Defense
The U.S. Democratic Party’s 2012 policy platform signals it would welcome additional Pentagon spending reductions, and targets for cuts “outdated Cold War-era systems” such as nuclear weapons. – Defense News
The Pentagon will roll out a new version of its most influential acquisition document, Better Buying Power, in the near future as the department looks to find new efficiencies, said Frank Kendall, U.S. undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics. – Defense News
Top U.S. aerospace and defense contractors are set to meet the Defense Department this month to discuss concerns about the impact of automatic budget cuts due to take effect in January unless Congress acts to repeal or delay them, the top executive of the industry’s main trade group said on Tuesday. – Reuters
Washington’s defense community may be eagerly awaiting a report from the White House to detail how it would implement across-the-board budget cuts early next year, but the Pentagon’s top weapons buyer already can describe how they’d work. – Politico
The War
A Yemeni military official says a U.S. drone strike has hit a house owned by a senior member of al-Qaida, killing five suspected militants. – Military Times
Trans-Pacific Partnership
Another round of negotiations toward a Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement begins today, and someone is missing from the conference in Leesburg, Virginia: Japan. This marks a major political failure on Tokyo’s part. It’s also an opportunity for any Japanese leader who cares to capitalize on it. – Wall Street Journal Asia (subscription)
