiscal year as the service expands its embassy security mission, according to the fiscal year 2015 defense budget request, released Tuesday morning.
Funeral Services Held for Local Marine Killed in San Diego (With Video)
(WKBW; Buffalo, N.Y. ) The tragic death of 20-year old Lance Corporal Richard Jones touched many people's hearts because the young US Marine died while trying to help others at the scene of a serious car crash in San Diego, Ca.
Man responsible for fatal Pendleton stabbing, brutal beating with pipe had no apparent motive
(The Oregonian; Portland) Although he talked freely about how he committed the crimes, it's still unclear why a Marine deserter from California fatally stabbed an Eastern Oregon motel maid and beat another woman with a metal pipe, an investigator says.
Scholarships set up for kids of fallen Pendleton Marines
(San Diego Union-Tribune) Children of four Camp Pendleton Marines killed in the Explosive Ordnance Disposal accident last November are getting scholarships to attend college.
VETERANS
Slight increase proposed in VA budget
(Military Times) The Veterans Affairs Department would see another modest increase in spending under the White House fiscal 2015 budget proposal, with more money for homelessness efforts and aid for returning combat troops.
"Forgotten" no more: Korean War stories shared in film
(Virginian-Pilot) Conor Timmis learned almost nothing about the Korean War in school. What he knew growing up came bits at a time from his grandfather, John Finnigan, who as an Army sergeant was awarded a Silver Star for evacuating wounded comrades under heavy fire.
IG: Managers let VA employee get away with cheating agency
(Military Times) Poor management oversight allowed a Veterans Affairs Department employee to skip work, use government computers for sex chats and bilk the agency out of nearly $31,000, according to a new inspector general report.
Gay Marine’s Amazing Journey From Homeless Shelter to Ivy League (With Video)
(ABC News) U.S. Marine veteran Elegance Bratton left his New Jersey home at age 16. “If I were to describe my relationship with my family in one word, it’s silence. Meaningful, heavy silence and the silence revolved around my sexuality,” says Bratton.
AFGHANISTAN/PAKISTAN
Afghanistan to Disband Crucial Guard Force
(Wall Street Journal) The Afghan government is moving to dissolve a crucial guard force that protects military supply convoys, international aid programs and foreign installations, creating new uncertainty over security as the U.S. and its allies withdraw.
Afghan elections key test for new security forces
(USA Today) Afghanistan's elections will be a key test for both Afghanistan's young armed forces and the Taliban, which would like to disrupt voting scheduled for next month.
Pakistan Hangu soldiers killed as talks due to resume
(BBC) At least six Pakistani soldiers have been killed in a bombing in the north-west, as violence continues despite an apparent ceasefire with militants.
Dismay at Pakistan's Acceptance of Taliban Cease-fire
(Defense News) Analysts are dismayed the government has accepted a cease-fire from the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) just as the TTP was reeling from Air Force and Army attacks launched in retaliation for the recent attack on a polio vaccination team.
MIDDLE EAST
Armed men seize Iraq's Samarra city council
(Al Jazeera) Armed men wearing military uniform have broken into the city council headquarters in the Iraqi city of Samarra, holding the facility for four hours until police and army stormed the compound, officials say.
UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain recall their ambassadors from Qatar
(Gulf News) The UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain have decided to withdraw their ambassadors from Qatar, the countries said in a joint statement.
Syria Accelerates Chemical Weapons Disarmament
(Wall Street Journal) Syria is expected to have removed 23% of its most dangerous chemicals by the end of the week, according to international weapons inspectors Tuesday, as the regime of President Bashar al-Assad faces growing international pressure to quicken the pace of its disarmament.
ASIA-PACIFIC
China Announces 12.2% Increase in Military Budget
(New York Times) China announced on Wednesday that it would increase its military budget for 2014 to almost $132 billion, a 12.2 percent rise over last year. The rapid growth in defense spending is another sign of the country’s goal of becoming a dominant military presence in the Pacific, with a navy able to project power across the region.
China’s leaders face major decisions on reform at annual National People’s Congress
(Washington Post) China’s military spending will increase by 12.2 percent this year, officials announced Wednesday at an annual meeting of top government leaders.
Analysis: Taiwan Think Tank Issues Blue Paper on China's Ambitions
(Defense News) In a marked departure from past efforts, the opposition party’s think tank, New Frontier Foundation, released a remarkable report on China’s military ambitions against Taiwan.
North Korea fires artillery shells into sea amid South Korean naval wargames
(The Guardian) South Korea has reported that North Korea fired seven suspected artillery shells into the ocean on Tuesday, in what Seoul called a provocation apparently directed against its ongoing military drills with the US.
South Korea-Japan Rift on Exhibit in China
(Wall Street Journal) Even in the icy midwinter, the crowded train station here has become an unlikely pilgrimage spot for South Koreans like Cho Yoon-hee, a smartly dressed homemaker from the Korean port city of Busan.
EUROPE
Airfield, school improvements frozen pending EUCOM review
(Stars and Stripes) Millions of dollars in construction funding for schools and airfield improvements at U.S. bases in Europe are on hold as Congress awaits the result of a Pentagon study into further reducing the military’s footprint in the theater.
U.S., Russia To Hold Talks Amid Crimea Tension
(Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty) U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov are expected to hold talks on March 5 to try to ease tensions over the Ukraine crisis.
Russia To Invest $55.6B To Boost Aerospace Defense Forces
(Defense News) Russia is planning to invest 2 trillion rubles (US $55.6 billion) to acquire new weapons and upgrade the existing armament of its Aerospace Defense Forces (VKO), Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov said.
COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS
Putin’s takeover of Crimea is part of a larger strategy
(Stephen J. Hadley and Damon Wilson in the Washington Post) Vladimir Putin has done this before. When he invaded Georgia in August 2008, Western diplomacy and pressure denied him his ultimate goal: marching to Tbilisi and deposing Georgia’s democratically elected government. But Putin seized two areas, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, that Russian troops occupy to this day.
To Inflict Pain on Russia, Target Its Energy First
(John Deni in Defense One) The challenge confronting policymakers in Washington is how to safeguard and promote United States interests in Ukraine in a way that swiftly deters Russia from further escalation and compels President Vladimir Putin to stand down. Unfortunately, ejecting Russia from the G-8 or dispatching United Nations fact-finding missions is unlikely to move Moscow. Instead, inflicting costs on Russia for its intervention in Ukraine begins with using a tool very familiar to Moscow: energy.
Intervention In Syria and the Myth of the 'Exit Strategy'
(Thomas Nichols in War on the Rocks) In a recent article for War on the Rocks, Peter Munson expanded on a debate I’d had with him on Twitter over intervention in Syria. WOTR generously offered me space to respond.
Editorial: Don't Scrap the U-2
(Defense News Staff) US commanders worldwide have an insatiable appetite for ISR to better understand emerging threats.
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