PA Morning Report

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

NUCLEAR ENTERPRISE
NSTR
WIN TODAY’S FIGHT
AP: Commanders concerned about Ramadan fighting (1)
AP: Libyan rebel leader killed; Gadhafi ties probed (5)
CARING FOR AIRMEN
AF Times: Leadership training to end for lieutenants (7)
AP: Veterans with PTSD, government reach settlement (9)
MODERNIZATION
AF Times: Pilots, maintainers trying out for JSF spots (13)
ACQUISITION EXCELLENCE
Washington Post: U.S. plans to provide Iraq with wiretapping system (15)
GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT
Jerusalem Post: IAF to seek 2nd squadron of F-35s in new multi-year plan (17)
AFP: Iraq Plans to Double Planned F-16 Purchase (19)
OF INTEREST
AP: Afghans arrest Taliban leader, army turncoat (23)
Defense News: Greater Scrutiny Brought to Pentagon Audits (25)

CONTINUE TO STRENGTHEN THE NUCLEAR ENTERPRISE

NSTR

PARTNER WITH JOINT AND COALITION TEAM TO WIN TODAY’S FIGHT

1. Commanders concerned about Ramadan fighting
(AP, 31 Jul 11) … Lolita C. Baldor
KABUL, Afghanistan — The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan has until mid-October to submit a plan for the initial withdrawal of American troops, decisions that may hinge in part on whether the latest surge in attacks continues through the holy month of Ramadan.

2. Little Rock C-130 team cleans up at RODEO
(AP, 31 Jul 11) … Unattributed
LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark. — A team of airmen with the 314th Airlift Wing based at Little Rock Air Force Base has been named Best C-130 Team in the World at a competition at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.

3. Rival Libyan rebel groups clash, allies anxious
(AP, 31 Jul 11) … Rami Al-Shaheibi
BENGHAZI, Libya — Clashes between rival factions of the Libyan rebels killed four people Sunday in the opposition stronghold of Benghazi, deepening the worst crisis so far for the movement after its chief military commander was killed, possibly by fighters from his own side.

4. NATO Planes Hit Libyan State TV Transmitters
(AP, 31 Jul 11) … Unattributed
TRIPOLI, Libya—North Atlantic Treaty Organization warplanes bombed three Libyan state TV satellite transmitters in Tripoli overnight, targeting a key propaganda tool that the military alliance said Saturday is used by Col. Moammar Gadhafi's government to incite violence and threaten civilians.

5. Libyan rebel leader killed; Gadhafi ties probed
(AP, 29 Jul 11) … Rami Al-Shaheibi
BENGHAZI, Libya — The head of the Libyan rebel armed forces was shot and killed Thursday just before arriving for questioning by rebel authorities, their political leader said in a carefully worded statement to reporters that gave few details on who was behind the killing.

6. Canada joins propaganda war aimed at Gadhafi forces
(AP, 29 Jul 11) … Unattributed
CATANIA, Italy — Canada has joined an air war of a different kind in the skies over Libya, one where persuasion and sometimes insults are the weapons.

DEVELOP AND CARE FOR AIRMEN AND THEIR FAMILIES

7. Leadership training to end for lieutenants
But for captains, it’s about to ramp up for O-3s
(Air Force Times, 30 Jul 11) … Scott Fontaine
Big changes are coming to officer education. Air and Space Basic Course for lieutenants is going away and Squadron Officer School, which captains attend, is getting an overhaul.

8. Pilot’s workload cited in T-38 crash probe
(Air Force Times, 29 Jul 11) … Markeshia Ricks
Pilot error and a squadron’s failure to assess the risk of an ambitious flight plan caused the crash of a T-38C at Ellington Field, Texas, according to an accident investigation board report.

9. Veterans with PTSD, government reach settlement
(AP, 29 Jul 11) … Kimberly Hefling
WASHINGTON — More than a thousand Iraq and Afghanistan veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder would be given lifetime disability retirement benefits such as military health insurance under the terms of a settlement reached between the government and the veterans.

10. Air Force reservist files discrimination suit against Radnor
(Mainline Media News, 29 Jul 11) … Richard Ilgenfritz
A Northeastern Pennsylvania man who is also a military reservist has filed a lawsuit against Radnor Township claiming that he was not hired for the open position as township manager in 2009 because of his reserve-military obligations.

11. A career lost but lesson learned
‘I wish I hadn’t resisted advice,’ former airman says after term in jail
(Air Force Times, 29 Jul 11) … Robert F. Dorr
Even a little mistake can get you into trouble in today’s Air Force. A big one will kill your career. Shawn H. Starcevic knows because he used to be an airman. And the 24-year-old Maine native also knows what you need to do to stay on the straight and narrow.

12. Military Chaplains Mull End of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
(Fox News, 29 Jul 11) … Lauren Green
The military's “Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy,” will be no more as of Sept. 20, when homosexual men and women will be allowed to serve openly in all branches of the U.S. armed forces.

MODERNIZE OUR AGING AIR AND SPACE INVENTORIES

13. Pilots, maintainers trying out for JSF spots
(Air Force Times, 31 Jul 11) … Brian Everstine
The roster of pilots and maintainers who will be the first to train on the F-35 Lightning II is starting to take shape.

14. Cuts could limit hurricane research flights
Budget cuts approved by a powerful House committee could clip the research wing of the famous Hurricane Hunter squadron
(Miami Herald, 29 Jul 11) … Curtis Morgan
Hurricane forecasters have steadily sharpened their accuracy over the last decade — thanks in no small part to research work done aboard three specialized planes based in Tampa.

RECAPTURE ACQUISITION EXCELLENCE

15. U.S. plans to provide Iraq with wiretapping system
(Washington Post, 30 Jul 11) … Walter Pincus
The United States is planning to provide the Iraqi government with a wiretapping system to eavesdrop on cellular calls and messages “to assist in combating criminal organizations and insurgencies,” according to a U.S. Air Force contract solicitation.

GLOBAL AIR, SPACE, and CYBERSPACE ENVIRONMENT

16. S. Korea's first spy plane arrives for deployment
(Yonhap, 1 Aug 11) … Yoo Jee-ho
SEOUL -- South Korea's first surveillance airplane to be deployed this year arrived at an Air Force base on Monday, the country's defense procurement agency said.

17. IAF to seek 2nd squadron of F-35s in new multi-year plan
Fighter jet purported to be one of most advanced jets in world with ability to fly undetected in enemy territory; IAF pilots to train in US.
(Jerusalem Post, 1 Aug 11) … Yaakov Katz
The Israel Air Force plans to purchase a second squadron of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters during the upcoming IDF multi-year procurement plan that is currently under review within the General Staff.

18. Maliki hints at letting trainers stay in Iraq
(AP, 30 Jul 11) … Lara Jakes and Rebecca Santana
BAGHDAD — Iraq’s prime minister said Saturday he was reviving a stalled deal to buy multi-million-dollar fighter jets from the United States and affirmed the need for American trainers to help Iraqi forces operate and maintain the 36 F-16s.

19. Iraq Plans to Double Planned F-16 Purchase
(Agence France-Presse, 30 Jul 11) … Unattributed
BAGHDAD - Iraq will ask for future defense contracts to include provision for trainers, bypassing MPs to allow some U.S. soldiers to stay past a year-end pullout deadline, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said.

20. U.S., China Discuss Weapons Sales to Taiwan
(Agence France-Presse, 30 Jul 11) … Shaun Tandon
WASHINGTON - The United States and China on July 29 held top-level talks on Taiwan, with Washington working preemptively to avoid a fallout as a decision nears on whether to sell fighter-jets to Taiwan.

21. Top Generals Quit in Group, Stunning Turks
(New York Times, 29 Jul 11) … Gul Tuysuz and Sabrina Tavernise
ISTANBUL — Turkey’s top military commanders resigned en masse on Friday, a move without precedent in Turkish history that many analysts saw as a failed effort by a beleaguered institution to exert what is left of its dwindling political power.

ITEMS OF INTEREST

22. McChrystal: ‘Jury is out’ on Afghanistan war
(AP, 31 Jul 11) … Unattributed
POINT CLEAR, Ala. — The former top U.S. commander in Afghanistan told Alabama business leaders Saturday that “the jury is out” on whether the U.S. and its allies will succeed in that war, although he was more optimistic about the long-term prospects for Iraq.

23. Afghans arrest Taliban leader, army turncoat
(AP, 30 Jul 11) … Rahim Faiez
KABUL, Afghanistan — A senior Defense Ministry official who is accused of leaking secrets that helped the Taliban stage suicide attacks in Kabul has been arrested by the Afghan Intelligence Service — one of three high profile arrests announced Saturday by the agency.

24. With No 'Plan B,' U.S. Marine Corps Shows Off F-35B
(Defense News, 29 Jul 11) … Dave Majumdar
NAVAL AIR STATION PATUXENT RIVER, Md. - In a graphic demonstration of the U.S. Marine Corps' strident support of its F-35B version of the tri-service Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), the service flew the first-ever live demonstration the aircraft's short take-off/vertical landing (STOVL) capability before reporters on July 29.

25. Greater Scrutiny Brought to Pentagon Audits
(Defense News, 29 Jul 11) … Kate Brannen
The Pentagon's chronic inability to pass an audit may not be tolerated much longer. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says he intends to accelerate DoD's 2017 deadline, while the House has formed a new panel to improve the Pentagon's financial management.

26. Pentagon contracts go global
(Washington Post, 31 Jul 11) … Marjorie Censer
It took Faun Trackway, a Welsh company that produces temporary roadways and landing strips, about 31 / 2 years of research before it decided to launch a U.S. business. Company officials flew back and forth, visiting military installations and officials, exhibiting at trade shows, and getting to know the U.S. defense industry.

HEADLINES

CNN at 0530
A done deal? Where things stand
Debt deal vote likely on Monday, party sources say
Jury weighs Ohio serial killer's fate

FOX News at 0530
Obama, Congressional Leaders Announce Deal on Debt Reduction
Corpses Litter Streets After Surge in Violence in Syria
Lead in Case of Alleged Hijacker D.B. Cooper

NPR at 0530
Is There A Debt-Ceiling Deal: Yes And No
Debt Battle Leads To Layoffs In Aviation And Beyond
Math Can Predict Insurgent Attacks, Physicist Says

USA Today at 0530
Leaders reach deal to prevent default
Crimes against LGBT community are up
Aerodynamic tweaks boost cars' mpgs

Washington Post at 0530
White House, congressional leaders reach deal
Syrian tanks storm protest enclaves
Pentagon contracts go global