TODAY’S TOP 5
1. Training Tops US Army Guard Unfunded List
(Defense News) The US Army National Guard is asking Congress to find an extra $1.5 billion to meet its unfunded requirements in fiscal year 2015, primarily to fund training and operations, according to a copy of the list obtained by Defense News.
2. Marine Corps $2.5 billion wish list includes millions for new crisis response units
(Marine Corps Times) The Marine Corps has submitted an unfunded priorities list to Congress that includes funding to stand up two new crisis response units, and more than $1 billion to replace aircraft destroyed in an attack on Camp Bastion.
3. Pentagon should cut civilian, not military, personnel
(Timothy Wilson in The Hill) It isn’t often that Pentagon leaders find themselves without the support of their primary constituency, but that’s just what Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel is facing today with his proposed severe reduction in the number of uniformed personnel. Civilian employees, however, appear to be largely sheltered in plans Hagel has submitted for a trimmed down department. Cutting the tail instead of pulling the teeth of the department undermines our ability to ensure the security of the United States and provide meaningfully for enlisted service members and their families.
4. US Navy Unfunded List Requests Growlers, Poseidon Aircraft
(Defense News) Although titled an “unfunded priority list,” the US Navy’s document giving Congress options to add to the 2015 budget is neither prioritized, nor a list of unfunded programs.
5. USAF Submits $8B Unfunded List to Congress
(Defense News) The US Air Force has sent Congress an $8 billion unfunded priorities list, with more than $3.3 billion eyed for new procurement programs, according to a copy of the list obtained by Defense News.
FORT HOOD SHOOTING
Hero of 2009 Ft. Hood rampage calls for arming soldiers on base
(Los Angeles Times) The Ft. Hood shootings are stoking debate over whether Congress should repeal a two-decade-old ban on carrying personal firearms on military bases, a policy designed to protect military personnel against accidental or indiscriminate shootings.
11 facts from the Hood shooter's Army record
(Army Times) The alleged shooter, Spc. Ivan Antonio Lopez, served in uniform almost 15 years. Here’s what his Army records say.
Ivan Lopez was upset over recent deaths of mother, grandfather, family friends say
(Austin American Statesman) Family friends of suspected Fort Hood shooter Ivan Lopez told the American-Statesman on Thursday that the soldier was upset at the recent deaths of his mother and grandfather and may have felt conflicted about his role in the Iraq war because of his religious convictions.
Fort Hood Shooter Bought Weapon From Same Gun Shop Tied to 2009 Rampage
(NBC News) The Fort Hood shooter bought his gun at the same Texas gun shop where the 2009 gunman purchased his, law enforcement sources told NBC News.
Alleged shooter was not required to register weapon
(USA Today) The suspected gunman in the Fort Hood shooting was not required to have his weapon registered with the military since he lived off post, Army Secretary John McHugh said Thursday.
Hood shooter had clean record, McHugh says
(Army Times) Top Army leaders sought to rally the force Thursday morning in the aftermath of the shooting at Fort Hood, Texas.
Fort Hood shooting: Is Army paying enough attention to mental health?
(Christian Science Monitor) In the days before he killed three people and himself at Fort Hood, Specialist Ivan Lopez had been 'under diagnosis' for post-traumatic stress disorder, 'but he had not yet been diagnosed.'
Hood shooter suffered from depression and anxiety, officials say
(Military Times) Army officials said Thursday the soldier behind the Fort Hood, Texas, shootings suffered from sleep disturbances, anxiety and depression, but there was no indication he was prone to violence.
Sanders: We must do 'a heck of a lot more' to fix mental health
(The Hill) Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said Thursday the United States has to do “a heck of a lot more” to help people with mental health issues.
Fort Hood shootings: Breaking down 2014 and 2009
(USA Today) Tragedy has struck twice at Fort Hood Army Base in Texas. Though details of the latest shooting rampage are still developing, here is a look at the 2014 and 2009 incidents.
Officials say bomb found in Killeen was fake
(Killeen Daily Herald) The Fort Hood Explosive Ordinance Detachment tested the device. KPD spokesperson Carroll Smith said it was a "hoax bomb."
After Fort Hood tragedy, experts recommend changes to active-shooter training
(Military Times) A prominent security expert believes the U.S. military should expand its active-shooter training to include the people who may be trapped in such a situation, not just the law-enforcement forces who respond.
INDUSTRY
Lockheed F-35’s Operating Cost Estimate to Decline
(Bloomberg) The Pentagon will decrease its $1.1 trillion estimate for the cost of supporting Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT)’s F-35 fighter jet over a 55-year lifespan, the top U.S. weapons buyer said.
Boeing exec warns of risks if U.S. Export-Import bank scrapped
(Reuters) A top Boeing Co (BA.N) official on Thursday said a fresh drive by some lawmakers and interest groups to scrap the Export-Import Bank of the United States would put the nation at a competitive disadvantage and risk thousands of U.S. jobs.
Where’s the Spending? Defense Companies Get the Jitters
(Wall Street Journal) U.S. defense executives who just a few weeks ago called a bottom to the decline in spending now look to be on shaky ground, and the jitters intensified on Thursday.
Exelis to spin mission systems unit into independent company named Vectrus
(Washington Post) McLean-based defense contractor Exelis on Tuesday said it had selected a name for the mission systems division it is spinning off into a new, independent and publicly traded company: Vectrus.
Finns May Turn to Russia for Tactical Missile System
(Defense News) The likelihood of Finland acquiring a new surface-to-surface missile system from Russia has increased following a preliminary decision by the Finance Ministry here to opt for a more up-to-date and cost-efficient launcher-fired tactical missile.
CONGRESS
Levin, Shaheen warn Pentagon not to bypass Congress on base closures
(The Hill) Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) on Thursday issued a stern warning to the Army not to try to bypass Congress to close bases.
Senators encourage Navy on potential tobacco sales ban
(Military Times) Five Democratic senators have written to Navy Secretary Ray Mabus encouraging him to ban the sale of tobacco products on bases and ships.
House Republicans Considering Military Path to Green Card
(Wall Street Journal) House Republicans are considering a plan that would allow young people who had been brought to the U.S. illegally as children to join the military and then become legal, permanent residents.
Forbes Reiterates Carrier Concerns to DoD Officials
(Seapower) The back-and-forth debate on funding for the aircraft carrier USS George Washington, and the impacts of sequestration, continued between lawmakers and Department of Defense (DoD) officials during a April 3 House Armed Services Committee hearing.
Chairman: US needs Russian choppers
(The Hill) The top lawmaker on the House Armed Services Committee said the United States needs to continue buying Russian-made helicopters for the Afghan air force despite tensions over the annexation of Crimea.
Lawmakers scold DoD for medical records failure
(Military Times) House lawmakers who hold the Pentagon’s purse strings berated the Defense Department on Thursday for failing to develop a joint electronic medical records system with the Veterans Affairs Department — an effort that has cost more than $1 billion since 2008 while producing scant results.
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Policy Chief Nominee Backs Global Spec Ops Network
(Defense News) The Pentagon is moving aggressively to establish a “network” of elite American commandos across the globe as part of its changing strategy to combat al-Qaida cells in places like North Africa.
The U.S. Military Is One Step Closer to Having Invisibility Cloaks
(Defense One) Researchers are one step closer to creating shields that could render parked tanks and aircraft virtually invisible.
DoD adopts NIST security standards
(C4ISR & Networks) The Defense Department has historically gone its own way on security matters, but now the Pentagon is looking to government-wide IT security standards to make compliance simpler.
Pentagon Mulls Building All-American Rocket Engines, Dropping Russian RD-180s
(Breaking Defense) The Pentagon’s top space officials told Congress today they have launched a study to ascertain if the United States can build its own rocket engines so expensive and large spy and GPS satellites don’t have to be launched using Russian rocket engines, as they are now.
Do GPUs hold the key to Big Data?
(C4ISR & Networks) DARPA believes graphics processing units might hold the key to Big Data, according to reports.
ARMY
Lawmakers urge revamp of Army vehicle competition
(Reuters) A group of 10 U.S. lawmakers on Thursday urged Pentagon acquisition chief Frank Kendall to revamp the U.S. Army's $5 billion competition for a new armored vehicle to allow both tracked and wheeled vehicles to compete.
Army Starts Testing New Jungle Boots for Pacific
(Military.com) Soldiers may soon be shelving their collection of desert boots and lacing up the Army's new, modernized jungle boots.
Interview with Maj. Gen. H.R. McMaster on the future of war
(Charlie Rose) Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO's Secretary General and later Major General H.R. McMaster, commander of the Army’s Maneuver Center for Excellence in Fort Benning, Georgia.
Ga. soldiers plead guilty in 2011 militia slayings
(Associated Press) Two Army soldiers pleaded guilty Thursday to fatally shooting a former military colleague and his teenage girlfriend to protect what one defendant described as an anti-government militia group formed by disgruntled troops at neighboring Fort Stewart.
Army unit puts a new spin on old payday activities
(Stars and Stripes) The Army’s on a bit of a retro kick, but perhaps no unit is taking it as far as the 21st Theater Sustainment Command, which is bringing back a tradition that many young soldiers know only from the griping of crusty old sergeants: payday activities.
NAVY
Former SEAL after getting shot in the gut: ‘Must catch people.’
(Scoop Deck) Former Special Operator 1st Class (SEAL) Chris Heben was headed to buy his mom a birthday gift March 28 when, following an altercation, he was shot in the parking lot of a Bath Township, Ohio, shopping center. The bullet pierced Heben’s lower abdomen.
Navy: Decision to Pull Unfunded Carrier Refueling Request was CNO’s Choice
(U.S. Naval Institute) The head of the U.S. Navy decided to cut an unfunded request to Congress to start purchasing long lead items for the refueling and overhaul of USS George Washington (CVN-73) to better align with budget planning over the next five years, Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Jonathan Greenert wrote in a March, 31 letter addressed to Congress and obtained by USNI News.
The Navy's Newest Destroyer Is a Drone
(Bloomberg Businessweek) When the U.S. Navy christens the first of its newest class of destroyers this month, it will launch the first ship with a brain of its own.
Firefighters of the future? U.S. Navy building firefighting robots
(Salon) The Navy has created shipboard autonomous firefighting robots, or SAFFiR, to be used on board Navy ships to both detect and fight fires. The technology was developed by engineers at Virginia Tech, University of California, Los Angeles, and University of Pennsylvania.
AIR FORCE
8,000 enlisted jobs taken off the chopping block
(Air Force Times) More than 8,000 enlisted airmen’s jobs are no longer on the chopping block this year, according to the latest charts obtained by Air Force Times.
Commander relieved after sending 'unprofessional' emails
(San Antonio Express-News) The vice commander of the Air Force's 12th Flying Training Wing at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph has been relieved after investigators learned he exchanged emails with the wife of a subordinate officer.
Air Force leaders stand firm on plans to cut A-10, C-130s
(Air Force Times) Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh and Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James on Wednesday defended plans to scrap the A-10 fleet and retire roughly 40 C-130s to skeptical lawmakers who cautioned against making radical force structure changes too quickly.
New commanders in place at MAFB
(Great Falls Tribune; Mont.) With most of the top leadership at Malmstrom Air Force Base removed last week, the new leadership team came in quickly and quietly.
Female MTI gets hard labor, reprimand for unprofessional relationship
(Air Force Times) A judge at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland has sentenced a former military training instructor who had a sexual relationship with a basic training graduate to 60 days’ hard labor and a reprimand.
MARINE CORPS
Gen. Carl Mundy, 30th commandant of the Marine Corps, dies
(Marine Corps Times) The Marine Corps’ 30th commandant, retired Gen. Carl Epting Mundy Jr., has died, his family confirmed to Marine Corps Times. He was 78.
Marines Prepare for Smaller Force Due to Budget Woes
(U.S. Naval Institute) The Marine Corps is preparing for its new normal with a force of 175,000, that plans to operate under the constraints of sequestration, the vice commandant told a key Senate subcommittee on Wednesday.
Warden at Rikers Island Demoted After Inmate Dies in Overheated Cell
(New York Times) New York City’s Correction Department, facing an outcry over the death of a mentally ill inmate in an overheated cell at Rikers Island, announced on Thursday that it was demoting the warden in charge of the mental health unit and punishing two other employees.
Marine Corps banks on hand-held tech for its new crisis-response push
(Marine Corps Times) The Marine Corps is testing hand-held tablet computers designed to give ground troops real-time target intelligence while en route to a raid point, and officials say the technological leap will change how the service carries out crisis-response missions in hostile parts of the world.
Naval Hospital adds acupuncture to list of available services
(The Daily News; Jacksonville, N.C.) No matter what treatment she tried, chronic pain troubled Sierra Praiswater — until a 5,000 year old technique finally brought her relief.
VETERANS
VA pays out $200 million for nearly 1,000 veterans’ wrongful deaths
(The Center for Investigative Reporting) In the decade after 9/11, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs paid $200 million to nearly 1,000 families in wrongful death cases. Click on a VA facility to see details of wrongful death payments at that hospital or clinic. The data is presented as obtained by The Center for Investigative Reporting using the Freedom of Information Act.
Lawmakers eye ways to curb preventable deaths at VA hospitals
(Stars and Stripes) Joseph Petit went to the VA hospital for knee pain and depression and came out on a litany of powerful drugs that he said made him hallucinate.
VA wants widow of WWII survivor to pay back benefits
(KTBC; Austin) The widow of a Pearl Harbor survivor is not only fighting for her life but fighting with the Department of Veterans Affairs.
AFGHANISTAN
Agency accused of covering up misuse of Afghanistan funds
(Military Times) Officials from the U.S. Agency for International Development denied reports that they are covering up fraud and abuse of reconstruction funds in Afghanistan, saying that necessary steps are taken to protect American taxpayers’ investments there.
Afghan presidential vote may be different this time
(Los Angeles Times) The last time Abdullah Abdullah ran for president of Afghanistan the election devolved into a bloody farce.
Eastern Afghanistan Faces Worst of Election-Related Violence
(Wall Street Journal) Eastern Afghanistan is likely to face the worst of the violence anticipated for Saturday's election, with the added presence of Pakistani Taliban, who have benefited from their tentative cease-fire with Islamabad to launch operations across the border, Afghan and coalition security officials said.
AP photographer killed, reporter wounded
(Associated Press) A veteran Associated Press photographer was killed and an AP reporter was wounded on Friday when an Afghan policeman opened fire while they were sitting in their car in eastern Afghanistan.
MIDDLE EAST
Iraq forces kill dozens of militants near Baghdad
(Agence France Presse) Iraqi soldiers killed more than 40 militants in clashes near Baghdad on Thursday as anti-government fighters edged close to the capital just weeks before national parliamentary elections.
Iraqi Envoy Calls on U.S. to Strengthen Relationship
(New York Times) Iraq’s ambassador to the United States gently chided his host on Thursday, asserting that American fatigue with war — a consequence of the prolonged conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan — had left his country’s security more vulnerable and was contributing to Mideast instability.
Israeli Air Force adapts tactics to deal with increased UAV threat
(IHS Jane's 360) The Israeli Air Force (IAF) is having to adapt its aerial intercept tactics to contend with a marked rise in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) incursions over recent years, a senior service official told IHS Jane's on 2 April.
Israel says it won’t release final group of Palestinian prisoners
(Washington Post) Israel’s top negotiator said Thursday that Israel will not release a fourth batch of Palestinian prisoners, a move that brings the sputtering U.S.-backed peace talks ever closer to collapse.
Former Guantanamo detainee killed while leading jihadist group in Syria
(The Long War Journal) Ibrahim Bin Shakaran, a Moroccan who spent more than three years at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility before being released to Moroccan custody, has been killed while leading a jihadist group that fights Syrian government forces.
Syria's MiG-25s fly again
(IHS Jane's 360) Video footage coming out of Syria has revealed that some of the country's MiG-25 'Foxbat' aircraft are operational.
EUROPE
Russian air activity in Baltics worries Lithuania
(Stars and Stripes) What NATO considers normal Russian military activity over the Baltic airspace has heightened the security concerns of the Baltic states in the wake of Moscow’s recent annexation of the Crimean peninsula in Ukraine.
Outgunned Ukraine strives for military overhaul
(Associated Press) Tanks headed north into Ukraine this week from Russian-controlled Crimea. Not at the head of an invading army, but on a trainload of military equipment in such poor shape that Moscow had no use for it.
Russia moves heavy armor into Crimea
(IHS Jane's 360) A Russian army armoured battalion has arrived in Crimea equipped with the first main battle tanks (MBT) to be deployed by Russia on the contested peninsula since the start of the stand-off between Moscow and Kiev last month.
ASIA-PACIFIC
U.S. to skip China fleet review after Japan shunned
(Reuters) The United States is scrapping plans for a Navy ship to join a fleet review in China after key ally, Japan, was not invited, U.S. officials said on Thursday, in a move that came just ahead of Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel's trip to Japan and China.
Heading for Asia, U.S. Defense Secretary Sends a Message to China
(Wall Street Journal) Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Thursday that the U.S. is "increasingly concerned" about China's disputes over territory in the South China Sea and is urging its Asian rival not to use force to pursue its claims.
South Korea Tests Missile That Can Strike Most of North
(New York Times) Amid rising military threats from North Korea, South Korea conducted its own missile test last week, successfully launching a newly developed ballistic missile capable of striking most of North Korea, its Ministry of National Defense said on Friday.
North Korean crew missing after capsize off South
(BBC) A ship carrying North Korean sailors has sunk off South Korea, killing at least two people.
COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS
Post-traumatic stress is a concern for veterans, but it's not the whole story
(Phillip Carter in Foreign Policy) There is a military proverb that first reports from the battlefield are always wrong. Today's reporting from Fort Hood should be taken with that caveat, especially to the extent that we blame the shooter's short Iraq tour for his violent rampage. We know far too little about the shooter, victims, and situation to conclude that military service or combat stress caused the carnage at Fort Hood.
Female combat soldiers would strengthen the military
(Army Capt. William Denn in The Washington Post) Since 1944, West Point has required cadets to pass its indoor obstacle course, a test of agility, stamina and strength that is designed to build a warrior ethos and determine whether these future soldiers can meet the physical demands of combat. When freshman Cadet Madaline Kenyon completed the course in 2 minutes 26 seconds in October, she scored the equivalent of an A-plus on the men’s scale and set a new female record. It was a stunning achievement.
The Campaigns for Kabul
(Matthieu Aikins in The New York Times) Most politicians’ homes I have visited here are heavy on fake gilt and rococo furniture, but Ashraf Ghani, one of the leading candidates in Saturday’s presidential election, is known as a technocrat and a sophisticate. “It’s a beautiful house,” I said, looking around at the exquisite Nuristani carved chests and Persian miniature paintings that decorated his living room. “It is,” replied Naseem Sharifi, one of Mr. Ghani’s campaign managers, beaming. Then he frowned. “The other day, they collected three or four kilos of human flesh off the roof.”
Mongolia: More Than Just a Courtesy Call
(J. Berkshire Miller in The Diplomat) The significance of US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel’s visit to Ulan Bator this month should not be overlooked.
Prepare for More Volatile Times as India-Pakistan Ties Turn Unpredictable
(Myra MacDonald in War on the Rocks) India and Pakistan have been bumping along in their own version of a Cold War for so many years now that it is tempting to assume the status quo will continue. Parliamentary elections in India in April and May, however, are about to introduce a new element of unpredictability in the region just as the United States prepares to pull its combat troops out of Afghanistan.
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