Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- January 5, 2013
Band of Brothers - Soldiers watch troop movements during Green Flag-West 13-2 at the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, Calif., Nov. 7, 2012. The soldiers, assigned to the 4th Infantry Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team, Fort Carson, Colo., took part in a three week pre-deployment training exercise. U.S. Air Force Photo by Senior Airman Daniel Hughes
Cut Out Of The Conversation -- Michael O'Hanlon, Foreign Policy
The important talk we're not having about defense spending.
This week's last-minute deal to avert the fiscal cliff was welcome at one level, but it did little to address federal spending -- including defense spending. Had Mitt Romney won the presidential election, we might now be talking about modest increases to the Pentagon budget. As things stand, however, the real debate is over how much more to cut, beyond the mid-sized reductions -- about $350 billion if you measure against standard Congressional Budget Office baseline -- already imposed on core, non-war defense spending by the 2011 Budget Control Act. Sequestration -- like the Simpson-Bowles and Rivlin-Domenici deficit reduction commissions of 2010 -- would cut another $500 billion or so over ten years.
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MILITARY AND INTELLIGENCE NEWS BRIEFS
Pentagon faces complex battle over new sequestration deadline -- Stars and Stripes
US Congress tightens belt, trims 2013 spy budget. -- Military Times
U.S. Fiscal Cliff Legislation Affects Military, Civilian Paychecks -- US Department of Defense
Panetta: ‘Cloud of sequestration’ remains -- The Hill
Chinese ASAT Missile Test Looms: China set to conduct anti-satellite test this month -- Washington Free Beacon
China Might Conduct Anti-Sat Test This Month – UCS -- Defense News
Japan likely to increase defense spending due to isles row: media -- Reuters
Report: Japan Mulls U.S. Spy Drones for Marine Surveillance -- Defense News/AFP
Missile Threats Prompt More Countries to Eye Patriot Interceptors -- Danger Room
Egypt says it seized US-made missiles near Gaza -- FOX News/AP
Satellites Spot China’s Mysterious New Warplane -- Danger Room
Warplanes: China Celebrates Another Grand Theft -- Strategy Page
Colombia firm makes armored clothes for kids -- AP
Hunt begins for British Spitfires buried in Myanmar -- Reuters
Karzai to visit Pentagon next week -- The E-Ring/Foreign Policy
Kerry Seen Likely to Favor Greater Engagement With North Korea -- Global Security Newswire
U.S. Missile Teams in Turkey, Missiles Come Later -- New York Times/Reuters
Global Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Payload Market to Reach $68.6 billion by 2022 -- Space Daily
General Dynamics Awarded $4.6 Billion for Submarine Programs -- Space War
Meet Microsoft, the world's best kept R&D secret -- PC World
Obama poised to nominate Chuck Hagel as US defence secretary -- The Guardian
New U.S. national security team coming into focus -- Army Times/AP
Policy ace Michele Flournoy could be first female Pentagon chief -- Stars and Stripes/Tribune
Meet the Pentagon’s new top lawyer (for now) -- The E-Ring/Foreign Policy
No rush by women in military to join infantry -- AP
Uniform Wear Policies Vary Among U.S. Military Services -- US Department of Defense
How Defense Act Addresses Military Suicides and Issues of Conscience -- New York Times
Unemployment rises for all veterans in December -- Army Times
Incarcerated veterans train dogs for other vets -- Army Times/AP
Rebecca’s War Dog of the Week: Sgt. Rex, one of the first dogs to serve in Iraq, dies -- Best Defense/Foreign policy
CIA Official Who Destroyed Torture Tapes Squirms at Zero Dark Thirty Abuse -- Danger Room
Crafting A Pacific Attack & Defense Enterprise: The Strategic Quadrangle -- Robbin Laird, Aol Defense
Avoiding the Defense Cliff -- Thomas Donnelly, Weekly Standard
Don't Just Delay Defense Sequestration—Stop It -- Defending Defense
A word about the alleged economic benefits of the American military -- Daniel W. Drezner
US military muscle (Photo gallery) -- Christian Science Monitor
