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Think Tank Calls Budget Cuts an Opportunity to Reform Military
Tweet Share on Facebook May 25, 2012 CommentDespite dire warnings about U.S. military funding cuts, one prominent Washington think tank says fewer dollars give the Pentagon a chance to make sweeping changes to sustain America's warring dominance.
The Defense Department is implementing a $450 billion reduction to planned spending over the next decade, and could be forced to take out close to $500 billion more over the same span if Congress fails to pass a $1.2 trillion debt-paring deal this year.
But the Center for a New American Security sees an opportunity, for the Pentagon and its industry and congressional allies, in an otherwise negative situation.
"In order to sustain U.S. military pre-eminence in an emerging strategic environment characterized by new threats and constrained resources, the Department of Defense will need to organize and operate America's armed forces in new ways," states a new CNAS report. "The reality of constrained defense budgets presents DOD with an opportunity to adopt reforms that will make the U.S. military more effective as well as less expensive."
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For Egypt's Brotherhood, Governing Will Be A Different Task
Tweet Share on Facebook May 25, 2012 CommentWith the Muslim Brotherhood poised to gain control over Egypt's parliament and presidency, experts are quick to note governing is much harder than political rabble rousing.
On Friday, Mohammed Morsi, the Brotherhood candidate, advanced to a runoff election slated for next month in the north African nation's first true open and competitive presidential election. Experts say Morsi is most likely to face former leftist prime minister Ahmed Shafiq, who was close to ousted leader Hosni Mubarak.
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Lockheed: F-35 Oxygen System 'Very Different' Than Troubled Sibling
Tweet Share on Facebook May 25, 2012 CommentThe fighter jet fleet in which the Pentagon has staked its future is equipped with a "very different" oxygen system than the one that has plagued the F-22, its Lockheed Martin sibling.
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Obama's Iran Options: Talk, Threaten or Attack
Tweet Share on Facebook May 24, 2012 CommentTalks between Iran and six of the world's most powerful nations ended Tuesday without a deal on Tehran's nuclear program, but the two sides agreed to meet next month in Moscow.
Iranian officials balked at Western powers' insistence that it suspend domestic uranium enrichment, but Catherine Ashton, European Union foreign policy chief, says "there is some common ground," according to wire reports from Baghdad. Iranian officials say the Western proposal was "unbalanced," and insisted Iran has a right under an international nuclear treaty to enrich its own uranium, according to wire reports.
As the two sides retreat to neutral corners, national security experts say President Barack Obama has several options—but none of them very good.
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F-22's Oxygen Issues Raise Questions About F-35
Tweet Share on Facebook May 24, 2012 CommentLockheed Martin remains mum about whether an oxygen system flaw on its F-22 fighter might also plague its sibling, the F-35, but defense analysts say there are reasons to worry.
After a dozen incidents of F-22 pilots losing consciousness mid-flight, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta placed restrictions last week on the Air Force's Raptor fleet amid safety concerns. Panetta has restricted the distances the advanced jets can fly and ordered a fleet-wide installation of an automatic backup oxygen system.
While defense insiders say those restrictions aren't that confining, military experts say similar problems might hit the F-35 fighter, also made by Lockheed.
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As Talks Begin, Iranian And Western Negotiators Have Opposing Goals
Tweet Share on Facebook May 23, 2012 CommentDespite a proposal over Tehran's nuclear arms program being offered Wednesday in Baghdad, distance remains between Western and Iranian negotiators, indicating a deal could be months away.
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U.S. Lawmakers Threaten Pakistan Over Bin Laden Treason Case
Tweet Share on Facebook May 23, 2012 CommentTwo prominent U.S. senators on Wednesday slammed Pakistani officials for handing down a harsh sentence for a doctor who helped nab Osama bin Laden, rekindling bad blood between the reluctant partners.
A Pakistani court sentenced Shakil Afridi to 33 years in prison on a treason charge. McClatchy reported last summer that Afridi set up a fake health program in Abbottabad, Pakistan, that sent workers around to homes in an effort to obtain bin Laden's DNA. The sentence comes just days after President Obama opted against a one-on-one meeting with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari during the three-day NATO summit in Chicago. Some Pakistani officials and experts have called the move a very public diplomatic snub.
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Is Yemen Becoming Vietnam, Circa 1963?
Tweet Share on Facebook May 23, 2012 CommentU.S. military aircraft hammered enemy targets, and small numbers of American troops provided training and operational advice to allied forces. That was Vietnam in the early 1960s, but it also describes Yemen today as the Obama administration steps up counter-terrorism efforts against al Qaeda's most lethal cell.
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Iran Grasps for Leverage Ahead of Nuclear Talks
Tweet Share on Facebook May 22, 2012 CommentIran's decision to allow U.N. officials to inspect an alleged nuclear weapons site is an attempt to secure leverage over western officials on the eve of high-level talks and perhaps avert a European Union oil embargo, national security officials say.
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Grading Obama's NATO Summit Performance
Tweet Share on Facebook May 22, 2012 CommentPresident Barack Obama and his foreign policy team secured several wins at the just-completed NATO summit in Chicago, including a green-lighted missile defense project and an alliance commitment to Afghanistan. But the president suffered some setbacks, too, like a failure to get specific euro commitments to help pay for Afghanistan's security forces.
U.S. News & World Report asked the Atlantic Council's Barry Pavel and the American Security Project's Joshua Foust to grade the Obama administration performance at the three-day global powwow on several key issues. (Each grade factors in the scores handed out by Pavel and Foust, with a dash of DOTMIL's own grading.)
