Monday, June 10, 2013

You might have heard that the NSA has heard everything already. The Guardian’s unfolding scoop on leaks from the NSA dominated last week’s headlines and looks to continue to drive conversations this week.

Meanwhile, it’s worth remembering systems administrators aren’t the only source of leaks when it comes to defense programs: China and the DoD are doing a good job at it, too.

Mental health was the focus this week as the White House announced summits at VA medical centers across the nation in order to better coordinate health care services. Within VA, technology is making its own problems even as it’s supposed to be the silver bullet by 2015.

This Thursday, ScoutComms and our colleagues The Home Depot and MSL Group Atlanta will head to New York City to attend the PRSA Silver Anvil awards. Wish us luck as we find out if our “Mission:Transition” campaign brings home the proverbial bacon. Even more reason to ask your friends to subscribe to the Scout Report!

The week ahead:

Tradeshows and Conferences:

Mission Command (Mon-Wed, 10-12, June), Waterview Conference Center, 1919 North Lynn Street, Arlington, VA

‘Mission Command’, previously ‘Command and Control’, is now in its 10th year and while the nomenclature has changed, so have the technology requirements. Mission Command will focus on improving network integration and accessibility through exchanging strategies and methods from various test and evaluation commands, acquisition executives, tactical IT technology experts, and international communications experts.

Next Generation ISR (Tue-Wed, 11-12 June), Holiday Inn Rosslyn at Key Bridge, 1900 North Fort Myer Drive, Arlington, VA

The two-day general session will assemble top leaders from the Pentagon and private sector to discuss increasingly ubiquitous ISR technology. Especially in an era of expanding international interests and shrinking budgets, more decision makers are turning to fast-changing ISR capabilities as cost-effective and practical.

National Logistics Forum (Thur-Fri, 13-14 June), Hyatt Regency Crystal City, 2799 Jefferson Davis Hwy, Arlington, VA

The National Logistics Forum is ore robust this year with uniforms from the Pentagon joining DoD logistics leaders to discuss the effects of current fiscal constraints on the sustaining the force and how that will affect the force 10 years down the line. A technology exhibition will spotlight industry’s developing logistics capabilities.

Congress: Both chambers are in session this week.

House:

Homeland Security Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence: Protecting the Homeland Against Mumbai-Style Attacks and the Threat from Lashkar-e-Taiba

When: 10:00 AM, Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Where: 311 Cannon House Office Building

Committee on the Budget: The Department of Defense and the Fiscal Year 2014 Budget

Who: The Honorable Charles T. Hagel, Secretary, Department of Defense, General Martin E. Dempsey, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff

When: 1:00 PM, Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Where: 210 Cannon House Office Building

Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa: American NGOs Under Attack in Morsi’s Egypt

Who: The Honorable Lorne W. Craner, President, International Republican Institute, Mr. Charles W. Dunne, Director, Middle East and North Africa, Freedom House, Ms. Joyce Barnathan, President, International Center for Journalists, Mr. Kenneth Wollack, President, National Democratic Institute

When: 1:00 PM, Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Where: 2172 Rayburn House Office Building

Homeland Security Subcommittee on Oversight and Management Efficiency: Why Can’t DHS Better Communicate with the American People?

When: 9:00 AM, Friday, June 14, 2013

Where: 311 Cannon House Office Building

Senate:

Appropriations Subcommittee on the Department of Defense: Hearing to Examine Department Leadership

Who: The Honorable Charles T. Hagel, Secretary, Department of Defense, General Martin Dempsey, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff

When: 10:00 AM, Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Where: SD-192 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs: Reducing Duplication and Improving Outcomes in Federal Information Technology

Who: Steven L. VanRoekel, U.S. Chief Information Officer, Office of Management and Budget, Simon Szykman, Chief Information Officer, U.S. Department of Commerce, Frank Baitman, Chief Information Officer, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, David A. Powner, Director of Information Technology Management Issues, U.S. Government Accountability Office

When: 10:30 AM, Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Where: SD-342 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Appropriations Subcommittee on the Department of Defense: Hearing on Voluntary Military Education Programs

Who: The Honorable Frederick Vollrath, Assistant Secretary of Defense, Readiness and Force Management, Mr. Terry W. Hartle, Senior Vice President, American Council on Education, Mr. Steve Gunderson, President and CEO, Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities, Mr. James Selbe, Senior Vice President for Partnerships, Marketing, and Enrollment Management, University of Maryland University College

When: 10:00 AM, Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Where: SD-192 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Veterans Affairs: Hearing to Examine Pending Benefits Legislation

Who: Curtis L. Coy, Deputy Under Secretary for Economic Opportunity, Veterans Benefits

Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, Jeffrey Hall, Assistant National Legislative Director, Disabled American Veterans, Ian de Planque, Deputy Legislative Director, The American Legion, Colonel Robert F. Norton, USA (Ret.), Deputy Director, Government Relations, Military Officers Association of America, Ryan Gallucci, Deputy Director, National Legislative Service, Veterans of Foreign Wars

When: 10:00 AM, Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Where: SR-418 Russell Senate Office Building

Budget: The President’s Fiscal Year 2014 Defense Budget Request

Who: The Honorable Charles T. Hagel, Secretary, Department of Defense, General Martin E. Dempsey, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff

When: 10:30 AM, Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Where: SD-608 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Appropriations: Hearings to Examine Cybersecurity, Focusing on Preparing for and Responding to the Enduring Threat; to be immediately be followed by a closed briefing in SVC-217

Who: The Honorable General Keith B. Alexander, Commander, U.S. Cyber Command Director, National Security Agency Chief, Central Security Service, The Honorable Rand Beers, Acting Deputy Secretary, Department of Homeland Security, The Honorable Patrick Gallagher, Acting Deputy Secretary, Department of Commerce Director, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Richard McFeely, Executive Assistant Director, Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch, Federal Bureau of Investigation

When: 2:00 PM, Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Where: SD-G50 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Think tanks and other news events: 

Bipartisan Policy Center: The Geopolitical Impacts of the U.S. Tight Oil Boom: Implications for OPEC and the U.S. Strategic Posture 

What: The first in a series of four events on the New Geopolitics of Petroleum and Natural Gas. This first session will explore the realistic implications of what the tight oil boom means for the country in both economic and geopolitical terms.

Who: Senator Lisa Murkowski, U.S. Senator from Alaska, Edward Morse, Global Head of Commodities Research, Citibank, Paul Sankey, Managing Director, Deutsche Bank, Katherine Spector, Head of Commodities Strategy, CIBC World Markets, Luis Giusti, Senior Adviser, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Ambassador Carlos Pascual, Special Envoy and Coordinator for International Energy Affairs, U.S. Department of State, Daniel Yergin, Vice Chairman, IHS, Former Senator Pete V. Domenici, BPC Senior Fellow, Adam Sieminski, Administrator, U.S. Energy Information Administration, Former Senator Bennett Johnston, Chairman, Johnston & Associates, Robin West, Chairman, PFC

When: 9:00 AM, Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Where: The Hyatt Regency 1225 I Street, NW Suite 1000, Washington, D.C. 20005

Center for Strategic and International Studies: A Congressional Perspective on U.S.- China Relations 

What: The CSIS Freeman Chair in China Studies is pleased to host the co-chairs of the bipartisan Congressional U.S.-China Working Group, Representatives Rick Larsen (D-WA) and Charles Boustany (R-LA), for a conversation on the view from Congress concerning the forward trajectory of U.S.-China relations in the aftermath of the California meeting between Presidents Obama and Xi.

Who: The Honorable Charles W. Boustany, Jr.  (R-LA), The Honorable Richard R. “Rick” Larsen (D-WA), Christopher K. Johnson, CSIS Senior Adviser and Freeman Chair,  Freeman Chair in China Studies

When: 10:00 AM, Thursday, June 13, 2013

Where: Center for Strategic and International Studies 1800 K Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20006

Asia Society: Fueling the Future: The United States, Asia, and Energy Security 

What: A conversation on the energy sector shifts in Asia and the United States over the next 10 to 30 years. Leading experts will assess how this evolution in the U.S. energy industry will impact trade and regional security between the United States and Asia, and will also discuss how U.S. policies can create a supportive environment for domestic economic growth in the context of the expected changes. 

Who: Rex Tillerson, Chairman and CEO Exxon Mobil Corporation, Carlos Pascual, Special Envoy and Coordinator, International Energy Affairs, U.S. State Department, Daniel Yergin, Vice Chairman, IHS

When: 3:00 PM, Thursday, June 13, 2013

Where: Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center 1300 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Washington, DC

Major themes and issues from last week:

ScoutComms News:

ScoutComms recognized as one of top businesses in Stafford, Virginia

The Stafford County Virginia Economic Development Authority recognized ScoutComms as the Best Place to Work and Entrepreneur of the Year last week for businesses with fewer than 25 employees at their annual business appreciation lunch. CEO Fred Wellman was on hand to accept the unexpected awards and mark a great recognition of the teamwork that has gone into building our firm. We appreciate all of you who support our efforts.

ScoutComms’ Reporting:

Defense think tanks break tradition and agree to some stuff: Cut places, people, and pay to modernize the military 

John Grady, Special Correspondent

Last week four think tanks in Washington D.C. provided an analysis for DoD on where cuts should come from on a host of scenarios facing the budgets.  This week 25 of them sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Hagel and Congress laying out exactly where they think cuts should occur today.  Without a lot of surprise they urged cuts to personnel benefits programs like TRICARE, another round of base closings and slowing of pay raises for military personnel.  Also not surprising was the near immediate dismissal of the suggestions by Congressional leaders.  Our John Grady attended a forum last Monday on Capitol Hill and got the brief on their ideas, which all come with political baggage for both DoD and elected leaders.

Veterans and Military Issues:

VA mental health summits aim to improve care 

Patricia Kime (@patriciakime), Military Times

Last week, the White House hosted a national summit on mental health care, a focus of its response to the tragic Newtown shooting in December. Veterans and their mental health care needs were a big part of that conversation—as was the need to end the stigma around mental health issues. To help ensure veterans are getting first-rate mental health care, the White House announced each of the 152 VA medical centers would be hosting a mental health summit within the next three months. These summits would bring together mental health practitioners from the community, veterans’ service organizations, and VA doctors in order to better coordinate care and facilitate cooperation. PTSD is often considered the signature wound of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with as many as 500,000 service members afflicted, but eight percent of Americans also suffer from PTSD due to traumatic events. One mom who suffers from PTSD and lost her son to his own battles with the injury is on a mission to end the stigma and show veterans that there are many treatments available.

House committee refuses to put squeeze on personnel 

Tom Philpott, Stars and Stripes

Last week, we highlighted SecDef Hagel’s fiscally sound proposals to trim personnel costs in these times of budget austerity. This week, Congress weighed in on just how politically untenable cuts to benefits really are by blocking any language in the FY2014 defense authorization bill that would raise Tricare fees, lower troops’ pay raises, or shift retirees onto different levels of Tricare. This outcome was fairly easy to see coming, but a few Members of Congress are standing firm that while other parts of the defense budget are trimmed, personnel costs have to come down, too. Without reform, this bipartisan group says the overall national security budget suffers. It’s not only a handful of Members of Congress who think compensation needs reform, 25 think tanks also signed onto a letter making similar calls. It’s veterans and military organizations who are holding the line on cuts.

Almost half-million VA loan, grant files mistakenly deleted 

Nicole Blake Johnson and Andy Medici, Military Times

The Department of Veterans Affairs has promised that many of the problems that flare up in the media will be solved through an increased reliance on technology. Of course, technology comes with its own problems as seen in this week’s mishap affecting nearly half a million veterans when a database administrator deleted their loan and grant applications. VA officials expect this will only lead to a 1 to 3 day delay in home closings once the files are re-uploaded, but there is no immediate backup for the lost data. Of course, a major delaying factor in the VA’s disability claims backlog is the fact that most records are on paper, not in electronic form. The VA says that with electronic records, the disability backlog will be cleared by 2015, but this is a reminder that even with the best technology, mistakes happen.

Meet The First Female Navy SEAL, Kristin Beck 

Brandon Webb (@BrandonTWebb), SOFREP

While the military looks into how to incorporate women into frontline combat roles, it seems a woman has already served in one of the most elite special operations forces units: the Navy SEALs. Of course, that was before she was a woman. The particularly fascinating story of Kristin Beck got lost in a week of major leaks so if you didn’t get a chance, check it out.

Defense, Budget, and Industry Issues:

The outsourcing of U.S. intelligence raises risks among the benefits 

Robert O’Harrow, Jr., Washington Post

It was a rough week for the National Security Agency with a first leak in the Guardian that the agency has been collecting all of the meta-data on calls over its system then in the Washington Post on tapping into internet service providers called PRISM.  Sunday it was revealed that both document releases were the work of a single Booz Allen Hamilton contract employee of NSA named Edward Snowden, a 29 year-old IT specialist who claims access to scores of Top Secret documents and hints of more revelations to come as he hides in Hong Kong. The Post looks at how contractors have become an integral part of the massive intelligence complex.  By some estimates one in four intelligence workers are contracted employees and estimates say that 70% of the secret intelligence budget goes to contractors making these kinds of leaks all the more likely in the future as vetting of these employees is often up to companies eager to land business and fill slots as much as anything.  Many companies have seen the intelligence sector as a growth area in spite of defense budget cuts so it will be important to watch for an inevitable backlash on the outsourcing of government work and how this incident may provide an impetuous that will choke off this lucrative sector.  Without question this incident is going to have a huge impact in a host of areas from Constitutional questions of press freedom to security of our nations secrets.

U.S. publishes details of missile base Israel wanted kept secret 

Sheera Frenkel, McClatchy News Foreign Staff

In a bit of irony this week while the U.S. is dealing with the purposeful leaking of classified documents our friends in Israel were fuming over the deliberate leaking of their classified information by the U.S. Department of Defense. As part of a support agreement the U.S. has agreed to build a $25 million base for new Arrow 3 ballistic-missile defense systems in Israel. Unfortunately, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Europe District decided to post the Request for Proposals in an unclassified form and included the 1000-page specifications of the project complete with exact location, heating systems and even the thickness of the walls. Anonymous Israeli officials called it a blue print for an enemy of the country to destroy the base once it’s complete. Later in the week spokesmen from both the Corps of Engineers and Pentagon denied they had done anything wrong saying the Israelis had said it was an unclassified project.  The Israeli’s seem to disagree and this saga will likely be chalked up in the bureaucratic confusion category. It does show the key weakness in all of these efforts to protect military secrets: people. No matter how many systems you put in place security still comes down to human decisions either purposeful or through incompetence secrets are often hard to keep.

As Arms Sales Fade, Aerospace Contractors Chase Commercial Customers 

Christopher Drew, New York Times

The headline here is a little bit off as we know that Boeing and Airbus have been turning their attention to commercial jet production and profit margins for a few years now as the coming military cuts seemed more likely.  What is interesting in this piece is the analysis that in the past subcontractors that make components like engines have actually had larger profit margins than the prime builders who take the risks and build the final aircraft.  With that in mind both Boeing and Airbus are pressuring component manufacturers to be more cost efficient and help them make their various products more cost competitive.  What has been a busy time in commercial jet production is likely to continue with a 45% expansion in the next four years and parts suppliers are struggling to keep up. The battle for contracts to maintain those aircraft is another area that will be driven by pricing even more than manufacturing has been so ways to be more efficient will be ever more of a focus even in the commercial space.

Pentagon Says Cost to Retrofit F-35s Drops 

Tony Capaccio (@ACapaccio), Bloomberg

The Pentagon and Lockheed Martin were happy to announce last week that the cost to retrofit existing F-35’s has dropped by some $500 million in a new analysis.  The issue surrounds the way the JSF is being fielded even as its being tested and developed, called “concurrency”. The major flaw in this approach is that as problems are found or new systems developed all of the existing aircraft have to be retrofitted with those new systems and repairs as was estimated to cost around $1.7 billion.  This follows a 1.1% drop in the total program cost estimates last month but before everyone starts popping corks it’s important to remember we are shaving off percentage points from the actual project costs that have gone up a staggering 68% from the initial contract was signed back in 2001. These lower estimates are based on real world experience instead of computer models and have the F-35 program office issuing statements of satisfaction instead of the loud criticism we have seen in recent months. All of this wonderful news but the defense budget is still under enormous pressure so it’s far from clear sailing for the most expensive weapon system in history and folks like long time DoD critic Winslow Wheeler aren’t letting off the gas on their push to reduce or even kill the entire program.

The Scout Report is a weekly analysis of news and events in the aerospace, defense, and veterans sectors produced by the staff of ScoutComms, Inc. and is emailed each Monday morning except on holidays. Follow us on Twitter at @ScoutComms to get up to the minute news on defense and veterans issues all week. Did you get this as a forward?  Subscribe yourself for free here right now!

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“We don’t want to be in a fair fight” with an adversary.

She was among the think tank defense experts from across the political spectrum speaking on a “Defense Reform Consensus” letter they sent to Secretary Chuck Hagel and key congressional leaders this week.  In part, the letter said, “If these issues are not addressed, they will gradually consume the defense budget from within.”

Agreeing to the letter was a rare sign of unity among these organizations.

While the letter does not address “purchasing,” which Eaglen described as “oversaturated” now with so much being written about the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, she said congressional assertions to look first overseas for base realignments and closures is so much “cognitive dissonance” and actually is “overlooking reality”.  She said more than 100 overseas installations have already been closed in the last 10 years and that another 50 will be returned to host nations in the next three.

In their view the places to close and realign are in the United States.

The Brookings Institution’s Michael O’Hanlon, citing Pentagon estimates that it has 20 percent more infrastructure than it needs, asked even if some of this land and buildings need to be kept as a hedge for a future build-up or to protect some communities from economic calamity, “why would you keep operating it?”

This Congress, as the last one did, heard the words Base Realignment and Closure in the administration’s budget request and balked.

As the seven experts spoke, the House Armed Services Committee was preparing to mark up its version of the Defense Authorization bill.  Approving a new round of domestic BRAC is not in the cards in either chamber.

The same is true about other parts of the letter signed by the 25 defense experts from 10 organizations.

In addressing the attendees, Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tenn. And member of the committee, admitted, “Very few of the good ideas will be included” in this year’s bill, but it was important to keep pressing these issues.

Gordon Adams, a signer of the letter and a former official in the Office of Management and Budget, said, “You have to deal with Congress.  Each individual member is working for his district.  Each individual member is working for his state.  Each individual member is working for his committee.”

Adding, “You need the White House to come and keep working it.  You don’t usually get ahead [in civil service, including Senior Executive Service] by being an innovator.  The policy officials have to lead the charge.”

The “people” part starts with the Department of Defense 800,000 civilians and possibly as many contractors. Several speakers noted that there never has been a study of Full-Time Equivalents in the Pentagon’s contracted workforce, so exactly how many there are is unknown.  Estimates put the contract force at between 750,000 and 800,000.  Both the civilian and contracted workforce grew dramatically [34 percent in the case of DoD civilians vs. slightly more than 1 percent in the uniformed force] over the last 10 years to support military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.  “We built it up and [it] never came down,” David Berteau of the Center for Strategic and International Studies said.

Scale back what the workers are doing, he said.  “Adjust the workload, manage the workforce” and evaluate the cost … all the costs” in having a DoD civilian or a contractor do the work.

Adams of the Stimson Center said historically after the last three conflicts the size of the civilian workforce came down by 34 percent and 37 percent in the armed services, primarily from the land forces.

The idea now is “how you do less with less” and do it more efficiently, he added.

The letter said, “It is past time for the Pentagon to rightsize the workforce and make permanent reductions in a thoughtful and targeted manner.”

Military compensation is even trickier as a political issue.

O’Hanlon said, “There is no military-civilian pay gap,” based upon comparable age, experience, education and background.  The military “is paid more, substantially more” that their civilian counterparts.

Congress does not want to be accused of breaking promises to those who serve and served so it retreats from raising TRICARE fees and co-pays, Lawrence Korb of the Center for American Progress said, as it also about to retreat on holding military pay raises to 1 percent for Fiscal Year 2014.

“It’s extremely hard stuff to do” and “there’s a plethora issues to deal with,” including “last hired, first fired practices,” but “we’ve done this before,” Adams said.

Eaglen added,  “It is now a zero-sum game.”

John Grady is a ScoutComms special correspondent.

Monday, June 3, 2013

Sequester started slowly, but now the sirens are sounding. This week, an ideologically diverse group of think tanks will release their proposals for how DoD should cut funds but the bottom line is all bad news no matter how big each slice of the cake ends up being. If you got your furlough notice, though, well you already know it’s all crumbs for most.

Cuts might also mean veterans’ retirement benefits are reduced, a decision obviously made by a SecDef who never made it past E-4. Dempsey meanwhile would rather reduce the number of stars in the Pentagon hallways rather than the number of aircraft carriers. Veterans getting services through VA are protected from automatic sequester cuts, but some of the most vulnerable veterans—homeless ones—will still feel the pinch through HUD cuts.

Don’t forget to tell your friends to subscribe to the Scout Report! We promise to only send it once a week from now on.

The week ahead:

Tradeshows and Conferences:

NSA SIGINT Development Conference 2013 (Tue-Wed, 4-5, June); OPS1 North Cafeteria Party Room Ft. Meade, MD

The classified conference will focus on intelligence issues facing those who are tasked with SIGINT as part of their mission. Over 1500 participants from the US intelligence community and around the world will attend this conference. The exhibit hall will be unclassified. 

40^th IFPA-Fletcher Conference (Wed-Thu, 5-6 June), Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, Atrium Hall, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. Washington, D.C.

The Institute for Foreign Policy Analysis and the International Security Studies Program of The Fletcher School of Tufts University will convene a high-level conference in Washington, D.C., in cooperation with U.S. Special Operations Command.  “Positioning Special Operations Forces for Global Challenges” will include top U.S. and allied/partner country officials, senior military commanders, Congressional leaders, academic-policy specialists and other non-governmental experts for a two-day exchange on the growing importance of special operations forces for twenty-first-century security.

Congress: Both chambers are in session this week.

House:

Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communications: Emergency MGMT 2.0; How Social Media and New Tech are Transforming Preparedness, Response, and Recovery Disasters Part I; Private Sector

When: 10:00 AM, Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Where: 311 Cannon House Office Building

Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation: How Secure is Veterans’ Private Information?

When: 2:30 PM, Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Where: 334 Cannon House Office Building

Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa: A Crisis Mismanaged: Obama’s Failed Syria Policy

Who: Mr. Tony Badran, Research Fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Ms. Danielle Pletka, Vice President, Foreign and Defense Policy Studies, American Enterprise Institute, Jon Alterman, Ph.D., Director, Middle East Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies

When: 10:00 AM, Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Where: 2172 Rayburn House Office Building

Senate:

Armed Services Committee Oversight: Pending Legislation Regarding Sexual Assaults in the Military

Who: General Martin E. Dempsey, USA, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Raymond T. Odierno, USA, Chief of Staff of the Army, Admiral Jonathan W. Greenert, USN, Chief of Naval Operations, General James F. Amos, USMC, Commandant of the Marine Corps, General Mark A. Welsh III, USAF, Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Admiral Robert J. Papp, Jr., USCG, Commandant of the Coast Guard, Lieutenant General Dana K. Chipman, JAGC, USA, Judge Advocate General of the United States Army, Vice Admiral Nanette M. DeRenzi, JAGC, USN, Judge Advocate General of the United States Navy, Lieutenant General Richard C. Harding, JAGC, USAF, Judge Advocate General of the United States Air Force, Major General Vaughn A. Ary, USMC, Staff Judge Advocate to the Commandant of the Marine Corps, Rear Admiral Frederick J. Kenney, Jr., USCG, Judge Advocate General of the United States Coast Guard, Brigadier General Richard C. Gross, USA, Legal Counsel to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Colonel Donna W. Martin, USA, Commander, 202nd Military Police Group, Captain Stephen J. Coughlin, USN, Commodore, Destroyer Squadron TWO, Colonel Tracy W. King, USMC, Commander, Combat Logistics Regiment 15, Colonel Jeannie M. Leavitt, USAF, Commander, 4th Fighter Wing, Nancy Parrish, President, Protect Our Defenders, Anu Bhagwati, Executive Director and Co-Founder, Service Women’s Action Network, Major General John D. Altenburg, Jr., USA (Ret.), Chairman, American Bar Association Standing Committee on Armed Forces Law, Colonel Lawrence J. Morris, USA (Ret.), General Counsel, Catholic University

When: 9:30 AM, Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Where: SH-216 Hart Senate Office Building

Appropriations Subcommittee on the Department of Defense: Hearing to Examine the Missile Defense Agency

Who: Vice Admiral James Syring, Director, Missile Defense Agency

When: 10:00 AM, Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Where: SD-192 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Veterans’ Affairs Committee: Hearing Pending Benefits Legislation

Who: Curtis L. Coy, Deputy Under Secretary for Economic Opportunity, Veterans Benefits Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, Thomas Murphy, Director, Compensation Service, Richard Hipolit, Assistant General Counsel, John Brizzi, Deputy Assistant General Counsel, Jeffrey Hall, Assistant National Legislative Director, Disabled American Veterans, Ian de Planque, Deputy Legislative Director, The American Legion, Colonel Robert F. Norton, USA (Ret.), Deputy Director, Government Relations, Military Officers Association of America, Ryan Gallucci, Deputy Director, National Legislative Service, Veterans of Foreign Wars

When: 10:00 AM, Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Where: SR-418 Russell Senate Office Building

Joint Economic Committee Hearing: Building Job Opportunities for Veterans

When: 10:00 AM, Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Where: SH-216 Hart Senate Office Building

Think tanks and other news events:  

American Enterprise Institute: The Defense Reform Consensus 

What: A discussion on the think tank reports about how best to reform Pentagon spending.

Who: AEI, Brookings Institution, Cato Institute, the Center for American Progress, the Center for a New American Security, the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Foreign Policy Initiative, and the Stimson Center

When: 12:00 PM, Monday, June 3, 2013

Where: Russell Senate Office Building Room SR-485 Washington, DC 20510

Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars: The Energy and Climate Nexus: Challenges and Opportunities for Transatlantic Security 

What: A discussion of the key findings and recommendations from The Energy and Climate Nexus: Challenges and Opportunities for Transatlantic Security, a policy report jointly written by CNA and the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI).

Who: Christian Burgsmüller, Counselor, Head of Transport, Energy, Environment and Nuclear Affairs Section, European Union Delegation to the United States, Daniel Chiu, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Ralph Espach, Director, Latin American Affairs, CNA Center for Strategic Studies, Rear Admiral Neil Morisetti, Special Representative for Climate Change, United Kingdom Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Sherri Goodman, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Board Secretary, CNA; Executive Director, Military Board, CNA, Kaleb Redden, Director, North and West Europe, International Security Affairs European and NATO Policy, Office of the Secretary of Defense

When: 9:00 AM, Thursday, June 6, 2013

Where: Woodrow Wilson Center, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, D.C. 20004

Major themes and issues from last week:

ScoutComms’ Client News:

Pressure and progress as deadline for homeless veterans looms

Leo Shane (@LeoShane), Stars and Stripes

At last week’s National Coalition for Homeless Veterans conference sponsored by The Home Depot Foundation, HUD Secretary Donovan put the Administration’s five-year plan to end veteran homelessness in stark terms: that means housing at least 60 veterans per day over the next 1000 days. Doing their part, HUD and VA announced they would be funding 9,000 more vouchers for homeless veterans’ permanent housing needs. The conference was then a call to action for service providers to use the tools at hand to implement the Administration’s plan. VA Secretary Shinseki warned the attendees, though, that the fight would only get harder from here. It will take the government, service providers, and philanthropy working together to ensure every veteran has a safe place to call home.

More coverage:

Homeless Veterans – Tom Fitzgerald, Fox 5 Evening News

Donovan: Numbers for homeless vets not improving fast enough - Steve Vogel, Washington Post

Shinseki on stopping homelessness: ‘The climb will get steeper’ - Rick Maze, Military Times

Sequestration Hits Program to House Homeless Vets - Bryant Jordan, Military.com  

Veterans and Military Issues:

Hagel May Cut Benefits for Veterans

Paul D. Shinkman (@PDShinkman), U.S. News and World Report

Speaking to troops at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, SecDef Hagel reiterated that retirement benefits and health care costs are on the table when it comes to trimming the Pentagon’s budget. Personnel and entitlement programs represent the largest part of the DoD budget, but considering it’s the personnel who fight our wars, that’s justified some veterans advocates say. The proposals are getting no joy from military and veterans organizations with VFW warning it could make retaining the best officers and senior enlisted that much more difficult. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of StaffDempsey has identified a different area to trim personnel costs: lavish perks for the general officer corps. Personal chefs, jets, and speechwriters may be on the cutting block if the Chairman has his way. The number of general officers, too, may decrease as the military looks to reduce ranks at the top and the bottom.

Searching For Veterans On Alaska’s Remote Edges

Quil Lawrence (@QuilLawrence), NPR

Finding veterans is the difficult first step every organization or agency faces when trying to engage them. Since taking over as Assistant Secretary of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs, Tommy Sowers has travelled the country talking to veterans about enrolling in VA services. This trip took him to a desolate village in Alaska where the veterans really can see Russia from their homes. Sowers says it’s the obligation of the VA to reach veterans where they live, not just at VA medical centers, but even in Alaska word of the VA’s reputation in delays and red tape has spread. It’s through more personal outreach, though, that Sowers hopes to turn the tide and increase enrollments. Thanks in perhaps some small part to VA outreach, but likely due to technology and Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits,younger veterans have enrolled in VA services at a higher rate than any previous generation.

Soldiers Turn Entrepreneurs as One Million Exit Military

Shobhana Chandra, Bloomberg

More and more, veterans are turning to entrepreneurship and they’re hiring other veterans to work for them leading to a lower veteran unemployment rate over time. Franchises, in particular, are popular with veterans who have an entrepreneurial spirit but at the same time are used to operating within a larger system. Interestingly, two authors linked Israel’s economic boom with the universal conscription and subsequent battlefield experience that young people then applied to their post-military careers through entrepreneurship. For American reservists and guardsmen who came home to lost jobs in a poor economy, entrepreneurship is the best option available. They’ll also be the first ones to hire when the economy improves as small businesses are the quickest adapters. It’s one more way veterans are major contributors to the economy.

Memorial Day in Oklahoma City

Joe Klein (@JoeKleinTIME), TIME

This past Memorial Day, Joe Klein spent time with our friends at Team Rubicon in Moore, Oklahoma, doing the heavy lifting of recovery work alongside the veteran volunteers there. Team Rubicon sprang into action after the recent tornados and its veterans answered the call to serve in disaster relief and cleanup. Klein profiles a few of the men and women who have found something in Team Rubicon they have not felt elsewhere since returning to civilian life: a sense of purpose, a sense of camaraderie. When Klein wrote about the Next Greatest Generation of veterans, it’s the veterans of Team Rubicon who embody that spirit. 

Defense, Budget, and Industry Issues:

Best Case for Sequester is Still Disaster, Top Experts Say 

Sydney Freedberg Jr. (@SydneyFreedberg), Breaking Defense

In an unusual intellectual meeting of the minds, four of Washington’s major defense think tanks came together to model the effects of the sequester budget cuts on the future defense department’s situation. Under the lead of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, teams from the Center for a New American Security, American Enterprise Institute, and Center for Strategic and International Studies’ looked at several possible budget scenarios and what DoD would have to do to make the cuts. The consensus from all four is that sequester in an unmitigated disaster as a tool for cutting budgets due to its broad cuts. Each scenario leaves the U.S. unprepared for future conflicts by cutting the F-35 program, retiring two aircraft carriers, and delaying construction of new ones along with massive manpower reductions to the Army. At the same time, Army Chief of Staff Odierno is already sounding the alarm that most Army ground combat brigades will be essentially unable to conduct their combat missions due to training cuts by this Fall.  Our own special correspondent, John Grady, will be attending a CSBA session today and will have a full report tomorrow on our site.  Of course, almost none of this is being talked about anywhere outside of Washington thanks to little to no impact on the average American. All the more likely to be ignored as defense stocks are doing great…

Amid Sequester, US Defense Stocks Still Surge 

Zachary Fryer-Biggs, Defense News

With the effects of the sequester just settling in, defense stocks continue to stay strong with many at or near all time highs in the month of May. Most analysts see it as recognition that the moves defense companies have been making to solidify their positions knowing that shrinking budgets were inevitable after the conclusion of over a decade of war have been successful. In addition, the early parts of sequester have proven relatively minor to industry as most of the big cuts are coming to internal programs and buckets of money, like the furloughs for DoD employees issued just last week. Those furloughs will likely only affect a few of the most defense heavy states but not the whole nation. At the same time, analysts recognize that Wall Street doesn’t really care about two years from now—they care about today and next quarter so the impacts of the cuts are yet to be seen. In the mean time, the dichotomy of solid stocks and warnings of impending doom continue to confuse most Americans and ensure that the sequester cuts aren’t going to be fixed by Congress in the near future, if ever.

The Army’s multibillion dollar ‘money pit’ 

Austin Wright (@abwrig), Politico

The ongoing battle over the military’s Distributed Common Ground System intelligence network took an interesting twist this week that adds to the continuing onslaught from the lobbyists for Palantir and Congressman Duncan Hunter. In this week’s new angle, three anonymous recent combat veteran Reserve soldiers “have been making the rounds in Washington to air their grievances” with the system. They talked with Politico but asked to remain nameless to protect their careers. It’s a very unusual move that leaves you wondering who exactly is paying for junior soldiers to make their way to the nations capital and stay for a few days. At the same time, the Army has been running demonstrations of the system for reporters to show them how it is more than just an analysis tool like Palantir’s software and more Congressman start to sniff around with the issue. It’s an oddly public battle over a multi-billion dollar, multi-decade program. There is little doubt it won’t continue to get more interesting going forward.

Pentagon Defends Weapons After Report of Hacker Attacks 

Tony Capaccio (@ACapaccio) and Gopal Ratnam (@g_ratnam), Bloomberg

Last week’s Scout Report included the report from the Washington Post that the plans for dozens of top U.S. weapons programs and technologies had been stolen by Chinese government cyberspies. Department of Defense spokesman George Little issued an official statement last week saying the U.S. has “full confidence in our weapons platforms” and that “suggestions that cyber intrusions have somehow led to the erosion of our capabilities or technological edge are incorrect.” Other spokesmen said that the issues identified in the original report are being addressed. They cite that the report was developed over two years and outside experts note that counterintelligence activities are also being conducted that often involve feeding misleading or inaccurate data to the hackers. The cyber cold war being waged is becoming increasingly hot. In pointed remarks during the Shangri-La Dialogue meeting in Singapore last week SecDef Hagel called out China for its cyber espionage and drew a sharp response from Chinese officials who deny they are stealing our secrets. Clearly the battle to protect electronic data and cyber systems will be an ongoing effort regardless of the hot wars coming to an end.

The Scout Report is a weekly analysis of news and events in the aerospace, defense, and veterans sectors produced by the staff of ScoutComms, Inc. and is emailed each Monday morning except on holidays. Follow us on Twitter at @ScoutComms to get up to the minute news on defense and veterans issues all week. Did you get this as a forward?  Subscribe yourself for free here right now!

About Us: ScoutComms, Inc. is a precision public relations firm based in the Washington D.C. area focused exclusively on aerospace, defense, and veterans’ affairs providing our clients deep insight and counsel based on decades of military, non-profit and public relations industry experience.  To learn more about what we can do for your organization visit our website at www.ScoutCommsUSA.com.

Questions? Comments? Additions? If you have any questions, comments, or have an event you would like us to include, send an email to LJenkins@ScoutCommsUSA.com and we will make sure we let our readers know. For questions about ScoutComms, email FWellman@ScoutCommsUSA.com.

Join the Conversation: For updates on our clients, employment opportunities and the issues that matter in our focus areas follow @ScoutComms on Twitter and ‘like’ our Facebook page.

Tuesday, May 28, 2013 

Memorial Day is a time to reflect and share memories with loved ones about those loved ones no longer with us. We hope you and yours had a meaningful weekend from flags to firing up the grill.

President Obama made the traditional trek to Arlington National Cemetery on Monday to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. He took the opportunity to remind Americans that we’re still a nation at war and many young men and women are making the ultimate sacrifice. This past week USA Today profiled just a few of those young men who were still in elementary school when the war they died fighting began. 

Sequester may not have had the dire impact on defense firms’ revenue as predicted, but defense cuts are still having a real impact on combat readiness and which countries are getting new defense technology. China, though, prefers to steal our defense secrets rather than buy it. Their hackers and spies have gotten ahold of information on dozens of top tier weapons systems, but perhaps our ultimate economic weapon against China is goading them into building an F-35.

This week’s Scout Report brought to you with a big assist from new ScoutComms intern John Vukmanic. Don’t forget to tell your friends to subscribe to the Scout Report! It’s free, like interns.

The week ahead:

Tradeshows and Conferences:

National Coalition for Homeless Veterans’ Annual Conference (Wed-Thu, 29-31 May),

Grand Hyatt Washington, 1000 H Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20005

The NCHV annual conference is the foremost gathering of federal agencies, service providers, and policymakers working to end homelessness among veterans. The conference is sponsored by The Home Depot Foundation which has committed $80 million towards ensuring every veteran has a safe place to call home (and is a ScoutComms client.) The theme of this year’s conference is a call to action: the funding and plans to end veteran homelessness are in place, now it’s time to share the best practices from the field from service providers.

Congress: Both chambers are in recess this week. 

Think tanks and other news events:

New America Foundation: Online Radicalization: Myths and Realities

What: A panel discussion on the threat that online extremist material poses to vulnerable individuals in this country, and the vital role the community plays in preventing and countering Internet radicalization.

Who: Peter Bergen, Director, National Security Studies Program, New America Foundation,Mohamed Elibiary, Founder, Lone Star Intelligence LLC, Member of Secretary Napolitano’s Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC), Peter Neumann, Director, International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation, Imam Suhaib Webb, Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center, Rabia Chaudry, Fellow, New America Foundation, Founder, Safe Nation Collaborative, Rashad Hussein, U.S. Special Envoy to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation

When: 12:15 PM, Tuesday, May 28

Where: 1899 L St., N.W., Suite 400, Washington, D.C. 20036

Brookings Institution: Reviving U.S. Foreign Policy: The Case for Putting Americas House in Order

What: A discussion on the challenging issues facing the United States at home and their impact on the successful pursuit of U.S. foreign and security policies abroad.

Who: Martin S. Indyk, Vice President and Director, Foreign Policy, Richard N. Haass, President, Council on Foreign Relations, Robert Kagan, Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy.

When: 3:30 PM, Thursday, May 30

Where: 1775 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington, D.C. 20036

American Security Project: Nuclear Terrorism: What’s at Stake?

What: A conversation on preventing nuclear terror on the U.S. domestic front. U.S. ports present a potential vulnerability and securing these ports requires improvement in the capacity to detect and secure nuclear materials that could arrive in shipping containers.

Who: The Honorable Jay M. Cohen (R. Admiral, USN, Retired), Principal of The Chertoff Group and Former Undersecretary for Science and Technology-Department of Homeland Security, David Waller, Former Deputy Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency and former Assistant Secretary of Energy for International Affairs, Dr. Stephen E. Flynn, Professor and Founding Co-Director of the George J. Kostas Research Institute for Homeland Security at Northeastern University and Former President of the Center for National Policy, Dr. Stanton D. Sloane, President & CEO, Decision Sciences International Corporation, Brigadier General Stephen A. Cheney, USMC (Ret.), ASP CEO

When: 8:00 AM, Wednesday, May 29

Where: 1100 New York Avenue, NW · Suite 710W, Washington, DC

Major themes and issues from last week:

ScoutComms’ Client News:

Volunteer handymen help out Mechanicsville veteran

Rachel Johnsen, Hanover Herald-Progress

As part of their $80 million commitment to ensuring every veteran has a safe place to call home, The Home Depot Foundation and Home Depot associates did $8,000 of renovations to the home of veteran Steve Gulliford in Mechanicsville, VA last week. Projects even on the so-called small side like this one still make an enormous difference in the lives of veterans like Steve and his family. Last week, the Foundation also put $1 million towards tornado recovery efforts in Oklahoma and elsewhere. Organizations like Team Rubicon and Operation Homefront are using those funds to help veterans, military families and others effected by the storms.

Changes in Defense Media:

Baron to Atlantic Media’s Defense One

Last week we learned that Atlantic Media is launching its own defense vertical. This week we learned that Kevin Baron, formerly of Foreign Policy via National Journal via Stars & Stripes,will be taking point as Executive Editor. We wish him, and his hair, good luck on their new adventure. 

Veterans and Military Issues:

A Nation ‘Still at War’ Honors Its Dead

Sheryl Gay Stolberg, New York Times

On Memorial Day, President Obama performed the traditional wreath laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on what he said was the second to last such occasion of a nation at war in Afghanistan. He called on the American people not to forget that we are, in fact, still a nation at war and that our veterans sacrifice much for that, some even pay with their lives. Highlighting the growing divide between those who volunteer to serve and civilians, the president lamented that the gap seemed wider than ever. In a piece earlier this week, writer and filmmaker Sebastian Junger made a similar call to action that civilians must share the burdens of war with veterans and not continue to distance themselves from the consequences.

From boyhood to the battlefield: Long war takes its toll

Gregg Zoroya (@greggzoroya) and Greg Toppo (@gtoppo), USA Today

Some of the youngest US troops killed in Afghanistan were barely old enough to register the magnitude of September 11^th, 2001. Their parents worried more about broken ankles at the time than the just beginning war in Afghanistan, but due to the longevity of US involvement there, the three young men profiled in the piece all ended up paying the ultimate sacrifice there. Their families never thought their boys would face combat in Afghanistan, but now ask that America doesn’t forget its troops serving there. Another reminder that we are still a nation at war and that too many make a sacrifice known by so few.

VA Backlog Reform Is Difficult But On Track, Secretary Eric Shinseki Says

David Wood (@woodwriter), Huffington Post

Perhaps one of the most remarkable things about Wood’s piece on the backlog is that it seems to have fans on both ends of the backlog spectrum. Shinseki recently visited VA employees in Huntington, WV, to give them a pep talk and get a progress report on the implementation of an electronic benefit claims system referred to as VBMS. VBMS is supposed to be up and running across the country by the end of the year and is a key component to Shinseki’s promise to end the claims backlog by 2015. The Huntington office, though, is a microcosm of what a transition from paper to digital costs in terms of time and productivity. Ultimately, this new system is expected to significantly improve the accuracy and turnaround of veterans’ disability claims. Of course some skeptics wonder if the VA can even make its target to deploy VBMS nationwide by the end of the year. Regarding its part of the backlog, DoD has finally made a decision to make a decision about electronic health care records: it will go through a commercial procurement process. (What could go wrong?)  Expect to see a few more stories like Wood’s as VA attempts to bolster its public image via reporter embeds.

Army plans to launch a reality TV show

Annalyn Kurtz, CNN Money

Unlike how the “Jersey Shore” recruited scores of young adults into tanning beds and lewd drama, the Army plans to use reality television for good, not evil. Calling it a commercial and not entertainment in order to produce the series, the show will follow civilians as they shadow a Soldier in a particular Army MOS (or job) to get a feel for what being a Soldier entails. It remains to be seen whether the show will be more or less realistic than the “Real Housewives of Orange County”.

Defense Budget and Industry Issues:

K Street looking forward to BRAC fights

Byron Tau (@ByronTau), Politico

The Department of Defense is asking for another opportunity to close bases they see as unnecessary and underutilized. The process known as Base Realignment and Closure, or BRAC, is one of the most politically charged efforts undertaken by the federal government as local governments and business groups pull out the stops to keep the massive amount of jobs and revenue that accompany military bases. Congress has already begun to make a stand that they won’t allow BRAC to happen again but just in case, state and local governments are already putting together their teams to fight off the loss of their installations. Needless to say the good folks down on K Street have already begun the rounds of briefs and proposals to help various constituencies fight BRAC. Specialized firms staffed by veterans of the last round of BRAC are in demand already and if things continue with the budget cuts there is no reason to believe they won’t be busy folks in the next four or five years as the long process to close a federal installation unfolds.

As Firms Target Exports, Offsets Create Headaches

Andrew Chuter, Defense News

With cuts in the U.S. and most western countries defense budgets, the major defense manufacturers have been rushing to sell more of their products to emerging foreign markets.  Many of these sales involve what are known as “offsets” which are agreements to build the systems in the purchasing country with local partners, invest in local projects, transfer technology to the purchasing country, or flat cash payments and rebates. These offsets are growing dramatically and the costs to the companies, the U.S. in terms of technological superiority, and to the defense industry as a whole could be severe in the future. Many firms, in the desperate rush to create new markets, could very well be creating their own future competitors as developing countries suddenly get advanced technology, modern manufacturing facilities, and technological experience they could not have produced domestically for decades. The sheer cost alone of the offset agreements being made has grown to a staggering $424 billion between 2012 and 2021 and continues to grow. This creates massive near term balance sheet risk for the companies and long-term competitive challenges. This is yet another of our much talked about second and third order effects of U.S. defense cuts that will come home to roost in years to come.

Confidential report lists U.S. weapons system designs compromised by Chinese cyberspies

Ellen Nakashima (@nakashimae), Washington Post

Nakashima has been reporting on the efforts of Chinese cyberspies and hackers who have been stealing thousands and thousands of pages of U.S. defense technology from nearly all U.S. and western defense manufacturers. The latest bad news comes in the form of the confidential portion of a report from the Defense Science Board that lists the U.S. weapon systems designs that have been stolen by the Chinese and includes technology that could well bring the Chinese military to parity with any U.S. systems in the future.  The list is shocking and includes the F-35, the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missile system, the Global Hawk UAV, all of the Marines tracked combat vehicles, the Warfighter Information Network-Tactical (WIN-T), the Littoral Combat Ship and dozens of technologies like Rail Guns, side scan sonar, and radars. The Obama Administration has been growing more critical and louder in its accusations against the Chinese efforts, but there has been no slow down at all while U.S. firms and the new Cyber Command scramble to figure out who even has authority to actually do anything about the problem and what they can do. The thefts make the spy games played during the Cold War by the Soviet Union and U.S. almost seem quaint in comparison.

Budget cuts leave Air Force pilots twisting in the wind

Steve Vogel (@steve_vogel), Washington Post

It’s not been two months since the sequestration budget cuts went into effect and we are already seeing stories trying to claim that the Pentagon overhyped its effects.  After all, defense firms are still bringing in profits, the furloughs aren’t all that bad, and the economy is improving. Unfortunately, that argument is like looking down a straw at a tornado and saying “it just looks a little breezy”. The U.S. military is making huge cuts in training and maintenance of the forces around the world to meet the mandated cuts and those efforts are already reducing combat units to near zero readiness if called up in a crisis. Steve Vogel looks at one Air Force F-15 squadron as an example.  Just two months after returning from a successful combat rotation, the unit’s aircraft are parked, major maintenance has been deferred, and pilots are not maintaining even minimum flight hours to prepare for combat if needed. The pilots fly minimum hours to keep their wings but are not considered combat qualified and will need months of retraining if called upon.  In the near term, the U.S. has dramatically less combat power if needed and the long term effects are incalculable as pilots who spend their days lifting weights and volunteering in local schools leave the service in frustration, as aircraft that have sat for months without flying develop major maintenance issues, and the future force is unable to meet the nation’s call when emergency arises. Military combat power isn’t like business that is only interested in this quarter’s results. Military readiness is measured in years and lives. If you’ve never read about Task Force Smith and the debacle in July 1950 this would be a good time to dust it off.

The Scout Report is a weekly analysis of news and events in the aerospace, defense, and veterans sectors produced by the staff of ScoutComms, Inc. and is emailed each Monday morning except on holidays. Follow us on Twitter at @ScoutComms to get up to the minute news on defense and veterans issues all week. Did you get this as a forward?  Subscribe yourself for free here right now!

About Us: ScoutComms, Inc. is a precision public relations firm based in the Washington D.C. area focused exclusively on aerospace, defense, and veterans’ affairs providing our clients deep insight and counsel based on decades of military, non-profit and public relations industry experience.  To learn more about what we can do for your organization visit our website at www.ScoutCommsUSA.com.

Questions? Comments? Additions? If you have any questions, comments, or have an event you would like us to include, send an email to LJenkins@ScoutCommsUSA.com and we will make sure we let our readers know. For questions about ScoutComms, email FWellman@ScoutCommsUSA.com.

Join the Conversation: For updates on our clients, employment opportunities, and the issues that matter in our focus areas follow @ScoutComms on Twitter and ‘like’ our Facebook page.

Monday, May 20, 2013 

With defense budgets still uncertain, the Pentagon is looking at multiple scenarios while think tanks in DC are preparing their own visions of the future. Unfortunately, as per usual, Congress isn’t helping clarify what that budget future may look like. Elsewhere in the Pentagon, it just got a little easier to Instagram your furloughed colleague’s empty seat. If you were in Tampa this week, though, you lost that sequester feeling with a trip through SOFIC’s packed exhibit hall. 

Pilots of the 1st Infantry Division’s 6th Cavalry Regiment, Combat Aviation Brigade, participate in a SEREEX (Survival Evade Resist Escape Exercise), May 13 at Fort Riley Kan. The training teaches pilots to extract themselves from damaged aircraft in the event an aircraft goes down. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Nicolas Morales, 1st Inf. Div. (via US Army Flickr)

Back in DC—surprise!—VA is taking a beating and military leaders are calling sexual assaults their great shame. Out in Colorado, a reporter takes a hard look at the impact on veterans’ health that an increasing number of other-than-honorable discharges is having. Around the nation, predatory payday lenders are taking advantage of servicemembers.

Help us free Amir Hekmati by sharing his story found below. The former Marine has been imprisoned unjustly in Iran for nearly two years.

That’s this week’s Scout Report. Don’t forget to tell your friends to subscribe to the Scout Report!

The week ahead:

Tradeshows and Conferences: No big conferences or tradeshows this week of which we are aware. Don’t forget, the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans’ Annual Conference takes place in Washington, DC next week. If you are media interested in covering this event, please contactljenkins@scoutcommsusa.com.

Congress: Both chambers are in session this week.

House:

Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Health: Legislative Hearing on Draft Legislation, ‘The Veterans Integrated Mental Health Care Act of 2013;’ Draft Legislation, ‘The Demanding Accountability for Veterans Act of 2013;’ H.R. 241; H.R. 288; H.R. 984; and H.R. 1284

When: 10:00 AM, Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Where: 334 Cannon House Office Building

Appropriations: Mark Up – FY 2014 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Bill and Report on the Suballocation of Budget Allocations for FY 2014

When: 11:00 AM, Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Where: 2359 Rayburn House Office Building

Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade: The Growing Crisis in Africa’s Sahel Region

Witnesses: The Honorable Donald Y. Yamamoto, Acting Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of African Affairs, U.S. Department of State, The Honorable Nancy E. Lindborg, Assistant Administrator, Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance, U.S. Agency for International Development, Mr. Rudolph Atallah, Senior Fellow, Michael S. Ansari Africa Center, Atlantic Council, Mima S. Nedelcovych, Ph.D., Partner, Schaffer Global Group

When: 2:00 PM, Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Where: 2172 Rayburn House Office Building

Homeland Security Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence: Assessing the Threat to the Homeland from al Qaeda Operations in Iran and Syria

Witnesses: TBD

When: 10:00 AM, Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Where: 311 Cannon House Office Building

Veterans Affairs: Expediting Claims or Exploiting Statistics?: An Examination of VA’s Special Initiative to Process Rating Claims Pending Over Two Years

Witnesses: TBD

When: 10:00 AM, Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Where: 334 Cannon House Office Building

Senate: There are no relevant Senate hearings this week.

Think tanks and other news events: 

Bipartisan Policy Center: Does the Public Need to Know? Journalistic Perspectives on Sharing Intelligence

What: “The Bipartisan Policy Center’s (BPC) Homeland Security Project will convene both members of the media and leaders in the intelligence community for a conversation about how information sharing can both be transparent and secure. Panelists will evaluate tackling the balance of sharing the proper amount of information with the public regarding national issues and events (such as last year’s attacks in Benghazi) without compromising sources, methods and other secure information.”

Who: Devlin Barrett, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal, David Sanger, Chief Washington Correspondent, The New York Times, Dana Priest, Investigative Reporter, The Washington Post,Fran Townsend, Senior Vice President, MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings, Inc., Former Homeland and Counterterrorism Security advisor to President George W. Bush, National Security Contributor, CNN

When: 11:00 AM, Monday, May 20, 2013

Where: 1225 Eye St. NW, Washington, DC, 20005

Center for Strategic and International Studies: Threat and Response: Combating Advanced Attacks and Cyber-Espionage

What: A half-day symposium bringing together industry and government officials to discuss the threats posed by cyber attacks.

Who: Mr. John C. (Chris) Inglis, Deputy Director, National Security Agency, David DeWalt, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, FireEye, Ashar Aziz, Founder, Vice Chairman of the Board, CTO, and Chief Strategy Officer, FireEye, Shane McGee, General Counsel, Mandiant,James Mulvenon, Vice-President of Defense Group, Inc.’s Intelligence Division and Director of DGI’s Center for Intelligence Research and Analysis, Shawn Henry, President, CrowdStrike, James Lewis, Director and Senior Fellow, Technology and Public Policy Program, CSIS, Bruce McConnell, Deputy Under Secretary for Cybersecurity for the National Protection and Programs Directorate, DHS, John Nagengast, Director of Government Solutions, AT&T, John Gilligan, President, The Gilligan Group, Former CIO, Air Force, Robert Lentz, President, Cyber Security Strategies

When: 9:00 AM, Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Where: B1 Conference Center, 1800 K Street, NW, Washington DC, 20006

Center for a New American Security: Asia-Pacific Rebalance: Strengthening Regional Maritime Security

What: “Admiral Jonathan W. Greenert, Chief of Naval Operations, will address the U.S. Navy posture in the Asia-Pacific region in a speech entitled “Asia-Pacific Rebalance: Strengthening Regional Maritime Security and Partnerships” at the Willard InterContinental Hotel.”

Who: Admiral Jonathan W. Greenert, Chief of Naval Operations

When: 6:00 PM, Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Where: Willard InterContinental Hotel, 1401 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20004

Atlantic Council: 15th Anniversary of PDD-63: History of Cyber Critical Infrastructure Protection

What: “Issued by the Clinton administration in 1998, PDD-63 outlines the increased reliance on cyber infrastructure by public and private enterprises, and the strong need for collaboration to improve the security of this infrastructure. The directive marked the first White House effort to address vulnerabilities from the United States dependence on cyberspace, and established a framework to encourage information sharing and collaboration among various sectors. The discussion will review the decisions that were made regarding critical infrastructure protection fifteen years ago in PDD-63, and how successfully the directive has been implemented in the years since.”

Who: Suzanne E. Spaulding, Acting Undersecretary for the National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD), US Department of Homeland Security

When: 3:00 PM, Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Where: 1101 15th St. NW, 11th Floor, Washington, DC 20005

Major themes and issues from last week:

ScoutComms’ Client News:

Iran holds former Marine for almost 2 years

Gina Harkins (@GinaAHarkins), Marine Corps Times

Iraq veteran and former Marine Sergeant Amir Hekmati has been unjustly imprisoned for nearly two years in Iran. While visiting his family for the first time he was arrested, accused of being a spy and sentenced to death. The Supreme Court overturned the death sentence due to lack of evidence and a forced confession but he remains in the notorious Evin Prison still after 16 months in solitary confinement. His family works tirelessly to raise awareness about getting Amir home, especially now that his father has been diagnosed with brain cancer. Marines, too, both ones with whom Hekmati served and those he didn’t, have stepped up to raise awareness in order to get him released with little to show for the effort. ScoutComms is proud to be supporting Hekmati’s family with our partners at Edelman and you can learn more at www.freeamir.org.

Changes in Defense Media:

Atlantic Media to Launch New Digital-First Publication

Continuing a trend of new defense verticals, Atlantic Media, which publishes The Atlantic, Nextgov, and Government Executive among other brands, is launching Defense One, a digital-first publication focused on the industry. The new pub will cover “budget uncertainty, emerging national security frontiers, new management paradigms and emerging technologies”. Will be an interesting one to keep an eye on especially as it staffs up with reporters and editors.

Veterans and Military Issues:

Disposable: Surge in discharges includes wounded soldiers

Dave Philipps, The Gazette

A mix of budget constraints and combat drawdowns is forcing the Army to cut its ranks meaning an increase in misconduct discharges—but a disturbing number of those other-than-honorable discharges are wounded soldiers whose behavior may have been due to TBI or PTSD. The other-than-honorable discharges mean these vulnerable veterans have no access to VA health care or other support programs. For veterans like Kash Alvaro, that can nearly be a death sentence. Since surviving multiple IED blasts in Afghanistan, Alvaro has suffered TBI, PTSD, and seizures. He’s ended up homeless and in the ER multiple times. But because of his OTH discharge, neither the VA nor military systems provide any benefits. As the report notes, this is far different from the private sector in which an employee injured on the job will still get benefits despite running into trouble. Alvaro’s story is a complicated one—he certainly wasn’t a perfect soldier—and no doubt not the only one.  The Army has to maintain discipline while also taking care of those whose criminal behaviors may be driven by their wounds. This story should raise a lot of questions about how the Army and the nation care for its wounded while they’re still in the military and when they leave and is the first in a three part series from the Colorado Springs Gazette that will be worth following.

VA workers say mandatory overtime won’t solve benefits backlog

Leo Shane (@LeoShane), Stars and Stripes

It didn’t take long after the VA announced its disability claims raters would be forced to work mandatory overtime to clear the backlog for serious questions to be raise about the efficacy of the move. Some anonymous employees of the VBA said the overtime won’t clear the backlog, it will simply destroy morale further. According to these employees, previous mandatory overtime periods did not make any headway into clearing the backlog. The VA says that previous efforts did improve output, but due to increasing filings, no headway was made. A more permanent solution, though, will require more than overtime. VA’s former CTO writes in Politico that DOD needs to be part of that solution by adopting an integrated electronic health record that will make rating claims much faster.

Obama cites ‘shame’ in military sexual assault

Robert Burns (@robertburnsAP) and Lolita Baldor (@lbaldor), Associated Press

After a White House gathering of the services’ top officers, enlisted advisors, and their civilian counterparts, President Obama said many expressed shame for the ongoing sexual assault crisis in their ranks and promised tougher efforts to prevent and prosecute sex crimes. This comes during a week in which the military’s own annual report showed a dramatic increase in reported assaults in the ranks and two soldiers tapped to stop sexual assault in the field were arrested. SecDef Hagel announced a plan to “re-train, re-credential, and re-screen” tens of thousands of sexual assault prevention officers and recruiters. Meanwhile, a bipartisan group of Representatives and Senators introduced legislation that would put the power to pursue legal cases in the hands of military prosecutors instead of commanders. Members of the Armed Services Committees and most in the Pentagon are not fans of the idea, but CJCS General Marty Dempsey and top Air Force General Mark Walsh have said they are open to considering the idea. Hagel has also indicated he is open to discussing the proposal with Congress but their opinions might be moot if the continuing tidal wave of bad news continues.

On Victory Drive, Soldiers Defeated by Debt

Paul Kiel, ProPublica, and Mitchell Hartman, Marketplace

The Military Lending Act was supposed to protect servicemembers from the unscrupulous “deals” offered by payday lenders, but the law was written so narrowly that these institutions continue to proliferate around large military bases. Since the law was passed, there has been no drop in the number of payday lenders around Ft. Hood. Like many young people, servicemembers with little financial literacy are finding themselves living beyond their means and in need of extra cash. Unfortunately, when they go to payday lenders, the interest rates they pay are as high as 400%. One Staff Sergeant took out a loan for $1,600 that would have ended up costing him $17,228 over two and a half years. These companies are preying on the steady incomes and unsteady financial planning of our servicemembers. Non-profits like the PenFed Foundation are trying to change that by offering no-interest emergency loans to servicemembers and offering financial literacy courses to those in need.  With the end of a decade of combat, and the associated increases in normal pay with wartime service, the financial management crisis could be the next wave of pain for service members and veterans. (Editor’s Note: PenFed is a ScoutComms client.)

Defense, Budget, and Industry Issues:

Pentagon approves use of advanced devices from Apple and others – but don’t expect quick change

Chris Carroll (@ChrisCarroll_), Stars and Stripes

On Friday the Defense Information Systems Agency announced the long rumored approval of the Security Technical Implementation Guide, or STIG, for Apple iOS6 devices to be used on the Defense Department’s networks. This move effectively clears the department’s various entities to purchase products like iPhones and iPads officially for the first time joining previously approved Samsung Android devices. While there is some excitement among Apple diehards, Carroll points out that it won’t be an overnight change by any means. BlackBerry clearly owns the government market right now and its new BlackBerry 10 operating system has also been approved previously and features the security many love about the maker’s products. There are over half a million BlackBerry devices in use and they won’t be replaced very rapidly in the current budget environment but there is competition for the DoD’s business. (Editor’s Note: BlackBerry is a ScoutComms client with our partners at Edelman)

DoD Examines 3 Budget-Cut Scenarios

Marcus Weisgerber (@MarcusReports) and Vago Muradian, Defense News

Defense Secretary Hagel ordered a review of the DoD’s strategy two months ago in light of the sequestration and other budget cuts to ensure that the department’s plans met the budget realities. Defense News has the inside scoop that the Strategic Choices and Management Review (SCMR), or Scammer inside the building, will present three options to the secretary to prepare for cuts of $100, $300 or $500 billion. The report is expected on May 31^st and will offer a range of options while not necessarily the final strategy recommended. With ‘just’ $100 billion, the Army will eat most of the cuts but the entire department gets to share the pain as the numbers go up.  Interestingly, four of Washington’s prominent think tanks from different political leanings are building “shadow reviews” as well that will be presented offering their own perspectives on how the cuts could be made under varying scenarios to provide a range of options. It will be a fascinating week after Memorial Day as each of the organizations and DoD present their ideas.  What’s the one major problem with all of the different scenarios?  No one has any clue what the actual budget might be and Congress is in no hurry to figure it out.

SOFIC Shatters Trend of Declining Trade Show Attendance

Paul McLeary (@PaulMcLeary), Defense News

Last week was the annual Special Operations Forces Industry Conference (SOFIC) in Tampa Bay, Florida hosted by the National Defense Industrial Association and by all measures it defies what has been a trend of shrinking defense tradeshows this year. McLeary reports that spots on the convention floor sold out in one day last summer and a waiting list was put in effect for hundreds of exhibitors who wanted to show their wares and services to the Special Operations community and 7,000 attendees.  The show is not a typical one in that it is presented just minutes from the MacDill Air Force Base, headquarters of U.S. Special Operations Command, and is the primary show in the world focused on the unique needs of that community. Many of the vendors are tiny, niche businesses whose sole business is providing one-of-a-kind solutions for Special Forces troops and are still continuing relatively unscathed from the budget cuts regular military services are wrestling with. We’ll see what the fall brings for AUSA and the other big shows.

Top general says U.S. under constant cyber attack threat

Andrea Shalal-Esa (@AShalalNews) and Deborah Charles, Reuters

Reuters hosted their Cybersecurity Summit in Washington last week and the picture painted is one of growing concerns. Speaking to the meeting, Army General Keith Alexander who commands both the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command, says that U.S. computer networks are already under near constant attack and billions of dollars of intellectual property and intelligence is flowing into the hands of criminals and foreign nations. It’s just a matter of time until the kinds of attacks that crippled Saudi Arabia’s national oil company Aramco last year occur in the U.S. and right now we are woefully unprepared. His biggest goal is legislation that would make it easier for government agencies like his to work with private companies and networks to look for signs of intrusion but civil liberty and privacy groups continue to resist. He envisions legislation that would not allow government agencies to view data that identifies specific individuals without special waivers. It all makes sense but until there is a dramatic “9/11 Cyber Event” its unlikely the average American will believe there is a real threat. It will take someone interrupting the Super Bowl before everyday people seem to understand how bad things really are. 

The Scout Report is a weekly analysis of news and events in the aerospace, defense, and veterans sectors produced by the staff of ScoutComms, Inc. and is emailed each Monday morning except on holidays. Follow us on Twitter at @ScoutComms to get up to the minute news on defense and veterans issues all week. Did you get this as a forward?  Subscribe yourself for free here right now!

About Us: ScoutComms, Inc. is a precision public relations firm based in the Washington D.C. area focused exclusively on aerospace, defense, and veterans’ affairs providing our clients deep insight and counsel based on decades of military, non-profit and public relations industry experience. To learn more about what we can do for your organization visit our website at www.ScoutCommsUSA.com.

Questions? Comments? Additions? If you have any questions, comments, or have an event you would like us to include, send an email to LJenkins@ScoutCommsUSA.com and we will make sure we let our readers know. For questions about ScoutComms, email FWellman@ScoutCommsUSA.com. 

Join the Conversation: For updates on our clients, employment opportunities and the issues that matter in our focus areas follow @ScoutComms on Twitter and ‘like’ our Facebook page.

Monday, May 13, 2013

Second and third order effects of sequestration are taking their toll DC’s hospitality industry. Meanwhile, it was an interesting week for big defense systems with news on the LCS, the JLTV, and the OH-58D. Our favorite defense acquisition story of the week, though, has to do with Marines’ pants.

Prince Harry put the focus on veterans with his trip through DC this week, but even the ginger Apache pilot couldn’t fix the VA backlog. (Maybe he should have tried a hashtag?)

DoD is facing an existential crisis as sexual assaults are up 35 percent over the last two years. Will new initiatives stem the tide or does this require constructive destruction?

This week’s Scout Report is brought to you by the letter S. S is for telling your friends, “Subscribe to the Scout Report!”

The week ahead:

Tradeshows and Conferences: Mark your calendars for the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans’ annual conference in Washington, DC on May 29-May 31, 2013. VA Secretary Shinseki and HUD Secretary Donovan will be speaking to the foremost convening of service providers to homeless veterans.

NDIA Special Operations Forces Industry Conference (SOFIC)

Who: U.S. Special Operations Commander, ADM William H. McRaven, USN Acquisition Executive, Mr. James Cluck, and the U.S. Special Operations Forces Component Commanders, and others

What: SOFIC is the premier tradeshow focused on Special Operations forces and their requirements.  It serves as the gathering of record for many special operators and is hosted not far from the headquarters of SOCOM. Leaders from across the Special Operations community provide updates and acquisition officials present their priorities for the year. In a year of cancelled shows and half-full exhibit halls, SOFIC is at capacity—a testament to the bright future of SOF even after budget cutbacks.

When: Monday, May 13 – Thursday, May 16, 2013

Where: Tampa Convention Center, Tampa, FL

Congress: Both chambers are in session this week.

House:

Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies: Mark Up – FY 2014 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Bill

When: 11:00 AM, Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Where: H-140 Capitol Building

Homeland Security Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Security Technologies: Facilitating Cyber Threat Information Sharing and Partnering with the Private Sector to Protect Critical Infrastructure: An Assessment of DHS Capabilities

Witnesses: TBD

When: 10:00 AM, Thursday, May 16, 2013

Where: 311 Cannon House Office Building

Senate:

Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower: Marine Corps Modernization

Witnesses: Honorable Sean J. Stackley, Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development and Acquisition), Lieutenant General Richard P. Mills, USMC, Deputy Commandant for Combat Development and Integration/Commanding General, Marine Corps Combat Development Command

When: 9:30 AM, Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Where: 222 Russell Senate Office Building

Veterans Committee: Pending Benefits Legislation

Witnesses: TBD

When: 10:00 AM, Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Where: 418 Russell Senate Office Building

Armed Services: The Law of Armed Conflict, the Use of Military Force, and the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force

Witnesses: Mr. Robert S. Taylor, Acting General Counsel Department of Defense, Honorable Michael A. Sheehan, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations/Low-Intensity Conflict Department of Defense, Major General Michael K. Nagata, USA, Deputy Director for Special Operations/Counterterrorism, J-37, Joint Staff, Brigadier General Richard C. Gross, JAGC, USA, Legal Counsel, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Ms. Rosa Brooks, Professor of Law Georgetown University Law Center, Mr. Geoffrey Corn, Professor of Law South Texas College of Law, Mr. Jack Goldsmith, Professor of Law Harvard Law School, Mr. Kenneth Roth, Executive Director Human Rights Watch, Mr. Charles Stimson, Manager, National Security Law Program The Heritage Foundation

When: 9:30 AM, Thursday, May 16, 2013

Where: 106 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Think tanks and other news events: 

Stimson Center: Managing The Military More Efficiently: Potential Savings Separate From Strategy

What: “Stimson is releasing a report surveying numerous boards, commissions, and study groups on their recommendations on how to better manage the defense budget, with a special focus on personnel compensation, manpower utilization and procurement practices. While no one will embrace every option and some options are contradictory, these changes would represent savings of nearly $1 trillion over 10 years. This report comes as sequestration is forcing the Pentagon to either adjust how it does business or suffer deep cuts to force structure. The report serves as a one-stop resource to understand what options exist for tackling ingrained inefficiencies in defense spending.”

Who: Barry Blechman, Stimson Co-founder and Chair of the Peterson Foundation Defense Advisory Group, Matthew Leatherman, Research analyst with Stimson’s Budgeting for Foreign Affairs and Defense Program, Erin Conaton, CNAS non-resident senior fellow, former Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, and appointee to the National Commission on the Structure of the Air Force, David Oliver, EADS North America strategic advisor; former Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology & Logistics; and retired Navy Rear Admiral

When: 2:00 PM, Monday, May 13, 2013

Where: 1111 19th Street NW, 12th Floor, Washington, DC 20036

National Press Club: Government Contracting in Era of Sequestration

What: “Companies that do business with the U.S. government, Fortune 500 companies and small businesses alike, are faced with unprecedented fiscal uncertainty as they work to navigate the impact of sequestration. At a National Press Club Newsmaker news conference on Thursday, May 16th three private-sector CEOs will discuss the future of government contracting in the era of sequestration.”

Who: John Jumper, Chairman and CEO, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), Frank Mendicino, CEO, SKYDEX Technologies, Inc., Kevin W. Miller, President and CEO, Sciolex Corporation

When: 10:00 AM, Thursday, May 16, 2013

Where: 529 14th St. NW, 13th Floor, Washington, DC 20045

Major themes and issues from last week:

ScoutComms’ Client News:

An ‘unfair fight’ for job-seeking veterans

Leo Shane (@LeoShane), Stars and Stripes

With veteran unemployment numbers fluctuating and seemingly hundreds of programs out there trying to help veterans find and get jobs, the biggest obstacle is language. Veterans and the civilians trying to hire them speak different languages and because so few have borne the burden of war, both sides have a difficult time interpreting what the other is saying. Companies like The Home Depot want to hire veterans and have created tools designed to make that easier for HR and veterans, but elsewhere, veterans struggle building resumes that HR won’t throw away. This is the first story in what promises to be a great series on the civil-military divide.

Volunteers Repair Disabled Veteran’s Home

Roger Mares, WRIC

This last week, Home Depot associates took on a project outside of Richmond, VA that allowed a disabled veteran to be able to get around his home more easily. This is another in The Home Depot Foundation’s Spring into Service campaign that runs through Memorial Day. ScoutComms was lucky enough to be able to see the Mechanicsville project in action. Needless to say, this won’t be the last veteran who now has a safer home thanks to the hard work of Home Depot volunteers and The Home Depot Foundation.

Changes in Defense Media:

Ackerman to The Guardian US

Spencer Ackerman, rakish Danger Room writer extraodrinaiare, is taking his national security reporting credentials to The Guardian, a well-respected paper out of the UK (to distinguish it from The Daily Mail.) He’ll be The Guardian’s US national security editor. Cheerio, Spencer, and we look forward to reading your new pieces with more extraneous Us.

Rogin to The Daily Beast

Foreign Policy’s hard working Josh Rogin is bidding the magazine adieu as he heads over to Tina Brown’s The Daily Beast. He’ll be covering politics and national security. John Hudson at Foreign Policy will take over Rogin’s venerable blog The Cable which follows the daily grind of State Department intrigue and the machinations of foreign policy.

BuzzFeed hiring National Security Reporter

A soon-to-be-change as BuzzFeed, best known for cat GIFs and lists about the 90s, is on the hunt for an experienced national security/foreign policy reporter to join its team. The qualified candidate will have at least five years experience in investigative journalism. Whoever gets the job will certainly join a growing media behemoth.

Veterans and Military Issues:

Vietnam veterans’ new battle: getting disability compensation

Alan Zarembo (@AlanZarembo), Los Angeles Times

As Vietnam veterans are getting older, their health is deteriorating and many are now filing disability claims with the VA for the first time. Unfortunately, their claims are adding to the already strained VA benefit process. It’s Vietnam veterans—not Iraq and Afghanistan veterans—who make up the bulk of the VA backlog. Linda Bilmes, a policy expert at Harvard, notes that we have yet to see disability claims for Vietnam peak. Some of these veterans will see their claims get fast-tracked by VA’s new plan to provisionally process claims older than two years imminently, but many of these Vietnam veterans are asking the same questions that younger guys are asking, “why should I have to wait?” Though not known for getting things done, Members of Congress are increasingly to whom veterans turn when they need help advocating for their claims at VA. Next week, Congress will grill VA on their fast-track plan for older claims and clear the backlog. But ultimately, the fix at VA must be systemic, not piecemeal, if it’s going to withstand the estimated peak of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans’ claims in 2050.

Hagel orders changes to confront military sexual abuse

Gregg Zoroya (@greggzoroya) and Tom Vanden Brook (@tvandenbrook), USA Today

In a report released on Tuesday, the military reported sexual assaults were up 35 percent since 2010. President Obama said, “it’s unacceptable” and promised more accountability for perpetrators telling victims he’s “got their backs.” SecDef Hagel swiftly announced new initiatives including holding commanders accountable for creating a climate in which sexual assault is not tolerated and victims are supported, reducing stigma so victims report incidents, and enhancing education and prevention programs. A legislative battle is heating up, too, as some in Congress are moving to take away commanders’ ability to adjudicate sexual assault cases after a few high-profile cases in which generals exonerated officers. The report was released on the heels of news that the head of the Air Force’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office was arrested near the Pentagon for, sadly, sexual assault. It’s indicative of an endemic problem that must be addressed at all levels of command. Until then, we’ll see too many stories like: “Pentagon grapples with sex crimes by military recruiters”

Prince Harry, injured U.S. officer launch Warrior Games

Dan Elliott (@DanElliottAP), Associated Press

Because you need some good news, we bring you Prince Harry teaming up with wounded warriors to create an Olympics-style athletic competition for their peers. Harry is a veteran of Afghanistan himself which the wounded veterans participating say makes him much easier to talk to than they would typically expect from royalty. The young prince has been putting the focus on the military and veterans on his trip through the US. He paid his respects to fallen servicemembers in Arlington National Cemetery’s Section 60, visited wounded servicemembers at Walter Reed, and helped hand out medals at the Warrior Games.

Military, Budget and Industry Issues:

Sequestration takes its toll on the Washington area meetings business

Abha Bhattarai (@abhabhattarai), Washington Post

Maybe we’re starting to sound like a broken record but in another example of the second and third order effects of sequestration’s bite, Washington D.C. area hotels and conference sites are reporting a slowdown that runs counter to improvements in the hospitality industry nationally. As the economy has begun to show signs of thawing for business travel and conferences, it’s seen a sudden frost in the D.C. where many government, and especially defense, related tradeshows and conferences, occur as government agencies and organizations that support them cut back on participation in conferences or outright cancel many of them. Meanwhile the folks on Capitol Hill and up Pennsylvania Avenue are hard at work finding a solution to this issue…wait…no they aren’t.  Senator McCain told Defense News this week that he doesn’t see any kind of a “grand bargain” discussion even beginning before August recess and then of course campaign season starts in the Fall so political will for anything looking like compromise goes out the window. Bottom line: if it doesn’t make the average American or elected official uncomfortable or inconvenienced there will be no change in the sequester cuts. Ever.

Navy Ship Can’t Meet Mission, Internal U.S. Report Finds

Tony Capaccio (@ACapaccio), Bloomberg

In a never released report, an internal review ordered by the Chief of Naval Operations found that the Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship can’t meet its promised mission because they are too lightly manned and armed for any kind of combat operations. Critics have long questioned the LCS program based on its small crew, light armor and minimal weapons suites and this internal report confirms all of those concerns as valid. In addition, the two different designs mean a complicated supply and maintenance system and the trimaran version of the vessel can’t even dock in many ports. In spite of all of that the Navy says the program has made great progress and is now on budget.  Of course, that isn’t the issue at all. The issue is whether the U.S. is fielding a fleet of “combat” ships that are nothing more than future man-made reefs. What’s also interesting is that the report was classified as “Confidential-Draft and not subject to FOIA”. In other words, a report that undermined one of the service’s biggest programs was classified in a specific manner to ensure it would never be released to the public. That is a really troubling approach to managing U.S. taxpayer’s money and the lives of our son’s and daughter’s who may serve on the ships at war. It will be interesting to see if this report makes any splash on the Hill as the ship’s builders are located in the state’s of key legislators who are of course, huge fans of the program.

Reputation remake: Tilt-rotor Osprey wins fans in Afghanistan

Jay Price, USA Today

Of course, the counter point to the above story is another famous procurement “failure” that has turned out to be not quite as screwed up as the experts predicted it would be, the MV-22 Osprey, tilt-rotor aircraft. Long written off as a dangerous and difficult to maintain waste of money, the much maligned aircraft has proven itself as a combat workhorse in the difficult flying conditions of Afghanistan with the Marine Corps. While still a relatively expensive aircraft to build and maintain, the aircraft’s ability to get off the ground quickly, carry more troops and cargo than helicopters, reach its destination quickly in any weather and then get back safely has proven the original concept of a hybrid aircraft as sound after all. One unique aspect of the aircraft’s capability is that because of its extended range and speed, assaults can be conducted from unusual directions, thwarting the traditional straight line approaches that Taliban fighters have come to expect and prepare for with spotters along typical flight paths. Marines with Ospreys can fly all the way around an objective and approach from the opposite direction of their home bases. While the costs to maintain the aircraft are steep, the cost in lives saved might be a little bit harder to measure.

US Army May Push Back JLTV, Rethink Armed Aerial Scout Program

Paul McLeary (@pmcleary), Defense News

The Army’s top military acquisition adviser dropped some surprises in testimony last week to the Senate when he announced possible delays in the testing of the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle program and a complete re-thinking of the replacement effort for the services workhorse scout helicopters the OH-58D. Both programs have been held up as icons of surviving programs in these tough budget times as both have been proceeding with few glitches, cost overruns or testing delays.  All of that went out the window when LTG William Phillips and other Army officials warned that the rigorous testing of the three competitors vehicles on JLTV could face delays of three to four months to sequestration and a possible delay of low rate production into Fiscal Year 2016. On top of that the Armed Aerial Scout program was finally supposed to be on track after a fly-off last year where existing aircraft were demonstrated for Army aviation leaders who expressed satisfaction with what they saw. It seems they really didn’t as Phillips said that none of the aircraft met Army requirements and a development program would be needed.  That sounds a lot like a new program which sounds a lot like “not going to happen” in the ‘budget-talk-tango’ of D.C. these days.

With 10 patterns, U.S. military branches out on camouflage front

David Fahrenthold (@Fahrenthold), Washington Post

The U.S. military had just two kinds of camouflage combat uniforms in 2002 and now 11 years later there are ten different versions and more coming as each service has to have their own. Fahrenthold uses the military duplication of effort as prime example of how government programs tend to all too often simply have a different name for the exact same effort. According to the Government Accountability Office there are currently 16 different government programs to teach consumers good financial management alone. This is one of those stories that we tell you to read the whole thing because if you know what fans we are of the Duffel Blog then you can really appreciate how much this story reads just like satire but is sadly true. The punch line is that after 10 years of trying to find the right uniform to wear in the desert so our troops wouldn’t be wearing green, the Navy has settled on a green desert uniform. The silliness of this story is almost too much to bear.

Of Interest:

Edelman to Acquire South African-Based Baird’s Renaissance

Edelman Press Release

ScoutComms’ long time partner agency Edelman has acquired South African communications firm Baird’s Renaissance in the firm’s first foray in the continent. Baird’s has been an Edelman affiliate partner for 20 years and will now be called Edelman South Africa. Of note, our long time friend and teammate Tod Donhauser of Edelman DC will be heading to Johannesburg to serve as Managing Director of the new office. Tod has been not just a client of ScoutComms but a mentor and true partner to our firm. His constant support has been a key factor in what we have become as a company and he will be truly missed here in DC. On a positive note, we will be looking for opportunities in South Africa now as well. We wish him all the best in this new, and well deserved, position.

The Scout Report is a weekly analysis of news and events in the aerospace, defense, and veterans sectors produced by the staff of ScoutComms, Inc. and is emailed each Monday morning except on holidays. Follow us on Twitter at @ScoutComms to get up to the minute news on defense and veterans issues all week. Did you get this as a forward?  Subscribe yourself for free here right now!

About Us: ScoutComms, Inc. is a precision public relations firm based in the Washington D.C. area focused exclusively on aerospace, defense, and veterans’ affairs providing our clients deep insight and counsel based on decades of military, non-profit and public relations industry experience.  To learn more about what we can do for your organization visit our website at www.ScoutCommsUSA.com.

Questions? Comments? Additions? If you have any questions, comments, or have an event you would like us to include, send an email to LJenkins@ScoutCommsUSA.com and we will make sure we let our readers know. For questions about ScoutComms, email FWellman@ScoutCommsUSA.com.

Join the Conversation: For updates on our clients, employment opportunities and the issues that matter in our focus areas follow @ScoutComms on Twitter and ‘like’ our Facebook page.

Monday, May 6, 2013

We’re learning more and more about how the Defense Department is trying to prepare itself for budget uncertainty especially as it requires cash to fund the massive withdrawal of personnel and equipment from Afghanistan. At the rate Chinese cyber-spies are hacking, they probably already know those plans inside and out.

VA gets bashed again because it’s a day ending in Y, but there’s some good news for female veterans looking for services—at least sometime down the road. An amputee became the first to graduate from Air Assault School at Fort Campbell making him more of a badass than 100 percent of the ScoutComms team.

Need a last minute Mother’s Day gift? Subscribe her to the Scout Report and we’ll give her a shout out next week. It’s more environmentally friendly than shipping her an Edible Arrangement.

The week ahead:

Tradeshows and Conferences: No major tradeshows or conferences this week, but SOFIC is still on the horizon. Are we missing a big one? Email us and let us know at fwellman@scoutcommsusa.com.

Congress: Both chambers return to work this week.

House:

Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense: Budget Hearing – Navy and Marine Corps

Witnesses: The Honorable Ray Mabus, Secretary, United States Navy, Admiral Jonathan W. Greenert, Chief of Naval Operations, General James F. Amos, Commandant, Marine Corps

When: 10:00 AM, Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Where: H-140 Capitol Building

Veterans Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations: VA Construction Policy: Failed Plans Result In Plans That Fail

Witnesses: TBD

When: 2:00 PM, Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Where: 334 Cannon House Office Building

Armed Services: National Defense Priorities from Members for the FY 2014 National Defense Authorization Act

Witnesses: Members of Congress TBD

When: 12:30 PM, Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Where: 2118 Rayburn House Office Building

Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces: Fiscal Year 2014 National Defense Authorization Budget Request for Missile Defense Programs

Witnesses: The Honorable Madelyn Creedon, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Global Strategic Affairs, Department of Defense, The Honorable J. Michael Gilmore, Director, Operational Test and Evaluation, Department of Defense, Vice Admiral James D. Syring, USN, Director, Missile Defense Agency

When: 3:00 PM, Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Where: 2212 Rayburn House Office Building

Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense: Budget Hearing – United States Army

Witnesses: The Honorable John M. McHugh, Secretary, United States Army, General Raymond T. Odierno, Chief of Staff, United States Army

When: 1:00 PM, Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Where: H-140 Capitol Building

Homeland Security: The Boston Bombings: A First Look

Witnesses: Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis, U.S. Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, Massachusetts Undersecretary for Homeland Security Director Kurt Schwartz

When: 9:00 AM, Thursday, May 9, 2013

Where: 311 Cannon House Office Building

Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces: Fiscal Year 2014 National Defense Authorization Budget Request for Atomic Energy Defense Activities and Nuclear Forces Programs

Witnesses: The Honorable Madelyn Creedon, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Global Strategic Affairs, Department of Defense, Dr. John Harvey, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Defense Programs, Department of Defense, Mr. David Huizenga, Senior Advisor for Environmental Management, Department of Energy, General C. Robert Kehler, USAF, Commander, U.S. Strategic Command, The Honorable Neile Miller, Acting Administrator, National Nuclear Security Administration, Dr. Peter S. Winokur, Chairman, Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board

When: 9:00 AM, Thursday, May 9, 2013

Where: 2118 Rayburn House Office Building

Senate:

Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces: National Nuclear Security Administration Management of its National Security Laboratories

Witnesses: Dr. Charles F. McMillan, Director, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Dr. Paul J. Hommert, Director, Sandia National Laboratories, Dr. Penrose C. Albright, Director, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Dr. Charles V. Shank, Co-Chair, Committee to Review the Quality of the Management and of the Science and Engineering Research at the Department of Energy’s National Security Laboratories

When: 2:30 PM, Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Where: 222 Russell Senate Office Building

Armed Services: Air Force Oversight

Witnesses: Honorable Michael B. Donley, Secretary of the Air Force, General Mark A. Welsh III, USAF, Chief of Staff of the Air Force

When: 9:30 AM, Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Where: 216 Hart Senate Office Building

Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower: Navy Shipbuilding Programs

Witnesses: Honorable Sean J. Stackley, Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development and Acquisition), Vice Admiral Kevin M. McCoy, USN, Commander, Naval Sea Systems Command, Vice Admiral Allen G. Myers, USN, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations, Integration of Capabilities and Resources (N8)

When: 9:30 AM, Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Where: 232 Russell Senate Office Building

Armed Services: Army Modernization

Witnesses: Lieutenant General William N. Phillips, USA, Principal Military Deputy to the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology Director, Acquisition Career Management, and Chief Integration Officer, Lieutenant General James O. Barclay III, USA, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army (G-8)

When: 9:30 AM, Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Where: 222 Russell Senate Office Building

Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces: Programs of the National Nuclear Security Administration and the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management

Witnesses: Ms. Neile L. Miller, Acting Administrator National Nuclear Security Administration Department of Energy, Honorable Don L. Cook, Deputy Administrator for Defense Programs National Nuclear Security Administration Department of Energy, Admiral John M. Richardson, USN, Deputy Administrator for Naval Reactors National Nuclear Security Administration Department of Energy, Mr. David G. Huizenga, Senior Advisor for Environmental Management Office of Environmental Management Department of Energy, Mr. David C. Trimble, Director, Natural Resources and Environment Government Accountability Office

When: 2:30 PM, Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Where: 232 Russell Senate Office Building

Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emergency Management, Intergovernmental Relations, and the District of Columbia: Role of Private Sector in Preparedness and Emergency Response

Witnesses: TBD

When: 2:30 PM, Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Where: 342 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces: Programs of the National Nuclear Security Administration and the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management

Witnesses: Honorable Madelyn R. Creedon, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Global Strategic Affairs Department of Defense, Honorable J. Michael Gilmore, Director, Operational Test and Evaluation Department of Defense, Lieutenant General Richard P. Formica, USA, Commander, U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command and Commander, Joint Functional Component Command for Integrated Missile Defense, Vice Admiral James D. Syring, USN, Director, Missile Defense Agency Department of Defense, Ms. Cristina T. Chaplain, Director, Acquisition and Sourcing Management Government Accountability Office

When: 2:30 PM, Thursday, May 9, 2013

Where: 222 Russell Senate Office Building

Think tanks and other news events: 

New America Foundation: The Drone Next Door

What: “Drones have become essential to the American way of war. They’ve given the military nearly constant surveillance from the sky, and allow for quick attacks from afar. And now, like countless other technologies forged in the heat of battle, drones are making their way to the home front, pressed into civilian service. Call them drones, unmanned aerial vehicles, or remote-control planes; these high-tech devices have appealed to Border Patrol and local law enforcement, but also to conservationists, journalists, hobbyists, and more. How do we decide who gets to have their own set of eyes in the skies? What does it mean for your privacy and safety if your neighbors get their own drone?”

Who: Michael Toscano, President and CEO, Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, Shane Harris, National Security Writer, Washingtonian, Rosa Brooks, Bernard L. Schwartz Fellow, New America Foundation, Catherine Crump, Staff Attorney, American Civil Liberties Union, Carter Roberts, President and CEO, World Wildlife Fund, Robbie Hood, Director of Unmanned Aerial Systems, NOAA, and others

When: 9:00 AM, Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Where: 1899 L Street NW Suite 400, Washington, DC 20036

American Enterprise Institute: The F-35: Separating rhetoric and rationale

What: “The fate of the F-35 Lightning II program hangs in the balance. The costly and controversial program has been a constant target for budget cutters, but their criticisms concentrate almost solely on problems of program and schedule rather than on the technological, tactical, operational, and strategic value of the Lightning II.”

Who: Rebecca Grant, IRIS Independent Research, Major General Richard Johnston, US Air Force, Phillip Lohaus, AEI

When: 10:00 AM, Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Where: Russell Senate Office Building 485, Constitution Avenue and 1st Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002

Delegation of the European Union to the United States: Transatlantic Partners In Global Security: The EU’s Common Security And Defense Policy

What: “This transatlantic symposium brings together American and European crisis management policy-makers and experts – both military and civilian – for a day-long discussion of transatlantic cooperation on crisis management, in the context of the EU’s Common Security and Defense Policy.”

Who: Ambassador João Vale de Almeida, Head of Delegation of the European Union to the United States, Catherine Ashton, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, Rick Barton, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations, Dr. Kathleen Hicks, Principal Deputy Under Secretary for Policy, U.S. Department of Defense, Wendy Sherman, Under Secretary for Political Affairs, U.S. Department of State, Brigadier General Francois Lecointre, Mission Commander, European Union Training Mission Mali, and others

When: 9:00 AM, Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Where: United States Institute for Peace, 2301 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC

Cato Institute: Buzzfeed Politics: Lessons from the Intersection of Journalism and the Viral Web

What: “A discussion with Buzzfeed’s political news team on crafting viral content, keeping up in real time, and the future of journalism.”

Who: McKay Coppins, Politics Editor, Buzzfeed, Benny Johnson, Associate Editor – Viral Politics, Buzzfeed, Kelly Cobb, Senior Director of External Affiars, Cato Institute

When: 12:00 PM, Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Where: 1000 Massachusetts Ave NW, Conference Center Hall 3, Washington, 20001

Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments: SOF Future Missions: Addressing Proxy Wars, Violent Extremists, WMD and A2AD

What: “From the crucible of more than a decade of continuous combat operations, Special Operations Forces (SOF) have emerged as one of the most cost-effective “weapons systems” in the U.S. military arsenal and a major source of strategic advantage for the nation. How can the United States capitalize on such development and extend the SOF’s strategic advantage well into the future?”

Who: Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX), Vice Chair of the House Armed Services Committee and the Chair of the HASC Subcommittee on Intelligence, Emerging Threats and Capabilities, Michael Sheehan, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict, Jim Thomas, CSBA Vice President and Director of Studies, Chris Dougherty, CSBA Research Fellow

When: 9:30 AM, Friday, May 10, 2013

Where: 2325 Rayburn House Office Building

Major themes and issues from last week:

ScoutComms’ Client News:

Home Depot volunteers work to improve VFW post in Burton as part of $37,000 renovation

Chris Aldridge, Flint Journal

As part of The Home Depot Foundation’s Spring into Service volunteer campaign, about 75 Home Depot associates worked to renovate VFW Post 2777 in Michigan. With the renovations, the post is able to better serve the local community and veterans to include the 4,000 homeless veterans in its county. The Spring into Service campaign runs through Memorial Day and features several projects each week focused on making veterans’ facilities and houses more like homes.

Changes in Defense Media:

AOL Defense is now Breaking Defense

You may not have heard that a few months ago Breaking Media purchased the AOL’s Trade Media unit including AOL Defense, Energy and Gov. They have quietly been working behind the scenes to bring the reporters and content over to Breaking Media’s content management system and style and went live last week.  So, change your bookmarks and RSS feeds to www.breakingdefense.com and see the interesting new direction for Colin Clark and his merry band of writers and contributors.

Veterans and Military Issues:

VA doesn’t follow up with many veterans after mental health care

Patricia Kime (@patriciakime), Military Times

While the VA disability claims backlog is still making the most headlines (The Daily Show devoted an entire episode to it with varied success), a new report from the VA’s own inspector general highlights another worrying statistic: of veterans showing high suicide risk, only a third are receiving recommended follow-up calls from the VA. Over three-fourths of all patients didn’t receive follow-ups with 48 hours. In the case of mental health, hours can mean life or death. Veterans advocates might next be asking how the VA plans to end its follow-up backlog once it processes its backlog of disability claims. The Chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee Rep. Jeff Miller (R-FL) is publically doubting the VA will end the claims backlog, this not long after calling for VBA head Hickey’s resignation. (It would be remiss to forget that the House is a rather partisan body politic, of course.)

Financial strain pushes many veterans to the breaking point

Bill Briggs (@writerdude), NBC News

While PTSD is usually at the forefront when it comes to veterans’ mental health, advocates and providers are warning that financial stress is a big factor in veterans’ wellness. Though the job market is improving, the economy is still impacting most Americans, veterans included. The backlog means long waits for disability payments. Lesser talked about still is the low financial literacy of many young veterans. After earning big, tax-free combat paychecks, large reenlistment bonuses, and extra BAH, a lot of veterans are finding themselves ill-equipped to make it in the civilian world. That financial stress can lead to suicide attempts and other mental health issues. Unfortunately, even a better job market won’t change the fact that credit card debt and little savings can put veterans in serious financial trouble.

VA reformulates how it helps female veterans

Donna Bryson, Stars and Stripes

VA doesn’t have the best track record in dealing with female veterans. Add to that the trend many service providers see among female veterans not self-identifying as veterans, those veterans become both a hard population to identify and serve properly. As seen in its latest budget request, VA is making a big investment in improving its services for female veterans. One such route is ensuring the availability of beds in homeless shelters that allow children. Homeless female veterans are far more likely than their male counterparts to have children, but few housing projects are adequately staffed, secured, and set-up to provide to the unique situation of homeless women and their families. Grants under a specific program jointly funded by VA and HUD ensure more beds are made available to homeless veterans and their families. As women take on greater roles within the military, VA will have to prepare for the greater influx of female veterans.

Army amputee completes grueling air assault school

Kristin M. Hall (@kmhall), Associated Press

Despite his prosthetic leg breaking twice during the 10-day course, SFC Greg Robinson became the first amputee to pass Air Assault School. Robinson lost part of his leg in 2006 during a deployment to Afghanistan but never let that come between him and his service to his nation and his men. He hopes his accomplishment will encourage others, both in the military and civilians, that a disability doesn’t have to slow your life down.

Military, Budget and Industry Issues:

Details Leak on DoD’s Budget Reprogramming

Paul McLeary (@paulmcleary), Zachary Fryer-Biggs and Aaron Mehta (@AaronMehta), Defense News

The Department of Defense is ready to submit a budget-reprogramming request to cover the costs of the estimated $28 billion in equipment that will need to be moved out of Afghanistan in the next year and a half. It faces a dwindling overseas contingency operations budget as well as cutbacks in operations and maintenance funds already.  Defense News is reporting that in a draft document leaked Friday, the Army wants $1.34 billion more in O&M funding to make up for “increased fuel costs and increased use of multi-modal transportation methods for equipment movement and retrograde operations.” In addition, they want another $3.6 billion for OCO to support troops in Afghanistan. The Army has proposed to cut money from AH-64 modernizations, its WIN-T communications program and, interestingly, from its tracked combat vehicle programs. At DoD level, the Joint IED Defeat Organization may lose $276 million and a remarkable $730 million is being proposed in putting off Humvee recapitalizations and MRAP modifications for 12 months. A number of Air Force programs will get hit as well.  This week should prove interesting as the request is parsed over and the various pet programs’ advocates flood into the fight.

China’s Cyberspies Outwit Model for Bond’s Q

Michael Riley (@rileybloomberg) and Ben Elgin, Bloomberg

Bloomberg takes a long look at one of the most disturbing examples of how deep and thorough the damage has been from the Chinese military’s long running hacking efforts against U.S. defense contractors. Over a three-year period, major defense contractor QinetiQ North America was infiltrated and most if not all of the company’s research was compromised and stolen. Even after hiring several outside companies to fix holes in their network and clean their computers of the various bugs and intrusions, the Chinese continued to find new avenues to steal millions of documents. QinetiQ is hardly alone, as it’s believed almost every major defense manufacturer has been raided and most of the incidents remain classified.  The facts continue to point to the conclusion that the U.S. has almost no way to stop the continuing, well orchestrated, government funded effort by China to steal secrets. DoD is rushing to build Cyber Command in a tight budget environment but has a nearly impossible task of enticing highly skilled cyber experts to take government jobs in a time of furloughs and employment uncertainty. Neither of the terms ‘Cold War’ or ‘Hot War’ seem to fit what is going on right now as a raging digital war continues unabated.

Samsung, BlackBerry devices cleared for use on U.S. defense networks

David Alexander (@davidalexander5), Reuters

The Pentagon cleared new devices and operating systems from (ScoutComms’ client) BlackBerry and Sumsung for use on DoD networks last week.  The latest BlackBerry 10 phones and BlackBerry PlayBook tablets using their Enterprise Service 10 system are now able to use the networks as well as the Sumsung Android Knox. They also said this week they expect to finally approve the Apple iOS 6 system for use at some point in May. These moves will mean that the Pentagon’s 600,000 users of smart phones, tablets and other mobile devices will face more options and a more robust competition to keep their business. Right now BlackBerry dominates because of its security protocols with some 470,000 users while 41,000 Apple and 8,700 Android devices are in use in mostly pilot programs around the world. The announcement last week does not mean there will be specific product orders but simply clears the way for purchasing organizations in the department to add these devices to their list of available options. The competition will be fierce for these power users of the government.

Defense spending cuts lowering job gains

Paul Davidson (@PDavidsonusat), USA Today

While there was general good cheer with the new jobs numbers released on Friday, it is clear that they would have been better if not for the drastic spending cuts that are starting to make an impact on the defense industry.  While they were described as modest in April almost all analysts are seeing a dismal picture in coming months as contracts that were cut last month begin to send workers to the unemployment office. So far defense and aerospace contractors announced about 2,000 layoffs in April, which is about double of March’s numbers but don’t include some 10,000 job cuts from the same month. Stephen Fuller at George Mason University believes defense cuts will begin cutting job gains by 25,000 to 30,000 a month going forward and many midsize firms are seeing IT and other services contracts like public relations coming to an end without renewal. The double whammy for small companies also comes with insourcing by the larger ones and less requests for proposals and subcontractor orders.  So, while some are saying the cuts are having little impact on the big defense company bottom lines, that situation masks that those steady numbers are coming through massive cuts on costs and staffs.

Of Interest:

Family seeks Kerry’s help in securing release of detained American veteran in Iran

Associated Press

Former Marine Amir Hekmati has been locked in Iran’s notorious Evin prison for more than a year and a half with little attention in the U.S. Last week his family was in Washington urging action from Secretary of State John Kerry. There have been few statements from the U.S. government as Hekmati has languished in jail under false accusations of spying for the CIA even while loud campaigns have been launched to free American Pastor Saeed Abedini who has been jailed not half as long as Hekmati. Hekmati was a Marine and served in Iraq.  He was born in the U.S. and was visiting his grandparents in Iran for the first time when he disappeared only to turn up on T.V. providing a clearly forced confession that would lead to a death sentence for spying. The country’s highest court set aside the death sentence months ago but Hekmati remains in prison with little news about his future.

The Scout Report is a weekly analysis of news and events in the aerospace, defense, and veterans sectors produced by the staff of ScoutComms, Inc. and is emailed each Monday morning except on holidays. Follow us on Twitter at @ScoutComms to get up to the minute news on defense and veterans issues all week. Did you get this as a forward?  Subscribe yourself for free here right now!

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Monday, April 29, 2013

Congress is out of town this week but the effects of the political squabbles in DC are being felt across the nation as air shows have been cancelled and GDP growth slowed once again due to military spending cuts. That’s not to say DoD doesn’t want to save money, but Congress makes that a difficult proposition.

The VA disability claims backlog gets more attention this week as Congress makes an effort to show it is paying attention and has its own fixes. Whether this makes an impact before VA’s own forecasted end date of 2015 has yet to be seen.

Get your friends to subscribe to the Scout Report and there’s a cookie or two in it for you.

The week ahead:

Tradeshows and Conferences: SOFIC, the annual special operations forces conferences in Tampa, is fast approaching on May 14.

National Training and Simulation Association: MODSIM World

What: “MODSIM World is a unique multi-disciplinary conference for the exchange of modeling and simulation knowledge, research and technology across industry, government and academia.  Focus areas for MODSIM World 2013 will include Defense, Healthcare/Medicine, Engineering & Applied Science, Information Assurance & Cyberwarfare, Cross-Cutting Applications in M&S, Education/Workforce Development, Transportation, and Manufacturing.”

Who: Bob McDonnell, Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and others

When: April 30 – May 2, 2013

Where: Hampton Roads Convention Center, Hampton Road, VA 

National Defense Industrial Association: Annual Awards Dinner

What: “This memorable evening offers a legal, ethical forum where government, military, and industry representatives can network and honor a distinguished American in a social setting.  Tables and tickets are available for companies to purchase. NDIA invites selected individuals from the military and government to attend as our guests (no cost to them) and seats them in accordance with DoD regulations.”

Who: Honorable Ashton B. Carter, Deputy Secretary of Defense, and others

When: May 3, 2013

Where: Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner, McLean, VA

Congress: Both chambers are in recess this week. Enjoy the break from budget hearing madness.

Think tanks and other news events: 

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: Dealing With North Korea’s Increased Belligerence

What: “As the North Korean regime continues to issue provocative warnings for foreigners to evacuate the Korean peninsula, suggesting military escalation, regional cooperation has become essential to maintainingstability on the peninsula. With the economic and strategic interests of nations around the world at stake, the necessity for multilateral collaboration is stronger than ever.”

Who: L. Gordon Flake, Executive Director, Mike Mansfield Foundation, Paul Haenle, Director, Carneige Endowment for International Peace, Jin Canrong, Associate Dean with the School of International Studies at Renmin University of China, Zhang Chuanjie, Resident Scholar

Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy, Zhu Feng

When: 12:00 PM, Monday, April 29, 2013

Where: 1779 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036

CSIS-Brookings Institution: Taiwan’s Response to an Evolving Security Environment 

What: “The Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of China (Taiwan) released its second Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) in early March. The QDR presents a comprehensive examination of developments in Taiwan’s security environment and explains updates in its planning and strategy. As in the United States and other countries, the document is a reflection of the president’s strategic priorities, a serious planning exercise and a public relations tool which seeks to inform the public and win its support. On April 29, the Center for Northeast Asian Policy Studies (CNAPS) at Brookings and the Freeman Chair in China Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) will host a discussion on Taiwan’s recently released QDR.”

Who: Andrew N.D. Yang, Vice Minister of National Defense for Policy, Ministry of National Defense, Republic of China (Taiwan), Chia-Sheng Chen, Director, Defense Net Assessment Division, Department of Integrated Assessment, Ministry of National Defense, Republic of China (Taiwan), Phillip Saunders, Director, Center for the Study of Chinese Military Affairs, Institute for National Strategic Studies, National Defense University

When: 2:00 PM, Monday, April 29, 2013

Where: Brookings, Falk Auditorium, 1775 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20006

Center for Strategic and International Studies: Statesman Forum: A Conversation with Ali al-Naimi, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Petroleum and Natural Resources 

What: “The CSIS Energy and National Security Program is delighted to welcome back His Excellency Ali al-Naimi to Washington to hear his views on the dynamic changes taking place on the global energy scene. Now in his 18th year as Saudi Arabia’s Minister for Petroleum & Mineral Resources, Minister Naimi possesses a unique and long-term global perspective on energy markets, the impacts of technology, and the opportunities and challenges that lie before us. In his remarks, the Minister will examine the relationship between oil and economic growth, the impact of recently developed unconventional resources in the United States, and the transformation underway in Saudi Arabia.”

Who: His Excellency Minister Ali Ibrahim Al-Naimi, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources for the kingdom of Saudi Arabia

When: 10:00 AM, Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Where: 1800 K Street, NW, Washington DC, 20006 

Wilson Center: Afghanistan after 2014: Regional Impact

What: “This event explores local and regional perspectives on the future of Afghanistan against the backdrop of the planned NATO withdrawal of military forces from the region. The first session focuses on local politics and governance in Afghanistan, and the second session investigates the ways in which Afghanistan’s neighbors have been discussing and planning for the upcoming changes.”

Who: Noah Coburn, Professor, Bennington College, and author, “Bazaar Politics: Pottery and Power in an Afghan Market Town” (2011), Marlène Laruelle, Research Professor and Director, Central Asia Program, IERES, George Washington University, Simbal Khan, Director, Afghanistan and Central Asia, Institute for Strategic Studies, Islamabad, Pakistan

When: 2:00 PM, Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Where: 5^th Floor, One Woodrow Wilson Plaza, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20004

George Mason University School of Public Policy: Convergence: Illicit Networks and National Security in the Age of Globalization

What: “To mark the publication of Convergence: Illicit Networks and National Security in the Age of Globalization by the National Defense University Press, Professor Louise Shelley, director of TraCCC and a contributor to the volume, will host a panel. This important new book discusses the challenge of converging and connecting illicit networks; how the proliferation, convergence, and horizontal diversification of illicit networks challenge state sovereignty; and how different national and international organizations are fighting back.”

Who: Louise Shelley, Professor at George Mason University, Michael Miklaucic, director of research, information, and publications in the Center for Complex Operations (CCO), Institute for National Strategic Studies at the National Defense University, Danielle Camner Lindholm, technical director at BAE Systems Intelligence and Security Sector, David M. Luna, director of Anti-Crime Programs at the Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL)

When: 12:00 PM, Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Where: Founders Hall, Room 134, 3351 Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22201

Center for Strategic and International Studies: Future of U.S. Ground Forces Report Roll-Out Event

What: “The Center for Strategic and International Studies presents the roll-out event for the report Beyond the Last War: Balancing Ground Forces and Future Challenges Risk in USCENTCOM and USPACOM”

Who: David J. Berteau, CSIS Senior Vice President and Director, International Security Program, Nathan Freier, Senior Fellow, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Barry Pavel, Director, Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security, The Atlantic Council, Lieutenant General James Dubik, U.S. Army (Ret.), Senior Fellow, Institute for the Study of War, Frank Hoffman, Senior Research Fellow, Institute for National Strategic Studies, National Defense University

When: 9:00 AM, Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Where: B1 Conference Center, 1800 K Street, NW, Washington DC, 20006

Major themes and issues from last week:

ScoutComms’ Client News:

2013 Military Times Service Member of the Year Award Nominations Open

Do you know a Soldier, Airman, Sailor, Marine, or Coast Guardsman who has made a significant impact as a servicemember and community volunteer this year? Nominate them for the Military Times Service Member of the Year Award. We have seen a lot of active duty and Reservist/Guardsmen taking part in phenomenal community service projects this past year and would love to see them recognized for their work. Unlike many other awards for our servicemembers, this one allows nominations from friends, family, supervisors, colleagues, and others. It’s a truly grassroots award. Please consider nominating a deserving servicemember and sharing with your network.

Veterans and Military Issues:

House Democrats announce package of bills aimed at VA backlog

Steve Vogel (@steve_vogel), The Washington Post

A slew of newly introduced bills will allow Congress to look like it’s taking action on ending the VA backlog while the VA introduces new measures in that vein itself without Congressional prodding. All of these bills come on the heels of big advocacy pushes from veterans’ organizations to highlight the impact of the VA disability claims backlog on veterans. One bill increases oversight on poorly performing VA regional offices that process claims, another requires DoD to provide medial records to VA more quickly. VA’s own plan to process claims backlogged for over a year is getting the third degree from Congressional leaders. Of particular concern on the Hill is the fate of those veterans in the appeals process for their claims who have sometimes been waiting much longer that those on their first submission. The House Veterans Affairs Committee is set to hold a hearing on the VA plan within the next three weeks.

Largest contingent of women to date set to participate in July infantry officer course

Dan Lamothe (@DanLamothe), Marine Corps Times

Five women will participate in the 13-week infantry officer course this summer at Quantico. It’s the largest contingent of female lieutenants to take part in the grueling course since the Marine Corps and the DoD decided to research women’s ability to pass the course as-is. So far, of the four women who have volunteered to take part in the course, three have failed the initial endurance test and one washed out due to stress fractures. Gender-neutral physical standards in the Corps are expected to be made public by June. Women across the military, though, have reported an increase in sexual abuse over the last four years despite the military’s advances in gender equity and sexual abuse prevention programs. Perhaps most troubling is that belief about stigma for reporting sexual assault has not gone down making it more difficult for the military to take action against those responsible.

Disfigured veteran deals with disrespect at home

Gregg Zoroya (@greggzoroya) and Alan Gomez, USA Today

Tony Porta’s pain didn’t end with an IED blast in Iraq. Every day he deals with the stares and comments from strangers about the skin grafts that saved his life but left his face much different from the one with which he first deployed. Porta isn’t alone, either. Over 1,100 troops suffered severe burns during the two wars and over 1,700 had amputations. The nation is on a learning curve says one VA social worker. We don’t yet know how to absorb the veterans coming home let alone how to interact with those who have been traumatically wounded in war. Porta has been supported by a number of people, though, like the VA medical center in Washington, DC, and the non-profit Semper Fi Fund. He even met his wife after his disfigurement. That is to say, stories like Porta’s are not always hopeless, but should be a reminder that we can do better as a country supporting those who sacrificed so much.

Military, Budget and Industry Issues:

Economy grew at 2.5 percent in 1^st quarter, amping fears of a stalled recovery

Ylan Q. Mui (@ylanmui) and Marjorie Censer (@CommonCenser), Washington Post

The sequester cuts haven’t really settled in yet, most federal employee furloughs are only just starting, yet the 1^st quarter economic data is already showing a slowed growth from expectations. Gross domestic product grew at annual rate of 2.5% for the first three months of the year thanks to an 11.5% annualized drop in military spending. This makes it two quarters in a row of massive defense cuts and represents the steepest declines in military spending since the Korean War. Things simply won’t get better as government analysts have already said sequester will cost a half percentage point in growth going forward while military and civilian defense workers have seen compensation fall every quarter since 2012. The nature of defense contracting and weapons procurement means the big defense firms will continue to hold steady for a while but smaller firms without large multi-year programs to manage will see more immediate effects. As long as this doesn’t inconvenience most citizens or Congress members like the flight delays from FAA furloughs last week, which Congress was able to miraculously come together and solve before going on recess you can expect sequester to remain in effect.

AP Impact: Congress slows military efforts to save

Lolita Baldor (@lbaldor), Associated Press

Lolita Baldor takes a deep look at the many pet programs that Congress is insisting the Pentagon continue to support even while demanding dramatic budget cuts from many programs and the very uses of the equipment. Over a dozen C-5A cargo aircraft sit idly on the ramp at Lackland as the Air Force is blocked from retiring the huge jets even though there are not enough crews, flying hours or maintenance funds to fly the giants. This year the DoD estimates they are spending over $5 billion to maintain aircraft and ships in the Air Force and Navy alone that Congress refuses to stop supporting. The Army is waging a withering battle stop production of M1A2 Abrams tanks, which they insist they have enough, of while backers want to keep the tank line going until the next version begins production in 2017. The same battle is ongoing for excess facilities that will be kept operating even as thousands of troops leave uniform and repeated requests for Base Realignment and Closure round are rejected. These clashes aren’t new but when mandatory cuts have been kicked into effect the dichotomy is almost painful to watch as budget cutting warrior legislatures then turn around and insist on spending on their particular projects. The battle is anything but cold as this very contentious conversation erupted between Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno and California Congressman, and Marine Corps Reserve Captain, Duncan Hunter during a budget hearing last week. Hunter had once again attacked the Army leadership for not supporting his pet program, intelligence analysis software from Palantir Technologies, when they took offense at his accusations.  Tensions are getting very real as very real pain is occurring for the military services.

Pentagon sees risks, progress on Lockheed’s F-35 jet

Andrea Shalal-Esa, Reuters

Air Force Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan hasn’t been very shy in his criticisms of the F-35 makers since assuming his job but last week he told a Senate hearing that he and others were heartened by progress on the program including product cost. Of course, they also expressed concerns at projections showing it will cost over $1 trillion to operate the planes for the next fifty years.  In addition, the software to operate the stealth jets in combat is a huge question mark as the Block 3F software that actually allows the aircraft to be used in combat operations may yet be delayed beyond its 2017 due date leaving the many military’s purchasing the aircraft as its concurrently designed with beautiful, stealthy, expensive training aircraft. Yet, more countries are showing interest in the JSF with potential orders from Singapore and South Korea adding to the list of operators and thus lowering the per unit cost per model.  All in all the worlds most expensive weapons program is on track to continue in production with little impeding its momentum.

Dozens of air shows cancel without military jets

M.L. Johnson (@MLJohnsonOnline), Associated Press

Thanks to sequestration, entire seasons for the military services aerial demonstration teams have been canceled saving just less than $20 million dollars by most estimates. In these budget times it seems like a logical decision but as has been the case throughout the sequester debacle, nothing is simple. The problem is that there are approximately 300 airshows held in the United States each year and some 200 will be affected by the cancelations and over 60 have already been canceled. Once again, that sounds like no big deal except economic impact studies have shown that nationally airshows generated some $1 to $2 billion in revenue.  Almost all of that money is made in local communities supporting small businesses and, sadly, non-profits that are often the beneficiaries of the profits. Many of the canceled shows are likely to never return and even those that continue are expected to see a 15% to 20% decline in ticket sales and attendance without appearances by the Blue Angels or Thunderbirds. Once again, what seems like such an easy decision in tight budget times ends up with second and third order effects that ripple far from Washington D.C. and the silly political games driving this situation.

DoD Still 3,700 Cyber Experts Short of Full Staff

Zachary Fryer-Biggs, Defense News

In remarkably candid remarks at last week’s C4ISR Journal Conference, Pentagon intelligence official Kenneth Bray discussed the efforts to grow the manpower of U.S. Cyber Command and the challenges the agency faces. Pegged at a goal of around 6,000 or more staff the command appears to be several thousand short although it’s not seen as a crisis yet. Of course, one of the latest challenges is that many are finding the idea of a Federal job not as enticing as it once was with furloughs and pay freezes killing many of the more lucrative aspects of the work. Throw in that the precise skills needed only belong to a select amount of potential employees and the existing training and certification programs have already fallen short and are being overhauled. All of this makes the goal of a fully manned cyber defense command becomes a more difficult goal.

The Scout Report is a weekly analysis of news and events in the aerospace, defense, and veterans sectors produced by the staff of ScoutComms, Inc. and is emailed each Monday morning except on holidays. Follow us on Twitter at @ScoutComms to get up to the minute news on defense and veterans issues all week. Did you get this as a forward?  Subscribe yourself for free here right now!

About Us: ScoutComms, Inc. is a precision public relations firm based in the Washington D.C. area focused exclusively on aerospace, defense, and veterans’ affairs providing our clients deep insight and counsel based on decades of military, non-profit and public relations industry experience.  To learn more about what we can do for your organization visit our website at www.ScoutCommsUSA.com.

Questions? Comments? Additions? If you have any questions, comments, or have an event you would like us to include, send an email to LJenkins@ScoutCommsUSA.com and we will make sure we let our readers know. For questions about ScoutComms, email FWellman@ScoutCommsUSA.com.

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Monday, April 22, 2013

It was a tragic week in the U.S. as all eyes were on Boston and our hearts were with the victims, families, and friends. The people of West, Texas, too faced far too great a disaster and we don’t forget their losses, either.

The best thing we can say about last week is that it’s over.

VA made some big changes that will impact the disability claims backlog, small defense contractors are feeling the pinch even as big foreign arms deals are signed, and veterans sprung to action in the aftermath of the Boston attacks.

All that and more in this week’s Scout Report. Tell your friends to subscribe to the Scout Report.

The week ahead:

Tradeshows and Conferences: No major tradeshows this week of which we are aware. Want to let us know about an upcoming one? Email fwellman@scoutcommsusa.com.

Congress: Both chambers are in session this week.

House:

Post Iraq and Afghanistan: Current and Future Roles for UAS and the Fiscal Year 2014 budget request

House Armed Services Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces

Witnesses: Mr. Steven Pennington, Director, Bases, Ranges, and Airspace and Acting Executive Director, Department of Defense Policy Board on Federal Aviation, U.S. Air Force, Colonel Patrick Tierney, USA, Director, Army Aviation, Department of the Army Aviation Directorate, Mr. Dyke Weatherington, Director, Unmanned Warfare & Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance, Department of Defense

When: 11:30 AM, Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Where: Field Hearing, Dayton, OH, Frederick Smith Auditorium, Sinclair Community College

Export Control Reform: the Agenda Ahead

House Foreign Affairs Committee

What: This hearing will examine the agenda for advancing export control reform, including Obama Administration proposals and prospects for additional reforms.

Witnesses: Mr. Thomas Kelly, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, U.S. Department of State, The Honorable Kevin J. Wolf, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Administration, Bureau of Industry and Security, U.S. Department of Commerce, The Honorable Kathleen Hicks, Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, U.S. Department of Defense

When: 10:00 AM, Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Where: 2172 Rayburn

Oversight of U.S. Naval and U.S. Air Force Acquisition Programs in the Fiscal Year 2014 National Defense Authorization Budget Request

House Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces

Witnesses: Lieutenant General Robert R. Allardice, USAF, Vice Commander, Air Mobility Command, U.S. Air Force, Lieutenant General Charles R. Davis, USAF, Military Deputy, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, U.S. Air Force, Lieutenant General Richard P. Mills, USMC, Deputy Commander for Combat Development and Integration, MCCDC, U.S. Marine Corps, Vice Admiral Allen G. Myers, USN, Deputy Chief Naval Operations for Integration of Capabilities and Resources (N-8), U.S. Navy, The Honorable Sean J. Stackley, Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development and Acquisition), Department of Defense

When: 10:00 AM, Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Where: 2118 Rayburn

Defense Health Program

House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense

Witnesses: Dr. Jonathan Woodson, Assistant Secretary, Department of Defense, Health Affairs, Director, TRICARE Management Activity, Lieutenant General Patricia D. Horoho, Surgeon General, United States Army, Vice Admiral Matthew L. Nathan, Surgeon General, United States Navy, Dr. Thomas W. Travis, Surgeon General, United States Air Force

When: 10:00 AM, Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Where: 2358-C Rayburn

Examining the Implications of the Affordable Care Act on VA Healthcare

House Veterans’ Affairs Committee

Witnesses: TBD

When: 10:15 AM, Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Where: 334 Cannon

The Readiness Posture of the U.S. Air Force

House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness

Witnesses: Lieutenant General Judith A. Fedder, USAF, Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Installations and Mission Support A4/7, U.S. Air Force, Lieutenant General Burton M. Field, USAF, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Plans and Requirements A3/5, U.S. Air Force, Lieutenant General Michael R. Moeller, USAF, Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Plans and Programs A8, U.S. Air Force

When: 11:30 AM, Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Where: 2212 Rayburn

Status of implementation of the requirements of the VOW Act and the recommendations of the Presidential Veteran Employment Initiative Task Force for the DOD Transition Assistance Program:

Goals, Plans, and Success (GPS)

House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel

Witnesses: Dr. Susan S. Kelly, Deputy Director, Transition to Veterans’ Program Office, Department of Defense, Mr. John K. Moran, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Veteran’s Employment Training Service, Department of Labor, Mr. Danny Pummill, Director, Veterans Benefits Administration-Department of Defense Program Office, Department of Veterans Affairs

When: 2:00 PM, Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Where: 2212 Rayburn

The Fiscal Year 2014 National Defense Authorization Budget Request from the Department of the Army

House Armed Services Committee

Witnesses: The Honorable John McHugh, Secretary of the Army, General Raymond T. Odierno, USA, Chief of Staff, U.S. Army

When: 10:00 AM, Thursday, April 25, 2013

Where: 2118 Rayburn

Transitioning to Afghan Security Lead: Protecting Afghan Women?

House Armed Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations

Witnesses: TBD

When: 2:00 PM, Thursday, April 25, 2013

Where: 2118 Rayburn

Striking the Right Balance: Protecting Our Nation’s Critical Intrastructure from Cyber Attack and Ensuring Privacy and Civil Liberties

House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Security Technologies

Witnesses: TBD

When: 2:00 PM, Thursday, April 25, 2013

Where: 311 Cannon

Fiscal Year 2014 National Defense Authorization Budget Request for National Security Space Activities

House Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces

Witnesses: Mr. Gil Klinger, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Space and Intelligence Office (AT&L), Department of Defense, Mr. Doug Loverro, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Space Policy, Department of Defense, Ms. Betty Sapp, Director, National Reconnaissance Office, General William Shelton, USAF, Commander, Air Force Space Command

When: 3:30 PM, Thursday, April 25, 2013

Where: 2212 Rayburn

The Readiness Posture of the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps

House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness

Witnesses: Vice Admiral William R. Burke, USN, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations Warfare Systems (N9), U.S. Navy, Vice Admiral Philip Hart Cullom, USN, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Fleet Readiness and Logistics (N4), U.S. Navy, Lieutenant General William M. Faulkner, USMC, Deputy Commandant Installations and Logistics, U.S. Marine Corps, Lieutenant General Richard T. Tryon, USMC, Deputy Commandant Plans Policies and Operations, U.S. Marine Corps

When: 8:00 AM, Friday, April 26, 2013

Where: 2118 Rayburn

Fiscal Year 2014 Army Modernization Programs

House Armed Services Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces

Witnesses: Lieutenant General James O. Barclay III, USA, Deputy Chief of Staff, G-8, U.S. Army, Lieutenant General William N. Phillips, USA, Military Deputy to the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology), U.S. Army

When: 10:30 AM, Friday, April 26, 2013

Where: 2118 Rayburn

Senate:

Call to Action: VA Outreach and Community Partnerships

Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee

Witnesses: TBD

When: 10:00 AM, Monday, April 22, 2013

Where: 418 Russell

Department of the Army

Senate Armed Services Committee

What: To receive testimony on the Department of the Army in review of the Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 2014 and the Future Years Defense Program.

Witnesses: Honorable John M. McHugh, Secretary of the Army, General Raymond T. Odierno, USA, Chief of Staff of the Army

When: 9:30 AM, Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Where: 106 Dirksen

Proliferation Prevention Programs

Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities

What: To receive testimony on proliferation prevention programs at the Department of Energy and at the Department of Defense in review of the Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 2014 and the Future Years Defense Program.

Witnesses: Honorable Madelyn R. Creedon, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Global Strategic Affairs, Department of Defense, Mr. Kenneth A. Myers III, Director, Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Department of Defense, Director, U.S. Strategic Command Center for Combating Weapons of Mass Destruction, Ms. Anne Harrington, Deputy Administrator for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation National Nuclear Security Administration Department of Energy

When: 2:30 PM, Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Where: 216 Hart

Active, Guard, Reserve, and Civilian Personnel Programs

Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel

What: To receive testimony on military space programs and views on Department of Defense usage of the Electromagnetic Spectrum in review of the Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 2014 and the Future Years Defense Program.

Witnesses: Honorable Thomas R. Lamont, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, Honorable Juan M. Garcia III, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, Honorable Daniel B. Ginsberg, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, Lieutenant General Howard B. Bromberg, USA, Deputy Chief of Staff G-1 United States Army, Vice Admiral Scott R. Van Buskirk, USN, Chief of Naval Personnel United States Navy, Lieutenant General Robert E. Milstead Jr., USMC, Deputy Commandant for Manpower and Reserve Affairs United States Marine Corps, Lieutenant General Darrell D. Jones, USAF, Deputy Chief of Staff for Manpower, Personnel and Services United States Air Force

When: 10:00 AM, Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Where: 222 Russell

Military Construction, Environmental, and Base Closure Programs

Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support

What: To receive testimony on military construction, environmental, and base closure programs in review of the Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 2014 and the Future Years Defense Program.

Witnesses: Mr. John C. Conger, Acting Deputy Under Secretary of Defense Installations and Environment, Honorable Katherine G. Hammack, Assistant Secretary of the Army Installations, Energy and Environment, Mr. Roger M. Natsuhara, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy Energy, Installations and Environment, Ms. Kathleen I. Ferguson, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Air Force Installations, Environment and Logistics

When: 2:30 PM, Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Where: 232 Russell

Military Space Programs and Views on DoD Usage of the Electromagnetic Spectrum

Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces

What: To receive testimony on military space programs and views on Department of Defense usage of the Electromagnetic Spectrum in review of the Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 2014 and the Future Years Defense Program.

Witnesses: Mr. Douglas L. Loverro, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Space Policy, Dr. John A. Zangardi, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Information Operations, and Space, General William L. Shelton, USAF, Commander, Air Force Space Command, Lieutenant General Richard P. Formica, USA, Commander, U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command, Ms. Christina T. Chaplain, Director, Acquisition and Sourcing Management Government Accountability Office, Major General Robert E. Wheeler, USAF, Deputy Chief Information Officer for Command, Control, Communications and Computers and Information Infrastructure Capabilities, Mr. Mark L. Goldstein, Director, Physical Infrastructure Government Accountability Office, Mr. Christopher Guttman-McCabe, Vice President, Regulatory Affairs, CTIA, The Wireless Association

When: 2:30 PM, Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Where: 222 Russell

Tactical Aircraft Programs

Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Airland

What: To receive testimony on tactical aircraft programs in review of the Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 2014 and the Future Years Defense Program.

Witnesses: Lieutenant General Christopher C. Bogdan, USAF, Program Executive Officer F-35 Lightning II Joint Program Office, Vice Admiral W. Mark Skinner, USN, Principal Military Deputy to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition, Lieutenant General Charles R. Davis, USAF, Military Deputy to the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition

When: 3:00 PM, Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Where: G50 Dirksen

Department of the Navy

Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense

What: To receive testimony on the Department of the Navy in review of the Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 2014 and the Future Years Defense Program.

Witnesses: Honorable Raymond E. Mabus, Jr., Secretary of the Navy, Admiral Jonathan W. Greenert, USN, Chief of Naval Operations, General James F. Amos, USMC, Commandant of the Marine Corps

When: 10:00 AM, Wednesday, April 25, 2013

Where: 106 Dirksen

Department of the Navy

Senate Armed Services Committee

What: To receive testimony on the Department of the Navy in review of the Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 2014 and the Future Years Defense Program.

Witnesses: Honorable Raymond E. Mabus, Jr., Secretary of the Navy, Admiral Jonathan W. Greenert, USN, Chief of Naval Operations, General James F. Amos, USMC, Commandant of the Marine Corps

When: 9:30 AM, Thursday, April 25, 2013

Where: 106 Dirksen

Think tanks and other news events: 

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: Inside Lashkar-e-Taiba 

What: “Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a Pakistani terrorist organization best known for the high-profile November 2008 attack in Mumbai, has established itself as one of the most feared groups in the region. The speakers at this event will provide an inside account of the group’s development and workings drawing on a recently published study, The Fighters of Lashkar-e-Taiba: Recruitment, Training, Deployment, and Death.”

Who: C. Christine Fair, Assistant Professor, Georgetown University, Don Rassler, Instructor at USMA CTC, Nadia Shoeb, and Anirban Ghosh

When: 9:30 AM, Monday, April 22, 2013

Where: 1779 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20036

Cato Institute: Drones and the New Way of War 

What: “The U.S. government has yet to disclose the number of drone strikes launched, the number of people killed, and the full scope of collateral damage. How does the U.S. government determine who is a legitimate target and who poses an immediate threat? What are the constitutional issues surrounding targeted killings, given their secrecy and the lack of reliable data? What standards do decisionmakers apply for deciding if the costs outweigh the benefits in a given country? What are the practical issues of such highly classified programs in an age of worldwide, and seemingly perpetual, war?”

Who: Steve I. Vladeck, Professor of Law and the Associate Dean for Scholarship, American University Washington College of Law, Benjamin Wittes, Senior Fellow and Research Director in Public Law, The Brookings Institution, Rosa Brooks, Professor of Law, Georgetown University Law Center, Benjamin H. Friedman, Research Fellow, Defense and Homeland Security Studies, Cato Institute

When: 10:00 AM, Monday, April 22, 2013

Where: 1000 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001

Brookings Institution: Organizing and Managing Intelligence Analysis to Fight Terrorism 

What: “On April 22, the Intelligence Project at Brookings, will host a discussion with Philip Mudd on his new book, Takedown: the Hunt for al Qaeda (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2013), which examines how the intelligence community collects, analyzes and employs data to combat terrorism, and details the challenges still ahead in the war against al Qaeda. Mudd served as the deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency’s Counterterrorist Center, the deputy director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Security Branch and as the FBI’s senior intelligence adviser.”

Who: Philip Mudd, President, Mudd Management

When: 10:00 AM, Monday, April 22, 2013

Where: Saul/Zilkha Rooms, 1775 Massachusetts Avenue NW

Elliot School of International Affairs: The Conflicts in Mali: Roots and Roadmap

What: “In an event co-sponsored by the Elliott School International Programs and the Sciences Po Alumni Association, we invite you to join experts in the regions of Africa and the Middle East as they respond to questions.”

Who: Anouar Boukhars, Nonresident Scholar, Carnegie Endowments Middle East program; Assistant Professor of International Relations, McDaniel College, Westminster, Maryland, David Ottaway, Senior Scholar, Wilson Centers Middle East Program, Rudolph Atallah, Senior Fellow, Atlantic Councils Michael S. Ansari Africa Center; CEO, White Mountain Research, LLC, Christopher Fomunyoh, Senior Associate for Africa, National Democratic Institute for International Affairs

When: 6:30 PM, Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Where: Lindner Family Commons, Room 602, 1957 E Street, NW

Major themes and issues from last week:

ScoutComms’ Reporting:

Drawdown to impact local base communities

John Grady, ScoutComms special correspondent

Even without sequestration and BRAC proposals, local communities around some of the Army’s largest bases were facing economic impacts from the Army’s shrinking size. ScoutComms’ John Grady talked to Ft. Drum’s local advocates trying to keep as many personnel in upstate New York as possible who see their future tied to the base. The surrounding communities say they have put a lot of money into schools and hospitals that support the base and its Soldiers and that the Army has to factor those sacrifices in when deciding where to make personnel cuts.

ScoutComms Global Report interview with State Senator Bryce Reeves

Fred Wellman, ScoutComms founder and CEO

In this edition of the ScoutComms Global Report, Wellman talks to an Army veteran and now state senator Bryce Reeves about what steps Virginia is taking in its goal to be the most veteran-friendly state. What Sen. Reeves and his colleagues are looking at now are ways to improve the transition from military to civilian life through professional certifications. Additionally, recognizing that spouses serve, too, Virginia is looking at ways to improve employment opportunities for military spouses. Watch our latest interview to learn more.

Veterans and Military Issues:

VA announces move to quickly reduce backlog

Rick Maze (@RmazeTns), Military Times

In a big shift for the VA bureaucracy, the agency announced on Friday that it would begin giving provisional disability ratings to veterans whose claims are severely backlogged. By prioritizing older claims and shortcutting the usual process, VA expects it will be able to more quickly end the claims backlog that has been a target of veterans’ advocates. Over 250,000 claims have been waiting a year or more and will be the first priority for this expedited process. VA admits this will likely mean new claims will see a temporary uptick in wait times for processing, but that certain new claims such as those from Medal of Honor recipients, former prisoners of war, terminally ill veterans, and veterans submitting fully-developed claims will still have priority. VA Secretary Shinseki has promised to end the claims backlog by 2015 and this may put his agency on track to do that when coupled with its switch to electronic medical records. Lawmakers on the Hill are cautiously optimistic, but still have questions that we can likely expect to hear at upcoming hearings. One veterans’ advocate ScoutComms spoke to expressed a similar sentiment that while this is a good first step by VA, more needs to be done to finally end the backlog.

Army Extends Obligation for GI Bill Transfers

Bryant Jordan (@BryantJordan), Military.com

On Twitter, Phil Carter of CNAS said of this story: “the postwar rollback of GI benefits begins”. Beginning August 1, 2013, Soldiers wishing to transfer their Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to family members will incur a mandatory four-year service obligation despite time in service or nearness to retirement. This is a change from what the Army is calling a temporary rule put into place in 2009 that only required on to three years extended service for the same benefit. The new obligation will help with recruiting and retention, the Army says. In the past, veterans’ advocates have long noted the vulnerability of the new GI Bill as states, Congress, and the services look to trim costs. It remains to be seen whether Carter’s Tweet becomes apocryphal.

Hagel promises plan in 30 days for DOD-VA health records sharing

Chris Carroll (@ChrisCarroll_) and Leo Shane III (@LeoShane), Stars and Stripes

It’s not just VA getting beat up over the backlog anymore. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel is taking flak from lawmakers about DoD’s role in the VA claims backlog. The problem, as lawmakers see it, is twofold. DoD is not sharing its troops’ medical records with VA in a timely manner (sometimes it takes over 175 days for VA to receive complete records) and the proposed single electronic health record between VA and DoD has been scrapped at a cost to the tax payer estimated at nearly $1 billion. Now the two agencies will have to figure out a way to make their ancient (also called “legacy”) software systems work together. Hagel told lawmakers he will have a plan within 30 days on how DoD will move forward to detangle its role in the VA backlog mess.

In Boston blasts, veterans shift into combat mode

Vernon Loeb, Washington Post

Out of the tragedy that was the Boston Marathon attacks came stories of hope, humility, and honor. Our friends with veterans groups Team Red White and Blue were some of the runners who found their battlefield skills of more use than their long-distance endurance. A group of Tough Ruck runners started the race in full battle rattle and over 40 pounds of gear and they finished by pulling first aid kits out of their ACUs. Tough Ruck honors those servicemembers who have made the ultimate sacrifice like Carlos Arredondo’s son. Carlos was at the marathon supporting Tough Ruck and ended up saving a man’s life using his EMT skills. Veterans were out in force as first responders and medical care for trauma victims has improved greatly due to the injuries troops have unfortunately faced in combat. But as Col. Greg Gadson notes, the victims’ healing is only just beginning.

Military, Budget and Industry Issues:

Pentagon reaches deal on $10 billion arms sale to Middle East allies

Craig Whitlock (@CraigMWhitlock), Washington Post

Friday brought news of a complex multi-billion dollar weapons deal with Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates just as Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel headed to the region. The Pentagon has been very clear that this deal is designed to equip our friends in the face of Iranian threats and the U.S. effort to “pivot to Asia”.  The sale includes aerial refueling aircraft, V-22 Ospreys and anti-radar missiles for Israel, aircraft missiles for Saudi Arabia and two dozen F-16s for the UAE. Hagel made it clear in interviews on Sunday that this entire sale and his trip are meant as a signal to Iran that the U.S. is not taking its eye off the threat the country poses to the region. The deal doesn’t hurt the U.S. defense industry either.

Boeing to Sell 36 Apaches to South Korea

Jung Sung-Ki, Defense News

Along the same lines as the news of the massive sale to the Middle East, South Korea announced on Thursday that U.S. defense manufacturer Boeing had won the $1.6 billion competition to provide advanced attack helicopters to the country. They will order 36 advanced AH-64E Guardian helicopters beating out Bell’s AH-1Z and the T-129 from Turkey. These are the most sophisticated Apaches ever offered and will include Stinger air-to-air missiles, 70mm laser-guided rockets, and Hellfire air-to-surface missiles. The aircraft will be Longbow advanced fire control radar equipped which was tailor made for the kind of mass armored invasion long envisioned if North Korea decides to move on its southern neighbor. The aircraft will be delivered between 2016 and 2018.

Sequester is hitting small businesses the hardest

Darren Samuelsohn (@dsamuelsohn), Politico

One of the main predictions we made about the effect of sequester is that the biggest impact wouldn’t be on the big defense companies, but the little ones. That is becoming reality as it seems more small contractors are in trouble. None of the government agencies that track it will know until the end of the year what the numbers will be, but horror stories are rolling in from companies like Oak Grove Technologies where the loss of $2 million in government business has led to layoffs and to the reduction of their half million dollar marketing budget to zero. That points to the second and third order effects, where now his marketing firm just lost $500,000 in business and will probably lay off employees too. At a briefing for the Association of the U.S. Army this week, Lt. Gen. Joseph Martz told the industry audience that most Army combat brigades will be at their lowest level of readiness by October. Additionally, all Joint Readiness Training Center rotations for non-deploying units are canceled. So, while many think the sequester may be a tempest in a teapot, the effects on military readiness and small businesses is proving to be real and lasting.

World News:

Hagel: US sending Army planning unit to Jordan; will enhance effort on Syrian border

Associated Press

One of the stories that broke through the driving media narrative around the Boston Marathon bombing was news that an Army HHQ unit of about 200 will head to Jordan to assist in planning for spillover violence or a more aggressive action should political will shift. Contrary to headlines, this unit isn’t new, it is replacing a similar unit already in place in Jordan (and officially unrelated to the covert training of rebels by U.S. and allied nations.) Indeed, the U.S. is being circumspect about even the humanitarian aid it is providing to Syrians in order to keep those delivering the aid from becoming targets. In fact in one case, a Syrian believed the food aid he received came from an al-Qaeda aligned rebel faction, not the U.S. leading to cries that that U.S. is not doing enough for Syrians. In reality, the U.S. has been the biggest funder of humanitarian aid to Syria. The U.S. will also be sending two Patriot missile batteries to Jordan to protect its border with Syria from mortar fire. Similar U.S. batteries are already in place on the Turkey-Syria border.

Reduced security blamed for Taliban attack

Rajiv Chandrasekaran (@rajivwashpost), Washington Post

In what will likely turn out to be an explosive report, veteran Washington Post combat journalist and author Chandrasekaran has found that the deadly attacks at Camp Bastion last year weren’t because the Taliban ‘got lucky’ as previously announced by British and U.S. Marine investigators but were rather a massive lapse in security. The camp is managed by British forces who had reduced manning on the security perimeter to a point where guard towers were unoccupied and their sectors unobservable. Concurrently, the local U.S. Marine commander had reduced his external patrols allowing the Taliban to recon the base and produce detailed maps of the perimeter and layout of the actual camp including precise locations of parked aircraft. The 15 man assault team was able to destroy almost an entire squadron of AV-8B Harriers and kill two Marines who had sprung into action to repel the assault. After the attack, investigations found the flaws but sealed the results in an apparent effort to spare the U.S.’s preeminent ally any embarrassment and blame in the deaths and destruction. Published on Saturday, the report will probably launch calls for Congressional hearings and outside investigations this week.

Of Interest:

Prank and File: These Military Reports Are Out of Line

Dion Nissenbaum (@DionNissenbaum), Wall Street Journal

You know you have really made it when the Wall Street Journal does a profile on your fake news site and that’s what The Duffel Blog got this weekend.  Anyone who follows ScoutComms knows we are huge fans of TDB, which is often described as a military version of The Onion. Dion Nissenbaum speaks with Paul Szoldra who started the humorous site as a way to get attention for his real project to build a site for veterans to connect with resources. The funny one was much more successful and now The Duffel Blog has over 46,000 fans on its Facebook page reading ridiculous articles from Szoldra’s growing staff of anonymous writers that includes active duty military personnel. One author speaks of the surreal experience of seeing his own story distributed to his unit in Afghanistan. With such victories as a Senate inquiry on Guantanamo Bay prisoners getting GI Bill benefits, military commanders issuing memos to family members denying changes to benefits, and fan letters from retired Marine General Mattis, who was often the subject of adoring pieces on the site, the Duffel Blog is growing exponentially and fooling unsuspecting readers on a regular basis.

The Scout Report is a weekly analysis of news and events in the aerospace, defense, and veterans sectors produced by the staff of ScoutComms, Inc. and is emailed each Monday morning except on holidays. Follow us on Twitter at @ScoutComms to get up to the minute news on defense and veterans issues all week. Did you get this as a forward?  Subscribe yourself for free here right now!

About Us: ScoutComms, Inc. is a precision public relations firm based in the Washington D.C. area focused exclusively on aerospace, defense, and veterans’ affairs providing our clients deep insight and counsel based on decades of military, non-profit and public relations industry experience.  To learn more about what we can do for your organization visit our website at www.ScoutCommsUSA.com.

Questions? Comments? Additions? If you have any questions, comments, or have an event you would like us to include, send an email to LJenkins@ScoutCommsUSA.com and we will make sure we let our readers know. For questions about ScoutComms, email FWellman@ScoutCommsUSA.com.

Join the Conversation: For updates on our clients, employment opportunities and the issues that matter in our focus areas follow @ScoutComms on Twitter and ‘like’ our Facebook page.

Throughout April, the Army is holding “listening sessions” in 29 communities “with a standing military/civilian population of 5,000 or more” that are unconnected to BRAC, sequestration, or future budget cuts. Instead, the sessions are tied to the Army reducing its active-duty end strength from 540,000 to 490,000 soldiers and eliminating at least eight brigade combat teams.

In an earlier scenario sent to 21 of these communities this winter, the Army provided an estimate of the environmental and economic impacts of cutting up to 8,000 soldiers and Department of the Army civilians from these installations. Another scenario assessed the impact of adding several thousand soldiers and civilians to these installations.

Carl McLaughlin, executive director of the Fort Drum Regional Liaison Organization, told ScoutComms that his organization is ready for its session on Wednesday afternoon. “There will be people speaking who worked” on a response to the earlier environmental impact assessment, and “people who think they have a good story to tell” about the community and Fort Drum. An announcement on the organizations’ web site encourages attendance.

A similar session at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., last week drew about 500.

Fort Drum in Jefferson County is significantly different from other Army installations. “We’ve added capacity in significant ways” to the county with about 117,000 residents. McLaughlin cited the schools that were built since 2004 and especially since 2007 when a brigade was added to the 10^th Mountain Division and the hospital expansion necessary for an installation that doesn’t have one.

Samaritan Medical Center with 294 beds “does 1,700 births a year, 1,000 of those are soldiers’ families.” In the schools, McLaughlin, a retired educator, said,  “We didn’t know what ESOL [English as a second language] was” until the Northeastern United States’ only active-duty Army installation was designated as the home for the 10^th Light Infantry Division in 1984. About 3 percent of the county’s population is foreign born compared to 22 percent of New York state.

In the last six years, McLaughlin said the community also added 1,700 units of rental housing and 1,600 more hotel rooms to handle the thousands of soldiers who come to the North Country for training. The Census Bureau reported that about 80,000 soldiers were trained, often for mobilization and deployment, at the installation in 2008.

The community and its businesses have also taken on debt to meet Fort Drum’s growth in recent years. “It’s all geared to having a stable population of 18,000” soldiers assigned to Fort Drum. There are about 4,400 Department of the Army civilians at Drum.

McLaughlin said, “We took some exception” to the Army’s earlier assessment.  “We think the model underestimates the impact” by including several counties and not concentrating on Jefferson, the county that surrounds the installation.  “Fort Drum is the economic engine,” contributing more than $1 billion to the local economy. Even with that, “Jefferson’s unemployment rate now is 10 percent, higher than the rest of the state and the country” and certainly would rise if the population of Drum was significantly cut.

“We’re not crying or bleeding here.  We’re very good partners, and that’s what we said” in response to the assessment. “The soldiers trust us with their families” when they deploy.

At a hearing of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness last week, Lt. Gen. James Huggins Jr., the Army’s senior operations officer, in talking about the drawdown, said, “We’re still trying to get the information from the communities” on the impact on them.

Army spokesmen said no announcement on the restructuring will be made any earlier than the third quarter of fiscal year 2013.