TODAY’S TOP 5
1. NATO to ramp up in response to Russian aggression
(Military Times) U.S. troops in Europe likely will ramp up operations and continue a historic shift eastward after the NATO alliance this week agreed to vastly expand its military readiness in response to Russian aggression.
2. If DoD Spending Levels Remain, $66B Modernization Cut Would Follow
(Defense News) The Pentagon’s planned five-year spending plan for procurement and research-and-development projects, set forth in its 2015 budget proposal, would be cut by $66 billion if US federal spending caps remain in place, according to a new Defense Department report.
3. The Rise and Fall of Major Jim Gant
(Joseph Collins in war on the Rocks) Major Gant, however, was also a psychologically wounded warrior and not fit for combat. A multi-tour combat veteran, he had severe and apparently untreated PTSD before his final deployment, the result of too much close combat on previous tours in Afghanistan and Iraq.
4. Rep. Moran flooded with calls after fake news story
The Duffel Blog's fake story said Moran's bill would block veterans from accessing violent war movies on cable or living within 1,000 feet of bars, gun ranges, or liquor stores. The site said the bill also would require veterans to seek approval before moving to a new community while providing authority to lock up “crazed veterans” for 24 hours during July 4 and New Year’s Eve.
5. The Science of Unmasking Russian Forces in Ukraine
(Defense One) Every day, the scene playing out along the Ukrainian border with Russia seems like an act of costumed theater. Russian protestors wearing balaclavas, or ski masks, armed with military-grade weapons, attempt to take over government buildings by force. The question of who is behind the masks has risen to a level of critical international importance.
INDUSTRY
New US Navy Submarine's Delivery Delayed
(Defense News) Problems with a parts supplier and the need to modify certain design features led the US Navy to announce Wednesday that the commissioning of the new nuclear-powered attack submarine North Dakota won’t take place at the end of May as scheduled.
Should the Pentagon Rescue Ailing Suppliers?
(National Defense Magazine) Many Pentagon contractors will not survive the defense budget cuts that began in 2010 and will continue through the decade. While the shrinkage of the defense industry is certain, it is less clear whether or how it might affect the military.
F-35 To Fly at Farnborough Air Show
(Defense News) The F-35 is heading for Britain in July to fly at the Royal International Air Tattoo and the Farnborough Air Show.
UAV market could decline in a few years
(C4ISR & Networks) UAV production will increase for the next three years before declining for the next seven as demand falls, according to a report by market research firm Forecast International.
AgustaWestland Pitches AW119 for US Navy Helicopter Trainer
(Defense News) Helicopter maker AgustaWestland is touting the capabilities of its American-built AW119Kx as a candidate to replace the US Navy’s current fleet of training choppers.
Rafael looks at Iron Dome enhancements
(IHS Jane's 360) Rafael is looking at a number of enhancements to the Iron Dome missile defence system as a result of lessons learned over recent engagements, a company official told IHS Jane's in early April.
Flurry of Deals Announced at Defence Services Asia
(Defense News) Collaboration agreements, minor contract announcements, letters of agreement and letters of intent came thick and fast on the third day of the Defence Services Asia show here.
Russia orders more MiG-29SMT fighters
(IHS Jane's 360) Russia has signed a contract with the Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG (RAC MiG) for 16 more MiG-29SMT 'Fulcrum' multirole fighter aircraft, RAC MiG announced on 15 April.
Taiwan Tank Parts at DSA
(Defense News) Taiwan-based Whole Power Company has found a new market outside the Taiwan military for its armored vehicle track and suspension systems. The company is exhibiting for the first time at the Defence Services Asia exhibition in Kuala Lumpur this week.
CONGRESS
Congress unhappy with DoD, VA health records progress
(Military Times) House lawmakers plan to hold back millions in dollars of technology funding from Defense and Veterans Affairs department planners until Congress is convinced they are making progress on developing a way to share electronic medical records.
Lawmakers slam current Air Force religious expression rules
(The Hill) Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.) and other lawmakers are pressuring the Air Force to modify its rules limiting top officials' expression of their religious beliefs.
Rand Paul clarifies: No containment on Iran
(Washington Post) Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is out with another clarification of his foreign policy positions, saying unequivocally in a Washington Post op-ed that he is against a strategy of containment when it comes to Iran.
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Pentagon Plans to Ax Missile-Interceptor Redesign Under Sequestration
(Global Security Newswire) The Pentagon would ax a redesign of the front-end kill vehicle atop its strategic missile interceptor if future sequestration cuts remain law.
Hagel launches broad review of military justice system
(Military Times) The Pentagon is launching a “systemic” review of the entire military justice system that will look at how commanders convene courts-martial and impose nonjudicial punishments.
Pentagon: Cuts leave military 'too small'
(The Hill) The Pentagon released a report Tuesday evening that says sequestration budget cuts leave the United States "gambling" with its military readiness.
'Complex' report on allotments now 3 months late
(Military Times) Defense officials are more than three months late on a report on the military allotment system, which will recommend steps to protect troops from unscrupulous businesses and lenders that use allotments to take advantage of them.
Repurposing Old Drones to Bring Wi-Fi to War Fighters
(Nextgov) The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is a step closer to perfecting the repurposing of aging surveillance drones into high-bandwidth mobile hotspots designed to ensure warfighters have aerial Wi-Fi access in the most remote places on Earth.
Special Operations Command Increases Technology Funding
(National Defense Magazine) While the armed services are grappling with fewer dollars to spend on personnel, procurement, maintenance and operations accounts, Special Operations Command came out as one of the few winners of the fiscal year 2015 Defense Department budget request.
ARMY
Gillibrand demands more details on reassigned soldiers
(USA Today) The Army might be able to put off questions from a reporter seeking details about the 588 soldiers it removed from sensitive posts after the military's sexual assault scandal prompted a re-screening, but a prominent senator and persistent critic of the military's response to sexual assault is now demanding the same data.
Fox's 'Enlisted' stars cast in CBS pilot
(Army Times) In what could be seen as a show-stopping one-two punch, the Fox network has removed all traces of the military-themed comedy “Enlisted” from its spring schedule, and two of the show’s three male leads have been cast in a new comedy pilot — this time as cousins, instead of brothers.
Fort Bragg paratrooper charged in 2002 robbery from Philadelphia
(Fayetteville Observer) Caliph Hassan Samuel, 34, of the 100 block of Leblanc Street on Fort Bragg, was charged with being a fugitive from justice in Philadelphia where he is wanted for robbery inflicting serious injury.
Militia leader pleads guilty to ID theft
(Associated Press) A self-described militia commander from Minnesota who was charged with stealing identification information from members of his former Army unit at Fort Bragg in North Carolina has pleaded guilty to identity theft.
NAVY
Continued Sequestration Would Delay New Carrier by Two Years
(Seapower) Budget sequestration, if not modified by Congress, will delay the delivery of the aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy by two years and force the Navy to retire the carrier USS George Washington a half century early, leaving the nation with a 10-carrier fleet for the foreseeable future.
Famous Capt. Kirk honors real one at ship christening
(Navy Times) Good luck, from one Capt. Kirk to another. That was the message actor William Shatner, best known for playing Capt. James T. Kirk in the “Star Trek” TV series and movies, sent to Capt. James A. Kirk, skipper of the newly-christened destroyer Zumwalt.
TWIC card services to be temporarily suspended
(Virginian-Pilot; Norfolk) The Transportation Security Administration will temporarily stop services for Transportation Worker Identification Credentials, according to the agency’s website.
AIR FORCE
GAO to Air Force: Improve morale for drone pilots
(Air Force Times) The Air Force’s drone pilots believe there is a negative perception attached to their jobs, report low morale and receive insufficient training, a new government study found.
Roberson nominated to take command of 3rd Air Force at Ramstein
(Stars and Stripes) Maj. Gen. Darryl L. Roberson has been nominated to take command of the 3rd Air Force at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.
Aiming High
(Slate) Boredom. Drugs. Low Morale. The millennials of the U.S. nuclear missile corps are struggling to stay on high alert for a nuclear Armageddon.
Tanker program $300M below budget, but delays possible report says
(Dayton Daily News) The Air Force’s top acquisition priority could be more than $300 million under budget, but risks months-long testing delays to replace an aging fleet of refueling tankers half a century old, the Government Accountability Office reported.
MARINE CORPS
Marines Seek New Tech To Get Ashore Vs. Missiles; Reinventing Amphib Assault
(Breaking Defense) Cheap grey-market missiles and commercially available radar kits are forcing the Marines to reinvent amphibious warfare for the 21st century. The new Corps concept, Expeditionary Force 21, predicts long-range threats will force the fleet to stay at least 65 nautical miles offshore, a dozen times the distance that existing Marine amphibious vehicles are designed to swim. The ramifications are just beginning to ripple across tactics and technology, starting with a radical overhaul of the Marines’ Amphibious Combat Vehicle program and a new emphasis on high-speed landing craft.
Army chiefs exposed Camp Bastion troops to ‘unnecessary risk’
(Financial Times) MPs have accused British commanders running the Camp Bastion base in Afghanistan of complacency and inadequate defence provision ahead of a Taliban attack in which two US marines were killed and more than a dozen other personnel were injured.
Fate plays a role in finding 2 Marines
(Minneapolis Star Tribune) When last we left Patricia Boyd, she was desperately trying to find the relatives of two Minnesota Marines who had been killed in the 1983 bombing of a barracks in Beirut. With a deadline approaching, she wanted the relatives’ approval and some personal stories for a calendar she puts together that honors the state’s fallen military members.
No arrest pending after fight outside Monday's County Council meeting
(The Beaufort Gazette; S.C.) Beaufort police say they do not have enough evidence to make arrests following a brief scuffle outside Monday night's Beaufort County Council meeting. Beaufort Liquidation owner Jeff Lowe and Lt. Col. Scott Manning of Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort were involved in the altercation, according to an incident report from the Beaufort Police Department.
Runners banned from Marine Corps Marathon for breaking minor rule
(USA Today) It may be frowned upon by race organizers, but giving entries to friends is nothing new in the running world. After all, signups for races begin months before the actual race giving time for injuries, other plans, forgetting to get in shape and a million other reasons not to run it. When that happens runners often give (or sell) their entries to a friend (or random person on Craigslist, which we do not advise) and both people win: The original registrant gets their money back, someone who didn’t sign up for a race in time gets to run.
VETERANS
Veterans slam New York Times piece linking vets to hate groups
(Military Times) Veterans advocates are denouncing an opinion piece in the New York Times that draws links between veterans and white supremacist groups in attempting to explain the actions of the suspected gunman in a recent and deadly shooting outside a Kansas Jewish center.
Vets rally in Phoenix to decry VA care, seek reforms (With Video)
(The Arizona Republic; Phoenix) Roughly 150 veterans and their supporters rallied at Steele Indian School Park Wednesday to call attention to deep flaws in the Phoenix VA Health Care System and to seek congressional reform.
Amid Allegations of Healthcare Problems at the Phoenix VA, Another Veteran Suicide
(Phoenix New Times) The Phoenix Veterans' Affairs Health Care System has come under fire for allegations of negligence and delayed care. While delayed care can have drastic consequences on vets who are physically ill, it impacts those who are mentally ill as well.
AFGHANISTAN/PAKISTAN
Afghanistan election results increase chance U.S. will stay
(Military Times) The likelihood of a long-term U.S. troop presence in Afghanistan is growing after elections there in early April showed pro-American candidates winning at the polls.
Fort Bragg paratroopers stand watch in Afghanistan
(Fayetteville Observer) The two sides met in a flurry of niceties. On one side were American and Australian military advisers. On the other, leaders of the Afghan National Police.
Afghanistan official shot, another kidnapped in Kabul
(Los Angeles Times) Two security incidents within 24 hours involving Afghan government officials have taken some of the glimmer off of this month’s generally successful presidential election and renewed concerns about safety in Kabul.
NATO gives Afghans $6M in medical supplies ahead of fighting season
(Stars and Stripes) With fewer Western forces on the ground to backstop Afghan troops, the U.S. and NATO are rushing medical supplies to Afghanistan’s police and army in anticipation of a violent fighting season.
Taliban End a Cease-Fire With Pakistan
(New York Times) The Pakistani Taliban said Wednesday that they were ending a six-week-old cease-fire but would continue peace talks with the Pakistani government.
MIDDLE EAST
Number of Foreign Fighters in Syria Jumped from 800 to 8,000 in the Past Year
(Defense One) Last year, U.S. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno predicted that Syria’s rebels would soon be victorious over President Bashar al-Assad’s iron regime without the direct intervention of American troops. One year later, as Syria’s worsening civil war has morphed, so has the challenge of tracking from afar who’s who among a disparate network of fighting forces now numbering roughly 8,000 strong and growing, according to the top U.S. commander for the region.
West Aleppo faces unending assault
(Al-Monitor) The recent all-out rebel assault on regime-held west Aleppo was a huge shock, both to the regime fighters entrusted with holding the enclave as well as the hapless residents of that part of the city. The Islamist groups had been mustering their forces for quite some time. The coordinated offensive on several fronts was spearheaded by prominent jihadist groups, most notably the al-Qaeda affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra, and reportedly led by Chechens. It has featured a host of foreign fighters.
Jordanian warplanes destroy vehicles trying to cross from Syria
(Washington Post) Jordanian warplanes destroyed several vehicles trying to cross the border from Syria, a government spokesman said Wednesday. A Jordanian security source said the vehicles, which appeared to have machine guns mounted on them, were presumed to belong to Syrian rebels.
Bombers Strike Checkpoints In Ramadi
(Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty) Officials in Iraq's conflict-torn Anbar Province say two suicide bombers have blown up vehicles packed with explosives, killing at least five people.
Turkey To Produce Warheads, Airplane Bombs
(Defense News) Turkey will this year launch a “national” factory to produce its own warheads, airplane bombs and plastic explosives, a Cabinet minister said Apr. 16.
EUROPE
Poland Wants Larger US, NATO Troop Presence
(Defense News) Poland’s defense minister is calling for a larger US and NATO military presence in his country to deter the type of Russian aggression occurring in eastern Ukraine.
Deadly Fighting in East Ukraine
(Wall Street Journal) Three pro-Russian protesters were killed and 13 wounded in an overnight clash with Ukrainian authorities at a military installation in the southeastern city of Mariupol, the country's Interior Ministry said Thursday.
Stronger US Economic Sanctions Urged Against Russia
(Defense News) The Obama administration should enact stiffer economic sanctions on Russia, but it’s unclear whether such moves will lead Vladimir Putin to stand down in eastern Ukraine, say several former US officials.
Ukraine Push Against Rebels Grinds to Halt
(New York Times) A military operation that the Ukrainian government said would confront pro-Russian militants in the east of the country unraveled in disarray on Wednesday with the entire contingent of 21 armored vehicles that had separated into two columns surrendering or pulling back before nightfall. It was a glaring humiliation for the new government in Kiev.
US readies sanctions on Russia, aid for Ukraine
(Associated Press) The Obama administration is preparing to ratchet up sanctions on Russia and boost assistance for the Ukrainian military in the coming days, U.S. officials said Wednesday, as Ukraine struggles to contain a pro-Russian uprising in its eastern cities.
AFRICA
DoD quietly expanding AFRICOM missions
(Military Times) Just five years ago, the Pentagon considered Africa such a strategic backwater that the global map of combatant commands carved the massive continent into two chunks and placed most of it under control of the chief of U.S. European Command in Belgium.
Plan to Deploy More U.S. Troops in Africa Faces Logistical Hurdles
(National Defense Magazine) Despite an impressive logistics machine that regularly deploys and supplies troops around the globe, the U.S. military will have difficulties in Africa because it lacks the support infrastructure that the United States has in other parts of the world, senior officials said.
Chastened by Islamists, Somalia redraws Mogadishu security plan
(Reuters) When Islamist militants blasted their way to within 50 meters of the Somali president's residence, they forced a sharp rethink of security in the capital Mogadishu.
CAR conflict: Chad says all its troops withdrawn
(BBC) Chad's entire contingent of peacekeepers has withdrawn from the Central African Republic (CAR), a military official has confirmed.
ASIA-PACIFIC
Obama aims to reinvigorate Asia strategy
(Washington Post) President Obama’s bid to focus U.S. attention on Asia has failed to meet the lofty expectations he set three years ago in a grand pronouncement that the new emphasis would become a pillar of his foreign policy.
China Poly Tech Signs MoU With SME Ordnance
(Defense News) Malaysia-based SME Ordnance (SMEO) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Beijing-based Poly Technologies to supply SMEO with machinery to manufacture cases for the 5.56 mm ammunition.
Despite doubts, Japan prepares end to ban on defending allies
(Stars and Stripes) Japan is poised to introduce a plan that would allow its forces to defend allies for the first time in the post-World War II era, even as polls indicate public opposition to a reinterpretation of the nation’s pacifist constitution.
Yasukuni Shrine Can’t Be Replaced, Abe Says
(Wall Street Journal) The controversial Yasukuni Shrine can’t simply be replaced as Japan’s primary war memorial, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Thursday.
COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS
A Weak and Ugly Smear Against Veterans
(Max Boot in Commentary) Now that both wars are ending—or, to be more accurate, now that American involvement is ending—there is, however, a disturbing tendency to paint veterans as mentally deranged ticking time bombs. That tendency grows when veterans commit horrifying acts of violence—as, for example, when Specialist Ivan Lopez, killed three people at Fort Hood on April 2. Lopez, it seems, briefly served in Iraq but saw no combat, yet there was the usual leap to judgment among those who decided that his murderous rampage must have been caused by battlefield trauma.
Where I stand on containing Iran
(Sen. Rand Paul in The Washington Post) I am not for containment in Iran. Let me repeat that, since no one seems to be listening closely: I am unequivocally not for containing Iran.
The Navy Is About to Transform Almost Everything
(Daniel Goure in Real Clear Defense) Transformation is back – at least in the U.S. Navy. Quietly, in some instances almost stealthily, the Navy has been investing in an array of new capabilities that when deployed will transform operations on and from the sea. While not planned or executed as a single, coordinated program, when viewed holistically the Navy’s investments in new ships, aircraft, sensors, weapons and networks promise a geometric, even logarithmic, improvement in capabilities.
Rep. King: ‘I Don’t Think Rand Paul is Capable’ of ‘Intelligent Debate’ on Foreign Policy Issues
(John Bennett in Intercepts) If Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky runs for the Republican presidential nomination, his biggest critic just might be Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., who once again is sharply criticizing the tea party darling’s foreign policy views.
How Taiwan Can Defuse Tensions in the South China Sea
(Bonnie Glaser in Real Clear Defense) In its East China Sea diplomacy, Taiwan has been creative and constructive. In August 2012, President Ma Ying-jeou proposed the East China Sea Peace Initiative (ECSPI) to manage rising tensions over the disputed islands known as the Diaoyutai Islands in Taiwan, the Senkaku Islands in Japan, and the Diaoyu Islands in Mainland China. The key elements of his initiative are self-restraint, shelving disputes, observing international law, pursuing a code of conduct, and jointly developing resources in the East China Sea.
The cost of Putin’s adventurism in Ukraine
(David Ignatius in The Washington Post) As President Obama looks at the Ukraine crisis, he sees an asymmetry of interests: Simply put, the future of Ukraine means more to Vladimir Putin’s Russia than it does to the United States or Europe. For Putin, this is an existential crisis; for the West, so far, it isn’t — as the limited U.S. and European response has demonstrated.
The Real Reason China Wants Aircraft Carriers
(Bryan McGrath & Seth Cropsey in Real Clear Defense) Last week, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel was the guest of honor for a tour of China’s aircraft carrier Liaoning, an event that once again raised U.S. media interest in China’s navy, its aspirations, and the role this carrier and others may someday play.
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