Inside the Headquarters

In an attempt to remind the world (and itself) of its martial might, Cuba recently conducted military exercises.

The three-day event encompassed much of the island nation and included thousands of its population. The Cuban government stated the exercises were aimed against a possible U.S. military invasion.

With relations between the two nations better than they have been in some time, targeting an aggressive northern neighbor seems unlikely. The U.S. has relaxed restrictions on travel and finances and a further easing of such policies is predicted.

There is speculation the exercises targeted the Cuban population, assuring them the nation’s military is robust enough to handle foreign intruders or an uprising within its own borders. Cuban President Raul Castro, brother to his famous predecessor and revolutionary leader Fidel, had been defense minister until he assumed control of the nation in 2008. Raul is credited with transforming a military that no longer had the monetary backing of the defunct Soviet Union. No money meant no gear and no forces (that once made their own forays into Africa). His efforts did not always meet Fidel’s approval.

Since the mid-1990s the Cuban military has reportedly taken over 60 percent of the economy. (Yeah, they are communists, and it is a small country.) A la Tony Soprano, the Cuban military runs most of the island’s tourism, plus its sugar industry. It also reportedly runs construction firms and import-export businesses. (No word on sanitation.)

In 2003 the University of Miami reported that the Cuban military‘s “diverse business ventures” hauled in about $1 billion a year. If accurate, that is astounding.

Call it the clichéd ‘lemons to lemonade’ thing, but if Cuba can do it, one would think the U.S. could use a similar model possibly to energize the flaccid employment programs the Veterans Affairs guys like to tout. Keeping free enterprise alive and with no new government programs, it seems the VA (and other) job efforts could be channeled into money-making ventures, instead of strong-arming vets into entry-level jobs for which they are over-qualified. Maybe there is something to be learned from our free-wheeling, pre-1960 Chevy driving neighbors just off our shore.

When does DoD get to cross from red to black? It is not the day after Thanksgiving (Can you believe Old Navy opens 3 am? Hey, that’s an hour after the bars close and an hour before Sears opens, so one could start with the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday and run right through to Friday night.)
But we digress. Though parallel accounting lines never cross, DoD is making a half-hearted run for the black.

The Defense Department has said that aircraft bad boy Lockheed Martin must pony up a portion of cost overruns plaguing the big-bucks, multi-service, multi-nation F-35 joint strike fighter.  The aircraft reportedly has fallen so far behind schedule, defense officials have estimated it would cost an extra $16 billion to get the program back where it needs to be. Currently more than 2,400 aircraft are planned to outfit the U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps. That does not include those for U.S. “partners” around the world.

Despite Lockheed’s missteps, DoD officials say they are prepared to plow another $200 million (deficit) dollars into the F-35 program to encourage … we’re not sure what. It has been reported the Pentagon also may add additional aircraft in an effort to get Lockheed to hire more software engineers—to keep the program moving. We speculate the move could be an effort to ensure at least one plane will roll off the production line someday, unlike the presidential helicopter or a number of Army programs that have been killed taking billions to their gold-lined graves.

So spend more money to get a better response from the contractor? That’s how we’re reading it. This seems an odd client-contractor relationship. A contract is a contract, be it fixed-price or otherwise. Lockheed’s behavior lies in the terms of the contract, and probably isn’t impacted significantly by DoD’s efforts to show its “commitment” to the F-35 at this point. The belief that “we’re all in this together” may have been possible during World War II, but this is a global economy, and the defense giants sell to just about anyone within the law.

The world is waiting on this aircraft and reports have been published by concerned foreign customers about the cost overruns and production slowdowns. The Government Accountability Office reported last year that the F-35 program could top $1 trillion: $300 billion for the aircraft and more than $700 billion in lifetime maintenance.

When will DoD, or one of its programs, have a Black Friday?

The Chicken Little Brigade has made much of the lack of Army guidelines to pinpoint jihadists in the ranks.

Yes, they were serious.

During hearings before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee looking into the recent massacre at Fort Hood Texas that left 13 people dead and 29 others wounded, a retired Army four-star opined (when baited by the panel) that political correctness within the Army helped Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan carry out his personal jihad— a term off which members seem to feed.

As widely reported, former Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Jack Keane, a larger-than-life figure, also stated “Clearly we don’t have specific guidelines in dealing with jihadist extremists.” This lack of guidance allegedly fostered an environment of political correctness that allowed a gun-wielding Hasan to carry out his role as executioner.

Though Hasan turned out to be an alleged mass murderer with some questionable beliefs and a spotty performance record, he was an officer and a doctor. Take that up a notch: he was a mental health professional serving at a time when the Army can use every psych pro it has. Marginal doctor or no doctor, you choose. And the Army took a doc who may have been lacking. Even what are now viewed as extreme beliefs can be explained to some degree as differences between Christianity and Islam. Had the Army gone so far as to do a risk assessment on this guy, chances are the decision would have been to keep him. The fact that he may have been a poor doctor probably presented a greater risk than the chance he was a madman with good aim.

Of course there are multiple and myriad investigations into the Fort Hood shootings, and maybe they will uncover something that can help all agencies. A guide to spotting the jihadist among us? Sounds like a Blackwater (Xe) contract waiting to happen. Just be sure to hand it over to the jihadists so they can better conceal themselves.

It is this type of fear-mongering that can crush, say, those with a history of mental illness. Hire a bi-polar? Too risky. (Forget the American with Disabilities Act. It’s too PC, though it is the law.) Hire a Middle Easterner with mental health issues? Not likely.

Hasan was an angry man with a gun. A lot of people are angry and own guns. Maybe these 17 investigations will reveal something, but the fear that is being manufactured by some in this nation’s leadership harkens back to Salem, McCarthy and other purges through history.

Live free or die? Count me in.

In 2008 Marine Corps intelligence leaders announced the opening of the exclusively male counterintelligence designator to females. The operational need was clear. Representatives from Washington, D.C., visited the Corps’ major commands. Their announcement was met with hostility from some CI Marines opposed to the move. The Headquarters Marine Corps team explained the change had been made and advised they recruit the best from inside the 02 field before the new slots were opened to the rest for the Corps. CI recruiters swung into action to entice women to the CI side. They were successful.

Two days shy of graduating from the Corps’ counterintelligence course at Dam Neck, Va., Corps officials informed the first female NCO in line to receive the 0211 designator that the MOS would not be hers. She had successfully completed the course. She could keep the hefty bonus, but she would leave without what she came for.

What happened?

Though accounts conflict, this blow to the Corps comes down to Title 10 and its requisite notification to Congress, and the apparent inaction by the Marine Corps itself.

U.S. Code Title 10, Section 541, Ground Combat Exclusion requires the services to give notice to Congress of any formerly closed MOS opening to women and vice versa. This recently occurred with the U.S. Navy and its interest in opening submarine berths to females. It is the case with the 0211 Marine counterintelligence/human intelligence specialty, an MOS that has been closed because of its proximity to conflict within lower-echelon combat units. According to intelligence sources, the 0211 specialty (along with 0204 for officers) was opened to women to help meet current operational needs.

It appears the Corps failed to make that notification until after officials from the Hill probably forced the suspension of 0211 for female Marines, according to correspondence related to the incident. Legislative sources around DoD say such notifications are fairly routine. Senior leaders in the intelligence field allege it may have been disgruntled Marines who tipped off lawmakers.

Headquarters Marine Corps Manpower officials say the Corps got a little ahead of itself. They maintain the MOS is not closed, and rumors of congressional involvement are absurd.

But why the year delay in notification?

Public notice about 0211 abounded. Aside from the Headquarters Marine Corps road show, in Sept. 2008 a story announcing the opening of 0211 to women ran in the Okinawa Marine. Marine Forces Reserve announced it in the Jan. 2009 issue of its Continental Marine, encouraging interested Marines to contact the G-2, the command intelligence section.

Since it appears the Marine Corps believed the change had occurred, it remains unclear why the notification, which must include a legal justification, had been overlooked – or deliberately ignored.
The Marine Corps says it has forwarded the notification to the Hill, but according to a House Armed Services Committee representative, no one knows of the notification or the 0211 topic. Calls to the Senate side went unreturned, including those to Arizona Sen. John McCain’s press representative. Despite Title 10 restrictions, the Marine Corps maintains it can train any Marines it wishes regardless of specialty. It seems that bonuses approaching $80,000 would not be included in such training, as it seems was the case with the sergeant recently denied the 0211 designator.

Notifications must remain at Congress for 30 consecutive days while it is in session before a service can make its desired changes. Given the upcoming holidays, the Corps’ notification will not enter such a window until next year, according to a Marine official familiar with the matter.

Is this any way to run a war?

This single MOS highlights flaws in Title 10 as they relate to the combat exclusion of women. Section 541 is a brief, but potent, passage to which lawmakers seem to cling. Former Hill liaisons and lawyers with whom we spoke suggest this is one way for lawmakers to maintain influence in military policy, though they already control the purse strings. The 0211 incident begs the question: Has Title 10 and its combat exclusion passage reached functional obsolesce? Why must the services continue to notify Congress of certain personnel decisions? The Hill sits in judgment on matters of internal import to the services.

Civilians control the military, and it seems a decision on 0211 may be a matter better determined by the litany of assistant secretaries, service heads and the secretary of defense. The HASC and SASC may have more agendas than it has members.

Mais, n’important: Marine Corps inaction has jeopardized its own intelligence efforts.

There are far weightier issues on the minds of readers. IEDs, the exclusion of women from combat specialties, the bizarre and semi-public ponderings of the much-anticipated U.S. Afghan strategy are but a sampling.

National security aside, we’d like to highlight vintage fountain pens. Actually, if you are involved with this nation’s security (or follow it) you probably need a pen. Why not a military vintage fountain pen? World War II pens? They are hipper than a Mac and far less expensive.

We discovered the Morrison “Patriot.” Toss the government-issue Skilcraft and grab a hold of another era, another war, a more genteel time. In the early 1940s the Morrison Pen Company produced a fountain pen (and pencil) for those serving in the Army, Navy, and Army Air Force. The “Patriot” was not the best quality, but showcased crests for the services including the Army seal, a Navy fouled anchor with “USN” emblazoned on the cap, and the winged-propeller symbol of the Army Air Force.

The pen and pencil set added that je new sais quoi to any Jack or Jill in uniform and their millions of supporters on the home front, something Morrison may have banked on. The set ran a whopping $6.25, and was purchased through Morrison. They were not military issue. The pen has an unusual syringe filling system and the much-coveted 14K gold nib. Though somewhat rare, they can still be found today.

Fountain pen use and production reached its peak in the 1920s and 30s, and ironically advances in writing instruments made in World War II, soon sounded the death knell for the fountain pen. 

But these classic writers are enjoying resurgence in appeal. We have the Navy version; a friend has a working Army model. Google “Morrison Patriot” and you’ll find at least one for sale. But vintage fountain pens are better bought in person. Few shops handle these vintage gems and even fewer know much about them. There is a pen meister in Annapolis, Md., inside an antique store owned by a ’76 grad out of the Naval Academy.

We met the pen meister at one of a handful of pen shows (who knew?) held around the country. We saw a few Patriots at the largest gathering of the pen clans held just outside Washington, DC. Far from the size of an antique show or gun show, this niche market attracts a specialized but devoted crew. Ask any of the vintage dealers about the Morrison pen and they can tell volumes.

We are fascinated by the Patriot and it can make putting pen to paper a joy whether one is in uniform or past those military days. Though not a true piece of militaria, it is one vintage artifact that one can use without worry.

Weightier issues to follow.

In-your-face witty, narcissistic defense blog looking for commenters. Experience not necessary. Reading proficiency helpful, but not required. Uncensored opinions preferred.

If you are obsessed with precision and love providing feedback, you may be the commenter of our dreams. Maybe you have noticed our dearth of comments as of late. We like comments. Our voyeuristic readers like comments, too. Or so they tell us, but won’t write one. Readership is strong, but our readers rarely comment.

That’s where you come in.

Who is that elusive commenter? We have been on the hunt for some time. We’ve tried varying style. (One day outrageous, the next more outrageous.) “Ask more questions!” they say. Silence. So, we’re goin’ public: comments encouraged. (No personal attacks; no come-on lines. Really.) As cyber boss consoled, “I know how you feel. But Mr. Commenter may not be Mr. Right [for the blog].”

Here’s a sampling of comment behavior that we’ve observed around the blogosphere:

U.S. Naval Institute. A juggernaut even without the blog. Pulls in those respondents. Can be a wonk crowd, but we like wonks. Wonks are welcome at Inside the HQ.

Tom Ricks. Not sure how Ol’ Tom does it, but it’s like readers want to be him or at least live vicariously through their cyber association. It’s more about Tom and less about his blog. And, you know, we’re really a lot like Tom: We know only so much, and we admit our shortcomings. Granted, we also hide, but we’re a lot like Tom. Live vicariously through Inside the HQ.

Small Wars Journal. These guys can be serious. Serious topics with serious commenters. Maybe we should be more serious. But that’s difficult if you are writing about lawmakers or the rainmakers in the defense industry. Can anyone read about CNO Adm. Gary Roughead’s diversity policy without falling overboard? Of course not. Serious all the time may not work for Inside the HQ.

War is Boring. Excellent blog by David Axe and a growing posse. Uneven comment history, though. Maybe the lack of comments reflects a perplexed readership. Maybe readers don’t get us, either. Maybe that’s a problem. (Regardless, we want to be David Axe.)

CDR Salamander. (Not to be confused with the edgy Georgetown (DC) boutique.) This guy has perfected the outrageous approach with the over-the top rant. Beaucoup comments. BZ, Reptilian Man. He can get political (something we cannot). His “I told you they would miss ‘W’” snagged 91 comments. As I look at his site the lede is “Convert to Islam … so you can get away with saying almost anything.” Yes, he’s talking about Fort Hood. (BZ – Obscure term that means “good job.” Admirals especially like it.)

If you look at USNI or Small Wars Journal, or even Tom Ricks, you will note the respondents sometimes get an insightful discussion going. That is the Holy Grail. That is respondent Nirvana. We like to think we do some thought-provoking entries. Make this blog your forum.

We’ve mentioned the Navy’s push for diversity. The boys in blue are in the rack with race-based awards, and there have been allegations of alternative admissions standards for minority Naval Academy applicants. Though CNO Gary Roughead cops to the diversity charge, he denies any changes in admission to the Navy’s fiefdom by the sea.

So what was up with that World Series color guard?

Snagging a sweet deal like a color guard at a nationally televised event is quite the coup, and the Naval Academy pulled it off. The opening of Game Two at Yankee Stadium was Navy’s night to strut. But something was amiss: the team of six midshipman slated to carry the colors was all male and all, shall we say, Caucasian. It seems the diversity police cried “Foul!” and made some last-minute changes.

First reported by the blog, CDR Salamander, (interesting and unusually appropriate rants can be hilarious) , officials hastily added two team members – one female (white) and one Pakistani-American to the color guard. (The latter info came from Fox.) Despite the mayhem in the final seconds, the revised plan for eight went back to six, because it seems one of the new guys did not have a complete uniform. It does appear one of the six males was yanked and replaced by the female. (She brought her full uniform.)

D-I-V-E-R-S-I-T-Y

So, in the name of broadcasting diversity via a broadcast network, the academy worked to capitalize on this opportunity. Did they reason, “It serves the greater good, so what does it matter if some mids are used as the expendable marionettes we play them for?” Word of the musical standard bearer game leaked leaving academy officials looking foolish at best. Some may see naval leaders’ priorities in this case as odd and misguided.

How will this influence the soon-to-be commissioned officers? Heightened cynicism? Mistrust of authority? Disgust with the Navy’s efforts to further diversify? Will there be short-term damage for long-term gain? What is the gain, really? We dare say diversity transcends race, ethnicity, and gender, but we’re sure the CNO and academy leadership know better than any former academy minority.

The Joint IED Defeat Organization, the large, unwieldy herd of combat-hardened cats and other MRAP hangers-on, seems to have achieved functional obsolescence.

Defense Secretary (and Occasional Superhero) Robert Gates has announced he is forming a senior-level task force “to streamline the efforts of military services and agencies to find and destroy roadside bombs.”

Good-bye JIEDDO?

We find this fascinating since the JIEDDO was just created in 2006. The organization had been headed by an Army three-star. Despite his Nov. 13 retirement, his successor, Army Maj. Gen. Michael Oates, has not yet received Senate Confirmation. JIEDDO is staffed by hundreds. The organization is staffed by more than 400 members plus another 1,300 “working JIEDDO initiatives.” The fiscal 2008 budget was a staggering $4.1 billion, though the requested cash for 2010 is just $1.5 billion.

Conversations last year with then-JIEDDO director Army Lt. Gen. Thomas Metz (The Silver Fox) and others showed a hint of frustration at not being able to move more quickly. It was clear everyone understood the IED would never be defeated, but, to be most effective …

efforts had to target the networks trafficking those IEDs.

Enter the Government Accountability Office. Its most recent inquiry into counter IED efforts did not bode well for JIEDDO. Before JIEDDO was established, “no single entity was responsible for coordinating DOD’s counter improvised explosive device efforts.” According to the GAO, “JIEDDO was established to coordinate and focus all counter-IED efforts, including ongoing research and development, throughout DOD.” It was also tasked with leading the effort in support of the combatant commanders.

Without getting into the 44-page report, the GAO states:

“JIEDDO faces difficulties with transitioning Joint IED defeat initiatives to the military services, in part because JIEDDO and the services have difficulty resolving the gap between JIEDDO’s transition timeline and DOD’s base budget cycle.”
If accurate, this is a crippling situation.

Enter Superhero Gates. His new group of WunderKids (and a couple of old goats?) is tasked with correcting JIEDDO’s problems and more. This group is “to break down the stove pipes” that keep various anti-bomb groups scattered across the military services and agencies from working together. He also wants the new group to ‘get the troops what they need.’” Is Gates sounding the death knell of the JIEDDO? Will it be placed under new management? Have billions been squandered?

This may be an act of desperation and possibly political placation by Gates, though a smaller organization may be able to accomplish more than behemoth JIEDDO. Can a new entity work to defeat the network? (They say “attack.” We say defeat!) Could JIEDDO? Can anyone but the guys on the ground?

The JIEDDO Org Chart. Did this frustrate Gates?

Uniforms change—sometimes with good reason and other times with no apparent impetus other than change for the sake of change.

The camouflage utility uniform has morphed over the years and has gone through a number of iterations in the past decade. The Army debuted it its digital cammo pattern first, followed by the Marine Corps and the Air Force. We are sure very smart people determined a digitized pattern trumped the Woodland style any day.

Whether the same smart people determined each service needed its own designer togs is unclear. You can tell a member’s service by the blurriness of his tunic. Our guess is service chiefs, as well as manufacturers, like service design rivalry.

But all is not well on U.S. Army runways. The senior service is wrestling with pattern challenges. The Universal Camouflage Pattern (UCP) performed poorly in the “Photosimulation Camouflage Detection Test,” conducted by U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research. Four patterns blew the UCP off the battlefield in similar tests: Marine Corps desert digital, MultiCam, Desert Brush and a Syrian military pattern. In 2004, the Army rejected other patterns at a reported cost of $5 billion. It is unclear what savings would have been garnered using another style.

As reported by Army Times, the Army plans to “to evaluate more than 50 camouflage pattern and equipment combinations.” There has been talk the UCP may become a garrison uniform and other patterns would be used in combat. (Our guess is this would make some manufacturer very happy. Is he in Murtha’s district?)

But the Navy blows the competition out of the water. Yes, the U.S. Navy. If you caught coverage of the USS New York’s return to its name sake, you may have glimpsed the new Navy Blue. It’s ugly. It’s awkward, and it begs the question, “Why?”

The new Navy Working Uniform (NWU) is a digitized, mottled blue camouflage utility. It has been tested, approved and is being phased in by geographic region. The Navy is scheduled to complete its changeover by Oct. 2010. Why does the Navy need a cammo pattern? Well, officials admit it doesn’t, but the pattern hides wear they say (and we think dirt, grease, cigarette burns, coffee mishaps, and other hazards of shipboard life). Since this is a working uniform and not a tactical uniform (we’re unsure why they cannot be the same), sailors will be outfitted with the appropriate tactical uniforms when needed.

The NWU will “replace working utilities, tropical working uniforms, wash khakis, winter working blue, aviation working green, and non-tactical/environmental usage of camouflage utility uniforms.”

Imagine what sailors can jam into these pockets.

VA secretary Eric Shinseki recently announced his plan to end homelessness among veterans.

Speaking at the VA National Summit Ending Homelessness Among Veterans, the former Army chief of staff and Vietnam veteran stated, “No one who has served this nation as veterans should ever have to be living on the streets.” In what he envisions as a five-year plan, Shinseki explained the VA would work with the U.S. departments of Education, Labor, Health and Human Services plus the Small Business Administration. All would collaborate with community organizations and first responders to tackle the homeless epidemic.

Noble, but can the VA grasp the needs of the general veteran population? It already has proved deficient in tracking the illusive homelessus veteranus, and in determining if the species should be a priority.

It seems from the data available, veteran homelessness should not be a VA priority. As we recounted in Fruit of the Poisoned Tree, the VA estimates homeless veterans at 131,000, down from the 199,000 it reported in 2005. The VA gets it numbers from the frontline shelters: if a guy says he’s a vet at the shelter’s evening bed count, then he is reported as a veteran. VA officials have told us they verify these numbers, but we’re not so sure.

If we look at the 131,000 as a part of the 24 million veteran population in this country we see it amounts to just one half of one percent of the whole. Shinseki has pledged more than $3 billion (of a requested 2010 budget of $113 billion) to help one-half of one percent. Is this a Faustian Pact? Or is this the VA’s highway to hell?

Given the partnering organizations (and did we mention the millions going to grant programs to help the frontline community organizations), this seems like a scheme to launder tax payer dollars into the hands of the professional do-gooder, while doing nothing to significantly benefit the veterans.

“We must offer education and jobs, treat depression and fight substance abuse, prevent suicides and provide safe housing,” he told the gathering. (A chicken in every pot!)

We wonder what percent of veterans out there have been turned away from vocational rehabilitation programs because they had an advanced degree or “appeared” to have the skills necessary for an entry-level position. (The VA doesn’t have to help a vet find a great job. Depending on the counselor, pushing a vet into an entry-level position may check the block, though now the buzz phrase seems to be “appropriate employment.”)

Shinseki also wants to help veterans through enhanced business opportunities, and touts government contract set asides for disabled veterans. Those deals are unlikely unless a veteran packs up his or her disability certificate and pimps himself out to some seedy larger entity. The alternative may be kissing that Shinseki-endorsed government handout good-bye.

And those 40,000 vets he mentioned who leave prison each year? They are going to get help too. (Thank God! That’s in addition to the VA’s former Incarcerated Veterans program. The VA recently changed the that catchy title to “Health Care for Reentry Veterans.” It appears the VA may be branding its homeless cache of programs. You can never do too much for our vets behind bars.) My cousin is an Army veteran. He later robbed too many banks and murdered two people. He is in prison. Though he is not getting out any time soon, what benefits should your tax dollars afford him? Gee, we’d hate to see anything bad like homelessness happen to him upon release.

But it’s $3 billion to the spectral homeless vets. Take a look at how the VA plans to allocate its 2010 budget.

Our guess is the remaining 99.5 percent should gear up for its Bonus March in Anacostia.