 COMPILED BY THE EDITORS OF DEFENSE NEWS & MILITARY TIMES | ||||||
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TODAY’S TOP 51. It's official: Medal of Honor for Marine Kyle Carpenter (Marine Corps Times) Retired Marine Cpl. Kyle Carpenter, 24, will receive the Medal of Honor for heroism in Afghanistan in 2010, the White House announced today. He will become only the second living Marine to receive the award for actions during the Global War on Terrorism. 2. White House threatens veto of defense bill (Associated Press) The White House is threatening a veto of the House version of a $601 billion defense bill over election-year moves to spare weapons systems and popular programs in the face of limited budgets. 3. Crimea Taught Us a Lesson, But Not How the Russian Military Fights (Dmitry Gorenburg in War On The Rocks) With the rapid operation that resulted in the annexation of Crimea earlier this year, the Russian military returned to the collective consciousness of the American public. Many commentators were impressed with the “little green men’s” professional demeanor and shiny new equipment. In some cases, this impression was undeservedly expanded to apply to the rest of the Russian military. In this context, it is important to discuss what the Crimean operation does and does not tell us about the capabilities of the Russian military. 4. Adversaries Outpace US In Cyber War; Acquisition Still Too Slow (Breaking Defense) The United States invented the Internet, but we may not rule it any more. 5. US Grand Jury Indicts Chinese Army Officers for Cyber Espionage (Defense News) The US government today took the unprecedented step of charging five officers in the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) with 31 criminal counts of hacking and cyber espionage against six American companies. INDUSTRYAustal USA confident USN may buy more JHSVs (IHS Jane’s 360) The builder of the US Navy's (USN's) Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV) is optimistic that a US Congress-mandated study being considered by lawmakers would encourage acquisition officials to increase the current programme of record of 10 vessels to as many as 18. Lockheed: 3-D Printing, Nanotech are Future for Space Programs (Defense News) Lockheed Martin executives laid out their vision of the future at a luncheon held during the National Space Symposium, one based largely around the new capabilities of 3-D printing. US Wants To Sell 3,335 New Humvees to Mexico (Defense News) The Pentagon announced May 16 that it has passed on a request to Congress for a sale of 3,335 Humvees to Mexico in a deal that would be worth $556 million. Defense contractors duel for $8-billion armored vehicle contract (Detroit Free-Press) With $8 billion at stake, two of the largest defense contractors — each with offices in Macomb County — are battling to make the Army’s next large combat vehicle. USAF Space Command CTO: Safeguarding Integrity of Data Is Vital (Defense News) As the Pentagon looks toward the future of cyber warfare, it needs to ensure its data remains protected from outside sources during military operations, a top US Air Force official said today. Bell Wins $337.8 Million U.S. Marine Corps Helicopter Award (USNI News) The Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) awarded Bell Helicopter a $337.8 million contract modification to purchase 12 AH-1Z attack helicopters and 12 UH-1Y utility helicopters on May 16. Proposed European MALE Takes Step Forward (Defense News) One day ahead of the Berlin air show, Airbus Defence and Space, Dassault Aviation and Alenia Aermacchi announced they had agreed on further details for a joint approach to develop a next-generation advanced European unmanned aerial system (UAS). Cobham Pays $1.46 Billion for Aeroflex (Paywall) (Wall Street Journal) U.K. defense and aerospace firm company Cobham COB.LN +0.03% PLC said Tuesday it has agreed to pay $1.46 billion for U.S. wireless communications firm Aeroflex Holding Corp. Berlin Air Show Begins Amid Promises of Increased Spending (Defense News) For most defense companies, Europe’s declining defense buys have yielded diminished interest in the continent. Firms have been cutting their business development office sizes, and reducing their presence at the European air shows for years. Conference key for Socom suppliers (Tampa Tribune) For commandos who rely on the latest equipment and technology delivered at the speed of special operations, and for a defense industry feeling the sting of the Pentagon budget axe, this week’s Special Operations Forces Industry Conference, being held at the Tampa Convention Center, is widely seen as the most important event of the year. Next-Gen UAVs: Armed, Modular and Smaller (Defense News) Walk around the show floor at the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) annual conference, and you can see unmanned systems — or drones, if you want to anger the attendees — of all shapes and sizes, for all mission sets. CONGRESSVA Mismanagement Making Headlines as US Congress Works Through FY15 Defense Bill (Defense Industry Daily) The House of Representatives will start debating the FY15 NDAA this week, while the Senate Armed Services Committee will mark up its own version the the bill. New bill would let military families keep auto insurance (The Hill) A new bill would allow members of the military and their families to keep their current auto insurance policy if they are ordered to relocate to a new state. Congress moves to honor famed World War II aircrew (Air Force Times) The House is expected to pass a bill Monday night honoring some of the nation’s most distinguished and revered military aviators. DEFENSE DEPARTMENTAfter Steep Climb, US SOCOM Funds Begin To Slide (Defense News) The Pentagon still plans to increase funding for special operations equipment in the coming years, but after years of plus-ups, that trend is expected to flatten. Dempsey to Retired Generals: Shut Up When it Comes to Politics (Intercepts) Like former Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, does not like it when he sees retired generals making political statements. For domestic violence victims, abusers’ security clearances add an extra layer of fear (Washington Post) The woman was so agitated that she wouldn’t sit down right away, not until she’d scoured the perimeter of the office and examined the doorway, tracing the frame with her fingers, looking for any sign of an embedded surveillance device. ARMYSoldier dies in Jordan from non-combat gunshot wound (Army Times) A soldier from Fort Carson, Colorado, died Saturday from a gunshot wound that was not combat-related, Army officials confirmed Monday. 3rd Special Forces Group headquarters to be dedicated in honor of Fort Bragg soldier (Fayetteville Observer) The only Fort Bragg soldier to have earned the Medal of Honor during the wars in Iraq in Afghanistan will be honored today. Tattoo battle: Staff sergeant fights for soldiers' right to get ink (Army Times) Staff Sgt. Adam Thorogood mostly accepts the latest revision to AR 670-1, the Army’s regulation on grooming and appearance standards. NAVYUS Navy Changes Course, Sends LCS to Hawaii for RIMPAC (Defense News) Turns out a littoral combat ship will be headed to Hawaii this summer after all. The U.S. Navy and Marines On TV (USNI News) Michael Bay’s upcoming TV series The Last Ship on TNT — premiering next month — is the latest in a long line of programs that have featured the U.S. Navy and Marines. Academy plebes best greasy obelisk after 2 hours (Navy Times) The Naval Academy’s freshman class completed the biggest teamwork challenge of their young careers Monday when the plebes scaled the grease-slathered Herndon Monument in two hours, 19 minutes and 35 seconds, bring their plebe year to a slippery, shoeless and exhilarating close. Greenert: Navy ‘Starting to Shape Events’ in volatile South China Sea (USNI News) The sea service’s expanding presence in the Asia-Pacific is already starting to pay dividends in tamping down tensions between China and U.S allies in the region, the Navy’s top officer said Monday. Sex assault allegation stalls 1-star nomination, sources say (Navy Times) A highly successful Navy physician’s nomination to rear admiral has stalled after allegations emerged that he sexually assaulted a fellow officer a year before, placing his nomination in an unusual and high-profile limbo. Midshipman lacrosse player pleads guilty; receives probation for butter knife incident (Capital Gazette) A 22-year-old Naval Academy lacrosse player accused of threatening a cab driver with a butter knife last month in Annapolis received probation before judgment last week in Anne Arundel Circuit Court, according to online court records. (Seapower) Maritime Civil Affairs and Security Training Command (MCAST) officially disestablished May 16 after five years of service during a small ceremony aboard Naval Air Station Oceana-Dam Neck Annex in Virginia Beach, Va., according to a Navy release. AIR FORCEAF secretary: 18,700 more airmen cuts before it's over (Air Force Times) The Air Force’s goal is to complete the bulk of its force management cuts by the summer of 2015, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said May 13. Yokota conducts massive weekend drug testing (Stars & Stripes) A Friday night out partying ended with an hours-long wait at the gate for hundreds of airmen, who were subjected to a drug test as they re-entered the base. Elmendorf military spouse stable after bear attack (Air Force Times) The wife of a military member is stable after she was attacked by a brown bear at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, late Sunday morning. Air Force is reviewing rule that bars proselytizing by superiors (McClatchy) The Air Force’s top general appeared to be losing his cool. But it wasn’t over a controversial plan to scrap an aircraft prized for protecting ground troops or billions of dollars in cuts that are straining a service striving to recover from the grind of 12 years of war. GAO: More transparency needed for F-22 modernization spending (Air Force Times) The Defense Department disagrees with a recommendation to increase transparency to Congress on the costs of F-22 modernization, according to DoD’s response to a Government Accountability Office report calling for more oversight of the program. MARINE CORPS31st MEU commander resigns on Okinawa amid inquiry (Stars and Stripes) The commander of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, considered the U.S. military’s preeminent amphibious fighting force in the Asia-Pacific region, has been forced out for allegedly creating a hostile work environment at the unit’s headquarters, Marine Corps officials said Tuesday. More female Marines to wear male dress blues (Marine Corps Times) More female Marines will wear a version of the male dress blue coat, with its iconic mandarin collar in coming months as the Marine Corps expands field testing of a new prototype to determine if the new look should become the servicewide standard. Marines make provocative choice for key defense counsel post (McClatchy) A Marine Corps officer whose bellicose prosecutorial rhetoric prompted defense complaints will now oversee defense attorneys, potentially including some who blew the whistle on him. Corps pins its future on the multi-mission KC-130J Super Hercules (Marine Corps Times) The Marine Corps' future hinges on an oft-ignored 'secret weapon' already circling the battlefield — the KC-130J Super Hercules. Vigil Marks 1,000 Days of Detention of American Marine in Iran (New York Times) Family and supporters of Amir Hekmati, a former United States Marine who is being held in an Iranian prison for “practical collaboration with the United States government,” gathered for a vigil in front of the White House on Monday to mark the 1,000th day of his detainment. VETERANSPossible VA failures magnify families' grief (Military Times) Darrell Richardson doesn’t know how long his brother, Dennis, may have lived if he had received faster treatment from the Phoenix Veterans Affairs Health Care system. Combat head trauma figures suspect in Iraq, Afghanistan wars, study finds (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review) Up to five times as many active-duty troops endured head trauma during the early stages of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars than was recorded by the Pentagon, according to a study by researchers at Johns Hopkins University. White House hints Obama to address Veterans Affairs scandal (The Hill) President Obama will publicly address allegations the Department of Veterans Affairs used falsified data to hide delays in care for veterans soon, the White House said Monday. VA whistleblower: I was suspended for 2 weeks (Military Times) A Veterans Affairs whistleblower says she was put on unpaid leave after she refused to falsify appointment records at a Colorado clinic. MIDDLE EASTSyrian opposition defense minister resigns (Al Arabiya) The Syrian opposition’s defense minister has resigned after reports of disagreements with the group’s head, opposition sources said on Monday. Syria Death Toll Reported to Rise By 10,000 in Less Than 2 Months (New York Times) The death toll in the three-year Syrian conflict has risen to about 162,000, an increase of more than 10,000 in less than two months, according to an antigovernment monitoring group that is one of the few organizations still attempting to keep an exact count. Al Nusrah Front collects donations for new Islamic institute via Twitter (Long War Journal) The Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda's official branch in Syria, has announced the creation of a new school named the Imam al Shafi'i Institute for Islamic Studies. The group is promoting the institute on Twitter. And Abu Sulayman al Muhajir, a senior sharia (Islamic law) official in the Al Nusrah Front who relocated from Australia to Syria last year, is collecting donations for it. Maliki’s bloc leads in Iraq election (Washington Post) The bloc led by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is heading for a commanding lead in nationwide elections held last month, putting him in a strong position to secure a third term in office, according to preliminary results released Monday. AFGHANISTAN/PAKISTANA Time Bomb in Afghanistan’s Ballot Box (The Daily Beast) It’s an election featuring fake votes, angry candidates, and promises of a ‘river of blood.’ Just wait ‘til the final campaign gets started. More rockets fired in Kunar as Pakistan continues to cross-border shelling (Khaama Press) According to local authorities in eastern Kunar province of Afghanistan, at least 27 rockets fired from the other side of Durand Line landed in this province. Reports: Increase in Pakistan Defense and Nuclear Budgets Likely (Defense News) Media reports here have outlined that Pakistan is set to increase funding for the armed forces and the national nuclear body, the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), under the forthcoming 2014-FY2015 budget. EUROPENATO sends thousands of troops to Estonia for war games (Stars & Stripes) As part of an effort to shore up defenses on its eastern flank, NATO is conducting large-scale war games in Estonia involving some 6,000 troops from nine alliance nations. Polish Grom MANPADS appear in east Ukraine conflict (IHS Jane’s 360) Polish-made PZR Grom man portable air defence systems (MANPADS) are appearing in separatist hands in east Ukraine, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence (MoD) stated on 18 May. US military to help flood-ravaged Balkans (Stars & Stripes) The U.S. military will join an international relief effort in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where floods have wreaked warlike levels of destruction, the Pentagon announced Monday. AFRICASecurity concerns delay NATO assistance to Libya (Stars & Stripes) NATO is ready to provide training support to Libyan security forces, but turmoil in the country has prevented those efforts from moving forward, NATO’s top civilian official said on Monday. US to share intelligence analysis with Nigeria (The Hill) The U.S. has finalized an agreement with the Nigerian government to share U.S. intelligence analysis relating to the more than 200 school girls kidnapped last month by the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram, the Defense Department announced Monday. Libyan air force base in eastern city says joins renegade general's forces (Reuters) A Libyan air force base in the eastern city of Tobruk on Monday joined the forces of a renegade general who had stormed the Libyan parliament to demand its suspension. (IHS Jane’s 360) The first two of the four Boeing AH-64DN Apache attack helicopters that the Netherlands is contributing to the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) flew into Camp Castor in Gao province on 16 May, the Dutch Ministry of Defence has announced. ASIA-PACIFICArmy declares martial law in Thailand; government wasn't informed, aide says (With Video) (CNN) The Thai army declared martial law throughout the country Tuesday in a surprise move that an aide to the embattled Prime Minister said the government didn't know about beforehand. Millions already invested for military buildup (Pacific Daily News) The relocation of U.S. Marines from Okinawa, Japan, to Guam also will boost the government of Guam's tax revenue by at least $37 million a year, not including corporate and gross receipts taxes that also are expected to increase, according to defense officials. USFK leaders investigating sudden drop in civilians' post allowance (Stars & Stripes) The commander of U.S. Forces Korea has assured civilian employees he is making it a priority to address a sudden drop in their post allowance to zero percent of spendable income. COMMENTARY AND ANALYSISStill Shortchanged: Some Observations About the New Army/Marine Corps COIN Doctrine (Retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Charles Dunlap Jr. in Small Wars Journal) When the then new Army/Marine Corps’ counterinsurgency (COIN) doctrine was fielded in 2006, it quickly earned the label of “The Book” on Iraq and, later, Afghanistan. At the time this writer (among others) offered critiques of it which were not just ignored, but openly ridiculed. VA’s Chinese Water Torture Continues (Mark Thompson in Time) The classic Washington political drama—will he go or will he stay?—is now swirling around Eric Shinseki, the secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs. It could be weeks or months before we know the answer. Grounded: What the UCLASS RFP Fight Really Means (Andrew Metrick in War on the Rocks) Since the historic series of tests of its X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System-Demonstrator (UCAS-D) on the USS George H.W. Bush last summer, the Navy has reached an inflection point on the future of unmanned carrier aviation. Searching for a 21st Century Navy (Kirk Lippold in Real Clear Defense) At its core, the United States is a maritime nation. Since the founding fathers crafted the Constitution as the guiding document for a new nation, they wisely saw the need for maintaining a Navy capable of defending the new republic. While the forces necessary to maintain American seapower have waxed and waned over the years, the need for a strong Navy – capable of defending the homeland as well as projecting power around the globe – has never been more stark than today. Should U.S. Hackers Fix Cybersecurity Holes or Exploit Them? (Bruce Schneier) in The Atlantic) Maybe someday we'll patch vulnerabilities faster than the enemy can use them in an attack, but we're not there yet. | |||||
Martes, Mayo 20, 2014
Defense News Early Bird Brief
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