Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- September 18, 2014

U.S. Ready To Strike ISIS In Syria, Military Officials Say -- CNN

Washington (CNN) -- The U.S. military has everything it needs to strike ISIS inside Syria and is awaiting President Barack Obama's authorization to do so, U.S. military officials tell CNN.

For weeks, intelligence and military targeting specialists have been working around the clock on a list of targets. It's expected the list will be presented to the President one more time, with some analysis of the risks of bombing inside Syria, as well as possible rewards in terms of destroying and degrading ISIS, according to the officials.

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Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- September 18, 2014

After CENTCOM briefing, Obama outlines campaign against Islamic State -- Stars and Stripes

U.S. one step closer to arming, training Syrian rebels against ISIS -- CNN

Netherlands may contribute F-16 fighter planes to counter IS: report -- Reuters

Air strikes not enough to destroy Islamic State: U.S. general -- Reuters

The US is about to learn once again that air power alone can’t defeat an insurgency -- Time Fernholn, Quartz

Assad's army stretched but still seen strong in Syria's war -- Reuters

Ukraine's Poroshenko asks Congress for military aid -- USA Today

Time to give Ukraine defensive weapons -- Steven Pifer and Strobe Talbott, CNN

Why Military Aid To Ukraine Won't Accomplish Anything In One Chart -- Mark Adomanis, Forbes

Rapid Trident exercise takes place in Ukraine, a country at war -- Stars and Stripes

US to Send Troops, Tanks, Combat Vehicles to Latvia: Latvian Defense Ministry -- RIA Novosti

The Kremlin Is Practicing for Air War Over the Baltic -- Robert Beckhusen, War Is Boring

Israel's Worst-Kept Secret: Is the silence over Israeli nukes doing more harm than good? -- Douglas Birch and R. Jeffrey Smith, The Atlantic

NSA shared Americans' private communications with Israel: Snowden -- AFP

Apple Gives Its Middle Finger to the NSA -- Mother Jones

Is NSA Planning to Beef up Cyber Response Capabilities? -- NextGov

US Report: China Hacked Into Key US Defense Contractors Site -- VOA

Chinese hacked U.S. military contractors: Senate panel -- Reuters

James Clapper said he spoke in error about NSA surveillance as he rolls out new intel strategy -- FOX News

SpaceX Steps Closer to Pentagon Launch Deals -- WSJ

Navy's America: New ship for new aircraft -- UT San Diego

B-2 Pilot’s Lessons For LRSB, America’s New Bomber -- Lt. Col. Jeff Schreiner, Breaking Defense

Pentagon Building Case for Air Force Fleet Upgrades -- Military.com

USAF's Dubious Priorities Result In Axing Of F-15 Aggressor Squad -- Jalopnik

How Retirement Threatens the Future of the Pentagon’s Future Weapons -- Rear Adm. Michael Moran and Scott O'Neil, Defense One/Government Executive

What makes a good military truck? -- The Telegraph

Why Do We Need ‘Hypersonic’ Strike Weapons, Exactly? -- James Acton, Defense One

U.S. Submarines: Run Silent, Run Deep...On Diesel Engines? -- James Holmes, National Interest

Can the U.S. Army Degrade and Destroy Ebola? -- Laurie Garrett, Foreign Policy

Destroyer Commander, XO and CMC Removed At Sea Ahead of ‘Command Climate Investigation’ -- USNI

US schools given M16 rifles and grenade launchers under Pentagon programme -- The Telegraph

Pentagon is still overfunded -- William D. Hartung, The Hill

Think tank chief’s inviting of foreign envoys to classified meeting on Iraq is questioned -- Craig Whitlock and Tom Hamburger, Washington Post

Murder rate in global violence hotspots plunges 40% in 15 years as policing improves -- Daily Mail

How to Shoot Down a Drone: "Fixing" UCLASS May Hasten Its Demise -- Loren Thompson, Real Clear Defense