Defense Secretary Leon Panetta issued what he said is a “clarion call” Thursday for Americans to wake up to the growing …
Leon Panetta
Countdown to Sequestration: Three Months to Go
The impending cut of $1.2 trillion in deficit spending has given Congress the vapors. Its members have hustled back home, seeking re-election for the great job they’ve done on behalf of their constituents. Is this a great …
“I am really thankful to Jay [Leno] for his willingness to put this little Italian car up for sale. As [Army General and Chief of Staff] Ray [Odierno] said, it's Odierno, it's Panetta, it's Leno, you better damn well bid on this Italian car and make it a good bid.”
“Sequestration is this crazy-named, nutty process that was put in place in order to force Congress to do the right thing. They put a gun to their head in order to do the right thing. And then when they fail to do the right thing, they're ready to pull the trigger.”
Reported Shortcomings
Last week, the Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee were upset to learn that the Pentagon had imposed a 10-page limit on most reports to Congress. Rep. Howard McKeon, R-Calif., the chairman, complained in a letter to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta that the guidance “reeks of obstructionism, a lack of transparency, and …
Kiwis Ask: Hey, Where Is Everybody?
TOKYO – In a gesture of friendship and goodwill toward an obscure former ally, warships from New Zealand have been granted special, private berthing privileges for a major naval exercise now underway in Hawaii. And wouldn’t …
Suicides Eclipse Car Crashes as Top Non-Combat Cause of U.S. Troop Deaths
For years, motor-vehicle accidents have killed more U.S. troops than any other non-combat cause. There have been safe-driving campaigns on military posts since troops and transportation first got together. “Many military members are young, single, male, and high-school educated,” the Pentagon’s Medical Surveillance Monthly Report …
Sequestration or Not, Defense Budget to Continue Its Decline
While many in Washington assume that Congress will solve sequestration by the end of the year–the problem Congress created when the Super Committee failed–recent comments by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) indicate …
“I'm the first secretary of defense to visit Cam Ranh Bay since the war…And the fact that this ship is here in Cam Ranh Bay and that it is being serviced by contractors here at this location, and the repair work is being done by our Vietnamese friends, that is a tremendous indication of how far we have come in that relationship over these many years.”
“Delicate Dance” for Panetta in China’s Backyard
TOKYO – When U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta arrives in Singapore this week to talk about containing China – and that’s really what this trip is all about — he’ll find plenty of support from friends in the region. …
“You experienced some defining moments together as a class. You celebrated as plebes, when a few of you pulled off a daring spirit mission, building an unmanned aerial vehicle, flying it over the superintendent's house at night, and using it to place a hat on top of the chapel dome. Hell, I could have used you at the CIA.”
Budget Brain Freeze
Having been away for the past week, it’s nice to come back and see nothing on the looming defense-budget battle front has gotten any better, despite the iceberg of sequestration looming ahead of the USS Pentagon. In fact, it has gotten worse:
— House Armed Services Committee chairman Howard McKeon sent a letter to Defense …
“These days, it takes only seconds for one picture to suddenly become an international headline. And those headlines can impact the mission we’re engaged in, they can put your fellow service members at risk, they can hurt morale, and they can damage our standing in the world.”