Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- August 21, 2014

ISIS Has Been Taking Foreign Hostages Since The Very Beginning — And Getting Paid For Them -- Business Insider

ISIS broadcast its killing of captured American journalist James Foley to show the U.S. what awaits anyone who challenges the Islamic State's march across Iraq and Syria. Foley's killing was a blunt and stomach-churning bit of messaging that joined ISIS's cold-hearted ambitions with one of international terrorism's most prominent pieces of tradecraft: hostage-taking.

According to a June 2014 statement by Treasury undersecretary David S. Cohen, ransom payments are now second only to state sponsorship as a source of revenue for terrorist organizations, implying that kidnapping for profit is ahead of even private contributions, bank robbery, and other forms of fundraising. To be sure, Foley was killed for political and ideological reasons — and possibly to trigger a galvanizing or strategically costly U.S. response. But ISIS also has a recent history of using other foreign prisoners as a means of filling its coffers.

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Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- August 21, 2014

U.S. Mounted Failed Hostage Rescue Mission in Syria -- Bloomberg

US troops entered Syria in failed attempt to free James Foley, others -- Stars and Stripes/McClatchy News

Specialized Black Hawk helicopters used in another sensitive Special Operations raid -- Washington Post

West will see more horrors like this, say military chiefs -- Daily Mail

Officials: Commanders Want To Expand Iraq Airstrikes -- Defense News

Officials: US commanders want more Iraq airstrike power -- USA Today

As US airstrikes in Iraq grow, details stay thin -- Stars and Stripes/AP

US May Send Additional Military Contingent to Iraq – Reports -- RIA Novosti

US Weighs Sending Up To 300 Troops To Iraq for Security -- Defense News/AFP

State Department wants more troops to protect diplomatic sites in Iraq -- Stars and Stripes

China's Fifth-Generation Fighter Could Be A Game Changer In An Increasingly Tense East Asia -- Business Insider

China's New Age of Military Diplomacy -- Robert Farley, The Diplomat

Guatemala Army Chief of Staff Dies in Helicopter Crash -- Defense News/AFP

UK PM lobbied to ramp up military spending amid deep public spending cuts -- RT

Ukraine’s FM argues his country deserves western military backup no less than Iraq -- ITAR-TASS

Russia Stages New Military Exercises -- Defense News/AFP

Russia’s new Alexander Nevsky submarine to arrive in Kamchatka by yearend -- ITAR-TASS

Russian Navy Spots Foreign Submarine near Russia-Japan Border -- RIA Novosti

Russia, US to Discuss Agreement on Mid, Short-Range Missiles in September - Source -- RIA Novosti

Twitter crackdown on terrorist group hampers U.S. intelligence efforts -- Washington Times

US military still plans to reduce land footprint in Guam -- AP

Navy plan details increased forward presence, number of Pacific ships -- Stars and Stripes

F-16 Grounding Highlights Need for Upgrades -- DoD Buzz

Pentagon Tells International Partners to Inspect F-16B Fleet for Cracks -- Defense News

As Technology Matures, New Roles Emerge for Underwater Drones -- National Defense

For soldiers, gauge is a way to measure a bomb’s pressure on the body -- Washington Post

Nobody Wanted to Give Up the M-1 Carbine -- Paul Huard, War Is Boring

Equipment Balance: Air National Guard Juggles National, Local Demands -- Defense News

Former CIA terror fighter warns that Americans ‘will die’ because of open border -- Washington Times

Navy kicks out 34 for roles in cheating ring at nuclear power training site -- AP

Marine who vanished in Iraq has court hearing -- Washington Times

U.S. Military Bans The Intercept -- The Intercept

Failed James Foley raid recalls futile past efforts to rescue U.S. captives -- Mark Tapscott, Washington Examiner

Militarized Target: Echoes of Afghanistan in America's heartland -- Stars and Stripes

From A Father And Son, What It Means To Be A Military Man -- NPR