Defense
The Pentagon continued its ongoing dialogue with industry last week. But unlike previous discussions about the impact of deep defense budget cuts scheduled to go into effect in January, this meeting emphasized how to manage those spending reductions. – Defense News
The U.S. Air Force fleet of B-2 stealth bombers will be getting an upgrade, courtesy of a new contract with Northrop Grumman. – Defense News
Whether or not America’s politicians can find a way to sidestep the brutal automatic military cuts of sequestration, the era of rising Western spending on weapons and wars is over. That reality increasingly is challenging major arms manufacturers, spurring them to look for new markets, cost cuts and mergers. – Reuters
The War
The alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks appeared in court Monday at the Guantanamo Bay prison for a week of pretrial motions that are expected to touch on claims of torture at secret CIA sites and the public’s right to unfettered access to the proceedings. – Washington Post
Cybersecurity
A variant of the cyber espionage viruses that have infected targets across the Middle East has been discovered, raising fears that researchers have only begun to scratch the surface of cyber warfare being waged in the region. – Financial Times
