Defense
The U.S. House passed legislation on Sept. 13 aimed at avoiding deep defense cuts — but it appears the bill has reached a dead end. – Defense News
The top Republican on the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee signaled he is ready to sacrifice favored items to avoid new Pentagon spending cuts. – Defense News
Republican senators took to the floor Thursday to criticize 44′s lack of a plan to prevent automatic cuts to Pentagon spending. – DEFCON Hill
Navy undersecretary Robert Work fired a salvo in the budget wars Wednesday, taking swipes at the Army while extolling the Navy-Marine Corps team as ideally suited for the post-Afghanistan, Pacific-focused strategy – AOL Defense
Boeing renewed its campaign to bash Lockheed Martin’s F-35 and promote its F-18 fighters [Thursday], as the president of Boeing Military Aircraft slammed the Joint Strike Fighter while noting declining defense budgets here and abroad. – AOL Defense
The White House will deliver to Congress on Friday a report on possible deep year-end automatic spending cuts, spokesman Jay Carney said on Thursday. – Reuters
Interview: The following is an edited transcript of the conversation, in which Donley offers his thoughts on sequestration, the Air Force’s plans to buy new weapons, the shift to Asia, and the meaning of Air-Sea Battle. – Foreign Policy
Rep. Randy Forbes (R-VA) writes: It has now been over a year since the Air Force and Navy signed a memorandum of understanding for implementing the AirSea Battle (ASB) limited operational concept….Where does this process stand today? Two areas that deserve further consideration are the influence of the AirSea Battle Office in implementing the concept and the office’s broader strategic communications plan. – AOL Defense
It is at times like this that the erosion of American sea power is most apparent. Today, the U.S. Navy is the smallest it has been since 1916 and is stretched thin beyond prudence and good operational sense. We should all hope that the United States will not need to evacuate American citizens or use force to defend them, for if we do, we may very well regret the neglect of sea power. – Shadow Government
Nuclear Weapons
Defense and foreign ministry officials from NATO’s 28 member nations are meeting in the capital of Slovakia this week to quietly explore how they will pursue nuclear deterrence policies embraced last May at an alliance summit in Chicago. – Global Security Newswire
Missile Defense
Aegis-anchored ballistic missile defense (BMD) systems are proving to be worthwhile investments for protection in the Pacific, says a recent report by the National Research Council ( NRC ) released on Sept. 11. – Aviation Week
Intelligence
The balance of power between the White House and Capitol Hill on intelligence has shifted dramatically to the administration’s favor in recent years, leading lawmakers responsible for oversight of the intelligence community exceedingly to defer to the executive branch. – DEFCON Hill
Cybersecurity
Sens. John McCain (R-AZ), Kay Baily Hutchison (R-TX), and Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) write: The democratic process ensures that Congress and the president work together, while listening to all those affected by their actions, to find the solution that’s in the best interests of the American people. We call on the president to follow this process and work with Congress to pass sound cybersecurity legislation. – Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
