Thursday, June 5, 2014

Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- June 5, 2014



Bergdahl Exchange Marked By Surreal Handshake -- Stars and Stripes/McClatchy News

WASHINGTON — Just before Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl slowly walked away from five years as a POW, something remarkable happened.

An American who had come to accompany Bergdahl to freedom reached out and shook the hand of one of Bergdahl’s Taliban captors.

It was a fleeting gesture of forced peace between two forces after almost 13 years of war.

The almost surreal handshake is one of several dramatic glimpses of this late chapter in the long war that played out at dusk Saturday in a rugged patch of eastern Afghanistan. It was contained in video footage released Wednesday by the Taliban and appeared on one of the Afghan insurgents’ websites.

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MILITARY AND INTELLIGENCE NEWS BRIEFS

Bowe Bergdahl: Chuck Hagel defends US-Taliban deal -- BBC

Hagel to testify before House panel on Bergdahl prisoner exchange -- Washington Times

Congress twice rejected release of Taliban from Gitmo in trade for Bergdahl -- Washington Times

War-zone deserter? If so, Bowe Bergdahl joins a fascinating and bizarre club -- Dan Lamothe, Washington Post

Poll: Voters split on Taliban prisoner swap -- The Hill

News analysis: Recent fast jet missions suggest growing Chinese confidence -- IHS Jane's 360

Brand new $1.5 billion pride of Australia's fleet crippled after electrical meltdown during sea trials -- Daily Mail

Hagel Escalates Obama's Warning to Allies: US Support for NATO Could Be at Risk -- Atlantic Council

US increasing military presence in Black Sea -- RT

Pakistani court orders arrest of ex-Pakistan CIA chief -- Al Jazeera

South Korean soldiers heading to 1st US-ROK joint drills on US mainland -- Stars and Stripes

Lawmakers See Possible Contractor Issues in Africa as US Quietly Pivots There -- Defense News

US Deploying B-52s to Europe -- Defense News

Official: 1,800 US troops for Afghan counterterror -- AP

Trashed: U.S. Gear in Afghanistan to be Sold, Scrapped -- US News and World Report

Upcoming GMD Test Could Delay US Missile Defense Plans -- Defense News

Navy seeks guided deck-gun shell -- Military Times

Trident II D5 Missile Reaches 150 Successful Test Flights -- Lockheed Martin

Sikorsky Deal Tops $15 Billion in May Contracts -- DoD Buzz

Military jet lands in front yard; 2nd jet misses carrier -- USA Today

US Navy jet smashes into sea during carrier approach off California coast -- Washington Times

3 homes destroyed when 2nd Yuma Harrier crashes in a month -- Stars and Stripes

Secret Service seeks software to ‘detect sarcasm’ on Twitter -- Washington Times

DARPA Builds Computer Games to Verify Software -- Defense Tech

Snowden ‘humbled’ by success -- The Hill

Year of the whistleblower: 10 things we didn’t know before Snowden -- RT

Attack submarine commander relieved of duty -- Stars and Stripes

Interim VA chief cites progress amid new details on secret wait lists -- Stars and Stripes

Mental health delays at VA system five times longer than reported -- Washington Times

‘I’m too stubborn to die’: One Marine’s proud, painful recovery after losing his legs in combat -- Washington Post

Last original ‘code talker,’ WWII encryption specialists, dies at 93 -- New York Post/Reuters

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