<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5af1ea8aa9f88a1d008b4620-2400/gettyimages-950454574.jpg" border="0" alt="WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 23: U.S. Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) (R), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, listens to Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) (L) prior to a committee meeting April 23, 2018 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. The committee has approved to the nomination of CIA Director Mike Pompeo to be the next Secretary of State. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)" data-mce-source="Alex Wong/Getty Images" data-link="https://www.gettyimages.com/license/950454574" /><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.gettyimages.com/license/950454574">Alex Wong/Getty Images</a></span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>President Trump announced the decision to withdraw the United States from the Iran nuclear deal, causing a stir among lawmakers who believe it damages credibility with European partners.</strong></li><li><strong>Vice President Mike Pence met with Senate Republicans on Tuesday, where they discussed potential scenarios in the future.</strong></li></ul><hr /><p>WASHINGTON - There is a growing concern that President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw the United States from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, known as the Iran nuclear deal, will sour the relationships with crucial allies and tarnish American credibility.</p><p>Before Trump's announcement on Tuesday, Vice President Mike Pence briefed senators on potential scenarios following a withdrawal of the deal, according to individuals in the room. That was supplemented by other discussions with congressional leaders.</p><p>Sen. Bob Corker told reporters that Trump informed him of his decision Monday evening. But he said it had all been pretty much a done deal for a couple weeks, even as foreign leaders and officials made their way to Washington to persuade the White House against a hasty withdrawal.</p><p>"Appeal time was probably two weeks ago," Corker said.</p><p>The decision, while unsurprising to lawmakers, irked them on its potential ramifications. </p><p>"My preference would have been to give our European allies a few more months to strengthen the deal, but now that the President has decided that the United States will withdraw, we must have two critical priorities," said House Armed Services Committee Chairman and Texas Rep. Mac Thornberry in a statement. "One is to further enhance our own military capabilities. The other is to strengthen our alliances. A strong, international effort is required to curtail Iran's aggressive behavior in a number of areas."</p><p>Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, a Democrat, said the withdrawal "isolates the United States from the world at a time when we need our allies to come together to address nuclear threats elsewhere, particularly North Korea.</p><p><span>"By violating the Iran deal, the president is creating a new global nuclear crisis while we're trying to address another one with North Korea," Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine said in a statement. "His decision to break from the deal makes our country less safe by damaging our diplomatic credibility, weakening our alliances, and reopening the door for Iran to start enriching uranium."</span></p><h2>Republican leaders are standing by Trump</h2><p><span>Republican leaders all praised Trump's decision, including House Speaker Paul Ryan.</span></p><p><span>"The president's announcement today is a strong statement that we can and must do better," Ryan said.</span></p><p><span>And other Republican brass dismissed the notion that an abrupt departure from the deal undermines US relationships with allies.</span></p><p><span>"I think they knew we had a lot of issues with it to start with," said John Thune, the third-ranking Senate Republican. "And I think frankly there'll be an opportunity hopefully in the wake of all this to work with out allies on some of the things everybody seems to agree with on."</span></p><p><span>Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt, who serves as Vice Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, told reporters that Trump is essentially in line with French President Emmanuel Macron on the Iran Deal.</span></p><p><span>"</span><span>Macron's three points are exactly right," Blunt said. "This deal does not prevent - in fact it virtually guarantees - that Iran would have nuclear weapons, it doesn't stop the ballistic missile testing, and it has made them more supportive of terrorist activities, not less."</span></p><p><span>Minutes later, after Trump announced the withdrawal, Macron <a href="https://twitter.com/EmmanuelMacron/status/993920765060878336">wrote</a> on Twitter, "</span>France, Germany, and the UK regret the U.S. decision to leave the JCPOA. The nuclear non-proliferation regime is at stake.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ian-bremmer-why-nikki-haley-fighting-trump-over-russia-2018-4">Ian Bremmer: Why Nikki Haley is fighting Trump over Russia</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/uNh7S0AV-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

'The president is creating a new global nuclear crisis': Lawmakers concerned about Trump's withdrawal from Iran deal

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5a02213835876e01018b46f8-886/rts18qtz.jpg" border="0" alt="Donald Trump Narendra Modi India White House" data-mce-source="REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque" data-mce-caption="President Donald Trump with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a joint news conference in the White House Rose Garden in Washington, June 26, 2017." /><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque</span></p><p class="caption">President Donald Trump with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a joint news conference in the White House Rose Garden in Washington, June 26, 2017.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>Amid tensions with Russia, the US has been trying to get countries to stop buying weapons from Moscow.</strong></li><li><strong>But some countries still depend on Russian arms, including India, one of the US's biggest partners.</strong></li><li><strong>The US made an exemption to Russia sanctions for India and others, and New Delhi may get its latest purchase from Russia before the end of this year.</strong></li></ul><hr /><p>The US has been pushing its partners not to buy Russian weapons, threatening them with sanctions for doing business with Moscow.</p><p>But Washington has carved out an exception to those sanctions in order to keep those countries in the fold, and now one of the biggest ones may get its hands on Russia's advanced air-defense system before the end of the year.</p><p>India, which has a decades-long <keyword id="6354810" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="defense">defense</keyword> relationship with Russia, has been working on a deal for the S-400 for several years.</p><p>In early July, India's Defense Acquisitions Council reportedly <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/india-moves-towards-acquiring-russian-s-400-missile-systems-despite-us-opposition/articleshow/64810964.cms" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signed off</a> on the acquisition, and two weeks after that, India's defense minister <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-going-with-russia-s-400-missile-deal-despite-us-sanctions-risk-2018-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said the deal</a> to acquire the S-400 was at an "<span>almost conclusive stage" and that the US secretaries of defense and state "have taken a position understanding of India's position."</span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5ace8f4b146e7122008b461d-1500/ap734787326194.jpg" border="0" alt="S-400 Syria" data-mce-source="Russian Defense Ministry" /><p class="source"><span>Russian Defense Ministry</span></p><p class="caption">Russian S-400 batteries deployed to Syria.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p>Now a senior Russia official says India could have its new S-400 by the end of 2018.</p><p><span>Dmitry Shugayev, head of the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, <a href="http://tass.com/defense/1018211" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> during an interview with state-owned news channel Rossiya 24 on Wednesday that the main components of the S-400 contract had been determined and that a contract was expected to be signed in the next three months.</span></p><p><span>"We are fully ready to sign this contract. Its foundation was laid, and almost all aspects were coordinated. We plan to sign this contract before the end of this year," Shugayev said, <a href="http://tass.com/defense/1018211" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to Russian news agency Tass.<br /></span></p><p><span>India currently <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-going-with-russia-s-400-missile-deal-despite-us-sanctions-risk-2018-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fields a variety of Russian-made weapons</a> systems, including MiG-21 and MiG-27 fighter jets and an overhauled Kiev-class carrier-cruiser. </span></p><p><span>India - for whom <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russian-weapons-causing-problems-for-us-india-military-ties-2018-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">air defense is an important issue</a> as their rivalry grows with China, which <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-has-russian-s-400-air-defense-system-2018-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">already has the S-400</a> - also has Russia's S-300 air-defense system, upon which <a href="https://thediplomat.com/2018/05/russia-completes-delivery-of-1st-s-400-missile-defense-regiment-to-china/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the S-400 improves</a> by adding a better radar system and software as well as a four new types of missiles, one of which can reach a range of 250 miles and an altitude of 607,000 feet. (Though <a href="https://missilethreat.csis.org/defsys/s-400-triumf/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">it's not clear</a> if that missile can be deployed effectively.)</span></p><p><span>But the US has sought to boost its relationship with India, particularly military ties, selling Delhi $15 billion worth of arms since 2008.</span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/59404004bf76bb1c008b5b4f-1300/putin-xi-modi.jpg" border="0" alt="modi xi putin" data-mce-source="Anupam Nath/AP Images" data-mce-caption="Leaders of BRICS countries, from left, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Chinese President Xi Jinping gather for a group photo at the start of their summit in Goa, India, Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016." /><p class="source"><span>Anupam Nath/AP Images</span></p><p class="caption">Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the BRICS summit in Goa, India, October 16, 2016.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span>While the purchase of the S-400 likely stems more from <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-going-with-russia-s-400-missile-deal-despite-us-sanctions-risk-2018-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">practical concerns</a> and from India's familiarity with Russian weapons, the deal ran afoul of US officials who were trying to isolate Russia in the wake of the Moscow's meddling in the 2016 election.</span></p><p><span>Rep. Mac Thornberry, head of the House Armed Services Committee, said in May that <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-going-with-russia-s-400-missile-deal-despite-us-sanctions-risk-2018-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the US was disappointed</a> in Delhi's decision to buy the S-400, which "threatens our ability to work interoperability in the future."</span></p><p><span>Defense Secretary Jim Mattis <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-going-with-russia-s-400-missile-deal-despite-us-sanctions-risk-2018-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pushed for an exemption</a> for countries like India that still buy Russian weapons, arguing those countries were trying to reduce that reliance but needed to keep supply lines open to maintain what they already had.</span></p><p><span>The latest annual defense bill - signed by President Donald Trump <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-didnt-mention-john-mccain-while-signing-ndaa-named-after-him-2018-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on August 13</a> - included terms for countries to receive such an exemption, <a href="http://thehill.com/policy/defense/398449-compromise-defense-bill-includes-russia-sanctions-waiver-language" target="_blank" rel="noopener">including a requirement</a> that the buyer show it was not doing anything to undermine US operations or technology and that it was trying to reduce dependence on Russia or expand cooperation with the US.</span></p><p>India is not the only US partner to give Washington headaches over the S-400. Saudi Arabia and Qatar are both considering purchases, and Turkey, whose ties with the US and NATO have been strained, will reportedly <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/r-russia-to-start-delivering-s-400-defense-system-to-turkey-in-2019-ifax-2018-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">get the advanced missile system in 2019.</a></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/timothy-snyder-russia-not-as-strong-as-you-think-2018-4">Why Russia may not be as strong as most people think</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/m6UZpcAT-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

The US made an exception for an ally to buy Russian arms - and it may get a dangerous new system before the end of the year

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/560c11bfbd86ef16008be339-2000/marsocconductsmaritimeoperationstraining130521-m-ev518-898.jpg" alt="MARSOC marine special forces maritime training" data-mce-source="Staff Sgt. Robert Storm via Wikimedia Commons" data-mce-caption="MARSOC conducts Maritime Operations Training 130521-M-EV518-898.jpg More details Members of 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion practice boarding and takedown of a ship at night. Marines train for Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS) at the highest level. This type of interdiction involves a non-compliant ship, underway, opposed, at night." data-link="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MARSOC_conducts_Maritime_Operations_Training_130521-M-EV518-898.jpg#/media/File:MARSOC_conducts_Maritime_Operations_Training_130521-M-EV518-898.jpg" /><p class="source"><span><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MARSOC_conducts_Maritime_Operations_Training_130521-M-EV518-898.jpg#/media/File:MARSOC_conducts_Maritime_Operations_Training_130521-M-EV518-898.jpg">Staff Sgt. Robert Storm via Wikimedia Commons</a></span></p><p class="caption">Members of 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion practice boarding and takedown of a ship at night.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>Members of all the US's special-operations units are involved in combat operations around the world.</strong></li><li><strong>Those units are now seen as the go-to answer for many terrorism-related problems.</strong></li><li><strong>As deployments show no sign of slowing down, members of Congress and military officials are worried that operators may be stretched to a breaking point.</strong></li></ul><hr /><p><br />The US military's growing reliance on special-operations units from its service branches may be straining those forces to a breaking point.</p><p>The US <a href="http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-special-operations-20170525-story.html">currently</a> has around 200,000 troops deployed abroad. Roughly 8,600 of them - about 4% - are special-forces operators. They are deployed on missions ranging from training and advising to assaults and raids against enemy positions.</p><p>As of the beginning of 2017, US operators were <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/american-special-forces-are-deployed-to-70-percent-of-the-worlds-countries/">deployed</a> to 70% of the worlds countries, according to US Special Operations Command, or SOCOM.</p><p>The large number of deployments have officials in the Pentagon and Congress worried that members of the special-forces community may lose their edge on the battlefield.</p><p>Members of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBJz2VQh6to" title="Special Operations Policy Forum 2017">voiced their concerns</a> at the Special Operations Policy Forum last week in Washington, DC.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5a131cea3dbef4ae448b6e6c-1024/navy seal team 6.jpg" alt="Navy SEAL Team 6" data-mce-source="imgur/Pinterest" /><p class="source"><span>imgur/Pinterest</span></p><p class="caption">Members of US Navy SEAL Team Six in an undated photo.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p><span>"I do worry about overuse of SOF," said Rep. Mac Thornberry, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, referring to special-operations forces. "They are increasingly an organization of choice because SOF is very effective."</span></p><p><span>"How many missions can you send them on? How many times can they do this? I think that's what we don't know," added Rep. Adam Smith, the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee.</span></p><p>"<span>The operational tempo is so incredible," said Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed, the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. "The idea that you would have within six years, multiple deployments, some people every six months to deploy, that in and of itself causes lots of consequences," he added. "And we haven't seen a break in those deployments."</span></p><p>Lawmakers have proposed a number of solutions. Among them are providing operators with more resources to deal with potential physical and mental-health issues; giving the train, advise, assist roles to more conventional units; and trying to delegate some of the diplomatic aspects of special-operations missions to diplomatic professionals, like those in the State Department.</p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5a13182df914c355018b509a-1668/3207233.jpg" alt="niger special forces" data-mce-source="US Army" data-mce-caption="A U.S. Special Forces soldier and an Australian special operations service member observe as Nigerien soldiers practice react to contact drills during Exercise Flintlock 2017 in Diffa, Niger, Mar. 4, 2017. Flintlock is a Special Operations Forces exercise geared toward building interoperability among African and western nations." /><p class="source"><span>US Army</span></p><p class="caption">A US Special Forces soldier and an Australian special-operations service member observe Nigerien soldiers during contact drills during Exercise Flintlock 2017 in Diffa, Niger, March 4, 2017.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span>The most obvious fix - increasing the amount of operators in the military - faces two problems. First, the US military is having <a href="https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/jan/22/trumps-hopes-to-rebuild-military-threatened-by-man/" title="Manpower shortage threatens Donald Trump's hopes to rebuild military">difficulty</a> bringing in new recruits, and second, simply adding more soldiers into the ranks of elite units may require lowering standards, which that could decrease their lethality.</span></p><p><span>"We cannot sacrifice quality for quantity," said Reed. Nonetheless, lawmakers from both parties agree that increasing operator numbers is a good first step.</span></p><p><span>Some branches of the military are <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/air-force-pilot-shortage-crisis-getting-worse-2017-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">looking for ways</a> to bring in more personnel as well. Last month, the Army announced it would be <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2017/02/12/army-spend-300-million-bonuses-and-ads-get-6000-more-recruits/97757094/" title="Army to spend $300 million on bonuses and ads to get 6,000 more recruits">increasing bonuses</a> for soldiers, and the force is likely to maintain <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/army-changing-recruiting-standards-to-attract-more-soldiers-2017-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">some flexibility</a> in its recruiting standards. (A <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/army-mental-health-waivers-attract-recruits-2017-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">report</a> earlier this month cited an Army memo saying the force would offer waivers for some mental-health conditions; the Army <a href="https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2017/11/16/army-rescinds-mental-health-waiver-memo-but-its-policy-is-unchanged/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">disputed the report</a>, saying the change was only administrative, and rescinded the memo.)</span></p><p><span>SOCOM is also reportedly <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/special-operations-super-soldiers-using-performance-enhancing-drugs-2017-5" title="The military's special ops may try to develop 'super soldiers' with performance-enhancing drugs">investigating</a> the possibility of using nutritional supplements, and perhaps even performance-enhancing drugs, to push the abilities and endurance of its forces beyond current human limits.</span></p><p>SOCOM leaders have <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/special-forces-groups-problems-2017-5" title="After multiple deployments, US special forces may have 'mortgaged the future'">emphasized</a> that their units are still capable of conducting current operations and handling threats around the world. However, the fear of wear and tear is increasing, and most officials seem to agree that it is never to early to address the issue.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/navy-seal-jocko-wilink-shares-his-workout-routine-2017-11">A former Navy SEAL shares his workout routine for staying in amazing shape</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/HSVSzzzi-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

Congress is worried that US special-operations forces may be stretched to the limit

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5a0c81543dbef482008b622c-880/gettyimages-803028178.jpg" alt="US Marines military" data-mce-source="Pool/Getty Images" /><p class="source"><span>Pool/Getty Images</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>Republicans and Democrats in the House authorized nearly $700 billion for defense programs, including increased pay and benefits for soldiers in an attempt to combat one of the military's biggest problems: low retention rates. </strong></li><li><strong>The proposed bill is the largest in US history and plans to boost active-duty troop totals by more than 20,000. </strong></li><li><strong>If the Senate passes the measure, Trump would be one step closer towards fulfilling his promise to rebuild the military. </strong></li></ul><hr /><p><br />The House passed a nearly $700 billion bipartisan defense bill on Tuesday, boosting the number of jet fighters, ships, and other weapons in an effort to rebuild what critics say is a depleted US military.</p><p>The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2018 also calls for an increase of more than 20,000 active-duty and reserve troops, as well as a 2.4% hike in troop pay.</p><p>It is the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/house-passes-large-defense-bill-2017-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">largest defense bill</a> in US history, and lawmakers say the funding increase will improve military readiness and low <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/air-force-pilot-shortage-crisis-getting-worse-2017-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">retention rate</a>.</p><p>"Over the last several years, we have seen an increase in threats and a decrease in funding for our military," Rep. Mac Thornberry, chairman of the House Committee on Armed Services, said in a statement. "This year's NDAA begins to rebuild our military and to ensure we can defend the American people."</p><p>Critics have complained that the Pentagon has abandoned the military in recent years. As a result, they say, the military has suffered from a low retention rate, lack of preparedness, and preventable officer misconduct.</p><p>"The military readiness crisis has impacted every service from ship collisions, aircraft crashes and vehicle accidents to personnel shortages in critical roles, like aviation and cybersecurity," <a href="http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/john-mccain-neglect-of-us-military-almost-criminal/article/2176994">Sen. John McCain</a><a href="http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/john-mccain-neglect-of-us-military-almost-criminal/article/2176994" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> said</a> during a hearing on Tuesday. "And by the way, the Congress is also complicit in this almost criminal behavior."</p><p>Under the newly proposed defense policy, the Army would see the greatest troop increase, with an added 7,500 active-duty and 1,000 reserve troops.</p><p>The Army has said they need more money in order to meet retention goals. Sgt. Major of the Army Daniel Dailey <a href="http://www.military.com/daily-news/2017/02/15/army-eyes-cash-credits-credentials-attract-soldiers.html">told an audience in February</a> that the Army would need more money in order to offer bonuses and other incentives to increase retention.</p><p>"We are going to go back and ask for more money," Dailey said, referring to the then-upcoming NDAA."That is exactly what we intend to do because we have to."</p><p>House Democrats have also previously pushed for higher military pay, citing private sector opportunities that may pay more. The NDAA's <a href="http://www.military.com/daily-news/2017/09/01/trump-sets-2018-military-pay-raise-at-21.html">proposed 2.4% would match</a> wage growth in the private sector.</p><p>"Our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines deserve pay increases that are competitive with opportunities in the private sector and that better reflect the gravity of their sacrifices on behalf of our nation," Rep. Ruben Gallego said <a href="https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2017/06/27/democrats-push-for-a-bigger-military-pay-raise/">in a statement in June</a>. "We should demonstrate our respect for their service not just in speeches and public gestures, but in their paychecks."</p><h2>Congress helps Trump fulfill a campaign promise</h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5a0c83033dbef41e008b6314-1341/trump military bomber japan.jpg" alt="trump military bomber japan" data-mce-source="AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko" data-mce-caption="Trump addresses the US military in Japan." /><p class="source"><span>AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko</span></p><p class="caption">Trump addresses the US military in Japan.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>The NDAA <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/house-passes-a-defense-policy-bill-with-spending-increases-1510707395?mg=prod/accounts-wsj" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">exceeds</a> President Donald Trump's initial budget request by at least $26 billion, but the $700 billion total may not come to fruition if Congress doesn't roll back a 2011 law that set strict limits on federal spending. Those limits would cap defense spending at $549 billion, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2017/11/14/us/politics/14reuters-usa-defense-congress.html">according to Reuters</a>.</p><p>The Senate will vote on the defense bill later this month. If it passes, Trump is expected to sign it into law, assuming Congress is able to resolve spending cap issue.</p><p>Trump had previously <a href="http://www.military.com/daily-news/2017/09/01/trump-sets-2018-military-pay-raise-at-21.html">set the </a><a href="http://www.military.com/daily-news/2017/09/01/trump-sets-2018-military-pay-raise-at-21.html">military pay raise</a> at 2.1%.</p><p>During the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump promised to rebuild the military, criticizing former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for overseeing military cuts.</p><p>"As soon as I take office, I will ask Congress to fully eliminate the defense sequester and will submit a new budget to rebuild our military," Trump <a href="http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1609/07/lvab.01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">promised</a> during an interview on CNN. "It is so depleted. We will rebuild our military."</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/nuclear-weapons-deadly-evolution-power-military-video-animation-2017-3">This animation shows how terrifyingly powerful nuclear weapons have become</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/veEx8baT-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

The new proposed defense budget is trying to fix one of the military's biggest problems

<p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/55fc12c99dd7cc23008bb4fc-1855-1391/a10 aircraft iraq 2003.jpg" alt="A10 Aircraft Iraq 2003" data-mce-source="Russell Boyce/Reuters" data-mce-caption="A US ground crew member walks past a line of American A10 aircraft on an airbase in Kuwait March 16, 2003." /><p class="source"><span>Russell Boyce/Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">A US ground crew member walks past a line of American A10 aircraft on an airbase in Kuwait March 16, 2003.</p></div><p></p></div></div>House Armed Services Committee chairman Rep. Mac Thornberry drafted a bill that would stop the Air Force from using funds in their 2017 budget to retire or reduce the use of the A-10 Warthog until the Pentagon's weapons tester completes comparative tests between the A-10 and the F-35 Lightning II.</span></p><p><span>The tests would compare the two aircraft's ability to conduct close air support, search and rescue missions, and forward air controller airborne missions <a href="http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/air-space/2016/04/25/house-legislation-restricts--10-retirement/83508968/" target="_blank">DefenseNews</a> reports.</span></p><p><span>Lawmakers in both the House and Senate Armed Services Committee contend that the F-35 doesn't possess the capabilities of the A-10, and that removing the Warthog from service would create a notable <a href="http://www.airforcetimes.com/story/military/2016/03/03/mccain-slams-usaf-chief-welsh--10-effectiveness/81267406/?from=global&amp;sessionKey=&amp;autologin=" target="_blank">capability gap</a>, which would be felt by the soldiers on the ground.</span></p><p><span>In March of 2015, when <span>Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh's claimed that F-16s and F-15s would take over the role of the A-10,  Senator John McCain unleashed the following scathing criticism:</span></span></p><p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span><span>"It's really embarrassing to hear you say something like that when I talk to the people who are doing the flying, who are doing the combat who say that the A-10 is by far the best close-air support system we have."</span></span></p><p><span><span>Indeed the A-10, a Cold War-era legacy plane has gained itself a cult following with forward deployed troops in heavy combat zones. </span></span></p><p><span><span>The distinctive buzzing noise made by the Warthog's 30 mm GAU-8/A Avenger has come to signal salvation to soldiers in need of close air support.</span></span></p><p><span><span><span>"Cutting back a one-of-a-kind capability with no clear replacement is an example of a budget-based strategy, not the strategy-based budget we need to meet our <keyword id="6354810" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Defense">defense</keyword> needs," a </span><a href="https://mcsally.house.gov/sites/mcsally.house.gov/files/McSally_letter_A-10_NDAA.pdf" target="_blank">letter from the legislators</a><span> stated last year.</span></span></span></p><p><span><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5697b2f6c08a80ae2f8b8848-2784-1848/453526.jpg" alt="a10 warthog a 10" data-mce-source="USAF / Senior Airman Corey Hook" data-mce-caption="Capt. Richard Olson, 74th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron A-10 pilot, gets off an A-10 Warthog after his flight at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, Sept. 2, 2011." data-link="https://www.dvidshub.net/image/453526/10-warthog" /><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.dvidshub.net/image/453526/10-warthog">USAF / Senior Airman Corey Hook</a></span></p><p class="caption">Capt. Richard Olson, 74th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron A-10 pilot, gets off an A-10 Warthog after his flight at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, Sept. 2, 2011.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/russia-us-military-jets-warplanes-nato-romania-black-sea-f-22-2016-4">The US is showing its strength against Russia by sending its most advanced warplanes to the Black Sea</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="02eWo0MzE6Sna9Izru7iTcHT2MRCqgIM" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', '02eWo0MzE6Sna9Izru7iTcHT2MRCqgIM',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

Where is the A-10 Warthog going? Nowhere

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5c6c6ad71631a34d4e6ab674-1886/mark-kelly-nasa-astronaut-space-shuttle-endeavour-commander-may-12-2011-cape-canaveral-fla-gettyimages-114121492.jpg" border="0" alt="mark kelly nasa astronaut space shuttle endeavour commander may 12 2011 cape canaveral fla GettyImages 114121492" data-mce-source="Joe Raedle/Getty Images" data-mce-caption="NASA astronaut and space shuttle Endeavour crew Commander Mark Kelly stands on the tarmac after he arrived at Kennedy Space Center on May 12, 2011 in Cape Canaveral, Florida." data-link="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/space-shuttle-endeavour-crew-commander-mark-kelly-stands-on-news-photo/114121492" /></div></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li>On Tuesday, President Donald Trump signed Space Policy Directive-4, which aims to create a sixth US military branch called the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/space-force">Space Force</a>.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/mark-kelly">Mark Kelly</a>, a retired NASA astronaut who recently announced his bid for US Senate, has said a Space Force "is a dumb idea."</li><li>That's because the US Air Force already has a Space Command and a space force.</li><li>Opponents of the Space Force also say it would add billions to government spending without meaningful change in military operations.</li></ul><p>President Donald Trump has pushed the US one step closer to establishing the first new military branch in more than 70 years: a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-space-force-air-force-congress-2018-3">Space Force</a>.</p><p>Trump can't create a Space Force on his own; that requires the approval of Congress. So on Tuesday, the President signed a document called Space Policy Directive-4, or SPD-4.</p><p>The <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/text-space-policy-directive-4-establishment-united-states-space-force/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">new memorandum</a> asks the Department of Defense (DoD) to draft legislation for Congress that would ultimately set up a Space Force. Should such legislation pass, the new division would exist alongside the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, and Navy.</p><p>"Space Force would be authorized to organize, train, and equip military space forces ... to ensure unfettered access to, and freedom to operate in, space, and provide vital capabilities to joint and coalition forces in peacetime and across the spectrum of conflict," according to the directive.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5c6c796e1631a350193affa3-2400/president-donald-trump-sgns-space-policy-directive-4-space-force-2019-02-19t193519z783769070rc1a7d1dcfa0rtrmadp3usa-trump.jpg" border="0" alt="president donald trump sgns space policy directive 4 space force 2019 02 19T193519Z_783769070_RC1A7D1DCFA0_RTRMADP_3_USA TRUMP.JPG" style="color: #000000;" data-mce-source="Jim Young/Reuters" data-mce-caption="President Donald Trump displays the &amp;quotSpace Policy Directive 4&quot; directive he signed to establish a Space Force as the sixth branch of the Armed Forces in the Oval Office at the White House on February 19, 2019." data-link="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?id=tag%3Areuters.com%2C2019%3Anewsml_RC1A7D1DCFA0&amp;share=true" /></div></div></div>The directive says the  legislation establishing a Space Force should not include NASA. But Jim Bridenstine, NASA's administrator and a former Republican congressman, weighed in on the document's signing via Twitter.</p><p>"Civilization is dependent on freedom of navigation in space. SPD-4 ensures our freedom continues. @NASA has billions of dollars of assets and a permanent human presence in space. NASA will not have a direct role, but I support @POTUS Trump's announcement," Bridenstine <a href="https://twitter.com/JimBridenstine/status/1097965916191633409" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> on Tuesday, <a href="https://twitter.com/JimBridenstine/status/1097966158135902208" target="_blank" rel="noopener">adding</a> that he once voted for a similar proposal in Congress.</p><p>But not everybody is on board with a Space Force.</p><p>Retired NASA astronaut Mark Kelly has been vocal in his opposition to the idea. Kelly is a former Navy captain, pilot, combat veteran, four-time space-flyer, and the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/space-travel-effects-human-body-nasa-2017-2">identical twin brother</a> of former astronaut Scott Kelly. He is also <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mark-kelly-former-astronaut-running-for-mccain-senate-seat-in-arizona-2019-2">running for a US Senate seat</a> in Arizona.</p><p>"This is a dumb idea. The Air Force does this already. That is their job," Kelly <a href="https://twitter.com/ShuttleCDRKelly/status/1008910946742472707" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweeted in June</a>. "What's next, we move submarines to the 7th branch and call it the 'under-the-sea force?'"</p><p>Kelly reiterated and expanded upon his argument in August, during an MSNBC interview.</p><p>"There is a threat out there, but it's being handled by the US Air Force today. [It] doesn't make sense to build a whole other level of bureaucracy in an incredibly bureaucratic DoD," he said, according <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/r-us-sets-goal-to-create-space-force-by-2020-2018-8">to Reuters</a>. "It is an area where we should continue focus ... but we can do this within the US Air Force."</p><p>Kelly and his campaign did not immediately respond to Business Insider requests for comment on the signing of SPD-4.</p><p>However, some members Congress have also voiced their distaste for the idea of a Space Force, and other critics question its utility, <a href="https://www.defenseone.com/politics/2018/09/creating-space-force-will-cost-13b-over-5-years-air-force-secretary/151312/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">expense</a>, and potential role in <a href="https://www.space.com/42298-space-weaponized-already-military-history.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">weaponizing space</a> - perhaps to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/space-junk-kessler-syndrome-chain-reaction-prevention-2018-3">disastrous effect</a>.</p><h2>Why the US already has a 'space force'</h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5b293ee51ae6621d008b5fa7-1904/air-force-space-command-augmented-reality-dod-100322-f-0000d-001.jpg" border="0" alt="air force space command augmented reality dod 100322 F 0000D 001.JPG" data-mce-source="USAF" data-link="https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/116855/air-force-recruiters-debut-augmented-reality-mobile-tour/" /></div></div></div></p><p>In his criticisms, Kelly was referring to the Air Force Space Command - though the group has had different names over the years.</p><p>Space Command is headquartered in Colorado, and its responsibilities include supporting military use of satellites, rocket launches, and cyberwarfare operations. The group also helps <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/space-junk-collision-statistics-government-tracking-2017-2018-4">track the countless pieces of space junk</a> and debris around Earth that pose a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/space-junk-debris-amount-statistics-countries-2018-3">persistent threat</a> to anything in orbit.</p><p>Space Command is managed by US Strategic Command, one of 10 groups that direct major pieces of the Defense Department. Its responsibilities include oversight of the country's <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nuclear-weapons-stockpiles-world-map-2017-8">nuclear-weapons capabilities</a>, which involves space because long-range, nuclear-tipped missiles <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/north-korea-missile-range-united-states-nuclear-bomb-2017-11">fly through space</a>.</p><p>In July 2016, Space Command even announced the creation of a Space Mission Force, which <a href="https://www.afspc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/841797/details-of-space-mission-force-now-available-from-af-space-command/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">military leadership said</a> was akin to an expeditionary force.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5833527de02ba71e008b59c8-1222/china-fengyun-fy-1c-satellite-killer-space-debris-celestrak.jpg" border="0" alt="china fengyun fy 1c satellite killer space debris celestrak" data-mce-source="Celestrak/Analytical Graphics, Inc." data-mce-caption="Red dots are known pieces of China's destroyed FY-1C satellite. Green dots are low-Earth orbit satellites." /></div></div></div></p><p>This force was created in part to quickly respond to outer-space attacks from adversaries. The main countries of concern are Russia, which continues to publicize <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-doomsday-weapon-submarine-nuke-2018-4">new</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-satan-2-icbm-nuclear-weapon-works-2018-3">weaponry</a>, and China, which <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-internet-satellite-constellation-china-threat-2016-11">destroyed one of its own satellites in a 2007 test</a> with a "kill vehicle" (essentially a giant bullet launched by missile).</p><p>"Despite world interest in avoiding militarization of space, potential adversaries have identified the use of space as an advantage for US military forces, and are actively fielding systems to deny our use of space in a conflict," Gen. John E. Hyten, the commander of US Strategic Command, wrote in <a href="https://www.afspc.af.mil/Portals/3/documents/White%20Paper%20-%20Space%20Mission%20Force/AFSPC%20SMF%20White%20Paper%20-%20FINAL%20-%20AFSPC%20CC%20Approved%20on%20June%2029.pdf?ver=2016-07-19-095254-887" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a white paper</a> about the decision in 2016, when he led Space Command.</p><p>The Trump administration wants to peel these space-related capabilities from the Air Force, however, and form a new division entirely.</p><h2>For and against a Space Force</h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5acd17b6146e711c008b4b18-1778/facebook-zuckerberg-trial-nelson-20.jpg" border="0" alt="facebook zuckerberg trial senator nelson 20" data-mce-source="Aaron Bernstein/Reuters" /></div></div></div></p><p>Some members of Congress, especially Republicans in the House of Representatives, have appeared warm to the idea.</p><p>"As we get all these briefings about what adversaries are doing, our dependence on space, it's clear that we have to do better," Rep. Mac Thornberry, the Texas Republican who chairs the House Armed Services Committee, told reporters in early June, <a href="https://spacenews.com/trump-we-are-going-to-have-the-space-force/">according to Space News</a>. "Organizational changes don't fix all the problems. But on the other hand, they can sometimes help make sure space gets the kind of priority it should have, like cyber, as a domain of warfare."</p><p>But others in Congress - and apparently some high-ranking military officials - have, like Kelly, questioned and pushed back on the idea of a Space Force.</p><p>"The president told a US general to create a new Space Force as 6th branch of military today, which generals tell me they don't want," former Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida <a href="https://twitter.com/SenBillNelson/status/1008772824054620163" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweeted in June</a>. "Thankfully the president can't do it without Congress because now is NOT the time to rip the Air Force apart. Too many important missions at stake."</p><p>In September 2018, the Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson noted that creating a Space Force may cost $13 billion, and he pushed back on aspects of its creation, according to <a href="https://www.defenseone.com/politics/2018/09/creating-space-force-will-cost-13b-over-5-years-air-force-secretary/151312/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Defense One</a>.  One independent security organization suggested that money would be better spent on <a href="http://cimsec.org/why-it-is-time-for-a-u-s-cyber-force/37390" target="_blank" rel="noopener">establishing a Cyber Force</a> to better prepare the US for cyberwarfare.</p><p>Stationing or testing any weapons of mass destruction in space, including nuclear weapons, is banned by the United Nations' <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/11-laws-that-govern-space-2015-12">Outer Space Treaty</a> of 1967. Peaceful use and exploration is permitted, however, and smaller-scale weapons are not explicitly barred. Experts fear that militarizing space with such weapons could stoke a <a href="https://fas.org/rlg/041100-rubicon.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">costly new arms race</a>.</p><p>A war in space might also lead to something called <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/space-junk-kessler-syndrome-chain-reaction-prevention-2018-3">a Kessler event</a>. In this scenario, uncontrolled space debris could collide and create even more uncontrolled space debris, ultimately shutting off human access to space for decades, if not centuries.</p><p><em>Ben Brimelow contributed reporting.</em></p>

Trump just got a step closer to creating a US Space Force. Mark Kelly, a retired NASA astronaut and Senate hopeful, said it's 'a dumb idea.'

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57f4740e57540cb2018b4c83-2400" alt="Mike Pence" data-mce-source="Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images" data-mce-caption="Mike Pence." /><p class="source"><span>Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images</span></p><p class="caption">Mike Pence.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Barely one week after a blockbuster <em><a href="http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/2016/12/06/Pentagon-Wasted-125-Billion-and-Buried-Evidence">Washington Post investigation</a></em>revealed that the Pentagon had suppressed a report identifying $125 billion in wasteful spending, Congress has passed the new National <keyword id="6354810" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Defense">Defense</keyword> Authorization Act, directing a fresh $619 billion to the Department of Defense. The bill, which sailed through both Houses of Congress with large, veto-proof majorities after having some controversial elements removed, now heads to President Obama's desk.</p><p>Covering military expenditures through the beginning of the first term of President-elect Donald Trump, the bill looks like a down payment on his promise to increase the size and capabilities of the military. The bill rolls back planned troops reductions, increasing the Army's end strength by 16,000 troops and the Marine Corps by 3,000. It also provides a 2.1 percent pay raise for members of the armed forces effective January 1.</p><p>The bill also bars the Defense Department from closing any military bases, despite the fact that the leadership in the Pentagon has told lawmakers that it has excess capacity.</p><p>The $619 billion figure represents a $3.2 billion increase in spending that is not matched by a similar increase in non-defense spending, something that recent budget compromises between President Obama and Republicans in Congress have typically required under the Budget Control Act of 2011. Congress will still be required to pass an appropriations bill detailing the way the Pentagon will be directed to spend much of the money the NDAA allocates.</p><p>The total price tag for national defense is only expected to rise in 2017. Lawmakers left funding for some major programs out of the proposal, including multiple upgrades to the Navy's fleet and the purchase of dozens of the troubled F-35 fighter jet to keep the headline number down. Rep. Mac Thornberry, chair of the House Armed Services Committee, said Thursday that he hopes the Trump administration will request even more defense funding once the new administration takes office.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/4ff346d2eab8eae65a000008-800/800px-thepentagonjanuary2008.jpg" alt="The Pentagon" data-mce-source="Wikimedia Commons" data-link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_Pentagon_January_2008.jpg" /><p class="source"><span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_Pentagon_January_2008.jpg">Wikimedia Commons</a></span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>That request appears to be a foregone conclusion, as Vice President Mike Pence said this week that the Trump administration will submit a request for supplemental defense spending within the first 100 days of taking office.</p><p>In what appears to be a nod to the inclinations of the Trump administration, the bill includes a recommendation that the U.S. implement a high-level officer exchange program with the Taiwanese military. It's a move that China, which views the island nation as a breakaway province, will view as provocative if it is implemented.</p><p>However, Trump has already shown a willingness to poke at Beijing, having taken the controversial step of speaking on the phone with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen after his election. As part of the country's "One-China" policy, no U.S. president had spoken to the leader of Taiwan since 1979.</p><p>The NDAA does make some nods toward cost reductions. It requires the Pentagon to trim the ranks of active duty generals and admirals by 110 and includes a study intended to identify another 10 percent reduction.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/58476fb4e02ba72b318b7893-2400/ap16342069900106.jpg" alt="Donald Trump" data-mce-source="AP Photo/Gerry Broome" data-mce-caption="Donald Trump." /><p class="source"><span>AP Photo/Gerry Broome</span></p><p class="caption">Donald Trump.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>The bill also targets Pentagon acquisitions for reform by splitting the duties of the Defense Department's undersecretary for acquisition, technology and logistics between two posts: the undersecretary for acquisition and sustainment, and the new job of undersecretary for research and engineering.</p><p>None of these steps, though, addresses the fact that the Pentagon's vast bureaucracy has never been successfully audited. Last summer, for example, an examination of the finances of the U.S. Army alone found misstatements and errors than ran into the <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/23/politics/us-army-audit-accounting-errors/">trillions of dollars</a>. A push by Congress to force the Pentagon into "audit readiness" by the end of fiscal year 2017 is widely regarded as <a href="http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/2016/07/31/Pentagon-s-Sloppy-Bookkeeping-Means-65-Trillion-Can-t-Pass-Audit">doomed to failure</a>.</p><p>The bill was able to pass both Houses of Congress by a wide margin after several controversial measures were removed. Among them were a proposal to allow defense contractors to exercise their "religious freedom" by discriminating against employees on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation. Another measure would have required women to register for the draft.</p><p class="tagline">This story was originally published by  <a href="http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/" target="_blank">The Fiscal Times</a>. </p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/air-force-plane-drops-armored-humvees-5000-feet-2016-11">Watch the Air Force drop 8 armored Humvees out of a plane from 5,000 feet</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="gzdjYxNTE6U-A9W52vTBW0yzCfHK7zo2" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'gzdjYxNTE6U-A9W52vTBW0yzCfHK7zo2',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

Trump could make good on his defense spending promise in his first 100 days

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5a299b588a49867d0c8b4679-1600/150425-f-rr679-097.jpg" alt="US Air Force enlisted airmen oath" data-mce-source="(US Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Manuel J. Martinez)" data-mce-caption="Maj. Tyler Ellison, a Thunderbirds pilot, administers the oath of enlistment to enlist Florida's newest airmen during the Sun 'n Fun International Fly-in and Expo Air Show at Lakeland, Florida, April, 25, 2015." /><p class="source"><span>(US Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Manuel J. Martinez)</span></p><p class="caption">Maj. Tyler Ellison, a Thunderbirds pilot, administers the oath of enlistment to enlist Florida's newest airmen during the Sun 'n Fun International Fly-in and Expo Air Show at Lakeland, Florida, April, 25, 2015.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>US military branch chiefs on Monday emphasized the importance of servicemembers to their forces' operations.</strong></li><li><strong>They also stressed they would be competing for the most qualified members of a small pool of applicants.</strong></li><li><strong>In recent months, changes in immigration policy have added more uncertainty to the lives of non-citizen servicemembers and their families, which may affect recruiting in the future.</strong></li></ul><hr /><p>The Army, Navy, and Air Force are all facing increased difficulties attracting servicemembers, but shifting US immigration policies may make the military a less appealing option for some of the most sought-after recruits.</p><p>"At the end of the day, people are what makes everything work, and we really have to focus on this. Going forward we're all going to have a real war for talent," Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer said Monday at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, sitting alongside Army Secretary Mark Esper and Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson.</p><p>"The three of us up here fish from the same pool, and we're all going to be looking for more people to do more things in a more intelligent manner," Spencer said.</p><p>Senior military officials have emphasized increased recruiting and growing the size of their forces as key components of improving readiness.</p><p>Wilson <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/air-force-is-looking-personnel-and-administrative-policy-changes-2017-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said in September</a> that the Air Force was "too small for what's being asked of us." Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley said in October that he had believed for "<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/army-changing-recruiting-standards-to-attract-more-soldiers-2017-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">quite some time</a>" that the Army needed to add more soldiers.</p><p>"We need to grow in order to meet the demands that the nation expects at the readiness levels it expects," Milley said.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5a0a1e6435876eb20e8b5aaf-1500/us army soldiers.jpg" alt="US Army Soldiers" data-mce-source="AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis" data-mce-caption="Members of the U.S. Army of the Pennsylvania National Guard arrival by plane at a airport in Vilnius, Lithuania, Sunday, June 5, 2016." /><p class="source"><span>AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis</span></p><p class="caption">Members of the Pennsylvania National Guard arrival in Vilnius, Lithuania, June 5, 2016.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Recruiting has been a stumbling block for the armed services. Last year, the Army - which is seeking 80,000 troops in 2018, 11,000 more than were sought in 2017 - <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/army-changing-recruiting-standards-to-attract-more-soldiers-2017-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">started accepting</a> less-qualified troops, offering heftier bonuses, and granting more waivers for previously disqualifying things, like marijuana use and, in <a href="https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2017/11/13/army-no-lower-standards-for-recruits-with-history-of-mental-illness/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">some cases</a>, histories of mental illness.</p><p>The Army was adamant that it was not lowering its standards - rather <a href="https://www.defense.gov/News/Article/Article/1374213/army-chief-no-reduction-of-standards-to-meet-recruiting-goals/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">it was changing</a> the level of authority at which decisions about waivers for some standards were being made.</p><p>Recruiting efforts have also been complicated by a robust US economy. While the Pentagon has met its recruiting targets in recent years, low unemployment rates, common during the past few years, are seen as a hindrance.</p><p><span>"When the unemployment rate goes down - as it has been - military enlistment goes down as well," Beth Asch, a military-manpower researcher at Rand Corp, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-03-13/trump-s-army-buildup-confronts-headwinds-of-tight-labor-market" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> Bloomberg. "There's a positive relationship."</span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/586d1598ee14b6c7148b64e3-1240/160902-n-qi061-082c.jpg" alt="US Navy aircraft carrier antenna sailor aircraft planes" data-mce-source="Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Nathan T. Beard" data-mce-caption="Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Brian Evans repairs an antenna system during a replenishment at sea involving the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, the guided-missile cruiser USS Monterey, and the Military Sealift Command combat support ship USNS Arctic in the Persian Gulf, September 2, 2016." /><p class="source"><span>Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Nathan T. Beard</span></p><p class="caption">Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Brian Evans repairs an antenna system in the Persian Gulf, September 2, 2016.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p>To drum up interest, the Army has added hundreds of recruiters who are increasing efforts to win over high-school principals and teachers - referred to as "influencers," <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-03-13/trump-s-army-buildup-confronts-headwinds-of-tight-labor-market" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to Bloomberg.</p><p>Further complicating matters is the shrinking pool of qualified recruits.</p><p>Almost 75% of Americans between the ages of 17 and 24 are ineligible for the military due to obesity or other health problems, criminal histories, or a lack of education, according to government data <a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2018/02/19/pentagon-buildup-troop-recruiting-shortage-351365" target="_blank" rel="noopener">seen by Politico</a>.</p><p>Texas Rep. Mac Thornberry, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, has <a href="https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2018/03/01/congress-could-give-fitness-waivers-to-more-troops-as-it-targets-high-demand-skills/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">expressed openness</a> to fitness waivers for otherwise-qualified recruits.</p><p>"Depending upon what article you read, the number of potential applicants that would successfully qualify for our services range somewhere from 25% to 30%. That's it," Spencer said at the CSIS event. "So it's going to be a war for talent."</p><p>"But people are going to have to come number one," he added, "and we're going to have to figure out a way to adopt and adapt and keep those people that we have."</p><p>However, recent reports indicate that US immigration policy is now making life harder for some people already in the military to stay in uniform - and, for some of their dependents, in the country.</p><p>US Citizenship and Immigration Services has <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/verabergengruen/more-bad-news-for-immigrant-military-recruits-who-were" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shuttered all of its offices</a> at US Army basic training installations - a move that further complicates matters for recruits who were promised a fast-track to citizenship in exchange for joining, according to BuzzFeed.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5aa966403be59f23008b46af-1400/4113340.jpg" alt="US Marine Corps military immigration naturalization ceremony" data-mce-source="US Marine Corps/Pfc. Nicole Rogge" data-mce-caption="Candidates raise their right hands and repeat the Oath of Allegiance during a naturalization ceremony at Camp Foster, Okinawa, Japan, January 31, 2018." /><p class="source"><span>US Marine Corps/Pfc. Nicole Rogge</span></p><p class="caption">Candidates raise their right hands and repeat the Oath of Allegiance during a naturalization ceremony at Camp Foster, Okinawa, Japan, January 31, 2018.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>A USCIS document dated January 30 cited "<span>changes in Department of <keyword id="6354810" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Defense">Defense</keyword> requirements for certifying honorable service for US service members applying for naturalization" as the reason for the closures, which end naturalization services for servicemembers applying immediately after completing basic training. </span></p><p><span>That expedited process was a key plank of the Military Accessions Vital to National Interest program, which has naturalized more than 10,000 servicemembers since 2009.</span><span></span></p><p><span>USCIS's changes now require troops on active duty to serve for at least 180 consecutive days and complete more background and security checks before receiving citizenship, according to BuzzFeed. The additional requirements push many immigrant recruits past the time limit on the visas that let them enter the US. </span></p><p><span>The additional scrutiny that threatens their immigration status began during the Obama administration, but at that time expedited naturalization was still available.</span></p><p><span>"The fact that I potentially would be an American soldier but still not be an American citizen after finishing training doesn't feel right at all, and the thought of that is very heartbreaking," Harminder Saini, a 24-year-old Army recruit from India, told BuzzFeed.</span></p><p><span>Saini was recruited for his ability to speak Punjabi fluently, as language skills are highly sought by the US military. The Army recently took steps to <a href="https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2018/03/13/army-wants-more-iraqi-and-eqyptian-language-experts-but-that-could-affect-pay-for-some-arabic-linguists" target="_blank" rel="noopener">expand its ranks</a> of Arabic speakers by reclassifying them and altering promotions and pay based on dialect - with Iraqi, Levantine, and Egyptian Arabic speakers the most desired.</span></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5aa96b6b3be59f23008b46b5-1400/3966471.jpg" alt="US Army military immigration naturalization" data-mce-source="(US Army/Paolo Bovo)" data-mce-caption="US Army Maj Chiara F. Turcato, Vicenza military-intelligence detachment commander, left, Laurie O'Bryon, director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services' Rome field office, center, and Ronald Nelson, an immigration officer at USCIS Rome Field Office, congratulate seven new US citizens during a naturalization ceremony at Caserma C. Ederle, Vicenza, Italy, November 17, 2017." /><p class="source"><span>(US Army/Paolo Bovo)</span></p><p class="caption">US Army Maj Chiara F. Turcato, Vicenza military-intelligence detachment commander, left, and immigration officials congratulate new US citizens during a naturalization ceremony in, Vicenza, Italy, November 17, 2017.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p><span>Uncertainty about their immigration status is not limited to those in uniform. Numerous military-family members <a href="https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2018/03/04/more-military-families-come-forward-with-deportation-fears/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told Military Times</a> in recent weeks that they faced deportation and feared their families would be broken up despite their military service.</span></p><p><span>"We've been waiting for [US Immigration and Customs Enforcement] to come pick me up," the undocumented husband of a female US soldier <a href="https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2018/03/04/more-military-families-come-forward-with-deportation-fears/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> from Texas, where he cares for the family while his spouse is deployed.</span></p><p><span>Their responses were prompted by the story of retired Army Sgt. 1st Class Bob Crawford, a veteran of the Army's 7th Special Forces Group, who had been <a href="https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2018/02/28/wife-of-7th-special-forces-group-vet-faces-deportation-under-tighter-immigration-rules/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fighting for years</a> to get legal status for his wife, a native of Honduras who crossed the border in 1999, fleeing Hurricane Mitch.</span></p><p>The Crawfords have been unable to file for relief from deportation because the Homeland Security Department won't terminate removal orders against her. "I know the military takes care of families - because I lived it for 20 years," Crawford <a href="https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2018/02/28/wife-of-7th-special-forces-group-vet-faces-deportation-under-tighter-immigration-rules/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. "I just feel, right now, we're caught in this limbo."</p><p>At the CSIS event on Monday, each of the service chiefs emphasized the importance of servicemembers to the military, describing them as a comparative advantage that sets the US apart from adversaries.</p><p>"I think what distinguishes our military, which makes us the premier fighting force in the world ... is the quality of our servicemembers, of our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines," said Esper, the Army secretary. "They are bar none the best in the world ... And man to man, woman to woman, I'll take them any day of the week."</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/origins-of-us-military-salute-2017-12">The mysterious origins of the US military salute</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/tsYBGAc9-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

The US military is facing a 'real war for talent' - but some valuable recruits could be scared away

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/555ca073dd0895884a8b45e3-1200-924/rtx1c7fi.jpg" border="0" alt="Vladimir Putin"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://pictures.reuters.com/">REUTERS/Grigory Dukor</a></span></p><p class="caption">Russia's President Vladimir Putin (R) greets veterans after the Victory Day parade at Red Square in Moscow, Russia, May 9, 2015.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div>Russia is using crematoriums on wheels to burn the bodies of its soldiers who die fighting alongside pro-Russian separatists in Eastern Ukraine, <a href="http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-05-26/putin-burns-his-dead-to-hide-ukraine-aggression">Bloomberg's Josh Rogin reports</a>.</p><p><span>"The Russians are trying to hide their casualties by taking mobile crematoriums with them," House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry told Rogin. "They are trying to hide not only from the world but from the Russian people their involvement."</span></p><p>The mobile crematoriums - which <a href="http://www.unian.info/war/1037693-sbu-bodies-of-russian-soldiers-burned-in-mobile-crematoria.html">burn about 8-10 bodies per day</a>, according to <span>Ukraine security service chief Valentyn Nalyvaichenko - reveal </span>how far Russia is willing to go to hide its military presence in the war.</p><p>"Every day, the hotline of the Security Service of Ukraine records a great of number of calls from dozens of Russian citizens who are looking for their relatives or Russian soldiers who have been sent to the territory of Ukraine," <a href="http://www.unian.info/war/1037693-sbu-bodies-of-russian-soldiers-burned-in-mobile-crematoria.html">Nalyvaichenko said</a> in January.</p><p><span>The Kremlin has denied involvement in Ukraine ever since Russian special forces occupied the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea in February 2014.</span></p><p><span>"Russian leaders are less and less able to conceal the fact that Russian soldiers are fighting - and dying - in large numbers in eastern Ukraine," NATO Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow </span><a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-31747754">told a conference in Latvia</a><span> in March. </span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/555dd59deab8eacb0ed948fd-1100-981/ukraine-300.jpg" border="0" alt="ukraine"><p class="source"><span>Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">Map locating recent clashes between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian forces. Includes February's ceasefire line and ceasefire withdrawal zones.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">The </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Russian public has also become increasingly disillusioned with the country's incursion into Ukraine, especially as reports continue to emerge about "secret funerals" of Russian soldiers killed in the war the Kremlin denies, </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"></span><a href="http://www.newsweek.com/2014/09/19/russian-soldiers-reveal-truth-behind-putins-secret-war-269227.html">Anna Nemstova reported in Newsweek</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> in September.</span></p><p>"I never volunteered for this; but any attempts to quit would be useless," a young Russian officer <a href="http://www.newsweek.com/2014/09/19/russian-soldiers-reveal-truth-behind-putins-secret-war-269227.html">told Newsweek</a>. "They are sending us back to the meat grinder tomorrow; if somebody told me earlier about the truth, none of us would have signed up for $1,000 a month to get fried alive in Ukraine."</p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Russia has reportedly resorted to burning the bodies of Russian military personnel on the spot t</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">o quell suspicion and avoid any scrutiny that may come with shipping the soldiers' corpses back to a country that has denied deploying them in the first place. </span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5564799ceab8ea496e1bb2d8-989-557/screen shot 2015-05-26 at 9.45.43 am.png" border="0" alt="crematorium"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://by24.org/2014/09/04/russian_army_near_rostov_gets_mobile_cremathorys/">by24.org</a></span></p><p class="caption">A video produced by an independent media organization in Belarus purports to show the kind of crematorium being used by Russian forces on the ground in Ukraine to burn the bodies of Russian soldiers.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div></span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">The fact that Russian soldiers have been caught in Ukrainian territory more than once, however, contradicts the Kremlin's claims that Russian regular forces have never been involved in the conflict. </span></p><p><span><span><span>Nine soldiers identifying themselves as members of Russia's airborne division </span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/27/world/europe/ukraine.html?_r=1">were captured by Ukrainian forces</a><span> back in August, and o<span>ne of two Russian servicemen captured earlier this month in eastern Ukraine <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-russian-soldier-said-captured-in-ukraine-admits-on-video-to-spying-mission-2015-5">admitted to his captors</a> that he </span><span>had been part of a Russian special forces spying mission </span><span>operating near the Ukrainian border town of Luhansk.</span></span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><span><span>The Kremlin addressed these incidents by saying that any Russians caught fighting in Ukraine were either<span> border patrol agents that had </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/27/russian-incursions-ukraine-putin-denies-agreement-on-peace-plan">accidentally wandered</a><span> into Ukrainian territory, or citizens who had </span>traveled there of their own volition. But Russian soldiers, and their families, have repeatedly challenged this claim. </span></span></span></span></span></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/53fe140669bedd152b6e0e0a-1200-800/rtr43y6c.jpg" border="0" alt="ukraine"><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko</span></p><p class="caption">A group of Russian servicemen, who are detained by Ukrainian authorities, attend a news conference in Kiev August 27, 2014.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div>To try and challenge Putin's narrative, some activists in Russia and Ukraine have been closely monitoring the death toll of Russian military personnel fighting in Ukraine.</p><p>A report released on May 12 by allies of the slain Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov estimated that <a href="http://www.rferl.org/content/russia-nemtsov-report-ukraine-war/27011532.html">200 Russian soldiers died fighting</a> alongside Ukrainian separatists between August 2014-February 2015. Their families, the report alleges, were paid <span>2 million rubles ($39,000) by the Kremlin to keep quiet about how their loved ones died. </span></p><p><span><span>Mothers and fathers who were told their sons were being drafted to serve in the southern Russian region of Rostov - and then quickly lost contact with them - began soliciting the help of Russia's famous Soldiers' Mothers Committee, led by Valentina Melnikova, back in August, when 150 Russian troops were reportedly killed in an offensive, Nemstova <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/08/28/russian-moms-denounce-putin-s-not-so-secret-ukraine-invasion.html">reported</a> in the Daily Beast.</span></span></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/546632b46bb3f7827f2a9af0-1200-858/pro russia military vehicles tanks donetsk ukraine.jpg" border="0" alt="Pro Russia Military Vehicles Tanks Donetsk Ukraine"><p class="source"><span>Mstyslav Chernov/AP</span></p><p class="caption"> Pro-Russian rebel military vehicles convoy move towards Donetsk , Eastern Ukraine on Nov. 10, 2014. On Saturday, AP reporters saw scores of unmarked military vehicles moving in Ukraine.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div>The relatives who contacted Melnikova's office appeared determined to travel from Russia to Ukraine to look for their boys, Melnikova said, "the way relatives previously looked for their children in Afghanistan, Karabakh and Chechnya."</p><p class="p1">"Putin is violating not only <keyword id="6356001" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="international">international</keyword> laws, not only the Geneva Convention, [he] also is breaking Russian Federation law about <keyword id="6354810" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Defense">defense</keyword>," <span>Melnikova</span> told The Daily Beast, "and as for Vladimir Shamanov [commander-in-chief of the Russian airborne troops] ... he forces his servicemen to fight in a foreign state, Ukraine, illegally, while mothers receive coffins with their sons, anonymously."</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/wwii-anniversary-parade-russian-military-vehicles-moscow-2015-5">Russia reveals new high-tech weapon vehicles in a rehearsal for the country's biggest military parade</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="djczR5dDoi0DhmfKLYP7atE3i0uxhlzC" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'djczR5dDoi0DhmfKLYP7atE3i0uxhlzC',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

Putin is going to extreme lengths to hide Russian soldiers who died fighting in Ukraine

<p><div class="image-container" style="width:800px"><div class="image"><img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/51e40caf6bb3f7d47200002a-800-659/propaganda.jpg?maxX=800" border="0" alt="propaganda" width="800" /><p class="source"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/x-ray_delta_one/4151467957/">Flickr/x-ray_delta_one</a></p><p class="caption">1948 <keyword id="400735" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="propaganda">propaganda</keyword> Santa</p></div></div></p>
<p>The <span><keyword id="103894" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="U-S-">U.S.</keyword> government's mammoth broadcasting arm has begun <span>"</span><span>unleashing of thousands of hours per week of government-funded radio and TV programs for domestic U.S. consumption,</span><span>" <a href="http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2013/07/12/us_backs_off_propaganda_ban_spreads_government_made_news_to_americans#.UeMwB2MIWQ8.twitter">John Hudson of Foreign Policy </a><a href="http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2013/07/12/us_backs_off_propaganda_ban_spreads_government_made_news_to_americans#.UeMwB2MIWQ8.twitter">reported on Sunday</a>.</span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">The content arrives with the enactment of the <a href="http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-112hr5736ih/pdf/BILLS-112hr5736ih.pdf" target="_blank">Smith-Mundt Modernization Act of 2012</a>, </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">sponsored by Rep. Mac Thornberry (R- Texas) and Rep. Adam Smith (D- Wash.), which was inserted into the 2013 National <keyword id="6354810" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Defense">Defense</keyword> Authorization Act (NDAA).</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"></span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">The reform effectively nullifies the <a href="http://www.state.gov/pdcommission/library/177362.htm">Smith-Mundt Act of 1948</a>, which was </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><a href="http://www1.rollingstone.com/extras/RS_REPORT.pdf">amended in 1985</a> specifically to prohibit U.S. organizations from using information "to influence </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">public opinion in the United States."</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"></span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">The new law enables </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">U.S. government programming such as <a href="http://www.voanews.com/">Voice of America</a> (VoA) — an outlet <a href="http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/631859/Voice-of-America-VOA">created in 1942</a> to promote a positive understanding of the U.S. abroad — t0 broadcast directly to domestic audiences for the first time.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"></span>VoA and other programs<span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> are now <a href="http://www.bbg.gov/about-the-agency/">produced by the Broadcasting Board of Governors</a>, which shares a "</span><a href="http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/04/30/chaos_at_the_broadcasting_board_of_governors">strategic communications budget</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">" with the State Department and has an </span><a href="http://www.bbg.gov/about-the-agency/research-reports/budget-submissions/">annual budget</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> of more than $700 million.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Nevertheless, BBG spokeswoman Lynne Weil insisted to FP that the BBG presents "fair and accurate news" and is </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">not a <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/propaganda">propaganda</a> outlet. </span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span>A former U.S. government source explained that</span> the BBG can now reach </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em; font-size: 15px;">local radio stations in the U.S., meaning that the programming can target <span>expat communities such as the significant <span>Somali population </span>St. Paul, Minnesota.</span></span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em; font-size: 15px;"> "Those people can get Al-Shabaab, they can get Russia Today, but they couldn't get access to their taxpayer-funded news sources like VOA Somalia," the source told FP. "It was silly."</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">An alternative function was detailed last year by <span>Lt. Col. Daniel Davis, </span><span>a highly-respected officer who released a </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/lieutenant-colonel-davis-blows-the-lid-off-the-official-story-on-afghanistan-2012-4">critical report regarding the distortion of truth</a><span> by senior military officials in Iraq and Afghanistan</span>.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"></span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Davis</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> stated that the effective repeal of the Smith-Mundt Act is strategic move in influencing U.S. public perception in regards to the Global War on Terror (GWOT).</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"></span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">He <a href="http://www1.rollingstone.com/extras/RS_REPORT.pdf">cites Colonel Richard B. Leap</a>, who recommends that lawmakers "</span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">specifically address </span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">all prior legislation beginning with the Smith-Mundt Act that is limiting the effectiveness of </span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Information organizations in the GWOT environment."</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"></span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">From </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Lt. Col. </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Davis: </span></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">In context, Colonel Leap is implying we ought to change the law to enable Public Affairs officers to influence American public opinion when they deem it necessary to "protect a key friendly center of gravity, to wit US national will."</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"><span>The Smith-Mundt Modernization Act of 2012 appears to serve this purpose by allowing for the American public to be a target audience of U.S. government-funded information campaigns.</span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"><span><span>Davis also quotes Brigadier General Ralph O. Baker — the Pentagon officer responsible for the Department of Defense’s Joint Force Development — who defines <a href="http://www.au.af.mil/pace/handbooks/usawc_io_primer_nov2010.pdf">Information Operations</a> (IO) as <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/mar/17/us-spy-operation-social-networks">activities undertaken</a> to "shape the essential narrative of a conflict or situation and thus affect the attitudes and behaviors of the targeted audience."</span></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Brig. Gen. Baker goes on to </span>equate descriptions of combat operations with the standard marketing strategy of repeating something until it is accepted<span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">: </span></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">For years, commercial advertisers have based their advertisement strategies on the premise that there is a positive correlation between the number of times a consumer is exposed to product advertisement and that consumer’s inclination to sample the new product. The very same principle applies to how we influence our target audiences when we conduct COIN.</p>
<p>And those "<span>thousands of hours per week of government-funded radio and TV programs</span>" appear to serve <span>Baker's strategy, which states: "</span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Repetition is a key tenet of </span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">IO execution, and the failure to constantly drive home a consistent message dilutes the impact on </span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">the target audiences.”</span></p>
<p>So it appears the new content stream is an outlet for "<span>uncensored news, responsible discussion, and open debate," </span>as <span>Weil told FP, as well as</span> a vehicle for U.S. Information Operations.</p>

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