Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- December 31, 2014

A Canadian Army crewman stands inside a CH-47 Chinook helicopter flying over Kandahar province in southern Afghanistan, July 5, 2011. (BAZ RATNER/BAZ RATNER/REUTERS)

Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- December 31, 2014

Iran and Iraq Deepen Defense Ties, Sign Pact -- Defense News

Iran in new deal to boost Iraq army -- Al Arabiya/AFP

Iranian Navy's AB-212 Helicopters Destroy Targets in Massive Wargames -- Fars News Agency

Russian Naval Destroyer Leaves English Channel, Enters North Sea -- Sputnik

Russia's second Black Sea Fleet Varshavyanka sub to take northern deepwater trials -- ITAR-TASS

US plans to deploy armored brigade to Europe pre-date Ukraine hostilities -- RT

UAV Strikes to Continue in Afghanistan Despite Mission End: Former Official -- Sputnik

Afghan Mountain Hamlet a Proving Ground for Army -- AP

Boehner warns Obama on Afghanistan strategy -- The Hill

LCS, P-8 Standing By to Help with Downed Airliner -- DoD Buzz

The U.S. Air Force Has a Spy Ship — Yes, Ship — in the Persian Gulf -- David Axe, War Is Boring

Beretta wants to be U.S. Army's new gun. Again. -- CNN

DARPA Projects to Watch in 2015 -- Defense Tech

Congress again denies SEALs 'performance center' -- Stars and Stripes

U.S. Military compensation report out by Feb. 1 -- Stars and Stripes

DoD braces for political battle over military pay -- Military Times

US Army Looks To 3D Print Food For Soldiers -- Forbes

Army gets new chief, top enlisted soldier in 2015 -- Army Times

Federal judge orders Marine Corps to answer charges it discredited whistleblower -- Washington Times

There And Back Again For U.S. Military In Iraq -- Alice Fordham, NPR

2-star on Iraq: 'Still a big fight going on here' -- Michelle Tan, Defense News

IG investigation: Marine generals remain at odds over sniper video scandal -- Washington Post

Two U.S. Army 'deserters' and two different kinds of justice -- Peter Lucas, Lowell Sun

Should Ft. Hood victims get the Purple Heart? -- Martin Matishak, The Hill

The Unknowns in the Invisible War -- David Mattingly, War On The Rocks

At least 2,213 US military deaths in Afghanistan since 2001 -- FOX News/AP

Stars and Stripes' most watched videos of 2014 -- Stars and Stripes

Here are the top military stories on Checkpoint in 2014 -- Washington Post

Stripes.com's top 10 most read stories of 2014 -- Stars and Stripes