TODAY'S TOP 5
1. Obama OKs air strikes in Iraq, begins open-ended humanitarian mission
(Military Times) President Obama expanded U.S. military operations in Iraq on Thursday, authorizing both "targeted air strikes" on Islamic militants and an open-ended humanitarian mission to help thousands of besieged Iraqis on the verge of starvation.
2. Walsh drops out of U.S. Senate race
(Billings Gazette; Mont.) Sen. John Walsh said Thursday he is pulling out of the Senate race because his campaign was distracted by the controversy over allegations that he plagiarized a U.S. Army War College research paper.
3. A letter from a major fired by the Army
(Army Major Charles V. Slider III in Foreign Policy) I was selected for the recently convened Officer Separation Boards for the Department of the Army for a mistake over eight years ago. The mistake was a DUI in which I received a General Officer Memorandum for Record in 2006. Since this incident, I strived for excellence in every job that I performed.
4. Danzig: Focus on cyber 'existential' threats undermines U.S. preparedness
(Inside Cybersecurity) Washington's recurring tendency to label cyber attacks an "existential" threat to the United States exaggerates the danger and fails to focus attention on managing significant cyber risks to critical infrastructure and U.S. national security, according to Richard Danzig, a key administration adviser and author of a recent cybersecurity study.
5. Flynn's Last Interview: Intel Iconoclast Departs DIA With A Warning
(Breaking Defense) In this exclusive exit interview with Breaking Defense contributor James Kitfield, the outgoing chief of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, talks about metastasizing Islamic terrorism, his struggles to reform intelligence-gathering, and the risk of lurching from crisis to crisis in an Internet-accelerated world. - the editors.
IRAQ
Top U.S. officer in Iraq: 'We must neutralize this enemy'
(Army Times) The violent advances of Islamic militants in Iraq is not an isolated problem but rather a "growing global challenge" that needs to be dealt with, the top American general in Iraq told Army Times.
Militant gains in Iraq bring urgent U.S. policy reconsideration
(Washington Post) The increasingly dire straits of refugees in the Kurdish region of Iraq, amid startling gains by Islamist forces there, led President Obama to authorize airstrikes against them Thursday in a major escalation of U.S. involvement in the crisis there.
Why Control of a Terrifying Dam in Iraq Is Life or Death for Half Million People
(ABC News) There are conflicting reports out today about whether the extremist group ISIS has taken control over Iraq's largest and most dangerous dam, which Iraqi officials had previously said was safe under the protection of Kurdish forces.
For Obama, Iraq Move Is a Policy Reversal
(Wall Street Journal) President Barack Obama stepped in front of the cameras on Thursday to utter words he hoped he would never say as commander in chief.
Why can't Islamic State be stopped? Analysts say it's better armed, better organized
(McClatchy) The Islamic State's push toward the Kurdish city of Irbil on Thursday came as unwelcome news to those who'd believed that the Kurdish peshmerga militia would be the force most capable of halting the militant Islamists' momentum.
U.S. Lawmakers Voice Support for Iraq Airstrikes, Humanitarian Aid
(Wall Street Journal) U.S. lawmakers offered support Thursday evening for President Barack Obama's approval of targeted military strikes against Islamist militants in northern Iraq, while suggesting further U.S. actions may be necessary.
INDUSTRY
In a marketing coup, Scorpion joins Guard exercise
(Defense News) The Textron AirLand Scorpion doesn't yet have a buyer, but that hasn't stopped the plane from taking part in a major National Guard training exercise this week.
Huntington Ingalls Posts Profit, Revenue Increase
(Wall Street Journal) Huntington Ingalls HII +4.21% Industries Inc. said its second-quarter earnings rose 75% as revenue increased and costs edged down.
India offers to buy more U.S. helicopters, hopes to drive down costs
(Reuters) India has offered to significantly increase an order for U.S. attack helicopters, Indian officials said, as U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel began a visit to New Delhi on Thursday aimed at boosting defence and strategic ties.
Boeing, United Technologies Stockpile Titanium Parts
(Wall Street Journal) Boeing Co. BA +1.27% and United Technologies Corp. UTX +0.41% have been stockpiling titanium parts from a Russian producer in case economic tensions between Washington and Moscow disrupt supplies of the metal critical to building jetliners.
SpaceX Might Win in Court, But Can It Beat the Pentagon's Procurement Culture?
(National Defense) While SpaceX continues to fight a legal battle to gain access to the military rocket launch market, it remains in doubt whether the company's commercial business model can coexist with the Pentagon's highly regulated procurement system.
USN's troubled 11th Virginia-class submarine sails on second voyage after passing 'alpha' sea trials
(IHS Jane's 360) The US Navy's (USN's) first Virginia-class attack submarine to be built with a redesigned bow has departed on its second ocean voyage for an extended set of sea trials, shipbuilder General Dynamics Electric Boat (GDEB) told IHS Jane's on 6 August.
Northrop Grumman gets $90M Air Force BACN contract
(C4ISR & Networks) Northrop Grumman has received an $89.7 million U.S. Air Force contract option for the Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN) system.
Kamov to create Ka-175 rotary UAV
(IHS Jane's 360) Kamov have revealed details of their new Ka-175 vertical takeoff and landing reconnaissance and strike unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), which could make its maiden flight within a year.
Germany's Rheinmetall Under Pressure After Russian Contract Nixed
(Wall Street Journal) Rheinmetall AG RHM.XE -2.28% , the German industrial group caught in the cross hairs of Western sanctions against Russia, has lowered its sales and earnings forecasts partly because a canceled export license for a Russian military training center.
Brazil seeking business in southern Africa
(IHS Jane's 360) During late July and early August Brazil received two high-ranking delegations from southern African states as the country is seeking to increase its defence contacts in Africa.
VETERANS
Obama signs VA reform, but changes will take time
(Military Times) President Obama signed the new Veterans Affairs Department reform bill into law Thursday, but it will be a while before veterans see any of its effects.
VA blames 'confusion' for misstatements about deaths
(CNN) The Department of Veterans Affairs apologized on Thursday for causing "confusion" in communicating about the number of deaths caused by delayed care at its medical facilities, but said "there was no intent to mislead anyone."
Combat Stress Among Veterans Is Found to Persist Since Vietnam
(New York Times) Most veterans who had persistent post-traumatic stress a decade or more after serving in the Vietnam War have shown surprisingly little improvement since then, and a large percentage have died, a new study finds, updating landmark research that began a generation ago.
Did leadership by 'bold goals' spark VA wait-time crisis?
(Military Update) Until he resigned in May, VA Secretary Eric Shinseki led his department of more than 350,000 employees for five years by setting "bold goals" that looked impossible to achieve but that he knew, from his Army years, could inspire better performance and, from Congress, bigger budgets.
Records show Obama met just once with Shinseki during VA scandal
(Fox News) President Obama touted the newly passed Veterans Affairs reform bill Thursday as he signed the measure into law and lamented the scandal that triggered it.
Oak Cliff Veteran Found Dead After Exiting VA Hospital Despite Signs of Dementia
(Dallas Observer) Everyone who knew him could agree that Odell Lee was a nice guy. He was known to pull out his own wallet if you told him money was tight. He would offer you one of his cigarettes when the two of you were talking. He made a point to be friendly with his neighbors. Lee enjoyed living alone, but had a wide circle of friends and relatives in the Dallas area, including two children and 10 grandchildren.
The plight of veterans remains a passionate issue in Colorado
(Washington Post) Veterans may not be at the forefront of every Colorado resident's concerns. But those who do care, care passionately. Bob Beauprez, the Republican candidate for governor, chaired a veterans working group Thursday to discuss what the state is doing for veterans and how it could be improved.
CONGRESS
GOP Members Rip White House on al-Qaida
(Defense News) Two veteran Republican lawmakers are blasting the Obama administration's contention that al-Qaida's core in Afghanistan and Pakistan has been substantially weakened.
Dem lauds National Guard ending sponsorship of NASCAR
(The Hill) Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) claimed victory Thursday after the National Guard announced it would be pulling out of its sponsorship of NASCAR.
Senate Blocks F-22 Cut, Little Else for USAF Reprograming
(Defense News) The relationship between the US Air Force and Congress has been strained for several years, but budget documents show the four major defense committees are at least willing to consider most of the service's funding priorities.
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Defense Department sets up Ebola task force
(Military Times) The Defense Department is closely watching the Ebola epidemic, establishing a small internal task force to evaluate ways to support international efforts to stop the outbreak, the Pentagon's top spokesman said Tuesday.
As wars end, a benefits system complicates the process of moving on for spouses
(Washington Post) On Mother's Day 2010, Marine Sgt. Thomas Bagosy told his wife that he loved her and that he had completed his two purposes in life: He had served his country and helped bring their children into the world.
DISA tracks UC progress in DoD
(C4ISR & Networks) The concept of unified capabilities represents what is happening across Defense Department technology: a broad centralization of IT and services shared among partners with the promises of savings and efficiencies while providing better capabilities to the war fighter. Officials have long been talking the talk, and they say they're ready to walk the walk.
U.S. Military Plugs Into Social Media for Intelligence Gathering
(Wall Street Journal) Minutes after Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 went down on July 17 in eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 on board, a Defense Intelligence Agency analyst sifting social-media communications got "a hit."
ARMY
Atheist group threatens legal action over Bible display at processing station
(Army Times) A recent enlistee in the Missouri National Guard said he felt pressured into taking a camouflage Bible that was available in the waiting room of a military entrance processing station - and a humanist group to which he belongs has threatened a lawsuit.
Photos: The remains of Maj. Gen. Harold Greene, killed in Afghanistan, return to the U.S.
(Washington Post) The remains of Army Maj. Gen. Harold J. Greene, the first U.S. general killed in a combat zone since the Vietnam War, arrived at Dover Air Force Base on Thursday. In traditional fashion, U.S. soldiers carried out the fallen service member from an aircraft to a waiting military vehicle and then to the mortuary.
Lawsuit: Master sgt. was kicked out for anti-Obama and religious views
(Army Times) A retired master sergeant who spent more than 15 years in the U.S. Army Band filed a complaint in U.S. Federal Claims Court on Aug. 1, which states that he was "systematically persecuted by a politically correct cabal who has repeatedly tried to censor his speech and mock his religious beliefs."
Bowe Bergdahl Details Disappearance to General Leading an Inquiry
(New York Times) During his first interview with the general leading an investigation into his capture by the Taliban, Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl on Wednesday described details of his disappearance from his tiny combat outpost in eastern Afghanistan five years ago.
SMA Chandler is 'watching you.' No, really. He is.
(Army Times) Have you seen the internet meme, "SMA Chandler is watching you?" Well, it turns out that he is, and he's seen the meme, too.
NAVY
U.S Cruiser Returns to Black Sea 'To Promote Peace And Stability'
(USNI News) The U.S. has sent a guided missile cruiser into the Black Sea on Wednesday as part of an ongoing presence mission following the Russian seizure of Crimea, U.S. Navy officials told USNI News.
Navy SPAWAR gets new leader
(C4ISR & Networks) RDML David Lewis took the helm from RADM Patrick Brady, who has commanded SPAWAR for the past four years and plans to retire.
Navy officer fined for landing own plane at Norfolk base
(Virginian-Pilot) A high-ranking Navy Reserve officer was cleared of two federal misdemeanor charges but found guilty of a third after making a last-minute decision to land his private plane at Norfolk Naval Station amid bad weather.
Robert B. Erly, Navy rear admiral and Pearl Harbor survivor, dies at 100
(Washington Post) Robert B. Erly, a retired Navy rear admiral who was a decorated survivor of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, died July 31 at a hospital in San Diego. He was 100.
AIR FORCE
First F-35s in Pacific likely headed to Eielson
(Air Force Times) The first F-35s assigned to Pacific Command will likely be stationed in inland Alaska, the Air Force announced Thursday.
A Rookie Takes Us Inside the Hurricane Hunters' Hurricane-Hunting Aircraft
(Slate) The NOAA hurricane hunters, a team of Florida-based airborne scientists, collect crucial weather data that help calibrate computer models and improve forecasts. And this week, they've temporarily relocated this week to the Pacific.
Last of deactivated Malmstrom missile silos eliminated
(Great Falls Tribune; Mont.) The last of the deactivated intercontinental ballistic missile silos operated by Malmstrom Air Force Base were eliminated Tuesday.
MARINE CORPS
Corps' iPad-generation pilots will unlock F-35 capabilities
(Marine Corps Times) The Marine Corps is preparing for a surge in the combat capability of the Navy-Marine air/ground expeditionary force.
Marine brigade fights lean
(San Diego Union-Tribune) The Marine brigade fighting through the Mojave desert in a unique training exercise that begins Friday is the Corps' answer to the less-is-more era of military operations.
Why pilots couldn't stop a Marine Corps drone helicopter from crashing
(Washington Post) It was a routine evening in Afghanistan when Marines and contractors with Lockheed Martin launched an unmanned K-Max drone helicopter from a major base in Helmand province to carry food rations to a smaller outpost. The aircraft had made hundreds of similar trips for the Marines since first being deployed in 2011, and it looked like this would be like any other.
CH-53K to Make First Flight Within a Year
(Seapower) The next-generation heavy-lift helicopter for the Marine Corps will make its first flight within the next year, according to the Navy's program manager.
AFGHANISTAN/PAKISTAN
Kerry Visits Afghanistan to Urge Deal on the Election
(New York Times) Secretary of State John Kerry made an unannounced visit here on Thursday to press Afghanistan's rival presidential candidates to form a government of national unity and rescue the political agreement he negotiated almost four weeks ago.
Afghan troops' rocky past offers clues into shooting that killed U.S. general
(Washington Post) Maj. Gen. Harold J. Greene, the highest-ranking U.S. military officer killed in a war zone in four decades, died not at the hand of a sworn enemy but from a burst of gunfire by a soldier in an allied army who had been largely paid, trained and equipped with American and NATO support.
Harakat-ul-Mujahideen 'operates terrorist training camps in eastern Afghanistan'
(Long War Journal) The US State Department said that Harakat-ul-Mujahideen, a Pakistani jihadist group which is linked to al Qaeda and is active in South Asia, is currently running training camps in Afghanistan.
MIDDLE EAST
Rockets fired into Israel as three-day truce expires
(Washington Post) Militants began to fire rockets again at Israel on Friday morning after a three-day truce ended and talks in Cairo to extend the cease-fire sputtered.
IDF detail the damage inflicted on Gaza militants
(IHS Jane's 360) The Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip have suffered substantial damage and expended a significant proportion of their rocket arsenal during Operation 'Protective Edge', according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
Hadar Goldin and the Hannibal Directive
(Ruth Margalit in The New Yorker) Buried deep inside a Times report last weekend about Hadar Goldin, the Israeli soldier who was reported captured by Hamas, in the southern Gaza Strip, and then declared dead, was the following paragraph:
White House plan to help Syrian rebels stalls, and losses mount
(The Hill) The White House proposed a plan two months ago for the Pentagon to train and equip vetted Syrian rebel forces in that nation's civil war. But since then, there's been lots of talk and not much action.
After the Arab Spring: The Return of the Generals
(Der Spiegel) In the tense build-up to the 2011 uprisings, Arabs seemed to be turning away from dictatorship. Poll after poll showed that more Egyptians, Jordanians and Moroccans believed democracy was the best form of government than did Americans or, say, Poles. But "democracy" in the abstract could mean just about anything as long as it was positive. It was one thing to believe in democracy and quite another to practice it.
Toll hits 25 as Yemen troops clash with militants
(Associated Press) Yemen's Defense Ministry says seven suspected Al-Qaida militants have been killed in clashes with the army, bringing to 25 the death toll among militants in an army operation aimed at defending a key southern city.
EUROPE
NATO chief urges Russia to pull back troops, "step back from the brink"
(Reuters) The head of NATO called on Russia to "step back from the brink" of war by pulling its troops back from the Ukrainian border and warned further intervention in Ukraine would bring it greater isolation in the world.
Ukrainian Army's Artillery Hits Hospital, Killing Dental Patient
(New York Times) An artillery barrage on Thursday that was apparently aimed at a rebel headquarters here smashed into the dental wing of a nearby hospital instead, killing at least one patient and wounding several others.
Number of Russian Airborne Forces to be doubled - General Staff
(ITAR-TASS) It is planned to double the numerical strength of Russia's Airborne Forces - up to 72,000 personnel, a source in the Russian General Staff said on Wednesday.
Canadian frigate arrives in the Med to support NATO-led missions
(IHS Jane's 360) A Royal Canadian Navy frigate has relieved a sister ship operating in the Mediterranean, where the navy will continue supporting NATO-led maritime reassurance activities in Central and Eastern Europe, the Canadian Department of National Defence announced on 5 August.
Edward Snowden given permission to stay in Russia for three more years
(The Guardian) Edward Snowden, the National Security Agency whistleblower, has been given permission to stay in Russia for three more years and will be allowed to travel abroad for three-month stints. His Russian lawyer told reporters that Snowden, whose temporary asylum ran out on 1 August, has received a three-year residence permit.
Czech's concerned future sanctions could affect helo force
(IHS Jane's 360) The Czech Ministry of Defence (MoD) has acknowledged concerns over the potential effects of Russian economic sanctions on the operational capability of the Czech army's helicopter fleet.
NATO To Set Eastern European Measures at Summit
(Defense News) NATO members will set their 2015 slate of reassurance measures - actions meant to bolster Eastern European defenses - and debate the alliance's post-Afghanistan path at next month's summit in Wales, a senior Pentagon official said.
ASIA-PACIFIC
South China Sea, Myanmar likely topics at talks
(Associated Press) U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and top diplomats from Europe and Asia are meeting to discuss regional security issues this weekend. The meeting opened Friday for talks among ministers from 10 Southeast Asian countries and expands over the weekend to comprise 27 countries who are members of the so-called ASEAN Regional Forum, including the United States, Russia, China, India, South Korea and North Korea
Indian stealth frigate visits Vietnam in bid to improve interoperability
(IHS Jane's 360) The Indian Navy's Shivalik (Project 17)-class guided missile frigate INS Shivalik has arrived in Hai Phong, Vietnam, in a bid to improve working relationship and operational procedures between navies of the two countries.
Former top brass say cyberspace key in new defense rules
(Japan Times) As Japan and the U.S. work toward a historic upgrade of bilateral defense cooperation guidelines for the first time in 17 years, the biggest tasks for the two allies may be dealing with China's growing military and economic might while also keeping an eye on events in North Korea and its unpredictable leader.
AFRICA
Liberia, Sierra Leone Take Dramatic Steps to Slow Ebola Outbreak
(Wall Street Journal) Liberia and Sierra Leone trucked in soldiers to quarantine whole sections of their respective nations Thursday, a dramatic response to the collapse of hospitals and clinics in the most Ebola-infected zones.
'Don't Touch the Walls': Ebola Fears Infect an African Hospital
(New York Times) So many patients, nurses and health workers have died in the government hospital that many people in this city, a center of the world's worst Ebola epidemic, see it as a death trap.
Boko Haram raises its flag over another Nigerian town
(Long War Journal) Over the past few days, the al Qaeda-linked terror group Boko Haram has taken over another town in Borno state, slaughtering at least 50 residents, and stormed a town in neighboring Cameroon, killing 10 and kidnapping a child. The Nigerian military claims to be conducting operations against the group in Borno but appears to have little to show for its efforts, and was recently accused of committing atrocities in its battle against Boko Haram.
In Nigeria, campaign against Boko Haram militants brings fears of military excesses
(Washington Post) In video footage of what is described as the edge of Maiduguri city in northern Ni-geria, more than 10 young men are seen sitting in line next to a freshly dug pit. One by one, some are brought to the edge; their throats are cut, and their bodies are rolled in.
Tunisia's president pleads for helicopters
(IHS Jane's 360) Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki has described his country's need for helicopters as extremely urgent as it faces an acute threat from radical Sunni Islamists during its transition to democracy.
Korea to dispatch Navy destroyer to evacuate nationals from Libya
(Yonhap News Agency) South Korea will dispatch a 4,500-ton Navy destroyer to Libya on Thursday as the country starts to evacuate South Koreans from the African country amid a worsening security situation there, the foreign ministry said.
COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS
Preventing a Slaughter in Iraq
(New York Times Editorial Board) The catastrophe of Iraq has been growing steadily worse for weeks, but by Thursday, it became impossible for the United States and other civilized nations to ignore it.
The World Will Blame President Obama if Iraq Falls
(George E. Condon Jr. in National Journal) The world will not blame the Iraqi government if the children and women huddled atop Mount Sinjar in northern Iraq die of hunger and exposure. Nor will Pope Francis blame Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki if the Islamic extremists attacking the country slaughter the 40,000 Christians and other minorities who have fled to the mountaintop. The fact is that the world, from the pontiff in the Vatican to the coal miner in West Virginia, will blame President Obama.
The Iraqi Minorities in ISIS's Crosshairs
(Bobby Ghosh in Quartz) "In one day, they killed more than two thousand Yazidi in Sinjar, and the whole world says, 'Save Gaza, save Gaza.'"
Why won't Tommy Franks talk about the turmoil in Iraq?
(Daniel Libit in National Journal) A one-lane road winds through the red-rock Wichita Mountains of southwestern Oklahoma, past cattle and buffalo ranches to the city of Hobart, population 4,000. On Main Street, across from the county's history museum and right next to the farm bureau, is a storefront bearing a sign that says, "General Tommy Franks Leadership Institute and Museum."
With Shrinking Budgets, Pentagon Should Rely More on Guard, Reserve Troops
(Retired Army Lt. Gen. David Barno in Defense One) The release of the 2014 National Defense Panel report landed with a quiet thud last week as most of Washington headed out for August vacations. Much delayed from its original congressionally mandated release three months after the Quadrennial Defense Review, the NDP review seemingly ignored today's intractable budgetary realties by arguing for an even bigger defense budget. At the same time, it offered few tradeoffs and even fewer creative ideas for building a more effective and efficient military.
The U.S. Needs a New Approach to Security in Africa
(Scott Bates in Defense One) Kidnapped girls. Spreading diseases. Coups, civil wars, and genocide. The security threats of Africa are often framed as transient to Western audiences, displaced from the news cycle by events closer to home-geographically or emotionally-rather than given the full exposure and attention that they might deserve.
Time to Retire GWOT Mindset in Africa
(Thomas Lansner in Cicero Magazine) The stated goal of this week's U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit is the "fostering [of] stronger ties between the United States and Africa." This is a good news summit--Boko Haram, Ebola, and homophobia for the moment sidelined. Why all the "Africa Rising" feel-good rhetoric? "In short," as the New York Times put it, "there is money to be made there.'
Robert, 
