GRAB A COFFEE POT AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 9.5.14 >>>

Ukraine and pro-Russia separatists meeting in Minsk agreed today on a conditional cease-fire only hours after NATO approved plans Friday for a new rapid response force to counter future Russian aggression in the region.

The Obama administration accelerated efforts today to build an international coalition to combat the Islamic State, winning pledges of support from nine allies but leaving questions about the extent of possible expanded military force.

Britain has pledged to commit 1,000 troops to a new NATO spearhead force expected to be announced by alliance leaders on the second day of the summit, according to Prime Minister David Cameron.

Secretary of State John Kerry: ISIS a long, must-win fight.

Democratic lawmakers are beginning to describe the Obama administration strategy for fighting the Islamic State, a plan Republicans say is nonexistent.

Islamic State, fighting to redraw the map of the Middle East, has been coaching Egypt's most dangerous militant group, complicating efforts to stabilize the biggest Arab nation.

Drones and the context of the conflict with ISIS.

A founding member of the Pakistani Taliban, Omar Khalid Khorasani is an uncompromisingly brutal jihadist with a rapidly rising profile.

A Massachusetts man could be running social media for the ISIS, according to multiple reports.

The friendly fire incident that killed five American soldiers and one Afghan soldier in June was caused by failures from the "key members" of the ground team who called in an airstrike from a B-1B Lancer.

U.S. commandos who tried to save Ambassador Chris Stevens and another Americans during the 2012 Benghazi attack write in a new book that the CIA station chief held up the rescue attempt.

How does the warfighter launch a grenade at the enemy and ensure that it hits the target if the enemy is defiladed, or concealed, behind natural or artificial obstacles? Use Small Arms Grenade Munitions, or SAGM.

The Navy officially accepted delivery of the USS North Dakota, signalling the arrival of a new high-tech fast attack submarine equipped with improved missile tubes, computers, electronics and sonar technology.

Veterans: The new "in-state tuition" protection that Congress approved last month won't take effect for another year.

Close call: Keep your helmet nearby! A newly discovered asteroid will zip by Earth  on Sunday.

Ja Rule is getting his own TV show. Follow The Rules is a docu-comedy series on MTV that follows Ja and his large family - a "modern day reality rap star version of Bill Cosby's role from The Cosby Show."

NBC is developing a live comedy from Chris Moynihan, Sean Hayes and Todd Milliner. Hospitality will take place in a downtown hotel and air live every week with live commercials.

The creators of The Good Wife sold a pilot to CBS titled Brain Dead, which is described as "The Strain meets The West Wing." We have no idea what that could possibly mean.

Sneaky Rabbit: When the going gets tough, sometimes you gotta break the rules. Or something like that.

No, Human, No! Husky throws a tantrum when playtime is over.

Girls Gone Wild: Robert Downey Jr. went to South Korea. Then this happened.

Meet Chica the DogSpider

LINK: Original photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Walter Wayman

This just in from Sharon D. Ayala, director, Directorate of Communication and Executive Services, Western Regional Medical Command ...

Western Regional Medical Command, Fort Lewis, Wash.: Lieutenant General Patricia Horoho, The Army Surgeon General and U.S. Army Medical Command Commander, suspended Brig. Gen. John M. Cho, the Commanding General, Western Regional Medical Command (WRMC), located at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., effective Thursday, Sept. 4, 2014 pending the outcome of an inquiry centered on the command climate of the organization. Lt. Gen. Horoho will assign an interim commander of the WRMC for the duration of the suspension. The Army remains committed to ensuring we have the right leaders in place to lead our organizations which provide high quality medical care to our Soldiers, their Families, and our Retirees.

"Enemy troops in the open, three o'clock," a soldier calls out. The gunner scans for the target and in less than a second identifies and engages the enemy combatants.

This was the scenario for soldiers with 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team as they conducted Virtual Battlespace 2 training at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Aug. 28.

The unit organized the training to familiarize soldiers with different terrain, weapons and vehicle procedures before an upcoming live-fire exercise next month at Yakima Training Center.

"The soldiers are getting used to the equipment," said 2nd Lt. John Howell, a platoon leader with 5-20th Inf. Bn. "They're going over fire commands today and learning to work together."

The VBS2 is an interactive simulated training software that uses video game graphics to simulate real world environments and training objectives. Since its introduction in 2007, the system has helped better prepare soldiers and units for deployments and saved the Army millions of dollars according to Jeffery T. Du, a VBS2 facilitator.

This training saves the Army money by allowing units to go through scenarios based on the terrain they will experience at the upcoming exercise without stressing vehicles, equipment or using live ammunition, said Du. The soldiers will be more efficient when they go to the range because they have practiced multiple times in the simulator.

Through an advanced program editing system, VBS2 instructors can tailor training to the needs of individual units based on mission requirements, create realistic battlefield situations and allow Soldiers to operate simulated land, sea, and air vehicles.

"This training allows for a diverse amount of situations that we can encounter with the Stryker," said Spc. Ryan Sweeney, a fire team leader with 5-20th Inf. Bn.

Soldiers focused on marksmanship with mounted weapons, calling for indirect fire, identifying targets and maneuvering through various fighting positions in a simulated Stryker combat vehicle.

The scalable VBS2 system is able to train small teams in urban tactics, entire combat teams in combined arms operations or even squad and platoon offensive, defensive, and patrolling operations.

Leaders can use VBS2 to assist them in developing the organizational skills required to execute successful missions. Soldiers can use the system to learn and validate the unit's tactics, techniques and procedures before any exercise.

 "We have a lot of new soldiers and this is an easy way for them to get a baseline of how to operate in a fire team and build good habits early," said Sweeney.

Although it's a simulation and not the real world, the VBS2 system provides diverse training opportunities for the soldiers of the 5-20th Inf. Bn. and the skills necessary as a modern fighting force said Du.

"I like that we are diversifying our training techniques to match all fronts," said Sweeney. "This system is a good way for us to build up our new training strategies to meet the battlefield of tomorrow." 

Sgt. James J. Bunn is with the 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment.

GRAB A COFFEE POT AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 9.4.2014 >>>

A senior White House official today signaled the United States is already gathering support from countries in the Middle East for a united front against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

The family of Steven Sotloff, the second American journalist beheaded by Islamic State militants, said he was "a gentle soul", and challenged the group's leader to a debate on the peaceful teachings of the Muslim holy book, the Koran. 

In the cities and towns across the desert plains of northeast Syria, the ultra-hardline al Qaeda offshoot Islamic State has insinuated itself into nearly every aspect of daily life.

ISIS Defector: ISIS plans to take over the Arab world and then "go to other countries."

David Cameron says that in going after ISIS inside Syria, the West does not need an invitation from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, insisting that Assad's government is not legitimate.

A roiling national debate over how to deal with the radical Islamic State and other global hot spots has prompted a sudden shift in Republican politics, putting a halt to the anti-interventionist mood that had been gaining credence in the party.

Former Cuban President Fidel Castro accused Sen. John McCain and Israel of conspiring to create the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. 

Even Terrorist Groups Crave Attention: Al Qaeda opens new front in India.

Ukraine's President announced progress on a ceasefire agreement yesterday with Russia, but U.S. President Barack Obama is skeptical and even Moscow downplayed it.

Russia's foreign minister said any future efforts by Ukraine to join NATO would "derail" peace talks to solve the crisis in Ukraine.

In 2013, 57 Army Reserve Soldiers decided the only way out of their particular situation was to take their own life. That year was the most deadly since 2009.

Training for tens of thousands of Army National Guard soldiers will be canceled this month as the reserve component hits a $101 million shortfall in the final weeks of this fiscal year.

The Pentagon is pushing its strategy to develop new technologies and capabilities alongside allies to drive down costs and foster innovation, the assistant secretary of defense for research and engineering said on Wednesday.

Budget: The Army is spending far too little to equip its soldiers.

The adversary is looking to exploit vulnerabilities in Army computer systems, said the chief of the Army's Cyberspace and Information Operations Division.

A Pentagon advisory panel on wounded servicemembers is recommending that the Defense Department scrap the disability evaluation system it rolled out across the military just three years ago.

Government Shutdown: The U.S. Senate's embattled top Republican is predicting Congress will pass a funding measure that the president would not veto.

The Pentagon will expand its use of prototyping as the U.S. Defense Department's budget tightens, U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Wednesday.

The Defense Department has agreed to reconsider the bad-paper discharges for thousands of Vietnam-era veterans who may have suffered from combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder but were kicked out of the military in the era before that became a diagnosable condition.

Dangerous Bag: A ball girl at the U.S. Open shows she has the skills to track down whatever crosses her court.

In Overdrive: This is what you get when you put a pug in a ball pit for the first time.

Headbanging: Metal in inappropriate places.

Oh No: Hollywood will make a CHiPs movie.

Jimmy Kimmel Live! hit the streets of Hollywood asking a multiple guys whether they'd looked up the nude photos.

You knew it was coming ... failed ice bucket challenges ...

LINK: Original photo by Sgt. 1st Class John Wollaston

GRAB A COFFEE POT AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 9.3.14 >>

Militants from the Islamic State group carried out a mass killing of hundreds of Iraqi soldiers captured when the extremists overran a military base north of Baghdad in June, a leading international watchdog said today.

President Obama has approved sending roughly 350 more U.S. troops to Iraq to protect U.S. diplomatic facilities and personnel in Baghdad, allowing some U.S. troops already in Iraq to leave.

Second American: ISIS has followed through on its threat to kill another American journalist.

Obama: U.S. will destroy ISIS.

After several weeks of U.S. airstrikes, militants with the Islamic State continue to mount offenses against the Mosul Dam and threaten the vital facility that controls water and electricity across northern Iraq.

Congress is handcuffed in addressing the threat posed by ISIS until President Obama details a strategy against the militant group, Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said Tuesday. 

House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) said Tuesday that the United States should be on a "high state of alert" as the anniversary of 9/11 approaches.

The Ukrainian president's office said a "process for achieving a cease-fire" had been reached in a phone call with Putin. But Russia stressed no deal had been made since it is not a party to the conflict.

Putin On A Show: President Barack Obama arrived in Estonia this morning with a lot to think about.

Obama: More Air Force units, aircraft headed to Baltics.

Europe is on the brink of its first war in decades. Here's what the West must do.

Iran unveiled a new surface-to-air missile Tuesday and two radar systems it said would improve its defenses against "enemies."

U.S. forces have carried out airstrikes against the leader of Somalia's al-Qaida-linked Shebab rebels, with casualties reported but uncertainty hanging over the fate of the main target.

Explaining the P-8 Incident: Are Chinese pilots going "rogue"?

Clean CR, Sequestration Hopes: Fall Hill predictions.

The F-35: Savior of U.S. airpower or albatross of the Asia-Pacific?

Pentagon developing mysterious hovering plane.

Defense Innovation Marketplace: Website has helped DoD gain better insight into industry's research-and-development projects.

Eye-opener: This documentary video, shot using a hidden camera, shows how intimidating it is for a girl walking alone in Cairo.

Pint-sized Player: Defensive tackle Christian Kirksey is made down right tiny in this glitch found in Madden NFL 15.

W-ORD up: Cookie Monster and John Oliver co-anchor a newscast about words.

Dash Cam: Think of it as a movie and enjoy.

The Dude comes back for more White Russians in a new twisted short.

Reddit has released a handy new Ask Me Anything app.

It's time to start saving up for that Sleater-Kinney box set.

Burt Ward talks about his days playing Robin.

Let's step inside a tornado ...

LINK: Original photo by Tech. Sgt. Matt Hecht

A reconnaissance team leader from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, and a signal support systems specialist from Fort Carson, Colo., were named U.S. Army Forces Command Noncommissioned Officer and Soldier of the Year, at a banquet Aug. 28, at Fort Bragg, N.C.

Six NCOs and six soldiers, representing the First Army, I Corps, III Corps, XVIII Airborne Corps, the 32nd Air and Missile Defense Command, National Training Center, and Joint Readiness Training Center, competed over four days to earn the title of FORSCOM NCO/Soldier of the Year.

Staff Sgt. Peter Kacapyr, an infantryman and reconnaissance team leader with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 3-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 7th Infantry Division, from JBLM, was named 2014 FORSCOM NCO of the Year.

Cpl. Zachery E. Bandli, a signal support systems specialist and retransmission operator assigned to 534th Signal Company, 43rd Special Troops Battalion, 43rd Sustainment Brigade, at Fort Carson, Colo., was named 2014 FORSCOM Soldier of the Year.

Competing alongside FORSCOM competitors were 4 NCOs and 3 Soldiers from the Continental U.S. Army Service Component Command. Staff Sgt. Luke R. Klein, an internment/resettlement NCO with the 339th Military Police Company, 525th MP Battalion, 302nd MP Brigade, currently serving as Joint Task Force Guantanamo Bay, was named CONUS ASCC NCO of the Year.

Spc. Cole Spoon, a microwave systems operator/installer and a network controller for the Southwest Asia Cyber Center, at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, was named CONUS ASCC Soldier of the Year.

All four winners will compete later this year at the Department of the Army NCO/Soldier of the Year competition.

GRAB A COFFEE POT AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 9.2.2014 >>>

An airstrike by U.S. military forces struck an area where leaders of Somalia's al Qaeda-linked militants were meeting.

Six militants killed during U.S. strike in Somalia.

President Obama sent a letter to Congress on Monday notifying them that over the weekend he authorized U.S. military airstrikes and humanitarian assistance to break the month-long siege of the town of Amirli in northern Iraq.

Why a strategy to fight ISIS in Syria will take time.

U.S. Marine Corps CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter assigned to the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit crashed at sea in the Central Command area of operations.

Democrats on the Senate Intelligence Committee have been planning for months to release the findings of their investigation on the CIA's Bush-era interrogation program this fall. But with little more than 60 days until the midterm elections, a release of the report could leave Democrats vulnerable to attack from Republicans and other critics who say its details about U.S. intelligence gathering might jeopardize national security.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko accused Russia of "direct and undisguised aggression" as Kiev's forces suffered a further reverse in their war with pro-Moscow separatists. 

With NATO leaders expected to endorse a rapid-reaction force of 4,000 troops for Eastern Europe this week, a senior Russian military official said Moscow would revise its military doctrine to account for "changing military dangers and military threats."

The Real Ukraine Crisis Is Coming: The "day after" dilemma.

NATO will declare "mission accomplished" this week as it winds down more than a decade of operations in Afghanistan but departing combat troops look likely to leave behind political turmoil and an emboldened insurgency.

The Army's Next Mission: Stability is the best offense.

An Air Force strategy stuck in the future.

Q & A with Gen. Paul Selva, head of U.S. Transportation Command, who is responsible for getting military equipment back to the United States from Afghanistan.

NATO leaders heading to Wales this week will discuss how to best enhance the NATO Response Force.

Many of the hospitals run by the armed forces are so small and the trickle of patients so thin that doctors and nurses say their ability to properly treat serious illnesses is compromised.

U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, known as TRADOC, transforms civilians into soldiers and provides them the pathway into the noble profession of soldiers, past and present.

Stonehenge, at one point, had been a full circle.

How decaf coffee is made.

Guardians of the Galaxy has become the biggest box office hit of the year.

How Empire Records became the unlikely film of a generation.

Video: The story behind the classic doc Heavy Metal Parking Lot.

Finally: A very difficult quiz about Saturday Night Live.

This is why everything we call awesome is not really awesome.

LINK: Original photo by Sgt. 1st Class Kap Kim

MONDAY, SEPT. 1 2014 >>>

1. The all-African-American Buffalo Soldiers of the 9th and 10th (Horse) Cavalry served in America's wars from 1866 through the end of World War III. They participated in cross-country cattle drives, escorted wagon trains and stagecoaches through often-volatile territories of the Wild West and fought in the Spanish-American War and both world wars. The Tuskegee Airmen were first African American aviators who fought in WWII. During the course of the war, the Tuskegee Airmen flew more than 15,000 sorties and fought in the skies over North Africa, Sicily and Europe in P-40 Tomahawks, then P-39 Air Cobras, then P-47 Thunderbolts, then finally, P-51 aircraft. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., The Buffalo Soldiers Museum and the Tuskegee Airmen of Seattle will host a historical tribute at Stanley Playfield in Tacoma. Joint Base Lewis McChord will host a Home Run Derby softball game featuring the "Red Tails Special" Air Force and the "Cannon Balls" Army. Following the game, Gen, Mitch Mitchell will speak on "Embracing the Future." Expect entertainment, vendors and more.

2. Toscanos Café and Wine Bar celebrates its 10th anniversary this month. Guests will receive special gift cards every time they come to the Puyallup restaurant in September, as well as entered into weekly raffle drawings. This week's raffle prize will be hand-painted decanter and wine glasses painted by its Martini Madness artist, a bottle of wine and four steaks. Toscanos will be open today at 11:30 a.m.

2. An Indian family moves to a small French town and opens a restaurant across the road from a fine-dining joint run by the imperious Madame Mallory (Helen Mirren). Will Madame melt for budding chef Hassan's (Manish Dayal) sublime curries? He's already won the tastebuds of charmant sous chef Magritte (Charlotte Le Bon). Can lonely widower Papa (Om Puri) find romance in France? Will Michelin stars fall on everyone? Will you see this film, The Hundred-Foot Journey, at 12:10, 2:55, 5:35 and 8:15 p.m. at The Grand Cinema?

Jazz rock fusion quartet Hook Me Up performs at 8 p.m. in downtown Olympia's Rhythm and Rye club.

5. Local comedian and host Eric Puddin Lorentzen hosts "Monday Madness Comedy Night with Puddin" at 9 p.m. in The New Frontier Lounge. Expect 6-10 minute sets, each recorded. The audience will choose a winner, who will headline the following week. It was the great Bill Cosby who said, "Puddin, you can't be a comedian without him," or something.

LINK: Monday, Sept. 1 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

GRAB A COFFEE POT AN DREAD THE MORNING REPORT FOR 9.1.14 >>>

President Barack Obama put the Islamic State terrorist group on the "varsity" team of U.S. foes. America's top general, Martin Dempsey, has spoken of the group's "apocalyptic" visions.

Cities in the United States and Western Europe are being eyed as Islamic State militants' future targets, U.S. lawmakers say.

Heavy fighting erupted today between the Syrian army and Islamist rebels on the Golan Heights, where 44 peacekeepers from Fiji are being held by militants and scores of their fellow blue helmets from the Philippines escaped after resisting capture.

Islamist fighters have carried out atrocities on "an unimaginable scale" in months of fighting with Iraqi forces who have also killed detainees and shelled civilian areas.

Like Douglas McAuthur McCain - an American hip-hop fan who was recently killed fighting for the Islamic State - Abdel Bary represents a new and very scary evolution in modern jihadi history.

The Islamist-allied militia group in control of Libya's capital has "secured" a U.S. Embassy residential compound there, more than a month after American personnel evacuated from the country over ongoing fighting.

Talks on a power sharing deal between Afghanistan's rival presidential candidates, Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah, have collapsed, a top leader said on Monday, rekindling fears of ethnic unrest over the disputed vote.

Some key members of the Senate and House are calling for the United States to send more arms to Ukraine to fight Russian "aggression."

Veteran suicide numbers have gone up in recent years with much of the attention focused on veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan killing themselves. However, almost seven out of 10 veterans who have committed suicide were over the age of 50.

Vulnerable Rep. Ron Barber (D-Ariz.) is hoping that his efforts to keep the Air Force's venerable A-10 Thunderbolt aircraft fleet in the air can lift him to victory in November.

Bionic Sailors: Anyone who saw Ripley defeat the alien queen in the 1986 film "Aliens" knows how badass exoskeleton technology can be.

Retired Capt. Walter Mazzone, a decorated World War II submariner who later became legend as a pioneering medical officer in deep dive experiments that captured the nation's attention, died Aug. 7 in San Diego. He was 96.

DoD Pitch: New Balance has unveiled a sneaker prototype that could become standard-issue in boot camp and spell an end to the cash allowances that let recruits buy foreign-made shoes.

LED Lighting making a mark on U.S. Navy ships.

We Will Live Again: A documentary looks inside the unusual and extraordinary operations of the Cryonics Institute.

10 famous TV locations you can visit in real life.

Essential Japanese new wave films.

Watch a guy try to save his drowning drone.

You can stream a crazy amount of good kung-fu on Netflix right now.

The Google Glass app that measures human emotions is creepy.

Worth watching again …

LINK: Original photo by Lance Cpl. Anne Henry

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 8.30.14 >>>

Authorities in Connecticut on Friday were investigating a possible threat against President Obama.

The chief of Iran's Revolutionary Guard navy confirmed in remarks published Friday that a U.S. Coast Guard vessel fired on an Iranian fishing boat in the Persian Gulf this week but insisted the incident was not a "clash."

The U.S. does not anticipate following the United Kingdom in raising its terror alert level because of concerns over the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

The U.S. Air Force's top general said he wants to figure out the balance between the active, Guard and reserve components for the vast majority of his service's programs in time to drive fiscal 2016 decisions.

Massachusetts National Guard officials identified the pilot of an F-15C Eagle jet that crashed in Virginia as Air Force Lt. Col. Morris "Moose" Fontenot Jr.

Islamic State militants beheaded a Lebanese soldier who was one of 19 captured by hardline Syrian Islamists when they seized a Lebanese border town for few days this month.

U.S. Vs. ISIL: The costs have averaged $7.5 million per day and include money for airstrikes, surveillance and arms shipments.

Six strategies Obama could use to fight Islamic State.

As separatists seized a strategically located town in southeast Ukraine, President Vladimir V. Putin issued a congratulatory message to the insurgents.

European Union leaders are likely to threaten Russia with new economic sanctions over its action in Ukraine but officials said the bloc was not yet ready to order additional penalties. 

President Obama's trip to Europe early next week is designed to warn Russian President Vladimir Putin against "messing around" with the Baltic States.

The new commander of U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan, will likely not attend the NATO meeting in Britain next week.

Britain's Defence Ministry will boost its investment in laser research and is preparing to launch a competition that could lead to a technology demonstrator.

An Air Force Institute of Technology alumnus and retired Air Force officer was selected by NASA and the University of Hawaii as one of nine team members to participate in an upcoming simulated mission to Mars.

Nearly five years after earning a Bronze Star with 'V' and a Purple Heart for his actions in Afghanistan at the Battle of Kamdesh, former Army Sgt. Daniel Rodriguez will suit up today to begin his senior football season with the Clemson Tigers.

A former American sailor convicted during the Cold War of leading a family spy ring for the Soviet Union has died in a prison hospital in North Carolina.

The man convicted in the shooting rampage at Fort Hood in 2009 that left 13 dead is asking to become a "citizen" of the Islamic State in a letter to the militant group's leader.

Fatigues to Fabulous will kick off New York Fashion Week with a "Salute the Runway" fashion show.

The Navy built its own indoor ocean to test ships.

iPhone 6 rumor roundup.

10 great movies to stream this holiday weekend.

Believe it or not, 21 Jump Street's Phil Lord and Chris Miller are remaking The Greatest American Hero.

Terry Gilliam on 13 of the most difficult scenes he ever shot.

Five worthy new songs this week.

How Pabst brought a 136-year-old beer back from the dead.

When ads are so cool they make you want to do crazy things ...

LINK: Original photo by Cpl. Bryan Nygaard