Defense
The 2013 National Defense Authorization Act took another step forward Thursday as the Senate Armed Services Committee unanimously passed the bill out of committee. The next step for the Pentagon policy bill is the Senate floor, although it’s unclear still when that will occur. – DEFCON Hill
The U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee has rejected the Air Force’s proposed cuts to the Air National Guard, and instead recommends fully funding the Guard’s equipment and personnel needs in 2013. – Defense News
A Pentagon plan endorsed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff to raise Tricare health care fees as a way to dramatically reduce personnel costs appears dead after the Senate Armed Services Committee refused to back the proposal. – Military Times
Sen. Harry Reid’s refusal to “back off” looming cuts to the Pentagon won’t just harm the nation’s security, Republicans say. It could plunge the fragile U.S. economy back into a recession next year. – Politico
The apparent greater focus on shipbuilding accounts — compared to aviation spending — during discussions on where to find cuts in overall U.S. Navy spending makes sense, defense analysts say, even though the service has historically spent roughly equal amounts on both, according to an Aviation Week Intelligence Network (AWIN) analysis. – Aviation Week
Lockheed Martin remains mum about whether an oxygen system flaw on its F-22 fighter might also plague its sibling, the F-35, but defense analysts say there are reasons to worry. – DOTMIL
White House officials will have a new way to travel when the V-22 Osprey officially becomes part of the presidential helicopter fleet in 2013. – DEFCON Hill
The War
U.S. efforts to counter al Qaeda recruiting online are bearing fruit, and the terrorist group is urging its members not to believe what they read on the Web, according to the State Department. – Washington Times
Killing senior Al Qaeda leaders doesn’t just remove enemies from the battlefield; it also erases institutional knowledge and experience. Some followers may consider the targeted leaders to be martyrs. But that doesn’t change the fact that their deaths are bad for Al Qaeda. By killing the group’s elite leaders, the U.S. is not contributing to Al Qaeda’s mythology but destroying it. – Los Angeles Times
Yemen’s military launched an attack Thursday on an al-Qaida hideout in the country’s south as part of a wider offensive, killing 35 militants, the Defense Ministry said. – Associated Press
Nuclear Weapons
The U.S. Air Force is moving ahead with plans to modernize its inventory of nuclear weapons and delivery systems, a top service general said. – Defense News
