| January 12, 2014 |
THE EARLY BIRD BRIEF | Get the most comprehensive aggregation of defense news delivered by the world's largest independent newsroom covering military and defense.
| ADVERTISEMENT  | | ADVERTISEMENT  | TODAY'S TOP 5 1. Criminal charges recommended against Petraeus
(USA Today) Federal prosecutors are recommending that retired Army Gen. David Petraeus face criminal charges for passing classified information to his former mistress, Paula Broadwell, according to two U.S. officials.
2. 2,000 feared killed in 'deadliest' Boko Haram attack in Nigeria
(CNN) Boko Haram militants opened fire on northern Nigerian villages, leaving bodies scattered everywhere and as many as 2,000 people feared dead, officials said.
3. White House sets delayed anti-extremism summit
(Politico) In the wake of the terrorist attacks in Paris last week, the White House has scheduled an anti-extremism conference that was originally set for last October but was postponed without explanation.
4. Top officers take extra hit to pay and benefits
(Military Times) Military compensation is getting a haircut across the board, but Congress singled out general and flag officers for a more extensive trim this year.
5. Air Force losing more drone pilots than it trains
(Air Force Times) The Air Force expects to lose more remotely piloted aircraft pilots to attrition than it trains this fiscal year, Air Combat Command spokesman Benjamin Newell said Friday.
DEFENSE NEWS WITH VAGO MURADIAN Preventing Terrorist Attacks in US
(Defense News) Stephanie Sanok Kostro, Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Barry Pavel, Atlantic Council, discuss the recent attacks in France and likelihood of an attack in the US.
How the Pentagon Buys Oil
(Defense News) Retired Adm. Mark Heinrich, managing director of Alvarez and Marsal, on how the Pentagon buys oil for the US military - the world's biggest consumer of oil.
Changes to the Littoral Combat Ship
(Defense News) Ron O'Rourke, Congressional Research Service naval analyst, discusses the LCS and the navy's future warship programs.
Vago's Notebook: The Threat of Terrorism
(Defense News) Renewed vigilence, better cooperation and more resources are needed to combat terrorism.
EUROPE TERROR FEARS France mobilizes 10,000 security forces after attacks
(Associated Press) French security forces are mobilizing in their search for what the prime minister called a "probably accomplice" to three days of bloodshed and terror around the capital, as well as to try to ensure the safety of the French people.
Paris March Against Terror Draws Huge Crowds and 40 World Leaders
(New York Times) More than 40 world leaders, including the Palestinian president and the Israeli prime minister, marched arm in arm in the vanguard of more than a million people in Paris on Sunday in a somber display of solidarity and defiance following a series of terrorist attacks that shook France.
German newspaper that reprinted Charlie Hebdo cartoons firebombed
(Reuters) A building of German newspaper Hamburger Morgen post was the target of an arson attack and two suspects were arrested, police said on Sunday.
After Charlie Hebdo attack in France, backlash against Muslims feared
(Los Angeles Times) Gun and grenade attacks outside at least two French mosques heightened fear Thursday of an anti-Muslim backlash after a military-style assault on a newspaper that satirizes Islam.
Terror Attacks in Paris: The Victims
(New York Times) Among the 12 people who were killed in the Jan. 7 attacks on the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo were cartoonists, a proofreader, a maintenance worker and two police officers. A police officer was killed the next day in a Paris suburb, and four hostages were killed at a kosher supermarket in eastern Paris on Jan. 9. These are profiles of the victims.
Turkey confirms Paris attacks wife in Syria
(USA Today) Hayat Boumeddiene, the common-law wife of one of the suspected Paris attackers, crossed into Syria from Turkey the day before her husband held hostages in a kosher supermarket in Paris, Turkey's foreign minister confirmed Monday.
Man Who Filmed Terrorists Shooting Paris Cop Says He Regrets Sharing Video
(Time) The man behind the amateur video of two gunmen murdering a Paris police officer outside the Charlie Hebdo office last week says he regrets sharing the video online after it went viral.
Source: Terror cells activated in France
(CNN ) French law enforcement officers have been told to erase their social media presence and to carry their weapons at all times because terror sleeper cells have been activated over the last 24 hours in the country, a French police source who attended a briefing Saturday told CNN terror analyst Samuel Laurent.
Muslim man hailed for life-saving courage during Paris siege
(Associated Press) At a kosher supermarket in Paris, a quick-thinking Muslim employee hides several Jewish shoppers in the basement before sneaking out to brief police on the hostage-taker upstairs. In the town of Dammartin-en-Goele, a poker-faced businessman fools a pair of gunmen into believing they're alone in the building before being allowed to leave unharmed.
German anti-Islam movement hopes for big showing at Leipzig rally
(Al Jazeera America) On Monday night, anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand people will gather in a parking lot outside Leipzig's Red Bull soccer arena and set out on what organizers are calling an "evening stroll" through the city's Waldstrasse Quarter.
The No. 2 man on al-Qaeda's hit list is not in hiding after Paris attack. He's selling french fries in Florida.
(Washington Post) The provocative Florida pastor infamous for burning the Koran, Rev. Terry Jones -- whose name appears on al-Qaeda's international hit list -- garnered new publicity this week after French editor Stephane Charbonnier (whose name also appeared on the list) was killed alongside 11 others during a terrorist attack on the officers of satirical French newsweekly Charlie Hebdo.
Paris attacker claims to be IS member in posthumous video
(Middle East Eye ) A video has been released purporting to show a statement by Amedy Coulibaly, who attacked a Jewish supermarket in Paris killing four.
ISLAMIC STATE FBI, State Dept. issue warnings after France terror attacks
(CBS News ) The Federal Bureau of Investigation on Friday sent out an intelligence bulletin reminding U.S. law enforcement partners to be aware of the potential for homeland attacks carried out by sympathizers or followers of radical Islamic groups, CBS News correspondent Bob Orr reports.
Paris Attackers Had Ties With Tunisia Islamic State Leader
(Wall Street Journal) A day after gunmen in Paris killed the staffers of Charlie Hebdo magazine last week, Islamist radicals announced they had killed two more journalists. The men behind these attacks have known each other ever since trying together to fight U.S. forces in Iraq a decade ago, according to evidence and testimony made public during trials in France.
5 Months of Air Strikes in Iraq and Syria in 4 Charts
(DefenseOne) From the first day of strikes through Jan. 2, Operation Inherent Resolve has cost $1.2 billion, with an average daily cost of $8.2 million a day, according to the Pentagon.
ISIS (Daesh) start operations in Helmand, residents claim
(Khaama Press) According to the local residents of Sangin district, a group of insurgents in black uniforms have started movements in the district carrying black flags and vehicles.
German intel chief urges Turkey to prevent extremist travel
(Associated Press) Germany's domestic intelligence chief is urging Turkey to do more to prevent extremists crossing into Syria to join the Islamic State group and other terrorist organizations.
CONGRESS Paris Attacks Could Feed Into Broader Push for Higher Budgets
(Defense News) Last weeks' terror attacks in Paris are unlikely to have much direct impact on the defense market. But taken as part of a larger view of an increasingly dangerous world, they fit into a pattern that could lead to an increase in the overall defense budget.
Terror attack greets intelligence panel chief in first days on the job
(McClatchy) California Republican Rep. Devin Nunes started his new spy-oversight work with a jolt. On Tuesday, at the opening of the 114th Congress, he claimed the gavel as chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. About 18 hours later, two men carrying automatic weapons and shouting "Allahu Akbar" - "God is great" - killed 12 people and wounded 11 at the Paris office of a French satirical magazine.
House GOP Sets Up Homeland Security, Immigration Showdown With Obama
(Defense News) US House Republican leaders are setting up a showdown with Senate Democrats and the White House that puts in jeopardy billions of dollars in homeland security funds.
More House Dems want to limit time at the top
(Politico) A growing faction favors term limits for committee leaders, saying the GOP is outdoing Democrats in promoting new blood.
First Batch of House Democrats Get Committee Nominations
(Defense News) The Democratic members of US House committees important to national security are beginning to take shape.
INDUSTRY Defense Industry Running out of Time; Mergers Loom
(Defense News) For the past several years, defense watchers in Washington have been anxiously awaiting an expected surge in merger and acquisition activity among the big prime defense contractors as the Pentagon budget tightened.
SpaceX launches rocket, but attempt to land booster falls short
(Los Angeles Times) Elon Musk's SpaceX sent a cargo capsule loaded with International Space Station supplies into orbit Saturday morning, but the company's unprecedented attempt to set down the craft's first-stage rocket on an ocean barge was rocky and damaged the booster.
Turkey Insists on Indigenous Fighter Jet
(Defense News) A top procurement meeting of Turkey's government and military leaders Jan. 7 produced several critical decisions, but officials and analysts agree a move to further efforts to build the country's first indigenous fighter aircraft was most important.
Missile Launcher Contract Gives Hints to Saudi Arabia's Naval Expansion
(USNI News) A little noticed December contract award for the missile launchers used as part of the U.S. Navy's Aegis Combat System gives hints to the direction of a potential $20 billion U.S. naval arms sale to Saudi Arabia.
India May Legalize Agents for Foreign Firms, Limit Blacklisting
(Defense News) India may legalize the use of agents by foreign defense companies and establish penalties other than blacklisting when overseas firms violate rules, said a Defence Ministry source.
Canada Completes Fighter Jet Review, Still No Decision On F-35
(Inside Defense) The Canadian government will not confirm whether a recent review ranked the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter as the favored aircraft to replace the CF-18 Hornet, despite reports that the country intends to proceed with the F-35 deal after its 2015 election.
Airbus, AgustaWestland Shortlisted For South Korean Helicopter Program
(Aviation Week) The U.S. may underwrite the security of South Korea, but European manufacturers have put up the most persuasive offers for the country's next battlefield utility helicopter and civil derivative.
New Reactor Cores Key To Ohio Replacement Subs
(Breaking Defense) The current Ohio subs and the nuclear Nimitz aircraft carriers require an expensive, lengthy mid-life overhaul to replace their reactor cores after 15 to 25 years of service. The new Virginia attack subs have cores designed to last the life of the sub, 33 years, although none of them is that old yet. The Ohio Replacement reactor core is supposed to last an unprecedented four decades.
People and Programs To Watch in 2015: Mideast
(Defense News) The continued shifting of the political sands in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the Palestinian Authority, greater industrial development among the Arabian Gulf states and an Israel always preparing for the next possible conflict will help shape 2015's outlook in the Middle East.
VETERANS 2014: A banner year for post-9/11 vet employment
(Military Times) The past year may have been the best ever for employment of the latest generation of veterans, government data show.
Military tattoos evolve into tributes in South Jersey
(Courier Post) Andrew Einstein did what a lot of leathernecks do immediately after surviving Marine boot camp. He got a tattoo. It would not be the only one. After tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Mount Laurel resident got several other symbols of his military service, including one emblazoned on his left rib cage to memorialize the death of two fellow Marines.
PTSD, police altercations, and the case of Vietnam veteran and convicted killer Andrew Brannan
(Washington Post) The video has been watched more than 1 million times on YouTube alone. Vietnam veteran Andrew H. Brannan was stopped while driving nearly 100 mph on Jan. 12, 1998, on a deserted road in Georgia, and quickly lost his temper with Sheriff Deputy Kyle Dinkheller after the officer asked him to keep his hands out of his pockets.
Colorado funds study on marijuana for PTSD
(Military Times) The state of Colorado awarded a $2 million grant for research on the effectiveness of marijuana to treat post-traumatic stress, giving hope to backers of a federally approved study that the research will begin.
This pep talk from a blind U.S. veteran challenges you to consider how you live
(Washington Post) Michael Jernigan was south of Baghdad on Aug. 22, 2004, when a blast from an improvised explosive device threw him from his vehicle and left him with devastating injuries to his head, hand and knee. But just because he lost both eyes in the explosion, it doesn't mean he lost his vision, he says.
Plantation veteran to get Purple Heart 45 years after being wounded in Vietnam
(Sun-Sentinal) When Army Spc. Patrick Olive came home from the Vietnam war, he didn't want to talk about it. He didn't want to talk about the buddies he had lost, the carnage he had seen or even the battlefield heroics that earned him two commendation medals for valor. He certainly did not want to talk about the ammunition dump explosion that nearly took his life.
WWII veteran, 91, has become the face of VA volunteering
(The Daytona Beach News-Journal/AP) Orville Swett heads into the small office he shares with two other men and goes to work at a corner desk repairing a pair of eyeglass frames.
Photographing history: Vet looks back at 100 years of Naval photography
(LaGrange Daily News) When LaGrange resident Jane Dorman served in the military during the Vietnam War, she shot a lot of people - but never with a gun. Instead, her weapon in the war was a camera.
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT Low Oil Prices Could Save DoD $2 Billion
(Defense News) If oil prices stay at their current $50-per-barrel range for the rest of the fiscal year, the Pentagon could save as much as $2 billion on fuel, the military's chief financial officer said on Friday.
Holder: Decision on Petraeus to come from 'highest level'
(Associated Press) Attorney General Eric Holder isn't saying whether he still will be on the job when the time comes to decide whether to bring charges in the investigation of former CIA Director David Petraeus. Holder, in several television news interviews on Sunday, steered clear of commenting directly on the investigation.
Obama to Announce Cybersecurity Plans in State of the Union Preview
(New York Times) President Obama will announce new initiatives next week designed to bolster online security and improve access to cyberspace, White House officials said Saturday.
Analysis: In the End, LCS Dodges the Critics
(Defense News) The past year was one of great anticipation in naval circles as the US Navy considered how to up-gun, lethalize, improve, expound or expand on its littoral combat ship concept. Not that the service wanted to do it - the effort was directed by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, reacting to critics who derided the LCS as an under-armed, short-legged, non-survivable, overpriced folly.
ARMY West Point valedictorian wants to join the infantry
(Army Times) A West Point valedictorian who received her diploma in May from President Obama. A Rhodes Scholar who studies at Oxford and trains with the university's rowing team. The first American woman to graduate from French Commando School.
750 officer promotions scheduled for February
(Army Times) The Army plans 744 promotions to the ranks of chief warrant officer through colonel in February, including 42 Army Competitive Category advancements to colonel, 102 to lieutenant colonel, 120 to major, 161 to captain, six to CW5, 29 to CW4 and 68 to CW3.
SMA defends 1SGT's actions that earned her an ARCOM
(Army Times) The Army's top enlisted soldier has stepped up to defend the actions of a senior NCO who reported unprofessional soldier behavior online - and then later received an Army Commendation Medal for her actions.
Army, Hawaii leaders make case against military downsizing in state
(Stars & Stripes) The Army is too important to Hawaii and Hawaii too vital to the Army to tolerate "worst-case" scenario troop cuts in the state, possible under sequestration in 2016.
BCT deactivates as Army draws down
(Army Times) The 3rd Infantry Division's 2nd Brigade Combat Team will be deactivated during a ceremony Thursday at Fort Stewart, Georgia.
Soldier's response saves lives in Felts Mills home destroyed by blaze
(Watertown Daily Times) It was a three-minute adrenaline rush he'll never forget. That was the window of time Sgt. Anders N. Olafson of Fort Drum said he had to ensure eight other people got safely out of a two-story apartment house that caught fire about 1:50 a.m. Thursday before it was engulfed in flames.
Army smart grenades can sense walls
(Army Times) The enemy can try and run from Army grenade launchers, but soon it will be a lot tougher to hide.
Fort Hood IDs soldier who died from gunshot wound
(Killeen Daily Herald ) Officials Saturday released the name of a soldier who died Thursday from an apparent gunshot wound in Killeen.
New assignments announced for two- and one-star generals
(Army Times) Several general officers will be moving on to new assignments, the Army announced Friday.
NAVY Bradley Cooper on portraying famed Navy SEAL Chris Kyle
(Navy Times) In 2012, actor Bradley Cooper called up former Chief Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) Chris Kyle to discuss the movie he was developing based on Kyle's memoir, "American Sniper."
Final frigate patrol starts after a snag
(Navy Times) Originally slated for a Jan. 7 departure, the frigate Kauffman was first delayed a day by wintry weather - not uncommon in the Atlantic at this time of year. But then it was delayed another day in a more fitting way - equipment failure.
Destroyer James E. Williams returns home after 8-month cruise
(Navy Times) A destroyer once crippled by an out-of-control goat locker and a weak command triad (fired in the wake of a shipboard suicide) completed its mission and returned home Saturday.
SEAL who killed bin Laden speaks at NC school in fundraiser
(The High Point Enterprise) On Friday, O'Neill visited High Point University to speak about his background in the Navy and his combat missions.
New AIRLANT boss takes charge
(Navy Times) Rear Adm. John Haley knew there were many challenges awaiting him when he assumed command of Naval Air Force Atlantic on Thursday morning aboard the carrier George H.W. Bush.
SURFOR: Making headway on manning, morale shortfalls
(Navy Times) As the surface Navy enters 2015, its leader says they are gaining momentum on persistent issues bedeviling the fleet - manning gaps at sea, unforeseen maintenance problems, long deployments.
Small Combatant Effort Cranks Up
(Defense News) The US Navy ended nearly a year of speculation on Dec. 11 about what form the new small surface combatant would take with the announcement that it would move ahead with variants of both littoral combat ship designs.
Nuclear Navy father honored
(Navy Times) The next Virginia-class attack submarine is to be named for the father of the nuclear Navy, who six decades ago oversaw the integration of nuclear reactors into the submarine force.
AIR FORCE Air Force staff sgt. stands trial Monday on murder charge
(Air Force Times) A court-martial is set to begin Monday at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, in the case of an Air Force staff sergeant accused of killing his American Forces Network Europe co-worker in December 2013.
Report: C-123 fliers exposed to Agent Orange
(Air Force Times) Air Force Reserve members who flew C-123 aircraft after they were used for spraying Agent Orange in Vietnam were exposed to the toxic herbicide and may be at risk for developing related diseases, according to a federal study released Friday.
2 Tuskegee Airmen die in Los Angeles at 91 on the same day
(Associated Press) Two members of the Tuskegee Airmen - the famed all-black squadron that flew in World War II - died on the same day. The men, lifelong friends who enlisted together, were 91.
Data shows drop in U.S. nuclear arsenal, growth in Russia's
(Air Force Times) The numbers of U.S. nuclear missiles, and deployed bombers, have continued to drop while Russia's have climbed, according to a new U.S. State Department report on strategic weapons.
Using Wingman Toolkit as a fitness tool
(Air Force Times) The Air Force health chief wants airmen in the 'fit to fight' spirit. One tool he is promoting to help airmen get there is the Wingman Toolkit app and website.
Contractors hope to fix Air Force Academy's leaning tower
(Associated Press) A 46-ton, 105-foot-tall steel and glass tower pointing toward the North Star being built at the Air Force Academy so students can study character and honor is out of alignment and contractors are trying to figure out how to fix it.
Air Force woman, husband win contest to get in vitro treatment
(Macon Telegraph) Thousands of "likes" on a Facebook page may end up bringing a new person into the world. At least that's the hope of Warner Robins native Kristina Haslett-Morin. She and her husband, James Morin, recently were named winners of a contest for a free in vitro fertilization treatment.
An early love of flying; C-17 pilot got his start in hot air balloons
(Air Force Times) Maj. Kenny Weiner remembers his first balloon ride in sharp detail: The wicker basket carrying him and his grandfather lifted so quickly off the ground he screamed to his mother he wanted out.
MARINE CORPS Report: U.S. seeks permanent deal to base troops in Spain
(Marine Corps Times) The Defense Department is seeking an agreement that would allow Marines with Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis Response-Africa to be permanently stationed in Morón, Spain, according to a report from the Spanish newspaper El Pais.
CMC's survey reveals room for improvement at Marine units
(Marine Corps Times) Marines across the Corps strongly feel that trust and internal cohesion is a problem within units and that money and supplies are not well managed, according to new data pulled from a service-wide commandant of the Marine Corps command climate survey.
Mother picks up the pieces after the suicide of her Marine son
(Washington Post) It has been two years since Marine veteran Janos "John" Lutz committed suicide, wracked with the memories and guilt he came home with following a deployment to Afghanistan. An enlisted infantryman, he had been involved in the largest helicopter offensive that the Marine Corps had launched since the Vietnam War, taking back territory from the Taliban. And he lost his best friend in that mission.
Terminal Lance' turns five years old
(Marine Corps Times) Five years after launching "Terminal Lance," a regular cartoon strip lampooning and grousing about enlisted life, creator Maximilian Uriarte might - just might - recall his time in the Marine Corps a bit misty-eyed.
A Marine Corps wife is writing again - this time about divorce and the single mom
(Bellingham Herald) After Shavonne Brewer Matulevich wrote a personal account of her life as a military wife in 2004, the Steilacoom High School alumna had other plans.
Pelosi taps Marine vet for Armed Services panel
(The Hill ) House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) is recommending eight fellow Democrats to join the powerful House Armed Services Committee.
Cyber Marines get tactical during Bold Alligator
(Marine Corps Times) Developers with the Office of Naval Research are pushing cyber warfare training further than ever by incorporating it into tactical crisis response scenarios, including those at Exercise Bold Alligator 14.
AFGHANISTAN/PAKISTAN Watchdog: Afghanistan unable to properly track, pay police
(Washington Post) Afghanistan is unable to adequately track personnel and pay within its police force despite more than 13 years and billions of dollars of outside assistance, a U.S. watchdog said Monday, highlighting concerns about security forces as the United States and other Western nations withdraw.
Pakistani school reopens after Taliban massacre of students
(Associated Press) Pakistani children returned on Monday to the school where Taliban gunmen killed 150 of their classmates and teachers last month, clutching their parents' hands tightly in a poignant symbol of perseverance despite the horrors they had endured.
New Courts Offer Pakistan's Generals the Power They Used to Seize
(New York Times) After Taliban gunmen massacred dozens of schoolchildren in Peshawar last month, Pakistan's two most powerful men convened an emergency meeting at army headquarters. Their body language, captured in a government-released photo, was revealing: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif looked glum and ill at ease, while the man beside him, Gen. Raheel Sharif, the army chief, lectured confidently.
US to help Pakistan overcome terror challenge: Pentagon
(The Nation) Military cooperation between US and Pakistan continues to improve and Washington will continue to support the South Asian country in dealing with the shared threat of terrorism.
MIDDLE EAST After Paris attacks, Israel vows to welcome European Jews seeking to immigrate
(Washington Post) Israeli leaders said Sunday that they would welcome with open arms French Jews who fear for their safety in the wake of attacks by Islamist extremists against the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo and shoppers at a kosher supermarket in Paris last week.
Egyptian Authorities Release a Morsi Adviser
(New York Times) Egyptian authorities on Sunday released, for the first time, one of the advisers to ousted President Mohamed Morsi who were detained with him at the time of the military takeover on July 3, 2013.
Israeli Officers Warn Against Punishing Palestine Authority
(Defense News) Israeli military officers and experts are warning against funding freezes and other punitive acts against the Palestine Authority (PA) that they insist will jeopardize security coordination with Ramallah.
EUROPE Russia Overhauls Military Doctrine
(Defense News) Russia's new military doctrine calls for a more aggressive stance toward NATO, boosting presence in the Arctic and strengthening cooperation with India and China.
East Ukraine summit looks unlikely to happen as violence spikes in region
(The Guardian) A planned meeting between the leaders of France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine aimed at finally putting an end to the war in east Ukraine appeared uncertain on Sunday, as violence in the region spiked. A spokesman for German chancellor, Angela Merkel, said she was not ready to travel to Kazakhstan for a planned summit on Thursday and would not go unless she saw evidence of real commitment from Russia to implement an earlier ceasefire plan.
UK Bolsters Falkland Defenses to Counter Argentine Air Ambitions
(Defense News) British military capability planners are eyeing a major improvement to ground-based air defenses in the Falkland Islands amid continuing signs that Argentina is looking to update its Air Force with modern strike aircraft.
In Turkey, Afghan migrant gives new arrivals a reality check
(Los Angeles Times) In a decade of bouncing from Pakistan to Iran to Turkey, Sohrab Barati, 26, has come to know just about every possible fate likely to befall Afghan migrants as they inch toward Western Europe.
ASIA-PACIFIC South Korean Leader Urges North to 'Stop Hesitating' on Talks
(New York Times) South Korea - President Park Geun-hye urged North Korea on Monday to come to the negotiating table to discuss projects of reconciliation on the divided Korean Peninsula, like reunions of families separated during the Korean War.
Japan wrestles with wartime legacy as it starts selling weapons
(Washington Post) Seventy years after the end of World War II, talk about any kind of military expansion remains highly sensitive here in Japan. Just consider the position of Akifumi Arai, president of the Tamagawa Trading Company, a relatively small Nagano-based business that supplies sensors and gyroscopes used to guide torpedoes and missiles for Japan's self-defense forces.
North Korea to U.S.: We'll stop nuke tests if you stop military drills
(Associated Press) North Korea has told the United States that it is willing to impose a temporary moratorium on its nuclear tests if Washington scraps planned military drills with South Korea this year, the North's official news agency said Saturday.
AFRICA In Nigeria, New Boko Haram Suicide Bomber Tactic: 'It's a Little Girl'
(New York Times) A girl perhaps no more than 10 years old detonated powerful explosives concealed under her veil at a crowded northern Nigeria market on Saturday, killing as many as 20 people and wounding many more.
LRA's Dominic Ongwen 'capture': Seleka rebels want $5m reward
(BBC) Seleka rebels in the Central Africa Republic (CAR) say they should get a reward for capturing a Ugandan militia leader wanted for war crimes.
COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS Could the Paris Attack Change Europe's Approach to Radical Islam?
(The Atlantic ) The Charlie Hebdo atrocity has ended in more terror and more blood. Even before the killers and hostage-takers met their end, voices were raised to warn against the danger of an anti-Muslim "backlash." Lately, these warnings have been issued even before the completion of the terror attack that might supposedly provoke such a backlash.
Column: McCain's Allies
(Defense News) One can say a lot about Sen. John McCain. Many have. The Senate's "maverick" has that effect on folks.
Translation of Paris Terrorist Video Claiming He Acted on Behalf of Islamic State
(War On The Rocks) Amedy Coulibaly, who killed four people before he was killed by French police in the siege at a kosher market, appears in a new video released on a forum associated with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). The video and an English translation are below.
Why the Pentagon and the Defense Industry Need to Engage Silicon Valley
(Tim Wickham and August Cole in National Defense) Red tape, secrecy and politics. These are not things that innovative technology firms want to be known for in Silicon Valley. These are some of the defense sector's many burdens as it works to develop a strategic and military advantage for America that can withstand the 21st Century's breakneck pace of technological change. The Defense Department spends hundreds of billions of dollars annually on weapons systems that are the envy of the world's militaries, yet still finds itself falling behind the curve.
Why the US Needs More Than Just $59 Billion for Cyber Defense
(Nextgov) Despite paying $59 billion for data protections since fiscal 2010, the federal government couldn't stave off hacks against the White House, State Department, Army and dozens of other agencies.
Quelle Surprise?
(Aaron David Miller in Foreign Policy) Maybe it's the sheer brutality and savagery of the crime. Or perhaps it's the breathlessness of our 24/7 nonstop shock-and-awe media that elevates everything to the same level of sensational, galactic importance and then covers it relentlessly and obsessively. Maybe it's because, despite all our worry about jihadi terrorism, there hasn't been a successful major terrorist attack directed from abroad against Europe in 10 years - and against America in almost 15.
Why Being A Millennial Vet Gives You A Competitive Advantage In The Workforce
(Task & Purpose) Being part of the millennial generation and having served in the military should be seen as a distinct competitive advantage in the civilian world.
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