TODAY’S TOP 5
1. Lawmakers readying legislation to block A-10 cuts
(Air Force Times) Lawmakers in both the House and Senate are planning legislation to block the Air Force’s plans to retire the A-10.
2. Defense Counter-Bomb Unit Cited for Improper Intelligence
(Bloomberg) A U.S. military organization charged with countering improvised bombs engaged in improper intelligence collection on the side, the Pentagon’s inspector general found.
3. Evidence-based solution for post-traumatic stress dilemma
(Retired Army Lt. Gen. Clarence McKnight Jr. and David Leffler in The Hill) Over half a million U.S. troops suffer from stress-induced problems like Post-traumatic Stress (PTS). Less than 20 percent of them receive proper care due to ineffective treatments, insufficient government resources, or fear of stigma. Half get no care at all.
4. Telling My Family That I’m Leaving Again for Afghanistan
(The Daily Beast) Nick Willard is the pen name of a service member heading to Afghanistan on one of the final deployments in the closing days of America’s longest war. He will write what he sees in an ongoing feature for The Daily Beast that will appear as regularly as his schedule allows. Biographical details have been changed to protect his identity.
5. US House approves frigate sale to Taiwan
(IHS Jane's 360) The US House of Representatives on 7 April authorised the sale to Taiwan of four Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided missile frigates.
INDUSTRY
Navy may delay decision on replacing carrier supply planes
(Reuters) The U.S. Navy is looking for an inexpensive way to replace its aging fleet of 35 C-2 planes that ferry passengers and spare parts to aircraft carriers, but may be able to put off a procurement decision for one to two years, a Navy official said.
USAF Tanker Price Tag Projection Drops $1.8M Per Aircraft
(Defense News) The projected price tag for the new Boeing KC-46 tanker has fallen $1.8 million per aircraft, according to a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report.
General Atomics Shows Off Company’s UCLASS Option
(U.S. Naval Institute) General Atomics showed off images and a model of what appears to be a slightly modified version of its Sea Avenger unmanned concept aircraft at the Navy League Sea Air and Space exposition.
U.S. Navy aims to smooth impact of fiscal 2015 cut to ship orders
(Reuters) The U.S. Navy hopes to smooth out the impact on Lockheed Martin Corp and Australia's Austal of a budget-driven decision to order three Littoral Combat Ships instead of four in fiscal year 2015, the Navy's top weapons buyer said on Thursday.
NAVAIR to Select Presidential Helicopter by End of May
(U.S. Naval Institute) The U.S. Navy hopes to select a contractor for the VXX Presidential helicopter program — known as Marine One when the president is aboard — sometime in May.
BAE Systems, Lockheed confirm bids for Australian trainer
(IHS Jane's 360) BAE Systems Australia has confirmed a teaming arrangement with Beechcraft and CAE for Australia's future pilot training tender in a statement released on 10 April.
Follow @DFNbot, Defense News’ First Bot
(Intercepts) On workdays after 5 p.m., the Pentagon publishes a press release announcing major contracts — those worth more than $6.5 million — awarded to industry. (The releases are known as “blue-toppers,” after the colored stripe atop the paper copies once distributed to the Pentagon press.) At 5:30 p.m., our bot scans the day’s contracts, adds up their total potential value, and tweets the sum at @DFNbot.
CONGRESS
Congressman: Wait until '15 for major pay, benefits reform
(Military Times) The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee wants to wait on major military compensation reform until next year, but may accept some smaller changes to pay and benefits in the current budget debate.
Top SASC Republican Blasts Proposed US Air Force Cuts
(Defense News) The US Senate Armed Services Committee’s top Republican on Thursday slammed the Air Force’s 2015 spending plan, saying it “increases risk to unacceptable levels.”
40 lawmakers seek to halt closure of military fast food outlets
(Military Times) Forty lawmakers have signed a letter asking the Labor Department to exempt some military morale, welfare and recreation and exchange operations — such as fast food concessions — from wage regulations affecting federal contractors on military bases.
Black lawmakers appeal to DoD over hairstyle ban
(Associated Press) Black female lawmakers are urging Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to reconsider revised Army regulations that ban hairstyles frequently worn by minority women in the military.
Mental health screening for soldiers picks up steam
(The Hill) A bipartisan group of lawmakers has introduced a bill calling for mental health screening for recruits before they can join the military, which it says could help prevent future shootings on military bases.
Senate bill would expand benefits for caregivers
(Military Times) Responding to a Rand Corp. report issued last week on challenges facing those who care for ill or injured veterans, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., on Thursday introduced a bill that would increase federal support for this largely invisible group.
McCain blasts U.S. Navy's LCS ship plan; urges cut to 24 vessels
(Reuters) Senator John McCain on Wednesday blasted the U.S. Navy's new Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program as a "shameful" and dangerous waste of taxpayer money, and he urged the Pentagon to cut its planned purchases back by another eight ships to 24 ships.
House votes unanimously to oppose Iran’s choice for U.N. ambassador
(Washington Post) In a rare unanimous vote, the House of Representatives went on record Thursday opposing Iran’s choice for its representative at the United Nations on grounds that the would-be envoy participated in the 1979 takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran.
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Generals: Two-war strategy in jeopardy under sequester
(The Hill) The U.S. military's goal of being able to fight two wars at the same time is in jeopardy due to the continued specter of sequestration, top commanders from all four Defense Department branches said Thursday.
Pentagon seeks more funds to counter bio weapons
(USA Today) The Pentagon wants to spend more money on a secret program to track weapons of mass destruction because of new information showing an increased need to locate chemical and biological weapons, military budget plans show.
Life insurance premium rate to go up this summer
(Military Times) The premium rate for Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance will rise July 1 to 7 cents per month for every $1,000 of coverage, up from the current 6.5 cents.
ARMY
Clerk where Lopez bought gun says Army should flag at-risk soldiers
(Stars and Stripes) Guns Galore, a small brick building on South Fort Hood Street, has a red-and-white awning under a sign with a rifle sight as the “O” in the store’s name. The sides of the building are painted white, with signs promising 3,000 guns in stock and “1,700 plus on display.”
Fort Bragg brigade commander suspended pending probe into misconduct allegations
(Fayetteville Observer) A Fort Bragg brigade commander has been suspended pending an investigation into allegations of misconduct, the post said Thursday night.
Army sheds (a little) light on sexual assault
(USA Today) A three-star general discussed for the first time in public information about soldiers disqualified from "positions of trust." It's some of the same data that the Army recently required USA TODAY to request under the federal Freedom of Information Act.
Army specialist reunited with his war dog
(Army Times) A military working dog named Ellen has come home to her soldier after they deployed together but then spent years apart.
Ft. Bragg sergeant convicted in theft of $420,000 of jet fuel from Afghanistan base
(Raleigh News & Observer) Sgt. 1st Class James Edward Travis, of the 4th Battalion in the 3rd Special Forces Group, was sentenced on Wednesday to five years in prison, according to the United States Attorney’s office in eastern North Carolina.
Army investigators: No sign of foul play in Fort Drum shooting incident
(Watertown Daily Times) Investigators from the Army’s Criminal Investigation Command said they do not suspect foul play in the case of a soldier who was shot during a training exercise late Monday.
NAVY
Sources: MA2 Mayo shielded shipmate from gunman
(Navy Times) Master-at-Arms 2nd Class Mark Mayo was fatally shot four times March 24 defending a petty officer of the watch who was not carrying a full complement of weapons and gear, three sources told Navy Times in the most detailed account of the fatal shooting to date.
Diary of a tragedy: Naval Academy family buries a son in Annapolis
(The Capital; Annapolis, Md.) Chapel bells ring as the guard marches to the hearse. The bells stop and the tourists watch in silence at the U.S. Naval Academy, some clasping their hands, some removing their hats.
Navy Makes Plans for New Destroyer for 2030s
(Military.com) The U.S. Navy is in the very early stages of developing a new destroyer -- called the Future Surface Combatant -- which will replace the existing Arleigh Burke-class destroyers and enter service by the early 2030s, Navy leaders told Military.com.
Mysterious rumbling along L.A. coast tied to supersonic Navy flight
(Los Angeles Times) The mystery over rumbling along the Los Angeles and Orange County coast that many believed was an earthquake appears to have actually been caused by a supersonic Navy flight.
AIR FORCE
Former 20th Air Force commander fired after Russia trip will retire as 1-star
(Air Force Times) The two-star general removed from command of the Air Force’s nuclear missile arsenal in October after a series of misdeeds in Russia will retire June 1 at the rank of brigadier general, the Air Force said.
Man arrested in hit-and-run crash that killed Airman
(KUSA; Denver) Leadership at Buckley Air Force base hopes to release more information about the Airman killed in a hit-and-run crash on Denver's east side overnight Wednesday.
SD family was at 'mercy of the seas'
(San Diego Union-Tribune) Eric and Charlotte Kaufman walked down a Navy gangway onto dry land Wednesday morning in Coronado, with no comment about their odyssey on the Pacific or in the rough seas of public opinion.
Atlas 5 Launches Classified Satellite from Cape Canaveral
(Space News) An Atlas 5 rocket carrying a classified payload lifted off April 10 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., following a 16-day delay caused by technical issues at the launch range.
MARINE CORPS
Marine Corps to stand up crisis response unit in CENTCOM in 2015
(Marine Corps Times) The Marine Corps will form a new land-based unit in the Middle East during fiscal year 2015 that is designed to respond to crises in the region, including emergencies at embassies, sources have told Marine Corps Times.
Marine Corps Preparing For Expanded Role in Africa
(National Defense Magazine) Since the end of World War II, U.S. foreign policy in Africa has been based on diplomacy and international aid rather than military presence.
Corps to ensure all bases have same firearm policies
(Marine Corps Times) In an effort to ensure that commanders are enforcing the same rules regarding privately owned firearms on base, the Marine Corps has issued new guidance to standardize policies across the entire service.
Top CENTCOM Marine: 2012 Benghazi Attack Changed USMC Roles in Africa and Middle East
(U.S. Naval Institute) The murder of Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three Americans in his security detail during an attack on the American consulate in Benghazi, Libya, on Sept. 11, 2012 has created a new normal for the Marine Corps and new means to operate in the Middle East and Africa, the senior Marine at Central Command said on Wednesday.
Bed bug infestation confirmed at Cherry Point barracks
(Marine Corps Times) Despite quiet attempts to eradicate the problem, a bed bugs infestation appears to be spreading at a North Carolina Marine Corps base.
VETERANS
Iraq vet finds the funny in his injury
(Military Times) When military doctors told Army cavalry scout Sgt. Joe Kashnow they were going to cut off his leg after a roadside blast in Iraq, he wanted them to promise one thing.
Tears, angry accusations mark hearing on delayed VA care, deaths (With Video)
(CNN) A bi-partisan group of lawmakers lashed out at officials from the Veterans Affairs Department on Wednesday, accusing the agency of allowing veterans to die from delayed or absent medical care at its facilities and stonewalling a follow-up congressional inquiry.
VA iPad pilot empowers veterans, caregivers
(Federal Times) Last May, the Veterans Affairs Department began rolling out hundreds of Apple iPads to caregivers of seriously injured post-9/11 vets.
AFGHANISTAN/PAKISTAN
Afghan commander: Cross-border Taliban alliance growing stronger
(Reuters) Taliban militants in Pakistan have established an increasingly close relationship with insurgents from across the border in Afghanistan, supplying them with explosives and well-trained fighters, a senior Afghan army commander said on Wednesday.
Fort Bragg troops work to change thinking of Afghan military
(Fayetteville Observer) Afghan Col. Abu Amin needs more guns at the artillery school he runs in Kabul. He needs reliable maintenance for his facilities and equipment. And he needs basic equipment to teach his soldiers.
Afghan Candidates Say They'll Offer Karzai An Advisory Role
(Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty) After nearly 13 years at the helm, Afghan President Hamid Karzai is finally stepping down. But his influence is unlikely to end when he relinquishes the formal reins of power.
Pakistan Procurement Decisions Face East And West
(Defense News) Pakistan faces potential conflict on two fronts that calls for different types of equipment, but funding issues restrict its choices.
MIDDLE EAST
Scores killed in clashes in Iraq's Ramadi
(Al Jazeera) At least 50 members of the Iraqi armed forces and seven fighters have been killed in clashes in the city of Ramadi, Al Jazeera’s reporter says, while two deadly car bombs have hit the capital Baghdad.
Israel imposes more sanctions on Palestinians
(Los Angeles Times) Israel will not transfer to the Palestinians the tax revenue it collects on behalf of the Palestinian Authority and said it would use the money to cover Palestinian debts to Israel.
Chechen ISIS leader slams Al Nusrah Front for killing Moroccan commander
(Long War Journal) Omar al Shishani, a Chechen who serves as a senior military commander for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham, verbally attacked the Al Nusrah Front for the People of the Levant, al Qaeda's branch in Syria, for killing a Moroccan military commander.
Warily, Jordan Assists Rebels in Syrian War
(New York Times) When rebels want to return to Syria to fight, Jordan’s intelligence services give them specific times to cross its border. When the rebels need weapons, they make their request at an “operations room” in Amman staffed by agents from Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United States.
U.S. Ship Retrofitted for Destroying Syria's Chemical Arsenal at Sea
(Wall Street Journal) The MV Cape Ray is primed and ready to take on the unprecedented job of destroying at sea more than more than 500 metric tons of the most dangerous materials from Syria's chemicals weapons program.
Ansar Jerusalem releases video of December bombing in Mansoura
(Long War Journal) The Sinai-based jihadist group Ansar Jerusalem (Ansar Bayt al Maqdis) today released a video about its Dec. 24, 2013 suicide car bombing attack outside the Daqahliya security directorate in Mansoura. The group, which was designated yesterday as a foreign terrorist organization by the US, had previously claimed responsibility for the Mansoura attack, in a statement released on Dec. 25, 2013.
AFRICA
U.N. peacekeepers authorized for Central African Republic
(Los Angeles Times) The United Nations Security Council on Thursday unanimously authorized a nearly 12,000-member peacekeeping force for the Central African Republic, where fighting between Christians and Muslims has been raging for months.
Airlift support gets pulled out of effort to counter Lord’s Army
(Stars and Stripes) Less than a month after sending a “limited number” of CV-22 Ospreys and refueling aircraft into central Africa to assist in the hunt for fugitive warlord Joseph Kony, the U.S. military is pulling those additional assets out of the mission, a top U.S. general said.
US Marines Headed To Chad Park To Fight Poaching
(Defense News) A small team of US Marines are to head soon to Chad’s Zakouma National Park to train local forces in the fight against the poaching threatening the area’s elephant herds.
EUROPE
NATO satellite photos show Russian military buildup near Ukraine
(Reuters) NATO presented satellite photographs on Thursday it said showed Russian deployments of 40,000 troops near the Ukrainian frontier along with tanks, armoured vehicles, artillery and aircraft ready for action.
Speak Softly and Carry a Big Twig
(Time) Archimedes had geopolitics about right when he declared “Give me a place to stand, and I will move the Earth.” The U.S. military has little place to stand when it comes to Russia’s threats against neighboring Ukraine, giving it little leverage when it comes to changing what’s happening on the ground there. That fact has led to outrage among congressional Republicans, who want President Obama to do more to thwart Russian President Vladimir Putin’s expansionist goals.
U.S. Prepared to Ramp Up Sanctions Over Ukraine, Lew Warns Russia
(Wall Street Journal) U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew on Thursday told his Russian counterpart the U.S. is prepared to ramp up sanctions against Moscow over its actions in Ukraine, the Treasury Department said.
Germany offers Typhoons to bolster Baltic air policing
(IHS Jane's 360) Germany has offered to send six Eurofighter Typhoon fighter aircraft to help bolster the NATO Baltic Air Policing Mission, an alliance spokesperson confirmed to IHS Jane's on 9 April.
ASIA-PACIFIC
China's new Yuan-class sub seen preparing for sea trials
(IHS Jane's 360) New Chinese-sourced imagery shows that the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) continues to modify its Type 041 Yuan class conventional submarine and that it is making progress towards a new large destroyer or cruiser.
During Hagel Visit, China Showed Its Military Might, and Its Frustrations
(New York Times) When Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel visited China this week, the military greeted him with a long-sought tour of the country’s lone aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, in what many American officials interpreted as a resolve to project naval power, particularly in light of recent tension between Beijing and its neighbors over disputed islands in the East and South China Seas.
Chinese Premier Li Warns Southeast Asia Nations Against 'Provocations'
(Wall Street Journal) Premier Li Keqiang delivered a warning to Southeast Asian countries with whom China is embroiled in territorial disputes, saying that China will "respond firmly to provocations."
Mysterious spate of official suicides in China sparks debate, censorship
(Washington Post) A series of mysterious apparent suicides by Chinese officials in the past three weeks, including of two senior figures, has sparked debate and questions among ordinary people here, as well as a fresh round of online censorship.
Japan’s Dispatches of Jets Against China Rise to Record
(Bloomberg) Japan’s dispatches of fighter jets to pursue Chinese aircraft rose by a third in the past year to a record 415 times, reflecting growing tensions stemming from a territorial dispute in the East China Sea.
South Korea, US To Hold Largest-Ever Joint Air Drill
(Defense News) South Korea’s military said Thursday it would hold its largest-ever joint air drill with the United States as tensions mount over a series of threats from North Korea.
COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS
Korb on pay and benefits reform: Inaction carries heavy cost
(Lawrence Korb in Military Times) I am appalled that all of these groups, particularly MOAA, have waged such a misleading campaign that succeeded in overturning a provision of the recent Ryan-Murray budget deal, which was vigorously defended by Reps. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., chairman of the House Budget Committee, and Adam Smith, D-Wash., ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee.
Hayden on pay and benefits reform: Repeat mistakes, break the force
(Retired Air Force Col. Mike Hayden in Military Times) The claim that MOAA, with our Military Coalition partners and the American Legion, waged a “misleading campaign” against the plan to reduce annual retiree cost of living adjustments ignores financial and moral realities.
China's Aircraft Carrier Is Nothing to Fear
(Bloomberg News Editors) Chinese officials gave U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel a tour of an aircraft carrier this week. The Liaoning is their only such vessel -- but not for long. China plans to build three more by 2020 as part of its new “blue-water navy,” a prospect that sounds alarming but isn’t. The cause for concern lies elsewhere.
China Might Actually Seize Japan's Southern Islands
(James Holmes in Foreign Policy) Beijing's position on the islands is clear. But are the Senkakus dessert, or are they an appetizer? If Chinese troops were to seize the Senkakus, might they also wrest the nearby Ryukyu Islands from Japan? It's not so far-fetched: Japanese strategists fret about how to forestall a doomsday scenario in the Ryukyus, the southwestern island chain that arcs from Japan's home islands southwest toward Taiwan.
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