TODAY’S TOP 5
1. Exclusive: DoD proposes revolutionary changes in retirement benefits
(Military Times) After years of silence on the intensely controversial issue of military retirement reform, the Pentagon on Thursday unveiled a detailed proposal for fundamental, far-reaching changes to the current pension system, Military Times has learned.
2. The Military is Leaving the Missing Behind
(ProPublica) Tracing his genealogy online one night, John Eakin landed on a name that evoked an old family sorrow.
3. This QDR is a Budget Document, Not a Strategy Document
(Kori Schake in War on the Rocks) Secretary Hagel claims that the fiscal year (FY) 2015 defense budget “matches our strategy to our resources…Our updated defense strategy,” that is. Updated because the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff memorably said the defense strategy could not be executed if a single dollar was cut from the budget, right before Congress cut about $50 billion of them.
4. Long-Range Bomber’s Development Would Get $12 Billion From U.S.
(Bloomberg) The U.S. Air Force’s five-year plan calls for spending $11.8 billion to develop a new long-range bomber, one of the Pentagon’s top weapons projects, according to military budget figures.
5. Army opens all field artillery officer jobs to women
(Army Times) Virtually all Regular Army, National Guard and Army Reserve positions coded for field artillery officers have been opened to women under a directive issued by Army Secretary John McHugh.
RETIREMENT BENEFITS
DoD: Give reservists immediate retirement pay
(Military Times) Reservists would be eligible to begin receiving military retirement pay immediately after completing 20 years of part-time service under a new Pentagon proposal for overhauling the retirement system.
Disability pay: simpler, broader, more generous
(Military Times) The Pentagon’s new retirement reform proposal would make sweeping changes to the complex system of benefits that aim to compensate wounded warriors for injuries that cut short a military career.
Proposal would revamp Survivor Benefit Program
(Military Times) A Defense Department proposal to revamp its Survivor Benefit Program would save money by increasing the premium that retirees pay for coverage.
See comparisons: Examples of how the value of annual payments would change under the new proposal
DOD report: Concepts for Modernizing Military Retirement
INDUSTRY
F135 Fan ‘Blows’ During F-35 Engine Trial
(Aviation Week) Pratt & Whitney is investigating the cause of an F135 fan failure that developed in the first stage of the Joint Strike Fighter engine’s three-stage unit during ground tests in Florida in December.
Exclusive: U.S. Navy aims to put 22 Boeing fighters on 'unfunded' list - sources
(Reuters) The U.S. Navy plans to add 22 Boeing electronic attack jets to a list of "unfunded" priorities requested by Congress, but the document must still be vetted by senior Pentagon officials, who have underscored their commitment to Lockheed Martin Corp's next-generation F-35 fighter jet, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Rolls-Royce Faces US Corruption Probe
(Defense News) British aircraft engine maker Rolls-Royce revealed Thursday that it is facing a corruption probe in the United States as well as Britain.
USAF Cuts Near-Term Competitive Launches
(Aviation Week) The U.S. Air Force is expected to offer half of the 14 launches it had anticipated would be suitable for competition from 2015-2017, limiting the near-term opportunities for Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) to duel with rival United Launch Alliance.
World’s Biggest Arms Importer, India Wants to Buy Local
(New York Times) Of the 30 countries that attended a defense exposition last month to sell weapons to India, the world’s largest arms importer, only the Russians had the chutzpah to dress up their tanks and guns with women in tightfitting camouflage.
Turkey's Otokar Wins Armored Vehicle Contract From UN
(Defense News) Turkey’s leading armored vehicles manufacturer, Otokar, has said that it won a $24.6 million contract from the United Nations.
CONGRESS
Senate blocks change to military sex assault cases
(Military Times) The Senate on Thursday rejected a proposal to move sexual assault cases outside the military chain of command, instead backing simpler reforms to the military justice system.
HASC Dems Offer Pentagon, White House Cover on 2015 Budget Plan
(Defense News) US House Democrats on Thursday offered the Pentagon and White House cover on a 2015 Pentagon budget that Republicans — and some Democrats — have spent two weeks sharply panning.
Proposed commissary cutbacks draw criticism
(Virginian-Pilot, Norfolk) The same day the budget was presented, U.S. Sen. Mark Warner filed legislation to block the Pentagon's plan to cut more than two-thirds of the $1.4 billion subsidy it provides to military commissaries.
DoD’s $31 Billion Pay, Benefits 2015 Bet; Hill Asks, What About 11 Carriers?
(Breaking Defense) Sen. Carl Levin made very clear to his colleagues just what is at stake in the inevitable shout-fest over benefits and compensation. It is the $31 billion saved in the proposed budget in reductions to the rate of pay growth, boosted Tricare payments, and consolidations in the healthcare program, the 5 percent reduction in the housing allowance and the reduction in the subsidy for the military commissaries.
Congress facing reality of defense cuts
(The Hill) Lawmakers are coming to grips with a 2015 proposed defense budget that would cut the Army down to 420,000 active duty soldiers and cut the number of aircraft carriers down to 10.
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
DoD plans no cuts to spouse tuition program, official says
(Military Times) Many troops and families may be worried about the future of family support and community programs, but one program that isn’t suffering from budget woes is the military spouse tuition program — Military Spouse Career Advancement Account, or MyCAA.
Read the Pentagon’s $59 Billion ‘Black Budget’
(The Daily Beast) President Obama proposed a $495.6 billion defense budget yesterday, almost half a billion dollars leaner than the previous year’s. But there’s still one category where the Department of Defense is not scaling back: its secret projects.
Big budget cuts pose 'tough, tough choices' for Pentagon: Hagel
(Reuters) Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel warned on Thursday that "tough, tough choices are coming" if the Pentagon implements deep future spending cuts required by law, including whether to slash the Army to 420,000 soldiers and decommission an aircraft carrier.
Pentagon Leaders Working to Define Military’s Post-War Purpose
(Defense One) With the president’s 2015 budget request and a fresh four-year strategy review in hand, Pentagon leaders in recent speeches, interviews and testimonies have set out to give clarity to their vision for the future, post-Afghanistan purpose of the United States military.
Pentagon studies Putin body language for hint of intent
(USA Today) A Pentagon research team is studying the body movements of Russian President Vladimir Putin and other world leaders in order to better predict their actions and guide U.S. policy, Pentagon documents and interviews show.
ARMY
Army sex assault prosecutor suspended over alleged assault
(Army Times) A lieutenant colonel who supervises sexual assault prosecution in the Army is under investigation for allegedly sexually assaulting a female colleague, sources have confirmed.
West Point Sergeant Pleads Guilty to Videotaping Female Cadets
(New York Times) A sergeant responsible for advising students at the United States Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., has pleaded guilty in a case that included accusations that he secretly videotaped female cadets, some as they undressed in the locker room, and will serve a 33-month sentence, the Army said Thursday.
Brig. Gen. Jeff Sinclair pleads guilty to adultery, other less serious charges
(Fayetteville Observer) Brig. Gen. Jeff Sinclair pleaded guilty this morning to adultery, possession of pornography and other less-serious charges he faces in his court-martial at Fort Bragg.
Drilling near Fort Detrick unearths unsafe groundwater
(The Frederick News-Post, Md.) The latest off-post drilling project near a Fort Detrick Superfund site has revealed unsafe levels of groundwater contamination about 100 feet from the Army's property line.
Water, land and litigation: Lawsuit renews vigorous debate over future of Missouri River
(Kansas City Star) More than 200 farmers and landowners in the Missouri River basin sued the federal government Wednesday, accusing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers of improper decisions they say led to costly flooding.
NAVY
'Top Gun' school for ships coming
(San Diego Union-Tribune) The Navy is launching a San Diego-based “Top Gun” school for young ship officers, modeling it on the aviator version that Hollywood made famous.
Navy Hacking Blamed on Iran Tied to H-P Contract
(Wall Street Journal) A major infiltration of a military network blamed on Iran was facilitated by a poorly written contract with computer-services provider Hewlett-Packard Co. HPQ +0.50% , said people familiar with the matter.
Navy to Set Up Triton UAV Launch Detachment in California
(Seapower) The Navy plans to activate next year a launch and recovery element (LRE) of the MQ-4C Triton broad-area surveillance unmanned aerial vehicle at Naval Air Station Point Mugu, Calif.
Civilian charged with stealing from Navy denies guilt
(Stars and Stripes)A Navy civilian accused of forging documents and accepting more than $360,000 in illegal housing payments pleaded not guilty to charges in a federal courtroom in Iowa on Tuesday.
Naval reservists' families seek damages
(The Citizens' Voice; Wilkes-Barre, Pa.) In a case with millions of dollars at stake, the families of two Naval Reservists who died from injuries in a grinding car crash in Kuwait in 2009 appeared in federal court Wednesday for the civil trial against a civilian contractor accused of causing the accident.
AIR FORCE
Probes nearly complete for informant program
(Colorado Springs Gazette) Two Air Force inquiries into the secret confidential informant program at the Air Force Academy have been completed and will likely be released in the next two weeks, said Lt. Gen. Michelle Johnson, superintendent of the academy.
AF to airmen: Think before you act (or update, or post, or upload)
(Flightlines) The Air Force is reminding airmen to think before they act, lest it end up online for posterity.
Air Force To Acquire Fleet Of 346 Reapers By FY-21, 55 Fewer Than Planned
(Inside Defense) The Air Force is trying to reduce annual spending on MQ-9 medium-altitude intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft by spreading procurement across the future years with an end goal of having a fleet of 346 Reapers by fiscal year 2021, according to the service's FY-15 budget request.
Once again, plans change for C-130J fleet
(Fayetteville Observer) The promise of the C-130J Hercules has been held over Pope Field for nearly a decade.
MARINE CORPS
Two EOD techs take fall for Pendleton mishap that killed four
(Marine Corps Times) A senior commander relieved two explosive ordnance disposal section leaders for cause March 4 after an investigation found that a poorly prepared unit clearing a range of unexploded ordnance apparently mishandled a live round, triggering an explosion that killed four Marines last year.
Investigative report details Marine Corps' findings in scout sniper urination case
(USA Today) A breakdown in leadership and discipline contributed to an elite team of Marine snipers urinating on the bodies of dead insurgents in Afghanistan in June 2011, according to an investigative report released this week.
8 Marine Recruits Infected with Meningitis
(KNSD, San Diego) Eight Marine recruits training at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot have been diagnosed with meningitis, according to officials.
Reminder From A Marine: Civilians And Veterans Share Ownership Of War
(National Public Radio) "Marines and soldiers don't issue themselves orders, they don't send themselves overseas," says former Marine Phil Klay. "United States citizens elect the leaders who send us overseas.
VETERANS
VRAP gets cash to carry through school terms
(Military Times) A $65 million fix by the Veterans Affairs Department will keep thousands of unemployed veterans in job training programs through the end of this semester.
Lawsuits revived by soldiers over waste disposal
(Associated Press) A federal appeals court on Thursday revived dozens of lawsuits by soldiers and others who claim they were harmed by improper waste disposal while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
House to ask for autonomy for Gulf War Illness board
(USA Today) The House Committee on Veterans' Affairs is putting together legislation to give autonomy back to a Gulf War illness advisory committee that has been stripped of its independence over the past year.
AFGHANISTAN
Afghan army, police struggle to combat IED threat as U.S. forces prepare to leave
(Washington Post) U.S. and coalition forces have spent billions of dollars training and equipping Afghan security forces. But despite that, they are still struggling to get the Afghans to stand up to their most persistent foe: improvised explosive devices.
Generals shed light on reports Afghan forces surrendered turf in Sangin
(Marine Corps Times) The former top commanders of NATO troops in southwestern Afghanistan have shed light on troubling reports that emerged late last year in Sangin, a hard-fought district in Helmand province where Afghan security forces purportedly handed over security checkpoints to the Taliban.
U.S. apologizes after airstrike mistakenly kills 5 Afghanistan troops
(Los Angeles Times) The U.S. military offered its condolences Thursday after an airstrike on an Afghan army outpost mistakenly killed five Afghan soldiers and injured at least seven.
Ex-Afghan translators for German army fear attacks
(Associated Press) Sometimes the calls come in the middle of the night. Other times it's a text message sent to a mobile phone. But the warnings are always the same, threats of death for having worked with the German military in northern Afghanistan.
MIDDLE EAST
Diplomatic Row Among Gulf Nations Complicates US Weapons Sales
(Defense News) A diplomatic crisis between Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar could pose problems for US foreign policy in the Arabian Gulf, according to analysts.
Bombings, clashes in Iraq kill at least 42
(Associated Press) Bombings targeting shoppers across central Iraq and clashes near the militant-held city of Fallujah killed at least 42 people Thursday, authorities said.
Head of al Qaeda 'Victory Committee' in Syria
(The Long War Journal) Not long after Ayman al Zawahiri's chief representative in Syria, Abu Khalid al Suri, was killed in late February, a prominent online jihadist known as Sanafi al Nasr condemned the assassins on his Twitter feed.
Syrian government, rebels clash for future of Aleppo
(Los Angeles Times) Syrian rebels in the northern city of Aleppo are waging fierce clashes against government forces in an attempt to prevent opposition neighborhoods from falling under siege.
Egypt Pulls Ambassador From Qatar
(New York Times) Egypt on Thursday became the fourth Arab state in two days to pull its ambassador from Qatar over its support for Islamists around the region, including the deposed Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi and his supporters in the Muslim Brotherhood.
ASIA-PACIFIC
PACOM Commander Sticks to Climate Change as Asia-Pacific’s Number One Threat
(National Defense Magazine) Adm. Samuel J. Locklear III, Pacific Command commander, raised eyebrows and invited some criticism when he said on Capitol Hill last year that climate change was the number one long-term threat in the Asia-Pacific.
Alcohol, liberty restrictions led to less crime on Okinawa last year
(Stars and Stripes) Strict new liberty and alcohol rules coincided with a historic drop last year in crimes committed by U.S. personnel on Okinawa, according to statistics released this week by the military and Japan government.
Philippines To Upgrade Navy Base Facing Disputed Waters
(Defense News) The Philippines is to upgrade a navy base facing disputed South China Sea waters to serve the extra ships being acquired to protect its territory, the military said Thursday.
In considering revision of sex-slaves apology, Japan draws acrimony
(Washington Post) In the 1930s and 1940s, a legion of women across Asia were coerced from their homes, often with promises of jobs in factories or restaurants, and installed on the battlefront, where they were forced to have sex with Japanese soldiers. Most of the women were between 14 and 18. Some say they were raped dozens of times a day.
EUROPE
EU Urges Russian De-escalation on Ukraine, Warns of Further Sanctions
(Defense News) EU leaders meeting here Thursday have called for Russia to de-escalate the conflict in Ukraine, warned of further sanctions if talks with Russia do not bear fruit and are pushing to establish a contact group with Russia.
Kremlin Signals It Will Embrace Crimean Move for Secession
(New York Times) The speaker of the Russian Parliament said on Friday that Russia would embrace a decision by Crimea to break away from Ukraine and become part of the Russian Federation, the first public signal that the Kremlin would back a secessionist move that Western leaders and the government in Kiev have denounced as a violation of international law.
Ukraine PM: Overhaul Global Security System; Country Ready To Protect Itself
(Defense News) In an impassioned address during a press conference here at an extraordinary summit of EU leaders, Ukraine’s interim Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk has suggested an overhaul of the global security system due to Russia’s actions in Ukraine, and says the government and military are ready to protect the country if there is further escalation and military intervention.
Donilon: US has 'a great deal of leverage' in Ukraine
(The Hill) Former National Security Adviser Tom Donilon on Thursday said the West “has a great deal of leverage” in the Ukraine-Russia conflict, contrary to recent analyses.
Poland, US To Boost Military Ties as Ukraine Crisis Escalates
(Defense News) Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that Poland has launched consultations with the US government to boost the two countries’ military ties. Speaking at the Polish parliament Wednesday, Tusk said the move is related to the escalation of the crisis in neighboring Ukraine.
COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS
Bring on the Frigate: LCS Is Outgunned, Outclassed
(William A. Price in Real Clear Defense)The future of the littoral combat ship is anything but certain. In January, Acting Deputy Secretary of Defense Christine Fox issued a classified memo ordering the Navy to reduce planned purchases of the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) from 52 to 32.
How the Ukraine crisis ends
(Henry A. Kissinger in the Washington Post) Public discussion on Ukraine is all about confrontation. But do we know where we are going? In my life, I have seen four wars begun with great enthusiasm and public support, all of which we did not know how to end and from three of which we withdrew unilaterally. The test of policy is how it ends, not how it begins.
Beijing and Washington’s Defense Budgets: A Tale of Two Cities
(Shannon Tiezzi in The Diplomat) Beijing released its defense budget for 2014 today, as a draft budget was submitted to the National People’s Congress for review. Xinhua reported that the new budget called for a 12.2 percent increase, raising defense spending to 808.2 billion yuan ($132 billion). Outside of China, analysts and reporters viewed this increase with suspicion.
Chuck Hagel Lunches (And Learns From) Service Members
(John Baldoni in Forbes) When you want to know what’s going on in an organization, especially a very large one, you talk to the people who make the place run well.
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