Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- December 24, 2015

The Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Essex alongside the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt in the Arabian Gulf. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Chris Brown/Released)

Daily Signal: Budget Cuts Are Hampering Navy’s Role In Fighting ISIS

Last week, in another defense of the current approach to defeat ISIS, President Barack Obama reemphasized that we are “hitting ISIL harder than ever.” The U.S. and its coalition partners have increased the pace of airstrikes- totaling nearly 9,000 since the start of the engagement. In absolute terms we may be hitting them harder, but putting this figure in context suggests that we are not hitting them hard enough.

As of Dec. 9th, coalition partners had conducted 8,783 airstrikes in Iraq and Syria, of which the U.S. was responsible for 6,846. While this may seem a large number relative to that of our smaller coalition partners, the frequency of U.S. airstrikes pales in comparison to that of historical campaigns. Since the first U.S. airstrike in Iraq on August 8th, 2014, the coalition has averaged 18 strikes per day. In comparison, the 1991 campaign against Saddam Hussein’s forces averaged nearly 1,000.

Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- December 24, 2015

A strategic framework for the fight against ISIL -- Ilan Goldenberg, Nicholas A Heras, and Paul Scharre, War On The Rocks

US Marines lead U.S. efforts against Islamic State -- Marine Times

Moscow sees deployment of US missile defense system in Romania as violation of INF Treaty -- TASS

Russia is developing new antiaircraft artillery system — defense ministry -- TASS

Russian High Ranking Military Chief Gets Jail Term Commuted, Is Fined Instead -- Moscow Times

Amid Islamic State Group Fears, Russia Arms Kyrgyzstan To Fight ISIS Threat Near Afghanistan -- IBTimes

India, Russia likely to sign deal for 4 stealth frigates -- The Hindu

Iran Military Leaders: Missile Production 'Increased' After P5+1 Deal -- PJ Media

Analysis: Hezbollah's 100,000 rockets and Israel's new missile defense system -- Jerusalem Post

Germany withdraws Patriot missiles from Turkey -- UPI

Germany Pulls Patriot Systems From Turkey -- Defense News

NATO Allies to Shortly Announce New Air Defense Assistance to Turkey -- Sputnik

China's new counterterrorism bill inspired by US: foreign ministry -- AFP

UK Payouts to Afghans and Iraqis total £25m: More than 5,800 claims have been made from both countries as a result of military action -- Daily Mail

Defense Secretary Ash Carter's historic personnel changes irk generals -- USA Today

Navy Seeks New Ideas for 'Rapid Innovation Cell' -- Military.com

Plans to Upgrade US Navy Nuclear Subs to Cost Taxpayers Billions -- Sputnik

Navy Develops Laser Weapon Prototypes for Ships -- Scout/Military.com

Laser-armed fighter jets by 2020, U.S. Air Force says -- CNN

US to Begin Testing Powerful Airborne Laser Weapons -- Sputnik

Congress Drops Burn Pit Exposure from Pentagon Research List -- Military.com

Shocking New Report Exposes Widespread Dysfunction on U.S. Military Bases -- Alertnet

Special Operations: Soldiers And Marines Step In -- Strategy Page

As US military handles drone strikes, less scrutiny -- AP

Can This Military Drone Company Go Commercial? -- Motley Fool

Army fields robots for chem/bio/nuke detection -- Defense Systems

A Navy SEAL’s Ultimate Tactical Fitness Workout -- Task & Purpose

A homeless man with a fake military ID card was living in barracks for months before anyone noticed -- Business Insider/SOFREP

12 perfect holiday gifts for any military service member -- Business Insider