TODAY’S TOP 5
1. Gunman opens fire at Ft. Hood in Texas
(Los Angeles Times) Four people were killed, including the gunman, and 16 others were hurt Wednesday in a shooting rampage at Ft. Hood, which in 2009 was the scene of the deadliest mass shooting on a military base in U.S. history.
2. Source: Pakistan Already Has US-Made MRAPs, New Deal in Works
(Defense News) While controversy swirls over reports that Pakistan may receive some of the excess Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles that the United States has sitting in Afghanistan, American and Pakistani officials are on the verge of completing a deal to send new and excess MRAPs to Islamabad, Defense News has learned.
3. Afghanistan or Talibanistan?
(Army Col. Robert M. Cassidy in Armed Forces Journal) This year will see a set of key events in Afghanistan: variables of pivotal magnitude that may well determine whether it succeeds as a state or succumbs to another Taliban takeover.
4. Report: DOD not tracking ‘revolving door’ statistics
(Stars and Stripes) The Defense Department isn’t properly keeping track of senior officials who leave the government to take jobs with defense contractors, the DOD Inspector General reported Tuesday.
5. Updated: Navy Unfunded Request for Carrier Refueling Removed
(U.S. Naval Institute) A $796 million line item that would go toward the refueling and overhaul of USS George Washington (CVN-73) was removed from the Navy’s unfunded requirements list, several sources confirmed to USNI News.
FORT HOOD SHOOTING
Here are the rules on carrying firearms on Fort Hood
(Washington Post) Soldiers on all military installations, including Fort Hood, are not armed while on post, nor are they permitted to carry any privately owned firearms. Only law enforcement and security personnel are allowed to have weapons on post.
Fort Hood shooter was Iraq vet being treated for mental health issues
(CNN) The man who opened fire at the Fort Hood military post in Texas was a veteran who served four months in Iraq and was undergoing treatment for mental health issues.
Officials Discuss Fort Hood Shooting (Video)
(New York Times) Authorities at Fort Hood and Scott and White Memorial Hospital discussed the shooting at the Army base that killed 4 and wounded 16 on Wednesday.
Pentagon grapples to understand how yet another insider threat went undeterred
(Washington Post) Wednesday’s mass shooting by an Army specialist in Fort Hood, Texas, put the Pentagon on a dreaded, if increasingly familiar footing as officials grappled to understand how yet another insider threat went undeterred.
Obama: We will get to bottom of Ford Hood shooting
(Associated Press) President Barack Obama vowed that investigators will get to the bottom of a shooting incident Wednesday at Fort Hood, Texas, seeking to reassure the nation whose sense of security once again has been shaken by mass violence.
Fort Hood shooting comes less than 5 years after attack
(USA Today) Less than five years after an Army psychiatrist went on a shooting rampage at Fort Hood, the military base has been shaken by another shooting.
Hagel: Shootings at Fort Hood a 'terrible tragedy'
(Associated Press) Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is calling the shootings at Fort Hood, Texas, a "terrible tragedy."
Shootings at U.S. military bases over the years
(USA Today) USA TODAY Network looks at other notable violent incidents at American military installations in recent years.
INDUSTRY
Boeing Expands Airbus Rivalry to Tanker Market
(Wall Street Journal) Boeing Co. said Wednesday it will try to sell its new aerial refueling tanker to South Korea as its long-running battle with Airbus Group NV expands from commercial jets into specialized military aircraft.
Austal, Lockheed warships did well in U.S. war game -admiral
(Reuters) Both the Lockheed Martin Corp and Austal versions of the U.S. Navy's new coastal warship performed well in a major war game last week and surprised some "enemies" with their capabilities, a top Navy admiral said on Tuesday.
3 UK Companies To Support Army Protected Mobility Vehicles
(Defense News) Three British defense companies have secured a deal to support and sustain nearly half of the 2,000 protected mobility vehicles purchased for the war in Afghanistan and now being brought permanently into the Army’s core equipment program.
Facing End of Tomahawk Production, Raytheon Plays Industrial Base Card
(National Defense Magazine) The Raytheon Co. is challenging the Navy’s decision to halt manufacturing of the Tomahawk cruise missile in 2016, and is counting on its congressional allies to help keep the weapon in production for the foreseeable future.
DCNS May Join OPV Lease Bid for Uruguay
(Defense News) French naval company DCNS is exploring a leasing deal for offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) as a tender held by Uruguay calls for procurement under a lease, a French bank executive said April 2.
South Africa's defence minister calls for Rooivalk line to be reopened
(IHS Jane's 360) South African defence minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has called for Denel to restart production of the Rooivalk attack helicopter, although it is unclear at this stage how likely this might be.
Ukraine Halts Arms Exports To Russia
(Defense News) Ukraine’s state-owned defense giant Ukroboronprom has decided to halt all exports of armament and military equipment to Russia, said Yuriy Tereshenko, the group’s chief executive. Ukroboronprom will not carry out any supplies to the Russian armed forces “until the conflict de-escalates,” according to Tereshenko.
CONGRESS
House appropriators cut military construction spending
(The Hill) The House Appropriations Committee is cutting spending on military construction in its first 2015 appropriations bill, while boosting funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Proposal would make it easier to fire VA officials
(Military Times) A push from the Speaker of the House and a continued stream of scandals involving Veterans Affairs administrators has pushed legislation to ease the firing of department officials onto the fast track.
Senate appropriators skeptical of A-10 cuts
(The Hill) Senate Appropriations Defense Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and other appropriators expressed skepticism Wednesday of the Air Force’s decision to cut the entire A-10 fleet.
Senators urge review of U.S. Air Force satellite launch program
(Reuters) U.S. senators on Wednesday urged the Air Force to allow more competition in the multibillion-dollar market for launching government satellites, citing rising costs and concerns about Russian-made engines that power some of the U.S. rockets.
Senate Panel Signals Possible Future Relief from Full Sequester Cuts
(Seapower) After provided a break from deep sequester cuts in fiscal 2014 and 2015, lawmakers seemed poised to continue easing up in future years as well.
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Dempsey: 'This is not a profession in crisis'
(USA Today) The Air Force recently uncovered a widespread cheating scandal implicating dozens of nuclear missile officers. An Army brigadier general pleaded guilty to sexual misconduct.
U.S. missile defense system could see added costs, delays: report
(Reuters) The U.S. missile defense system could see additional costs and delays after several test failures and technical challenges in 2013, a congressional watchdog agency warned in a new report released Tuesday.
Betrayed military spouses often keep quiet for fear of losing benefits
(Los Angeles Times) Within the tight circle of Army spouses, Kris Johnson and Rebecca Sinclair became close friends as their ambitious husbands advanced rapidly in the officer corps.
U.S. Working to Preserve Drone Dominance
(Time) The U.S. military is worried about being attacked by foreign drones—and about protecting the airmen operating ours.
No plans for male and female troops to share bedrooms
(Military Times) The Norwegian military has looked into the idea of having male and female service members share bedrooms — but don’t expect the U.S. military to follow suit anytime soon.
ARMY
Army: Female focus group helped determine new hair rules
(Army Times) The Army’s new hair rules, which ban a number of styles popular among black women, were approved only after surveying hundreds of senior enlisted female soldiers as part of a focus group led by a female sergeant major, an official said Wednesday.
Fort Bragg paratrooper dies in Afghanistan
(Fayetteville Observer) Capt. James E. Chaffin, a 27-year-old paratrooper from West Columbia, S.C., and graduate of West Point military academy in New York, was a fire support officer with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team.
Fort Carson soldier's 13-year-old son among those missing in Washington mudslide
(Colorado Springs Gazette) A Fort Carson soldier's 13-year-old son is among the 22 people listed as still missing in Washington, where mudslides killed dozens of people on March 22.
Indiana guardsman pleads guilty in homemade bomb case
(The Columbus Dispatch; Ohio) An Indiana man who pleaded guilty yesterday to having unregistered homemade bombs in his van had used similar bombs at a military training facility, his attorney said.
Lewis-McChord, others practice helping in drill mirroring 9.2 Alaska quake
(Tacoma News Tribune) Dozens of Army doctors and nurses experienced in keeping combat-wounded soldiers alive in war zones tested themselves Tuesday against an almost unthinkable disaster at home.
NAVY
Another U.S. ship to sail for Black Sea
(Military Times) As tens of thousands of Russian troops remain along Ukraine’s eastern border, the Pentagon is sending an additional Navy ship to the Black Sea and will station 175 additional Marines in Romania along the Black Sea Coast, a defense official said Wednesday.
DNA in "American Sniper" case could delay trial
(Virginian-Pilot; Norfolk) A dispute over DNA testing could delay the trial of the man charged with killing famed Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle.
Online ticket ‘hoarding’ leads to visitor decline at Pearl Harbor attractions
(KHON2; Honolulu) A reservation system that was supposed to make it more convenient for visitors to the USS Arizona Memorial is now hurting them.
Spec ops 3-star leads list of 29 flag officer nominations
(Navy Times) The 3-star tapped for the No. 2 job at U.S. Special Operations Command leads the list of 29 flag officer nominations announced Tuesday by the Pentagon.
AIR FORCE
Unmanned Predator lost power, crashed into Mediterranean
(Air Force Times) An MQ-1B Predator flying a 20-hour mission in Africa crashed into the Mediterranean Sea on Sept. 17, the Air Force announced today.
Are RPA Pilots the New Normal?
(Air Force Magazine) Remotely piloted aircraft have spawned a new breed of professional aviator that the Air Force says is here to stay. The next challenge is to cement a viable career path for the young pilots who cut their teeth guiding these vehicles over Afghanistan.
Military weather satellite set for launch from Vandenberg base
(Los Angeles Times) For more than 15 years, a $518-million military weather satellite sat in a clean room at Lockheed Martin Corp.'s facility in Sunnyvale waiting for the day it would be launched into orbit from Vandenberg Air Force Base.
TACP instructor: Trainees should know what to expect
(Flightlines) If you are thinking about becoming a Tactical Air Control Party airman, you should know how hard the training is, said legendary TACP instructor Tech. Sgt. Israel Del Toro Jr.
MARINE CORPS
US sends 175 Marines to boost force in Romania
(Stars and Stripes) The United States is sending 175 more Marines to Romania to extend the U.S. military’s ability to respond to crises around the region, the Pentagon announced Wednesday.
A Sneak Peek At Marines’ New Amphibious Combat Vehicle
(Breaking Defense) The Marines are about to move out sharply with their once-stalled Amphibious Combat Vehicle, the smallest service’s biggest program. After years of uncertainty and a last-minute change of course that came too late to make it into the administration’s budget request for 2015, the Marines will soon announce their new strategy for something they’re calling an ACV. It will be much more modest than the revolutionary vehicle the Corps once envisioned.
Team advising Afghan troops may shrink to 100 Marines or fewer by this summer
(Marine Corps Times) The upcoming Afghan presidential election will be a “defining moment” for Afghan National Security Forces and the Marines advising them, said the senior U.S. adviser to the commander of Afghanistan’s 215th Corps said.
U.S. Builds Up Marines in Asia
(Wall Street Journal) The U.S. Marine Corps is rebuilding its forces in East Asia, beefing up amphibious fighting capabilities that had been eroded during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Ramadi remembered
(San Diego Union-Tribune) The Battle of Ramadi began 10 years ago on April 6, at the start of a protracted and deadly struggle by U.S. forces in the Anbar province of Iraq.
COAST GUARD
Coast Guard reservist admits $100K travel fraud
(Virginian-Pilot; Norfolk) A Coast Guard reservist pleaded guilty today to making false claims by filing for more than $100,000 in bogus lodging and travel charges.
Cadet accused of inappropriate touching
(The Day; New London, Conn.) A hearing is underway at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy to determine whether there is enough evidence to warrant a general court martial for Alexander Stevens, a cadet who is accused of breaking into a dorm room and inappropriately touching another cadet.
Responders re-create bloody murder scene at Kodiak Coast Guard base
(Alaska Dispatch) As the second day of testimony in the federal murder case against James Wells continued, jurors heard from a line of uniformed personnel including Coast Guard petty officers, military police and emergency responders.
VETERANS
Wanted: Heroes
(Washington Post) A two-tour Army veteran of the Afghanistan war pulled on a pair of old combat boots and headed off to his $8-an-hour job washing cars at a Ford dealership in Wichita Falls, Tex. “My military background don’t mean nothing,” he said. “I am just another guy with a GED.”
Iraq vet charged with soliciting money for Wounded Warriors, keeping it
(St. Louis Post-Dispatch) A wounded Iraq War veteran from St. Charles County is accused of soliciting unauthorized donations of at least $6,200 for the Wounded Warrior Project but keeping the money himself.
FDA Warnings to Body-Parts Vendors Overlooked by VA
(Bloomberg) A U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs safety office isn’t tracking a health agency’s warnings on the potential for contaminated body tissue, a federal auditor’s review found.
Top VA official refuses to answer question about "preventable deaths"
(WSB-TV; Atlanta) Internal documents from the Department of Veterans Affairs show that at least 19 deaths, including ones in Georgia, were "preventable deaths."
AFGHANISTAN/PAKISTAN
Suicide Blast at Afghan Interior Ministry Kills 6
(Voice of America) A suicide bomber tried to ram his way into Afghanistan’s Interior Ministry on Wednesday, killing at least six police officers who were outside the compound. This latest attack is likely to add to the tension surrounding the April 5 presidential election.
British sniper in Afghanistan kills six Taliban with one bullet
(The Telegraph) A British sniper in Afghanistan killed six insurgents with a single bullet after hitting the trigger switch of a suicide bomber whose device then exploded, The Telegraph has learnt.
$11M Afghanistan prison likely to have to be rebuilt
(Military Times) U.S. investigators found serious structural flaws in the $11 million-plus Baghlan prison in Afghanistan without even visiting the site.
The U.S. Military’s Most Crucial Mission Yet in Afghanistan
(Defense One) After 12 years under rule by President Hamid Karzai, the war-weary nation heads to the polls this weekend to choose its second democratically elected leader, paving the way for Afghanistan’s post-war future.
Youth Hold Key to Election in Afghanistan
(Wall Street Journal) Almost two thirds of Afghans are younger than 25, and millions have come of age during the 12 years since U.S. troops and development dollars arrived. Despite a violent Taliban insurgency and rampant corruption, young Afghans have enjoyed unprecedented freedoms and opportunities, and many of them will be voting for the first time to preserve them.
Musharraf’s convoy escapes blast in Islamabad
(Dawn.com) A powerful explosion on Thursday hit Faizabad bridge just after the convoy of the former president Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf passed by it, DawnNews reported.
MIDDLE EAST
Iraqi Shiite militants return from Syria, aggravating security crisis
(Al-Monitor) Many questions have been raised in Iraq about the fate of the Shiite militants fighting in Syria alongside the regime of President Bashar al-Assad once the Syrian crisis ends.
Israelis, Palestinians begin to assign blame for possible collapse of peace talks
(Washington Post) Israelis and Palestinians began to jostle Wednesday over who should be blamed for the possible collapse of peace talks, even as their representatives met with U.S. officials late into the night to try to keep the negotiations alive.
Ajnad Misr claims Cairo University bombings and 3 other attacks
(The Long War Journal) In a statement released to its Facebook and Twitter accounts, a jihadist group known as Ajnad Misr (Soldiers of Egypt) claimed responsibility for today's bombings near Cairo University. The attacks, which killed at least one police officer, wounded about half a dozen people.
Syria accuses rebels of planning gas attack near Damascus
(Reuters) Syria is charging in a letter to the United Nations that opposition groups are planning a toxic gas attack in a rebel-held area near Damascus so they can then blame it on government security forces.
EUROPE
Crimea Offers Showcase for Russia’s Rebooted Military
(New York Times) The soldiers guarding the entrances to the surrounded Ukrainian military base here just south of the capital, Simferopol, had little in common with their predecessors from past Russian military actions.
NATO Military Chief Says Russia Could Take Parts of Ukraine in Three to Five Days
(Wall Street Journal) The top military commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization said Wednesday that Russian forces could take large swaths of Ukraine in three to five days.
Top U.S. Commander in Europe: Putin Not Budging
(Foreign Policy) The top U.S. commander in Europe said in an interview that he sees no sign that Russian forces are backing away from the border with Ukraine and called Moscow's conquest and annexation of Crimea a "paradigm shift" that requires a fundamental rethinking of where American forces are located and how they are trained.
Deposed Ukrainian Leader Calls Crimea Annexation a ‘Tragedy’
(New York Times) Viktor F. Yanukovych, the deposed president of Ukraine, called Russia’s annexation of Crimea a “tragedy” on Wednesday and said he would try to negotiate the region’s return from President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia.
Kazakh Minister Says Eurasian Economic Union Agreement To Be Signed In May
(Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty) Kazakh Foreign Minister Erlan Idrisov says the presidents of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan will sign an agreement on the creation of the Eurasian Economic Union (EES) next month.
ASIA-PACIFIC
Taiwan's Takeaway from Russian Annexation of Crimea: We Must Modernize Military
(Defense News) Taiwan watched Russia’s invasion and annexation of Crimea from Ukraine very closely. After all, the island nation, which is claimed by China, has long feared Beijing might do the same thing.
As Koreas trade missiles, top US commander warns against budget cuts
(Stars and Stripes) The commander of U.S. and U.N. forces in Korea told lawmakers Wednesday that North Korea has the capability to attack the south with “little or no warning,” and further budget cuts could hamper the U.S. military’s ability to respond.
Indonesia to station Su-27, Su-30s on South China Sea islands
(IHS Jane's 360) The Indonesian Air Force (Tentera Nasional Indonesia - Angkatan Udara, TNI-AU) is planning to upgrade its airbase at Ranai on Riau Island so it can be used by Sukhoi Su-27 and Su-30 fighter aircraft, the base's commander said on 27 March.
COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS
Opinion: A setback for AF's strong women
(Sara Zak in Air Force Times) As Sexual Assault Awareness Month starts up, Women’s History Month winds down and March mustaches get shaved off. These three events are connected by the intangible thread of military culture.
It's Time for a 'Sea Control Frigate'
(Lt. j.g. Zachary Howitt in Proceedings) As the Navy decommissions the last 15 frigates, soon to be joined by 21 Ticonderoga- class cruisers, we will call on our existing hulls to support their ongoing missions. There is little doubt the littoral combat ship (LCS) fills some of this void, but even the top brass seem to agree that it’s ineffective in a high-endurance, blue-water setting.
NATO Expansion Will Put Russia in Its Place
(Michael Quigley in Defense One) It is time to regain the upper hand with Russia by setting key regional partners in Eastern Europe on the path to membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization alliance.
Taking a Spoon to a Gunfight
(David Maxwell in War on the Rocks) As the Russians now try to reach a diplomatic solution in order to consolidate their gains in Crimea – as evidenced by Putin’s call to Obama and SECSTATE’s meeting with the Russian foreign minister – it is useful to try to understand how Russia has used all of its elements of national power to achieve its objectives.
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