TODAY’S TOP 5
AP sources: US surveillance planes fly over Syria
(Associated Press) The U.S. has begun surveillance flights over Syria after President Barack Obama gave the OK, U.S. officials said, a move that could pave the way for airstrikes against Islamic State militant targets there.
US Army's Hypersonic Missile Fails During Test
(Defense News) The US Army's new Advanced Hypersonic Weapon failed during an early morning test Monday, the Pentagon announced.
Time for a Woman to Run the Pentagon
(Rosa Brooks in The Wall Street Journal) Many think that Hillary Clinton's new memoir-and her remarks distancing herself from some Obama administration policies-mark the start of her 2016 presidential campaign. That raises an interesting question: Will we have our first female commander in chief before we have our first female secretary of defense?
Call Sign 'Rogue': Pentagon Says One Chinese Commander Responsible for Spate of Air Confrontations
(Foreign Policy) A Chinese PLA wing commander has repeatedly harassed U.S. military aircraft in the South China Sea, most recently directing a Chinese jet fighter to do a Top Gun-like barrel roll that came dangerously close to an American patrol jet on a routine mission, the U.S. Defense Department confirmed on Friday, Aug. 22.
No proof deaths caused by delay in care, VA says
(Military Times) Veterans Affairs leaders say they're relieved that investigators have found no evidence of patient deaths connected to serious medical appointment delay problems at the Phoenix VA Health Care System, but said the months-long review still points to numerous failings and embarrassments for the department.
IRAQ
U.S. Flew 1,500 Air Sorties in Iraq Against Islamic State
(Bloomberg) U.S. fighters, surveillance, supply and refueling aircraft have flown more than 1,500 patrols, or sorties, over Iraq since President Barack Obama authorized air strikes Aug. 8, according to the U.S. Central Command.
Dempsey: Regional plan key to militants' defeat in Iraq
(USA Today) U.S. airstrikes on Islamic militants in Iraq have blunted their momentum, but defeating them will require a broad regional approach that draws support from Iraq's neighbors and includes political and diplomatic efforts, the top U.S. military officer said.
White House struggles with message on threat of ISIS
(The Hill) The White House is struggling to deliver a clear message on the threat posed by radical Islamist group ISIS and what the administration might do to counteract it.
Iraq: on the frontline with the Shia fighters taking the war to Isis
(The Guardian) The new Iraqi "border" is marked by a two-metre-high wall of earth. The berm, as it is known, cuts through farmland and orchards, separating the shrinking lands of the Iraqi state as it has existed for 95 years from the expanding territory of the new Islamic caliphate.
Read The Letter Murdered U.S. Journalist Had Smuggled To His Family
(Talking Points Memo) American journalist James Foley, who was murdered last week by members of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, had been missing for nearly two years at the time of his death. Any attempts to communicate with his family had been stopped by his captors.
State Dept.: Paying ransoms puts American citizens 'at risk'
(The Hill) The Obama administration said Monday it will not review the country's long-standing policy against negotiating with terrorists who have American hostages.
Could Cop Cams Have Prevented the Rise of the Islamic State?
(DefenseOne) Taser CEO Rick Smith is looking to expand sales of Taser products to the military, and not just their legendary stun guns, but also officer-mounted cameras and even cloud data services. He's also looking to get them not just into the hands of U.S. soldiers, but also the foreign soldiers we are arming. What he's offering today could make a big difference not only on the streets of cities like Ferguson but even, he hopes, places like Iraq.
Peshmerga recapture oil, farming center in wake of airstrikes
(Stars & Stripes) Bullet-riddled walls, burned-out buildings and a hastily dug grave in this town where U.S. troops were once stationed mark the northernmost advance of Islamic State militants along one of the main highways leading into Iraqi Kurdistan.
Insurgency Deepens Iraqi Ethnic, Sectarian Divides
(Wall Street Journal) Sunni families in northern Iraq are being prevented from returning to their homes, suspected by their neighbors and Kurdish authorities who control the area of collaborating with the extremist group Islamic State.
INDUSTRY
The incredible shrinking defense industry
(Politico) Major defense contractors are shrinking - big time.
Kendall Calls for Action After DoD Acquisition Competition Goals Fall Short
(National Defense) In a memorandum dated Aug. 21, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisitions, Technology and Logistics Frank Kendall issued a call to action after the department failed to meet its goals to increase competition among vendors.
Affordability Challenge In Pursuit Of Army JMR/FVL
(Aviation Week) Proving affordability is the biggest challenge facing Bell Helicopter as well as the Sikorsky/Boeing team as they build and fly advanced rotorcraft demonstrators aimed at the U.S. Army's requirement to replace its Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters from the mid-2030s.
Fighting Space Junk: The Next Generation
(Wall Street Journal) Space junk has become a real-life worry of the kind depicted in the hit Hollywood movie 'Gravity', where a storm of debris rips through a spacecraft in orbit, leaving the surviving crew stranded.
Cyber Deal Tops Pentagon's Weekly Contracts
(DoDBuzz) A multi-billion-dollar contract to upgrade the Navy's ship-based computer networks against cybersecurity threats topped the list of contracts announced by the Pentagon last week.
General Dynamics Bath Iron Works Wins $100 Million Contract for LCS Planning Yard Services
(Seapower) The U.S. Navy awarded General Dynamics Bath Iron Works a $100 million contract to provide planning yard services for the littoral combat ship (LCS) program, the company announced in an Aug. 25 release. General Dynamics Bath Iron Works is a business unit of General Dynamics.
Finnish Armed Forces Broadens Outsourcing Deal With Millog
(Defense News) Finland's Armed Forces Command (AFC) has broadened its outsourcing arrangement with Millog Oy, the Finnish private sector company jointly owned by defense groups Patria and Insta.
Guatemala to soon buy coastal patrol craft
(IHS Jane's 360) Guatemala's proposed EUR14.2 million (USD18.8 million) programme to begin procurement of two high-speed coastal patrol craft is undergoing its final phase in Congress and is expected to be imminently approved, Guatemalan sources confirmed to IHS Jane's on 24 August.
Germany approves Rheinmetall's tank plant delivery to Algeria
(Reuters) Germany's Economy Ministry has approved plans by defence group Rheinmetall to deliver a tank assembly plant to Algeria, according to a reply sent by the ministry following a request from a member of parliament.
VETERANS
VA touts progress on suicides; data tell another story
(Arizona Republic) Seven years ago, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs rejected allegations by media outlets and watchdog organizations that America faced a suicide epidemic among former military personnel.
Obama, VA secretary to speak to Legion on Tuesday
(Military Times) President Obama and new Veterans Affairs Secretary Bob McDonald will headline the speakers at the American Legion's annual convention Tuesday, offering their views on the department's future in the wake of months of scandals.
VA moves to replace scheduling system
(The Hill) The Department of Veterans Affairs said Monday it is poised to solicit bids from companies who can offer a "cutting-edge" replacement for the agency's "antiquated" appointment scheduling system.
Vashon man seeks his gay partner's federal VA benefits
(Seattle Times) Joe Krumbach and Jerry Hatcher married in Seattle in 2003, nine years before Washington state legalized same-sex marriage. Hatcher, a Vietnam veteran, died in 2008. Now Krumbach is seeking $80,000 in retroactive federal benefits as Hatcher's widower.
Service helps veterans with dementia feel connected
(Virginian-Pilot) The door to the brick home with a manicured lawn opens before Lisa DeMascio is even out of her Town and Country van. Mel Sautter comes bounding out of the house onto the front porch with surprising speed on his four-legged cane.
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Fort Lee Incident Now the Third Active Shooting This Year on U.S. Military Bases
(DefenseOne) For a very tense hour and a half early Monday, officials from Virginia U.S. Army base Fort Lee responded to an active shooting incident at one of its training headquarters buildings.
PETA steps up efforts to stop use of animals in military training
(Fayetteville Observer) People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is intensifying its efforts to stop training that involves animals at Fort Bragg and other military installations.
DoD readies health records RFP
(Federal Times) As the Defense Department nears the target date for a final request for proposals related to a new electronic health records program, industry is preparing to vie for upward of $11 billion in spending on defense health IT modernization.
ARMY
Undersecretary hosts closed-door debates over HQ cuts, strategy
(Army Times) To map deep cuts throughout Army headquarters, or decide any other thorny issue facing the service, the Army's top leadership has launched a new weekly power huddle at the Pentagon.
Fort Lee: Soldier dies after self-inflicted shooting
(Richmond Times Dispatch) A Fort Lee sergeant is dead after barricading herself inside a headquarters building early today and shooting herself after responding officers trying to negotiate with her had "established a dialogue," the base commander said.
Sergeant's death in Afghanistan under investigation
(Army Times) Sgt. Christopher Waugh Mulalley died Friday in Afghanistan, the Defense Department announced.
2nd servicemember will face trial in AFN broadcaster's death
(Stars & Stripes) A second servicemember will face court-martial in connection with the death of Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Dmitry Chepusov, an American Forces Network broadcaster who was found killed in December, an Army spokesman said.
Jeffrey MacDonald's lawyers cite criticism of investigator in seeking new trial
(Fayetteville Observer) Lawyers for Jeffrey MacDonald are again seeking a new trial, citing new evidence that discredits a government witness.
1st lieutenants wanted for spec ops jobs
(Army Times) Regular Army first lieutenants with a yen to serve in special operations will be considered for possible branch transfers to Special Forces, Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations by a board that meets April 20-24.
NAVY
USS Carl Vinson En Route to Persian Gulf to Relieve USS George H.W. Bush
(Seapower) A carrier strike battle group (CSG) has departed the U.S. West Coast en route to the Persian Gulf, but it remains to be seen whether the CSG on station will return home as planned because of the demand for strike and surveillance missions over Iraq.
TA rule changes
(Navy Times) An estimated 39,000 more first-term sailors are now eligible for tuition assistance with their commanding officer's approval, under a tuition assistance overhaul unveiled Aug. 21.
Amid US plans for continued Asia presence, a shrinking submarine fleet
(Stars & Stripes) The U.S. Navy bills its submarine fleet as the world's most advanced, a boast that few in the Asia-Pacific region would argue.
Reports of Illegal Salvage Prompted Examination of USS Houston Wreck
(USNI News) The U.S. Navy's recognition of a 72-year-old war grave began when an Australian scuba diver plucked a bent trumpet from 120 feet below the Sea of Java.
Families of Cole attack victims seek money from Sudan
(Virginian-Pilot) A week before the Oct. 12, 2000, bombing of the destroyer Cole, Lakiba Nicole Palmer called her husband to tell him she had bought something special for him and their daughter that she was going to mail at her next port stop.
AIR FORCE
How airmen say the Air Force could save money
(Air Force Times) The budget outlook for the Air Force - and the rest of the Defense Department - is nothing but grim: Sequestration. Grounded planes. Proposals to eliminate the A-10 and other fleets. Headquarters staffing and overseas facilities cutbacks.
Military pilot from Naperville area named White House Fellow
(Chicago Tribune) Kari M. Fleming, a decorated pilot and Air Force major who formerly lived in the Naperville area, has been named a White House Fellow, officials said Monday.
SpaceX ready to launch from Cape on Wednesday
(Florida Today) A Falcon 9 rocket is targeting a 12:50 a.m. Wednesday liftoff from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station with the AsiaSat 6 satellite, at the opening of a window that extends to 4:05 a.m.
MARINE CORPS
Cyber steps up its role on the battlefield
(Marine Corps Times) A platoon of Marines are on a pre-dawn Osprey raid to snatch a high-value target. But, as the crew chief leans out of the side hatch, he sees blazing lights in the town ahead.
Marine bankruptcy was business bootcamp; now runs profitable Alexandria moving firm
(Washington Post) Nick Baucom was 23 and flat on his back in 2007 after his nascent home fixer-upper business in Memphis, Tenn., went bankrupt.
Corps to field new lighter, smaller warning lasers
(Marine Corps Times) The Marine Corps has awarded a multimillion dollar contract to two companies for the production of the latest addition to its suite of non-lethal weapons - laser dazzlers called the Ocular Interruption System.
Erin Corwin husband Jon Corwin has 'closure'
(Desert Sun; Palm Springs, Calif.) As the search dragged on and on, Jonathan Corwin clung to a dark kind of hope.
AFGHANISTAN/PAKISTAN
Pentagon Plans For Quick Afghan Exit If Election Dispute Continues
(Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty) The U.S. military's top officer says the Pentagon has plans that would allow U.S. forces to stay in Afghanistan for a short time beyond 2014 if Afghanistan's contested presidential election stalemate continues and prevents the signing of a security agreement.
Afghan candidate threatens to pull out of election process
(Reuters) One of two candidates competing to succeed Afghan leader Hamid Karzai threatened on Tuesday to pull out of a U.N.-supervised audit of a disputed presidential election, undermining a process meant to defuse a standoff between the contenders.
Review of Afghanistan's presidential runoff vote nearing end
(Stars & Stripes) Afghan officials began the final stage of a drawn-out review of the presidential runoff vote on Monday as pressure mounted for a resolution to a dispute that threatens the country's stability and the future presence of U.S. forces.
Financial Crisis Looming Over Afghanistan
(Wall Street Journal) Next week, if all goes to according to plan, a new Afghan president will take office and inherit an immediate crisis: a government that is running perilously low on cash.
MIDDLE EAST
Islamic State might have taken advanced MANPADS from Syrian airfield
(Washington Post) Islamic State militants stormed a Syrian airbase over the weekend, routing the remaining elements of the country's army from northern Raqqah province and reportedly seizing a cache of shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles.
White House won't commit to asking Congress for Syria strike
(The Hill) The White House on Monday refused to commit to asking for congressional authority for airstrikes in Syria.
Syria warns US: No unilateral strikes on militants
(Associated Press) Syria said Monday it was ready to help confront the rising threat from the Islamic State group, but warned the United States against carrying out airstrikes without Damascus' consent, saying any such attack would be considered an aggression.
Al Nusrah Front video features captured members of Lebanese security forces
(Long War Journal) On Aug. 22, the Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda's official branch in Syria, posted a short video featuring nine captured members of Lebanon's security forces. Al Nusrah is using the kidnapped men in its propaganda war against Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed terrorist organization that is fighting alongside Bashar al Assad's forces in Syria.
Egypt and United Arab Emirates Said to Have Secretly Carried Out Libya Airstrikes
(New York Times) Twice in the last seven days, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates have secretly teamed up to launch airstrikes against Islamist-allied militias battling for control of Tripoli, Libya, four senior American officials said, in a major escalation between the supporters and opponents of political Islam.
Israel and Hamas appear to have run out of ideas, but not bombs
(Washington Post) After 49 days of war, the armies of Israel and Hamas appear to have run out of new ideas - but not bombs. They are now slugging it out in a lopsided war of attrition.
Abbas Is Seen as Ready to Seek Pact on His Own
(New York Times) With no clear resolution in sight to the battle between Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip, President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority, who has been largely sidelined as his popularity sank during the conflict, is making a new play to reassert his role and cast himself as the leader of all Palestinians.
Israel leader tries to link Hamas, Iraq extremists
(Associated Press) Israel's prime minister is trying to capitalize on the gruesome video of an American journalist's beheading by the Islamic State extremist group, saying Hamas is an equally vicious foe as he tries to rally international support in Israel's war in the Gaza Strip. But the comparisons between Hamas and Islamic State are being met with reservations by Israel's allies and enemies alike.
Qatar played now-familiar role in helping to broker U.S. hostage's release
(Washington Post) Last month, an American media executive arrived in Doha with a retired FBI agent known for his extensive contacts within the government of Qatar.
EUROPE
Ukraine says Russian forces cross border in tanks, armored vehicles
(Washington Post) An apparent incursion of tanks and personnel carriers into southeastern Ukraine Monday, one day before a high-stakes summit, demonstrated just how difficult it will be for Ukraine to reestablish control over its own territory.
Ukraine's president dissolves Parliament
(USA Today) As Kiev accused Moscow of sending troops across the border to fight with separatists, the Ukrainian president dissolved Parliament on Monday and called for early elections.
Twice as Many' British Muslims Fighting for ISIS Than in UK Armed Forces
(Newsweek) There are now more than twice as many British Muslims fighting for Islamic State than there are serving in the British armed forces, according to a British Member of Parliament (MP).
Stretched Dutch say will end Turkey Patriot missile deployment in January
(Reuters) The Netherlands will end its contribution to NATO's deployment of Patriot anti-ballistic missile systems in Turkey at the end of January, the government said on Monday.
AFRICA
Boko Haram's new caliphate
(Long War Journal) In a continuing escalation of violence, Boko Haram has now taken its campaign to another level, seizing and controlling large swaths of land in Nigeria's northeast.
US, Europe condemn Libya violence
(Deutsche Welle) The United States and European allies have issued a warning on Libya, condemning the 'escalation' in violence there while cautioning against outside meddling. The group of nations called for an immediate ceasefire.
Ebola outbreak confirmed by DR Congo
(BBC) The Democratic Republic of Congo has confirmed that an outbreak of haemorrhagic fever in the north of the country has been identified as Ebola.
Liberian Doctor Treated With an Experimental Drug Dies From Ebola
(New York Times) A Liberian doctor with Ebola who was given ZMapp - the same experimental drug given to two infected Americans - has died, officials said Monday.
COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS
CNO's Losing Battle to Avoid a Hollow Navy
(Bryan McGrath in Real Clear Defense) Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Admiral Jonathan Greenert has adopted the lingo of marine navigation to bring organization to his thinking about fleet priorities. His "Sailing Directions" provide top-line guidance, with occasional "Navigation Plans" to indicate programmatic implementation of the Sailing Directions. Then there are the periodic "Position Reports" to take stock of how well the Navy is doing in pursuing his priorities.
It's Time to Sink the Littoral Combat Ship
(William D. Hartung and Jacob Marx in Defense One) It is more important than ever that the Department of Defense spend taxpayer money wisely as the United States economy struggles and the Pentagon budget comes down from its post-World War II peak.
Unfinished Wars a Recipe for Unsuccessful Nation Building
(Chris Miller in Cicero Magazine) Whether it is called international development assistance, foreign aid, reconstruction, nation-building, or any other number of names ascribed by presidents, civil or military organizations, or critics over the last 70 years
Congress, Obama must find common ground against the Islamic State
(Walter Pincus in The Washington Post) Will journalist James Foley's beheading be enough to bring President Obama and Congress together on a bipartisan program to deal with the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria?
5 signs your "limited" Iraq intervention is spiraling out of control
(Micah Zenko in Foreign Policy) On Feb. 12, 1993, journalist Christopher Burns filed a story from Somalia containing a term that had never before appeared in English language press: "The U.S.-led military mission to halt clan warfare and get aid to the needy has unofficially widened its role to include such tasks as rebuilding houses, digging wells and creating police forces. Officials call it 'mission creep.'
The Problem With Bombing ISIS
(Peter Beinart in The Atlantic) In my heart, I'd love to see the Obama administration pursue ISIS into Syria.
How Iraq Explains Why the U.S. Shouldn't Leave Afghanistan
(Paul D. Miller in Foreign Policy) President Obama has tried to articulate a clear doctrine of when the United States should use force. He said in his Nobel lecture in 2009 that force was justified against al Qaeda because "negotiations cannot convince al Qaeda's leaders to lay down their arms." He also said, "I believe that force can be justified on humanitarian grounds, as it was in the Balkans, or in other places that have been scarred by war. Inaction tears at our conscience and can lead to more costly intervention later." Force is justified when either or interests or our ideals, or both, are threatened.
Kim Jong-Un: Starving for Power
(Patrick Cronin in War on the Rocks) The world is gradually coming to the conclusion that chronic malnutrition in Kim Jong-un's North Korea is Pyongyang's problem.
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