TODAY’S TOP 5
1. House panel rejects benefits cuts in 2015 defense budget
(Military Times) In the first official congressional action on the Pentagon’s proposed 2015 budget, House lawmakers have rejected proposed cuts in housing allowances and commissary funding, as well as an overhaul of the Tricare system that would increase out-of-pocket costs for some beneficiaries.
2. ISIS Insurgents Have Almost Surrounded Baghdad
(Vice) In late December 2013, Iraqi security forces stormed a Sunni protest camp in Ramadi, the capital of Iraq’s restive Anbar province. The Shiite-dominated government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki claimed that the protest camp had become a haven for militants with ties to al Qaeda.
3. The latest plans for the Pentagon's budget present an alternate reality
(Gordon Adams in Foreign Policy) Once again, reality has been pushed aside in the defense budget debate. The administration transmitted a budget which, across the board, and especially when it comes to the Defense Department, departs from reality. A deal is a deal, however, so it asks the appropriate amount for defense this year -- $496 billion in FY 2015 -- in keeping with the Murray-Ryan agreement. But then the whole budget logic evaporates into magic and rhetorical excess.
4. Sen. Leahy blocks U.S. aid to Egypt to protest nation’s ‘appalling abuse of justice system’
(Washington Post) The Obama administration’s plan to keep military aid flowing to Egypt ran into significant opposition Tuesday as a key senator blocked the next batch of shipments and other lawmakers criticized the White House for not responding more forcefully to the military-led government’s crackdown on opposition groups.
5. Hagel directs all services to review hairstyle policy
(Military Times) Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has directed all of the services to review their hairstyle policies in response to a letter from the Congressional Black Caucus.
INDUSTRY
ATK, Orbital To Merge; First Course Of New Last Supper?
(Breaking Defense) In many respects, the merger announced this morning between ATK and Orbital Sciencesappears just a sensible move between two space and defense companies facing a declining demand for rockets and rocket engines.
UK's Scout SV PMRS passes base design review milestone
(IHS Jane's 360) The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has completed the Base Platform Critical Design Review (CDR) for the Protected Mobility Recce Support (PMRS) variant of the Scout Specialist Vehicle (SV) programme, General Dynamics UK announced on 28 April.
Ukraine Reassures Pakistan on Defense Orders
(Defense News) Ukraine moved to reassure Pakistan that contracts for defense equipment will be honored despite the fallout stemming from its political instability and Russia’s annexation of Crimea.
CONGRESS
USAF-Congressional Clash Over Future of A-10 Erupts Again
(Defense News) The fate of the A-10 close-air support platform has been the most contentious issue between the Air Force and Congress over the last six months. If comments made Tuesday are any indication, it’s a fight that isn’t going away.
Gillibrand questions DOD moves on sexual assault study
(The Hill) Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) has asked the Defense Department to explain its decision to outsource a potentially crucial survey on sexual assaults to an outside contractor.
New Bill Calls for Pentagon Unmanned Systems Office
(U.S. Naval Institute) The Department of Defense would be required to establish an office to specifically manage unmanned systems if language proposed in a new Asia-Pacific Region Priority bill holds.
House Markup Cuts 1 LCS, Supports 11 Carriers
(Defense News) The House Seapower subcommittee markup that was revealed on Tuesday offered at least one surprise — cutting the Navy’s request for three littoral combat ships to only two — but the bill supports the other new ship requests, including two destroyers and two submarines.
White House: Veterans health funding too low in House bill
(The Hill) The Veterans Affairs spending bill on the House floor this week does not provide enough money for medical care, the White House said in a statement Tuesday.
GOP Defense Bill Pushes Back Against Proposed Nuclear-Modernization Delays
(Global Security Newswire) House Armed Services Committee Republicans are pushing back against the Obama administration's plans to delay selected efforts to modernize the U.S. nuclear arsenal.
House Committee Seeks to Stall UCLASS Program Pending New Pentagon Unmanned Aviation Study
(U.S. Naval Institute) The House Armed Services Committee (HASC) seeks to put on hold the U.S. Navy’s Unmanned Carrier Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) aircraft program and directs the Pentagon to fund a study for a future carrier-borne unmanned strike aircraft, according to language in the HASC’s Seapower and Projections Forces Committee’s mark of the Fiscal Year 2015 National Defense Authorization Bill.
HASC Bill 'Fully' Supports Military Cyber Activities
(Defense News) A US House Armed Services subcommittee on Tuesday released legislation that would require Pentagon officials to conduct several sweeping reviews of military intelligence programs.
Exclusive: New Bill Requires Voice of America to Toe U.S. Line
(Foreign Policy) A powerful pair of lawmakers in the House of Representatives have agreed on major legislation to overhaul Voice of America and other government-funded broadcasting outlets that could have implications for the broadcaster's editorial independence, Foreign Policy has learned.
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
What Science Says About Gender and PTSD
(ARMY Magazine) For a moment, let’s forget that American women were not allowed to serve in combat units until very recently. In all truth, the nature of the conflicts in both Afghanistan and Iraq has meant that a soldier’s military occupational specialty is less a predictor of combat experience than it was in previous wars. Combine that with the increasing number of women serving in the military and one fact emerges: Female military members have engaged in, and continue to engage in, combat operations.
Despite Pentagon spending cap, projects such as Growler jet get another chance at funding
(Washington Post) As Congress begins to wade through the Pentagon’s budget this week, deciding what stays and what goes, lawmakers will face a temptation that it has not seen in the past few years: robust wish lists, loaded with all sorts of shiny, new things they supposedly cannot afford to buy.
Officers testify about 'mad minute'
(USA Today) Troops call it the "mad minute," a short period of intense fire.
Overseas military service costing some veterans their LQA
(Stars and Stripes) Like hundreds of Defense Department employees overseas, Stephen Fitzgerald is about to lose his housing allowance.
ICITE shifts from pilot to planning
(C4ISR & Networks) Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn is the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, where he’s helping to oversee some of the intelligence community’s biggest transformations as agencies seek to capitalize on the best technologies and information-sharing capabilities. One of the foremost efforts is ICITE, the intelligence community’s burgeoning shared IT environment that aims to improve how agencies share mission-critical data among themselves and with partners.
ARMY
Rondout Valley grad Shawn Farrell, 24, killed in action in Afghanistan
(Daily Freeman; Kingston, N.Y.) Heather Stokes heard on a public radio broadcast Monday that two soldiers had been killed over the weekend in the eastern province of Afghanistan, where their Army unit was ambushed. On Monday night, she learned the unthinkable.
Heroic JBLM nurse ran 'into hell' on fatal mission to booby-trapped compound
(Tacoma News Tribune) In her last moments of life, Army nurse Capt. Jennifer Moreno heard two orders.
'Motivation' lacking, investigating officer says
(Pittsburgh Tribune-Review) The investigating officer overseeing the Army's Article 32 preliminary hearing for Sgt. 1st Class Michael Barbera said he heard “very little” prosecution evidence to support premeditated murder charges in the fatal shooting of two Iraqi boys in 2007.
Military families will have to use Madigan
(Tacoma News Tribune) About 3,000 military family members in Pierce and Thurston counties who get medical care at private hospitals will be compelled to start using clinics affiliated with Madigan Army Medical Center this year.
NAVY
Campaign targets growing misuse of prescription drugs
(Navy Times) The Navy is kicking off a campaign to curb misuse of prescription drugs after concerning trends among sailors since the service began testing for more drugs two years ago.
Navy marine mammal worker dies
(San Diego Union-Tribune) A 29-year-old government contractor died Monday during a nighttime exercise with the U.S. Navy’s marine mammal program in San Diego Bay.
Navy secretary fields questions from the fleet
(Stars and Stripes) Deployments are up, the budget is down and retirement benefits will remain untouched.
2 former Navy SEALs dead on ship died of drugs
(Associated Press) Seychelles police say a mixture of heroin and alcohol caused the deaths of two former U.S. Navy SEALs.
Ex-Navy lingust pleads guilty in secret documents case
(Politico) A former Navy contract linguist accused of removing classified documents from a secure space at a base in Bahrain pled guilty Friday to a misdemeanor charge of taking classified documents without authority.
AIR FORCE
Leaders encourage active-duty airmen to go to reserves
(Air Force Times) The Air Force is expanding its efforts to assist airmen transitioning from active duty to the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, but it is not ready to commit to a recommendation to increase its force mix from the current 31 percent reserve components to 42 percent.
Charges against Air Force Capt. Aquino dropped by Monterey County DA
(KSBW; Salinas, Calif.) Monterey County District Attorney Dean Flippo announced he is dropping all criminal charges against U.S. Air Force Captain Nicolas Aquino.
Review of nuclear force may be model for AF-wide morale study
(Air Force Times) Air Force Global Strike Command’s bottom-up review of morale among its missileers and bomber crews could be a model for the rest of the Air Force to review the happiness of its airmen, the top service official said.
Air Force Firefighter Accused Of Setting Yuba City Fires, Stabbing Teen Who Caught Him
(KOVR; Sacramento) His job is to put out fires, but a Beale Air Force Base firefighter is accused of setting them instead, and trying to kill a 13-year-old boy who allegedly caught him in the act.
Cody: Airmen must stand up to sexual assault
(Air Force Times) Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force James Cody on Monday urged airmen to take a stand against sexual assault.
MARINE CORPS
Bill for Guam firing range meets resistance
(Gannett Washington Bureau) Del. Madeleine Bordallo’s proposal to allow the Navy to restrict access to the Guam National Wildlife Refuge so the Marine Corps could safely operate firing ranges exposed a rift within the Obama administration at a congressional hearing Tuesday.
Yucca Valley woman’s family sues government over death
(San Bernardino Sun; Calif.) A federal lawsuit has been filed on behalf of the daughter of a woman killed in a highway collision in Joshua Tree involving a Marine who allegedly fell asleep behind the wheel of a military issued Humvee.
Marine veteran with Grim Reaper costume acquitted of all charges 1 year after drone protest (With Video)
(The Post-Standard; Syracuse, N.Y.) A DeWitt town judge Monday night acquitted a U.S. Marine veteran who wore a Grim reaper costume during a permitted protest last year outside Hancock air base.
Dozens, including veterans and Republicans, urge Scott Walker to issue pardon
(Wisconsin State Journal) Doug Zwank considers the fate of Eric Pizer and thinks, “That could have been me.” Like Pizer, Zwank is a combat veteran and former corporal in the Marine Corps. And like Pizer, he narrowly escaped death while serving his country overseas.
VETERANS
Sources: Exchange eyes opening online store to all vets
(Military Times) Army and Air Force Exchange Service officials want to expand shopping privileges at the online exchange store to all honorably discharged veterans, sources said.
A Mother’s Guilt And A Veteran’s Unexpected Death
(WFOR-TV; Miami) Early one morning last year, Mary Zielinski received a call from the VA hospital in Miami telling her that her son was dead.
Discovery Channel reality show star trades fire over combat experience
(Military Times) In the eye of the storm is Teti, the show’s military expert now filming his second season. And in a bizarre case of reality TV gone wild, among those leveling charges is Teti’s former Army Special Forces teammate and friend — himself a survival show star.
AFGHANISTAN
Taliban claim they shot down US warplane in eastern Afghanistan
(Long War Journal) The Afghan Taliban claimed that their forces hit an US Air Force AC-130 gunship with antiaircraft fire and forced it to land in the eastern province of Logar.
Afghanistan Corruption Fostered by U.S., Pentagon Found
(Bloomberg) The U.S. government “created an environment that fostered corruption” in Afghanistan by supporting warlords, relying on private trucking contracts and providing billions of dollars in aid, according to a previously undisclosed Pentagon report.
Karzai: UK, US still run illegal detention centers
(Associated Press) President Hamid Karzai accused British and U.S. forces on Tuesday of continuing to operate "illegal" detention facilities in the country, another volley in the rancorous disagreement between the Afghan leader and his foreign backers over what to do with captured Taliban suspects.
MIDDLE EAST
Unrest in Iraq Narrows Odds for Maliki Win
(New York Times) When a well-known journalist was shot dead at a checkpoint here last month, Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki rushed to the scene. Speaking to a television camera, he promised “blood for blood.”
Iraq election holds little hope of change for town scarred by decade of war
(The Guardian) As the country prepares to go the polls for the third time since the fall of Saddam Hussein and after its deadliest period in five years, Ghaith Abdul-Ahad finds the people of Buhriz fighting a new wave of insurgents – and for their lives.
Iran's president seeks to quiet critics
(Washington Post) Iran’s president, Hassan Rouhani, took to the airwaves twice Tuesday in attempts to quiet critics on all sides of the political spectrum who say he is not fulfilling his campaign promises nearly a year after his unexpected election.
Abu Qatada provides jihadists with ideological guidance from a Jordanian prison
(Long War Journal) On July 7, 2013, Omar Mohammed Othman, better known as Abu Qatada, was deported from the UK to Jordan to stand trial on terrorism charges. His deportation was the end of a legal fight in the UK that lasted more than a decade. Abu Qatada was first arrested in early 2001, only to be released and detained once again in October 2002. He spent years in British custody before a transfer agreement was finally reached between the two governments last year.
Turkish Prime Minister Wants U.S. to Extradite an Activist Imam
(Wall Street Journal) Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would formally ask the U.S. to extradite an Islamic cleric he accuses of masterminding a plot to topple his government.
EUROPE
Baltic nations welcome US trainers as USAREUR mulls sending more
(Stars and Stripes) The commander of U.S. Army Europe said Tuesday that he wants to add helicopters and other combat tools to the mix to bolster training with the Baltics and Poland, where the U.S. has sent some 600 paratroops to train and reassure allies wary of a newly aggressive Russia.
Kerry: U.S. Taped Moscow’s Calls to Its Ukraine Spies
(The Daily Beast) The United States has proof that the Russian government in Moscow is running a network of spies inside eastern Ukraine because the U.S. government has recordings of their conversations, Secretary of State John Kerry said in a closed-door meeting Friday.
Russia's Ukraine actions highlight its military limits
(USA Today) Russia's military operations in Crimea and on Ukraine's border suggest the country's poorly resourced armed forces have made improvements in recent years but would struggle to extend operations in central Europe and elsewhere, experts say.
Pro-Russia Forces Extend Grasp in Ukrainian City of Luhansk
(Wall Street Journal) Pro-Russia militants in masks broke down doors and stormed government buildings Tuesday in another area of Ukraine that hugs the Russian border, as the new government in Kiev criticized local police for failing to stem the growing unrest.
Shadowy commander is face of insurgency in Ukraine
(Associated Press) When shadowy commander Igor Strelkov appeared before the cameras recently in green combat fatigues and a clipped mustache, he did more than reveal the face of the insurgency rocking eastern Ukraine. He strengthened the case that Russia is behind the turmoil.
Czech, Slovak Militaries Launch Joint Air Patrols, Eye Arms Procurement
(Defense News) Under an agreement signed by the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the countries’ air forces will launch joint air patrols in January. The initiative has been debated for several years, but was recently accelerated by the ongoing crisis in Ukraine and related security concerns of the two governments, reported daily Gazeta Wyborcza.
AFRICA
Tunisia takes fight to militants in mountain hideout
(Reuters) Tunisian security forces backed by jets and helicopters have begun a major operation to root out al Qaeda-linked militants from a hideout in the Chaambi mountains bordering Algeria.
Gunmen attack Libya's parliament
(Al Jazeera) Several people have been wounded when armed men stormed Libya's parliament in the capital, Tripoli, causing lawmakers to postpone the selection of a new prime minister.
As Muslims flee Central African Republic fury, fears of radicalization
(Christian Science Monitor) Thousands are threatened as Christian-dominated militias take retribution for atrocities blamed on a Muslim-dominated former government. Many worry the mass displacement will further destabilize CAR.
Mali PM, northern armed groups prepare for peace talks
(Reuters) Mali's new prime minister pledged on Tuesday to revive long-delayed peace talks on the troubled north while armed groups from the region said they would hold a preparatory meeting with Algeria ahead of the negotiations.
Kerry: US 'Closely' Examining South Sudan Sanctions (With Video)
(Voice of America) Secretary of State John Kerry says the U.S. is considering sanctions on people encouraging unrest in South Sudan, where political and sectarian violence has displaced more than 1 million people.
ASIA-PACIFIC
US Navy aircraft, ship recalled from search for Malaysia Airlines jet
(Stars and Stripes) Two U.S. patrol aircraft and a military support command ship have been recalled from the search for a missing Malaysia Airlines jet, according to Navy officials.
Military, Islamists Clash in Philippines, 15 Dead
(Voice of America) Philippine officials say at least 15 people have been killed during fighting between government troops and Islamist militants in a remote southern region.
China media: US-Philippines military deal
(BBC) Media and experts urge Beijing to "remain on alert" in the wake of a new military agreement between Manila and Washington.
U.S. Offers Bounty for Chinese Businessman Linked to Iran Missiles
(Wall Street Journal) U.S. authorities took aim at a Chinese businessman accused of selling ballistic missile parts to Iran, offering a $5 million bounty for help in securing his arrest and sanctioning eight Chinese trading firms he allegedly operated.
North Korea Issues Sexist Tirade Against South Korean Leader
(National Public Radio) North Korea isn't exactly known for its light touch: It has referred to its foes as a "rat-like group of bastards," a "shameless political dwarf" and even a "swish of skirt."
COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS
Better Buying Power 4 Years On: Is It Making a Difference?
(Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Frank Kendall in Defense One) I believe the answer is a “qualified yes.” “Yes” because there is significant evidence that the policies and practices embedded in BBP 1.0 and 2.0 are taking hold; “qualified” because there is more than ample opportunity for continued improvement. When then-Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Ash Carter and I started the first iteration of Better Buying Power as part of Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ efficiency initiatives in 2010, we had the common understanding that improvements would be incremental and take time.
Save the Carrier, Sink the LCS
(Everett Pyatt in Real Clear Defense) Inactivate a carrier, save the littoral combat ship? It sounds crazy, but that is the current budget plan. Inactivate a carrier, save the littoral combat ship? It sounds crazy, but that is the current budget plan.
Stryker-Bradley Pairing Is Best Armored Vehicle Solution for US Army
(Sen. Rob Portman in Defense News) All of us want our fighting men and women to have the modern equipment they need. The US Army has been planning for decades to replace its 1960s-era troop carriers with a safer, more efficient modern vehicle. Its current approach, the armored multi-purpose vehicle (AMPV), has been spared from the budget ax by Army planners despite devastating cuts in other parts of the service’s modernization plan, including the cancellation of the $30 billion ground combat vehicle, which was to have replaced the Bradley fighting vehicle.
‘F.I.R.E: How Fast, Inexpensive, Restrained, and Elegant Methods Ignite Innovation’
(Air Force Lt. Col. Dan Ward in Armed Forces Journal) The F in FIRE stands for fast, which says it’s important and good to have a short schedule. It’s about defining a project objective that can be satisfied on a short timeline, not one we know full well will require twenty years to accomplish.
The Iraqi Military’s Downward Spiral
(Max Boot in Commentary) The best article on Afghanistan that I have read recently is an article about Iraq. Specifically, this article in the Wall Street Journal on the travails of the Iraqi military in facing an insurgency spearheaded by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (as al-Qaeda in Iraq is now called).
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