TODAY’S TOP 5
1. Freed POW's legal status is murky
(Military Times) Does Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl need a lawyer?
2. Chinese General Says U.S. Foreign Policy Has 'Erectile Dysfunction' Problems
(Wall Street Journal) A Chinese general used a regional security conference this weekend to tell a global audience that U.S. rhetoric about the South China Sea risks provoking Beijing.
3. I Still Have No Idea What The Obama Doctrine Is
(John Amble in War on the Rocks) Last week, President Obama gave what was billed as one of the most momentous foreign policy addresses of his presidency. He was expected to lay out his vision for America's next chapter on the world stage. Much ink has been spent in seeking to define, defend, and disparage the Obama Doctrine over the past five and a half years. But as we approach the midpoint of his second term, and even after this much-heralded speech, I still don't know what it is.
4. Obama Said to Unveil $1 Billion European Fund in Poland
(Bloomberg) U.S. President Barack Obama plans to announce a $1 billion fund to help boost defensive capabilities of European allies shaken by Russia's annexation of the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine, according to a U.S. official.
5. U.S. says troop plan only guarantees NATO Afghan mission until end-2015
(Reuters) President Barack Obama's decision to reduce U.S. troop numbers in Afghanistan means a NATO plan to train Afghan security forces throughout the country is guaranteed to last only until the end of next year, the U.S. ambassador to NATO said on Monday.
ARMY SGT. BOWE BERGDAHL RELEASED
Gold Star mom: 'This guy was worth my son's life?'
(Army Times) Sondra Andrews' son, 2nd Lt. Darryn Andrews, is one of six soldiers killed reportedly while searching for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl.
Pentagon to review claims US soldiers killed during search for Bergdahl
(Fox News) The Pentagon said Monday it is reviewing claims that U.S. soldiers were killed in the course of the years-long search for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who was released over the weekend by his Taliban captors
Afghan Taliban Say they Won Big with Bergdahl Swap
(The Daily Beast) A crisis in leadership had the Taliban demoralized and divided. The release of five of their top men from Guantanamo may have solved that problem.
Inside the Army's plan to reintegrate Bergdahl
(Army Times) Once Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl is deemed healthy enough to travel, he will fly from Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany to the San Antonio Military Medical Center in Texas for what likely will be a lengthy reintegration.
House panel to probe Taliban trade
(The Hill) The House Armed Services Committee will investigate President Obama's decision to circumvent Congress in swapping five Guantanamo Bay prisoners for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the panel's chairman said Monday.
Congressman blasts SecDef for Bergdahl health claims
(Army Times) California Congressman Duncan Hunter has challenged the Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel's assertions that Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's health depended on quick action.
Why No One Is Calling Sgt. Bergdahl a Hero
(DefenseOne) When Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who is recovering at a U.S. military hospital in Germany, finally arrives back in the United States, he shouldn't expect a hero's welcome.
Panel to get closed-door briefing on Bergdahl
(The Hill) The powerful Senate Armed Services Committee next week will receive a closed-door briefing on the controversial prisoner exchange that freed Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, according to a Monday press release.
Professor: Bergdahl case an 'anomaly' POW case
(Military Times) A former naval intelligence officer turned history professor who has written several books on prisoners of war called Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl an "anomaly" - because of the unique nature of his captivity and the fact that he became a prisoner in the first place.
INDUSTRY
Air Force Awards Space Fence, Fab-T Contracts
(Defense News) The Air Force announced two major awards today, awarding Lockheed Martin the contract for its Space Fence program and Raytheon the winner of its Family of Advanced Beyond Line-of-Sight Terminals (FAB-T) system.
Navy Considers Commercial Technology for New Amphib
(DoDBuzz) Navy leaders have considered implementing large-scale commercial components into a new amphibious assault ship as a way to both achieve performance goals and lower construction costs.
U.S. military, national security agencies vexed by dependence on Russian rocket engines
(Washington Post) American spy satellites and classified military spacecraft are routinely launched into orbit with help from Russian rocket engines developed in the Soviet era. That is no secret to anyone in the world of national security space launches.
Turkey Wants DoD Ombudsman To Facilitate Tech Transfer With US
(Defense News) Turkey wants the US Defense Department to appoint a special ombudsman who could oversee technology transfer between Washington and Ankara, a senior Turkish defense official said Monday.
Pipavav posts fall in yearly earnings
(IHS Jane's 360) Pipavav Defence and Offshore Engineering posted a decline in turnover and earnings during fiscal year 2013-14 partly on the back of increased finance costs.
Navantia to assist Brazil in repair of Venezuelan OPV
(IHS Jane's 360) Navantia has signed an agreement with Brazilian company ECOVIX-ENGEVIX to assist with the repair of the Venezuelan offshore patrol vessel (OPV) Warao (PC 22) which ran aground near the Brazilian port of Fortaleza in August 2012.
VETERANS
Fraud may mask true wait times for vets seeking care
(USA Today) The Department of Veterans Affairs official internal data show it failed to treat three out of five veterans within its 14-day target period for care, VA statistics obtained by USA TODAY show.
Veterans Affairs Hospitals Vary Widely in Patient Care (Paywall)
(Wall Street Journal) A detailed tabulation of outcomes at a dozen VA hospitals made available to The Wall Street Journal illustrates a deeper challenge: vastly disparate treatment results and what some VA doctors contend is the slippage of quality in recent years at some VA facilities.
Vets advocates lay out demands for VA improvements
(Military Times) Just days after Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki was forced to resign, lawmakers and veterans groupsJ are pushing their vision for how the department should move forward - and who should be its new leader.
Ex-Sen. Webb not interested in leading VA
(The Hill) Former Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) has taken his name out of the running to be the next chief of the Veterans Affairs Department.
Former VA Hospital spokeswoman speaks out about scandal
(KTVK; Phoenix) She has been the face and voice of the Phoenix VA Hospital for more than two decades but Paula Pedene is now speaking out about the mismanagement within the hospital.
Youngest brother keeps promise to Vietnam veteran (w/video)
(The Victoria Advocate) "Brother, next time you see me, you'll probably see me in a plastic bag."
CONGRESS
Sen. Sanders unveils proposal to fix Veterans Affairs performance
(The Hill) The bill from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) would "prevent wholesale political firings," he said, but provide more accountability to an agency criticized for bureaucratic corruption.
U.S. House Demands Data on Any Hidden Syrian Chemical Arms
(Global Security Newswire) The U.S. House of Representatives is demanding a rundown of any chemical-warfare materials that Syria's government may be trying to hide.
White House security strategy maintains pressure for congressional action on cyber
(Inside Cybersecurity) Key lawmakers acknowledge that time is running out for this Congress to enact comprehensive cybersecurity legislation, while the administration forges ahead with its own efforts to protect critical infrastructure.
Democrats on Benghazi panel see role as defensive
(Associated Press) The five Democrats on the House Select Committee on Benghazi are being counted on to defend the Obama administration's record as November's elections creep closer. All five voted against the special investigation and most have described it as a political stunt and waste of time.
Measure would cover veterans' college applications under GI bill
(The Hill) Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-Fla.) has introduced legislation that would include the cost of veterans' college applications in benefits covered by the post-9/11 GI bill.
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Transgender troops feel left out of post-DADT progress in military
(Military Times) Four years after the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell," some transgender service members still feel neglected even as lesbian and gay service members feel more accepted, several troops said at a conference Monday.
Tish Long Leaving NGA; DNI's Robert Cardillo Will Be New Director
(Breaking Defense) Robert Cardillo, the man who has organized President Obama's daily intelligence briefing and brought the first tablet to the White House for a president to see intelligence product firsthand, will be named the new director of the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency.
Pentagon in a jam? Time for a review
(Politico) Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel's go-to weapon system is not found on any base, in any hangar or aboard any ship. It's a review.
Military relents, takes World War II soldier off MIA list
(Wisconsin State Journal) The Department of Defense has removed Pfc. Lawrence S. Gordon from its missing in action list nearly 70 years after he was killed in France during World War II.
On-base fast food outlets get wage reprieve
(Military Times) Military fast food fans will benefit from the easing of new Labor Department wage rules that threatened to cause the closure of many such eateries on installations.
ARMY
Fort Bragg paratrooper who died in airborne training accident was using newer parachute
(Fayetteville Observer) The Fort Bragg paratrooper who died Friday during an airborne training exercise was using a newer parachute that has proven safer than its earlier counterpart, officials said.
2-star outlines impending officer, NCO separations
(Army Times) The Army has flagged nearly 2,500 officers and noncommissioned officers for involuntary separation as its works toward an end-strength of 490,000, and it's eyeing even more cuts in the coming year.
3 soldiers arrested in water park incident
(Army Times) Police in South Korea arrested three U.S. soldiers accused of sexually harassing and assaulting employees of a water park while intoxicated on May 31.
Case of needle burger at Hawaii base nears trial
(Associated Press) A former soldier's lawsuit alleging he bit into needles in a Burger King sandwich purchased at Hawaii's Schofield Barracks is headed to trial in August after a settlement couldn't be reached.
NAVY
Report: Chinese Cruise Missiles Could Pose Biggest Threat to US Carriers
(Defense News) Saturation strikes from Chinese anti-ship cruise missiles could become the biggest threat to US Navy carrier strike groups (CSG), according to a paper issued by the Center for the Study of Chinese Military Affairs at the National Defense University.
Tests will put unmanned carrier jet alongside F/A-18s
(Navy Times) The Navy's one-of-a-kind autonomous drone heads to the fleet later this summer for the next step of testing: landing and taking off alongside manned aircraft.
USS Wayne E. Meyer joins exercise with South Korea, French navies
(Stars & Stripes) The USS Wayne E. Meyer, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, participated in a training exercise with the South Korean and French navies off the southern coast of South Korea on Saturday.
Navy To Cut Midwest Regional Command
(USNI News) The Navy will disestablish its regional command in the Midwest and align its bases with its Mid-Atlantic region as part of a reduction in flag officers.
AIR FORCE
Retention boards: 1 in 4 airmen will be told to leave
(Air Force Times) The Air Force's first enlisted retention boards are two weeks away from convening - and they could end the careers of roughly 4,000 airmen.
Enemies for Hire
(Air Force Magazine) Sometimes, the best "Red Air" comes from the private sector.
Air Force wants funding for Afghan drone, jet program
(Washington Times) The Pentagon is seeking permanent funding for a fleet of communications drones and modified business jets to aid U.S. troops operating in the mountains of Afghanistan in the coming years.
MARINE CORPS
Step aside, gunny: Corps takes steps to shift leadership power
(Marine Corps Times) Months after noncommissioned officers were called on to "reawaken the soul of the Corps," unit leaders are looking for ways to best empower and develop their junior Marines - and some are even stepping out of their jobs to allow a corporal or sergeant to step in.
Body of Marine captain found in Iwakuni barracks room
(Stars & Stripes) The Naval Criminal Investigative Service is looking into the death of a Marine who was found in his barracks room Saturday night at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni.
RIMPAC to include experiment on small-unit operations
(Marine Corps Times) When the Marine Corps unveiled its new 10-year road map - Expeditionary Force 21 - in April, one of its fundamental principles was that small teams of Marines must be ready to deploy to, and sustain themselves in, isolated, austere and hostile environments.
Marine Joint Strike Fighter on Track to Meet 2015 Goal
(USNI News) The U.S. Marine Corps' F-35B short take-off vertical landing (STOVL) version of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) is making good progress toward meeting its July 2015 initial operational capability (IOC) date according to company officials.
AFGHANISTAN/PAKISTAN
Afghan Prison Funded by U.S. Needs Extensive Repairs
(Bloomberg) A prison in north-central Afghanistan funded by the U.S. State Department requires extensive repairs to correct construction deficiencies, including weak walls and the lack of storm-water drainage, according to an audit.
Bergdahl-Taliban prisoner exchange 'won't help the peace process in any way' - Taliban spokesman
(Long War Journal) One of the Taliban's top spokesmen said that the recent prisoner exchange between the US and the Taliban will do nothing to further US hopes for reconciliation in Afghanistan as the Taliban "don't believe in the peace process."
Why U.S. Coast Guard Is in Land-Locked Afghanistan
(Wall Street Journal) It is a fair question to ask: What is the U.S. Coast Guard doing in the middle of the landlocked county of Afghanistan?
Pakistan fires 120 rockets in latest wave of cross-border shelling in Kunar
(Khaama Press) According to local authorities in eastern Kunar province, at least 120 more rockets were fired in eastern Kunar province of Afghanistan in the latest wave of cross-border shelling.
MIDDLE EAST
At Least 120 Dead in Clashes in Yemen
(Voice of America) At least 120 people were killed in northern Yemen on Monday in fighting between Shi'ite Muslim Houthi rebels and government forces before a ceasefire was agreed, a Yemeni official said on Tuesday.
Jordan, UAE test ability to respond to chemical attack
(Jordan Times) Jordan and United Arab Emirates special forces tested on Monday their abilities to respond to chemical attacks on a fictitious dried-out tent city in the Kingdom's desert plain amid a 15-day military exercise involving combined land, air and sea manoeuvres across the country.
Hundreds Rally In Western Iraq Following Female Student Killing
(Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty) Radio Free Iraq reports that hundreds of university students in Iraq's western Anbar Province have taken to the streets to express anger after the killing of a fellow female student.
Palestinians form new unity government that includes Hamas
(Washington Post) Palestinians overcame last-minute squabbles to form a new "government of national unity" Monday, backed by the Islamist militant group Hamas, which the United States and Israel have branded a terrorist organization.
Egyptian Satirist Bassem Youssef Cancels His Show
(Wall Street Journal) Bassem Youssef, a heart surgeon who became a wildly popular political satirist following the 2011 revolt that felled the durable autocratic regime of Hosni Mubarak, announced on Monday that his show would not be returning to the airwaves following months of uncertainty.
Iran claims victory with Assad's anticipated win in Syrian election
(Washington Post) With Syrian President Bashar al-Assad poised to win a third term in office in an election denounced as a sham by the West, his chief ally, Iran, is trumpeting his anticipated victory as its own.
EUROPE
NATO Ministers To Review Response to Ukraine Crisis
(Defense News) NATO defense ministers meeting here June 3 and 4 will review short-term measures they have taken to shore up collective defense in response to the Ukraine crisis and will consider the longer-term implications of Russian aggression.
In Ukraine, fierce border fight reflects insurgency's growing strength
(Washington Post) As many as 500 pro-Russian insurgents assaulted a border command center in a key eastern Ukrainian city before dawn Monday, sparking a furious battle that raged throughout the day and into the night.
Ukrainian army reserve conscript: 'Nobody wants to make war, but someone needs to do it'
(Kyiv Post) Artem Fedorov, 21, had a pretty ordinary life in Pervomaisky, a city in eastern Ukraine's Kharkiv Oblast until March 26, when he got a phone call from a recruitment office with the demand to join the army as a reserve.
Obama's day: Meetings in Warsaw
(USA Today) President Obama arrived in Poland early Tuesday morning, starting a trip designed in part to re-assure Eastern Europe nations that the United States will back them up in cases of Russian aggression.
As Poles Focus on Belonging to Europe, Their Love for the U.S. Has Cooled a Bit
(New York Times) Poland is still a warm haven of pro-American sentiments, as President Obama will no doubt feel when he revisits Warsaw on Tuesday. But after more than a decade in which Poland has shifted from a Washington-centric focus to an increasingly vigorous engagement in the European Union, the intensity of that love affair has diminished.
Obama visit to region highlights very different paths taken by Poland and Ukraine
(Washington Post) In the 25 years since it became a democracy, Poland has emerged as one of the biggest successes of the post-Cold War era, serving as an example of what President Obama and Western leaders say can happen when a country embraces democratic governance and a robust market system.
Fearing Converts to Terrorism, France Intercepts Citizens Bound for Syria
(New York Times) The three young Frenchmen were arrested as they tried to make their way to Syria to wage jihad. They had not harmed anyone in France or made plans to do so, according to the evidence at their trial in January, but in France these days, seeking to fight in Syria is enough to bring a charge of plotting terrorism - and in this case sentences of three to five years in prison.
AFRICA
Warplane targets Islamist base, hits university in Libya's Benghazi
(Reuters) A Libyan warplane under the command of a renegade former general targeted an Islamist militia base in the eastern city of Benghazi on Sunday but instead hit a university building, witnesses said.
Nigerian Governor Vows to Fight 'Madmen' (With Video)
(Voice of America) Violent Islamic sect Boko Haram continues on its deadly path in northern Nigeria, holding more than 200 schoolgirls hostage and staging deadly attacks on cities and villages. The governor of the northeastern Nigerian state of Borno says the toll on his state is high in terms of human lives and economic development. But he says he is determined to fight what he calls "madmen" terrifying the region.
Malawi's Peter Mutharika offers Joyce Banda olive branch
(BBC) Malawi's newly elected President Peter Mutharika has said he is offering an "olive branch" to ex-leader Joyce Banda after winning disputed elections.
ASIA-PACIFIC
Japan to Provide Vietnam Patrol Boats Next Year
(USNI News) Vietnam's Vice Defense Minister Nguyen Chi Vinh told Reuters on Monday at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore that the country expects to receive patrol boats from Japan early next year.
U.S., Allies Agree to Further Study Intel Swaps on North Korea Missiles
(Global Security Newswire) The United States and its East Asia allies on Saturday agreed to further study possible trilateral information exchanges about the North Korean missile threat.
Tales of Army Discord Show Tiananmen Square in a New Light
(New York Times) On a spring evening in 1989, with the student occupation of Tiananmen Square entering its second month and the Chinese leadership unnerved and divided, top army commanders were summoned to headquarters to pledge their support for the use of military force to quash the protests. One refused.
Weekly 'comfort women' protest at Japan Embassy in Seoul in its 22nd year
(Stars & Stripes) Every Wednesday, a group of South Koreans gather across the street from the Japanese Embassy in Seoul to voice their displeasure over how Japanese troops treated the so-called South Korean "comfort women" during World War II.
COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS
Here's what happens when Taliban leaders are released
(Marc A. Thiessen in The Washington Post) If anyone doubts that the five senior Taliban leaders President Obama released this weekend will return to the fight and kill more Americans, they need only look at what happened when the George W. Bush administration released a Taliban leader named Mullah Abdul Qayyum Zakir (a.k.a. Abdullah Ghulam Rasoul) in 2007.
Why Veterans Affairs Can't Root Out Its Corruption
(U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller in Time) Eric Shinseki may be gone, but there are still indefensible civil service rules in place that put failing bureaucrats' job security ahead of the safety of the veterans they should be serving.
What Does NATO's Core Mission Look Like in the Twenty-First Century?
(Mark R. Jacobson in the Council on Foreign Relations) Earlier this month, the Department of Defense released its update to the 2006 Army and Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Field Manual-an update that sought to take what has been learned since the "surges" and "transitions" in Afghanistan and Iraq. The release of this manual should serve as a reminder not just to those in Washington, DC, but to our NATO allies across the Atlantic that however much one might wish that defending national interests will not require engaging in difficult and messy contingencies such as Afghanistan, history tells us we may likely have to do just that.
How Long Should Afghanistan Matter?
(Prakhar Sharma in Foreign Policy) The second-ever democratic presidential election in Afghanistan and its run-off takes place at a moment when a new form of conventional wisdom is congealing in the West. It concerns the rising pessimism about the U.S.-led intervention in Afghanistan. Skeptics assert that the loss of lives in the thousands, and that of taxpayers' dollars in the billions, was not worth it, if all that resulted was a corrupt, ineffectual, and predatory state apparatus in Afghanistan. While it is true that Afghanistan today is far from what the international community may have desired it to be - if ever there was a coherent plan in place - it is nonetheless naive to dismiss the international engagement in Afghanistan as worthless, imperialistic, or a colonial enterprise.
The war is far from over
(The Economist) SEVEN weeks ago Moussa Mara was the rising star of Malian politics. Picked by Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, the country's president, to be prime minister at the age of 39, he had a reputation as a shrewd and capable administrator. An eventual rise to the top seemed possible. When he defied warnings on May 17th and visited Kidal, a hotbed of ethnic Tuareg separatism in the far north-east of the country, he was met by rebel gunfire. This made him a hero to the crowds in the capital, Bamako, for standing up to secessionists seeking to destroy the country's unity (see map).
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