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Feb 23, 2021    
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Good morning and welcome to the Early Bird Brief. Please email news tips and suggestions to earlybird@militarytimes.com.
Today's Top 5
    1. Lawsuit blames Saudi Arabia for deadly 2019 attack at Naval Air Station Pensacola
(The Associated Press) Victims of a 2019 shooting at a Florida military base and their families are suing Saudi Arabia, claiming the kingdom knew the gunman had been radicalized and that it could have prevented the killings.
 
    2. Pentagon not yet placing blame for three rocket attacks on Iraq bases housing US troops
(Military Times) Someone is launching rockets at bases housing American troops and contractors in Iraq, but the Pentagon is treading very lightly about who is behind them.
 
    3. Mandatory COVID-19 vaccination unlikely so long as supply remains low, Army health official says
(Army Times) The coronavirus vaccine remains optional for soldiers, but could become mandatory once the vaccine is issued full Food and Drug Administration licensure or if the president waives the option for service members to opt out.
 
    4. Pentagon budget must prioritize Navy, Air Force and cyber, lawmakers say
(Defense News) The U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force and cyberwarfare must start taking a larger share of the defense budget if the U.S. is going to compete with China, two sea power advocates in Congress said last week.
 
    5. SECDEF Austin, CNO to meet Nimitz Carrier Strike Group ahead of its California return
(USNI News) The first official trip for Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will include a visit with sailors and Marines with the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group later this week, Pentagon officials announced on Monday.
 
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Job Board
    Transitioning out of the military and looking for a job?
(Military Times) We have listings from companies looking for vets.
 
Overseas Operations
    Rockets target US Embassy in Baghdad’s Green Zone, no casualties
(The Associated Press) Three rockets were fired at Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone on Monday without causing any casualties, Iraq’s army said. Security officials said the U.S. Embassy was the target.
 
    US B-1 bombers arrive in Norway in historic first
(The Hill) U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancers from Dyess Air Force Base in Texas arrived in Norway on Monday as part of a training mission in Europe, marking the first time U.S. bombers have operated out of the Scandinavian country.
 
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    NATO anti-sub exercise Dynamic Manta 2021 will include French carrier strike group, US attack boat
(USNI News) NATO kicked off its annual Dynamic Manta anti-submarine warfare exercise today in the Mediterranean, with this year’s iteration including an American nuclear-powered attack sub and the French carrier strike group as it passes by the exercise’s operating area off Sicily.
 
    Base in South Korea lifts virus lockdown; parts of Tokyo now open to some US troops
(Stars & Stripes) Reports of new coronavirus cases in Japan’s capital fell to their lowest level since November while those in South Korea’s largest city spiked after the recent New Year holiday there.
 
    US, Japan start computer-based Resilient Shield 2021 exercise
(UPI) Resilient Shield 2021, a computer-based drill involving the United States and Japan, began on Monday, a week after Chinese ships trespassed in Japanese waters.
 
IDEX
    Paramount Group pitches new drone swarm amid region’s lack of countermeasures
(Defense News) South Africa’s Paramount Group unveiled on Monday a long-range swarming UAV system during the International Defence Exhibition and Conference in the United Arab Emirates.
 
    Saudi, Emirati defense conglomerates cut deal for military vehicle production
(Defense News) In a first for the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, their respective defense industry conglomerates signed a deal to produce the four-wheel drive JAIS vehicle, developed by Emirate firm Nimr, in Saudi Arabia.
 
    Saudi Arabia to stop contracting with firms without local headquarters
(Defense News) Saudi Arabia announced Feb. 15 that it plans to stop signing contracts with foreign companies that don’t have their Mideast headquarters in the kingdom, state-run media reported, a bold move that could escalate business competition in the region.
 
    Who showed up for the in-person UAE weapons show?
(Defense News) In spite of the surging coronavirus pandemic, major arms makers descended Sunday on a convention center in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, hoping to make deals with militaries across the Middle East.
 
    Why a UAE company transformed a 4x4 Ajban into an autonomous vehicle
(Defense News) Nimr unveiled Feb. 21 that it is working with Adasi on a four-wheel drive armored vehicle that can be transformed into an unmanned vehicle.
 
 
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    Saab inks deal with Tawazun to bolster sensor technology research in UAE
(Defense News) Swedish firm Saab will launch research and development efforts for sensor technology in the United Arab Emirates under multiple agreements it signed Sunday at the International Defence Exhibition and Conference in Abu Dhabi.
 
    Edge Group unveils kamikaze drones at IDEX
(Defense News) Emirati defense conglomerate Edge Group unveiled on Sunday four multirotor loitering munitions, sometimes called kamikaze drones, during the first day of the International Defence Exhibition and Conference held in the United Arab Emirates’ capital Abu Dhabi.
 
Pentagon
    Military bases in southern portions of US assess damage caused by winter storm
(Stars & Stripes) As service members returned to work Monday at bases across portions of the south, officials are determining the full effects of last week’s winter storm.
 
    Alabama governor welcomes federal review of Space Command’s proposed home
(The Associated Press) Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Monday said she welcomes a federal review of the decision to move the Space Command headquarters from Colorado to Huntsville, saying she believes it will confirm the decision to move it to her state.
 
    ‘We need your help’: Lloyd Austin calls on troops to help fight extremism in ranks
(Washington Examiner) Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called on members of the military to share their experiences with extremism in a 60-day push aimed at reducing the scourge in the ranks.
 
National Security
    Trump offered Kim Jong Un a ride home on Air Force One following Vietnam summit, source says
(CNN) Then-President Donald Trump in 2019 offered North Korean leader Kim Jong Un a ride home on Air Force One following their Vietnam summit, a former senior administration official who was on the trip confirmed to CNN.
 
Congress & Politics
    This week in Congress: Pandemic response remains lawmakers’ top focus
(Military Times) House lawmakers expect to approve the latest coronavirus relief bill by the end of this week, with a goal of Congress finalizing the bill’s $1.9 trillion in spending — including a significant amount of supplemental funding on veterans programs — by the middle of March.
 
    Pentagon spending may escape deep budget cuts, key senator says
(Bloomberg) The high price tag of taming the coronavirus pandemic and pressure from some Democrats to significantly reduce the Pentagon’s $700 billion budget probably won’t force arbitrary national security budget cuts, the Senate Armed Services Committee’s new chairman said.
 
    ‘Handier than a Ka-Bar’ — Why a Marine grunt turned congressman swears by his multitool
(Task & Purpose) Welcome to The Things I Carry, a semi-regular series from Task & Purpose that examines the everyday carry of notable veterans. This installment features Rep. Ruben Gallego, a Marine veteran who currently serves as the congressman for Arizona’s 7th Congressional District.
 
Army
    Soldier indicted for conspiring with neo-Nazi group seeks dismissal because grand jury wasn't racially diverse
(Stars & Stripes) A soldier indicted on federal charges of conspiring with neo-Nazis to ambush his own unit wants his case dismissed because the grand jury didn’t include enough Black and Hispanic members.
 
    US soldier loses appeal to have $1,500 drone returned after taking photos of 2019 Oktoberfest
(Stars & Stripes) A U.S. soldier who was fined 500 euros and had his electronics confiscated after shooting aerial pictures of the 2019 Oktoberfest in Munich has lost his appeal to have his drone returned to him, court officials said Monday.
 
Navy
    Navy says ‘liking’ or sharing extremists’ posts on social media can get you in trouble
(Navy Times) Sailors engaging with an offensive post regarding white supremacism on social media could themselves be viewed as contributing to extremism in the service, according to Chief of Naval Personnel Vice Adm. John Nowell Jr.
 
    Navy vaccinates thousands aboard aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson in one day
(Stars & Stripes) Nearly 3,000 personnel aboard the USS Carl Vinson were inoculated against the coronavirus in a single day, the Navy’s largest distribution of the vaccine on the West Coast, the service said in a news release Monday.
 
    Naval Academy buildings tend to honor white, male members of military
(Capital Gazette) Although the Naval Academy touts its most diverse brigade this year, the buildings in which the midshipmen live, eat and learn hardly reflect the diversity of the students or the military as a whole.
 
    Instead of in Virginia Beach, these Navy divers are training under 3 feet of ice in Minnesota
(Daily Press) It dipped to 9 below zero before dawn Friday at Camp Ripley, Minnesota — the same as at Barrow, Alaska, the northernmost point in the United States — which is why Chief Warrant Officer 2 Joshua Slack has no doubts that his divers are getting the right training for the Navy’s stepped up interest in Arctic operations.
 
Air Force
    Air Force wants to harden the B-2 bomber to withstand an EMP attack
(Military.com) The U.S. Air Force is looking for ways to better protect its B-2 Spirit bombers from a future electromagnetic pulse, or EMP, attack, according to a solicitation posted on the government's acquisition and awards website.
 
    Air Combat Command issues diversity and inclusion strategic plan
(Air Force Magazine) Air Combat Command is pursuing four lines of effort to enhance diversity and inclusion among its force, according to an excerpt from its newly issued Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan, obtained by Air Force Magazine on Feb. 19. The plan, which has not been publicly released, was issued the same day.
 
    Security forces training incident prompts investigation at Little Rock AFB
(Air Force Magazine) The 19th Airlift Wing at Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark., launched an investigation after a 19th Security Forces Squadron airman discharged their weapon into a classroom wall during a Feb. 14 “dry-fire training,” wing spokesperson 1st Lt. Jessica M. Cicchetto wrote in a Feb. 19 email to Air Force Magazine.
 
    Air Force tests suicide prevention training with virtual reality system
(UPI) A suicide prevention training program, using virtual reality, was tested last week at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., the U.S. Air Force said on Monday.
 
    First all-Black crew flies JSTARS surveillance mission
(UPI) An E-8C Joint Surveillance and Target Attack Radar System exercise included a 33-person, all-Black flight crew for the first time, the U.S. Air Force said.
 
Marine Corps
    Marine veteran, ex-Florida police officer latest charged in Capitol breach
(The Associated Press) A former Florida police officer and Marine Corps veteran is the latest person to be charged with taking part in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
 
    One shot, one kill: Marines begin fielding new precision rifle optic
(Military.com) The Marine Corps has started fielding a new rifle optic designed to adjust for close and long-range targets for more precise shooting.
 
    Marine Corps seeks to make 'smarter' infantry force with new course
(Stars & Stripes) The Marine Corps is ditching some of its formation marches and adding board games to a new, longer entry-level infantry training course aimed at creating Marines who can better think and act for themselves.
 
National Guard
    People tried to breach Air National Guard bases at least 13 times this year
(Air Force Magazine) As of the morning of Feb. 19, the Air National Guard had recorded 13 breaches—including attempted and successful intrusions—at its installations since the start of 2021, ANG Director Lt. Gen. Michael A. Loh told Air Force Magazine in an interview that day. However, ANG declined to disclose the locations of the breaches due to operational security concerns.
 
Veterans
    A 99-year-old World War II veteran finally gets his medals
(Military Times) Shaky but sturdy, retired Sgt. 1st Class Marvin Cornett stood tall in a uniform he hadn’t worn in more than half a century to receive an overlooked award he’d been due since 1944.
 
    Tricare waives referrals for prime enrollees seeking COVID-19 vaccine
(Military.com) The Defense Department has waived a requirement that Tricare Prime patients have a referral from their primary care doctors to get the COVID-19 vaccine outside the military health system.
 
Education & Transition
    About 1 in 3 colleges have cut funding for veteran-support programs, survey says
(Military Times) About 30 percent of colleges and universities have reduced funding for veteran-support programs during the past year, and some schools have eliminated their support offices entirely, according to a recent study.
 
Pay & Benefits
    Here’s some tax prep advice for military members, including COVID quirks
(Military Times) While 2020 may be behind us in some ways, there’s still the matter of filing those 2020 tax returns, and there are, of course, some COVID twists to taxes.
 
Military Culture & History
    Listen to this comedian’s hilarious take on military running cadence
(Military Times) Josh Pray has never worn a military uniform, but, like most of us, his first exposure to even a few stanzas of a military running cadence left him feeling some sort of way.
 
    Tattooed vet competes for cover girl spot with ‘Inked’ magazine
(Military Times) Army veteran Marie Oberloh’s first tattoo was her name in Korean. She, like many who go under the needle, fell in love with ink soon after, an obsession that eventually turned her body into a canvas for numerous works of art.
 
    Offutt lab seeks to identify soldiers who fought and died in segregated unit in WWII
(Omaha World-Herald) Vernon Joseph Baker couldn’t help but shed a tear on his day in the spotlight as President Bill Clinton draped the blue-ribboned Medal of Honor around his neck.
 
Podcasts
    Seeking the Military Suicide Solution Podcast, Episode 49: Chris Jachimiec - Listener Response to STMSS Series
(Military Times) Seeking the Military Suicide Solution Podcast, Episode 49: Chris Jachimiec - Listener Response to STMSS Series
 
Defense Industry
    LCS shipbuilder president resigns amid US and Australian financial investigations
(Defense News) The head of Alabama shipbuilder Austal USA has resigned amid investigations from U.S. and Australian authorities into a $115 million loss the company posted in 2016 that was tied to the builder’s Independence-class littoral combat ship program.
 
    Saab heads EU industry push for a drone collision-avoidance kit
(Defense News) The European Commission has approved Saab to lead the bloc’s quest for a detect-and-avoid kit that would allow aerial drones to fly safely alongside civilian air traffic.
 
    France to begin building new ballistic missile subs
(Defense News) France has launched the program for its Navy’s third-generation nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, which will see four vessels eventually delivered to the service.
 
    US industry struggles to strip Chinese tech from networks
(Breaking Defense) More than two years after Congress passed two laws to strip Chinese hardware and software from U.S. defense and telecommunications supply chains, industry is struggling to figure out how.
 
Space, Cyber & Unmanned
    Israel’s IAI and Matrix partner for AI center focused on automatic target detection
(C4ISRNET) Israel Aerospace Industries and Matrix Defense are partnering on an artificial intelligence center to develop automated target detection for future battlefields.
 
    US Air Force wants to transition software aboard C-130s
(C4ISRNET) The U.S. Air Force needs industry’s help to transition software onboard C-130s to a DevSecOps approach to allow easier, more frequent updates.
 
    How China’s digital Silk Road is leading countries away from the United States
(Defense One) Beijing is using technology products, markets, and training to secure influence with U.S. security partners, a IISS report finds.
 
    DOD inspector general to probe selection of Space Command headquarters
(Omaha World-Herald) The complaint from Nebraska and Colorado that politics tainted the selection of Huntsville, Alabama, as the preferred site for the U.S. Space Command’s permanent headquarters is about to get a hearing in Washington.
 
Commentary & Analysis
    What is a legacy system? The key is relevance, not age.
(Defense News) Two decades into the 21st century, far too much of the U.S. military consists of systems that were designed and initially produced at the end of the last century, and in many cases back to the late Cold War.
 
    Keep all B-1 and B-2 bombers until the new B-21 is available
(Defense News) It was brief and it was dark, but the flyover of three U.S. Air Force bombers in formation at Super Bowl LV signaled more to the world than just a fleeting flyby.
 
    Book excerpt: ‘Staying Alive: Surviving Abuse, Fighting a War, and Beating Cancer – My First Twenty-Five Years’
(Military Times) Joining the Marines at 17 years old to escape a chaotic and abusive home, Curry was unprepared for the daily barrage of blood and violence he would experience in Fallujah.
 
    Spider silk research: From bone regeneration to bulletproof vests
(Military Times) To date, a myriad of possible uses for spider silk have been proposed — including medical applications, cosmetics, composite materials for aircraft, protective body armor and incorporation into textiles.
 
    Geospatial intelligence could offer blueprint for protecting national security through technological leadership
(C4ISRNET) When the Cold War ended 30 years ago, the United States was unrivaled in virtually all of the technologies thought to define the future of civilization. In the intervening years, however, there has been a steady decline in U.S. technological leadership and, in turn, a deterioration of the country’s economic performance.
 
    When it comes to Space Force integration, burden is on the other services
(Defense & Aerospace Report) What’s the proper place of America’s newest military branch?
 
    Who should lead paramilitary operations? – Picking the right fight
(Small Wars Journal) Arguments over who should lead paramilitary operations avoids the bigger issue: what policy does the United States want to achieve?
 
    B-2 Spirit stealth bomber: The Air Force’s ultimate weapon
(19FortyFive) On Super Bowl Sunday, the United States Air Force offered the first-of-its-kind trifecta flyover, which included a B-1B Lancer from Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota, a B-52 Stratofortress from Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota, and a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri.
 
    NATO allies must pay more for Europe’s security
(Bloomberg) Other major issues are pulling out of Afghanistan and getting on the same page with China policy.
 
    The Biden administration is taking steps to stay in Iraq forever
(Defense One) A recent UN briefing reveals expansive goals for the U.S. war effort.
 
    Sole purpose is not first use: Nuclear weapons and declaratory policy
(War On The Rocks) Nuclear weapons by themselves can say a lot. They may deter aggression, for example, through their simple existence, generating a “threat that leaves something to chance,” as Thomas Schelling famously put it.
 
    Deterring North Korea's dynamic nuclear strategy
(War On The Rocks) North Korea’s flamboyant nighttime military parades and Kim Jong Un’s ambitious vows to expand his nuclear arsenal have understandably left many in Washington fixated on preventing and reversing the country’s nuclear development.
 
    The nuclear option
(Foreign Affairs) Slowing a new arms race means compromising on missile defenses.
 
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