| February 3, 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. Budget gives troops minimal pay raise for 2016
(Military Times) The Pentagon's annual budget request unveiled Monday pencils in a 1.3 percent pay raise for service members next year, a nominal uptick that would fail to keep pace with the projected growth in civilian-sector wages.
2. U.S. Declassifies Some Information on Afghan Forces
(New York Times) The American military command in Afghanistan on Monday abruptly reversed its decision to classify details about the Afghan Army and police, information that it had said could pose a grave security risk if disclosed.
3. Private moments helped shape Obama's education about war
(Washington Post) Now that they were about to meet Obama, members of a unit used to working in the isolation of war's grim aftermath all had the same question: Of all the soldiers in Afghanistan, why had the president asked to see them?
4. Defense nominee Ash Carter would reconsider Afghan withdrawal plan
(Associated Press) The president's nominee to be the next Pentagon chief says he would consider changing the current plans for withdrawing all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by the end of next year if security conditions worsen.
5. DoD Request Blows By Budget Caps in '16
(Defense News) The Pentagon is asking Congress to fund it to the tune of $24.9 billion more in fiscal 2016 than was enacted in 2015 when the base and wartime budgets are combined, budget documents released Monday confirm.
2016 BUDGET PROPOSAL White House Adds $21B for Modernization
(Defense News) The Pentagon has been conducting a "running reset" on its aircraft, ships, nuclear assets and ground vehicles over the past two years due to the limits placed on defense spending by the Budget Control Act (BCA), senior defense leaders said Monday, but the fiscal 2016 budget request looks to kick-start the modernization process in a big way.
DoD wants to grow total budget, cut personnel costs
(Military Times) The Pentagon is seeking an overall budget increase next year, but spending on military personnel will remain essentially flat, squeezed by cuts in the size of the force and recent efforts to scale back troops' pay and benefits.
GOP Leaders Reject Obama's Sequester Plan
(Defense News) A key House Republican greeted the White House's fiscal 2016 budget proposal with a rhetorical shovel, saying its tax increases means it immediately is headed for a political grave.
Army Request Emphasizes Global Presence
(Defense News) The highlights of the US Army's budget request continued to emphasize Army leadership's argument that it is a force stretched to respond to crises and in need of funding.
USN Budget Includes $10B for New Missile Sub
(Defense News) The Navy plans to fund a total of 48 ships through fiscal 2020, according to the 2016 budget sent today to Congress, including 10 new Arleigh Burke-class destroyers and 10 Virginia-class submarines from 2016 through 2020.
USAF Budget Funds Munitions, Keeps U-2
(Defense News) The US Air Force's budget request reflects the service's delicate situation - balancing the need to recapitalize an aging fleet with real-world concerns and ongoing operations.
Marine Corps budget request reflects new focus
(Stars & Stripes) President Barack Obama is calling for a 7 percent increase in the Marine Corps budget as the service seeks to buy new high-tech platforms while returning to its roots as an expeditionary, emergency response force.
CONGRESS Smith Expects Groundhog Day on DoD Budget
(Defense News) The House Armed Services Committee's top Democrat expects a repeat of last year, when Congress reversed a list of Pentagon budget-cutting proposals.
The Phantom 2016 Budget: What Will Congress Grant?
(Breaking Defense) The Obama administration wants to increase the money spent on weapons in 2016 by $14.1 billion over what Congress approved in December.
Subpanel Chair Mum on Upping Spending
(Defense News) Missing from the statement by the US Senate's top defense appropriator about the White House's budget request was any mention of increasing defense spending.
Armed Services chief: Obama on 'campaign mission' with budget
(The Hill) Proposals to increase out-of-pocket fees and alter benefits for U.S. troops in fiscal year 2016 show President Obama is in "campaign mode" when it comes to Pentagon spending, House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) said Monday.
Defense hearings: Carter nomination, budget week
(Military Times) The president's fiscal 2016 budget proposal is released Monday, and the week just gets busier on Capitol Hill from there.
Ayotte Pledges to Oppose A-10 Retirement
(Defense News) The US Air Force announced it will try to retire the A-10 Warthog fleet in its fiscal 2016 budget request. And once again, a top member of the Senate Armed Services Committee is rallying opposition to the move.
Lawmaker blasts budget plan to trim VA Choice Program
(Military Times) Veterans Affairs officials don't know how many veterans are using the new "choice card" program, but it's a small enough total that they want to start taking money out of the program.
Armed Services panel plans bipartisan retreat
(The Hill) Republican and Democratic members of the House Armed Services Committee will go on a one-day retreat together next week, the panel's chairman said Monday.
INDUSTRY USAF Slips Next Joint Stars, Opens Door to GPS Competition
(Aviation Week) The U.S. Air Force is restructuring several key efforts - delaying a follow-on to the Joint Stars ground surveillance aircraft program, adding a three-year extension for U-2 operations and a setting up a possible competition for more GPS satellites - as part of its $167.3 billion budget request for fiscal 2016.
Huntington Ingalls looks to underwater drone market
(Daily Press; Newport News, Va.) The shipbuilding giant has purchased the Engineering Solutions Division of The Columbia Group, headquartered in Panama City Beach, Fla. The company has 30 employees and builds specialized manned and unmanned undersea vehicles. Its primary customer is the U.S. Navy, but it works for militaries around the world.
This mysterious Super Bowl ad highlights a new bomber plane you're not allowed to see
(Washington Post) There were no cute puppies. No Kim Kardashian. No reunion of Katie and Bryant.
Tom Enders talks forthcoming 2014 financial results, A400M, and the reorg
(Aviation Week) I've pulled together some snippets from Enders' Jan. 29 Airbus press dinner in Paris:
Three companies in bid for Portsmouth ship halls
(IHS Jane's 360) The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 30 January that it had shortlisted three bids for the ship halls at Her Majesty's Naval Base (HMNB) Portsmouth.
VETERANS VA lays out 2016 health care budget priorities
(Military Times) The Veterans Affairs Department's budget plan for health care next year would boost spending on mental health treatment and services, caregiver programs and health care for female veterans.
Ending the Nightmares: How Drug Treatment Could Finally Stop PTSD
(The Atlantic) Propranolol, a beta-blocker that cuts heart rate, could silence the disastrous events on repeat in the minds of millions of people with PTSD.
POW/MIA command in Hawaii has new name
(Associated Press) The military's former Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command in Hawaii has a new name that reflects a merger of offices.
Should Veterans With PTSD Be Exempt From the Death Penalty?
(The Atlantic) On January 12, 1998, Andrew Brannan was driving his truck at 98 miles an hour on a country road near his Dublin, Georgia, home when he was pulled over by Deputy Kyle Dinkheller. Brannan, a white-haired, 66-year-old man, got out of his truck, shouted profanities, and danced around, yelling, "Here I am, here I am ... [s]hoot me." He then attacked the deputy and a gunfight ensued, in which Brannan shot Dinkheller nine times with a rifle.
Amputee trying to make history on PGA Tour
(USA Today) As Chad Pfeifer lay in bed in the Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston, his amputated left leg still heavily bandaged, his fractured right ankle in a cast, his head was full of demons and doubts.
Advocates worry planned VA budget hikes aren't enough
(Military Times) The Veterans Affairs Department budget keeps going up, but it's still not enough, outside advocates say.
Snow Delays Vote on Senate Bill to Address Veterans' Suicide
(Associated Press) An expected vote on a Senate bill aimed at reducing a suicide epidemic among military veterans was delayed Monday by a winter storm that walloped the Midwest and Northeast.
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT Budget plan would cut commissary days, hours
(Military Times) Defense officials want to reduce operating days and hours of most commissaries, as part of an effort to sharply reduce the amount of taxpayer dollars going to support the stores.
DoD budget highlights technology for military's future
(C4ISR & Networks) In President Barack Obama's 2016 federal budget, Defense Department priorities include a number of tech-focused initiatives that officials hope will start to mold the military of the future.
Tricare consolidation, new fees on DoD wish list
(Military Times) The Pentagon's 2016 budget request revisits a proposal pitched last year - unsuccessfully - to consolidate Tricare into a single system, while also suggesting new fees designed to steer families away from using emergency rooms for routine care.
How Obama's new defense budget looks like Reagan's
(Washington Post) The Defense Department released its proposed budget for fiscal 2016 on Monday, asking Congress for $585 billion as part of President Obama's $4 trillion budget request. The Pentagon's slice of the pie would amount to a $25 billion increase over this year.
Agency to act on compound med reimbursements
(Military Times) Two advisory committees to the Defense Health Agency are at odds over whether Tricare should reimburse for compounded medications.
Netanyahu's Congress invitation raises eyebrows among some US generals
(Al Jazeera America) The uniformed leaders of the U.S. military have had a testy relationship with President Barack Obama since he took office in 2009, with a number of relatively public spats revealing discord over how his administration has approached the use of military force.
Mission Family: Scholarship deadlines for children, spouses
(Military Times) Someone in your family may be headed for college in the not-too-distant future. If it's this year, now is the time to hunker down and submit scholarship applications. But even if it's a couple of years from now, you can start researching which scholarships are available for military children and military.
ARMY 129 Army battalion, brigade commanders fired since 2003
(Army Times) The Army has relieved 129 battalion and brigade commanders since 2003 and implemented several initiatives in its ongoing effort to hold leaders and commanders accountable for their actions, senior leaders told Army Times.
Army Adds $500M For Helicopters, But...
(Breaking Defense) $473 million. That's the amount the 2016 budget request would boost spending over 2015 to modernize the Army's aging helicopter fleet.That's a nine percent increase in a time of shrinking budgets, swelling aviation to more than the next two modernization accounts (ground vehicles and networks) combined. But the Army's aircraft request may be dead on arrival. That's not because of what it adds but because of what it takes away: AH-64 Apache helicopters from the Army National Guard.
New policy: Boards will see junior officer black marks
(Army Times) The Army's long-standing policy of masking junior officer evaluation reports once an officer is promoted to captain or chief warrant officer three has been deleted by Secretary of the Army John McHugh.
Army to listen to Fort Bragg's, Fayetteville's concerns on cutbacks
(Fayetteville Observer) Army leaders will be at Fayetteville's Embassy Suites hotel Thursday for a "listening session" on potential cuts to Fort Bragg.
Charges dropped against Army recruiters accused of having sex with minor
(Orlando Sentinel) The charges have been dropped against two U.S. Army recruiters accused of having sex with a 17-year-old girl in Osceola County, records show.
Command lists to be released Feb. 5
(Army Times) Selection lists containing the names of active component officers designated for brigade and battalion command in fiscal 2016 will be released Feb. 5.
Tanks Come Roaring Back In Army Budget
(Breaking Defense) Four tracked vehicle programs and one wheeled vehicle enjoy significant ramp-ups in the 2016 request.
NAVY Budget plan adds 5,600 sailors in 2016
(Navy Times) The Navy plans to hire more sailors in 2016, but questions about future manpower levels and other issues remain.
US Navy Budget Request Funds Carrier GW
(Defense News) The US Navy's 2016 budget request is just slightly higher than planned for a year ago, in line with overall Pentagon plans to ask for funding at levels above Budget Control Act restrictions.
Navy Pitches Cruiser Layup Plan, Again
(USNI News) The Navy has again submitted a controversial plan to layup some of its Ticonderoga-class cruisers in a modernization plan it says will preserve the air warfare capability of U.S. carrier strike groups into the 2040s, according to Navy acquisition officials.
Navy Yard building where 12 were killed to reopen
(Associated Press) The Washington Navy Yard building that was the site of a mass shooting in 2013 has reopened after extensive renovations.
Navy Pushes UCLASS Fielding Date, Air Segment Request for Proposal
(USNI News) The Navy has pushed its planned fielding date for its carrier-based unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) from 2020 to 2022 or 2023, a Navy budget official told reporters in a late Monday afternoon briefing on the Navy's Fiscal Year 2016 budget request to Congress.
Future Force Expo gets underway this week
(Navy Times) Naval scientists are working to help meet the challenges of the 21st century warfighter, and their latest creations are display this week at the Naval Future Force Science and Technology Expo.
Navy corpsmen treat sailors, Marines and sometimes enemies
(The Florida Times-Union) In the spring of 2011, Miami native Noel Martinez found himself on a small craft in the middle of the night headed for a pirate "mother ship" off the coast of Somalia.
AIR FORCE AF: Missileer who ran 'violent street gang' gets 25 years
(Air Force Times) A Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, missileer whom the Air Force said was the leader of a violent street gang that arranged for the exchange of money for sex with underage girls, distributed drugs and and gave alcohol to teenagers was sentenced in December to 25 years in prison and a dismissal, the Air Force said Friday.
Encephalitis vaccine mandatory for airmen in Japan, Korea
(Stars & Stripes) The Japanese encephalitis vaccine is now mandatory for all airmen stationed or temporarily assigned for more than 30 days to Japan or South Korea, the Air Force said in a news release.
Air Force will try to cut A-10 fleet again
(Air Force Times) The Air Force will try again this year to retire the A-10 Thunderbolt II, reigniting a battle that several lawmakers have vowed to fight.
Bomber Leads Way on USAF RDTandE Request
(Defense News) The US Air Force's single biggest research program is also its most mysterious.
Budget adds 4,000 active duty airmen in 2016
(Air Force Times) The Air Force plans to add 4,020 active-duty airmen in fiscal 2016, according to budget documents released Monday.
White House Wants More Reaper Drones To Fight ISIS
(Defense One) President Barack Obama today requested a healthy increase in the number of MQ-9 Reaper drones that the Pentagon will purchase next year, further reversing the brief trend in fewer drone purchases. The numbers show that the Reaper is becoming the military's favorite weapon in its fight against ISIS. But some experts say that the modest bump won't be enough to fix the military's much bigger drone problem-a growing deficit of drone pilots.
Air Force increases combat air patrols for Reaper pilots
(Air Force Times) By raising the number of combat air patrols for Reapers, the Air Force is acknowledging that it cannot throttle back on the number of missions that remotely piloted aircraft pilots fly, said Peter Singer, of the New America Foundation think tank in Washington, D.C.
Special pays to hit $921M in 2016
(Air Force Times) The Air Force plans to offer new special payments to certain special operations airmen in fiscal 2016, as well as airmen in the nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile field operations forces.
Alcohol redefined as 'weapon' in sexual assault cases by prosecutors, military officials
(Colorado Springs Gazette) The alcohol - rum, vodka, wine and hard cider - listed in the latest allegation of sexual assault between Air Force Academy cadets is being viewed in a new way by the military and civilian prosecutors.
Air Force getting 25 isolation units for contagious patients
(Air Force Times) The Ebola outbreak has subsided but not before becoming the catalyst for the Air Force's development of a larger system to isolate highly contagious patients during air transport.
MARINE CORPS Corps' 2016 budget temporarily halts drawdown
(Marine Corps Times) The Marine Corps will temporarily "pause" its drawdown in 2016 in order to assess the impact the policy has had on small unit leaders following years high operational tempo.
CMC's plan for ship-to-shore connectors soothes critics
(Marine Corps Times) Marine Commandant Gen. Joseph Dunford's new planning guidance places renewed emphasis on the need for a high-speed amphibious troop transport that can swim ashore without the assistance of a Navy connector.
For Okinawa Marine, LQA benefit turns into debtor's nightmare
(Stars & Stripes) Christopher Garcia couldn't figure out why we was being called into the civilian human resources department in Okinawa.
Land-based Marine Corps units could move back to sea
(Marine Corps Times) Facing a shortfall of amphibious ships that won't go away anytime soon and an unwavering need to launch operations from the sea, the commandant has a message for Marines: If it floats, you may have to deploy on it.
COAST GUARD DHS 2016 Budget Request Cuts Back on Drones, Funds Coast Guard Ship Procurement
(National Defense) The Coast Guard's overall budget is also relatively flat compared to last year's request, which has yet to be enacted, and down almost $400 million from 2014. The request includes $534 million for surface ship recapitalization and procurement and $200 million for air assets.
Coast Guard Museum Project May Be Picking Up Steam
(Military.com) The chairman of the National Coast Guard Museum Association has purchased the historic Union Station for $3 million, a sale viewed as necessary for the proposed museum to move forward.
ISLAMIC STATE Islamic State Reach Cited by Pentagon Gloomier Than Obama's View
(Bloomberg) Islamic State extremists are expanding their international footprint in the Mideast and North Africa, the U.S. military's top intelligence official said, offering a far bleaker security assessment than have President Barack Obama and his political appointees.
Obama Warns Against Exaggerating the Islamic State Threat
(Foreign Policy) President Barack Obama said it's important to see the Islamic State for what it is and not to exaggerate the group's strengths.
Maliki Attempts to Re-enter Iraq's Security Sphere
(Sinan Adnan in the Institute for the Study of War) On January 26, 2015, the official website of former prime minister and current vice president Nouri al-Maliki stated that Maliki hosted a number of leaders of the "Popular Mobilization" and the "Resistance." He is the first senior Iraqi state official to host such a meeting publically. This meeting is likely a political maneuver aimed to insert Maliki back into Iraq's national security affairs.
The death of Kenji Goto is forcing Japan to rethink its role in the world
(Quartz) Japanese citizens awoke Sunday to a harrowing video purporting to show the beheading of Japanese journalist Kenji Goto at the hands of terror group Islamic State (also known as ISIS or ISIL). While members of the group vowed that the "nightmare for Japan" had just begun, Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe vowed to make the killers "pay for their sins."
How France's most-wanted woman started down a path to radicalization
(Washington Post) France's most-wanted woman once loved the warm waves of the Dominican Republic, posing in a black bikini with her future husband, a petty thief. As her faith deepened, she exchanged the bathing suits for head scarves and new destinations: mosques in Malaysia, a pilgrimage to Mecca and now, authorities say, the jihadist cauldron of Syria.
Kurdish fighters in Iraq struggle to hold gains against IS
(Associated Press) Only stray dogs and a dozen armed fighters walk the streets of Snuny, a ghost town at the base of Mount Sinjar where rapid military changes of fortune are written on the walls.
Iraq receives second batch of Mi-28s
(IHS Jane's 360) The Iraqi Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 1 February that it had taken delivery of a second consignment of Mil Mi-28NE attack helicopters.
ISIS Chemical Weapon Specialist Was 'Gathering Equipment' Before He Was Killed
(Daily Beast) Before he was killed, Saddam-era WMD specialist Abu Malik was assembling a stockpile of specialized gear. Now U.S. spies want to know: for what?
In Liberated Kobani, Kurds Take Pride Despite the Devastation
(New York Times) Lasheen Abdulla steered her white minivan through the streets of her hometown, past the charred husks of bombed cars, the shattered storefronts, the unexploded mortar shells. Across the gray of destruction were streaks of color: the purple sheets hung to hide the Kurdish snipers who, for months, defended this city from the extremists of the Islamic State.
AFGHANISTAN/PAKISTAN Pakistani Taliban emir for Bajaur joins Islamic State
(Long War Journal) The Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan's emir for the tribal agency of Bajaur has defected and joined the Islamic State's branch in the Khorasan. Maulana Abu Bakr is the latest Taliban commander to defect to the rival jihadist organization.
Training Teachers to Take Aim Against Taliban
(New York Times) Dangerous times call for unusual measures in northwestern Pakistan, where the police are offering firearms instruction to schoolteachers and university lecturers since the Taliban massacred 150 people at a Peshawar school in December.
Troops in Afghanistan join in Super Bowl revelry
(Stars & Stripes) Though it may not be an official holiday, Super Bowl Sunday remains a cause for celebration for football fans throughout the United States.
MIDDLE EAST Yemen's Main Parties Suspend Talks with Shiite Rebels
(Associated Press) U.N.-brokered talks aimed at resolving Yemen's political crisis appeared to be falling apart Monday as the main political parties suspended their participation in negotiations with the Shiite rebels who control the capital.
Three suspected al Qaeda militants killed in U.S. drone strike in Yemen
(Reuters) At least three suspected al Qaeda militants were killed on Monday in a U.S. drone strike on a car in southeastern Yemen, local residents said, the third such strike in a week.
'American Sniper' pulled from Baghdad's only movie theater
(Washington Post) It is not only in America that Clint Eastwood's Iraq war blockbuster "American Sniper" is proving controversial.
Jordan Sends Envoy Back to Israel as Tensions Ease
(New York Times) Jordan said on Monday that it was sending its ambassador back to Israel, three months after he was recalled in protest of what the Jordanians called Israeli violations at a contested holy site in East Jerusalem. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel welcomed the decision.
The weird duel between Russia and Pakistan over the corpse of a hanged terrorist
(Washington Post) Relations between Pakistan and Russia may be on the upswing, but that didn't prevent a wild diplomatic showdown in late December, when Pakistan executed a Russian citizen.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE Former U.S. Officials Propose $3B Military Aid Package for Ukraine
(National Defense) As fighting rages in Eastern Ukraine, a group of former U.S. diplomats, military officers and government officials is asking the Obama administration and Congress to dramatically increase military aid to Kiev, including heavy weaponry that the White House so far has been reluctant to provide.
Ukraine Rebel Leader Vows To Mobilize 100,000 Men
(Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty) A pro-Russian separatist leader in eastern Ukraine has announced plans to mobilize 100,000 fighters against Ukrainian government forces amid intensified battles following the collapse of peace talks.
Obama weighs sending lethal assistance to Ukraine
(Associated Press) The shift suggests the White House is growing increasingly concerned that its reliance on punishing Russia with economic sanctions isn't doing enough to change President Vladimir Putin's thinking about backing fighters in ethnic-Russian eastern Ukraine.
Russia Outlines Prescription to Bolster Its Ailing Economy, but Experts Scoff
(New York Times) With oil prices down more than 50 percent in the past year, the ruble having lost more than half its value, a recession looming and the country already dipping into its rainy-day funds, the Russian economy is in a race against time. But one would be hard pressed to grasp the depth of the troubles from the Kremlin's prescriptions.
Merkel, on visit to Hungary, seeks to fend off Russian influence
(Al Jazeera America) German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban agreed Monday that economic sanctions imposed against Russia for its alleged meddling in Ukrainian affairs remained an essential pillar of Europe's united front, tentatively easing Western concerns that the Kremlin was gaining traction in a critical European capital.
Lavrov Claims Obama's Remarks Prove U.S. Backed Ukraine 'Coup'
(Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty) Russia has seized on remarks by U.S. President Barack Obama about an internationally brokered deal to resolve last year's Ukrainian crisis, claiming they prove that Washington was involved in a "coup" against Ukraine's Moscow-backed president.
Ukraine Rebels Upbeat After an Infusion of Aid
(New York Times) The rebel commander casually led the way down a muddy trench, shoulder high with shaved walls of moist earth, his boots slapping at wooden slabs sunk into the muck. Finally, he reached an earth-covered observation post.
EUROPE Netherlands to send crews to US for training on MQ-9 Reaper
(IHS Jane's 360) The Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) is about to dispatch military personnel to the United States to be trained on the General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), IHS Jane's can reveal.
Netherlands: 'Bullet-proof fashion' store opens
(BBC) A company selling "fashionable" bullet-proof clothing has opened its first store in the Netherlands.
Belarus President To Visit Georgia
(Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty) Belarus President Alyaksandr Lukashenka is planning to visit Georgia this April.
For Europe, a Year of Political Uncertainty
(Reuters) By catapulting to power an improbable alliance of the hard left and nationalist far right, Greece has shaken up Europe's political kaleidoscope and may have signaled the end of an era of centrist consensus.
UN court to rule on Serbia and Croatia genocide cases
(BBC) The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague is to announce its ruling on genocide cases between Croatia and Serbia.
ASIA-PACIFIC U.S. and North Korea have been secretly discussing having 'talks about talks'
(Washington Post) The United States and North Korea have been actively discussing the possibility of returning to denuclearization talks, raising the prospect of a new round of diplomacy even as Washington takes a tougher line against Pyongyang.
Japanese government tightens security
(The Yomiuri Shimbun) The government has tightened security against terrorism after the militant Islamic State group (ISIS) made a statement that could be interpreted as meaning all Japanese people will be targets of terrorism.
China deletes online reports that it is building a second aircraft carrier
(Washington Post) News that China is building a second aircraft carrier was leaked by an overenthusiastic local government, but reports were subsequently deleted from Web sites and social media here, a development that will do little to calm nerves in neighboring countries about Beijing's growing maritime power.
With change in Sri Lanka, US eyes deeper ties
(Associated Press) The surprise defeat of Sri Lanka's authoritarian leader and the new government's early steps to end repression have stirred U.S. hopes that the South Asian island nation can revive ties with Washington and distance itself to some degree from China.
South Korea soldier gets death sentence for troop killings
(BBC) A South Korean soldier who shot dead five of his colleagues and injured seven others has been sentenced to death by a military court.
AFRICA Ansar al Sharia photos focus on governance efforts near Benghazi
(Long War Journal) Ansar al Sharia Libya, an al Qaeda-linked terrorist group, released a series of pictures in late January that are intended to highlight its governance efforts near Benghazi. The organization gained international infamy after the Sept. 11, 2012 terrorist attacks on the US Mission and Annex in the city. Ansar al Sharia fighters from both Benghazi and Derna participated in the raids, which left four Americans, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens, dead.
Nigeria Thwarts Boko Haram Attack On Maiduguri
(National Public Radio) Suspected Boko Haram militants have attacked the outskirts of the heavily-fortified city of Maiduguri for the second time in a week. Nigerian officials say the rebel's attack has been contained.
South Sudan's warring factions sign another peace deal
(Associated Press) South Sudan's warring factions early Monday signed another peace deal in the latest effort to end hostilities that have raged for more than a year, but analysts expressed doubt about whether it will hold.
Human Trials for Two New Ebola Vaccines Just Began in Liberia
(VICE) For the first time since June of last year, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone reported fewer than 100 confirmed cases of Ebola infection combined last week. While the epidemic enters what the World Health Organization is calling the "second phase" of the outbreak - trending toward zero cases - research continues to progress into how to prevent the disease.
Kids in Liberia go back to school - in a building where dozens died of Ebola
(Washington Post) The bodies had been removed from the classrooms. The blood and vomit of Ebola patients had been wiped away.
COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS Commentary: 4 Key Questions on 2016 Budget
(Doug Berenson and Steven Kosiak in Defense News) With the administration's release of its 2016 defense budget request, there are a few key questions we will be looking to have answered. Some of those will be addressed over the next few days and weeks, as analysts pore over the Department of Defense's justification materials in detail. Others are likely to be answered only later this year, as the congressional budget process unfolds.
Obama's Trillion Dollar Nuclear Weapons Gamble
(Stephen Young in Defense One) Why is the president is proposing a multi-billion dollar nuclear arsenal overhaul that is expensive, dangerous, and does nothing to make the United States safer?
How Should Military Leadership Respond To Calls For Compensation Reform?
(Katherine Kidder in Task & Purpose) The Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission report released Thursday calls for military leadership to approach talent management in new and innovative ways. Will the call be heard?
Let Bergdahl go, honorably
(Andrew L. Peek in The Hill) The White House is absolutely right to ask the Army not to charge Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl with desertion, as it reportedly has. Its motives are wrong - the administration clearly doesn't want to look like it gave away five top Taliban leaders for a criminal - but the end result is the same. Bergdahl has suffered enough. Let him go, and let him go honorably.
Commentary: Redefine the US Navy
(Everett Pyatt in Defense News) Naval power is determined by the ability to conduct successful operations, deter others from destabilizing or aggressive actions, and promote freedom of the seas. But how much is enough?
Using Social Psychology to Counter Terrorism
(Afzal Upal in Cicero Magazine ) Given recent terrorist attacks in France, Canada, and Australia, a number of Western thinkers argue that in order to defeat Islamic extremism, we must not only confront their ideological foundations but also provide younger followers of Islam with alternative ways of being good Muslims without killing Westerners. With no attractive alternative, as social psychologists have found for other marginalized groups, our ad-hoc efforts at countering violent extremists will continue to fail.
Urban Siege in Paris: A Spectrum of Armed Assault
(John P. Sullivan and Adam Elkus in Small Wars Journal) In 2009, we laid out a conceptual model of terrorist "urban siege" based on the Mumbai attacks. [i] As noted by several observers, the recent terrorist attack in Paris on the Charlie Hebdo offices may have succeeded due to the unfortunate fact that security officials expected other attack modes (such as airline bombs), not a run and gun in the heart of an urban center
No the Russian Navy isn't going to collapse
(Dmitry Gorenburg in War On The Rocks) Is the Russian Navy about to collapse? In a recent article on War is Boring, David Axe made this argument largely based on data from my recent articles on the Russian shipbuilding program and the Russian Navy's priorities. While the information I provided is sound, Axe's overall interpretation is not.
Will Nigerians Elect a Military Dictator To Save Them from Boko Haram?
(Yinka Adegoke in Quartz) A man who once oversaw one of Nigeria's least popular and repressive regimes is capturing the attention of citizens tired of Boko Haram and their elected officials
What Would it Actually Take to Close Guantanamo?
(Benjamin Wittes in Lawfare) Obama reiterated in his State of the Union address that he is committed to closing Guantanamo: "Since I've been President, we've worked responsibly to cut the population of Gitmo in half. Now it is time to finish the job. And I will not relent in my determination to shut it down. It is not who we are. It's time to close Gitmo."
A New and Necessary Acronym for NATO
(John R. Deni in War On The Rocks) NATO recently announced it will create six new command and control entities or units - NATO Force Integration Units (NFIUs) - on the territory of several Eastern allies - Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, and Bulgaria. Why are these new units necessary for NATO?
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