Defense
The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is the white whale of the Defense Department — a stealth jet designed to work for all branches of the armed forces — but at a total cost of $1.5 trillion, it’s also a program that analysts say is an epic boondoggle that neither 44 nor his GOP challenger, Mitt Romney, has a realistic plan to get under control. – Washington Times
Increasingly concerned that time is running out for Congress to avoid $500 billion in automatic defense cuts, the Pentagon is assessing all options, including the implications of a one-year, $100 billion, government-wide “mini-sequester” deficit-reduction deal, Defense Department and industry sources said. – Military Times
Washington insiders often lament lawmakers’ newfound use of government wide spending measures each year to keep all federal agencies operating. But one budget guru says this newfound ritual might be the lone way to avoid the thing feared most in defense circles: sequestration. – DOTMIL
On Aug. 2, the Budget Control Act of 2011 marked its one-year anniversary, a date few in Washington celebrated. While passage of the law allowed the White House to raise the debt ceiling and avert financial catastrophe, the legislation set up the next self-made crisis, which most people expect to go unresolved until after the Nov. 6 elections. – Military Times
Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) charged Saturday that President Obama and Washington Democrats have failed to work in good faith to roll back looming automatic spending cuts that would hit the military. – DEFCON Hill
Drones rule the skies over Afghanistan. But the next war may be a different story. “We’re fighting cavemen that aren’t shooting back,” said Lt. Col. Kevin Murray. “That’s not where we’re going.” – AOL Defense
The U.S. Army has launched the debut flight of its massive Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV), a souped-up blimp designed to fly continuously for 21 days and provide full surveillance of an area. – CNN’s Security Clearance
Gen. Mark Welsh officially became the Air Force’s newest chief of staff on Friday, taking the reins from outgoing service chief Gen. Norton Schwartz at a change-of-command ceremony at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. – DEFCON Hill
44’s foreign policy is recklessly ambitious and dangerously disarmed. Either his diplomacy will succeed without power because countries share interests, or the next president will have to substantially increase America’s military and economic power in order to assert and defend America’s interests with negotiating rivals. – National Review Online
Nuclear Weapons
A senior State Department arms negotiator said Thursday that Russian opposition to holding a new round of arms control talks does not mean a second strategic arms pact is out of reach. – Washington Free Beacon
