The commander-in-chief is the top guy in the U.S. military. The Pentagon is at his beck and call, and salutes smartly when summoned to do his (for now) bidding.
That’s why the Pentagon’s re-do on the President’s personal …
2%
— The size of the North Korean economy compared to South Korea's.
Pentagon Budgeting: Calendar Daze
Wednesday is the day the Pentagon rolls out its budget proposal for the coming 2014 fiscal year, which will begin Oct. 1.
At least the start of the new fiscal year is one date you can count on.
The Obama Administration is …
“I would cut ground forces to resolutely avoid land wars in the Eurasian continent…I would probably cut the size of the tactical air force somewhat. I think the F-35 buy really needs to be pared back substantially, partially because we are going to have to operate from a longer distance -- certainly from the Pacific, and other places in the world, as well – in the case of the Pacific because our forward bases are going to be increasingly vulnerable to Chinese capabilities…I would stop building carriers because I think they are going to be more vulnerable. I would encourage the Chinese to build a lot of carriers [with a wink, to a Chinese official].”
— Harold Brown, defense secretary from 1977 to 1981 under President Jimmy Carter, when asked at a Center for National Policy luncheon Tuesday how he would cut today’s Pentagon budget.
Recruiting is a Tough Business
Enticing young Americans to sign up for the all-volunteer military is one of the toughest jobs in uniform.
Just ask any recruiter – or his or her family.
$565,128,853
— The size of the Army contract, here, boosted by $192 million Tuesday, to McCann World Group Inc., of New York, N.Y. It’s “for professional marketing and advertising services in support of personnel recruitment and retention programs throughout the Army.” And you thought shrinking the Army meant it wouldn’t have to spend a half-billion-dollars getting, and keeping, people in uniform.
Eggs-in-One-Basket Dept.
From an armed services committee hearing Tuesday:
SENATOR LINDSEY GRAHAM R-S.C.: If you looked out over a 10-year window and sequestration was fully implemented, we would have 232 ships left in the Navy a decade from now. Is …
Transiting Towards Iran
Marines stand watch April 5 on the USS Kearsarge in the Suez Canal en route to the Persian Gulf.
“The North Korean media made no mention of the U.S. announcement earlier this week that it was delaying an ICBM missile test so as not to worsen tension. That is the first time in a month that the North has not registered a U.S. military announcement. The failure to acknowledge the announcement means the North Korean leaders have no interest in easing tension; no desire to de-escalate. They are closed to crisis avoidance messages.”
— John McCreary, former veteran Defense Intelligence Agency analyst, in his latest independent NightWatch blog post.
Navy Resurrecting Old Form of Punishment?
It’s tough to tell from this contract solicitation posted by the Navy on Wednesday. But it’s from the Naval Supply Systems Command’s NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center Norfolk, which last time we checked is home to a lot of U.S. …
China’s North Korea Irritation
Just how steadfast is China’s support of North Korea?
It is a question that has been asked by outsiders since the Korean Peninsula was divided after World War II. Given the secrecy of the two allies, concrete answers are …
Hunting Down Bad Guys: China vs. the U.S.
A pair of ostensibly unrelated New York Times‘ stories recently jumped out at me.
Understand, the paper itself made no attempt to link the two.
What struck me was just how calmly the Times reported 3,000 (!) targeted …
The New U.S. Way of War: Killing in the Shadows
The U.S. government post-9/11 has taken to hiding military missions – not only from the U.S. public (“War in Pakistan? What war in Pakistan?) but also from those it seeks to kill, in order to prevent another such attack. …