North Korea Removes Its Army Chief From All His Posts
(New York Times) In a dramatic fall from power within North Koreas opaque hierarchy, a senior army general widely seen as a guardian of the Norths new leader was removed from all his posts, the Norths official media reported on Monday.
Under Diplomatic Strain, Japan Recalls Envoy In Dispute With China Over Islands
(New York Times) Japan temporarily recalled its ambassador to China on Sunday in response to renewed friction over a disputed island group, while it faces discord with its allies South Korea and the United States over women forced to work in Japanese brothels during World War II.
MRAPs Represent New Tool On Contentious Korean Peninsula
(Stars and Stripes) MRAPs, the iconic vehicle of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, have arrived on the Korean peninsula, giving the U.S. and South Korea a new tool to keep the peace and respond to hostilities here.
Staying Calm As Sequestration Looms
(Capital Business) Despite the concerns of larger defense contractors, smaller companies are taking a more measured and cautious approach to about $1 trillion in mandatory federal budget reductions set to start in January.
Contractor Chiefs Sound The Sequester Siren
(Bloomberg Government (bgov.com)) Dont look for hard-hitting questions or defiant answers when the chiefs of four defense contractors led by Lockheed Martin Corp. testify this week on Capitol Hill.
Fearing 'Fiscal Cliff,' Investors Bearish About U.S. Contractors
(Washington Post) Investors are punishing companies that depend on the U.S. government for sales as contractors face as much as $1 trillion in Pentagon cuts because Congress and the White House haven't agreed on a deficit-reduction plan.
Obama Lets The U.N. Tie His Hands On Syria
(Wall Street Journal) To retain power in the face of a popular revolt, Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad has killed nearly 15,000 civilians. From a humanitarian point of view, this is a crisis. From a national-interest point of view, it is an opportunity to undermine enemies of the United States in both Damascus and Tehran. But President Obama has treated the bloody turmoil, first and foremost, as an opportunity to strengthen the idea that America should subject itself to the United Nations Security Council.
Concern Grows Over The Fate Of Regime?s Chemical Arms
(Financial Times) How concerned should the world be about President Bashar al-Assads possession of chemical and biological weapons? As the civil war between the regime and rebel groups inside Syria intensifies, the question is one that is increasingly on the minds of senior government officials in the US, Europe and the Middle East.
The Right Way Out Of Afghanistan
(Foreign Affairs) The signing in May of a strategic partnership agreement between the United States and Afghanistan came at a tense time in the Afghan war. As NATO and the International Security Assistance Force work to transfer security responsibility for much of the country to the Afghan government, the agreement establishes the contours of a long-term relationship and a framework for future cooperation. But it notably leaves out details on the levels of forces and funding the United States will commit to Afghanistan after 2014.
Iran, Arms-Control Role Model
(Wall Street Journal) Want some entertainment for these hot summer days? Try the theater of the absurd at the United Nations, where the Islamic Republic of Iran has earned a top arms-control post.
NGAUS: Drill Pay Issue Mischaracterized
NGAUS Board to Hear Guard Bureau Updates
Bill Makes Transition Advisors Permanent
Program Seeks Cost-saving Ideas from Federal Workforce
07/13/2012 04:51 PM CDT
Horses for Heroes Program Helps Wounded Warriors Heal
07/13/2012 03:44 PM CDT
DOD Expands Family Support Network
07/13/2012 05:08 PM CDT
Locklear Arrives in Manila for Security Talks
07/15/2012 09:20 AM CDT
One Death a Day: The Surging Tide of Soldier Suicides
By MARK THOMPSON
Soldier Suicide: The Stigma to Seeking Help
Miller Sheds Light on Costs of Keeping Air Guard Airplanes: It would cost the Air Force some $4.4 billion between Fiscal 2013 and Fiscal 2017 to operate and sustain the Air National Guard airplanes that the service would like to retireundefinedsome 150 tailsundefinedstarting next fiscal year, said Lt. Gen. Christopher Miller, the Air Staff's strategic planner, July 12. "That would account for putting the aircraft back into all of the normal servicing and modernization and upkeep that we do as a service," he told the House Armed Services Committee's readiness panel. The Air Force proposed shedding roughly 270 aircraft in total across its active and reserve components as part of its Fiscal 2013 budget proposal to Congress. Senior service leadership maintains that these cuts are necessary to shape the force so that it stays ready and potent to support the new national defense strategy in the face of steep defense spending cuts. Congress has not gone along with these plans, however, saying the Air Force did not properly consult state governors on the proposed Air Guard reductions. Instead, lawmakers appear set to keep at least most of the Air Force's aircraft force structure intact through at least Fiscal 2013. (Miller's prepared testimony)
Flight control failure grounds C-27J planes
The Air Force has grounded its fleet of C-27J cargo planes after an aircraft experienced a mechanical failure in part of its flight controls during a training sortie last week. Air Force officials at the plane’s program office in Ohio ordered the grounding following the July 3 incident, which it is calling a “flight control problem,” according to a written statement provided by an Air Force spokeswoman. The Air Force has ordered an investigation into the incident. [ Read More ]
Confirmation hearing set for AF chief nominee
The Senate Armed Services Committee has set July 19 as the day it will consider the president’s nomination of Gen. Mark Welsh as the next Air Force chief of staff.
Welsh, the commander of U.S. Air Forces Europe, was selected to replace Gen. Norton Schwartz, who retires in August after four years on the job. His nomination must be confirmed by the Senate. [ Read More ]
Iowa governor blasts DoD over Air Guard cuts
WASHINGTON undefined Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad sharply criticized the country’s top defense leaders Thursday for leaving U.S. states “in the dark” about drastic proposed cuts to the Air National Guard and said the Defense Department needs to improve communication with the country’s governors. In a rare appearance before a House Armed Services subcommittee in Washington, Branstad said the move by the Air Force to cut the country’s Air National Guard, which included the reduction of 378 people now serving with the Des Moines-based 132nd and the elimination of all 21 F-16 aircraft there, was met with surprise by the country’s governors. The move, he said, appeared to demonstrate a lack of understanding of the role the Guard plays in domestic projects such as flood response. [ Read More ]
Active-duty personnel costs projected to spike
The Defense Department’s average costs to maintain a service member on active duty has jumped 50 percent since 2001, to $158,000 per year, with even faster growth predicted in the future, according to a Congressional Budget Office report that looks at long-range implications of the pending 2013 defense budget.
Personnel costs have been climbing at a rate of about $4,000 per person per year since 2001, according to the report released Wednesday by the nonpartisan budget office but are expected to rise by an average of $4,700 a year over the next several years, despite Defense Department efforts to hold down costs. [ Read More ]
Report: DoD does not know if PTSD programs work
The Defense Department has a woeful lack of information on the effectiveness and related costs of its post-traumatic stress disorder treatment programs, despite having spent millions on various initiatives to address psychological health and traumatic brain injury, a panel of top scientists concluded in a report released Friday. In a review of DoD and Veterans Affairs Department PTSD treatments mandated by Congress in 2010, an Institute of Medicine panel found fewer than half of all service members and veterans who screen positive for the disorder’s symptoms undefined 40 percent undefined have received referrals for care, and of those, just 65 percent actually go on to get help. [ Read More ]
Nineteenth Air Force Stands Down: Air Education and Training Command inactivated 19th Air Force last week during a ceremony at JBSA-Randolph, Tex. The numbered air force oversaw AETC's flying mission for nearly two decades, but the Air Force identified it as one of three numbered air forces that it could do without as part of broader efforts to shed some $34 billion in overhead. "Nineteenth Air Force led the stand up of the F-35 [strike fighter] schoolhouse and the Air Force's only undergraduate remotely piloted aircraft training program for pilots and sensor operators. The unit also activated student squadrons, streamlining the administrative control of the nearly 1,400 student pilots who begin training each year," said AETC boss Gen. Edward Rice during the July 12 inactivation ceremony. The NAF "did all this while maintaining the day-to-day flying training missions, which account for 47 percent of the Air Force's total flying hour program," added Rice. Maj. Gen. Mark Solo, 19th AF commander, retired following the inactivation ceremony. Earlier this year, US Air Forces in Europe inactivated 17th AF in Germany, while Pacific Air Forces is slated to stand down 13th AF in Hawaii in September. (JBSA-Randolph report by Bekah Clark)
AFMC's Reorganization Takes Shape: This past week, large pieces of Air Force Materiel Command's restructuring plan fell into place at Hill AFB, Utah, and Tinker AFB, Okla. On July 12, officials redesignated Hill's Ogden Air Logistics Center a complexundefinedthe Ogden Air Logistics Complexundefinedand it became part of the new Air Force Sustainment Center that stood up two days earlier at Tinker, according to a Hill release. AFSC will oversee the sustainment of Air Force weapons systems. "Mission-capable and -ready weapons systems are what is required to fight and win our nation's wars. And that is what AFSC will deliver," said Lt. Gen. Bruce Litchfield, AFSC commander. Also at Tinker on July 10, the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center became a complex and now falls under AFSC. The air logisitcs complexes will continue their missions, but without their former command staffs, thereby reducing management overhead, states a July 12 Tinker release. The changes are part of AFMC's consolidation of its 12 centers to five to operate more efficiently, with projected savings of about $109 million annually. On July 13, as part of these changes, the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards AFB, Calif.,became the Air Force Test Center.
Schwartz Makes Fini Flight: Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz last week made his final flight as an active duty officer, piloting an MC-130E Combat Talon I on a local training sortie from Hurlburt Field, Fla. Schwartz, CSAF since August 2008, is retiring from the Air Force after a 39-year career, effective Oct. 1. His retirement ceremony is scheduled for Aug. 10 at JB Andrews, Md. For his July 12 fini flight, Schwartz piloted Combat Talon No. 64-0568, which is assigned to Air Force Reserve Command's 919th Special Operations Wing at Duke Field, Fla., according to Hurlburt's July 14 release. Upon completing the sortie, Schwartz received the ceremonial hose down from his wife Suzie Schwartz, and friends and colleagues greeted him. "To have the opportunity to join this outstanding crew on their training sortie, for one last flight while in the Air Force, was truly special," said Schwartz. "They are true professionals dedicated to their country, and like all our airmen, I will always be proud to have served alongside them." President Obama has nominated current US Air Forces in Europe Commander Gen. Mark Welsh to be the next CSAF. (Hurlburt report by TSgt. Samuel King Jr.)
Boeing Bows Out of Launch Range Competition: Boeing will no longer pursue the $3 billion contract to provide operations and maintenance support at the Air Force's space launch ranges on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, reported the Washington Business Journal. It was in the company's best interest to "focus resources in other areas," said Boeing spokeswoman Ellen Buhr, according to the July 12 WBJ report. The decision comes roughly a year after Boeing announced
Three Cheers for Liberty and Valor: The Defense Department intends to establish a data base to validate veterans' alleged claims of decorations. "We are exploring options to stand up a data base of valor awards and medals," said Pentagon Press Secretary George Little on July 10. "We would obviously hope to go as far back as possible, but we also want there to be integrity in the data," he added, explaining that the department is still deciding what decorations to include. Little said Erin Conaton, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, is leading this effort, which came about after last month's Supreme Court ruling that struck down the Stolen Valor Act, a law criminalizing false claims of decoration, on Constitutional free-speech grounds. The court, instead, encouraged DOD to combat the problem by creating a publicly accessible data base that potential employers or concerned citizens could check for themselves. Lawmakers also are proposing a revised Stolen Valor Act that would penalize those who try to benefit from making false claims. (Little-Kirby transcript)
End-of-Production Planning for C-17: The Air Force awarded Boeing a $500 million contract to transition from production of the C-17 transport to post-production support, announced the Pentagon. "The contract allows the US Air Force to purchase critical spare assemblies and also allows for post-production planning of the C-17 program," Bob Ceisla, Boeing's airlift vice president, told the Daily Report on July 11. "This is the beginning of a 10-year process . . . to leverage cost-effective purchases of critical parts to support the C-17 during its operational lifetime," he added. Boeing builds the C-17 at its plant in Long Beach, Calif. The company plans to deliver the Air Force's 224th and likely final C-17 next May, but it is still courting international customers, said Ceisla. "We are actively pursuing international sales and see strong customer interest in the capabilities only the C-17 can deliver," he noted. Boeing delivered the 27th international C-17 to the United Arab Emirates in May.
undefinedArie Church and Evan Milberg
Navy doctor let kids hold dead Marine’s brain
A Navy pathologist has been reassigned to an administrative position for letting his children handle the brain of a deceased Marine Corps sergeant while his wife took pictures in their home. [ Read More ]
Vt. officials meet with residents over F-35
BURLINGTON, Vt. undefined Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin’s administration says it’s working to answer questions about the Air Force’s proposal to base F-35 fighter jets at Burlington International Airport. [ Read More ]
Troops balance fighting, mentoring Afghans
KUNARPROVINCE, Afghanistan undefined Three weeks of relative calm was shattered when the first crack of gunfire whizzed across the combat outpost and was followed by a barrage of rocket-propelled grenades. [ Read More ]
Don’t overturn my conviction, faker says
FORT WORTH, Texas undefined Richard David McClanahan no longer considers himself a veteran. Convicted of embellishing his military record and claiming awards he never won, McClanahan says he doesn’t attend Veterans Day parades or Memorial Day events out of shame.[ Read More ]
Ellsworth airman sentenced in sex crime case
Pentagon: Drugs not used on Gitmo prisoners
VA to expand health program for rural veterans
U.S., China square off over South China Sea
Bales to face Article 32 hearing in September
Reservists required to register, update civilian employment information
Reservists who are paid for training are required to register information about their civilian place of employment. The 446th Airlift Wing is sitting at 68 percent compliance.
SecAF visits Heavy Airlift Wing in Hungary
Cost-cutting ideas sought through SAVE award
War of 1812 Walking Tour Opens at Naval Academy
U.S. Basketball Teams Wow Service Members, Families
07/15/2012 11:04 AM CDT
§ Court-Martial to Begin in Lackland Sex Scandal
§ Ranger Vet Convicted in Rape Trial on the Run
§ Iranian Lawmakers Call for Nuclear Ships
§ Russia Accuses West of Blackmail on Syria Plans
§ World Sea Piracy Falls in First 6 Months of 2012
§ Soldier Escapes Jail Time in Brothel Fire
§ Record: Navy Doc Let Family Handle Marine's Brain
§ Auditors Say Billions Likely Wasted in Iraq Work
§ Calls for Tough UN Action After Syria 'Outrage'
§ Olympic Chief Defends Using Troops for Games
§ Advanced Drug Tunnels Found on Border
§ Def Tech: King Air Grows into ISR Mission
§ Kit Up!: 'Grunt Life' Magazine
§ Good News for Veteran Unemployment?
§ The Line: Cole Skipper Airs out Grudges
§ Know Your Benefits
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