Air Force Leaders Exits ‘Business As Usual, Experts Say; Roper Rumors

Air Force Leaders Exits ‘Business As Usual, Experts Say; Roper Rumors
Air Force Leaders Exits ‘Business As Usual, Experts Say; Roper Rumors

Outgoing AF acquisition head Will Roper is rumored “to be in the mix” to take DoD acquisition czar Ellen Lord’s place, along with CSIS’s Andrew Hunter.

Congress Must Kill Sequester To Pay For Pacific Pivot: CSIS

Congress Must Kill Sequester To Pay For Pacific Pivot: CSIS
Congress Must Kill Sequester To Pay For Pacific Pivot: CSIS

WASHINGTON: If the United States is serious about “rebalancing” to Asia, it needs to invest some serious cash. Strategic small change won’t deter China or reassure our increasingly anxious allies, says a new report from the influential Center for Strategic & International Studies. And that means the CSIS study’s sponsor — Congress — must get its…

Cyber Subs: A Decisive Edge For High-Tech War?

Cyber Subs: A Decisive Edge For High-Tech War?
Cyber Subs: A Decisive Edge For High-Tech War?

THE FUTURE: Imagine you’re a Chinese high commander, taking stock at the outbreak of the next great war. All your aides and computer displays tell you the same thing: For hundreds of miles out into the Western Pacific, the sea and sky are yours. They are covered by the overlapping threat zones of your long-range land-based missiles, your…

Post Election: Kendall Glum On Chances To Scrap Sequestration

Post Election: Kendall Glum On Chances To Scrap Sequestration
Post Election: Kendall Glum On Chances To Scrap Sequestration

UPDATED: AEI’s Eaglen Argues Mini Budget Deal Likely DSAN DIEGO: The day after an election should be about hope. It should be — except maybe for the losers — a time to celebrate possibilities. Well, so much for the couple of hours of slumbering hope we all had after going to bed late last night. Frank…

Army Should Build Ship-Killer Missiles: Rep. Randy Forbes

Army Should Build Ship-Killer Missiles: Rep. Randy Forbes
Army Should Build Ship-Killer Missiles: Rep. Randy Forbes

WASHINGTON: China has an arsenal of long-range ship-killing missiles, based on land but able to hit US warships hundreds of miles offshore. Now the chairman of the House seapower subcommittee suggests we give them a taste of their own “anti-access/area denial” medicine. Why shouldn’t the US Army develop its own land-based anti-ship missile force? Rep.…

Dueling ISIL Ops Costs Estimates: $3B Or $15B A Year?

Dueling ISIL Ops Costs Estimates: $3B Or $15B A Year?
Dueling ISIL Ops Costs Estimates: $3B Or $15B A Year?

UPDATED: Former Defense OMB Head Begs To Differ On Estimates CORRECTED Adams’ Estimate Is For A Year, Not A Month WASHINGTON: The Pentagon has been pegging the operations against the terror group known as ISIL at $7 million to $10 million a day. If you extrapolate that across a year it comes very close to…

LRS-B, Next Boomer May Force Weapons Cuts

LRS-B, Next Boomer May Force Weapons Cuts
LRS-B, Next Boomer May Force Weapons Cuts

WASHINGTON: It won’t happen tomorrow, but the Pentagon may have to start eating its young to pay for two of the most expensive weapons in US history: the Air Force’s Long Range Strike bomber and the Navy’s replacement for the Ohio class nuclear missile submarine. That’s the estimation of Todd Harrison, the top budget expert…

‘My Last Ship Was Older Than I Was’: Sailor Quizzes SecDef On New SSBNs

‘My Last Ship Was Older Than I Was’: Sailor Quizzes SecDef On New SSBNs
‘My Last Ship Was Older Than I Was’: Sailor Quizzes SecDef On New SSBNs

KINGS BAY NAVAL SUBMARINE BASE, GEORGIA: Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel came here Wednesday to celebrate the Navy’s nuclear deterrence force. But just 20 minutes in, a petty officer second class stood up in front of almost 200 of his comrades and pointed out the $95 billion elephant in the room: Can the Navy afford to…

Furlough Inferno: The Crazy Inconsistencies Of A Government Shutdown

Furlough Inferno: The Crazy Inconsistencies Of A Government Shutdown
Furlough Inferno: The Crazy Inconsistencies Of A Government Shutdown

WASHINGTON: This summer’s unpaid leave for federal workers was unpleasant enough. If the government shuts down October 1st, though, this fall’s furloughs are just going to be crazy. A patchwork of legal exceptions and grey areas will not only prevent most federal civilians from getting work done but, indirectly, keep many military servicemembers from getting…

Army Fights To Keep Heavy Armored Brigades; GCV At Stake

[updated with quote from Army source] WASHINGTON: The battle over the Army’s Ground Combat Vehicle isn’t only about one war machine and what it may weigh (80-plus tons) or cost ($13 some million). It’s just one front in a larger war over the Army’s armored heart and its role in the nation’s strategy. As budgets…