TODAY’S TOP 5
1. Pilot dead after fighter plane crashes near Port Hueneme in Ventura County
(Los Angeles Times) The Hawker Hunter MK-58 was operated by Airborne Tactical Advantage Co., a Navy contractor that simulates threats during training missions, said Kimberly Gearhart, a spokeswoman for Naval Base Ventura County.
2. Troops to Be Checked for Chemical Exposure in Iraq
(New York Times) The Pentagon will offer medical examinations and long-term health monitoring to service members and veterans who were exposed to chemical warfare agents in Iraq, the Army and Navy said in separate statements this week, as part of a review of how the military handled encounters with thousands of abandoned chemical munitions during the American occupation.
3. President Bush is Still Wrong on Iraq
(Chris Miller in Cicero Magazine) A recent article by CJ Chivers in the New York Times has again awakened the ugly beast of political revisionist history. Chivers reports that the George W. Bush administration repressed reports of U.S. troops being harmed by decaying, Gulf War-era chemical munitions-rather counterintuitive for an administration that expended great effort to convince Americans and the world Saddam Hussein had chemical and other unconventional weapons, but could not find traces of them.
4. Wearing unearned medal can be a crime; free-speech claim rejected
(San Francisco Chronicle) Lying about receiving a military medal is constitutionally protected, but there's no right to carry the lie a step further by wearing a combat decoration that hasn't been earned, a federal appeals court said Wednesday.
5. Obama's quarantine remarks draw fire from military spouses
(The Hill) President Obama's explanation on why troops coming back from West Africa should be quarantined but not civilian healthcare workers is drawing fire from military spouses.
ISLAMIC STATE
Pentagon warns employees about Islamic State threats
(Military Times) Military personnel and civilians who work in the Pentagon could be targeted by the Islamic State group or other terrorists, the building's internal security agency is warning employees in a new memo distributed late last week.
Islamic State has a guide to shoot down Apache helicopters with MANPADS
(Washington Post) Earlier this month the Pentagon entered a new phase of its air campaign in Iraq against the Islamic State when it announced that AH-64 Apache helicopters would assist beleaguered Iraqi and Kurdish ground forces. Almost simultaneously on Twitter, the Islamic State released a how-to guide on how to shoot down the heavily armed aircraft with a man portable air defense system or MANPADS.
White House Official: We Had To Leave Iraq 'To Find a Way Back on the Security Side'
(Defense News) A top White House official today offered a detailed defense of the Obama administration's often-maligned Iraq policy after the 2011 withdrawal of the last US troops, insisting that the US tried to work out a deal to allow military trainers and fighter aircraft to remain to target al-Qaida.
Terror risk leads to increased protection for federal buildings
(Federal Times) As Islamic State and other groups call for attacks inside America DHS's Federal Protective Service is taking precautions.
The Rise of ISIS
(PBS FRONTLINE) FRONTLINE investigates the miscalculations and mistakes behind the brutal rise of ISIS.
Islamic State Executes at Least 40 Tribal and Iraqi Government Fighters
(Wall Street Journal) Islamic State fighters killed at least 40 Sunni tribal fighters and security forces personnel in a public mass execution that is likely to further damp enthusiasm among Sunni Arabs for fighting the powerful insurgent group.
INDUSTRY
Pentagon Found to Overpay Supplier With Lock on Old Parts
(Bloomberg) Pentagon contract officers paid prices exceeding their own targets by as much as 85 percent for replacement aircraft parts from a company that got exclusive rights to supply them from original equipment manufacturers, according to the Defense Department's inspector general
Pentagon Acquisition Chief Doubts UMSC's July F-35 IOC Target
(Aviation Week) It is growing more and more likely that July 1, 2015, will not mark the initial operational capability (IOC) declaration for the F-35B desired by the U.S. Marine Corps.
ScanEagle2 is here
(C4ISR & Networks) The next generation of Insitu's UAV platform is ready.
Russian minister says France ready to deliver controversial warships
(Reuters) Russia says it has received an invitation to take delivery of the first of two French warships, an arms deal that was cast into doubt by tensions between the West and Russia over Ukraine that led the United States and Europe to impose sanctions on Moscow.
Thales UK Consortium Wins British Military Air Traffic Control Deal
(Defense News) A consortium including Thales UK has landed a GBP1.5 billion (US $2.4 billion) deal with the UK Ministry of Defence to provide military air traffic control and management services to the British military at home and overseas, the defense procurement minister announced Wednesday.
Exclusive: BAE Systems says U.S. halted its work on F-16 upgrades for South Korea
(Reuters) The U.S. unit of Britain's BAE Systems Plc on Tuesday said the U.S. Air Force has halted some of the company's initial work on a project to upgrade South Korea's F-16 fighter jets amid ongoing talks about the second phase of the project.
Saab Confident in Its Kockums Submarine Builders
(Defense News) The return last summer of the Kockums shipbuilding firm to Swedish ownership and control marked a rare moment when the public, government and industry all joined in approval.
VETERANS
Democratic congressman pressured VA to help politically connected contractor
(Washington Times) Rep. James P. Moran pressured the Department of Veterans Affairs to overrule one of its own senior procurement executives in 2012 and reinstate a policy that benefited a well-connected contractor, according to government records that show a VA official thought the congressman was stepping out of bounds.
Arizona Dem asks VA to clarify definition of 'timely' access to care
(The Hill) Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) on Wednesday asked the Department of Veterans Affairs to clarify its definition of "timely" access to medical care.
#MyVeteran is back - here's how to get yours featured
(Military Times) Military Times invites you to help celebrate your own favorite veteran with our #MyVeteran campaign.
VA Secretary endorses Atlanta director
(Atlanta Journal-Constitution) On a two-day visit to Atlanta Monday, VA Secretary Robert McDonald gave Atlanta VA Medical Center director Leslie Wiggins a ringing endorsement, despite meeting with veterans who have been highly critical of her leadership since she took charge of the hospital in May 2013.
Former police dispatcher sues Palo Alto VA
(Palo Alto Weekly) A former public-safety dispatcher for the VA Palo Alto has filed a lawsuit against the Palo Alto Department of Veterans Affairs for racial discrimination and intimidation after he attempted to report alleged police brutality by one of the officers, according to court documents.
CONGRESS
Pay Raise for Troops Still Up in the Air
(Government Executive) Lawmakers have a lot of work to do when they return to Washington Nov. 12 after the mid-term elections, including deciding how big of a pay raise to give military service members next year.
Rep. Forbes to run for Armed Services gavel
(The Hill) Rep. Randy Forbes (R-Va.) will run for the chairmanship of the powerful House Armed Services Committee after the elections.
N.C. Senate Candidate: More US Boots Needed in Iraq to Defeat Islamic State
(Defense News) If North Carolina House Speaker Thom Tillis becomes a US senator, add him to the list of Republicans who believe more American troops are needed on the ground in Iraq.
McKeon applauds Ebola quarantine decision
(The Hill) House Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon applauded Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel's decision on Wednesday to order a 21-day quarantine for all U.S. troops returning from Ebola work in West Africa.
The return of mean John McCain
(Politico) Mean John McCain is back on the campaign trail.
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Pentagon Officials: No Hope for Budget Soon; Tech Development Vital
(Defense News) The Pentagon's chief financial officer admitted on Wednesday that he is "not super optimistic" about Congress reaching a budget deal once the current continuing resolution temporarily funding the federal government expires on Dec. 11.
Hagel orders quarantine for troops returning from West Africa
(Military Times) Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Wednesday ordered all U.S. service members returning from the Ebola response mission to undergo "controlled monitoring," meaning they will be isolated on military facilities and monitored for symptoms for 21 days.
U.S. military action against Ebola no guarantee of success, experts say
(McClatchy) President Barack Obama has ordered as many as 4,000 U.S. troops into the epicenter of the world's largest-ever Ebola outbreak, in West Africa, but even that might not be enough to contain the disease.
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel: Get Used to Endless War
(The Atlantic) From ISIS to climate change, the Pentagon chief says, the threats that face the United States are long-term challenges.
Defense Mobile Update: Blackberry Still Dominates
(NextGov) BlackBerry devices in use by the Defense Department total 85,000 -- slightly more than 10 times the number of Apple and Android devices fielded today, Defense Information Agency officials said at a media roundtable today.
Dempsey Invokes Union Hero At Gettysburg to Rally Royals
(Bloomberg) Chairman of U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey told Kansas City Royals manager Ned Yost to "fix bayonets," in a note Monday night before World Series Game 6 that the team, won 10-0.
Defense budget outlook offers few bright spots
(C4ISR & Networks) The defense budget is nearing the end of a multiyear downturn, but don't break out in celebration just yet: Any gains anticipated in a new future outlook are tempered by modest expectations, continued global uncertainty and a complex threat environment.
ARMY
After complaints, soldier removes controversial Halloween hanging display
(Army Times) A Halloween display in front of an active-duty soldier's Fort Campbell, Kentucky, residence that featured effigies with black trash bags as heads hanging by their necks from a tree was removed Tuesday, shortly after base officials were informed of the decorations.
Report: Army Should Embrace Anti-Access/Area-Denial Mission
(Defense News) The Army is embracing a more expeditionary identity, but earlier this month, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel recommended it return to an old mission on the home front: coastal defense.
Operation Supply Drop' delivers the goods for desperate downrange gamers
(Military Times) Ask Air Force F-16 pilot Maj. Brian Gerwe what helped him and his 30-man detachment make it through a yearlong deployment to a remote air base in Pakistan, and he'll tell you it was all about that one critical supply drop.
Singing officer's daughter makes cut on TV's 'The Voice'
(Army Times) The 17-year-old daughter of an Army colonel reached the live-performance round of the NBC singing competition "The Voice," impressing her celebrity coach enough to become one of 20 contestants to make the cut.
Army Builds Communications Network To Aid Operation United Assistance
(ARMY Magazine) Deploying to West Africa in the fight to stop the spread of Ebola is a U.S. Army team who are building a vital communications network, one of the many overlook capabilities that could be at risk from budget cuts.
Master sergeant on death row files new petition
(Army Times) A former master sergeant who was convicted and sentenced to death for the murders of a North Carolina woman and her two children has filed a new appeal.
NAVY
Comms system boss fired amid investigation
(Navy Times) The O-6 manager of a multibillion-dollar tactical radio system was fired Tuesday, Naval Air Systems Command said.
Fox News to reveal Osama bin Laden's killer
(Orlando Sentinel) Fox News Channel will reveal the identity of Osama bin Laden's killer in a two-part documentary next month.
Medical examiner named for new POW/MIA agency
(Stars & Stripes) A Navy captain with expertise in DNA analysis has been tapped to lead identification efforts in the newly reorganized defense agency accounting for those missing from former conflicts, according to documents obtained by Stars and Stripes.
MCPON gathers senior leaders for annual forum
(Navy Times) Nearly all of the Navy's top enlisted leadership converged here for a three-day annual summit, the Leadership Mess Symposium, to discuss ways to help sailors focus on their jobs at a time of larger uncertainties about defense budgets and fleet plans.
FireScout passes sloped landing test
(C4ISR & Networks) UAV demonstrates ability to land on a ship's deck at pitch
Sailors charged in scuffle with off-duty Beach police
(Virginian-Pilot) Police are investigating an incident outside a Hilltop bar early Saturday involving off-duty police officers and Navy sailors that resulted in assault charges against the servicemen, police said Tuesday.
Murky Pentagon contract to build silencers ends in guilty verdicts
(Washington Post) A Navy intelligence official and a California hot-rod mechanic were found guilty Wednesday on federal conspiracy charges stemming from a mysterious scheme to manufacture hundreds of AK-47 rifle silencers for a secret military project.
AIR FORCE
Air Force Says Mideast Bombing Worsens Maintenance-Staff Shortage
(Wall Street Journal) The Air Force says the U.S. bombing campaign against Islamic extremists is exacerbating its shortage of plane-maintenance experts-a gap that is rekindling tensions with Congress about how to manage the nation's combat aircraft.
Dead Ramstein airman identified
(Stars & Stripes) A Ramstein airman who died on Sunday has been identified as Staff Sgt. Nathan L. Tinsley, the Air Force said in a statement Wednesday.
USAF C-130 airdrops meals to displaced tribe in Iraq
(Air Force Times) An Air Force C-130 on Monday delivered thousands of meals to an Iraqi tribe displaced by fighting between security forces and Islamic State group fighters.
Air Force Cadet's Secret Story: I Blew the Whistle on Football Players and Sex Assaults
(ABC News) As the Air Force Academy football team heads to West Point for the big game against Army this weekend, the new superintendent is going on the offense as the best defense against allegations the school has a culture of tolerating sexual violence by football players and other cadet athletes.
Commandant says giving AFA cadets more responsibility will improve behavior
(Colorado Springs Gazette) Hours ahead of a national news broadcast recounting athlete misconduct at the Air Force Academy, the school's commandant of cadets told Colorado Springs business leaders that a tiny fraction of cadets get into trouble.
Suspect in bank robbery using Air Force PT uniform as disguise
(Flightlines) Police and the FBI are hunting for a bank robber disguised as an airman who can't pass the tape test.
Jack Broughton, 89, Dies; A Top Pilot Turned Critic
(New York Times) Col. Jack Broughton flew more than 200 jet-fighter missions in the Korean and Vietnam Wars and received the Air Force Cross, his service's highest award for valor after the Medal of Honor. He led the Air Force's Thunderbirds in acrobatics that thrilled air show spectators in the mid-1950s and piloted nearly 50 types of military aircraft.
MARINE CORPS
Marine drill instructors weigh in on viral video face-off
(Marine Corps Times) Judging from their comments on Internet forums, Marines - particularly current and former drill instructors - appear to be evenly divided when it comes to Sgt. Maj. Paul Archie's conduct upon approaching a Marine veteran protesting outside the main gate of a recruit depot.
Marine barricaded in Okinawa's Camp Lester housing surrenders
(Stars & Stripes) A Marine barricaded himself at his home in Okinawa's Camp Lester housing area Thursday, setting off a standoff with military police that ended peacefully, Marine Corps officials said.
Real Marine stars in satirical military homecoming video
(Marine Corps Times) You don't have to look far to find a viral "homecoming video" featuring heartwarming reunions between service members and their families after a long deployment. But a new video making the rounds on social media takes a fresh approach.
Basetrack Live' takes intimate look at Marine's journey to war and back
(Stars & Stripes) Back from two tours with the U.S. Marines in Iraq, Tyler La Marr couldn't let it go when a civilian woman in a Wal-Mart started talking about all the horrors of the U.S.-led war in that country.
22nd MEU returns from almost nine-month float
(Marine Corps Times) More than 4,000 sailors and Marines in the three-ship Bataan amphibious ready group are returning home.
AFGHANISTAN/PAKISTAN
U.S. Military Classifying Assessments of Afghan Military
(Bloomberg) The U.S. military has begun classifying its summaries of the Afghan national security forces' capabilities, an action which denies the public insight into their readiness as the U.S. withdraws most of its troops by year end, according to a government watchdog.
China Pledges $327 Million in Aid to Afghanistan
(Wall Street Journal) China has pledged two billion yuan ($327 million) in aid to Afghanistan, which is seeking new sources of foreign help amid a drawdown of U.S. troops and increasing worries about regional instability.
Pakistan army: 8 soldiers killed in tribal region
(Associated Press) Eight Pakistani soldiers were killed in a major operation against militants in the country's Khyber tribal region Wednesday, as the army declared its four-month old push against a main militant sanctuary in another tribal region, North Waziristan, a success.
Deadly Drone Strike Hits Pakistan Taliban Stronghold
(Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty) Security officials say a U.S. drone strike has killed at least four militants in Pakistan's restive tribal region near the Afghan border.
MIDDLE EAST
Israel Planning To Increase F-35 Buy
(Defense News) Israel is set to place a second order of F-35 joint strike fighters, bringing its planned procurement of the stealthy, fifth-generation jet up to 44.
White House Distances Itself From Netanyahu 'Chickenshit' Comment
(Foreign Policy) The White House is in damage control after an anonymous Obama administration official was quoted in the Atlantic calling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a "chickenshit," while a second told the magazine that the Israeli leader was a "coward" when it came to Iran.
Israeli government websites under attack by hacktivists
(IHS Jane's 360) Hacker group Anonymous is attacking Israeli government cyber infrastructure after the death of Orwah Hammad, a 14-year-old Palestinian with US citizenship, on 24 October.
EUROPE
NATO Tracks Large-Scale Russia Air Activity in Europe
(Wall Street Journal) The North Atlantic Treaty Organization said four groups of Russian military aircraft conducted significant aerial maneuvers this week around Europe, an unusually high level of activity that the alliance said could have endangered passing civilian flights.
Improved Russian Nuclear Attack Submarine Kazan to Deliver in 2016
(USNI News) The Russian Navy is set to take delivery of an improved Project 885M Yasen-class attack submarine in 2016 according to Russian state media. The new vessel, named after the city of Kazan, incorporates many improvements to the lead Project 855 boat, K-329 Severodvinsk, which was commissioned earlier in 2014.
Poland and Germany Deepen Army Cooperation
(Aviation Week) Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Tomasz Siemoniak and German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen signed a statement of intent to increase Polish-German army cooperation on the fringes of the annual Bundeswehr conference in Berlin on 29 October.
AFRICA
Finally, some good news in Liberia: WHO says rate of new cases appears to be slowing down
(Washington Post) World Health Organization officials on Wednesday said they see "glimmers of hope" in Liberia, the epicenter of the Ebola epidemic, with strong evidence that the rate of new cases is declining for the first time since the crisis began.
Obama: Health care workers in Africa help the U.S.
(USA Today) President Obama thanked health care professionals Wednesday for fighting Ebola on the front lines in West Africa, while criticizing officials who would put restrictions on these "heroes" who are helping secure the United States.
French soldier killed in clash with Islamist militants in Mali
(Reuters) France said on Wednesday a French soldier was killed during a fierce clash between its forces and Islamist militants in northern Mali earlier in the day.
THE AMERICAS
Coast Guard Rescues Cubans Off Boca Raton in New Sign of Perilous Efforts to Flee
(New York Times) In yet another signal of the increasingly dangerous voyages taken by Cuban migrants trying to make it to the United States, the Coast Guard rescued nearly three dozen men from a sinking rowboat off the shore of Boca Raton on Wednesday as the agency continued to search for two other rafters missing since Monday.
Mexico president, missing students' relatives at odds after meeting
(Los Angeles Times) More than a month after 43 college students were led away by police and never seen again, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto on Wednesday met with relatives of the missing men in a bid to shore up flagging public faith in the search.
Colombian general to be dismissed over spying scandal
(Fox News Latino) A Colombian general who oversaw a database containing the personal e-mails of government representatives and foreign and domestic journalists will be dismissed later this year, Blu Radio reported here Wednesday.
COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS
How Republicans Got Their Groove Back on Security
(Noah Gordon in The Atlantic) After the debacle of the Iraq War, Democrats were suddenly the party Americans trusted to protect them. This midterm election suggests that's over.
Wishful thinking in the U.S. plans against the Islamic State
(David Ignatius in The Washington Post) A glimpse of the anxiety sweeping the Arab world surfaced last week when an Arab woman complained during a talk in Amman at the Columbia Global Center for the Middle East. She said my speech's title about the "crisis" in the region wasn't accurate. The correct word was "disintegration." The audience cheered loudly.
The Pendulum and the President
(David Rothkopf in Foreign Policy) FP Group CEO and Editor David Rothkopf's newly released book is a follow-up to his acclaimed earlier history of U.S. foreign policy making in the modern era Running the World: The Inside Story of the National Security Council and the Architects of American Power. In National Insecurity, which covers the periods of the Obama and Bush administrations and seeks to look beyond the partisan views, Rothkopf examines the unique dynamics that have shaped America's role in the world since 9/11 and why the results of our leaders have often been so troubling.
Book Review: Lone Wolf Terrorism: Understanding the Growing Threat by Jeffrey D. Simon
(Ashley Green in Lawfare) Former Central Intelligence Agency Director Leon Panetta observed in his recent memoir that so-called "lone wolf terrorists"-terrorists who work without group assistance-are a growing threat to the internal security of the United States. It's an observation that has been echoed by many officials and former officials. Some would respond that the threat of lone wolf terrorism is still very remote in the United States and, in any case, there's little reason to think it merits a legal or policy response other than to pursue investigations, prosecutions, and trials through the federal courts and the existing substantive framework of criminal law.
Strategic Overstretch and the Jihadist Generation Gap
(Mark Stout in War on the Rocks) There has been no shortage of analytical efforts to conceptualize the threat posed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in recent months, specifically the ways in which the group differs from its erstwhile ally, al Qaida. In so many ways - tactically, operationally, strategically - ISIL represents a sharp divergence from al Qaida. But perhaps the best way to understand this is simply as a generation gap.
Opinion: U.S. Navy Entering New Future of Electronic Warfare
(Retired Navy Rear Adm. Terry McKnight in USNI News) In the ever-evolving saga of defense budget cuts and sequestration, the cruise missile threats to our surface fleet are not standing still. As we have seen in instances ranging from the Israeli patrol boat INS Hanit attacked off of Lebanon in 2006 to the cat and mouse games that are played during each any every Strait of Hormuz transit of U.S. Navy forces, the anti-ship cruise missile threat is growing and we cannot afford to lose our advantage to counter these multi-dimensional threats.
Innovation Warfare: Technology Domain Awareness and America's Military Edge
(Adam Jay Harrison, Jawad Rachami and Christopher Zember in War on the Rocks) On December 21, 2013, a small Japanese robotics start-up called Schaft claimed top honors at the DARPA Robotics Challenge. With minimal funding, team Schaft's robot was the only performer to successfully complete all of the challenge events and beat robots built by companies like Boston Dynamics, who delivered a competing system through a $10.8 million contract from DARPA. In 2013, Google purchased Schaft and six other robotics companies as part of a new broad scale robotics initiative.
The Horrific Effectiveness of Flamethrowers
(Paul Huard in Real Clear Defense) Between July and November of 1917, one of the greatest disasters of the Great War unfolded near the Belgian town of Ypres, where the British and their allies fought the Germans for control of some ridges running through Flanders.
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