Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- November 19, 2014

Paratroopers from U.S. Army Europe's 173rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne) march in formation with their partners from the Polish army's 6th Airborne Brigade, on April 23, 2014, at the start of a training rotation with Polish forces. Kathleen McInnis, a security expert at London’s prestigious Chatham House research center, says Poland is the only NATO European nation with a strong program of military spending. A.M. LaVey/U.S. Army

Europe, Facing Multiple Threats, Still Isn’t Spending On Defense -- Stars and Stripes/McClatchy News

BERLIN (Tribune News Service) — A column of Russian tanks and artillery weapons rolled toward Donetsk in Ukraine recently, the latest move in a proxy war that’s seen Crimea and much of the country’s Donbas region pass from government control.

At the same time, fighting was raging in Kobani, Syria, between an assortment of Kurdish fighters and the radicals of the self-proclaimed Islamic State.

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Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- November 19, 2014

NATO Missile Defense Not Targeted at Russia: Senior US Official -- Sputnik

Russia Has More Ballistic Missile Interceptors Than US: Arms Control -- Sputnik

First missile systems Iskander-M delivered to Russia’s Central Military District -- ITRA-TASS

Russian Rocket Launcher Manufacturer Unscathed by Sanctions -- Sputnik

Lavrov Says 2010 U.S. Nuclear Arms Pact Still In Russia's Interests -- Radio Free Europe

The 2008 Financial Crisis Nearly Bankrupted the Ukrainian Army -- Robert Beckhusen, War Is Boring

Obama aide: US should look at Ukraine military aid -- AP

Support: Ukrainian Civilians Stop The Russians With Facebook -- Strategy Page

Japan's Military Is Revving Up To Meet China's Growing Regional Ambitions -- Business Insider

'Ghost' Soldiers Haunt Iraqi Army -- US News and World Report

Eurofighter Nations Sign €1 Billion Development Deal for AESA Radar -- Defense News

Warplanes: China Exports The Stealthy FC-31 -- Strategy Page

German Army Opens First U.S.-Style Recruitment Office in Berlin -- Bloomberg

Brazilian air force confirms Gripen acquisition numbers -- Flight Global

NATO Holding Largest Ever Cyber Defense Exercise -- Sputnik

USAF Official: Boeing 'Challenged' by KC-46 Schedule -- Defense News

Air Defense: U.S. Army Buys Iron Dome -- Strategy Page

Odierno: With Commitments Up, US Must Rethink Cuts to Army End Strength -- Defense News

ISIS, Russia Conflicts Show Need for New Army Approach -- US News and World Report

Dempsey Lays Groundwork for Larger 2016 Defense Budget -- Defense News

Pentagon’s Preparing a Budget Plan Exceeding Sequestration Cuts -- Bloomberg

Republicans block overhaul of NSA surveillance reform -- Reuters

In murky Pentagon deal with Russia, big profit for a tiny Florida firm -- Reuters

Sick Air Force officer back from Africa being monitored at Fort Bliss -- Stars and Stripes

Army Expects up to 80 Female Soldiers to Apply to Ranger School -- FOX News/Military.com

Army chooses 31 women for potential Ranger School experiment -- Stars and Stripes/Washington Post

Hagel views integration of women into combat units as civil rights issue -- Stars and Stripes

Aide: Obama open to limits in war authorization -- AP

Pentagon and Hill Officials Say They’re Still in the Dark On Obama’s New War Powers -- Molly O'Toole, Defense One

In the Sky, the Sign of a New Cold War? -- Emily Greenhouse, Bloomberg