Defense
As the Army weighs integrating women into armor and infantry combat positions, the command in charge of soldier training is looking at requiring women to meet the same physical goals as men. – Washington Times
The Labor Department issued guidance [yesterday] stating that defense companies and other federal contractors do not need to issue layoff notices sixty days in advance of sequestration. House Armed Services Chairman Buck McKeon immediately denounced the guidance as “politically motivated,” and his staff called it legally unsound. – AOL Defense
Rep. Buck McKeon (R-CA) writes: If the United States faced an external enemy who threatened to do this kind of damage to our national security, the president would have the primary obligation to resolve it. To avert these cuts is to intimidate our enemies, reassure our allies and keep faith with those who have sacrificed so much for so long. The commander in chief must act. – Washington Post
Cybersecurity
Supporters of a bill aimed at protecting the government and American businesses from cyberattacks are trying to shepherd the legislation through a Congress that has been divided over the role the government should play in setting standards for private-sector computer networks. – National Journal
As the Senate reconvenes to debate the cybersecurity bill, 44 himself has set the stakes in terms of preventing a future catastrophic attack. But some say the real and present danger is what’s happening under our noses right now, in an online theft of intellectual property that Cyber Command chief Gen. Keith Alexander called “the greatest transfer of wealth in history.” – AOL Defense
Intelligence
The chairman of the Senate intelligence committee, Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), said in a news release that “the culture of leaks has to change.” Surely Congress can do better. Serious reform would deal not only with protecting secret information but also repair a dysfunctional system that wildly overclassifies documents which would enrich the public debate. This hastily conceived legislation would choke off the daily give-and-take that is the lifeblood of a democratic society without making the nation in any way more secure. – Washington Post
