Defense
On Friday, the Pentagon reported that 38 soldiers killed themselves in July, the worst month for Army suicides since figures became public in 2009 and twice the number of troops killed in Afghanistan so far this month. Though suicide among service members is epidemic, a new study from the University of Utah may be the first to explain why. – Washington Post
Neil Barofsky on Sunday dismissed the chances Democrats and Republicans could stave off nearly $500 billion in automatic defense cuts. There will be no ‘grand bargain’ between Democrats and Republicans on staving off nearly $500 billion in automatic defense cuts when Congress comes back to Washington next month, according to a former White House official. – DEFCON Hill
Returning to Virginia less than a week after his candidacy for vice president was announced, Rep. Paul Ryan on Friday made a foray into national-security issues as he criticized President Obama for looming defense cuts—sparing his party from blame—and warned America’s foes to respect a President Romney. – National Journal
Here in the military town home to Fort Bragg, long fighting off its nickname “Fayette-nam,” the unemployment rate has soared above that in the rest of the country for years. And things could get much worse, military officials, contractors and voters here fear, if Congress doesn’t work out a deal before Jan. 2, when $500 billion in automatic defense cuts will take effect. – Politico
The U.S. Army has launched an ambitious modernization effort that involves sending new equipment, along with battle-tested gear, directly from war zones in the Middle East to South Korea as the service turns its gaze to the Pacific. – Defense News
The Marine Corps will brief its roughly 850 MV-22 Osprey pilots and air crew on the “extraordinary set of circumstances” that caused the fatal crash of an Osprey in Morocco on April 11 and will revise its training and flight manuals to prevent future such mishaps, Lt. Gen. Robert Schmidle, deputy commandant for aviation, said. – AOL Defense
Predator UAVs are becoming key players in the U.S. Air Force’s premier combat exercises — Red Flag — signaling yet another major cultural shift in the way the historically fighter-heavy service operates. – Defense News
The War
Nearly half of federal agencies are not sharing documented incidents of potential terrorist activity with U.S. intelligence centers, according to officials in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. – National Journal
A former Maryland resident who is detained at Guantanamo Bay seems to have acquired a cat at the isolated prison on a U.S. base in Cuba, a fellow prisoner says in a letter released Friday. – Associated Press
Missile Defense
Army planners have begun to canvas U.S. defense industry firms for ideas that could lead to a new missile defense weapon, patterned closely after Israel’s successful Iron Dome weapon. – DEFCON Hill
Space
Michael Krepon writes: The 44th administration, the European Union, Japan, Australia and other countries are ready to agree on a code of conduct for responsible space-faring nations. China is calling for an unverifiable treaty banning the use of military capabilities in space — capabilities that the PLA is hard at work developing. Moscow has aligned itself with Beijing but is now hinting at a more pragmatic approach. A window of opportunity is opening around a code of conduct if China’s leaders can bring the PLA on board, and if Republican leaders can see the wisdom of this initiative. – Washington Post
Law of the Sea Treaty
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) says she’s hopeful that the Law of the Sea Treaty will pass Congress in the lame-duck session after the election, despite the fierce opposition of some conservatives. – The Hill’s E2 Wire
