By Austin Wright
THE AFGHAN CIVILIAN WHO CRASHED A PICKUP TRUCK near Panetta’s plane yesterday has died this morning of severe burns, The New York Times reports. “The man had created an alarming start to an already tense visit to Afghanistan by Mr. Panetta when he drove the truck at high speed onto a ramp alongside a runway at a British military airfield and careered into a ditch as Mr. Panetta’s plane was landing.”

Gen. Scaparrotti: The driver appeared to be trying to hit a group of Marines, not Panetta.

WE MIGHT NEVER HAVE KNOWN ABOUT THE INCIDENT if not for our intrepid colleagues from across the pond: “Mr. Panetta’s aides did not disclose the crash until nearly 10 hours later, well after Mr. Panetta had arrived in Kabul from his day in the south, and at least an hour after the British news media began reporting it,” the Times says. “It was not clear if the aides would have made the disclosure had word not leaked out.” More here. http://nyti.ms/yo1jv0

Jacobson, a former ISAF official and Afghanistan War vet, argues that the episode likely wasn’t connected to Panetta’s visit. He’s got a historical example to back him up: “Remember, Cheney was at Bagram” in 2007, “and there was a rocket attack; Taliban took credit even though they had no idea he was there.”

“Distrust: Marines disarmed for Panetta at Camp Leatherneck.”
“Hundreds of U.S. Marines were suddenly told Wednesday to leave and return unarmed to a venue where Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta was scheduled to speak, according to reports — an unusual move that illustrates the military’s heightened security concerns.”

SUNSHINE WEEK The Project on Government Oversight is urging SASC members to open the committee’s NDAA markup process to the public. NDAA “is one of the few bills that is passed annually, and therefore has become a magnet for pork and other proposals,” the organization says on its petition website. “There’s no good reason for SASC to mark up this bill in secret.” See the petition. http://bit.ly/AaFO1o

[Except for the IED dog destined to be exterminated unless we raise cain over it now!] CANINE COMRADES — Richard Blumenthal and Walter Jones are pushing legislation to better ensure that a soldier’s best friend — the military working dog — is provided a good home and veterinary care in retirement. “These dogs are friends, compatriots, comrades in arms, and they really deserve better,” Blumenthal tells Morning Defense. Our story is here. http://politi.co/z0NbO0