TODAY’S TOP 5
1. Medal of Honor recipient returns to active duty
(Army Times) Medal of Honor recipient Capt. William Swenson is back on active duty.
2. US Senator Warns Wartime Funding Might Not Be Coming
(Defense News) A source of potential conflict arose during this morning’s hearing with US Army leadership at the Senate Armed Services Airland subcommittee, when Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., warned that supplemental wartime funding, which the Army has said it needs well after the war in Afghanistan ends, may not be forthcoming.
3. Retiring the A-10 Early Puts Troops' Lives at Risk
(Sens Kelly Ayotte, John McCain and Saxby Chambliss in Real Clear Defense) When we send our troops into harm’s way, we have a solemn obligation to ensure they have the very best support possible so they can accomplish their missions and return home safely.
4. Hagel: Russia causing itself long-term harm with Ukraine steps (With Video)
(CNN) When it comes to Russia's annexation of Crimea and possible further expansion in eastern Ukraine, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is taking the long view.
5. At Fort Hood memorial, Obama promises help for war-weary troops
(Christian Science Monitor) With the traditional memorial of the fallen soldier in the foreground – empty boots and a helmet atop a rifle – President Obama took to the podium to remember the troops who were gunned down at Fort Hood last week, and to offer a window into how the Pentagon, and the White House, plans to preempt such attacks less likely in the future.
INDUSTRY
Former US Policy Chief Joins Cyber Firm's Board
(Defense News) Endgame, the cybersecurity firm most famous for selling information about system vulnerabilities, has added former Pentagon policy chief James Miller to its advisory board, the company will announce today.
Marillyn Hewson seeks to diversify Lockheed
(Politico Pro) As the wars draw down and defense money tightens, company CEO Marillyn Hewson has her sights set on everything from cybersecurity to alternative energy, hedging the company’s bets against the politics of austerity and the uncertainty of the congressional budgeting process.
Navy Axes Griffin Missile In Favor of Longbow Hellfire for LCS
(U.S. Naval Institute) The Navy has traded Raytheon’s Griffin IIB missile for Lockheed Martin’s Longbow Hellfire AGM-114L for the surface-to-surface missile for early increments and testing for the surface warfare (SuW) mission package for the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), the outgoing program manager for LCS Mission Modules (PMS 420), Rear Adm. John Ailes told reporters on Wednesday.
AM General Lawsuit Against SOCOM Rejected; GD Starts Work on Special Ops Vehicle
(Defense News) On April 7, the US Federal Claims Court rejected military vehicle maker AM General’s lawsuit against the US Special Operations Command over its decision to award a $562 contract to General Dynamics for the Ground Mobility Vehicle 1.1 (GMV) program, Defense News has learned.
Exclusive: Meet the First Companies Working on the Military’s ‘Iron Man’ Supersuit
(Foreign Policy) The system is commonly known as the "Iron Man" suit, a nod toward the futuristic technology worn by the wise-cracking comic book hero popularized in a series of hit movies starring Robert Downey Jr. With no public notice, the military's Special Operations Command just unveiled a list of collaborators on the project that includes traditional defense contractor titans like Lockheed Martin, athletic apparel companies like Under Armour and Adidas, and a bevy of smaller firms whose specialties range from developing robotics to producing underwater breathing equipment for divers.
U.S. Navy move to 'break' multiyear deal worries industry-Sikorsky
(Reuters) Sikorsky Aircraft said on Wednesday the U.S. Navy's plan to skip orders for 29 MH-60 helicopters in the final year of a five-year contract could undermine the industry's willingness to sign such cost-saving agreements in the future.
K-MAX to get new software
(C4ISR & Networks) Neya Systems and Lockheed Martin are developing mission planning software for Kaman Aircraft's K-MAX helicopters.
Bell Pitches 407GX for Navy Trainer Helicopter Program
(Defense News) Bell Helicopter is pitching its single-engine 407GX for the US Navy training helicopter replacement program, a company official said.
Boeing's Phantom Badger vehicle cleared for V-22 carriage
(IHS Jane's 360) Boeing's Phantom Badger tactical ground vehicle has been certified for internal carriage aboard the Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey tiltrotor, the company announced on 8 April.
Lockheed Revives an Old Idea for New Carrier Cargo Plane
(Defense News) The Northrop Grumman C-2A has been a familiar sight aboard US aircraft carriers for decades, shuttling people and cargo from ship to shore in the carrier-on-board-delivery (COD) role. But the venerable aircraft are wearing out, and an unusually intense competition between Northrop Grumman and Bell Boeing already has garnered attention, even though the program to buy 35 replacement aircraft is not expected to officially begin until next year at the earliest.
CONGRESS
Senators float study to avert Guard cuts
(The Hill) Members of the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday indicated support for delaying a plan that would shift resources and cut National Guard personnel, over the clear objections of senior Army officials.
Key senator opposes commissary budget cut
(Military Times) The chair of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee strongly opposes a Pentagon plan to cut funding for commissaries, another signal that the drastic $1 billion proposed reduction will not survive the congressional budget process.
VA’s response to congressional inquiries about patient deaths called ‘ridiculous’
(The Kansas City Star) A House of Representatives committee blasted the Department of Veterans Affairs on Wednesday over a lack of progress and accountability in the aftermath of at least 23 preventable veteran deaths that were the result of delays in treatment at VA medical centers across the country.
Sen. Kay Hagan challenges defense officials about deactivating Pope Field's 440th Reserve Airlift Wing
(Fayetteville Observer) Hagan questioned Lt. Gen. James Jackson, Chief of the Air Force Reserves, about the possible loss of the wing should the current federal budget proposal for fiscal year 2015 be approved, according to a release sent from the North Carolina Democrat's office today.
US needs to share intel with Ukraine, lawmaker says
(The Hill) Lawmakers are calling on the administration to share U.S. intelligence with Ukraine about Russian troops massed on the country's eastern border, in order to help Ukrainian forces defend themselves against an invasion.
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
More budget cuts mean longer deployments, Pentagon leaders say
(Military Times) The defense budget squeeze could mean longer deployments overseas and longer tours at sea, as military officials try to man more missions with fewer people, defense leaders warned Wednesday.
Could Big Data Have Prevented the Fort Hood Shooting?
(Defense One) The federal government stopped funding a medical data screening program last year that researchers say might have prevented the Fort Hood shooting.
DoD appears to expect fewer jobless vets by 2015
(Military Times) Buried in fine print inside DoD’s recent budget submission is a request for $486 million to cover unemployment claims in 2015 from newly separated service members that can provide up to two years of monthly checks.
DISA tests a move away from CAC
(C4ISR & Networks) The Defense Information Systems Agency is taking a first step away from the Defense Department’s longtime security backbone, the common access card, with a small, early pilot exploring derived credentials.
The Psychological Toll of 12 Years of War
(National Journal) Twelve consecutive years of war have turned soldiers into the subjects of an unintended experiment in the impact of prolonged conflict on the human psyche.
ARMY
Fallen Rangers posthumously awarded Bronze Star
(Ledger-Enquirer; Columbus, Ga.) Six months after they were killed by an IED in Kandahar, Afghanistan, Sgt. Patrick C. Hawkins and Spc. Cody J. Patterson of the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment were posthumously awarded the Bronze Star with Valor Device during a combat awards ceremony Tuesday at Fort Benning.
Stolen valor: Family fights to toughen penalties for military identity theft
(Cape Cod Times; Hyannis, Mass.) On the evening of Dec. 2, Lisa Pucino Haglof logged into her Facebook account to find a cryptic message sitting in her inbox. “This thing tried to friend me,” the message read, followed by a link to an account.
82nd Airborne Division soldiers fight traffic, avoid ambushes in streets of Kabul
(Fayetteville Observer) With the war in Afghanistan drawing down and Afghans taking more responsibility for their own security, Fort Bragg soldiers have a much different role than in years past.
Fort Wainwright Soldier Charged with Murder of Son, 3
(KTUU; Anchorage) A Fort Wainwright soldier originally from Ohio is being held on military charges, in the Friday death of his 3-year-old son at his family’s residence on the Fairbanks base.
Four star: Army forces in Pacific have steady years ahead despite drawdown
(Tacoma News Tribune) The Army’s senior general in the Pacific projects a few years of stability in the region before cuts to the military’s ground forces could reshape installations from Washington to South Korea.
NAVY
Littoral Ship’s Fitness for Asia Questioned by Some in U.S. Navy
(Bloomberg) The Navy should consider buying fewer of the ships if its limitations prevent effective use in the Pacific, according to the report by GAO, Congress’s watchdog agency. The report follows others that have questioned the cost, mission and survivability in combat of the ship that’s designed to operate in shallow coastal waters.
Prototype combination cover issued to 1st test group of female sailors
(Stars and Stripes) A prototype combination cover was issued to a small test group of female sailors Tuesday and Wednesday as part of a larger plan to redesign the female uniform to more closely match the male version, the Navy said Wednesday.
F-35 forcing Navy to develop new hearing protection for flight deck crews
(Navy Times) The Navy is developing new hearing protection for flight deck crews to block out the roar of new and noisy jets.
CNO: 'Take Jointness to Another Level'
(Defense News) With tighter budgets the rule of the land, the military services need to seek support from each other, the US Navy’s top officer said Tuesday night.
At Naval Academy, Clinton calls on leaders to balance technology, privacy
(Baltimore Sun) Former President Bill Clinton told Naval Academy midshipmen Tuesday that National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden was an "imperfect messenger," but posed important questions about security, technology and freedom in America.
2031 Just Around the Corner for Ohio-Class Replacement Sub
(National Defense Magazine) The U.S. Navy must have the first replacement for the Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine on duty by 2031.
Classified UCLASS Draft Request for Proposal Due at End of April
(U.S. Naval Institute) The U.S. Navy expects to release a classified draft request for proposals (RFP) for its Unmanned Carrier Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) aircraft before the end of April, according to the service.
AIR FORCE
All F-22s to have backup oxygen systems within 12 months
(Air Force Times) Full installation of automatic backup oxygen systems on the F-22 fleet is expected to be complete by this time next year, a top Air Force acquisition officer said April 8. Raptors in Alaska have already begun using the system.
Family Says They Were Roughed Up By Military Police (With Video)
(WCMH; Columbus, Ohio) Their grandmother had taken the children and their mother to an Abe Lincoln home near Springfield, Illinois. On the way home, the family decided to stop by the United States Air Force Museum in Dayton.
Air Force ramps up transition assistance for flood of separating airmen
(Air Force Times) The Air Force is ramping up its Transition Assistance Program to help handle an unusually high number of airmen expected to leave the service in the next few years, Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force James Cody said Wednesday.
USAF begins fielding JASSM-ER
(IHS Jane's 360) The US Air Force (USAF) has received into operational service the Lockheed Martin AGM-158B Joint Air-To-Surface Standoff Missile - Extended Range (JASSM-ER), the USAF announced on 8 April.
MARINE CORPS
The Marine Corps has opened more roles in combat units to women — this time in the Reserve.
(Marine Corps Times) The Marine Corps has opened more roles in combat units to women — this time in the Reserve.
Marine killed at Camp Lejeune main gate ID'd
(The Daily News; Jacksonville, N.C.) The Marine sentry shot and killed by a fellow Marine at the Camp Lejeune main gate this week was temporarily assigned to sentry duty, according to base officials.
The Magnificent Bastards look back on a key Iraq battle
(USA Today) The men of 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines arrived in Ramadi in 2004 prepared to support the economy and government of a critical Sunni city in western Iraq.
Sgt. Maj. of the Marine Corps Barrett: Less pay raises discipline
(Marine Corps Times) Lower pay and slimmed-down benefits will make Marines more disciplined and less wasteful, according to the Corps’ top enlisted Marine.
Marine Corps Gets Creative in Solving Ship Shortage, Vehicle Needs
(National Defense Magazine) Military Sealift Command has been tasked with providing ships to help the Marine Corps achieve its goal of maintaining "a force that is naval in character and capable of conducting amphibious operations” while “meeting current commitments and preserving readiness,” as Marine Corps Commandant James Amos wrote in the forward to the 48-page plan.
VETERANS
The Other Wounds
(Washington Post) Army sniper James Crowell went to war 70 inches tall. He returned home an inch shorter and in constant pain, his spine compressed by the collective trauma of a rooftop fall, a Humvee accident and his heavy body armor, worn almost every day on four deployments.
Some Vietnam vets with PTSD fight for benefits
(Military Times) George Siders remembers his first enemy kill like it happened yesterday.
Augusta VA employee hired in midst of fatal drinking and driving investigation
(WRDW; Augusta, Ga.)We have obtained documents showing the hospital hired a former employee at a Mississippi VA Hospital who was arrested following a drinking and driving incident. During that incident the police report says Fillingim's co-worker fell from the vehicle and died.
State inspectors denied records at Tampa VA hospital
(Tampa Tribune) For the second time in as many days, inspectors from the state’s Agency for Health Care Administration were turned away from a local Department of Veterans Affairs medical center after seeking records.
Hampton VA Medical Center 3rd worst in U.S. in delay-related deaths
(The Daily Press; Newport News, Va.) The report said the Hampton medical center was the third-worst out of 1,700 VA facilities across the country in terms of problems caused by delayed gastrointestinal care.
AFGHANISTAN/PAKISTAN
Taliban's shadow governor for Kunar reported killed in US airstrike
(The Long War Journal) The National Directorate of Security, Afghanistan's domestic intelligence service, claimed that the Taliban's shadow governor for Kunar province and several senior commanders were killed in an airstrike three days ago. The Taliban commander's death has not been confirmed.
A rising number of children are dying from U.S. explosives littering Afghan land
(Washington Post) As the U.S. military withdraws from Afghanistan, it is leaving behind a deadly legacy: about 800 square miles of land littered with undetonated grenades, rockets and mortar shells.
Pakistan separatists claim responsibility for deadly market bombing
(Los Angeles Times) A separatist group from the restive southwestern province of Baluchistan has claimed responsibility for a powerful explosion that ripped through a crowded fruit and vegetable market in Islamabad on Wednesday, killing at least 23 people.
Dozens killed in Taliban infighting in South Waziristan
(The Long War Journal) Two factions of the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, one led by Waliur Rehman Mehsud, the group's emir for South Waziristan, and another by Sajna Mehsud, a senior commander, are currently fighting in the Taliban-controlled tribal agency. At least 24 fighters, including a local commander known as Kasheed Mehsud, are reported to have been killed since Sunday, according to The News.
MIDDLE EAST
Israel launches Ofek 10 radar-based spy satellite
(Jerusalem Post) The Defense Ministry and Israeli Aircraft Industries launched a spy satellite into orbit from Palmahim Air Base on Wednesday night.
Car bombs in Baghdad, Iraqi town kill 34 people
(Associated Press) Car bombs hit several mostly Shiite neighborhoods of Baghdad and a town south of the Iraqi capital on Wednesday, killing at least 34 people and wounding dozens, officials said, the latest bout of violence ahead of the country's first parliamentary elections since the 2011 U.S. troop withdrawal.
U.S. troops need to continue fight against 'robust' al-Qaida, panel told
(Medill News Service) As American forces leave Afghanistan, some officials are expressing fear that al-Qaida is gaining ground.
Nuclear Talks With Iran Need ‘Intensive Work,’ Envoys Say
(New York Times) Iran and the group of six major powers negotiating a permanent agreement to resolve the Iranian nuclear dispute concluded a two-day round of talks in Vienna on Wednesday, asserting that “a lot of intensive work” remained to complete a draft accord by their self-imposed deadline in three months.
Khamenei: Iran will never give up its nuclear program
(BBC) Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has backed talks with world powers but warned Tehran will never give up its nuclear program.
AFRICA
African Warlord Kony Stays Elusive Despite Offensive
(Wall Street Journal) Col. Kevin Leahy, the commander of the U.S. counter-LRA force, said stepped-up operations by U.S. and Ugandan forces have forced Mr. Kony to change tactics and abandon offensive operations.
US envoy: C. African Republic needs more troops
(Associated Press) The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations on Wednesday urged more support for existing African and French troops in Central African Republic on the eve of a U.N. vote to create a peacekeeping mission.
Algeria president's fourth term likely despite health, opposition
(Los Angeles Times) Algeria’s longtime President Abdelaziz Bouteflika appears a shoo-in to win reelection during the national vote scheduled for April 17, despite concerns about his health and criticism of the government’s strict control.
In Libya, politicians in fear of powerful militias
(Associated Press) In a humiliating video, Libya's top politician — the head of parliament — is seen begging with a militia commander, trying to explain to him why he was caught with two women in his residence and insisting nothing scandalous was going on.
EUROPE
NATO To Consider Options To Reassure Eastern European Members
(Defense News) NATO’s supreme allied commander will present options to the North Atlantic Council on April 15 on how the alliance will reassure eastern European members that NATO is committed to defending them, including military exercises, an alliance spokesman said.
Destroyer Donald Cook to enter Black Sea amid standoff
(Navy Times) The destroyer Donald Cook is set to enter the Black Sea Thursday amid tensions over eastern Ukraine.
Russia: Chesapeake-based private soldiers in Ukraine
(Virginian-Pilot; Norfolk) Have security operatives from a Chesapeake-based company been injected into the tense standoff between Ukraine and Russia? That’s what Russia says, but the company denies it.
Pro-Russia Citizens of Eastern Ukraine Occupy Buildings and Wait for Russia
(Wall Street Journal) Ever since pro-Russian activists seized government buildings in Crimea, precipitating a Russian invasion and annexation, Sergei Baryshnikov and his allies have been coming to the central square of this gritty city hoping to engineer something similar in Ukraine's Russian-speaking East.
Russia Didn’t Share All Details on Boston Bombing Suspect, Report Says
(New York Times) The Russian government declined to provide the F.B.I. with information about one of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects that would most likely have led to more extensive scrutiny of him at least two years before the attack, according to an inspector general’s report.
ASIA-PACIFIC
Hagel Asks China's Xi Jinping to Do More to Contain North Korea
(Wall Street Journal) U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel wrapped up a three-day visit to China on Wednesday by urging President Xi Jinping to play a larger role in containing the dangers posed in the region by North Korea.
Navy and Marines Still Unclear How Army Will Fit Into Pacific Pivot
(U.S. Naval Institute) The key to success for operations in the Pacific is mobility, but having sufficient resources to meet the vast requirements—even for training—across the next five years is in serious question.
Norway's Naval Strike Missile Aims for the Pacific
(Defense News) When navies gather this summer in the warm waters near Hawaii for the biannual Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercises, among them will be at least one warship more at home in the cold waters of the Atlantic and Arctic oceans.
China Knows No Sequestration, Navy Acquisition Head Warns
(National Defense Magazine) The U.S. military will be in danger of losing its asymmetric advantage should sequestration be reinstated in fiscal year 2016, the Navy’s acquisition chief warned.
Thousands of USFK workers may strike over wages, conditions
(Stars and Stripes) Thousands of South Koreans who work for the U.S. military could go on strike later this month to protest what union officials describe as stagnant wages, unstable jobs and unfair working conditions.
COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS
U.S. needs to plan for the day after an Iran deal
(Retired Army Gen. David Petraeus and Vance Serchuk in The Washington Post) Advocates of the effort to reach a negotiated settlement with Iran over its illicit nuclear activities have emphasized the benefits an agreement could bring by peacefully and verifiably barring Tehran from developing nuclear weapons. Skeptics, meanwhile, have warned of the risks of a “bad deal,” under which Iran’s capabilities are not sufficiently rolled back.
Democracy Dividends from the Afghanistan Investment
(Retired Army Gen. David Petraeus and Michael O'Hanlon) With an enthusiastic election turnout on Saturday, the Afghan people took a major step toward electing a new president—a crucial step for a young democracy seeking to demonstrate that it can peacefully pass power from one leader to another. This will be a first for Afghanistan, a country where most transitions have been violent. But we need to be patient and realistic as we watch and support this process as it plays out over the spring and summer.
Congress Must Pass the Veteran Suicide Prevention Bill
(Nick McCormick in Defense One) Last month, starting at dawn and concluding hours later, veterans and supporters placed 1,892 American flags on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., representing the number of veterans estimated to have died by suicide to date in 2014.
The Spark of Rebellion: Exercising Their Options
(Lamar Cravens in War on the Rocks) The morning of Sunday, April 4, 2004 began like any other in occupation-era Iraq. The forecast called for clear skies and rising temperatures, with none of the dust storms that could choke the sun and cover everything in a faint orange talc, and none of the blast furnace heat that made the summers unbearable.
Eliminating Double Standards in the Marine Corps
(Rep. Duncan Hunter in Defense One) In a recent Washington Post op-ed, a female Marine officer issued a strong complaint that women, unlike their male counterparts, are unfairly denied a second opportunity to pass the prestigious and arduous Marine Corps Infantry Officers Course (IOC).
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