TODAY’S TOP 5
1. Dunford picked to be next Marine Corps commandant
(Marine Corps Times) Marine Gen. Joseph "Fighting Joe" Dunford has been nominated as the next commandant of the Marine Corps.
2. U.S. sending advisers, military gear to Ukraine
(Military Times) A small team of American military advisers will soon head to Ukraine to assess that embattled nation's "mid- and long-term needs for defense reform," a Pentagon official said Thursday.
3. The Rush to Demonize Sgt. Bergdahl
(The New York Times) Four months ago, Senator John McCain said he would support the exchange of five hard-core Taliban leaders for the release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. But the instant the Obama administration actually made that trade, Mr. McCain switched positions.
4. Obama, other Group of Seven leaders offer olive branch to Putin
(Washington Post) Russia was pointedly disinvited from a gathering Thursday of the exclusive Group of Seven nations, but it was clear that the international big chill imposed on Moscow over its actions in Ukraine is starting to thaw.
5. Chinese Military Shows New Capabilities, Pentagon Says
(Bloomberg) After jamming communications and mounting other forms of electronic and cyberwarfare, stealthy Chinese aircraft, drones and missiles could attack U.S. warships, aircraft and supply craft, the Defense Department said yesterday in its annual report on China.
D-DAY, 70 YEARS ON
D-Day has become a presidential pilgrimage
(USA Today) President Obama, who will help commemorate the 70th anniversary of the D-Day invasion Friday, is the fifth president to visit the beaches of Normandy, France, where about 156,000 American and Allied troops fought their way ashore to liberate Europe from Nazi Germany.
New memorial unveiled to American D-Day casualties
(Stars & Stripes) PICAUVILLE, France - In the middle of the night 70 years ago, residents of this town woke to the roar of aircraft engines, the thunder of German flak guns, a crash and the screams of dying Americans.
Remembering D-Day: 82nd Airborne Division jumps into combat 70 years ago
(Fayetteville Observer) Seventy years after D-Day, about 100 paratroopers with the 82nd Airborne are in France to participate in several commemorations of the anniversary.
Realtime D-Day
(Portsmouth News) Tweets from @portsmouthnews telling the story of the D-Day invasion in real time. Tweets appear as it happened on this date in 1944.
ARMY SGT. BOWE BERGDAHL RELEASED
Sources outline conditions on Taliban leaders' release in exchange for Bergdahl
(Washington Post) The five senior Taliban leaders released to Qatar after years of detention at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, are subject to strict bans on militant incitement or fundraising that might pose a danger to the United States, according to people familiar with the negotiations that freed American prisoner of war Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl.
Bowe Bergdahl and the conflicting stories and anger he evokes
(Washington Post) Let's start with this about Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the controversial U.S. soldier who was exchanged by the Obama administration for five Taliban operatives on Saturday: Everyone can't be right.
Bergdahl Is Said to Have History of Leaving Post
(New York Times) A classified military report detailing the Army's investigation into the disappearance of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl in June 2009 says that he had wandered away from assigned areas before - both at a training range in California and at his remote outpost in Afghanistan - and then returned, according to people briefed on it.
Slaughter memories stir Afghan ire at US-Taliban prisoner swap
(Bloomberg News) "America released the murderers of my brothers and tens of thousands others," Ali, 52, said in an interview at his home in the capital of Kabul, surrounded by his four sons. "Shame on you, America."
INDUSTRY
Northrop Grumman gets $9.9 billion for B-2 sustainment
(IHS Jane's 360) The US Air Force (USAF) has awarded Northrop Grumman a sole-source contract with a USD9.9 billion ceiling to support modernisation and sustainment of the 20-aircraft B-2 Spirit stealth bomber fleet, the Pentagon announced on 3 June.
Obama Calls On France to Press 'Pause Button' on Russia Warship Sale
(Wall Street Journal) President Barack Obama said Thursday that France should "press the pause button" on a deal to sell warships to Russia.
Defense Contractors Expect Another 'War Budget' Blowout
(Wall Street Journal) The Pentagon's so-called war budget will likely come in higher than the $30 billion proposed by defense planners for fiscal 2016 even as the drawdown in Afghanistan continues, a senior executive at L-3 Communications Holdings Inc.LLL +1.50% said Thursday.
Protest Delays UK Mastiff Upgrades
(Defense News) The signing of a contract between the Ministry of Defence and a General Dynamics company to update British Army Mastiff armored vehicles has been held up after a losing bidder lodged a protest over the selection criteria, according to industry sources.
Dutch aerospace company Fokker hit with $21 million fine in sanctions case
(Washington Post) As part of a five-year scheme, Fokker Services provided aircraft parts, technology and services to Iran, Sudan, and Burma, which have been sanctioned by the United States.
General Dynamics forms team for Canadian sonar upgrade bid
(IHS Jane's 360) General Dynamics Canada has teamed with Ultra Electronics Maritime Systems and Raytheon Canada to bid for the upgrade of the anti-submarine warfare (ASW) sonar suite fitted to the Royal Canadian Navy's 12 Halifax-class frigates.
QinetiQ secures UK underwater target service contract
(IHS Jane's 360) QinetiQ has won a five-year contract worth GBP5.3 million (USD8.9 million) to deploy and maintain the UK Ministry of Defence's (MoD's) underwater mobile acoustic targets, edging out the previous incumbent Serco.
Poland sets final deadline for utility helicopter bids
(IHS Jane's 360) Companies bidding in the tender, through which Poland is seeking to buy 70 medium-lift utility helicopters, have been asked to submit their final offers by the end of September 2014, according to the MoD.
US Coast Guard Cutter Award Upheld
(Defense News) The US Coast Guard's February award of three contracts to develop competing designs for the new Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) program has been upheld by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), disappointing rivals Huntington Ingalls and VT Halter Marine.
VETERANS
Senators announce deal to address VA problems
(Military Times) Congress appears poised to adopt new legislation making it easier for veterans to get private medical care and harder for underperforming administrators to keep their jobs, under a deal announced by Senate leaders Thursday.
War's Elite Tough Guys, Hesitant to Seek Healing
(New York Times) For all their well-known resilience, an emerging body of research suggests that Special Operations forces have experienced, often in silence, significant traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder.
VA health care nominee withdraws
(Associated Press) President Barack Obama's choice to be the top health official at the Veterans Affairs Department withdrew his nomination Thursday, saying he feared his confirmation could spark a prolonged political battle.
VA chief: 18 vets left off waiting list have died
(Military Times) An additional 18 veterans in the Phoenix area whose names were kept off an official electronic Veterans Affairs appointment list have died, the agency's acting secretary said Thursday - the latest revelation in a growing scandal over long patient waits for care and falsified records covering up the delays at VA hospitals and clinics nationwide.
VA to release nationwide audit results next week
(Military Times) In his first public appearance as acting Veterans Affairs Secretary, Sloan Gibson said Thursday that the department will release results of a nationwide audit of its health facility scheduling practices next week
Leahy offers bill to increase VA transparency
(The Hill) Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) has introduced a bill to prevent Department of Veterans Affairs facilities from avoiding reports to Congress on major medical facility renovations and potentially causing longer wait times for care.
37 VA whistleblowers accuse bosses of retaliation
(Military Times) At least 37 Veterans Affairs whistleblowers have filed complaints accusing supervisors of seeking retaliation for their reports of improper scheduling practices and other threats to patient care, the Office of Special Counsel announced Thursday.
Three complete first stage of Harnett County Veterans Treatment Court
(Fayetteville Observer) Had they not been included in the state's inaugural veteran's court, all would be looking at jail time for everything from DWI to misdemeanor assault to petty theft to drug abuse.
AAFES chief: Let 22 million vets shop exchanges online
(Stars & Stripes) Defense officials are weighing a proposal from the director of the Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) to allow the nation's 22 million honorably discharged veterans, and perhaps an equal number of their family members, to shop online for military exchange products and discounts.
Developer gets 5 years for defrauding federal program for vets
(Associated Press) An Albuquerque developer who pleaded guilty to defrauding a federal program designed to steer work to businesses owned by disabled veterans has been sentenced to almost five years in prison.
CONGRESS
Senators Urge French to Scrap Warship Sales to Russia
(National Journal) Six U.S. senators are urging French President Francois Hollande to cancel delivery of two French warships to the Russian navy, in a letter on Thursday appealing for a unified stand against Russian President Vladimir Putin's aggression.
Senate Armed Services Committee Bill Backs Growlers, Carrier Refueling
(USNI News) The Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) is taking steps to preserve the Boeing EA-18G Growler production line, modernize the entire fleet of Ticonderoga-class missile cruisers and keeping the option open to refuel the carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73) in its version of the fiscal year 2015 National Defense Authorization Act.
Video: Senate hearing about the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act
(C-SPAN) Top officials from the Justice Department, National Security Agency, FBI, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) testified at a Senate Select Intelligence Committee hearing on a House-passed bill that makes changes to the National Security Agency's (NSA) metadata surveillance programs and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Hagel Visits U.S. Warship in Black Sea at 'Troubling Time'
(DefenseOne) Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel visited a U.S. guided-missile warship in the Black Sea on Thursday in a high-level show of support for NATO's Eastern European flank, just down the shore from the Russian invasion of Crimea.
Former Officials: US Should Give Ukraine Anti-Armor Weapons, Deploy Own 'Heavy' Forces
(Defense News) The Obama administration should send anti-tank weapons and shoulder-fired missile systems to Ukraine, while also deploying "heavy" American battalions in Eastern Europe, say former US officials.
Admiral hopes to squelch military scandals
(USA Today) At least 15 generals and admirals have been disciplined since 2010 for ethical lapses and outrageous behavior, a pattern of high-ranking malfeasance so disturbing that Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel named a two-star admiral to police the top brass.
Future Vertical Lift: One Program Or Many?
(Breaking Defense) At one extreme is a single mega-program, building four variants for the four services to replace a host of existing helicopters, a vision in some ways even more ambitious than the long-troubled tri-service Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). At the opposite extreme, however, FVL would just be overarching guidance and common technology for a range of separate, service-specific programs, both new aircraft and upgrades to existing helicopters.
Trashed: U.S. Gear in Afghanistan to be Sold, Scrapped
(U.S. News) About half of the U.S. military vehicles still in Afghanistan - worth billions of dollars - aren't coming home, and instead will be destroyed or otherwise disposed of by 2016, officials say. An even higher percentage of the rest of the remaining equipment also will be scrapped or left behind.
Gen. Mike Hostage On The F-35; No Growlers Needed When War Starts
(Breaking Defense) "But in the first moments of a conflict I'm not sending Growlers or F-16s or F-15Es anywhere close to that environment, so now I'm going to have to put my fifth gen in there and that's where that radar cross-section and the exchange of the kill chain is so critical.
Navy, Marines probe same-day jet crashes
(San Diego Union-Tribune) San Diego-based military commands on Thursday said they're investigating two fighter-jet crashes that occurred within hours of each other this week.
Pay survey going out to troops
(Military Times) Thousands of troops are getting emails inviting them to participate in an official, first-of-its-kind survey seeking to gauge their feelings about their pay and benefits package.
U.S. Armed Forces color guard to march in gay pride parade in D.C.; called a first nationwide
(Washington Post) Shortly after Dykes on Bikes rumble across the starting line of the Capital Pride parade in Dupont Circle on Saturday, an expected 150,000 spectators should witness something never before seen on an American city street - a U.S. Armed Forces color guard marching alongside rainbow flags in a gay pride parade.
Government intelligence agency plans new facility in St. Louis area, could leave city
(St. Louis Post-Dispatch) The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, an arm of the U.S. Defense Department, confirmed to the Post-Dispatch on Wednesday that it was scouting locations in St. Louis city and elsewhere in the metro region.
Risk of catching MERS is low, DoD doctor says
(Military Times) A virus that has sickened more than 800 people around the world, mostly in the Middle East, poses little risk to U.S. service members, a Defense Department health official said in a press release Thursday.
ARMY
Breach of USFK website could affect 16,000 South Koreans
(Stars & Stripes) USFK senior leadership was notified May 28 of a possible compromise to a Civilian Human Resources Agency Far East website server involving two databases where information for South Korean job applicants and Army Korean Nationals were stored.
Iraqi goes from translator for US Army to soldier
(Associated Press) An encounter with U.S. troops set Abdulla Mizead on an improbable course that has brought him full circle with the invading American forces who many Iraqis still blame for the ills plaguing the country: He is now a lieutenant in the U.S. Army at Fort Campbell.
NAVY
Pilot unharmed in Super Hornet crash off California coast
(Navy Times) An F/A-18E Super Hornet crashed into the water off the coast of southern California on Wednesday night during an approach to the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson, according to a Thursday release from Naval Air Force Pacific.
Attack submarine commander relieved of duty
(Stars & Stripes) The commander of the attack submarine USS San Juan has been relieved of duty because of "shortfalls in his professional performance," the Navy said Wednesday.
Helo crashes in Florida training; injuries minor
(Navy Times) A flight instructor and student sustained minor injuries Thursday morning after their helicopter crashed during a training flight in the Florida panhandle, a Navy spokeswoman said.
Sailor accused of sexting girls, discussing kidnap plot
(Virginian-Pilot) A commander aboard the frigate Kauffman became suspicious when he learned that a secured laptop had been passed around from sailor to sailor while on deployment.
AIR FORCE
Air Force pilot who helped land 737 getting Commendation Medal
(Air Force Times) For Capt. Mark Gongol, piloting an airplane is business as usual. But he became an overnight celebrity after word spread of his help in guiding a United Airlines flight to an emergency landing last year. And in the next few weeks, he'll be recognized with the Air Force Commendation Medal.
3,500 to be ousted by quality force review board
(Air Force Times) More than 3,500 airmen with negative quality indicators for subpar performance will be separated under the Air Force's first Quality Force Review Board.
F-16s, C-130s train in Jordan
(Air Force Times) Air Force pilots flying F-16CM "Wild Weasels" - whose main mission focuses on destroying surface-to-air defenses - took part in air drills in Jordan, across the border from war-ravaged Syria.
Iraqi F-16s to be based out of Balad
(Air Force Times) Nearly three years after the last U.S. troops left Iraq, F-16s are returning to Balad - this time, they will be the vanguard of the Iraqi air force.
PT test checkup: Tape test fail rate down; run is still a struggle
(Air Force Times) Six months after the service changed the rules for the waist measurement portion of the PT test to give airmen with thick middles a second chance to pass - by having their body mass index and body fat measured - not one airman has qualified, according to data provided by the Air Force.
MARINE CORPS
Marine Corps to help families displaced by crash
(Associated Press) The Marine Corps was cleaning up a Southern California neighborhood on Thursday and working to help families whose homes were damaged or destroyed by one of its jets that crashed in the small desert city of Imperial, officials said.
Marine veteran and his bomb-detecting war dog are reunited
(Detroit Free Press) After waiting four years to see the black labrador retriever that kept him safe from explosives in Afghanistan, Jeff DeYoung Jr. knelt down and nuzzled his face against the dog's soft fur. "Because of you, I got to have them," he whispered of his young daughters who scampered nearby, and the dog licked his face.
MIDDLE EAST
Pakistan Again Boosts Defense Budget, but at Smaller Rate
(Defense News) Pakistan has followed recent trends and again increased the size of its defense budget, but also continued the trend of a steady decline in that rate of increase.
Attack on south Yemen checkpoint leaves 14 dead
(BBC News) The militants reportedly opened fire with machine-guns at an army checkpoint in Bayhan, in Shabwa province, at dawn.
IAF quadruples strike capability in two years, says chief
(IHS Jane's 360) Israeli Air Force (IAF) chief Major General Amir Eshel highlighted his service's new firepower capabilities during a conference at the Fisher Brothers Institute for Air and Space Strategic Studies on 21 May.
Iran officially unveils new long-range radar
(IHS Jane's 360) Iran's Khatam ol-Anbiya Air Defence Command unveiled its new long-range Ghadir surveillance radar on 2 June, claiming that it is less vulnerable to jamming and anti-radiation missiles.
AMERICAS
Exclusive: Canadian Review Will Recommend Buying Lockheed F-35 Fighter Jet-Sources
(Reuters) Canada is poised to buy 65 Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jets, sources familiar with the process told Reuters, marking a major renewal of Canada's fighter fleet and helping contain costs of the expensive defense program.
The Uruguayan Navy is mulling procurement of the DCNS Gowind-class offshore patrol vessel (OPV) to fulfil its increasing patrol needs.
(IHS Jane's 360) The Uruguayan Navy is mulling procurement of the DCNS Gowind-class offshore patrol vessel (OPV) to fulfil its increasing patrol needs.
Honduras holds air force upgrade talks with Brazil
(IHS Jane's 360) The Honduran government is holding discussions with Brazil to buy at least four Embraer A-29 Super Tucano fighters.
EUROPE
Finland To Put NATO Membership to Referendum
(Defense News) Finland's electorate will ultimately decide whether Finland will join NATO. According to President Sauli Niinisto, the commander in chief of Finland's armed forces, a popular referendum would be needed before the Eduskunta is asked to ratify legal changes in the country's constitutionally neutral status.
Ukraine Resurrects Soviet-Era Super Drones
(War Is Boring) This week, Kiev's Ministry of Defense announced the Ukrainian air force is restoring 68 mothballed military aircraft of various types. They include a Soviet-era Tu-141 drone, according to photographs accompanying the statement.
Swedish government looks to increase control of Karlskrona
(IHS Jane's 360) The Swedish parliament's defence committee has made a unanimous decision to increase the country's participation in the Karlskrona shipyard, Swedish radio reported on 3 June.
NATO Reinforces Collective Defense
(Aviation Week) A readiness action plan will be prepared for the NATO summit to be held in Wales in September, including measures to increase the readiness of the NATO Response Force and allied intelligence and awareness, preposition equipment and supplies, and enhance exercises.
ASIA-PACIFIC
Chinese Military Shows New Capabilities, Pentagon Says
(Bloomberg) After jamming communications and mounting other forms of electronic and cyberwarfare, stealthy Chinese aircraft, drones and missiles could attack U.S. warships, aircraft and supply craft, the Defense Department said yesterday in its annual report on China.
Pentagon: China Continues Military Modernization
(Defense News) The Pentagon on Thursday released its annual assessment of Chinese military power, and while it dropped no major bombshells, the 96-page report paints a picture of China's broad-based efforts to modernize and expand its military forces.
China May Begin Naval Nuclear-Deterrence Patrols in 2014: Pentagon
(National Journal) Beijing has never before had a credible submarine force that would give it the capability to launch submerged long-range nuclear missiles. The Asian power last year was officially assessed to be fielding three Type 094 Jin-class strategic submarines. However, a fleet comprising at least four nuclear-armed submarines is generally understood to be the minimum quantity necessary for a country to be able to maintain around-the-clock deterrence patrols.
Japan to propose Self-Defense Forces aid attacked US ships
(Yomiuri Shimbun) The Japanese government will propose creating a new rule in the Self-Defense Forces Law to protect U.S. ships attacked during joint operations with the SDF in peacetime, according to sources.
South Korean soldiers heading to 1st US-ROK joint drills on US mainland
(Stars & Stripes) The June 9-July 1 drill will take place at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif., according to South Korea's Yonhap News.
The senate of the Philippines is deliberating a legislative proposal that will allow major military acquisitions to circumvent public bidding processes in a bid to install greater confidentiality in military programmes.
(IHS Jane's 360) The senate of the Philippines is deliberating a legislative proposal that will allow major military acquisitions to circumvent public bidding processes in a bid to install greater confidentiality in military programmes.
Philippines Reports Chinese Ship Movement Around Disputed Reefs
(New York Times) China is moving ships around disputed reefs in the South China Sea that could be used to reclaim land and build structures, President Benigno S. Aquino III of the Philippines said on Thursday.
COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS
Top 10 Conclusions About the VA Crisis
(Norm Ornstein in National Journal) Over the past few weeks, I have read a lot about the scandal and the overall story surrounding the agency (it is actually the Veterans Affairs Department and the Veterans Health Administration, but we will call both the VA for short). I have tried to make sense of what is real, and what lessons we can learn. Here are my conclusions.
Friends Forever? The U.S. and the Future of Japanese Military Power
(Stephen Rodriguez in War On The Rocks) As Japan seeks to play an expanded, constructive security role in Northeast Asia, as a regional power and in support of American peacekeeping operations, what are the emerging constraints to the JDSF posture vis-a-vis other nations in East Asia?
Opinion: Political Dust May Cover Defense Innovation
(Byron Callan in Aviation Week) DARPA chief's said that normally at this phase of the defense spending cycle she would have expected to see a demand for more incremental technological solutions. Instead, she is surprised to hear of ferment based on concerns that the U.S. is not "on a sustainable path because of the diversity of threats and the costs of our approaches to deal with them."
Snowden: Year One
(Julian Sanchez in Cato Unbound) There are rules and procedures, safeguards and oversight mechanisms, meant to guarantee that the vast quantities of information ingested by the NSA and its global partners are used only for good purposes. The question remains whether, once the astonishing scope of the spy machine is apprehended, those fetters begin to seem somewhat decorative-and if so, what we can do about it.
Game of Thrones: The dragons and nuclear weapons nexus
(Timothy Westmyer in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists) Despite the fantasy setting, the story teaches a great deal about the inherent dangers that come with managing these game-changing agents, their propensity for accidents, the relative benefits they grant their masters, and the strain these weapons impose upon those wielding them.
What Should the US Do About Closer Sino-Russian Ties?
(Michael Lumbers in The Diplomat) Washington should resist the temptation to overreact to their growing convergence.
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