TODAY’S TOP 5
1. The story behind the female officer who called for change at IOC
(Marine Corps Times) Second Lt. Sage Santangelo wasn’t able to retake the Infantry Officer Course, but other female volunteers might get that chance, thanks to a case she made to the commandant of the Marine Corps this year.
2. US Army, Marines Struggle With Infantry Vehicle Replacements
(Defense News) Lessons learned. Tradeoffs. Taking advantage of previous investments. The need for further study.
3. Heed the Historical Warnings of Post-War Budget Cuts
(Retired Army Chief of Staff Gen. Gordon Sullivan in Defense One) The biggest danger facing today’s military is not terrorism, global instability or the proliferation of weapons. It’s the danger of our ignorance if we let history repeat itself. In our zeal to quickly cut federal spending we have accepted an increased level of risk to our national security because of unwillingness by our political leaders to think twice before dropping the ax.
4. Hagel Says U.S. Mulls Adding Brigade to Counter Russia
(Bloomberg) Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said permanently stationing an additional U.S. Army brigade in Europe is among options to beef up security as Russian troops remain massed along Ukraine’s eastern border.
5. Can system handle needs of all veterans? (Video)
(MSNBC) Congressional Reporter for The Military Times Leo Shane III and Iraq War Veteran Staff Sergeant Dan Nevins talk about the aftermath of the shooting at Ft. Hood and if our system is prepared to take care of soldiers on the home front upon arriving back from war.
DEFENSE NEWS WITH VAGO MURADIAN
2015 DOD Budget Request
Expert roundtable with Todd Harrison, McKenzie Eageln, Gordon Adams and Loren Thompson.
Cutting DOD programs
Experts discuss whether budget cuts may force the Navy to decommission one of its aircraft carriers.
Sea-Air Space Expo
Bruce Butler, Navy executive director, on budget cuts and the Sea-Air Expo.
Vago's Notebook: Sustaining the Helicopter Industry
The Pentagon needs a long-range strategy to keep the helicopter industry healthy.
INDUSTRY
General Dynamics says U.S. Army denied armored vehicle protest
(Reuters) General Dynamics Corp said on Friday that the U.S. Army denied its protest about the terms of multibillion-dollar competition for a new armored vehicle, which General Dynamics said were skewed to favor its rival, BAE Systems Plc.
Canada: No F-35 Buys Before 2018
(Defense News) Canada has told the US government it won’t be in a position to purchase the F-35 fighter jet until 2018, a move that critics of the aircraft say intentionally delays the controversial procurement until after the next federal election.
Next Battle for F-35: Bring Down Operations Costs
(National Defense Magazine) Pentagon officials have assured Congress that they are keeping the cost of manufacturing the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter under control, and their attention is now turning to the program’s next gauntlet: An estimated trillion-dollar bill for maintaining and operating the F-35 fleet over the next five decades.
KC-46A development passes halfway point
(Air Force Times) Development of the Air Force’s KC-46A tanker is about 57 percent complete, with the first flight of the test aircraft planned for this summer, according to the top program official.
End of Boeing line won't damage key suppliers-US
(Reuters) - Shutting down a Boeing Co (BA.N: Quote) fighter jet production line in St. Louis after 2016 would not drive any key suppliers out of business, a senior U.S. defense official said, citing a recent Pentagon review.
Chile Launches Third Locally Built OPV
(Defense News) Astilleros y Maestranzas de la Armada (ASMAR), a state-owned shipyard under administration of the Chilean Navy, has launched its third 1,800-ton offshore patrol vessel (OPV) of the Piloto Pardo Class, built in the shipbuilder’s main facilities at Talcahuano, in the south of Chile.
CONGRESS
Without Capitol Hill Advocates, US Weapons Cuts All But Certain
(Defense News) Widespread opposition has yet to form around any single Pentagon proposal to cut a specific weapon system, indicating most could be implemented despite lawmakers’ protestations on behalf of parochial interests.
McCaul: Allow more guns on military bases
(The Hill) The chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee is calling for the repeal of limits on guns on military bases.
Lawmakers Question Utility of Pentagon’s Quadrennial Defense Review
(U.S. Naval Institute) Signaling a possible attempt to change the law requiring a periodic review to Capitol Hill of the Defense Department’s long-term measurement of risk this session, the two senior Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee expressed skepticism over continuing the Quadrennial Defense Review process at a Thursday hearing. They did not detail what or how they would replace it.
SASC and HASC Leaders Ask Industry for Ideas on DoD Reform
(Defense News) On Friday senior congressional leaders released a string of letters they had sent to industry groups on Monday, letters that ask for input on reforming the Defense Department.
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Army and SOCOM Add Training, UAVs and Tech to Unfunded Lists
(Defense News) Following the request of the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee Buck McKeon (R-Ca.), the Army along with its sister services passed along its “Unfunded Priorities List” for fiscal 2015 this week. The $10.6 billion request includes the $7.5 billion Opportunity, Growth and Security Initiative already put together by the White House, though it tweaks those numbers slightly.
Military’s mental-health system faces shortage of providers, lack of good diagnostic tools
(Washington Post) The shooting rampage at Fort Hood has once again focused attention on the military’s mental-health system, which, despite improvement efforts, has struggled to address a tide of psychological problems brought on by more than a decade of war.
Pentagon opposes allowing concealed weapons on bases
(The Hill) The Pentagon is opposed to calls from some lawmakers for troops to be allowed to carry concealed weapons on base after this week's Fort Hood shooting, a defense official said Friday.
Pentagon Close to Selecting Specific Nuclear Cuts Under New START Limits
(National Journal) Pentagon leaders expect to soon give President Obama a plan for specific U.S. nuclear cuts to bring the arsenal in line with arms control caps.
Rogers takes helm at Cyber Command, NSA
(C4ISR & Networks) ADM Michael Rogers on April 3 stepped up as director of the National Security Agency and commander of U.S. Cyber Command, the dual-hatted position that has been a lightning rod over the past year in the wake of Edward Snowden's security leaks regarding intelligence operations.
Money for nothing: Late fees ending for Pentagon
(USA Today) After chiding from the Senate and embarrassment in the press, the military appears to have broken its bad habit. In the 2014 fiscal year, the military paid out no fees for failing to return shipping containers on time, said Mark Wright, a Pentagon spokesman.
ARMY
Sumter native Lee Brice wins big at ACMs
(The State; Columbia, S.C.) The song was inspired by the story of Paul Monti, whose son, Medal of Honor recipient Jared, was killed in Afghanistan while trying to save a fellow soldier. It was also selected as song of the year by the Country Music Association.
Army to delve into Fort Hood gunman's medical history
(Army Times) The Army will deconstruct Spc. Ivan Lopez’s medical history to determine if there were holes in his treatment or whether the service needs to change current policies or programs geared toward helping soldiers with psychiatric conditions.
Ft. Hood shooting puts Army resilience training to the test
(Los Angeles Times) The program is designed to develop soldiers' mental and emotional health to help them get through crisis situations. Some say it helps, but it has critics too.
Fort Hood major shot 'in the gut' continued to help other soldiers
(Stars and Stripes) As investigators continue to canvass a crime scene an area the size of two city blocks, details are emerging about the bravery soldiers displayed Wednesday when one of their own began shooting.
Fort Hood shooting victims were heroic, dedicated (With Video)
(USA Today) As the nation mourns another shooting at a domestic military base, details on the heroes killed and injured emerge from Fort Hood.
Beefed-up Fort Carson brigade has more tanks, 5,000 soldiers
(The Colorado Springs Gazette) The unit has called Fort Carson home longer than any other brigade. Now the 3rd Brigade Combat Team is being rebuilt for the long haul with an extra battalion of tanks and a new engineer unit.
Body found on Fort Bragg Sunday
(Fayetteville Observer) A body was found on Fort Bragg this morning and military law enforcement is investigating, Fort Bragg spokesman Ben Abel said.
Soldier gets two years for sex misdeeds at Gitmo
(San Antonio Express-News) A military police officer was sentenced Friday night to two years in prison for sexual misconduct against three women he supervised in his unit while stationed at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Army: Your half-sleeve tattoos could be OK
(Army Times) If you have a half-sleeve tattoo that ends above your elbow or your knee, you’re good to go under the Army’s new grooming and appearance reg.
NAVY
Reports fault command for not flagging Navy Yard shooter
(Navy Times) The command of then-Aviation Electrician’s Mate 3rd Class Aaron Alexis should have flagged him as a security risk while he was in the Navy, allowing Alexis’ supervisors to connect the dots between his troubling behavior and run-ins with authorities, three reports released in mid-March have found.
Silent threat: Are sea mines the Navy's Achilles' heel?
(Virginian-Pilot; Norfolk) A generation ago, the Navy promised to get better at finding and destroying sea mines.
Sleepless In Singapore: LCS Is Undermanned & Overworked, Says GAO
(Breaking Defense) Some spectacular glitches marred the first overseas deployment of the Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship, including an electrical failure that left the USS Freedom “briefly” dead in the water. Now Breaking Defense has obtained an unpublished Government Accountability Office study of Freedom‘s Singapore deployment that raises more serious questions about a long-standing worry: whether the small and highly automated LCS has enough sailors aboard to do up all the work needed, from routine maintenance to remedial training.
Hazing reports up as more come forward
(Navy Times) Eight recruits ordered to show their dance moves. Three sailors whose submarine “dolphins” pin was tacked on. One sailor who barely escaped being thrown down a chute on their ship.
Norfolk Naval Station to hold service for Mark Mayo
(Virginian-Pilot; Norfolk) A memorial service will be held Monday at Norfolk Naval Station to honor Petty Officer 2nd Class Mark A. Mayo who died March 24 at the hands of a civilian who shot him aboard the destroyer Mahan.
Navy's European Missile Sites Move Forward
(Defense News) The military could speed up deployment of a land-based missile defense shield in Europe to hem in a resurgent Russia, the Navy 3-star in charge of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency said in early April.
Navy rescues family with sick baby from sailboat
(Navy Times) U.S. sailors rescued a family with an ill 1-year-old baby from a sailboat that broke down hundreds of miles off the Mexican coast — boarding them Sunday onto a San Diego-bound Navy ship so the girl could get medical treatment.
Tighe takes over at 10th Fleet
(C4ISR & Networks) Jan Tighe made history on April 2 after assuming command of the Navy's 10th Fleet/Fleet Cyber Command: She is the first woman to command a numbered fleet in U.S. Navy history.
Pirate encounter highlights Stout's busy 8-month cruise
(Navy Times) The destroyer Stout received a hero’s welcome when it returned the morning of April 4 from an eight-month deployment that included responding to the crisis in Syria and liberating a tanker from the hands of armed pirates.
AIR FORCE
Varying sentences for MTI conduct reflect uniqueness of cases
(Air Force Times) A foul-mouthed former military training instructor who threatened to send recruits home in body bags and made them work out naked will spend eight months in jail before she leaves the Air Force with a bad conduct discharge.
Aviano airman dies while hiking
(Stars and Stripes) An airman assigned to the 31st Munitions Squadron died Friday while hiking in the mountains above Aviano Air Base.
Retired general taking another look at nuke corps
(Associated Press) Service leaders took an assessment last year of the nuclear Air Force as an encouraging thumbs-up. Yet, in the months that followed, signs emerged that the nuclear missile corps was suffering from breakdowns in discipline, morale, training and leadership.
NORAD fighter jets intercept plane over DC
(The Hill) Two F-16 fighter jets were scrambled Sunday afternoon to intercept a plane flying in restricted airspace over Washington, D.C., according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command.
Fairchild Air Guard members help with recovery efforts after mudslide
(Air Force Times) On Day 9 of the search for the missing, Lt. Col. Curtis Puckett watched as workers retrieved the remains of another victim buried in the deadly March 22 mudslide near Oso, Wash.
Police: AWOL Serviceman Dies In Fiery Crash After Bixby Pursuit
(KWTV; Oklahoma City) A police chase in Bixby ended suddenly when two cars crashed head on. And police said it might not have been an accident. A Bixby family met great tragedy Thursday afternoon, when a father watched his teenage son crash into oncoming traffic, ending his life.
Ex-Air Force official sentenced for taking contractor goodies
(Belleville News-Democrat; Ill.) A federal judge sentenced Dennis Charles Toenjes Sr., 66, to three years of probation after pleading guilty to the charge of receiving gratuities in connection with his former role as a U.S. Air Force contracting official at Scott Air Force Base.
MARINE CORPS
Watch: U.S. Marines execute fascinating force entry (Video)
(USA Today) The Marines know how to make an entrance. Watch this joint exercise with the U.S. Marines and South Korean forces as they execute a forcible entry onto a South Korean shore in March.
ONR's latest gear is a step toward the end of old-school logistics
(Marine Corps Times) In a continued effort to reduce the number of convoys and rapidly resupply front-line troops, the Office of Naval Research recently tested technology that could eventually enable any rotary wing aircraft to take off, complete a mission, and then land with little or no guidance from the ground.
Marine wounded at NJ base shooting was hit by ricochet bullet, military says
(Newark Star-Ledger; N.J.) A U.S. Marine was in stable condition this afternoon after the military said he was wounded Saturday night by a ricochet bullet during a live fire training exercise at a base in southern New Jersey.
Officers can cash in big for getting out early
(Marine Corps Times) Some Marine officers will be eligible for an early retirement or a lump sum payout of nearly $200,000 under the service’s recently announced fiscal 2015 early out incentives.
Wounded Marine’s nonprofit aims to help with invisible injuries of war
(The Daily News; Jacksonville, N.C.) Marine Capt. Lee Stuckey, who was wounded in Iraq in Nov. 2007 following a 2003 post-traumatic stress disorder diagnosis, contemplated suicide following his return home.
Wounded Marine inspired photographer killed in Afghanistan
(Military Times) Anja Niedringhaus will be remembered as more than an accomplished war photographer; she was dedicated to her job of documenting the lives of U.S. troops and she was friend to a wounded Marine.
VETERANS
Vets react to shooting at Fort Hood
(Army Times) Army veteran Rick Schumacher has a job interview next week, and he hopes the Fort Hood, Texas, shooting comes up.
Does labeling Fort Hood shooter with PTSD stigmatize combat vets?
(Christian Science Monitor) Fort Hood shooter Sgt. Ivan Lopez is said to have had PTSD. But veterans and mental health professionals say this rush to label stigmatizes combat soldiers, including those with post-traumatic stress.
Family of Army vet killed by Lodi police files federal suit
(Sacramento Bee) Witnesses to a deadly confrontation in January between Lodi police and a Gulf War Army veteran who suffered from mental illness said he never appeared to “charge” officers and that they saw no weapon in his hands before he was hit with a volley of bullets less than a block from his family’s home, according to interviews contained in newly released court documents.
Post-9/11 monthly vet unemployment rate back down
(Military Times) Following a big jump in February, the March unemployment rate for the latest generation of veterans saw an even bigger decrease, the Labor Department’s latest employment report shows.
Iraq War amputee Chad Pfeifer invited to Tahoe celebrity golf tournament
(AZ Central; Phoenix) When Chad Pfeifer lost his left leg during his deployment with the U.S. Army in Iraq, he thought his days as a competitor were done.
AFGHANISTAN/PAKISTAN
Gen. Allen: It’s Time Obama Commits To Staying in Afghanistan
(Defense One) Ret. Marine Corps Gen. John Allen, who led U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan from July 2011 to February 2013 told Defense One that the vote presidential vote was “a great first step” for Afghanistan’s future, proof that the country deserves the support of the international community when the 12-year war is scheduled to end.
Afghan Elections Point to Runoff, Waning Karzai Influence
(Wall Street Journal) Former World Bank executive Ashraf Ghani and opposition leader Abdullah Abdullah appeared to be the two front-runners in Afghanistan's presidential election, sidelining a candidate viewed as President Hamid Karzai's favorite, according to partial results tallied by news organizations and one candidate.
Pakistani Taliban launch website, which is promptly taken down
(The Long War Journal) The Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, or Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, launched an official website. Within 24 hours of the website's launch, the URL is no longer valid.
MIDDLE EAST
ISIL jihadists open new front in Baghdad push
(Agence France Presse) A powerful jihadist group inspired by Al-Qaeda has opened a new battlefront with Iraqi security forces that could see it try to push into Baghdad, officials and analysts warn.
Israel Navy Expands Long-Range Ops
(Defense News) Last month’s capture of an Iranian arms cache in international waters south of the Red Sea’s Port Sudan is just “the tip of the iceberg” of Israeli maritime black operations conducted far beyond the horizons of hostile shores, according to a top Navy officer here.
Zawahiri eulogizes al Qaeda's slain Syrian representative
(The Long War Journal) Ayman al Zawahiri, the head of al Qaeda, has released an audio message eulogizing Abu Khalid al Suri, who served as Zawahiri's representative in Syria until he was killed by a suicide bomber on Feb. 23. Al Suri was also a founding member and senior leader in Ahrar al Sham, a powerful militant organization that helps lead the Islamic Front, which is a coalition of several rebel groups.
EUROPE
Ukrainian Officer Killed by Russian Soldier in Crimea, Says Ukraine
(Wall Street Journal) Ukraine's Defense Ministry said Monday that a Ukrainian naval officer was fatally shot by a Russian soldier in the disputed region of Crimea.
Pro-Russia protesters seize buildings in eastern Ukraine
(Los Angeles Times) Pro-Russia demonstrators on Sunday seized at least three government buildings in industrial cities of eastern Ukraine, which has been plagued by demonstrations in favor of stronger ties to Moscow.
Tanker Program May Advance NATO Equipment Sharing
(Defense News) A European Defence Agency (EDA) effort to jointly purchase and share aerial refueling tankers with a number of nations could advance the NATO strategic weapons and equipment collaboration projects pushed by US and UK leaders.
U.K. MAA Expresses Concerns Over Personnel Pressures
(Aviation Week) The head of the U.K. Military Aviation Authority (MAA) has expressed concerns over a lack of suitably qualified and experienced personnel across the U.K. military aviation community.
French Unit May Work With UK UAV Team in Afghanistan
(Defense News) Britain plans to send the Watchkeeper to Afghanistan this year, possibly to serve with a French Army unit working with the British Army team flying the tactical UAV, a British officer said on April 3 at a high-level defense conference here by the Franco-British Council.
Hungary buys additional Mi-8 helicopters
(IHS Jane's 360) Hungary has bought three additional Mil Mi-8T 'Hip-C' helicopters to fulfil an interim need, the Hungarian Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed on 3 April.
ASIA-PACIFIC
Pentagon Chief to Tour Chinese Aircraft Carrier
(Wall Street Journal) U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is expected to be the first foreign visitor to take a tour of China's new aircraft carrier when he begins his first official trip to the Asian nation on Monday, according to a U.S. defense official.
U.S., in nod to Tokyo, to send more ships to Japan, prods China
(Reuters) U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced that two Navy destroyers equipped with missile defense systems would be deployed to Japan by 2017. It was a response, he said, to provocations from the North, which has also threatened to carry out a "new form" of nuclear test.
U.S., Japanese officials to hold cybersecurity talks next week
(Inside Cybersecurity) The United States will host the next U.S.-Japan Cyber Dialogue at the director-general level on April 10. State Department Coordinator for Cyber Issues Christopher Painter and Ambassador Jun Shimmi, deputy director-general of Japan's foreign policy bureau, will lead the talks, a State Department spokesman told Inside Cybersecurity.
Japan's New Export Rules Broaden Global Role
(Defense News) Japan’s recent decision to set up a regulatory system to export arms should boost Tokyo’s future role in global weapons consortiums and potentially help balance against the threat of China, analysts say.
U.S. Response to Crimea Worries Japan’s Leaders
(New York Times) When President Bill Clinton signed a 1994 agreement promising to “respect” the territorial integrity of Ukraine if it gave up its nuclear weapons, there was little thought then of how that obscure diplomatic pact — called the Budapest Memorandum — might affect the long-running defense partnership between the United States and Japan.
AFRICA
Libyan rebels, government agree to gradually reopen occupied oil ports
(Reuters) Libyan rebels occupying four eastern oil ports agreed with the government on Sunday to gradually end their eight-month petroleum blockade, which has cost the North African state billions in lost revenues.
Chad to withdraw peacekeeping troops from Central African Republic
(Los Angeles Times) Chad's Foreign Ministry said Thursday that it would withdraw its 850 peacekeeping troops from the African Union mission in the neighboring Central African Republic.
Mali government resigns, new PM appointed: state TV
(Reuters) Mali's government has resigned and town planning minister Moussa Mara will become prime minister, a presidential spokesman said on state television late on Saturday.
COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS
Two Cheers for the QDR
(Joseph Collins in Armed Forces Journal) Every four years, the defense community waits on pins and needles for the Quadrennial Defense Review. Some succumb to quadrennial defense delusion, the hope that the new QDR can do it all: rationalize strategy, program, and budget; unveil creative solutions to age-old defense problems; and drain uncertainty from the security environment. Of course, no document awash in inter-branch politics and tied to budget cycles can work such miracles, yet a clear-eyed look at this year’s QDR suggests there is much to applaud — if also room for criticism.
Fixing Military Mental Healthcare
(Marjorie Morrison in The Daily Beast) To fix the military’s mental healthcare system we need to give service members regular, individualized care so they can get help for problems before they get out of hand.
How to Stop the Next Fort Hood Attack
(Mark Thompson in Time) Fort Hood tore down nondescript Building 42003 a couple of months ago. But razing the building didn’t remove the horrors of that November 2009 day when Army Major Nidal Hasan murdered 13 people inside it. Now Specialist Ivan Lopez’s shooting spree is raising new concerns.
The Military Must Hunt Corruption, Not Just Terrorists
(Sarah Chayes in Defense One) As popular uprisings keep toppling governments like bowling pins, the latest round has morphed into a great power face-off — with Russia and the West glowering at each other across a divided Ukraine. Thailand, a key United States military friend in Southeast Asia, could be next on the list. Thousands of protests rock Chinese provinces each month, worrying President Xi Jinping’s still-green administration. The Egyptian and Syrian revolutions have spun off into bloody and widening strife, while extremist insurgencies in Afghanistan, Nigeria and the Philippines stubbornly challenge state stability.
How Obama Lost Afghanistan
(Elise Jordan in The Daily Beast) Despite the violence and uncertainty surrounding this Saturday’s election for a new Afghan President, there’s one positive — Hamid Karzai, the sitting president and the architect of much of the country’s unrest, is not on the ballot this time. But while Karzai must cede power under the rules of the Afghan constitution, the other leader whose mismanagement helped tank Afghanistan abandoned his influence in what he once called “the right war” a long time ago. That leader is President Barack Obama.
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