| February 2, 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. Obama’s budget strategy seeks to skirt spending caps
(Politico) President Barack Obama’s $4 trillion budget — to be released Monday morning — is best understood as the opening bid in a long hostage negotiation.
2. U.S., allies plan tough battle to retake Iraqi city from Islamic State
(Los Angeles Times) Working from this sun-scorched desert base, U.S. and allied commanders are beginning perhaps the most perilous phase of their fight against Islamic State: an attempt to recapture Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city, from the entrenched militant forces.
3. US Budget Request Will Change Drastically, Experts Say
(Defense News) bid in a long hostage negotiation.
4. U.S. Considers Supplying Arms to Ukraine Forces, Officials Say
(New York Times) With Russian-backed separatists pressing their attacks in Ukraine, NATO's military commander, Gen. Philip M. Breedlove, now supports providing defensive weapons and equipment to Kiev's beleaguered forces, and an array of administration and military officials appear to be edging toward that position, American officials said Sunday.
5. A dying breed': The last cruise of the frigates
(Navy Times) It is the last hurrah for the Oliver Hazard Perry-class ships, all of which will be gone when the Kauffman is decommissioned on Sept. 21.
DEFENSE NEWS WITH VAGO MURDIAN Military Comensation Commission Report
(Defense News) A roundtable of experts discuss the recommendations of the panel tasked with overhauling the military retirement system.
The Evolution of JMTC
(Defense News) Brig. Gen. Christopher Cavoli, commander of Joint Multinational Training Command, discusses the organization's new focus.
US Submarine Force
(Defense News) Bryan Clark, Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, says America's submarine advantage over other nations is in jeopardy.
Vago's Notebook: Challenges for Next SecDef
(Defense News) The defense budget will be a battle for Ash Carter, who is expected to be confirmed by the Senate.
CONGRESS CNO: Fleet to be spared from massive budget cuts
(Navy Times) Congress and the public care a lot about the size of the fleet, and the threat of how it would shrink became one of the Navy's foremost arguments against massive across-the-board budget cuts two years ago.
Lawmaker, an A-10 vet, aims to protect Warthog
(Air Force Times) One of the newest lawmakers on Capitol Hill is a former A-10 driver, and she is wasting no time protecting her former aircraft.
Sources: U-2 in USAF Budget Request, A-10 At Risk
(Defense News) The US Air Force will include both the U-2 spy plane and Global Hawk unmanned system in their FY16 budget request, but will once again ask to retire the A-10 Warthog, sources tell Defense News.
Freshman Sen. Cotton Comes Out Swinging
(Defense News) A freshman US senator is wasting no time letting his new colleagues know he plans to be aggressive on national security and foreign policy matters.
2016 Watch: Graham Signals Bid Would Focus on Defense
(Defense News) A Senate Armed Services Committee member - and defense-sector ally - exploring a White House bid is making clear his race would include a major focus on national security.
Defense secretary pick Carter primed for confirmation
(USA Today) For Ashton Carter, President Obama's nominee to lead the Pentagon, winning Senate confirmation may be the least of his worries.
Budget 2016: Defense Faces Stiff Political Headwinds
(National Defense) The White House is unveiling a funding plan for the Pentagon that kicks off another round of fiscal battles that have become a hallmark of President Obama's administration.
What insiders expect from Ash Carter's hearing
(Politico) A candidate for Senate confirmation can have many advantages - familiarity with Congress, issue expertise and long service in the public arena - but that doesn't mean Ash Carter's confirmation hearing will be a walk in the park.
INDUSTRY Limited Impact for Boeing in Air Force One Win
(Defense News) The US Air Force selected Boeing to provide the next-generation Air Force One on a sole-source selection, a move that had been widely expected but is still welcome for the aerospace company. CAE Acquires Expertise With Bombardier Buy
(Defense News) CAE's purchase of Bombardier's military flying training unit will help the company in its push to bring in new international business, particularly in the Middle East, Southeast Asia and South America, a senior CAE official said.
Kendall Unveils 6th Gen Fighter Strategy
(Defense News) Pentagon acquisition chief Frank Kendall unveiled part of his strategy for procuring a next-generation fighter for the Air Force and Navy in congressional testimony last week.
Turkey's Defense Exports Up 17.7% in 2014
(Defense News) Turkey's defense and aerospace exports rose by 17.7 percent to $1.648 billion in 2014 from $1.4 billion the year before, an umbrella organization for Turkish manufacturers announced.
DRS Sale Part of Finmeccanica's 'Turnaround'
(Defense News) Italy's Finmeccanica is seeking a partner to help run its US-based electronics unit DRS, and also plans to sell off activity at DRS worth €200 million (US $225 million) in revenue in a bid to push the firm back to profitability.
Eurojet May Find Role in Turk Fighter
(Defense News) European engine-maker Eurojet Turbo may find a role in powering what would become Turkey's first indigenous fighter jet, industry sources and analysts said.
Damen Deal a Sign of Saab's Sub Ambitions
(Defense News) Saab wants to become a significant global player in submarine production, and those ambitions were underlined by an industrial teaming agreement between the group and Damen Shipyard Group (DSG).
Northrop Grumman Will Tease Top-Secret Stealth Bomber With a Super Bowl Ad
(AdWeek) You can advertise a lot of things on the Super Bowl, from a bag of Doritos to ... a next-generation bomber that will cost half a billion dollars per aircraft to build.
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT Troops give early OK to proposed health care changes
(Military Times) Active-duty members surveyed by the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission overwhelmingly support the panel's proposal to change the military health care insurance system for their families.
Commission: Improve child care access
(Military Times) In what will come as no surprise to military families, the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission offers wide praise for the quality of military child care, but says there simply isn't enough of it.
Obama: Hagel is 'a true American patriot'
(Military Times) President Obama praised outgoing Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Wednesday as "a true American patriot" and "a man from the heartland who devoted his life to America."
Report: Scrap low-income allowance, use food stamps
(Military Times) Defense officials should scrap an allowance for troops in the U.S. designed to keep lower-income military families off the government's food stamp program - because food stamps may be a more effective way to help them, according to the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission.
Pentagon looks to streamline security requirements for the cloud
(Federal Times) As Defense Department officials accelerate the Pentagon's adoption of commercial cloud services, they're taking a more critical look at the security and the relationships that underpin the move.
ARMY Army announces new assignments for one- and two-stars
(Army Times) Several two- and one-star generals will be moving on to new assignments, the Army announced Friday.
SMA Chandler to retire, reflects on his tenure
(Army Times) As he prepares to hang up his uniform after 34 years of service, Sergeant Major of the Army Raymond Chandler says he's not done looking out for soldiers.
Marine, others seek apology for 'racist' Army headline
(Army Times) Army officials have altered the headline of a recent news release to remove a term deemed offensive by some readers, including an active-duty Marine public affairs adviser, and have deleted a tweet that directed readers to the story using the same language.
Interview: New SMA outlines top priorities
(Army Times) All Sergeant Major of the Army Dan Dailey ever wanted to be was a soldier.
New Apache confounded the enemy in combat, commander says
(Army Times) Lt. Col. John Davis said the enemy in Afghanistan had gotten used to the Apache AH-64D. The enemy knew roughly how long the Apache would take to get there, how long it could engage, when it would have to leave for fuel and when it might come back.
Lawyers seek to exonerate ex-Army officer who ordered soliders to shoot Afghan men
(Washington Post) Every morning, Clint Lorance wakes up in his Army-issued prison cell at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., and looks at a photo of two dead Afghan men.
NAVY NCIS probes alleged illegal video incident on carrier John C. Stennis
(Navy Times) The Navy and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service have launched a formal investigation into an alleged attempt to make illegal videos onboard the Bremerton, Washington-based aircraft carrier John C. Stennis.
Missile defense ships face arms race, high op tempo
(Navy Times) There may be rough seas ahead for the Navy's ballistic missile defense force.
Lawyer: Lax rules preceded submarine shower videos
(Navy Times) A dozen male sailors are waiting to see whether they'll be charged for recording, distributing or not reporting videos of their female shipmates in a submarine's shower changing area for over a year. And one suspect's attorney is building a defense based, at least in part, on the contention that personal electronics rules aboard a sub are muddy and unevenly enforced.
Crews, past and present, bid farewell to frigate Elrod
(Navy Times) The fleet said goodbye to the frigate Elrod Friday after nearly 30 years in commission.
Ship selection: Surface warriors pick Rota, LCS
(Navy Times) The audience, packed into Mahan Hall, roared like Madison Square Garden on fight night as the Navy's next crop of surface warfare officers took fate into their own hands Thursday for the Naval Academy's storied ship selection night.
Official: Navy investigating pilot's campus fly-by
(Navy Times) Folks in the cafes and classrooms of Berkeley, California, were startled Tuesday afternoon by a rare sight and sound for the university town: a Navy fighter passing low overhead.
Bidding for New Oiler, Amphibs to be Bundled
(Navy Times) New US Navy shipbuilding programs to buy fleet oilers, a big-deck amphibious assault ship and a new class of amphibious dock ships are being tied together in a bid to increase competition and lower costs.
Retired F-14 Tomcat pilot gears up for year in space
(Navy Times) At the end of March, a retired naval aviator will embark on the longest mission ever assigned to a NASA astronaut: a year in space.
AIR FORCE Astronaut calls on Air Force experience in space
(Air Force Times) Before he was an astronaut, Air Force Col. Terry Virts spent more than a decade flying F-16s.
Chief to retire at lower grade after probe of 2006 conviction
(Air Force Times) A technical sergeant who ascended to the highest enlisted rank after a 2006 civilian conviction and jail sentence will retire later this year in the grade of senior master sergeant, the Air Force said late Friday.
US Air Force Launches Trio of Tech Studies
(Air Force Times) What is the future of technology for the US Air Force?
USAF Names F-35 Integration Office Head
(Air Force Times) The US Air Force has appointed Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Harrigian as the director of its expanded F-35 integration office, the service announced Friday.
Airman's Purple Heart reveals secret chapter of Vietnam War
(Air Force Times) It took almost exactly 45 years from the time he was wounded for former Air Force Staff Sgt. John C. Campbell to receive a Purple Heart for his actions on a secret mission during a quiet war.
Buying a New Air Force One Is Complicated
(DefenseOne) Think it's tough to buy a new car? Try buying a plane that has all the bells and whistles fit for a president, including some that might not have been invented yet.
MacDill could actually gain from military cutbacks
(Tampa Bay Online) To U.S. Rep. David Jolly, BRAC is not a four-letter word.
MARINE CORPS Marines reflect on the new SMMC as their drill instructor
(Marine Corps Times) Some have never forgotten the sound of Sgt. Maj. Ronald Green's voice since hearing it bellow from under the classic smokey cover as they made the transition from civilian to Marine.
Marine Corps merges units that operate in Africa
(Marine Corps Times) Two European-based units that operate in Africa have merged in an effort to streamline Marine Corps missions on the vast continent.
Marine CWO accused of shooting at pickup truck
(Marine Corps Times) A North Carolina-based chief warrant officer faces a slew of criminal charges after allegedly opening fire on the driver of a pickup truck with a handgun last year.
Marine Corps receives its first F-35C fighter jet
(Marine Corps Times) The Marine Corps received its first F-35C-Lightning II on Jan. 13, adding the carrier variant to its growing Joint Strike Fighter fleet, according to a Defense Department news release.
Marine Corps considers new unmanned tank, micro-drones
(Marine Corps Times) The next member of your squad might carry a M240B machine gun with 400 rounds, a few sensors, and still manage to stay on pace for hours, despite weighing more than 350 pounds.
The next SMMC: Sgt. Maj. Ronald Green's rise to the top
(Marine Corps Times) More than two years before Sgt. Maj. Ronald Green was interviewed by Commandant Gen. Joseph Dunford to become the Corps' next top enlisted leader, the two shared a drink from Devil Dog Fountain, a favorite pilgrimage site in France marking the site of the Marines' historic World War I rout of the German Army at Belleau Wood. Now Green and Dunford are again marking history as they prepare to lead the Marine Corps together.
Dunford's new plan for MEFs is move 'back to the future'
(Marine Corps Times) At the heart of Commandant Gen. Joseph Dunford's forward-looking strategy for the Corps is a plan that would give each of the three Marine expeditionary forces different, if overlapping, specialties.
Marine vet seeks government benefits for interpreters
(Marine Corps Times) Andrew Biggio leaned heavily on local interpreters during his time in Afghanistan - and now the Marine veteran wants to repay those who resettle in his home state of Massachusetts.
ISLAMIC STATE Video: Iran-backed militia brings M1 tank to fight IS
(Army Times) A video posted Tuesday to YouTube appears to show a militia group preparing for battle against the Islamic State with the help of an M1 Abrams tank, but how the fighters got the tank - and what good it will do them - remains unclear.
Pilot held by Islamic State puts Jordan's king in a tough spot
(Reuters) The fate of a Jordanian pilot held by Islamic State has raised public pressure on King Abdullah over his country's role in the U.S-led military campaign against the hardline group in Syria, fuelling the risk of broader discontent in the U.S. ally.
Jordan still ready for swap with Islamic State to free pilot
(Reuters) Jordan said on Sunday it was still ready to hand over a jailed Iraqi militant to Islamic State in a swap deal if a captured Jordanian pilot was released, even after a second Japanese hostage was beheaded by the hardline group.
The Islamic State beheadings are firing up Japan's hawks
(Global Post) A wave of national mourning has swept Japan after a gruesome video released over the weekend, apparently showed the Islamic State beheading celebrated journalist Kenji Goto.
EUROPE France Cuts Order for Tiger Helicopters
(Defense News) French authorities have agreed to cut 20 Tiger combat helicopters and retrofit to simplify the two-model fleet to the more capable attack version, Airbus Helicopter executive vice president Dominique Maudet said on Jan. 27.
Greece Warned Against Further Defense Cuts
(Defense News) Experts have warned Greece's new, radical left wing government not to make further cuts to the country's defense budget, claiming there is very little left to trim following years of biting economic downturn.
France Considers Leases for A400M, Frigates
(Defense News) Discussions are being held on acquiring the Airbus A400M transport aircraft and a multimission frigate using a prospective leasing company, known as a special purpose vehicle, Army Gen. Pierre de Villiers, chief of the Defense Staff, told journalists Friday.
Russia selects new assault rifles
(IHS Jane's 360) The Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) has selected two assault rifles manufactured by Kalashnikov Concern as its new standard issue firearms for the Russian Ratnik soldier modernisation programme.
ASIA-PACIFIC Navy Takes Lead in Taiwan Military Reshuffle
(Defense News) Taiwan's military has undergone a major reshuffle among its top brass with naval officials rising to top positions - which could bode well for the service in future budgets.
AFRICA Nigeria: Elections in Time of Boko Haram Violence, Displacement and Religious Tensions
(International Business Times) As Nigeria prepares to go to the polls to elect its new president on 14 February, in what is seen as the first election contested by two rival parties, millions of Nigerians may not be able to cast their votes after all.
Lessons of the Lord's Resistance
(Project Syndicate ) The danger that Boko Haram poses cannot be overestimated. In fact, the group increasingly resembles the Lord's Resistance Army, which wreaked havoc in northern Uganda and South Sudan for decades.
COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS Commentary: A salute for Afghanistan retrograde efforts
(Army Times) Gen. Dennis Via writes a special thank you to the logisticians who have worked hard in Afghanistan.
Animated short seeks to capture complexity of war
(Marine Corps Times) For a second or two, there is only sand and silence - a stillness broken by the steady thump of rotor blades and the zip of troops hurtling through dust-filled air toward the ground.
Commentary: Drone Threat to Nuclear Plants
(Defense News) Europe's media is all abuzz over drones and the prospect of nuclear terrorism. In several recently reported incidents, commercially purchased "hobby" drones have been identified above and near the perimeter of nuclear facilities in France, Belgium and the UK. To date, these incidents remain unclaimed, leaving authorities bewildered.
Column: Salute. Empathize. Repeat.
(Defense News) Congressional Republicans and Democrats empathize with military leaders who must deal with sequestration.
How the Pentagon Bombs Budget Estimates to $mithereens
(Time) So let's take a look at a single line item-the Air Force's new bomber, for which the service is expected to seek about $1.5 billion next year-for insight into why Pentagon numbers don't always add up.
Relax, US-China Military Exchanges Are Fine
(The Diplomat) The primary contention in the WSJ report, that new military exchanges have been "paused," appears to be untrue based on reactions from both governments.
Jason Hall: Why I Wrote 'American Sniper'
(Rolling Stone) There's an incredible pressure that comes with writing a movie about any real-life person's story. Now imagine your subject is Chris Kyle, the most deadly sniper in United States military history.
American Soldiers on 'American Sniper'
(Small Wars Journal) Contrary to what the Internet would have you believe there are ways of thinking about Chris Kyle other than war criminal or hero.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT JMR-FVL: Army Casts Dice for Future Helicopters
(Defense Industry Daily) The JMR-TD program is the science and technology precursor to the Department of Defense's estimated $100 billion Future Vertical Lift program, which is expected to replace between 2,000-4,000 medium class UH-60 utility and AH-64 attack helicopters after 2030.
ISIS Beheads Japanese Hostage Kenji Goto
(Daily Beast) The so-called Islamic State has released a video showing a black-clad executioner and what is believed to be the decapitated body of Japanese journalist Kenji Goto.
Why is more data on Afghanistan war being classified, former US commanders ask
(Christian Science Monitor) Former military commanders are concerned the move will prevent Americans interested in tracking the conflict's progress from accessing information that has been readily available. The US command in Afghanistan has cited security reasons.
"The Third U.S. Offset Strategy and its Implications for Partners and Allies"
(Small Wars Journal) As Delivered by Deputy Secretary of Defense Bob Work, NATO Supreme Allied Commander for Transformation General Jean-Paul Palomeros, and Center for a New American Security CEO Michele Flournoy, Center for a New American Security, Washington, D.C., Wednesday, January 28, 2015
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