Israel

CBO To Army: Scrap Ground Combat Vehicle, Buy German Puma (BREAKING)

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[updated] WASHINGTON: The Army’s proposed Ground Combat Vehicle would offer less combat power, at a higher cost, than buying the German-made Puma already in production or even just upgrading the Army’s existing M2 Bradley, according to the Congressional Budget Office. CBO issued a report today assessing different alternatives to upgrade Army heavy brigades‘ infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs), tank-like war machines with tracks and turrets designed to carry troops into combat.

[Click here for the GCV contractors BAE and General Dynamics critiquing the CBO report] Keep reading →

Published April 2, 2013 at 4:45 PM

Iranian Nuke Talks At Almaty Require Brinkmanship Of Highest Order

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WASHINGTON: Long-awaited talks between the world’s six most powerful nations and Iran are set for February 26 in the mountain city of Almaty in Kazakhstan.

The question is, are the two sides ready to bridge the considerable rift dividing them and actually negotiate? This has not happened in a decade of diplomacy that started in 2003 amid fears Iran was secretly building nuclear weapons. Keep reading →

Published February 13, 2013 at 3:00 PM

Hagel SecDef Vote Subject Of Fierce Partisan Mudslinging; Now To Senate Floor

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CAPITOL HILL: In one of the least salubrious displays of partisan rancor in a long time on the Senate Armed Services Committee, the defense policy panel sent Chuck Hagel’s nomination to the Senate floor on a straight party-line vote, 14-11.

In a hearing that, at times, had faint echoes of the infamous anti-Communist witch hunt hearings dominated by Sen. Joseph McCarthy, Democrats praised Hagel for his service in Vietnam while Republicans berated him as left of center, a possible friend of Iran, a possible enemy of Israel, and someone who just wouldn’t tell them what they wanted to hear. Keep reading →

Published February 12, 2013 at 7:00 PM

Levin: Senate Must Confirm Hagel Quickly As North Korean Threat Mounts

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Sen. Levin praises #Hagel with vote soon for his support for Israel, stand on Iran. Sez #NorthKorean test etc bad time for no SecDef now @colinclarkaol

Published February 12, 2013 at 3:09 PM

Turkey, Syria, And Missile Defense: In Praise Of The Patriot

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As the civil war in Syria escalates and threatens to overspill its borders, the US has held its hand from intervening — but not from reinforcing its frontline ally Turkey. We bring you this op-ed in praise of the Patriot missile’s role in Mideast Peace from former Rep. Geoff Davis, a former Army officer. Mr. Davis has no business connection to Patriot manufacturer Raytheon or to other companies working on the system, which is currently a contender for Turkey’s own missile defense program.

The news that the United States will send two Patriot missile batteries and 400 troops to Turkey to bolster defenses against incoming artillery from the escalating civil war in neighboring Syria is a testament both to our commitment to our allies and to our military’s readiness to deploy. It is also a testament to the success of Patriot as a proven missile system to deter attacks. Keep reading →

Published January 3, 2013 at 6:00 AM

Romney Will Cut DoD Civilians, Boost Navy: Zakheim & Zakheim

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WASHINGTON: Dov Zakheim and Roger Zakheim, the father-and-son team of national security advisors to the Romney campaign, fenced with skeptical reporters this morning about what their candidate would actually do differently from the Obama administration.

The big things, in brief: boost Navy shipbuilding by 66 percent; slash the civil service workforce at the Defense Department; show no “daylight” between the US and Israel on Iran; and arm the Syrian rebels. The Zakheims emphasized, however, that the Romney defense buildup would not happen all at once but would scale up as the economy recovers — and it isn’t that different from the administration’s own totals, anyway. Keep reading →

Published October 11, 2012 at 12:10 PM

Chinese Air Force Tries Hard But Plays Catch-Up With US; Watch PLA Espionage

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NATIONAL HARBOR: China‘s air force is laboring mightily to improve both its planes and its personnel — causing much American concern– but it has a long way yet to go.

The People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) is becoming “much smaller but much more technologically sophisticated,” said Phillip Saunders, director of the Center for the Study of Chinese Military Affairs at National Defense University, in a talk Monday afternoon at the Air Force Association’s annual conference here. Keep reading →

Published September 18, 2012 at 1:45 PM

Iran Attack Could Be Game-Changer For Defense Stocks

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In the latest evidence that bad news for everyone else can often be good news for military contractors, defense investors are perking up as rumors spread that Israel might attack Iran’s nuclear complex in the Autumn.

Any new Middle East war would give a boost to the stocks of military suppliers, while also making equities in other sectors look less attractive as broader markets responded to a likely spike in oil prices. Keep reading →

Published September 4, 2012 at 4:06 PM

Iran Boosts Enriched Uranium Production, Says UN’s IAEA

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Iran has significantly increased the amount of uranium it is enriching at a level close to weapon-grade and is sanitizing a site where it is suspected of doing bomb-related experiments, according to a classified UN nuclear watchdog report released Thursday and obtained by Breaking Defense.

Iran continues to block inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) from doing the work they need to guarantee that Iran does not seek the bomb, This comes at a time when Israel is wrestling with the question of whether to attack Iran in order to neutralize its nuclear program. Keep reading →

Published August 30, 2012 at 8:00 PM

Top Three National Security Issues For Our Next President: Attention Convention Attendees

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Breaking Defense commissioned this article from the CEO of the Truman National Security Project, Rachel Kleinfeld, to help prod both the GOP and Democrats into some vigorous and open discussion about national security issues. You may hate the ideas expressed here or love them, but we think you’ll react to them — which is the whole point. The Editor.

As the political parties convene in Tampa and Charlotte for pre-game huddles, the American people might want to look beyond the trash talk and victory dances. What should be the first plays our next Commander-in-Chief runs? Keep reading →

Published August 30, 2012 at 5:00 AM
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