TODAY’S TOP 5
1. 4 Army units heading to Eastern Europe
(Military Times) The U.S. military in Europe is sending four company-sized infantry units, a total of about 600 soldiers, to Eastern Europe, the latest effort to reassure NATO allies in light of Russian aggression in Ukraine, a Pentagon official said Tuesday.
2. Obama: Senkakus ‘within scope’ of U.S.-Japan treaty
(The Japan News) President Barack Obama—for the first time as an incumbent U.S. president—clearly stated the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture are subject to Article 5 of the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty, in a written reply to questions submitted by The Yomiuri Shimbun.
3. Career Curveballs: No Longer A Soldier
(Retired Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal in Linkedin) In June 2010, after more than 38 years in uniform, in the midst of commanding a 46-nation coalition in a complex war in Afghanistan, my world changed suddenly – and profoundly. An article in Rolling Stone magazine depicting me, and people I admired, in a manner that felt as unfamiliar as it was unfair, ignited a firestorm.
4. Our Carrier Video Is Way Cooler Than Yours (With Video)
(Time) Not only does China have a new carrier, with another on the way, it now has a video showing off some of what its existing flattop, the Liaoning, and its J-15 fighters can do.
5. DoD Details Planned Cuts If Budget Caps Remain
(Defense News) The Pentagon has laid out plans for how it would cut $66 billion in procurement and research-and-development projects between 2016 and 2019 should US defense spending caps remain in place.
INDUSTRY
Lockheed Martin Posts Higher Profit, Sees Relief on Pension Front
(Wall Street Journal) A senior Lockheed Martin Corp. LMT -2.97% executive said a big reversal in pension expenses will continue over the next three years, helping blunt the impact of U.S. defense cuts and uncertainty over funding for some big programs in future Pentagon budgets.
Australia orders 58 F-35 Lockheed Martin stealth fighters
(Reuters) Australia will order 58 more F-35 fighter jets built by Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) for A$12.4 billion ($11.61 billion), Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on Wednesday, a purchase that will raise its air combat power to among the world's most advanced.
QinetiQ To Sell US Services Division
(Defense News) QinetiQ has agreed to sell its US services division to the SI Organisation in a deal that could net the British defense technology company up to US $215 million.
Navy to award contract for Marine One helicopter fleet in shadow of previous failure
(Washington Post) The last time the Pentagon tried to upgrade the president’s coolest ride — the fleet of helicopters that drop him at his doorstep on the South Lawn of the White House — it didn’t go well. Costs doubled. Delays sparked ridicule, then outrage. And President Obama, then just a few weeks in office, said it was “an example of the procurement process gone amok” before defense officials killed the program outright.
Export Controls Threaten U.S. Edge in Foreign UAV Markets
(National Defense Magazine) An Obama administration effort to relax strictures on selling less-sensitive military hardware to foreign countries virtually ignored the red tape unmanned aircraft manufacturers must navigate when marketing their products overseas.
HGH Infrared reveals details on new wide area surveillance system
(IHS Jane's 360) HGH Infrared Systems will launch a wide area surveillance system with higher resolution known as the Spynel-X 8000 at Euronaval 2014.
CONGRESS
Republicans warn Obama of 'fatal mistake' in Afghanistan
(The Hill) Republican lawmakers are warning the White House that leaving fewer than 10,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan would be a “fatal mistake.”
House Republicans See Opportunity in Appropriations Bills
(National Journal) Republican lawmakers have been encouraged by leaders to consider next week's House votes on the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs as well as the Legislative Branch appropriations bills as the beginning of an "opportunity" to enact conservative policies through policy riders, many of which couldn't pass as stand-alone bills.
General to brief lawmakers on Ukraine
(The Hill) Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove, head of U.S. European Command and NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, will brief the Senate Armed Services Committee behind closed doors on May 1 on the "Ukrainian crisis and Russia."
Watch John McCain's Take on Russia Become His Catchphrase
(National Journal) John McCain has been perhaps the most vocal senator about U.S. policy in Eastern Europe this year. And all that talking has generated a catchy one-liner to describe how Americans should view Russia.
GOP lawmaker flies an F-35 … simulator (With Video)
(The Hill) Rep. Randy Forbes (R-Va.) on Tuesday had the chance to fly, at least virtually, one of the Pentagon’s most costly weapons programs when he climbed inside the cockpit simulator of an F-35 fighter.
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Darpa's Alias Aims To Automate Existing Aircraft
(Aviation Week) With sophisticated autonomous capabilities under development for unmanned aircraft, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) wants to bring high levels of automation to existing manned aircraft to reduce pilot workload while increasing mission capability and safety.
Pentagon Undecided on Future Path for Space Systems
(National Defense Magazine) Defense officials agree that the military must change the way it buys satellites and space services. They just can’t settle on exactly how it should be done.
Punishing Putin: Why Pentagon is cool to sanctions on Russian arms firm
(Christian Science Monitor) Pentagon officials are quietly resisting possible US sanctions against the Russian arms firm Rosoboronexport, because it also supplies Mi-17 helicopters to the Afghan Air Force.
Recruits trending older in U.S. military
(USA Today) New recruits in the U.S. military are getting slightly older, with more than half of Army enlistees age 20 or above compared with a few decades ago when only a third were in the older age group, according to a RAND Corp. study released Wednesday.
ARMY
Army general disciplined over mishandling of sexual-assault case in Japan
(Washington Post) The sexual misconduct complaints piled up on the desk of Maj. Gen. Michael T. Harrison Sr., the commander of U.S. Army forces in Japan. A colonel on his staff had been accused of having an affair with a subordinate, of drunken and inappropriate behavior with other women at a military club and lastly, of sexual assault.
Report details inquiry of Fort Carson leader, military's struggles with issue of sexual assault
(The Colorado Springs Gazette) Army leaders suspended an Afghanistan-bound Fort Carson commander over allegations of insensitivity toward sexual assault victims and gender discrimination before an investigation cleared him last month.
Army Vs. National Guard: Who Gets Those Apache Helicopters?
(National Public Radio) For decades the National Guard has fought hard against the stereotype that it was the place to avoid the draft during the Vietnam War, or that it's a place to get college money rather than combat duty.
Hearing to determine fate of sergeant accused of killing 2 deaf Iraqi youths
(Pittsburgh Tribune-Review) Two high-profile attorneys will clash on Wednesday when a military hearing begins to determine whether Sgt. 1st Class Michael Barbera should face court-martial in the shooting deaths of two deaf, unarmed Iraqi youths in March 2007.
Boston crowds roar for Tacoma runner who lost leg in Afghanistan
(Tacoma News Tribune) There were about 13 miles during Monday’s Boston Marathon that Tacoma’s Edward Lychik had the cheering crowd all to himself.
Command Sgt. Maj. Christopher K. Greca leaving Fort Bragg for U.S. Central Command in Tampa
(Fayetteville Observer) Army Command Sgt. Maj. Christopher K. Greca, currently assigned to U.S. Army Forces Command at Fort Bragg, has been selected as the command senior enlisted leader at U.S. Central Command in Tampa.
NAVY
VIDEO: Hornet squadron streaks past strike group, mountains
(Navy Times) Armed with GoPro-style cameras, Strike Fighter Squadron 27 captured their F/A-18E Super Hornets in action in an exciting video that’s getting a lot of views.
Navy recovery vessel USNS Safeguard en route to South Korea
(Stars and Stripes) A 7th Fleet diving and recovery vessel is heading to South Korea’s southwest coast and could take part in the recovery of a ferry that sank a week ago.
Navy Carrier Is Taking 3D Printer To Sea; Don’t Expect A Revolution
(Breaking Defense) The U.S. Navy has put a 3D printer on a warship for the first time. That’s a small revolution but don’t expect world-changing results any time soon.
Carrier Bush arrives in Bahrain
(Stars and Stripes) The aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush arrived here Tuesday for a scheduled recreational port visit.
Battleship Iowa survivors get permanent reminder
(Virginian-Pilot; Norfolk) Mike Carr is seated in the lobby of a tattoo place on Virginia Beach Boulevard. He’s in shorts and a T-shirt. He didn’t shave today. He’s running his fingers through wispy hair that goes to his shoulders.
AIR FORCE
Letter: Why I won't re-enlist
(Air Force Times) Tired of waiting for deployments to slow down and other hardships of military life, Staff Sgt. Aaron Driver of Savannah, Ga., explains in a letter to Air Force Times why he won’t re-enlist in August.
Russians inspect Montana nuclear launch facilities
(Associated Press) Russian nuclear inspectors visited the U.S. amid heightened tensions between the two nations to verify that 18 nuclear missile launch facilities had been demolished as part of a 2011 arms control treaty, Air Force officials said Monday.
General officer assignments announced
(Air Force Times) Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh announced the following general officer assignments April 21.
Andrews NCO pleads guilty to child porn
(Associated Press) Forty-four-year-old William Gazafi of Lusby is a noncommissioned officer at Andrews Air Force Base. He pleaded guilty to six counts of sexually exploiting a minor to produce child pornography Monday in federal court in Greenbelt.
Airman guilty of some charges in Lackland sex case
(San Antonio Express-News) A military judge Tuesday found an Air Force photographer guilty of sexual misconduct, setting the stage for a trial on more serious charges, including rape.
MARINE CORPS
Navy Cross bestowed on heroic Marine
(San Diego Union Tribune) As Americans observed Memorial Day 2012, Marine Gunnery Sgt. Richard Jibson was fighting for his life, his fellow Marines and dozens of Afghan and Georgian forces nearly 8,000 miles away in Afghanistan.
MARSOC hires role players for training exercise
(Marine Corps Times) As Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command prepares for complex missions involving al-Qaida in northern Africa and elsewhere, it is hiring highly qualified role players to help its operators train.
A Marine's story: Women set up to fail USMC’s most grueling test (With Video)
(On the Radar) At a petite 5’3’’, Sage Santangelo may not look like a combat fighter at first glance. But the female second lieutenant has never let that hold her back from pursuing her dream of becoming an infantry officer in the Marine Corps.
Camp Pendleton Marine Veteran Safe On Everest After Avalanche (With Video)
(KPBS) Camp Pendleton Marine veteran Staff Sgt. Charlie Linville, an amputee who lost his leg while disposing of an IED in Afghanistan, is safe on Mount Everest after a deadly avalanche there killed at least 13 people on Friday.
Interview: 5 questions for the Marine turned Maxim model
(Marine Corps Times) Veteran Marine Sgt. Shannon Ihrke is wearing a lot less than MARPAT these days. The 25-year-old can be found on the cover of this month’s military appreciation issue of Maxim magazine, sporting a star-spangled bikini and a salute.
COAST GUARD
Government Report Questions Coast Guard Cutter Procurement Strategies
(Seapower) The Coast Guard is ushering in a new fleet of cutters over the next decade, but a recent government report questions how much of an impact they can be expected to make.
Kodiak defendant's sons say dad never possessed alleged murder weapon
(Alaska Dispatch) The beginning of the fourth week of the murder trial against James Michael Wells, charged with murdering two coworkers on Kodiak Island in April 2012, featured the appearance of Wells’ two sons, one of whom is a Portland police officer. The sons and other defense witnesses cast doubt on the government’s theory that Wells committed the brutal killings.
New Orleans-based Coast Guard member convicted of sexually assaulting colleague
(New Orleans Times-Picayune ) A U.S. Coast Guard member was convicted Friday (April 18) on charges that he sexually assaulted a female colleague inside a New Orleans home in 2012.
VETERANS
Top VA official questions use of term 'Gulf War illness'
(Military Times) After the Institute of Medicine in March recommended using the term “Gulf War illness” to describe symptoms affecting more than 200,000 Persian Gulf War veterans, a top Veterans Affairs Department official expressed concern that such a change would imply a direct causal link between service in the 1990-’91 conflict and long-term illness.
U.S. Tech Vets links military veterans with civilian jobs
(Christian Science Monitor) Today Lucien is co-chairman of U.S. Tech Vets, an online community that links veterans with employment opportunities in the US technology industry. The effort, through an online portal at www.ustechvets.org, links national and regional technology associations with a community of veterans who have relevant skills in the tech industry.
'True American hero': Local veteran receives medal decades after war's end
(Detroit Free Press) Nov. 2, 1944, will forever be etched in the memory of Alfred P. Murphy. That’s the day the World War II veteran saw another B-17 bomber in his squadron descend into the clouds, both wings on fire, with his Army Air Force buddy, Harry Hansen, inside.
WWII vet overcomes survivor's guilt, tells story
(Belleville News-Democrat; Ill.) For nearly 69 years, Frances Corona has wondered how her brother met his fate in World War II.
AFGHANISTAN/PAKISTAN
What Germany Left Behind: The Slow Collapse of North Afghanistan
(Der Spiegel) Captain Faridoon Hakimi is sitting next to an enormous barbecue once used by the Germans to grill sausage, munching on an almond and squinting. There isn't a cloud in the sky and the midday sun is blazing down onto the former German military camp in Kunduz in northern Afghanistan. Next to him stands a solitary sign in the German language indicating the location of a certain Herr Baumlade's office.
Reports of Fraud and Violence Temper Joy Over Election in Chaotic Afghan District
(New York Times) The turbulent district of Andar has been caught in one kind of crossfire or another for years: between American forces and insurgent leaders, between warring militant factions, between those hostile to the national government and those courting it.
British Marine's New Mission: Save All Of Kabul's Street Animals
(National Public Radio) Joey's silky gold hair gleams in the afternoon sun. The big bundle of energy loves to cuddle. He also looks like he could lose a few pounds.
Pakistan Tests Short-Range Ballistic Missile
(Defense News) Pakistan on Tuesday conducted a successful test launch of its Hatf III/Vengeance III Ghaznavi short-range ballistic missile as it continues to strengthen its deterrent capabilities against archrival India.
Top Pakistani Court Confronts Military on Missing Persons
(Wall Street Journal) The Supreme Court is moving to prosecute military officials in civilian courts for failing to produce missing persons, offering a glimmer of hope to hundreds, if not thousands of disappeared Pakistanis and their families.
U.S. seeks to navigate military-civilian power blocs in Pakistan
(Medill News Service) It has been six years since the Pakistani military gave up direct control of that nation’s government. But U.S. defense officials continue to deal directly with Pakistan’s military leaders — potentially undermining the civilian government led by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, experts said.
MIDDLE EAST
U.S. to deliver Apache helicopters to Egypt, relaxing hold on aid
(Reuters) The United States said on Tuesday it will deliver 10 Apache attack helicopters to Egypt, relaxing a partial suspension of aid imposed after Egypt's military ousted President Mohamed Mursi last year and cracked down violently on protesters.
Chemical weapons removal from Syria nearly complete
(Los Angeles Times) Monitors say the government of President Bashar Assad has shipped almost 90% of its chemical weapons materials out of Syria.
Experts: U.S. must have OKd transfer of missiles seen in Syria rebel videos
(McClatchy) The heavy anti-tank missiles recently shown in videos being fired by Western-backed Syrian rebels were manufactured in the United States, and their transfer to the rebels would have required direct American government approval, according to experts in international weapons deals.
White House Debates ‘Game Changer’ Weapon for Syria
(Time) A former CIA director has called them “our worst nightmare.” A 2005 study found that just one could blow a $15 billion hole in the world economy. And the Obama Administration is thinking about sending them to Syria.
EUROPE
Spy vs. Spy: Former SecDef Gates talks Putin
(Military Times) In an interview with Military Times, Gates discusses his past interactions with Putin and what Putin’s ambitions are. The former spymaster also talks about the dangers of cuts to defense spending at a time when the world is becoming more dangerous.
Ukraine orders new military operation in the east
(Associated Press) Ukraine's acting president ordered security forces to resume operations in the country's east on Tuesday after the bodies of two people allegedly abducted by pro-Russia insurgents were found and a military aircraft was reportedly hit by gunfire.
White House to Send $8M in Non-Lethal Items to Ukraine
(Defense News) The Obama administration is sending nearly $10 million in new “security assistance” to Ukraine as that country stares down Russian forces, but one senior Republican lawmaker says more must be done.
At Funeral, Expressions of Grief and Anger Toward Kiev Officials
(New York Times) Hundreds of residents of this eastern Ukrainian city under the control of pro-Russian militants came to the Orthodox Church of the Holy Spirit on Tuesday for the funerals of three men killed in a shootout at a roadblock on Sunday.
ASIA-PACIFIC
Increased Activity at North Korean Nuclear Site Raises Suspicions
(New York Times) Just days before President Obama is to arrive in South Korea, North Korea has increased activities at its main nuclear test site, raising suspicions in Seoul and Washington that the country may be preparing to conduct a new underground nuclear test, the South Korean Defense Ministry said Tuesday.
Pacific Navies Agree on Code of Conduct for Unplanned Encounters
(Wall Street Journal) China—Asian-Pacific naval chiefs approved the region's first code of conduct for unplanned encounters between navy ships and aircraft in an effort to prevent maritime tensions from flaring into conflict.
US: Security deal with Phl, Obama visit not at China's expense
(Philippine Star) The White House dismissed comments that China's containment is among the goals of the new military cooperation agreement with the Philippines as well as American President Barack Obama's trip to Asia Pacific this week.
Japanese politicians visit controversial Yasukuni war shrine en masse
(Deutsche Welle) A group of 146 Japanese politicians from both houses of parliament visited Tokyo's Yasukuni shrine on Tuesday, one day before the arrival of US President Barack Obama. The politicians were marking a three-day spring festival at the Shinto shrine, a similar large-scale visit was organized last year.
COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS
A letter to the West Point Class of 2014: No combat patch? That’s no problem!
(Army Maj. Crispin Burke in Best Defense) An article in the New York Times the other day examined the West Point class of 2014, which faces the dubious distinction of being the first class in nearly a dozen years to enter a peacetime army.
Mr. Lind, may we focus our rage please?
(Cdr Salamander) Many of you have by now have at least heard of, if not read, William S. Lind’s latest, “An Officer Corps That Can’t Score.” If not, give it a read and come back. A lot of people are taking a swing at it – and now what everyone is back from Easter doings, time for me to give it a shot as well.
Why Taiwan Wants Submarines
(James Holmes in The Diplomat) There is good strategic logic to Taiwan’s decision to build diesel subs. Execution is a different story.
In questioning Russia’s Putin about surveillance, Snowden misses the point
(Walter Pincus in The Washington Post) The question Edward Snowden should have asked Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday was: “Would you please describe how the three versions of SORM operate and what is done with the intercepted phone, e-mail and other electronic media those systems collect?”
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