CORRECTED: We Inflated The Value of Digital Globe’s Most Recent Government Contract San Antonio: You can smell the fear and worry here at the annual Geoint conference. The budget cuts that Director of National Intelligence Jim Clapper outlined yesterday may be as deep as $40 billion over the next 10 years, sources here say. The… Keep reading →

The nuclear-powered submarine USS Florida was lying in wait, quietly submerged off the Libyan coast, when the order came from then-Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to launch its cruise missiles.It was the evening of March 19. Two days before, the U.N. Security Council had unanimously voted to approve Resolution 1973, authorizing a no-fly zone over… Keep reading →

UPDATED San Antonio: After a decade of enormous budget increases the American intelligence community’s budget will probably decline by billions of dollars, Director of National Intelligence Jim Clapper said here. Clapper told more than 3,000 people at the annual Geoint conference that the intelligence community’s budget had been handed in to the White House’s Office… Keep reading →

Washington: Just as the Navy is planning to take on a larger strategic role in regional hot spots around the world, the service is considering massive fleet reductions — including a two-year delay on its new aircraft carrier — as part of its upcoming budget plan. The Navy may cut nine cruisers and three amphibious… Keep reading →

With the Tea Party ready to pounce and the Speaker of the House adamantly against raising taxes, House Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon apparently has seen the light and has decided he will not raise taxes to forestall further defense budget cuts. Speaking at a defense budget forum in a Capitol Hill restaurant today,… Keep reading →

Washington: The Army is looking hard at a new version of its Shadow aerial drone that can fly much longer and carry more. The Shadow M2, being built by Textron Systems, features a fuselage that is five times bigger than the current version. That bigger fuselage will allow the drone to carry twice as much… Keep reading →

Until Tuesday Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta had been describing Pentagon budget cuts beyond the $450 billion over 10 years he and President Obama have already committed to in apocalyptic terms: “doomsday,” “catastrophic,” and “shooting ourselves in the head” to describe any cuts in the Pentagon’s budget. But on Tuesday, a new Leon Panetta was… Keep reading →

Washington: If you want proof that budgets are getting tighter and the Pentagon gets the message, just look at the last two days. One system is dead and two are badly wounded, potentially totaling cuts of more than $22 billion. The Army made it sort of official yesterday that the Enhanced Medium Altitude Reconnaissance and… Keep reading →

The Army has launched a major effort to strengthen its seven thousand infantry squads — an effort that will require overcoming cultural and bureaucratic resistance to succeed. Light-infantry traditionalists will have to get over their longstanding suspicion of digital technology both on the battlefield and in training, which will increasingly rely on simulations. Tech geeks… Keep reading →

Washington: Despite drastic changes made by the Army and the Marine Corps to the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle program, defense companies are still struggling to get costs under control, according to an industry official. Kathryn Hasse, JLTV program manager for Lockheed Martin, said costs for the new combat truck continue to be the program’s “most… Keep reading →