TODAY’S TOP 5
1. Exclusive: U.S. force in Afghanistan may be cut to less than 10,000 troops
(Reuters) The number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan may drop well below 10,000 - the minimum demanded by the U.S. military to train Afghan forces - as the longest war in American history winds down, Obama administration officials briefed on the
2. U.S. cites ‘indications’ toxic chemical was used in Syria attack
(Washington Post) The State Department said Monday that it is investigating allegations that the Syrian government used a toxic chemical in an attack in a rebel-controlled area of the country, raising questions about whether President Bashar al-Assad is violating an international agreement to destroy his most lethal chemical stockpiles.
3. Future Threats Will Require Much More Than the A-10
(Air Force Col. Robert Spalding in Defense One) Those fighting to save the A-10 jet fighter are missing the point. The U.S. Air Force is the best in the world at close air support in a permissive environment like Afghanistan, even without the A-10. In the future, elite U.S. forces can do without it as the military continues to chase terrorists across the Middle East and Africa, and the A-10 has even less purpose in any future high-end combat in more contested areas, like China, with rapidly improving air defenses.
4. Guard Apaches Less Ready & Must Move To Regular Army, DepSecDef Fox Tells Hill
(Breaking Defense) National Guard attack helicopter units just can’t be as battle-ready as full-time regular Army ones, Deputy Secretary of Defense Christine Fox has been telling the Hill. That’s why the Guard should give all its AH-64 Apache gunships to the active-duty force to replace older aircraft lost to budget cuts.
5. Would Jeb Bush's Defense Policy Look More Like His Father's or Brother's?
(Defense News) Jeb Bush, the flavor-du-jour in Republican circles, likely would put forth a defense and foreign policy vision that closely resembles that of his father and the one pitched by Mitt Romney in 2012, analysts and GOP insiders say.
INDUSTRY
U.S. approves $680M sale of Black Hawk helicopters to Mexico
(Reuters) The U.S. government on Monday said it had approved the potential sale of 18 UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters built by Sikorsky Aircraft, a unit of United Technologies Corp to Mexico, a deal valued at $680 million.
Solar UAV in production
(C4ISR & Networks) The Silent Falcon solar-powered UAV has moved to the production phase, according to an announcement by manufacturer Silent Falcon UAS Technologies.
Will CEO Change Slow Other Changes at Finmeccanica?
(Defense News) The arrival of a new CEO at Italian defense group Finmeccanica has left analysts fretting over whether plans to dump the group’s loss-making transport activity will be delayed.
Geopolitics, France and a Ship Order
(New York Times) When France signed the contract for 1.2 billion euros, or $1.6 billion, with Moscow in 2011, these kinds of war games were nowhere on the horizon. At the time, French officials hailed the deal, the biggest military sale to Russia by a NATO country, as a sign that Moscow should be considered a partner, not an enemy. Now it has become an awkward showcase of the European Union’s vulnerability — even impotence — in the face of Russia’s moves against Ukraine.
Indian AF Pushes for AWACS Competition
(Defense News) The Indian Air Force and the state-owned Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) are at odds over development of an airborne warning and control system capability, with DRDO promoting indigenous development of the radar system and the service wanting an overseas acquisition.
Antonov president removed
(IHS Jane's 360) The Ukrainian government has sacked Dmitry Kiva, the President of the Antonov State Aircraft Building Concern, Antonov officials told IHS Jane's on 16 April.
Malaysian Tank Builder Wants To Build Aircraft
(Defense News) Malaysia’s top armored vehicle and tank builder, DRB-HICOM Defence Technologies (DEFTECH), is expanding into military aviation.
CONGRESS
Gillibrand says she isn't giving up on military sexual assault bill
(WRVO Public Media) Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) says in the next few months she is going to revive her military sexual assault bill, which changes how those types of crimes are prosecuted by the military. The legislation failed last month following a filibuster.
Dem: Russia not sticking to Ukraine deal (With Video)
(The Hill) Russian officials are not following through with the terms of a tentative agreement to deescalate tensions in Ukraine, and the U.S. needs to prepare for the worst, a lawmaker said after visiting the region.
Senate candidate’s commercial features his drill sergeant — who does not make him do pushups
(Outside The Wire) Arkansas Republican Congressman Tom Cotton got his “Full Metal Jacket” on by having his drill sergeant endorse him in an ad for his Senate campaign.
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Hagel steps up sexual assault outreach
(The Hill) Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Monday visited the military’s sexual assault hotline as part of a continued effort to stem criticism of how the Pentagon handles the issue.
Express Scripts to continue as Tricare prescription provider
(Military Times) Express Scripts, the Pentagon’s pharmacy benefit management company, has been awarded a contract worth up to $5.4 billion over eight years to continue providing pharmacy services for Tricare beneficiaries.
Letitia Long: Leading NGA into a new era of intelligence
(C4ISR & Networks) Letitia Long, director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, is at the helm of some of the intelligence community’s biggest moves. NGA, along with the Defense Intelligence Agency, are leading development of ICITE, the intelligence community’s shared IT environment, and Long is also helping to architect a transition to the idea of comprehensive, immersive intelligence that weaves together various disciplines.
ARMY
Petition: Tan beret only for the Ranger regiment
(Army Times) A petition calling for the tan beret to be authorized for wear only by soldiers in the 75th Ranger Regiment has garnered more than 2,500 signatures in less than a week.
Army Drives 9/11 Mastermind's Lawyer To Sacrifice His Military Career
(Huffington Post) A military lawyer representing the mastermind of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks is resigning from the U.S. Army, which was trying to force him off Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's defense team on the grounds that he needed to attend a graduate course this year.
Army to build military’s largest solar array in Arizona
(The Hill) The U.S. Army will break ground this week on a new solar power array at Fort Huachuca, Ariz., which will be the largest solar array on a United States military installation.
Good news for 5,900 staff sergeants moving up
(Army Times) Nearly 5,900 staff sergeants have been recommended for promotion by the 2014 Regular Army and Active Guard and Reserve (Army Reserve) sergeant first class boards that met in February and March.
NAVY
Navy cruisers go into 'laid up' status at Pearl Harbor
(Navy Times) The USS Port Royal, along with the USS Lake Erie and the USS Chosin, is among 11 Navy cruisers that will be placed on reduced operating status while they are modernized, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported Monday.
Midshipman Gabriel Voumard Accused of Assaulting Cab Driver With Butter Knife
(WRC‑TV; Washington, D.C.) A 22-year-old midshipman is accused of attacking a cab driver with a butter knife after failing to pay his fare in Annapolis early Sunday morning.
Cruise pay: CNO wants to reward fleet sailors on long deployments
(Navy Times) Now that the era of six-month deployments is in the rearview mirror, Navy leaders are hammering out a plan to pad fleet sailors’ wallets.
Stealth Vs. Electronic Attack
(U.S. Naval Institute) The U.S. Navy will need to use a combination of stealth and electronic warfare capabilities to defeat advanced anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) threats in the future, chief of naval operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert said on April 16 at the U.S. Naval Institute annual meeting in Washington, D.C.
Training helped prepare for US-Korean work at ferry disaster
(Stars and Stripes) A few weeks ago, U.S. and South Korean forces trained together in one of their largest-ever amphibious landing exercises – one of more than two dozen naval drills that take place between the two militaries each year.
AIR FORCE
4 standouts in Afghanistan honored with Sijan Award
(Air Force Times) Lt. Col. Grant Hargrove helped Afghan leaders expand electric power and other essential services to 2.7 million citizens of Nangarhar Province, an area where Afghan forces and the Taliban often clash for control.
Vice President Biden set to speak at Air Force Academy graduation
(Colorado Springs Gazette) Vice President Joe Biden will address 1,000 graduating Air Force Academy cadets at a ceremony in Falcon Stadium May 28.
Airman pleads guilty to some sex charges
(San Antonio Express-News) An Air Force photographer said this afternoon that he was guilty of several sexual misconduct charges involving O'Connor High School students, but insisted he did not rape a woman in a pair of separate incidents.
MARINE CORPS
Left behind: Without security, without citizenship, interpreters are exposed to death squads
(Marine Corps Times) Scott Maislin spent nine years in some of the Corps’ most demanding combat jobs, deploying twice to Iraq and once to Afghanistan as an infantry machine gunner before returning to Afghanistan in 2012 as a counterintelligence specialist with Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command. He was capable against the enemy in combat, but, faced with his own country’s bureaucracy, he now feels helpless to save a friend.
Caught Between Military and Civilian Justice, a Battered Wife Waits and Waits for Help
(The Daily Beast) For over a year, Herron has been working through the military system, appealing for justice against the Marine ex-husband she says routinely raped and beat her. To Herron it has felt like “a marathon that I ran in quicksand, getting nowhere quickly.”
Defense says slain prostitute had attacked marine with knife
(Honolulu Star-Advertiser) A struggle between a marine and prostitute armed with a knife in a Waikiki hotel room ended with the prostitute dead on the floor, said a defense attorney for Master Sgt. Nathaniel Cosby during opening arguments in Cosby's court martial at Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe Bay.
COAST GUARD
Equipment changes coming after fatal mishap
(Navy Times) Dangerous conditions and complacency led to the death of a Coast Guardsman following a rescue mission north of Alaska last year, according to a recently released Coast Guard investigation.
Judge rejects 5 witnesses in Kodiak murder trial
(Associated Press) A federal judge on Monday rejected five witnesses in the Coast Guard double homicide case on Kodiak Island, ruling that defense attorneys had not established that their testimony was relevant.
CG tuition assistance cap boosted to $4,500
(Navy Times) Coast Guardsmen pursuing degrees can take advantage of up to $4,500 in tuition assistance for the rest of this year, nearly doubling the previous $2,500 cap.
VETERANS
Interview: 5 questions for the naked veteran
(Military Times) Vietnam War veteran Max Sanchez struggles with controlling issues stemming from post-traumatic stress.
Afghanistan veteran launching cross-country memorial trek from DuPont this week
(Tacoma News Tribune) Former Army Capt. Mike Viti plans to walk at least one kilometer for each of the 6,654 military service members killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Court reinstates lawsuit over Marine's suicide
(Associated Press) The family of a Marine who killed himself after a tour of duty in Iraq will be allowed to proceed with a lawsuit against the federal government over his treatment by two Veterans Affairs facilities in Kentucky.
AFGHANISTAN/PAKISTAN
Senior Taliban leader Motasim freed by UAE, returns to Kabul to help Afghan negotiations
(Washington Post) In recent weeks, U.S. officials have privately questioned Motasim’s standing within the Taliban organization, saying his influence has waned considerably over the years.
Coordinated suicide attack plot foiled in capital Kabul
(Khaama Press) Gen. Ayub Salangi, deputy interior minister said Afghan security forces arrested a group of three would-be suicide bombers from the 4th police district of Kabul city.
At Least Seven Killed In Pakistan Attacks
(Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty) At least seven people have been killed in attacks in northwestern Pakistan.
MIDDLE EAST
U.S. steps up drone strikes against militants in Yemen
(Los Angeles Times) Prompted in part by a video in which Al Qaeda leaders taunted the United States, the CIA launched lethal drone strikes in Yemen that marked an escalation in the Obama administration's shadow war against the terrorist network's most powerful franchise.
U.S. Ordered to Release Memo in Awlaki Killing
(New York Times) A federal appeals panel in Manhattan ordered the release on Monday of key portions of a classified Justice Department memorandum that provided the legal justification for the targeted killing of a United States citizen, Anwar al-Awlaki, who intelligence officials contend had joined Al Qaeda and died in a 2011 drone strike in Yemen.
Violence Across Iraq Leaves At Least 30 Dead
(Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty) series of attacks on April 21, including several suicide attacks, killed at least 30 people around Iraq as the country prepares to conduct parliamentary elections on April 30.
For Extremists In Syria, Extortion Brings Piles Of Cash From Iraq
(National Public Radio) The renegade Islamist group known as ISIS now controls swaths of Syria and Iraq, and it's partly because the fighters are so rich. ISIS, or the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, is known for having the biggest guns and paying the highest salaries.
Zawahiri discusses infighting in Syria, opposition to Egyptian government
(Long War Journal) Al Qaeda emir Ayman al Zawahiri discusses the infighting between jihadist groups in Syria and his opposition to the Egyptian government in a newly released audio interview. As Sahab, al Qaeda's propaganda arm, produced the interview, which is titled "Reality Between Pain and Hope."
Iraq Oil Output Exceeds Hussein Era
(Wall Street Journal) Iraq oil production was higher this year than since before Saddam Hussein took power. The problem: getting it out of the country.
Yahya Ayyash Brigades claims new rocket attacks against Israel
(Long War Journal) In a series of tweets, the Yahya Ayyash Brigades took credit for rocket fire today from the Gaza Strip into Israel. The jihadist group, which has been promoted by Abdullah Azzam Brigades official Sirajuddin Zurayqat, said its fighters launched more than 20 rockets.
EUROPE
Polish DM: NATO Must Focus on Historic Mission
(Defense News) The NATO alliance should focus on its historic mission of deterring Russian aggression in Europe as members wrap up their mission in Afghanistan, Poland’s defense minister said.
Photos Link Masked Men in East Ukraine to Russia
(New York Times) For two weeks, the mysteriously well-armed, professional gunmen known as “green men” have seized Ukrainian government sites in town after town, igniting a brush fire of separatist unrest across eastern Ukraine. Strenuous denials from the Kremlin have closely followed each accusation by Ukrainian officials that the world was witnessing a stealthy invasion by Russian forces.
Yanukovych calls for immediate removal of Ukrainian troops from the east
(Kyiv Post) Disgraced former President Victor Yanukovych called for urgent action to resolve the ongoing separatist violence in eastern Ukraine in a statement from Rostov-on-Don on April 21.
In Kiev, Biden pledges support for fair elections, help to weather economic pressures
(Washington Post) Vice President Biden pledged American support Tuesday to help Ukraine stage successful presidential elections next month and to defy Russian economic pressure, but he also warned Ukrainian leaders that they must confront the nation’s rampant official corruption to meet the high political demands of a frustrated public.
New Prowess for Russians
(New York Times) The abilities the Russian military has displayed are not only important to the high-stakes drama in Ukraine, they also have implications for the security of Moldova, Georgia, Central Asian nations and even the Central Europe nations that are members of NATO.
ASIA-PACIFIC
Obama’s Strategic Shift to Asia Is Hobbled by Pressure at Home and Crises Abroad
(New York Times) President Obama is expected to announce an agreement with the Philippines next Monday that would give American ships and planes the most extensive access to bases there since the United States relinquished its vast naval installation at Subic Bay in 1992.
President Obama travels east, still pledging a 'pivot'
(American Public Media) For decades, America focused primarily on allies and enemies across the Atlantic. But, more and more U.S. trade and investment are happening across the Pacific. Stephen Biddle teaches international affairs at George Washington University, and is a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. He says so far, the shift of military capability toward the Western Pacific has been minimal.
Abe's Military Push May Please U.S., but Rattle Neighbors
(Wall Street Journal) Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is pushing to remove six-decade-old constraints on his country's military, a goal that the Obama administration said Monday it supports, but one that could unsettle the region.
Japan warns over China ship seizure
(Agence France Presse) Tokyo on Monday warned that the seizure of a Japanese ship in Shanghai over pre-wartime debts threatened ties with China and could undermine the basis of their post-war diplomatic relationship.
COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS
The U.S. Military Is a Socialist Paradise
(Jacob Siegel in The Daily Beast) Every day before dawn, brave men and women of different races and backgrounds rise as one, united by a common cause. They march together in formation, kept in step by their voices joined in song. These workers leave their communal housing arrangements and go toil together “in the field.” While they are out doing their day’s labor, their young are cared for in subsidized childcare programs. If they hurt themselves on the job, they can count on universal health care. Right under your nose, on the fenced-in bases you drive past on your way to work or see on the TV news, a successful experiment in collectivization has been going on for years.
Gardening in a 'Barren' Officer Corps
(B.J. Armstrong in War on the Rocks) A recent opinion piece at The American Conservative had a number of military officers scratching their heads. In “An Officer Corps that Can’t Score,” William Lind purports to discuss how careerism in the military breeds “habits of defeat.”
Hunter: Wash Post obit of Gen. Mundy was a shamefully disguised editorial
(Rep. Duncan Hunter in Best Defense) Matt Schudel's obituary for the Washington Post on former Marine Corps Commandant General Carl Mundy appeared to be more of an editorial espousing liberal views on gays in the military and women in combat. The column served neither the truth nor the legacy of a great Marine general.
What We Left Behind
(Dexter Filkins in The New Yorker) When the last American soldiers left Iraq, at the end of 2011, the bloody civil war between the country’s Sunni and Shiite sects had been stifled but not resolved. Now the sectarian violence had returned, with terrifying intensity.
Putin Adversary to Obama: We Need You
(Jeffrey Goldberg in Bloomberg) Earlier this month, I spent an afternoon trying to imagine what it might be like to be prime minister of Moldova. I was, at the time, sitting with the actual prime minister of Moldova, which made my task easier, though not by much: being prime minister of Moldova means acknowledging the essential powerlessness of your country.
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