Thank You
Robert Serge
VVA 17 Member
Blog Master
To all my fellow veterans friends and family my we all remember
From: no-reply@navytimes.com
To: rserge1@outlook.com
Subject: Navy Times Early Bird Brief
Date: Wed, 22 Oct 2014 04:48:01 -0600
COMPILED BY THE EDITORS OF DEFENSE NEWS & MILITARY TIMES
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TODAY'S TOP 51. ISIS Video: America's Air Dropped Weapons Now in Our Hands(The Daily Beast) At least one bundle of U.S. weapons airdropped in Syria appears to have fallen into the hands of ISIS, a dangerous misfire in the American mission to speed aid to Kurdish forces making their stand in Kobani. 2. Northrop Challenges 3DELRR Contract Award (Defense News) Northrop Grumman has formally issued a protest against the US Air Force's decision to award its next-generation ground based radar to competitor Raytheon. 3. What Went Wrong in Afghanistan -- and How to Make It Right (Peter Tomsen in Foreign Affairs) In the concluding pages of his fascinating memoir, War Comes to Garmser, Carter Malkasian, a Pashto-speaking U.S. diplomat who was stationed in a volatile region of Afghanistan in 2009-11, voices a fear shared by many of the Westerners who have participated in the Afghan war during the past 13 years: "The most frustrating thing about leaving Garmser in July 2011 and now watching it from afar is that I cannot be certain that the [Afghan] government will be able to stand on its own. ... The British and the Marines had put the government in a better position to survive than it had enjoyed in the past. What they had not done was create a situation in which the government was sure to win future battles against Taliban [fighters] coming out of Pakistan." 4. Jeffrey Fowle, American Held by North Korea, Is Released (New York Times) Jeffrey E. Fowle, one of three Americans imprisoned by North Korea, has been released and is on his way home after more than six months in captivity, the White House said Tuesday, easing but not ending the acute tensions with the hermetic Asian country that still considers the United States a bitter enemy. 5. U.S. Arctic envoy looks to 1970s New York for inspiration (Reuters) As he contemplates dealing with crumbling shores, melting ice and other changes in the rapidly changing Arctic, Admiral Robert Papp looks back at the rough and tumble New York City of the 1970s for inspiration. ISLAMIC STATEU.S., Iraq planning offensive by Iraqi forces to reclaim territory from Islamic State(Washington Post) The United States and Iraq are drawing up a campaign plan for offensive operations by Iraqi ground forces to gradually reclaim towns and cities that have been occupied by the Islamic State, according to a senior administration official. Iraqi officials call for U.S. to step up airstrikes, military aid (Los Angeles Times) Senior Iraqi officials and commanders are calling for intensified U.S. airstrikes and more military aid, arguing that the 10-week-old American-led effort has been too modest to drive Islamic State fighters out of key towns and districts. U.S. Cooperated Secretly with Syrian Kurds in Battle Against Islamic State (Wall Street Journal) In public, the Obama administration argued for weeks that Kobani wasn't strategically vital to the air campaign against Islamic State extremists. Behind the scenes, however, top officials concluded the Syrian city had become too symbolically important to lose and they raced to save it. Pentagon: Counter-IS campaign costs $424 million (Associated Press) The U.S. military has spent $424 million so far in its military campaign against the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq, the Pentagon said Tuesday. Ambushes, Mines And Booby Traps: ISIS Militants Change Tack (National Public Radio) At a front-line outpost - a few sandbags, soldiers and grenades perched on the brow of a hill - the Iraqi Kurdish soldiers known as Peshmerga are looking out toward the town of Jalula, maybe three miles away. New Iraqi Defense Minister Vows To Probe Army Debacle in IS Assault (Agence France-Presse) Iraq's new defense minister vowed Tuesday to investigate military failings that allowed the Islamic State group to overrun large areas of the country and to hold those responsible to account. Survey: Militarytimes.com readers believe U.S. combat troops will return to Iraq (Military Times) Most Militarytimes.com readers believe the U.S. will soon send ground combat troops to Iraq, despite President Obama's repeated assurances to the contrary. Kidnapping of Abu Issa, a Syrian rebel, shows Islamic State's reach into Turkey (Washington Post) The men who snatched Abu Issa from the streets of this southeastern city were Turkish gangsters, but their client was the Islamic State, and they had been promised good money to spirit the Syrian rebel commander across the Turkish border into Syria. Daily Life in the Shadow of ISIS (The Atlantic) Meryem has renamed the third floor of Motel Kurdistan. "Welcome to Bayt al-Sinjar!" the 8-year-old shouted, flinging her arms wide as my elevator door opened. I followed her down a dim hallway to number 308, the 110-square-foot room where her family of six has lived since fleeing ISIS's advance on their Yazidi village in August. Deepening U.S. commitment to Kobani ties Obama's Islamic State effort to Kurds' fate (McClatchy) The U.S. air campaign against the Islamic State, launched in August to stop the takeover of Iraqi Kurdistan and to rescue a trapped religious minority, has now become focused on a Syrian Kurdish enclave whose defenders are linked to a group responsible for thousands of civilian deaths in Turkey. US State Department Approves New Tank Ammo Sale to Iraq (Defense News) The US State Department has cleared the sale of M1A1 Abrams tank ammunition to Iraq, according to an announcement by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA). INDUSTRYTextron CEO Outlines Path Forward For US Defense Industrial Base(Defense News) With few new start programs coming through the Pentagon's pipeline over the next several years, defense contractors are anxiously checking their portfolios for opportunities to upgrade and modernize existing platforms to extend their operational lives while waiting for service purse strings to loosen. Lockheed forecasts drop in 2015 sales, third-quarter revenue disappoints (Reuters) Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N), the top supplier to the U.S. military, forecast a drop in 2015 sales and reported lower-than-expected quarterly revenue for the second time this year. United Technologies Sales Rise 4.6% on Increased Equipment Orders (Wall Street Journal) United Technologies Corp. shook off troubles in its Pratt and Whitney jet engine business, clocking better sales across its five business segments, helped by a resurgent North American building market. Lockheed Establishing UK Production To Supply Scout Turrets (Defense News) Lockheed Martin is setting up a production line in the UK to supply turrets for the British Army's Scout armored vehicles program in a GBP618 (US $1 billion) deal announced Tuesday. In Aerospace, Defense Is an Offense (Wall Street Journal) Lockheed Martin Corp. LMT -1.66% caused a stir last week with news of a breakthrough in nuclear fusion. Navy Picks Dell for Cloud Email Pilot Program (NextGov) The Navy has tapped Dell to provide it with a Microsoft enterprise-as-a-service cloud email system for its reservists. How 3D Printing Could Help Replace Russian Rockets (DefenseOne) As the Pentagon looks to develop a replacement for the Russian engine that blasts the Atlas V rocket into orbit, two U.S. companies have been working on a little-known project that could speed up the process. BAE To Buy US Cyber Service Provider (Defense News) BAE Systems is buying the US-based commercial cyber service provider SilverSky for US $232.5 million. UK contracts for top-up Tomahawk buy (IHS Jane's 360) The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has confirmed an order for a further 20 UGM-109E Tomahawk Block IV land attack cruise missiles, but has declined to reveal whether it plans to expand the UK's Tomahawk inventory. Poland Wants to Buy U.S. Stealth Missile If Affordable (Bloomberg) Poland wants to buy cruise missiles from the U.S. Air Force "without delay" if the price comes down, according to a spokesman for the embassy in Washington. Missile boat crisis ends as Germany gives Israel $382 million discount (Haaretz) A crisis between Israel and Germany over missile boats required to protect Israel's offshore gas fields has ended after Berlin agreed to slash 300 euros million (about $382 million) off the cost, officials on both sides said. They are expected to initial an agreement for the boats within weeks. New Zealand awards helicopter simulator contract to CAE (IHS Jane's 360) Canadian group CAE has secured a contract to supply synthetic training systems to support the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF's) Kaman SH-2G(I) Super Seasprite maritime helicopters, the company announced on 21 October. India Gives In to Russia's Terms For High-Priced Tank Ammunition (Defense News) The Indian Defence Ministry - faced with a shortage of ammunition for its Russian-made T-90 tanks, coupled with an inability to produce ammunition at home - has no choice but to give in to Russian terms and purchase marked-up ammo from Moscow, an MoD source said. India re-releases LPD tender to private-sector shipyards (IHS Jane's 360) India's Ministry of Defence (MoD) reissued a request for proposal (RfP) in mid-September to three local private sector shipyards to build four amphibious assault ships for an estimated INR250 billion (USD4.16 billion. VETERANSTBI rehabilitation program extended(Military Times) The Veterans Affairs Department is broadening a small program designed to help veterans with moderate to severe brain injuries live their lives to their fullest. VA Moves to Prevent Veteran Violence Over Disability Claims (National Journal) Veterans Affairs officials want to change when veterans can view some of their medical records online, fearing that some could become violent if they see negative comments and think their disability claims will be denied. Surviving spouses soon to get tuition benefit (Stars & Stripes) An overhaul of the troubled Department of Veterans Affairs means new education benefits will kick in next month for the spouses of servicemembers who died since 9/11 in the line of duty, according to the department. Nashville veterans received inferior VA stroke care (The Tennessean) Stroke patients at the VA hospitals in Nashville and Murfreesboro received inferior care and administrators failed to properly investigate deaths that occurred during surgery, a critical new audit of the Tennessee Valley Healthcare System has found. Some stereotypes stick to vets, survey shows (Military Times) All veterans aren't homeless washouts. But Got Your Six officials worry that many Americans see them that way. VA Introduces 'Google-like' Medical Record Search Functions (NextGov) The Department of Veterans Affairs has started to roll out "Google-like" search functions for patient medical records, VA CIO Stephen Warren said at a press briefing today. CONGRESSDefense Firms Prefer GOP, but Spread Campaign Cash Between Political Parties(Defense News) For every campaign contribution from a major arms manufacturer to a Republican candidate or group, one of comparable size to a Democrat is not far behind. Veterans ads boost Dem candidates in Iowa and Massachusetts (The Hill) VoteVets Action Fund, a veterans advocacy group, is spending $1.25 million on new ads to help a pair of candidates in top-tier races. Election 2014: Congressional candidates respond to federal employee concerns (Washington Post) This year, two strong supporters of federal workers from Virginia, Rep. James P. Moran, a Democrat, and Rep. Frank R. Wolf, a Republican, are retiring from the 8th and 10th congressional districts, respectively. The Federal Diary asked each of the major party candidates for those seats a series of questions. We will report their answers this week and next. As usual with politicians, they did not always respond directly to the questions asked. Some comments have been edited for clarity and length. House Dem: Cut benefits of Americans in ISIS (The Hill) A Democratic lawmaker is calling on the government to cut off benefits to Americans who have joined the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). DEFENSE DEPARTMENTDempsey hits YouTube to address troops' Ebola concerns(Military Times) The nation's top military officer has taken to YouTube to soothe troops' concerns about deploying to the region of Africa being ravaged by Ebola. Autonomous Machines to Defeat Threats Beyond the Speed of Thought (National Defense) Experts are talking about exponential progress as Moore's law on computing power converges with breakthroughs on the way researchers are tackling the challenge of creating fully autonomous weapons, which includes robots and other systems. Yes to LGB, No to T: The Pentagon Still Has a Transgender Ban (The Daily Beast) The end of Don't Ask, Don't Tell let gays, lesbians, and bisexuals serve openly in the military. But transgender individuals remain excluded. A conference Monday examined that policy. ARMYSoldier with 5 deployments killed in motorcycle accident(Army Times) Staff Sgt. Bryan Phillip Pitney of Fort Hood, Texas, who deployed five times during his Army career, has died from injuries after a motorcycle accident, post officials announced Tuesday afternoon. Anchorage School District bans military recruiters indefinitely (Anchorage Daily News) On the heels of scathing allegations of sexual and other misconduct against officers in the Alaska Army National Guard, the Anchorage School District has halted all military recruiting at its schools indefinitely, according to Heidi Embley, district spokeswoman. 2015 will mean more 15-year retirements for NCOs, officers (Army Times) The 15-year early retirement option will be available to certain categories of Regular Army, National Guard and Army Reserve officers, warrant officers and noncommissioned officers who are selected for involuntary separations because of promotion passovers and drawdown-related force management boards that meet in fiscal 2015. Carson troops head to Germany for exercise to counter Russian aggression (Colorado Springs Gazette) About 100 Fort Carson soldiers headed to Germany on Tuesday to take part in a training exercise that's part of a NATO effort to counter Russian aggression in the region. Pilot's widow receives his Silver Star 70 years after heroic escape (Army Times) Lt. Col. James Gunn III bailed out of his B-24 during a bombing run over Romania in August 1944, found himself the highest-ranking member of a 400-officer prisoner-of-war camp in Bucharest, then learned via smuggled radio that his host nation had surrendered to Allied forces, triggering German air raids on the city. NAVYMore information, more questions in Navy shooting(Virginian-Pilot) It took eight minutes for the intruder to get from the gate of Norfolk Naval Station to the pierside destroyer, where he wrested a gun from a guard and shot and killed the sailor who stepped in to protect her. NATO seeks more U.S. ships (Navy Times) Royal Navy Vice Adm. Peter Hudson, who leads NATO Allied Maritime Command, said Oct. 7 that he was trying to lay the groundwork for more large-scale exercises to build cooperation between NATO powers, which would mean more time in 6th Fleet for sailors looking forward to sunny Mediterranean ports. Navy scientist serves as front line Ebola fighter in Liberia (Stars & Stripes) A little over a year ago Jose Garcia, a microbiologist with nearly 10 years of hard science training, walked into a Navy recruiting station in San Diego on a whim. AIR FORCEAir Force jet, crew lands in Pyongyang to pick up freed prisoner(Air Force Times) An Air Force executive jet and aircrew from Joint Base Pearl-Harbor, Hickam, was tasked with landing in North Korea today and picking up an American prisoner who was released by the Pyongyang regime. Double 'wet Willy' lands airman in jail (Mankato Free Press, Minn.) Armed with two freshly licked fingers, a former Kiester man home on leave from the Air Force thought it would be funny to give the officer the Willies. Riley Louis Swearingen, 24, of Goldsboro, N.C., was getting on the "drunk bus" after the downtown bars closed early Saturday morning when he allegedly licked a finger on each hand and stuck them into the ears of a police sergeant. Guard C-130 crews conduct exercise in Poland (Air Force Times) The Air National Guard has landed its first C-130 aircraft rotation at the U.S. Aviation Detachment in Poland for a joint training exercise. Langley airmen return from deployment to West Africa (Virginian-Pilot) Airmen in the 633rd Medical Group at Langley Air Force Base arrived home Monday after delivering and setting up a 25-bed deployable hospital facility in West Africa. MARINE CORPSU.S. Marine supected of murder in Philippine custody(Associated Press) The U.S. military turned over a Marine suspect in the gruesome killing of a transgender Filipino to the Philippine military's main camp in the capital Wednesday, easing a looming irritant over his custody, officials said. Rotor fire damages Marine Corps helicopter (Marine Corps Times) A Marine Corps helicopter sustained at least $2 million in damages last week when a rotor brake caught fire following maintenance. After Marine's death, his family remembers his life (Virginian-Pilot) When the call came on Sept. 15, Mary Strong looked over at her husband, Donny, behind the wheel. Marines return from Australia following largest rotation to date (Marine Corps Times) The biggest Marine rotation to deploy to Australia returned to California on Monday after spending six months Down Under, paving the way to base a full Marine air-ground task force there in the future. Urbana woman who killed Marine in hit-skip gets 30 months in prison (Dayton Daily News) An Urbana woman who left the scene of an accident after hitting and killing a Marine with her vehicle was sentenced to 30 months in prison Monday. AFGHANISTAN/PAKISTANAshraf Ghani Races to Make His Mark on Presidency in Afghanistan(New York Times) Afghanistan's new president, Ashraf Ghani, is a man in a hurry to break from his predecessor's governing style. Best not make him late. US State Department adds Pakistani Taliban leader to list of global terrorists (Long War Journal) The US State Department added a Taliban leader from South Waziristan who had previously served as the deputy emir of the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan to its list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists. Anti-government cleric ends protest in Islamabad (Associated Press) A fiery anti-government cleric has ended his 65-day long sit-in protest in Pakistan's capital Islamabad Tuesday. MIDDLE EASTOman's uncertain future(Al-Monitor) Even as many Arab states have succumbed to sectarian violence and political tumult, the Sultanate of Oman has stood out as a beacon of tranquility and tolerance. Oman's stability is largely attributed to the popularity of its leader, Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said. Iran Could Be Complying With the Interim Nuclear Deal (The Atlantic) Depending on whom you ask, the country is taking steps to ensure transparency as international inspectors investigate. In West Bank, Palestinians gird for settler attacks on olive trees (Washington Post) The rains have come to wash away the dust of summer from the olives, and so the annual harvest begins - and with it, another cycle of violence against man and tree. EUROPEAs tensions rise, Pentagon beefs up missions in Europe(Navy Times) As the nation's eyes are on the Ebola outbreak and the fight with Islamic State militants, the situation in Europe is getting decidedly colder - think Cold War. Ukraine says it has never used cluster bombs in fight with separatists (Los Angeles Times) Ukrainian armed forces have never used prohibited weapons such as cluster bombs in their fight against pro-Russia separatists, a military spokesman insisted Tuesday after a rights group reported that it had documented a dozen instances in which the indiscriminate weapons were used in populated areas. Submarine hunt exposes Swedish readiness gap (Associated Press) The search for a foreign underwater craft in waters off Stockholm has brought back memories of Sweden's submarine hunts during the Cold War - and exposed a key difference. Swedes Could be Searching for Covert Russian Midget Sub (USNI News) The mystery submersible spotted in Swedish waters near Stockholm on Friday could be one of a handful of Soviet-era midget submarines operating from a mother ship in the Baltics and not likely a larger Russian Navy submarine. ASIA-PACIFICTaiwan Calls for Calm Over Territorial Disputes(Defense News) Taiwan serves as a "pivot point" from a geostrategic perspective and a cornerstone for Asia-Pacific regional stability, Taiwan's Navy chief warned last week. Thai Military Chief Denies U.S. Scaling Back Cobra Gold 2015 Exercise Due to Military Coup (USNI News) The head of Thailand's military is denying the U.S. is scaling back its participation in the more than 30-year-old multi-national Cobra Gold 2015 military exercise in Thailand, despite the military ouster of a civilian-led government in May. Hong Kong Protesters, Government Hold First Talks on Future of Democracy (Wall Street Journal) After more than three weeks of protests, student leaders met for the first time with government officials, drawing thousands to the streets but failing to resolve the political standoff. AFRICANew Freedoms in Tunisia Drive Support for ISIS(New York Times) Nearly four years after the Arab Spring revolt, Tunisia remains its lone success as chaos engulfs much of the region. But that is not its only distinction: Tunisia has sent more foreign fighters than any other country to Iraq and Syria to join the extremist group that calls itself the Islamic State. Benghazi Medical Centre struggles to keep up as 75 bodies arrive in five days (Libya Herald) High casualties over the course of nearly a week of fighting has left Benghazi's largest medical facility struggling to cope, with the bodies of 75 civilians and combatants arriving at the hospital since the start of the renewed violence. Ebola Outbreak Erodes Recent Advances in West Africa (New York Times) Nineteen thousand doctors and nurses will soon be needed to make a dent in West Africa's Ebola outbreak, but the world has yet to send more than a small fraction of them, the United Nations says. Of the 1,000 vehicles needed to help the effort, only 69 have arrived. Of the 500 burial teams needed to ensure that infected corpses do not spread the disease, only 50 are now on the ground - and there is no clarity on who will pay them. COMMENTARY AND ANALYSISOn Integrity: The Foundation of Leadership(Army Maj. John McRae in Cicero Magazine) Years ago when I was in company command, my First Sergeant and I would meet new soldiers to provide our respective philosophies and expectations. I served nearly two and a half years in command and conducted many of these sessions. By the time I turned over the company to the next commander, I had narrowed my key points. I framed my command philosophy in terms of the familiar seven Army Values: Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage Ending America's Era of Permanent War (Richard K. Betts in Foreign Affairs) For more than a decade now, U.S. soldiers have been laboring under a sad paradox: even though the United States enjoys unprecedented global military dominance that should cow enemies mightily, it has found itself in constant combat for longer than ever before in its history, and without much to show for it. Of the U.S. military actions in Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya, only the first can be counted a success. How Obama can tidy up a messy world: Column (Former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Kara Bue in USA Today) Henry Kissinger once quipped, "There cannot be a crisis next week. My schedule is already full." The Bungling of the Iraq Exit (Rick Brennan in Foreign Affairs) In a speech at Fort Bragg on December 14, 2011, President Barack Obama declared that the U.S. military would soon depart Iraq, ending one of the longest wars in American history. The United States, Obama said, would leave behind "a sovereign, stable, and self-reliant Iraq, with a representative government that was elected by its people. Get Ready for Iraq War IV (John Nagl in Foreign Policy) The United States is now at war in Iraq for the third time in my lifetime, and after being in the middle of the first two I'm planning to sit this one ou Counterinsurgency Is Here to Stay (Max Boot in Foreign Affairs) Although the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are far from the costliest the United States has ever fought in terms of either blood or treasure, they have exacted a much greater toll than the relatively bloodless wars Americans had gotten used to fighting in the 1990s. As of this writing, 2,344 U.S. troops have been killed in Afghanistan and 4,486 in Iraq, and tens of thousands more have been injured. The financial costs reach into the trillions of dollars. Some Implications of President Obama's Plans to Sidestep Congress on Iranian Sanctions (Jack Goldsmith in Lawfare) David Sanger recently reported that the Executive branch thinks it can suspend "the vast majority" of congressional sanctions unilaterally if it reaches a deal with Iran to forestall that nation's nuclear weapons program. "President Obama will do everything in his power to avoid letting Congress vote on" the matter, Sanger tells us. "We wouldn't seek congressional legislation in any comprehensive agreement for years," says one senior official. U.S. Defense Industry Needs Export Reform to Beat Global Competition (Jon Barney and August Cole in National Defense) Global commercial aerospace and defense markets are far more competitive than is currently appreciated in Washington. The End of the Military-Industrial Complex (Former U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense William J. Lynn III in Foreign Affairs) In late 2013, Google announced that it had acquired Boston Dynamics, an engineering and robotics company best known for creating BigDog, a four-legged robot that can accompany soldiers into rough terrain. Despite DoD Budget Cuts, The Military-Industrial Complex Is Alive And Well (Stephen Carlson in Task & Purpose) The military may be in the process of tightening its belt, but there are still billions of dollars to be made from the Department of Defense, and the Association of the United States Army's annual three-day exposition proves it. It's Time to Wake Up: Chinese Hacking Is Eroding U.S. Military Superiority (Mackenzie Eaglen & Charles Morrison in Real Clear Defense) Earlier this month, the latest cyber-attack against J.P. Morgan garnered national headlines. And most Americans are aware of - if not affected by - last year's Target and this year's Home Depot data breaches. Land of the Free Because of the Brave (Retired Navy Master Chief Petty Officer David A. Mattingly in War on the Rocks) Back from Iraq for less than a year, I went to check a friend's blog only to find the obituary of a shipmate, a sailor I had served with at CENTCOM at the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom. I had run into him again the day of my retirement ceremony and later at Camp Slayer, Iraq. He had returned to civilian life and was serving in the Navy Reserve, but he was also suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI). 8 Smart Ways For Veterans To Win Any Election (Christopher G. Ingram in Task & Purpose) Here are eight steps that veteran candidates can take to be successful in increasing their representation in government. China's Aircraft Carrier Trouble: Spewing Steam and Losing Power (Robert Beckhusen in Real Clear Defense) There's no more of a conspicuous and potent symbol of China's growing naval power than the aircraft carrier Liaoning. | |||||
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