TODAY’S TOP 5
1. Obama Seeks Update to Military Force Rules
(Defense News) President Barack Obama has invited the head of the US Central Command to brief congressional leaders at the White House on Friday afternoon - the first step toward updating the rules for the authorization to use military force (AUMF).
2. Wanted AQAP leader involved in embassies plot, provincial emir killed in US drone strike
(Long War Journal) A wanted al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula leader who was involved in last year's plot that forced the US to close more than a dozen diplomatic facilities across the world has been been killed in the yesterday's US drone strike in central Yemen. AQAP's emir for the central province of Baydah, where the jihadist group is battling encroaching Houthi rebels, was also killed in the same airstrike.
3. Newsflash to the New Congress: Tiered Readiness Is Here Now
(Mackenzie Eaglen in Real Clear Defense) The modern day version of "tiered readiness" has arrived for the U.S. military. While the news has yet to sink in the minds of Washington leaders, the state of affairs across the force speaks for itself.
4. U.S. Pilots Say New Chinese Stealth Fighter Could Become Equal of F-22, F-35
(USNI News) China's new Shenyang J-31 stealth fighter - making its debut next week at the Zhuhai international airshow - could eventually become more than a match for American stealth fighters in battle, several U.S. military and industry officials told USNI News.
5. Arizona Guard crew suspended for dropping candy from Black Hawk
(Army Times) The Arizona National Guard is investigating an aircrew that flew a Black Hawk helicopter over an upscale neighborhood in Phoenix and dropped candy on the evening of Oct. 28, according to a statement issued Oct. 31.
CONGRESS
Rep. Duncan Hunter Says U.S. Attempted Payment to Secure Soldier's Freedom
(Wall Street Journal) A member of the House Armed Services Committee is charging the U.S. military unsuccessfully attempted to secure the release of a captured American soldier by making a cash payment earlier this year.
After Election Day, Familiar Faces in New Places on Senate Defense Committees
(Defense News) For the US national security sector, Tuesday mostly was a status-quo election - but with one glaring exception: Say hello to Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain.
Younger veterans heading to Congress in bigger numbers
(Military Times) Next year's Congress will boast the largest class of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans yet, even as the overall number of lawmakers with military experience continues to decline.
Election 2014: What's Next for Defense?
(National Defense) A big question on the minds of Pentagon officials and defense industry CEOs is whether the new balance of power in Washington will mark a turning point after four years of fiscal turbulence fueled by partisan warfare. Analysts have predicted that a Republican majority will tip the scales in favor of larger military budgets and possible relief from the 2011 law that set strict spending caps.
John McCain Poised to Control Senate's Defense Policy
(National Journal) The move will give the hawk an influential avenue to merge his two favorite roles: administration critic and legislative deal maker.
ISLAMIC STATE
Why Can't the Pentagon Kill the Islamic State's Top Commanders?
(Foreign Policy) The United States and its coalition partners have conducted close to 800 airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria, hitting command-and-control facilities, training compounds, armored vehicles, oil refineries, supply trucks, artillery pieces, and bunkers. But there's a notable absence from the target list: the Islamic State's top leader
Obama: 'Too early' to say if US winning ISIS fight
(The Hill) President Obama on Wednesday said it's "too early" to say whether the United States is winning in the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
U.K. to Increase Support to Iraqi Forces Fighting Islamic State
(Wall Street Journal) Britain said it will increase its commitment to U.S.-led efforts to train Iraqi forces fighting militant group Islamic State, in a move that could fuel concerns the U.K. is being drawn back into the conflict in the country.
Iran general said to mastermind Iraq ground war
(Associated Press) When Islamic State militants retreated from the embattled town of Jurf al-Sakher last week, the Iraqi military was quick to flaunt a rare victory. State television showed tanks and Humvees parading through the town and soldiers touring government buildings that the Sunni extremist group had occupied since August.
Iraq Plagued by Budget Crisis Amid Menace of Islamic State
(Wall Street Journal) Another crisis is percolating in Iraq beneath the onslaught of Islamic State militants: a shrinking economy and a widening fiscal deficit that politicians and analysts worry will further undermine the country's ability to fight off the insurgents.
INDUSTRY
South Korea, Pentagon Kill BAE F-16 Upgrade Contract
(Defense News) At the request of South Korean officials, the Pentagon has officially canceled an F-16 upgrade contract with BAE Systems, paving the way for South Korea to recompete the program for competitor Lockheed Martin.
Boeing tests dual anti-jamming links
(C4ISR & Networks) Boeing has tested anti-jamming communications links that can operate as either a ground-based user terminal or satellite-based networking hub.
Lockheed Martin progresses C-5M Galaxy deliveries to USAF
(IHS Jane's 360) The US Air Force (USAF) is continuing to receive upgraded Lockheed Martin C-5M Galaxy strategic airlifters, with delivery of the 20th production aircraft on 5 November.
Britain, France Launch Feasibility Study for Joint Military Drones
(Agence France-Presse) Britain and France on Wednesday charged two major defense contractors with a two-year feasibility study over a joint military drone project, hailed as "the future of combat aerospace in Europe."
Lockheed Martin says Israel considering additional C-130Js
(IHS Jane's 360) The Israeli Air Force (IAF) might expand its fleet of C-130J Hercules fleet to up to nine aircraft, a senior Lockheed Martin executive said in Israel on 4 November.
VETERANS
Some veterans to receive health care 'choice cards' this week
(Military Times) Veterans Affairs Department "choice cards" will arrive in some veterans' mailboxes this week, allowing them to seek out private medical care and have VA pick up the bill.
Justice Department undercuts VA explanations on not firing executives
(Stars & Stripes) The VA says it has held off for months on firing top management linked to a nationwide health care scandal because of ongoing criminal probes by the Department of Justice.
National Cathedral to honor veterans with concert
(Associated Press) Washington National Cathedral is planning a special tribute to veterans with a concert this week ahead of Veterans Day.
Program trains police to defuse confrontations with troubled veterans
(Stars & Stripes) Clouds of smoke plumed from the spinning wheels of a white Cadillac pinned between two Las Vegas police cars. Officers had ordered the driver to exit the vehicle, and when he failed to comply, they devised a plan to flush him out. One officer would fire a beanbag round to shatter the car's rear window. Another would then shoot a canister of pepper spray.
LeBron James invites deployed troops to join Veterans Day salute
(Military Times) LeBron, Kyrie, K-Love and the Cavs will honor the troops on Nov. 10, when they take on the New Orleans Pelicans at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Medical tests for PTSD and TBI not far off
(Military Times) Researchers are inching closer to creating medical tests to detect post-traumatic stress or mild traumatic brain injury - conditions that now are diagnosed only with self-reported symptoms and subjective exams.
Post Election: Kendall Glum On Chances To Scrap Sequestration
(Breaking Defense) Frank Kendall, the head of Pentagon acquisition, threw cold water - "I would be quite surprised if there was willingness" by both parties - on the quietly discussed chance that GOP majorities in the Senate and House would push for an end to the automatic budget cuts known as sequestration.
Interview: Vice Adm. Joseph Rixey
(Defense News) The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) is charged with advancing US security interests worldwide through collaborative agreements as well as arms sales. Last year, the agency sold more than $39 billion in weapons worldwide.
Autism therapy benefit to be analyzed for DoD
(Military Times) The Defense Department has hired Rand Corp. to analyze its autism therapy benefit to determine whether the level of coverage is appropriate and how well it stacks up against private insurers.
Turning UAVs into chemical weapons detectors
(C4ISR & Networks) A DoD program is exploring the use of drones to detect chemical and biological weapons.
ARMY
New commander takes over at U.S. Army Europe
(Army Times) Lt. Gen. Frederick 'Ben' Hodges took command of U.S. Army Europe during a ceremony Wednesday in Wiesbaden, Germany.
EXCLUSIVE: Army Apache chopper has critical flaw, hydraulic fluid contamination
(Washington Times) A military investigation into an Apache attack-helicopter mishap has found potential hydraulic fluid contamination that could cause "a catastrophic failure and loss of life," government contracting records show.
New Army reg approves use of the word 'negro'; now is under review
(Army Times) The latest version of the Army regulation governing the policies and responsibilities of command includes a section that states a soldier can be referred to as a "Negro" when describing black or African-American troops.
Large-scale survey seeks soldier input on base services
(Army Times) The Army has asked more than 35,000 soldiers to prioritize services offered by their installations via an online survey, but a new approach to the questions could give greater insight to Army planners dealing with dwindling budgets.
NAVY
Report: Navy SEAL who shot bin Laden revealed
(Navy Times) The former Navy SEAL who claims to have shot and killed Osama bin Laden has been identified ahead of a highly anticipated Fox News interview in which he is expected to discuss his role in the historic raid, according to multiple news sources.
F-35C's First Catapult Launches From USS Nimitz
(Breaking Defense) Yesterday, the F-35C made its first catapult takeoffs from the USS Nimitz. The video and photo have just been made available. No word on whether election shenanigans were involved...
Tensions rise in huge amphibious exercise
(Navy Times) This large catamaran arrived off the coast of the fictitious country of Amberland at roughly 10 a.m. Wednesday. Brown-water sailors from Navy Expeditionary Combat Command move with purpose as they position a Mark V combat rubber raiding craft on the ship's aft end.
Video: Carrier USS Abraham Lincoln Leaves Dry Dock
(USNI News) Almost two years into its four-year midlife upgrade, Nimitz-class carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) left dry dock at Newport News Shipbuilding in Newport News, Va. to begin the next steps of its almost $4 billion overhaul, the Navy and Huntington Ingalls Industries annouced this week.
CNO calls for faster technical training
(Navy Times) The Navy's top officer said Tuesday that training for the Navy's technical rates takes too long.
AIR FORCE
Carlisle takes command at ACC
(Air Force Times) The newest commander of Air Combat Command took over the service's fighting force on Tuesday to lead the service's transition away from war in the Middle East to fighting smaller-scale battles abroad and declining readiness at home.
Children's, AFRL explore fatigue in airmen
(Dayton Daily News) Researchers will peer deep inside the brain to explore how electrical stimulation eases fatigue in airmen, researchers say.
Mountain Home airman shot over weekend in stable condition
(Air Force Times) An airman at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, remains in critical but stable condition after being shot in the chest at a laundromat over the weekend, police said Wednesday.
GAO: U.S. Air Force Needs More Info Before Committing to Disaggregation
(Space News) A new report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office says that distributed satellite constellations, a concept currently in vogue with Air Force space leaders, may solve some problems for the Defense Department, but would also create new difficulties.
MARINE CORPS
Marine 3-star cleared in reprisal investigation
(Marine Corps Times) The Pentagon's investigative agency has cleared the commanding general of Marine Forces Reserve of whistleblower reprisal against a Marine civil affairs officer who reached out to a member of Congress for help.
Caught on Body Cam: Marines, Police Brawl
(KNSD; San Diego) Two Marines are charged with assault and battery against San Diego police officers - and part of the incident was caught on police body camera.
Marine commanders reflect on 13 years of war in Afghanistan
(Marine Corps Times) Sgt. Philip A. McCulloch Jr. still feels the loss of his brothers-in-arms in Afghanistan. But he no longer believes the war they fought together was worth the cost they paid.
Marine stops at historic Tun Tavern site on his run from D.C. to ground zero
(Philadelphia Inquirer) Marine Capt. Jason Dequenne came running down the sidewalk Wednesday toward Tun Tavern in Old City. Barely out of breath, he slowed to a stop on the very spot where the Marine Corps was founded in 1775.
Video: Watch Medal of Honor recipient Kyle Carpenter skydive into D.C.
(Washington Post) The Marine Corps Marathon was held in Washington more than a week ago, but there's new video of a scene from the event that is sure to grab attention. It shows Medal of Honor recipient Kyle Carpenter skydiving into the race with a team of military veterans, with a massive American flag fluttering in the wind alongside them.
AFGHANISTAN/PAKISTAN
US commander: Afghan casualties 'not sustainable'
(Stars & Stripes) At the current casualty rate, the Afghanistan National Security Forces cannot be sustained, according to a top officer within the international coalition.
NATO secretary general makes first visit to Kabul
(Deutsche Presse-Agentur) NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg arrived in Afghanistan Thursday for his first visit since taking office, to meet troops and the country's new leaders, the military alliance said.
China's Uighur Unrest Is Opportunity for Afghans
(New York Times) Since the British first tried and failed to subdue Afghanistan in the 19th century, stumbling into a costly Afghan war seems to have become a mandatory step for global power players. The Soviet Union did it in the 1980s, and the American battle here has passed the 13-year mark.
Pakistan rejects US charges it supports militants
(Associated Press) Pakistan summoned the U.S. ambassador to reject allegations in a Pentagon report that Islamabad supports militant proxies in neighboring India and Afghanistan, a foreign ministry statement said Thursday.
MIDDLE EAST
Netanyahu says Abbas responsible for Jerusalem attack
(Haaretz) Israel's political leadership on Wednesday held Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas responsible for the Jerusalem attack earlier in the day.
Jordan Accuses Israel of Attacking, Desecrating Al Aqsa Mosque
(Wall Street Journal) Jordan accused Israel of attacking and desecrating a revered mosque and withdrew its ambassador, stoking the growing tensions surrounding the city's most sensitive holy site.
Former 'forever prisoner' leaves for Kuwait
(Miami Herald) A Kuwaiti aircraft lifted off from this remote Navy base with a long-held captive before dawn Wednesday, sealing the first repatriation of a former so-called "forever prisoner" whose dangerousness was downgraded by a U.S. government parole board.
Egypt Elevates an Official Hostile to U.S.
(New York Times) President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is appointing a national security adviser who two years ago spearheaded criminal charges that nonprofit groups were acting as agents of an American conspiracy to weaken and destabilize Egypt.
EUROPE
Russia exercises its strategic nuclear 'triad'
(IHS Jane's 360) Since 28 October Moscow has tested and exercised all three components of its nuclear arsenal, including the firing of submarine-launched and land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles (SLBMs and ICBMs) as well as extensive long-range strategic bomber sorties.
U.S. Money-Laundering Probe Touches Putin's Inner Circle
(Wall Street Journal) U.S. prosecutors have launched a money-laundering investigation of a member of Vladimir Putin 's inner circle, several people familiar with the efforts said, in a politically sensitive escalation of pressure on the Russian president's cadre of billionaire supporters.
Former Georgian Defense Minister's Party Quits Ruling Coalition
(Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty) The Our Georgia--Free Democrats party headed by former Defense Minister Irakli Alasania has withdrawn from the ruling Georgian Dream coalition of which it was the second-largest member. The loss of its 10 lawmakers leaves the Georgian Dream parliament faction with just 73 of the 150 mandates, three short of a majority. The opposition United National Movement of former President Mikheil Saakashvili has 51 mandates.
AFRICA
U.S. uniformed officers to treat Ebola patients in Liberia
(USA Today) President Obama has assured Americans that none of the nearly 4,000 U.S. troops heading to Liberia will treat Ebola patients, but 70 uniformed officers of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps will.
Libyan Troops Go Wild in England
(The Daily Beast) They were supposed to be the 'new' Libyan army. Instead they allegedly went crazy in the streets of Cambridge, assaulting strangers and brutally raping one young man.
Nearly 400 killed in 3 weeks of Libya fighting
(Associated Press) Fighting between forces loyal to Libya's elected government and a loose alliance of Islamist and regional militias has killed nearly 400 people across the country in the past three weeks, a medical official and a militia commander said on Wednesday.
COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS
Here's Why the Midterms Are Not a National Security Mandate
(Molly O'Toole in Defense One) Don't expect a sudden, dramatic shift in direction on national security in Congress after Tuesday night's midterm elections. On Wednesday morning, the U.S. military will still be barraging the Islamic State from the air in Iraq and Syria, doctors and soldiers will still be deploying to West Africa, and Washington will still be Washington - that is, dysfunctional and gridlocked.
So What Does the New Republican Majority Mean for National Security Issues In Congress?
(Benjamin Wittes in Lawfare) The result is no surprise: Republicans now control both houses of Congress-or, at least, they will come January. I'll leave it to others to dissect how we should understand last night's electoral results in political terms, what it means for President Obama, the 2016 election, or the future of American politics.
A Rose by Any Other Name: It's Time to Bring Earmarks Back to Defense RandD
(James M. Ludes and Kelly Mendell in Roll Call) In 2010, congressional Republicans campaigned in the midterm elections on a promise to end earmarks - the direction of appropriated dollars to specific projects, typically in a lawmaker's district. Proponents of the ban championed it as a step towards fiscal discipline. In reality, the ban has come at the expense of America's small businesses and our national security, and it coincides with an historic period of legislative inertia. It's time to restore earmarks.
Is a "Missile Truck" the Solution to One of the Scariest Wargames Ever?
(Dustin Walker in Real Clear Defense) In August 2008, the RAND Corporation joined military leaders at Hickham Air Force Base in Hawaii for a wargame entitled "Pacific Vision." The exercise was meant to identify the capabilities U.S. Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) would need to prevail against potential threats in the Asia-Pacific region through 2016. At least one of the scenarios examined in the wargame was truly frightening.
Asymmetric Warfare and Abnormal Methodology: Redefining Victory
(Jordan Bravin in Cicero Magazine) It is a Sunday morning in Kapisa Province, due north of Kabul. A local Tagib market has just opened, and merchants tend to their stalls as villagers come and go. The skies are unusually clear, and over the buzz of the marketplace, a faint hum can be heard from far off. Unbeknownst to those on the ground, the hum resonates from some 10,000 feet overhead- A US-operated Predator drone.
Space architecture is the weak link in US defense policy
(Adin Dobkin in The Hill) On Oct. 17, the Air Force's mysterious X-37B reusable unmanned spacecraft landed at Vandenberg Air Force Base after almost two years in orbit. The X-37 is arguably the pinnacle of the United States' space technology, demonstrating the key metric of reusability that will help to ensure lowered costs and increased capabilities for years to come. It will operate on a frontier that will only become more crucial with increased technology and a battlefield that utilizes the space above our atmosphere. It also represents the seriously flawed logic of current U.S. space infrastructure that could spell tragedy rather than victory if any symmetric threats are faced by our military in the near future.
Decentralization: The Future of ISIS
(Nicholas B. Pace in Small Wars Journal) With the United States increasingly involved in counter-terror operations across the world, terrorist organizations have had to become more flexible and adaptive to their environment. Centralized, top-down terrorist organizations with ambitions to target the United States and its interests are no longer feasible.
War, Interrupted, Part I: The Roots of the Jihadist Resurgence in Iraq
(Craig Whiteside in War on the Rocks) Consider another possibility: the Islamic State's resurgence since 2010 in both Iraq and Syria is the result of a carefully crafted plan. The Islamic State counteroffensive in Iraq, conducted under the noses of a waning U.S. presence in the country, created conditions for the Islamic State to establish a new political coalition that remains intact to date. The high-level of military excellence achieved by the Islamic State in their campaign as much as any political factor, has influenced their return and creates a host of challenges for the military, intelligence, and diplomatic professionals tasked with their defeat.
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