* Last Friday DID pondered who would stand up to Vladimir Putin’s meddling in Ukraine, and the answer came quickly: Ukrainians. Since then, events moved at warp speed as the opposition stepped up the pressure with its newfound parliamentary majority. President Yanukovich left Kiev on Saturday, while former prime minister Tymoshenko was released. Yanukovich, who unsuccessfully tried to leave the country, said parliament’s vote to remove him and set elections to May 25 amounts to a coup (video with English subtitles). Olexander Turchynov, a close ally of Tymoshenko, was appointed interim president. This is not necessarily the change protesters are looking for.
* The Ukrainian parliament didn’t stop at that, with constitutional rollbacks and executive appointments to boot. Anders Aslund at the Peterson Institute for International Economics explains that Yanukovich’s support collapsed. On Monday the Ministry of Internal Affairs issued a warrant to arrest Yanukovich on murder charges. For now the Russian government is not recognizing Ukraine’s new de facto government as legitimate, unlike the US, EU and UN. Russia’s envoy didn’t co-sign Friday’s agreement, and Russia has withdrawn its ambassador.
* With Ukraine close to default, the EU is saying they’re ready to provide financial assistance once a new government is in place, and Russia is pointing to the IMF, implying they won’t proceed with the bailout they had agreed to with Yanukovich. Ukraine’s Ministry of Finance has restricted government payments to wages and is seeking $35B of assistance. Any help the IMF and EU will offer will come with reform strings attached.
* What now? The Financial Times weighs in on why Ukraine and its future matter so much. Zbigniew Brzezinski, a Polish American who was President Carter’s national security adviser, thinks Russia should be offered a ‘Finland option.’ Mikheil Saakashvili, until recently the president of Georgia, thinks Western help can not only lead to a democratic Ukraine, but also open minds in Russia.
What Happens When Programs Lose Support
* The Virginian-Pilot looks into the MH-53E Sea Dragon’s high mishap rate.
Inventory Management Beyond RFID
* The Pentagon initially touted RFID as a key technology that would revolutionize their ability to track where inventory is located, but in practice several shortcomings got in the way. Visual Assets and Lockheed Martin are pitching a system called RuBee as a replacement that’s easier to read through metal or other materials.
Germany’s Procurement, Defense Cooperation with France
* German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen sacked [in German] two senior defense procurement officials over a number of irregularities and problems plaguing major programs. The most prominent of the two officials is Stéphane Beemelmans, a deputy in charge of armament closely associated with von der Leyen’s predecessor and political competitor Thomas de Maizière, whom he tried to shield [in German] from the Euro Hawk debacle last year. Von Der Leyen was kept out of the loop on the decision to reduce Germany’s Typhoon order, which led to the recent payment [in German] of a 55 million euro ($75M) penalty to engine maker MTU. Von Der Leyen wants to inject better risk analysis and project management capabilities into the ministry.
* Last year the joint French-German brigade (BFA) seemed [in French] to be facing a grim future, as the French ministry of defense announced [in French] a politically expedient but crippling regiment closure in Germany. As President Hollande is trying to mend a relationship with Germany that worked rather poorly since the start of his term, the two strategic partners announced [in French] last week that BFA troops will be deployed to Mali.
Indian – Italian Tensions
* India’s attorney general announced the government will not press anti-piracy charges against two Italian marines accused of killing two fishermen in 2012, confirming the death penalty won’t be pursued against the defendants. This should help defuse the diplomatic tension between the two countries.
Japan: Defense Exports, Joint Drill with US
* Japan’s cabinet is seeking less restrictive legislation on armament export.
* US Marines and troops from a Jananese infantry regiment recently conducted the Iron Fist 2014 exercise in Camp Pendleton, CA. Amphibious landing video with LCACs below:
