TODAY’S TOP 5
1. Pentagon condemns 'provocative' Russian military action against U.S. Navy ship
(Military Times) A Russian fighter jet on Saturday made repeated “provocative” close-range, low-altitude passes above the U.S. Navy destroyer Donald Cook while it was steaming in the Black Sea, heightening Cold War-style tensions that have continued to escalate for weeks, a defense official said.
2. Industry: Bad Precedent Set if DoD Cancels Multiyear Helo Buy
(Defense News) The US Navy, in its fiscal 2015 budget proposal, said it wants to cancel a planned buy of 29 MH-60R Seahawk helicopters in 2016.
3. How Do You Solve a Problem Like Russia?
(Rep. Mac Thornberry in Real Clear Defense) If there was ever any question that the security situation in the world is constantly changing, these past five years provide undeniable evidence.
4. Military Budgets Fall in the West, Rise in China, Russia, Middle East
(National Defense Magazine) he United States still is by far the world’s largest military spender, with a budget of $640 billion in 2013. But U.S. defense spending is down from a a year ago, while the next three largest military powers — China, Russia and Saudi Arabia — have made substantial increases, according to new data by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
5. Taiwan Cuts Back Order For Secondhand U.S. Warships
(Wall Street Journal) Taiwan reduced an order for secondhand warships from the U.S. because of budgetary constraints, despite China's growing military clout in the region.
INDUSTRY
General Dynamics opts to skip GAO protest over Army vehicle plan
(Reuters) General Dynamics Corp (GD.N) said late Monday it would not ask the congressional Government Accountability Office to rule on a U.S. Army vehicle competition that it says is skewed to favor its competitor, Britain's BAE Systems Plc.(BAES.L)
Pentagon Contracts Decline 11 Percent in March
(Bloomberg) Pentagon contracts fell 11 percent in March as the military cut program spending and prepared to withdraw from Afghanistan.
Moretti New Finmeccanica CEO
(Defense News) As part of a management reshuffle involving Italy’s large state-controlled firms, the Italian government appointed Mauro Moretti as the new CEO of Finmeccanica on Monday, replacing Alessandro Pansa, who has been CEO since February 2013.
Raytheon Developing Longer-Range Griffin Missile
(Seapower) Raytheon Missile Co. is developing a fire-and-forget, longer range version of its Griffin tactical missile, while the Navy deploys a surface-to-surface version on its coastal patrol ships (PCs).
Denmark Kicks Off Fighter Contest
(Aviation Week) Denmark has fired the starting pistol in its contest for a new fighter aircraft, sending out requests for information to four manufacturers.
China Pushes Into SE Asia Market With Array of Weapons
(Defense News) Ten Chinese companies exhibiting at the Defense Services Asia (DSA) exhibition here this week are pushing wares as diverse as armored vests, missiles and submarines.
Scorpion Eyed For RIAT, Farnborough Debut
(Aviation Week) Textron is hoping to send its Scorpion prototype light attack, reconnaissance aircraft to an international coming-out at the U.K.’s Royal International Air Tattoo and Farnborough Air Show in July.
Thales UK Joins With Global Komited To Market Starstreak in Malaysia
(Defense News) With two Starstreak missile contract wins under its belt in the region recently, Thales UK is looking to extend its success by partnering with Global Komited to tackle an expected Malaysian requirement for very-short-range air defense weapons.
Safran Hammers Dassault
(IHS Jane's 360) The chief executive of Safran, Jean-Paul Herteman, has warned that unless the firm is allowed to export the Armement Air-Sol Modulaire (AASM) precision guided munition (PGM) independently of the Dassault Rafale fighter aircraft, then production of the munition will come to a close.
Saab Moves Closer To Takeover of ThyssenKrupp Sub Building Operations in Sweden
(Defense News) The Swedish government has welcomed Saab’s push to take over ThyssenKrupp’s submarine building operations in Sweden, which form part of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS). The acquisition will impact TKMS’ main facilities in Malmö, Karlskrona and Muskö.
CONGRESS
Rep. Hunter hammers Army on social science project
(USA Today) The Army program that sends social scientists to battlefields should be scrapped because it is "plagued by instances of abuse and misconduct," according to a letter to congressional appropriators from Rep. Duncan Hunter.
Congressman Owens wants Army input about concealed carry regulations after Fort Hood shootings
(Watertown Daily Times) In the aftermath of the deadly shooting at Fort Hood, a push is underway for the military to change its policies to allow soldiers to carry concealed weapons on installations.
Rep. King: 'Awarding the Pulitzer to Snowden enablers is a disgrace'
(The Hill)Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) on Monday blasted the decision to award Pulitzer Prizes to the two major newspapers that exposed the National Security Agency’s surveillance operations through documents leaked by Edward Snowden.
Peter King States His Case in Quest to Be Intelligence Committee Chairman
(National Journal) Rep. Pete King is already auditioning to be the GOP mouthpiece on the need to protect the embattled National Security Agency and remain vigilant against Islamic extremism—stances that are central to his bid to succeed retiring Rep. Mike Rogers as House Intelligence Committee Chairman.
Boehner makes surprise visit to Afghanistan
(The Hill) Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) is visiting Afghanistan with a group of senior House members in a trip aimed as assessing political progress and security as the nation holds pivotal elections ahead of the planned withdrawal of U.S. forces.
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Pentagon Debates Policy To Strengthen, Disperse Bases
(Defense News) The Pentagon is looking at new ways to disperse its forces throughout the Asia-Pacific as military planners explore alternatives to the large US super bases in the region vulnerable to cruise missile strikes.
Sen. Schumer talks with Pentagon officials about parade for Iraq, Afghanistan war vets
(New York Daily News) The Department of Defense said the city can soldier on with plans to honor Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans with a ticker-tape parade along the historic Canyon of Heroes.
DoD to scrutinize GSA prices
(Federal Times) A growing concern of the Defense Department — one of GSA’s largest customers — is DoD doesn’t always get the best deals on GSA schedules. There is wide variation in schedule pricing, but the government’s acquisition regulations tell contracting staff those prices are fair and reasonable, said Richard Ginman, director of Defense Procurement and Acquisition Policy, DoD’s contracting policy arm.
ARMY
The push for pullups: Why soldiers want it added to PT test
(Army Times) Soldiers across the Army say there’s a simple way to better measure an individual’s strength and prepare them for combat — add pullups to the PT test.
Obama to speak at West Point graduation
(Gannett Washington Bureau) President Barack Obama will deliver this year’s commencement address at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point on May 28, the White House announced Monday.
First women move into Army platoon artillery jobs
(Associated Press) Under a canopy of trees on the edge of a large field, soldiers from Bravo Battery are lying in a circle as they pore over targeting charts. Nearby, others are preparing the howitzer cannons as helicopters swoop overhead. At the edge of the circle, the platoon leader watches as the field artillerymen go through their training exercise.
Kansas shooting suspect is former Fort Bragg soldier with ties to N.C. white supremacist movement
(Fayetteville Observer) The 73-year-old Missouri man accused of killing three people Sunday at Jewish facilities in Kansas is a former Ku Klux Klan leader and Fort Bragg soldier who honed and hawked his anti-semitic and racist views in the Cape Fear region in the '70s and '80s.
Manning's conviction, 35-year sentence upheld
(Associated Press) An Army general has upheld Private Chelsea Manning's conviction and 35-year prison sentence for giving reams of classified U.S. government information to the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks, the Army said Monday.
2nd LTs win Best Ranger Competition
(Army Times) A duo of lieutenants from the 25th Infantry Division won the 2014 Best Ranger Competition on Sunday.
Obama declines meeting with Fort Hood victim
(The Hill) President Obama declined to meet last week with a victim of the 2009 Fort Hood shooting who says he should be eligible for federal combat benefits.
Donations accepted for Fort Hood victims, families
(Army Times) A fund has opened to gather donations for wounded victims of the Fort Hood shooting and for the families of those killed in the tragedy.
NAVY
Sea pay raise starts May 1
(Navy Times) The first sea pay raise in over a decade will kick in for sailors and Marines with three years or more sea time starting May 1, the chief of naval personnel said in a Monday news release.
US Navy Needs Fast Missile Craft — And LCS — in Persian Gulf
(Breaking Defense) As the Pentagon reduces the deployment of Carrier Strike Groups (CSGs) in the Gulf from two to one, the deployment of escorting cruisers, destroyers, and fast attack submarines will decrease as well – leaving Fifth Fleet commanders with significantly fewer assets in any future surface engagement. Fortunately, an affordable US-built Fast Missile Craft (FMC) is now on the market, and its purchase and incorporation into Fifth Fleet would provide commanders with permanently forward-deployed assets that are capable of taking the long-distance shots that an aircraft carrier’s accompanying cruisers and destroyers once assured.
Boosted bonuses: New rules raise payout ceiling to $100K
(Navy Times) A new war is on the Navy’s horizon, one for keeping the best people with the hottest skills in the ranks.
Sailors in Djibouti patrol to prevent another USS Cole (With Video)
(Stars and Stripes) Sailors of the Coastal Riverine Squadron-1 Forward Wave 2, deployed to Camp Lemonnier to guard big U.S. Navy ships cruising into Djibouti’s port, have the tricky task of offloading their 34-foot Sea Ark vessels onto a crowded ramp occupied by rickety fishing canoes.
AIR FORCE
Too many bases: The plan to sidestep Congress' opposition to closures
(Air Force Times) The concept of “warm basing” — keeping a base open in a limited, less costly way while avoiding opposition to base realignment and closure actions — is one option being explored by Air Force leaders. That strategy is also recommended by a congressionally mandated report on Air Force force structure.
Air Force names new acquisition, mobility leaders
(Defense News) The Air Force is shuffling the command of several key programs, including missile systems and its new tanker plane, the service announced Monday.
Air Force mission on the rise in Africa amid Afghan drawdown
(Stars and Stripes) For the Air Force, the mission at Camp Lemonnier centers on providing air lift support for crisis response units, maintaining a surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities for intelligence gathering efforts in the region, and ensuring that a team of special operators is prepared to execute rescue missions around the clock.
Maryland man pleads guilty in no-show job at 171st Air Wing
(Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) A Maryland man who got a no-show job at the 171st Air Refueling Wing pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government in the first conviction to come from an ongoing probe into the trading of favors in the Air National Guard.
Family raises reward in airman's killing
(The Wilson Times; N.C.) Every week for the past nine months, Golynda Hargrove Powell makes the same phone call to Denver police detectives. She wants to know if there are any leads in the homicide investigation into the death of her grandson, Air Force Airman 1st Class Shaquille Hargrove, who was just 19 when he was shot in downtown Denver last July 13.
MARINE CORPS
New expectations, new training: EF-21 requires complete overhaul
(Marine Corps Times) As the Corps rolls out its latest concept of operations — Expeditionary Force 21 — the service must overhaul predeployment training to prepare Marines for future challenges of unpredictable missions in parts unknown.
Family of ex-Marine in Iran sees hope of freedom
(Associated Press) The Michigan family of a former Marine imprisoned in Iran since his 2011 arrest on spying charges is hopeful that he could be released soon because of recent developments in his case, including his conviction for a lesser offense, a family spokesman said Sunday.
Program offers Marines and sailors transition assistance
(The Daily News; Jacksonville, N.C.) The Marine For Life program, which was started in 2002, has ramped up their outreach efforts as more and more Marines transition from the Corps. The program has points of contact in all 50 states to help Marines transition and a growing mentor program, where Marine reservists or civilian Marines offer advice and resources to make the Marines’ adjustment to civilian life as simple and stress-free as possible.
Molding Marines: Educators leave boot camp with understanding of Marines
(Dowagiac Daily News) During the week of April 7-11, DeJong was one of 40 educators, including 20 from Michigan, to attend the workshop, which is designed to give them the knowledge to better address questions students might have about military service. The workshop is offered several times a year to different educational professionals across the country.
VETERANS
Best for Vets: Employers 2014
(Military Times) More companies than ever completed this year’s survey. All but one told us they’re hiring right now, and that one company plans to start hiring within the next 12 months.
Arvada man, a World War II vet, gets overdue POW medal
(Denver Post) A World War II veteran and Arvada resident was presented Monday with a medal commemorating his time as a prisoner of war.
Anonymous online counseling for vets shows early success
(Military Times) When they contracted with the Vets Prevail program late last year, Veterans Affairs Department officials hoped the Web-based mental health resource could enroll about 2,200 new veterans in its anonymous counseling over a year.
McCain, Flake call for hearings on delayed care at Phoenix VA hospital
(KPHO; Phoenix) U.S. Sen. John McCain(R-Arizona) and U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake(R-Arizona) are calling for congressional hearings to determine whether dozens of patients died while awaiting medical care at the Phoenix VA Hospital.
Convicted killer’s hire as chaplain at Togus concerns federal officials
(Morning Sentinel; Waterville, Maine) The chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee said Friday that the panel is concerned by a loophole that allowed VA Maine Healthcare Systems-Togus to hire a chaplain who killed his wife without Togus officials knowing of his conviction.
Other-than-honorable vet says VA cutting insulin supply after 15 years (With Video)
(WRDW; Augusta, Ga.) Veteran Richard Ray said he wants to know why the VA has discontinued the medication he needs to live.
AFGHANISTAN
McChrystal film 'The Operators' coming via David Michod, Brad Pitt
(Los Angeles Times) Australian director David Michod, who was behind the colorful indie gangster pic "Animal Kingdom" a few years back, will write and direct the McChrystal military drama "The Operators," producers announced Monday. Starring in the film? None other than Brad Pitt.
Gunmen abduct Afghan deputy minister in Kabul
(Associated Press) Gunmen abducted the Afghan deputy public works minister in Kabul on Tuesday, officials said, a grim reminder of the insecurity plaguing Afghanistan as most foreign troops prepare to withdraw from the country at the end of the year.
Violence data show spike during Afghan presidential election
(Washington Post) Data released Monday by the U.S. military in Kabul show that April 5 was, in fact, an unusually violent day, spiking far above the norm, although falling 36 percent short of the peak number of attacks during the 2009 election, one of the bloodiest days of the war.
Afghanistan's Abdullah Pledges 'Meritocracy' If Elected
(Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty) In an exclusive interview with RFE/RL, Afghan presidential front-runner Abdullah Abdullah says he will not exclude anyone, including his rivals, from government if he is elected.
MIDDLE EAST
GCC Seeks To Form Military Bloc With Jordan, Morocco
(Defense News) The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has invited Jordan and Morocco to form a military alliance to resolve the bloc’s manpower issues.
Iraqi Military Warns Civilians To Leave Fallujah
(Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)Iraqi military jets have dropped leaflets over the city of Fallujah urging remaining civilians there to leave within three days in anticipation of intense air strikes.
Israeli Officer Killed on Way to Seder in West Bank
(New York Times) An Israeli police officer was fatally shot and his wife and young son were wounded Monday evening as they drove to a Passover Seder near the West Bank city of Hebron, according to a spokeswoman for the Israeli military.
Turkey Appoints New Procurement Chief
(Defense News) The Turkish government has appointed an aviation expert as new chief official for defense procurement, according to a government decree.
Iran’s one-stop shop for U.S. Army gear
(The Daily Star; Lebanon) Every type of equipment the U.S. military has at its disposal is on sale at the Gomrok bazaar in south Tehran’s Razi Square, the merchants say, and The Daily Star has found evidence that they could be telling the truth.
Al Nusrah Front official explains al Qaeda's strategy, conflict with former branch
(The Long War Journal) Abu Sulayman al Muhajir, a high-ranking sharia official in the Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda's official branch in Syria, has released a video explaining the group's ongoing conflict with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham (ISIS). Al Qaeda's general command disowned ISIS in early February after Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, the emir of ISIS, repeatedly disobeyed orders.
EUROPE
Lithuanian Military To Deploy New Radars to Belarus Border
(Defense News) The Lithuanian Ministry of Defense is planning to deploy three new radars to Lithuania’s border with Belarus to bolster the military’s air surveillance capacity. The equipment will replace the Lithuanian Army’s P-18 and P-37 radars, which are Russian-built, the ministry said in a statement.
Ukraine Says Military Operation in East Has Begun
(Wall Street Journal) Ukraine's acting president said Tuesday that a military operation to wrest control of cities in eastern Ukraine from pro-Russian militants has begun.
Pro-Russia police help foil Ukraine crackdown in east
(Los Angeles Times) Ukrainian police sympathetic to pro-Russia separatists occupying government buildings helped thwart a threatened crackdown Monday, undermining the government's credibility and encouraging the gunmen to grab more facilities.
Italy Copes With 'Biblical Exodus' of Migrants in Mediterranean
(Defense News) The Italian Navy opened fire on human traffickers in the Mediterranean Sea last fall as thousands of migrants, including sub-Saharan Africans and Syrians, made desperate bids to sail to Italy.
ASIA-PACIFIC
Official: India Will Need To Hike Defense Spending by 30% To Narrow Gap With China
(Defense News) India will spend $150 billion in the next 10 years on new weapons from overseas and domestic sources, the Indian Army official. However, boosting spending 30 percent would require an additional $50 billion.
Japan, South Korea to Discuss Comfort Women
(Wall Street Journal) Ahead of a visit by U.S. President Barack Obama to both countries next week, Japan and South Korea will on Wednesday hold a rare meeting aimed at removing a long-standing thorn in relations between the two U.S. allies: a dispute over Tokyo's use of sex slaves during World War II.
Growing Muscle: China's Neighbors Gear Up for a Fight
(Defense News) The Asia-Pacific naval market is heating up, with massive quantities of new ships to boost regional navies in coming years.
Through Japanese Eyes: World War II in Japanese Cinema
(U.S. Naval Institute) A film about kamikaze pilots has been playing to packed theaters from Hokkaido to Kyushu since its release in December of 2013, becoming one of the top-grossing Japanese productions of all time. In addition to attracting the admiration of Prime Minster Shinzo Abe, “The Eternal Zero” has drawn a fair amount of criticism for being the latest in a string of recent films that mythologize the Japanese role in World War II.
N. Korea's Drones Prompt Seoul To Seek Radars
(Defense News) In the wake of suspected infiltration by unmanned aircraft presumed to be made in North Korea, Seoul has laid out plans to buy low-altitude radars to help detect enemy drones.
COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS
Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Michael Barrett takes heavy flak for Capitol Hill testimony
(Walter Pincus in The Washington Post) Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Michael Barrett, who won medals for valor in the Gulf War and Iraq, is taking heavy fire from a different source. This time it’s from active and retired Marines and their family members who objected to his Senate testimony Wednesday in favor of Defense Department proposals to slow the growth of pay and benefits in the fiscal 2015 defense spending bill and beyond.
In the Middle East, Time to Move On
(New York Times Editorial Board) The pointless arguing over who brought Israeli-Palestinian peace talks to the brink of collapse is in full swing. The United States is still working to salvage the negotiations, but there is scant sign of serious purpose. It is time for the administration to lay down the principles it believes must undergird a two-state solution, should Israelis and Palestinians ever decide to make peace. Then President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry should move on and devote their attention to other major international challenges like Ukraine.
The US Is Dragging Its Feet When It Comes to Helping Afghan Translators
(Ann Scott Tyson in The Daily Beast) As the U.S. prepares to withdraw from Afghanistan, Ibrahim Khan is just one of thousands of Afghan interpreters who helped U.S. forces, often under fire, and are still waiting for visas.
Iraq’s Elections Setting Up ‘Worst Case Scenario’
(James Kitfield in Defense One) Now Iraqi Security Forces, rather than providing the glue that holds Iraq together through the turmoil of another bitterly contested national election and months of government –formation, are in severe decline, experts say, with military equipment failing from lack of adequate maintenance, training facilities largely shuttered and its ability to conduct complex operations crippled by a lack of key U.S. enablers.
Let Asia Go Nuclear
(Harvey M. Sapolsky and Christine M. Leah in The National Interest) America’s policy of opposing the proliferation of nuclear weapons needs to be more nuanced. What works for the United States in the Middle East may not in Asia. We do not want Iran or Saudi Arabia to get the bomb, but why not Australia, Japan, and South Korea?
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