DefenceTalkDuring a Senate hearing yesterday on President Barack Obama’s $9.5 billion military construction budget request for fiscal 2014, Defense Department Comptroller Robert F. Hale said the severe and abrupt budget cuts imposed by sequestration are devastating the U.S. armed forces. Hale and John Conger, acting deputy undersecretary of defense for installations and environment, testified on […]https://www.defencetalk.com/dod-comptroller-sequestration-devastates-u-s-military-readiness-47759/

DefenceTalkThe Defence Reform Bill announced in the Queen’s Speech in May 2013 will enable the Ministry of Defence to make radical changes to defence acquisition. The proposed reforms are significant. The Government wants to change Defence Equipment and Support, the body responsible for procuring and supporting defence equipment, into a Government-owned, Contractor-operated entity, known as […]https://www.defencetalk.com/in-brief-outsourcing-defence-procurement-47744/

DefenceTalkThe Defense Department worked closely with other federal agencies in support of the National Security Staff effort that generated the National Strategy for the Arctic Region released today, a senior Pentagon official said. Daniel Y. Chiu, deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy, said the strategy establishes a framework for future U.S. Arctic activities based […]https://www.defencetalk.com/official-explains-dods-role-in-national-arctic-strategy-47752/

DefenceTalkAustria has warned its 26 European Union partners in a letter against providing weapons for rebel movements in the Syrian conflict, said a press report to be published Tuesday. The foreign ministry in Vienna confirmed late Monday that a document had been handed over to the European Union in Brussels, but did not give details. […]https://www.defencetalk.com/austria-warns-against-arms-shipments-to-syrian-rebels-47763/

DefenceTalkDeputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter and Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, Djibouti’s minister of foreign affairs, agreed to establish a bilateral strategic and defense forum today during a meeting in Djibouti City, Djibouti. “The forum will provide a formal and enduring structure for discussing and coordinating issues of mutual concern between the two nations,” according to a […]https://www.defencetalk.com/u-s-djibouti-to-establish-strategic-defense-forum-47754/

DefenceTalkPlans to expand the American naval presence in the Pacific with new ships and hi-tech weaponry will go ahead despite steep budget cuts, the US Navy chief said before a trip to the region. Admiral Jonathan Greenert told AFP in an interview he will seek to “reassure” partners during a nine-day trip to Japan, Singapore […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-shift-to-asia-on-track-despite-budget-cuts-admiral-47720/

DefenceTalkA Defense Department report released today describes China’s military modernization and the Chinese army’s interaction with other forces, including those of the United States, a senior Pentagon official said today. The annual report — titled “2013 Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China” — went to Congress today and covers China’s security […]https://www.defencetalk.com/dod-report-on-china-details-military-modernization-47704/

DefenceTalkNATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen warned today that further cuts in defense spending by European nations risk reducing the continent’s defense and security to “hot air,” turning the alliance into what he called a “global spectator” rather than a real force on the world stage. “The only way to avoid this is by holding […]https://www.defencetalk.com/nato-secretary-general-warns-europe-on-defense-cuts-47710/

DefenceTalkThe long-term interests of the defense industry and the Defense Department are aligned, Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter said during a May 3 awards ceremony in McLean, Va. At the ceremony, Carter received the Eisenhower Award from the National Defense Industrial Association. The award recognizes leadership and strategic impact at the highest levels of national […]https://www.defencetalk.com/carter-defense-industry-interests-align-with-those-of-dod-47708/

DefenceTalkThe Pentagon plans to cut its vast civilian workforce by 5-6 percent over the next five years to match similar reductions in the number of US troops, Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Tuesday. “These reductions are largely proportional to military end strength reductions that we proposed,” Carter said at the National Press Club in […]https://www.defencetalk.com/pentagon-plans-to-cut-civilian-workforce-47722/