WASHINGTON: In the budget wars between the services, “hybrid threats” and “AirSea Battle” have become rallying buzzwords of two opposing camps. On one side, Army leaders talk of hybrid threats, whose blend of guerrilla tactics and high-tech weapons pose the greatest plausible threat on land, now that Soviet-style tank armies are extinct and the nation… Keep reading →

Frank Kendall confirmed by Senate as ATL last night. Also Jim Miller as undersecc policy and Kathleen hicks as Princ dep for policy colinclarkaol

Ayotte re sequestration (http://aol.it/K5YGSp): "It is the elephant in the room …. we cannot afford to kick this can to the lame-duck." SydneyFreedberg

CHICAGO: Where do we find the money to pay for defense in a time of austerity and how do we leave Afghanistan gracefully. That sums up the two main threads of the second NATO summit held in America. NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told reporters this morning that this is a “crucial summit at… Keep reading →

CHICAGO: Air shows and NATO summits deserve their own color coverage if only because they are often so much more interesting when viewed from the participant’s point of view, so here goes. First, in the interests of full disclosure, I am an unabashed Chicago lover and this summit looks, so far, to be good for… Keep reading →

We aren’t leaving Afghanistan — except, of course, to the extent we are. That’s the high-wire balancing act that the top commander in Afghanistan, Marine Gen. John Allen, had to perform in his remarks today ahead of the upcoming NATO conference in Chicago. “We will say to the Afghan people with one voice, ‘we are… Keep reading →

Pakistan reopens US supply lines to Afghanistan, drops demand for apology for friendly-fire deaths, gets more $$$: http://econ.st/LacJLL. SydneyFreedberg

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA: The Pentagon should brace for another $250 billion or more in cuts even if sequestration does not occur and must revolutionize how and what it buys, warned Hoss Cartwright, former vice-chairman of the Joint Staff, in a speech that savaged sacred cows from the Joint Strike Fighter to cybersecurity to the AirSea… Keep reading →

NO Pgon sequestration planning, sez spokes. WH "proposes over $4T in balanced deficit reduction" which Hill could adopt to avoid cuts. @colinclarkaol

HASC votes to restrict Administration’s ability to negotiate international "space code of conduct" — explained here:  http://bit.ly/JfscX1 SydneyFreedberg