Defense
House Republicans are beginning to discuss legislation that would prevent the Pentagon from lowering physical standards for women to ensure an ample number get accepted in the most arduous combat jobs in the infantry and special operations. – Washington Times
The U.S. Navy and Air Force of the next decade could be equipped with laser weaponry that’s small enough to outfit fighter jets, considerably bolstering U.S. defense capabilities, according to military reports from the Defense Department. – Washington Times
The potential budget hit produced by sequestration and the possibility that Congress uses another continuing resolution to fund the Pentagon for the rest of 2013 may hit the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) hard, the command’s leadership told an industry conference in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 29. – Defense News
Lawmakers have increasingly become open to the prospect that the cuts will, in fact, occur in 2013, after a two-month delay was included in the New Year’s Eve “fiscal-cliff” deal. – DEFCON Hill
The Marine Corps is developing a new force to help combatant commanders handle a variety of crises, including reinforcement missions and humanitarian assistance, the commandant said. – Military Times
Caught between the jagged coral of an ocean reef and Filipino environmental and political concerns, the U.S. Navy says it will cut up the trapped USS Guardian and take it away piece by piece. – Defense News
In his first interview since the Pentagon opened ground combat jobs to women, the commandant of the Marine Corps said some occupations may ultimately remain closed if only a small number qualify. – USA Today
Leveraging distant fires, creating opportunities for fourth generation success in a fifth generation engagement will be central to mission success. The Air Force role in the future fight looks to be as air combat manager, recalling the mission to Fly, Fight and Win. This will be done through the fifth generation-led revolution, not by older systems such as AWACS. – AOL Defense
It is time we stopped tossing around big budget numbers like chips in a poker game or pretending that magical reforms in Pentagon operations can yield huge savings quickly and painlessly. Possible savings mean changes in American military capability and, quite possibly, changes to U.S. national security. – Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
Missile Defense
44 has not shown the “flexibility” on missile defense issues with Russia that nearly a year ago he said would be possible were he to win re-election, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said in an interview with CNN last week. – Global Security Newswire
The U.S. Army should retain management of the Patriot antimissile program and not hand it over to the Pentagon’s Missile Defense Agency as had been previously considered, Inside Defense reported on Monday, citing the findings of a new expert report by RAND. – Global Security Newswire
Defense secretary-designate Chuck Hagel favors amending the defeated Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) that was rejected by the Senate in 1999 as unverifiable and against United States security interests. – Washington Free Beacon
The War
Defense lawyers for Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and four others accused of being accomplices in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, asked a military tribunal judge in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, on Tuesday to let them stay in prison with their clients for 48-hour periods every six months. But military prosecutors called that request unreasonable, saying the defense should be allowed only a single two-hour visit. – New York Times
The military judge presiding over the trial of the five men accused of organizing the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks declined Tuesday to explain a mysterious episode in which the audio and video feeds of the proceedings were severed. – Washington Post
With prison officials already overburdened, Judge Magnus-Stinson’s ruling will likely allow Lindh and the others to continue expanding their privileges at the expense of everyone else. – Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
Cybersecurity
Former Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl has backed off his staunch objection to a presidential executive order aimed at beefing up the nation’s cyberdefenses — a prospect he only months ago asserted would be unconstitutional overreach. – Politico
Foreign Armies East
Three advanced Chinese warships left port on Wednesday for naval drills and war games in the Western Pacific, and the fleet will likely pass through disputed waters in the East and South China Sea, state media said. – Reuters
The top commander of U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan believes government security forces have improved faster than expected and will be ready to take the lead in the 11-year-old war against the Taliban when foreign combat forces take a back seat this spring, just in time for the fighting season to begin. – Associated Press
French troops took control overnight of the airport at the last major northern Mali town still in rebel hands, officials said on Wednesday, after Islamist militants abandoned two other principal settlements in the vast, desert region where residents’ relief and elation has given way to some measure of reprisal and frustration. – New York Times
