Daily Report

Kadena AB, Japan, escaped Typhoon Bolaven’s wrath with just minor damage, including some power outages and minor flooding, base spokesman Maj. Chris Anderson told the Daily Report. “Kadena weathered the storm fairly well,” said Anderson in an e-mail correspondence. He...

US Air Forces in Europe Commander Gen. Philip Breedlove on Aug. 28 called for the nations of northwest Africa to work together to counter the terrorism threat in that region. “Our common enemy is well-equipped and willing to do what...

If you didn’t recognize the uniform worn by former Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz and his successor Gen. Mark Welsh at their Aug. 10 leadership transition ceremony, you are not alone. (See photos of the ceremony.) The outfit—called “the...

The Air Force’s C-130 Programmed Depot Maintenance Team at Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex in Georgia has won the Defense Secretary’s 2012 Robert T. Mason Depot Maintenance Excellence Award, announced Pentagon officials on Aug. 28. The team is recognized for...

Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter issued a directive that creates the "Warfighter Senior Integration Group" to oversee the Pentagon's efforts to respond rapidly to combatant commanders' urgent requests for new capability. The group will also have responsibility for mitigating "the risk of operational surprise associated with ongoing or anticipated near-term contingency operations," reads the directive, dated Aug. 24th. "DOD's highest priority is to provide warfighters involved in conflict or preparing for imminent contingency operations with the capabilities urgently needed to overcome unforeseen threats, achieve mission success, and reduce risk of casualties," states the directive. The deputy defense secretary will chair the group; the Joint Chiefs' vice chairman is the group's co-chair. Membership will also include senior-level officials from across the Office of Secretary of Defense as well as representatives from the services and combatant commands, states the directive. (Carter directive; caution, large-sized file.)

The Air Force’s small fleet of C-130 firefighting airplanes has dropped more than two million gallons of fire retardant against wildfires in 10 western US states since beginning operations in late June, announced service officials on Aug. 28. This makes...

It's easier to deliver a cyber attack than it is to build and deploy a kinetic weapon system, says Andrew Krepinevich, president of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. This has helped crime syndicates leverage power and will likely open the cyber domain to threatening non-state organizations, he writes in a new CSBA study on cyberwarfare. For instance, the Russian government "turns a blind eye" to the Russian business network, which is known to be the world's foremost cyber-crime organization, states the study, released on Aug. 24. The RBN was accused of facilitating the cyber attacks on Estonia in 2007 and Georgia in 2008 at the Russian government's request, according to the study. Terrorist organizations such as al Qaeda potentially pose a major cyber threat as well, asserts Krepinevich. Computers and manuals seized in al Qaeda camps held information pertinent to dams and other critical infrastructure, he states. "One could imagine other non-state entities whose capabilities—both in terms of intellectual and financial resources—are likely to be far greater than those of al Qaeda," says Krepinevich. (See also Cybergeddon? Not Quite.) (CSBA release) (CSBA cyber study; caution, large-sized file.)

The State Department on Aug. 28 launched the “Innovation in Arms Control Challenge” to elicit the public’s help on how to apply commonly available technologies in support of arms control policies. “The astonishing advancements in information technologies include new tools...