| January 29, 2015 |
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. New Budget Will Feature 6th Gen Fighter
(Defense News) More pieces of next Monday's fiscal 2016 defense budget request are beginning to fall into place.
2. Again, Pentagon leaders lament sequestration cuts
(Military Times) Military leaders have already repeatedly warned Congress that looming spending cuts could jeopardize weapons buying, force readiness, battlefield capabilities and worldwide military dominance.
3. U.S. Suddenly Goes Quiet on Effort to Bolster Afghan Forces
(New York Times) The American-led coalition regularly shared details on how the money was being put to use, but as of this month the information is now considered classified.
4. Pentagon Pauses New Exchanges With China
(Wall Street Journal) The Pentagon put on hold an effort to expand defense ties with China, saying it wouldn't agree to a major new military exchange until the two countries can agree on rules for airborne encounters between their warplanes.
5. U.S. Air Force awards $383 million launch deal to Boeing, Lockheed venture
(Reuters) The U.S. Air Force on Wednesday awarded a $383 million contract for more launch services to United Launch Alliance, a joint venture of Boeing Co (BA.N) and Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N), bringing the total value of the contract to $4.08 billion.
CONGRESS Senate Readies Iran Sanctions if Nuke Talks Fail
(Defense News) A new Iran sanctions bill would require congressional review of any deal with Tehran, while hitting the Islamic republic with stiffer economic penalties should talks fail.
Intel Dem Unveils 1st House Islamic State AUMF
(Defense News) The US House Intelligence Committee's top Democrat has introduced a measure that would give a legal foundation to ongoing military operations against the Islamic State.
Military Chiefs Warn Anew About Sequester Cuts
(Defense News) Lawmakers and the top US military officers on Wednesday warned of dire consequences if the Defense Department is hit by additional automatic cuts.
Shaheen reintroduces veterans benefits bill
(Associated Press) U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen has reintroduced legislation to extend veterans benefits to same-sex couples and their families regardless of where they live.
Spy panel shakeup will add focus on cyber, CIA
(The Hill) The House Intelligence Committee is shaking up its structure to put a new focus on cybersecurity and the CIA, among other areas.
Lawmakers Seek Tighter Restrictions on VA Executives' Bonus Pay
(GovExec) The number of senior executives at the Veteran Affairs Department eligible for bonuses would be capped, and all the VA's top career leaders would have to switch jobs within the department at least once every five years under new legislation introduced in the House.
Lawmakers, administration clash on DHS funding bill
(Federal Times) Lawmakers and the administration continue to butt heads on the details of a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security and avert an agency shutdown.
Dems push back against border militarization
(The Hill) House Democrats are pushing back against Republican plans to transfer military weapons to law enforcers fighting crime and migration on the southern border.
ACLU asks court to block 'extraordinary' spy doc shuffle
(The Hill) The American Civil Liberties Union wants a federal court to bar the White House from giving into a top senator's demand that it return a secret 6,900-page document to Congress.
Bridenstine named to House Armed Services Subcommittees
(Associated Press) Republican U.S. Rep. Jim Bridenstine has been named to serve on the House Armed Services Subcommittees on Strategic Forces and Seapower and Projection Forces.
INDUSTRY Northrop Grumman Cuts Ties With ALEC
(National Journal) The defense contractor's departure from the conservative group follows an exodus of tech companies late last year.
GE Details Sixth-Generation Adaptive Fighter Engine Plan
(Aviation Week) Adaptive engine tests pave way for sixth-generation fighters and possible F-35 retrofit
NH90 Customers Still Frustrated By Spares And Reliability Problems
(Aviation Week) With 250 helicopters in service and almost 70,000 flight hours achieved fleet-wide, it would seem that global NH90 operations would finally be gaining traction.
VETERANS Senate to vote Monday on veterans suicide prevention bill
(The Hill) The Senate will vote Monday on a bill to help prevent suicides among military veterans, Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) said Wednesday.
House panel seeks answers on VA health spending
(Military Times) A lack of transparency at the Veterans Affairs Department hinders efforts by the government - and Congress - to understand how the health services provided by VA compare to the private sector on quality and cost, federal budget experts say.
VA settles suit, agrees to fight vet homelessness in LA
(Associated Press) The federal government is settling a lawsuit that claimed it ignored the problem of homeless vets in greater Los Angeles.
Fountain man to pay $130k for taking disability money from Veterans Affairs
(Colorado Springs Gazette) A Fountain man who pleaded guilty to defrauding the Department of Veterans Affairs was sentenced Tuesday to federal prison and ordered to repay the government.
WWII history hidden in film cans brought to light by Idaho man
(Stars & Stripes) Last fall, a camera dealer in Ohio contacted Levi Bettweiser to tell him he had come across 31 rolls of undeveloped black-and-white film at an auction. The dealer wondered whether Bettweiser was interested in them.
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT Outgoing Pentagon chief Chuck Hagel to troops: Safeguard our reputation
(Washington Post) Outgoing Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Wednesday during a farewell tribute held in his honor that he is most proud of his time as an enlisted soldier, urging U.S. troops to safeguard the military's reputation as "the most admired and trusted institution in our country."
Obama praises Hagel as "true American patriot"
(Associated Press) Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and top military brass praised Hagel at a farewell ceremony at Joint Base Fort Myer-Henderson Hall.
DoD launches child care portal
(Military Times) Military families can search for military child care availability and sign up for waiting lists online through a new Defense Department program that's gradually being rolled out worldwide.
The Pentagon's new fiscal cliff
(Politico) The administration and the new Republican-controlled Congress are creating another budgetary cliff on defense spending, forcing the military to face across-the-board cuts if Pentagon spending busts the caps that are already law.
Joint Chiefs Warn Against Sequestration, Again
(DefenseOne) The U.S. military's top officers testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Wednesday that the mandatory spending caps known as sequestration are threatening national security - although Congress is unlikely to do anything about it.
Robot sub navigation system completes first voyage
(C4ISR & Networks) A prototype autonomous navigation system for robot subs has completed its first self-guided voyage.
Global Cyber Defense Demand Will Exceed Capability for Years To Come
(Quartz) While the spate of recent cyber attacks against Finland, Germany,Ukraine, and U.S. Central Command has governments worrying about how to combat cyberwarfare, Singapore just took a rare radical step towards doing so.
Pentagon: Jordan ISIS swap not the same as Bergdahl
(The Hill) Jordan's planned prisoner exchange with the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) for a captured Jordanian pilot is raising uncomfortable questions for the Obama administration over its own hostage policy.
Military Compensation Reform Commission Prompts a Divisive Debate
(DefenseOne) Overhauling the U.S. military's compensation system is a little like reforming the U.S. tax code: most agree it has to be done, but there's neither agreement over how to do it nor a profusion of political will to get it done.
Gitmo officer: Limits on female guards put mission at risk
(Associated Press) The commander of a top-secret Guantanamo prison housing unit testified Wednesday that two court orders barring female guards from jobs requiring physical contact with certain Muslim detainees could jeopardize the safety of his operation by limiting his staffing options.
Military has wide discretion on Bergdahl charges
(Associated Press) Army and Pentagon officials said Tuesday there has been no decision on what, if any, criminal charges will be filed against Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the soldier who left his post in Afghanistan and was held by the Taliban for five years before being released in a prisoner exchange.
ARMY Allyn: Sequestration creates an 'unacceptable risk' to soldiers
(Army Times) The Army will bear "unacceptable risk" if it's called to respond to new threats while struggling with budget cuts brought on by the return of sequestration, the service's No. 2 officer said Wednesday.
MUM-T Is The Word For AH-64E: Helos Fly, Use Drones
(Breaking Defense) The drone revolution, it appears, came along just in time for the Army.
Army Corps releases coastal flood risk management framework
(Associated Press) The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Wednesday issued a report saying that managing the flooding risk along the North Atlantic coast from events like Superstorm Sandy is something that has to be done collaboratively by all levels of government and the private sector.
Anchorage amps up efforts to battle potential troop reductions
(Stars & Stripes) A group of Anchorage community and business leaders joined together Tuesday under one mission: to keep troops and personnel at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson and in Alaska.
Veteran Harold L. Eatman to receive the French Legion of Honor award next week
(Fayetteville Observer) Harold L. Eatman was settled with his family in North Carolina when he'd received the news about Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.
Former Fort Carson soldier a humble Medal of Honor recipient
(Colorado Springs Gazette) Clint Romesha's Medal of Honor jingles with the keys and change in the front pocket of his blue jeans.
NAVY CNO warns budget cuts will hurt morale, readiness
(Navy Times) The Navy's top officer cautioned legislators Wednesday about falling retention among the Navy's most skilled and highly trained sailors, and he pointed the finger at budget cuts that are again looming.
MCPON: Fewer chiefs forced to retire is sign of progress
(Navy Times) The Navy will send 161 active, reserve and full-time support chief petty officers into retirement by the end of September.
Navy-wide drill planned
(Stars & Stripes) Security will be tested at Navy installations across the nation beginning Monday when the annual Solid Curtain-Citadel Shield exercise is conducted.
USS Green Bay sails to join USN amphibious group based in Japan
(IHS Jane's 360) In February 2014, the USN had announced that Green Bay would replace the Austin-class LPD USS Denver (LPD 9) as the latter prepares for decommissioning.
AIR FORCE Boeing Nabs Sole Source Prime On Next Air Force One
(Aviation Week) The U.S. Air Force has chosen Boeing as the sole-source provider and prime integrator for the multibillion dollar program to develop the next U.S. presidential transport, based on the company's 747-8.
USAF Vice Chief to Scientists: 'Help Us'
(Defense News) If the US Air Force is going to simultaneously keep ahead of the technology curve while fighting a war, it needs innovative thinking from all corners, the service's vice chief told scientific advisers on Tuesday.
USAF wants to dodge latest air defences with bomber's new secret weapon
(IHS Jane's 360) Maintaining the shroud of secrecy surrounding the US Air Force's (USAF's) new Long-Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B), the general in charge of the USAF's nuclear forces would only tell reporters that advances in air defence technology drove the development of the Long-Range Standoff (LRSO) cruise missile being designed to arm the US bomber fleet.
Air Force probing alleged "treason" remark by general
(Associated Press) The Air Force is investigating allegations that the No. 2 commander at its prestigious Air Combat Command told lower-ranking officers that talking to members of Congress about the capabilities of the A-10 attack aircraft is tantamount to treason.
Ramstein staff sgt. guilty of unpremeditated murder
(Air Force Times) A jury on Wednesday found an Air Force staff sergeant guilty of a lesser charge of murder with intent to kill in the December 2013 strangling death of his American Forces Network co-worker.
Strategic Cruise Missile Defined As USAF Seeks Minuteman Replacement
(Aviation Week) The Pentagon has finished a secret analysis of alternatives (AoA) for the Long Range Standoff (LRSO) project, a cruise missile to replace today's AGM-86 Air-Launched Cruise Missile, Global Strike Command leader Lt. Gen. Stephen Wilson said today, and its recommendations are being reviewed at top Pentagon levels.
MARINE CORPS Dunford: Budget cuts could lead to moldy barracks, tight dwell time
(Marine Corps Times) The commandant of the Marine Corps presented a Senate committee Tuesday morning with a grim picture: Marine barracks complexes with old lead pipes and puddles of raw sewage on the floor, and a disaffected generation of Marines looking for a way out.
Marines Receive First F-35C
(USNI News) The fighter is the first of five planned Marine F-35Cs that will be assigned to the VFA-101 squadron - the training group for the carrier variant JSFs at Eglin.
Cherokee veteran gets all-expense paid trip to Super Bowl
(Associated Press) U.S. Marine Corps veteran Dustin Butler of Tahlequah is among 10 veterans nationwide picked to attend Sunday's game in Phoenix.
COAST GUARD US Coast Guard rescues 2 Americans stranded on Bahamas cay
(Associated Press) The U.S. Coast Guard has rescued two American boaters stranded on a tiny uninhabited island in the Bahamas.
Military personnel continue clean-up operations
(The (New London) Day) Those working to clear snow at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy were still digging out on Wednesday.
MIDDLE EAST CRS Report to Congress on U.S.- Yemen Relations
(USNI News) Here is the Jan. 21, 2015 Congressional Research Service report "Yemen: Background and U.S. Relations."
Iraqi Shia militia spotted with Abrams tank
(IHS Jane's 360) In an apparent reflection of the growing power of Iraq's pro-Iranian militias, an M1A1 Abrams tank has been spotted in videos showing a large convoy of vehicles operated by Kataib Hizbullah.
Beyond front lines in Iraq, a forgotten force faces Islamic State
(McClatchy) Sheikh Mohammed jumped into his battered Toyota pickup and offered a visiting journalist his rusting Kalashnikov assault rifle for the three-mile ride to the front lines.
Bombing houses in Gaza violated international law, Israeli rights group charges
(McClatchy) In the most extensive report yet on Israel's policy of bombing homes during last summer's war in Gaza, the Israeli human rights group B'tselem said Wednesday that some of the attacks violated international law while others raised "grave concern" of such violations.
The Islamic State's Dragunov sniper rifles, in photos
(Washington Post) The Islamic State has released numerous photos of its snipers in training - and they appear to be using mostly old Russian-made Dragunov rifles that American troops have faced for years in Iraq and Afghanistan.
EUROPE Massive Rearmament Program Spared From 10 Percent Defense Cut
(Moscow Times) Russia will cut defense spending 10 percent this year but will not touch its massive rearmament program, which eats up more than 60 percent of the defense budget, Deputy Defense Minister Tatyana Shevtsova told news agency Interfax on Wednesday.
Kiev looks to import arms to counter Moscow's military support for separatists
(IHS Jane's 360) As fighting intensifies in Ukraine's eastern breakaway districts between government troops and Russian-backed rebel groups, Kiev is stepping up its effort to counter the rebels' flow of arms from Moscow by importing weapons of its own, according to Ukraine's ambassador to NATO.
Portugal approves military programming law
(IHS Jane's 360) Portugal approved its military programming law for the next 12 years on 22 January, although the plan to complete this in 2026 will be reviewed every four years. The Portuguese Ministry of National Defence is expected to spend EUR960 million (USD1.084 billion) in armament programmes up to 2018.
Second batch of U212As to enter German Navy service in 2015
(IHS Jane's 360) Germany's fifth U212A submarine, U35, will enter service at the end of March after the German Navy's chief of staff, Vice Admiral Andreas Krause, declared the service's readiness to receive it.
Estonia completes air surveillance programme
(IHS Jane's 360) Estonia completed the creation of its military air surveillance network on 27 January, with the formal handover of its final ThalesRaytheonSystems (TRS) GM400-family radar system to the Estonian Air Force.
Norwegian submarine poised for IDAS test
(IHS Jane's 360) The Royal Norwegian Navy (RNoN) is preparing to conduct its first test-firing of the IDAS (Interactive Defence and Attack System for Submarines) submarine-launched short-range precision missile system.
ASIA-PACIFIC India, US Advance Strategic Relations
(Defense News) India and the US will initiate co-production of low-end weapons in India as the two countries renewed their 10-year Defense Framework Agreement during a visit here by US President Barack Obama Sunday through Tuesday.
Japan's 'record' defence budget request
(The Strategist) Higher defence spending doesn't indicate Japan's 'remilitarisation' as has been alleged by some of its neighbours, most notably China.
As Obama visits India, Pakistan looks to Russia for military, economic assistance
(Washington Post) As the United States forges closer ties to India, neighboring Pakistan is looking for some new friends. Officials hope they have found one in Russia - a budding partnership that could eventually shift historic alliances in South Asia.
China plans rare military parade to mark end of WWII, highlight power
(Los Angeles Times) Since 1960, China has held just three military parades, and always on Oct. 1, when the country celebrates its National Day.
Brunei confirms Black Hawk transfer to Malaysia
(IHS Jane's 360) Brunei confirmed its intention to transfer its S-70As Black Hawks to Malaysia on 28 January.
Myanmar announces 2015 budget of USD2.5 billion
(IHS Jane's 360) Myanmar's Ministry of Defence (MoD) has proposed a 2015 defence budget of MMK2.61 trillion (USD2.5 billion), according to reports in the country on 28 January. The figure represents a year-on-year nominal increase of 10% and approximately 3.7% of national GDP.
THE AMERICAS Raul Castro: U.S. must return Guantanamo
(Associated Press) Cuba demands United States return the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay, lift the half-century trade embargo on Cuba and compensate his country for damages before the two nations re-establish normal relations.
Navantia increases presence in Latin America
(IHS Jane's 360) Spanish shipbuilder Navantia announced that it begun the process of establishing a wholly owned subsidiary in Brazil on 23 January.
'American Sniper' Fuels a War on the Home Front
(New York Times) As "American Sniper" continues to spawn think pieces, internecine celebrity squabbles and diatribes from hand-wringing lefties and chest-thumping righties, it's interesting to remember the naysaying about the film's prospects that swirled just last month.
COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS Inconvenient Truths in Afghanistan
(New York Times editorial board) The decision came after the military, late last year, classified a periodic report that the inspector general has used over the years as the primary source to assess the state of Afghan forces. The stated reason? It could give the enemy the upper hand.
The FAA should strike the right balance on drone regulation
(Washington Post editorial board) The right response is not overreaction but rather tightening rules and procedures in some ways - and loosening them in others.
What to Look for in the DoD Budget
(Paul Scharre in War on the Rocks) Here's what to look for when the budget drops to see whether DoD is adjusting resources to match its changing strategic needs.
The Myth of the Terrorist Safe Haven
(Micah Zenko and Amelia Mae Wolf in Foreign Policy) A pernicious and persistent theory that America's enemies flourish in foreign sanctuaries -- and that only military means can rout them -- has led us abroad in search of monsters to destroy.
Safe Havens Still Matter
(Cody Poplin in Lawfare) Micah Zenko and Amelia M. Wolf, who argue against the "myth" that safe havens allow terrorists a space in which to flourish, fundamentally misunderstand the national security threat emanating from terrorist safe havens around the globe.
The Corker Bill: Sensible Oversight on an Iran Deal
(Yishai Schwartz in Lawfare) In recent days, the White House has unleashed a full-court press seeking to block a skeptical Congress from passing further Iran sanctions.
Is Israel Becoming a Strategic Liability for the United States?
(Richard Klass in War on the Rocks) The unprecedented invitation by Speaker of the House John Boehner to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address a joint session of Congress on the issue of Iranian nuclear negotiations demonstrates a new level of chutzpa.
A Fresh Take on the Military Pay and Benefits Debate
(Miriam Krieger and Kevin Kenney in War on the Rocks) By expanding what is considered part of the compensation package, we can reframe the debate to satisfy both sides while updating military personnel policies to compete for talented millennials.
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