Early Bird Brief: August 2, 2024

Welcome to the Early Bird Brief's LinkedIn Edition, a tightly edited round-up of today's most important military and defense stories. To get the full EBB, with dozens of stories, subscribe here.

Today's Top 5:

Marine Corps veteran Paul Whelan freed in US-Russia prisoner swap

(The Associated Press) The United States and Russia completed their biggest prisoner swap in post-Soviet history on Thursday, with Moscow releasing American journalist Evan Gershkovich and Marine Corps veteran Paul Whelan, along with dissidents including Vladimir Kara-Murza, in a multinational deal that set two dozen people free, officials said. Read More

18th Airborne at center of major Pacific exercise for the first time

(Army Times) The Army kicked off a massive, simulated war-fighting exercise Thursday that, for the first time, uses the Army’s premier quick-response division in a scenario focused on the Pacific region. Read More

Gear cracks, pilot decision led to Japan Osprey crash, Air Force says

(The Associated Press) A deadly Osprey aircraft crash last November off Japan was caused by cracks in a metal gear and the pilot’s decision to keep flying, instead of heeding multiple warnings that he should land, according to an Air Force investigation released Thursday. Read More

Will new child care plans help these Army Special Forces families?

(Military Times) A long-awaited military child development center is officially in the works for Army Special Forces and other service families in the Florida panhandle north of Eglin Air Force Base, Air Force officials announced. Read More

Senate Appropriations Committee passes $852B defense bill, adding $21B and teeing up budget fight

(Breaking Defense) Senate appropriators have put forward a $852.2 billion defense spending bill for fiscal 2025, boosting funds $21 billion beyond the Fiscal Responsibility Act limits and setting up a fight with the House, which held fast to the budget caps in its defense bills. Read More

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