Defense
Boeing plans to start building components for the first U.S. Air Force KC-46A tanker this fall and is looking to begin assembling the first aircraft one year from now. – Defense News
Air Force investigators believe a specialized flight suit could be partially responsible for some pilots experiencing a lack of oxygen while flying the F-22 fighter jet, according to a report by Air Force investigators. – CNN’s Security Clearance
The potential for specialized microchips from China to find their way into U.S. computers and networks, or even into conventional Western weapons systems, isn’t just a frightening prospect—it’s a chilling reality. – Aviation Week
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) is blocking the confirmation of a key Army official over the Pentagon’s relationship with a Russian defense firm supplying weapons and support to Syria and Iran. – DEFCON Hill
If the Pentagon is forced to include war funds to a raft of automatic budget cuts set for next year, it could cripple a number of key Pentagon accounts already slated for massive reductions over the next decade. – DEFCON Hill
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta pleaded with Congress Wednesday to avoid the disaster of automatic defense cuts even as he criticized lawmakers’ affection for protecting aging ships and aircraft. – Associated Press
The War
The U.S. military is expanding its secret intelligence operations across Africa, establishing a network of small air bases to spy on terrorist hideouts from the fringes of the Sahara to jungle terrain along the equator, according to documents and people involved in the project. – Washington Post
In a section of this airport carved out for the Department of Homeland Security, passengers are screened for explosives and cleared to enter the United States by American Customs and Border Protection officers before boarding…The programs reflect the Obama administration’s ambitious effort to tighten security in the face of repeated attempts by Al Qaeda and other terrorists to blow up planes headed to the United States from foreign airports. – New York Times
A group of more than two dozen anti-war lawmakers wants the White House to explain the legal justification for “signature” drone strikes, in which drone attacks can be launched when the identity of those killed is not known. – DEFCON Hill
Missile Defense
German and Italian officials warned U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday that their plans to cut off funding for a ground-based NATO missile defense program built by Lockheed Martin Corp would endanger U.S. ties with their countries. – Reuters
