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Washington CNN —The Pentagon has begun to limit who across the government receives its highly classified daily intelligence briefs following a major leak of classified information discovered last week. All the email lists have been reviewed, a senior defense official said, and some restrictions may only be temporary. Everyone on the lists had proper clearance, but not everyone needs to receive that information daily, the official added. Previously, slides from the Joint Staff briefing deck could be accessed by hundreds, if not thousands, of people across the government, officials said. “Having to scale that distribution back, even temporarily, is a bitter pill,” said the source familiar with internal joint staff deliberations.

☆ Opinion: The revolving door access to state secrets has to end
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Brett Bruen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The US national security team is once more ignominiously living out the line made famous by pop star Britney Spears after finding itself back in the uncomfortable position of watching state secrets ping-pong around the internet. As a veteran of the National Security Council and State Department, I have a couple of ideas about what we need to change to get Spears’ song off repeat. Indeed, whatever the cause of this latest breach, it should galvanize us to shut the revolving door of access to our most sensitive secrets. For starters, there should be a minimum time commitment from those appointed to high political office. This turnover creates massive disruptions and gaps in our national security structure.

☆ The Pentagon’s Purported Classified-Document Leak: The Biggest Takeaways and Questions So Far
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Nancy A. Youssef | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

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☆ About That ‘Record’ Defense Budget
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The White House is touting President Biden’s U.S. military budget for fiscal 2024 as a record, and Mr. Biden is betting busy Americans won’t look past the headlines. The truth is that he’s asking for a real defense cut, even as the U.S. is waking up late to a world of new threats. The Pentagon’s budget request may seem large at $842 billion. But the figure is only a 3.2% increase over last year, and with inflation at 6% it means a decline in buying power. Compare the 3.2% growth with the double-digit increases for domestic accounts: 19% for the Environmental Protection Agency; 13.6% for both the Education and Energy Departments; 11.5% for Health and Human Services.

☆ Military Contractors Square Off Over F-35 Jet Engine Program
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Brody Mullins | Ted Mann | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

GE is lobbying Congress to fund an alternative engine for the Pentagon’s F-35 jet fighter. WASHINGTON—One of the biggest lobbying clashes in recent years is heating up again: the fight to fund an alternate engine to power the Pentagon’s F-35 jet fighter. More than a decade ago, engine-maker Pratt & Whitney and its allies in Congress won out over General Electric Co. to be the exclusive supplier for the next-generation fighter. Now GE is once again lobbying Congress to provide billions of dollars to fund an alternative engine it would build, citing what it calls the flaws in Pratt’s engine.

☆ Gen. Mark Milley in Syria to Support U.S. Troops
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Gordon Lubold | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at a logistics base in northeastern Syria on Saturday. NORTHEAST Syria—The Pentagon’s top officer made an unannounced visit to the U.S. mission in northeastern Syria Saturday in a show of confidence for American operations against Islamic State. Army Gen. Mark Milley , chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, made a brief stop at a logistics base to talk with troops and commanders as he prepares recommendations for the future of the Pentagon’s operations in Syria.

☆ Pentagon’s Unidentified-Object Office Is Underfunded, Senators Say
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Nancy A. Youssef | Lindsay Wise | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Pentagon office set up to detect and identify mysterious objects, such as the three shot down by the U.S. jet fighters over the past week, was mistakenly underfunded, said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, the New York Democrat who pushed to create the office. The Pentagon last year established the classified All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, or AARO, from legislative language Ms. Gillibrand and Sen. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) put in the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2022.

WASHINGTON—House Republicans held a pair of hearings Tuesday to weigh how best to counter Beijing’s economic and military power, including the Pentagon’s response to the suspected Chinese surveillance balloon shot down Saturday by the Air Force. China represents “the single greatest threat to America’s global standing,” said Rep. Patrick McHenry (R., N.C.) the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, at the start of a hearing about China’s economic threats.

☆ Military Chip Maker Mercury Systems Up For Sale
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Doug Cameron | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

One of the Pentagon’s top manufacturers of microchips is up for sale, just as the defense industry faces a shortage of crucial semiconductors that executives said could stretch for another two years. Mercury Systems Inc. said its board has launched a strategic review, a move widely viewed by analysts as a precursor to a possible sale after activist investors pushed for change at the Andover, Mass.,-based company.

☆ Inside the Biden administration's decision to reverse course and give tanks to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Courtney-Kube-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Courtney Kube | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

When he announced his decision to provide Abrams tanks to Ukraine, President Joe Biden made a point to say Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had recommended the move. Biden wasn’t initially sold on sending the tanks, despite pressure to do so to give cover to Germany to send Ukraine some Leopard 2 tanks, the officials said. But because Germany had said it would send Leopards to Ukraine if the U.S. agreed to commit tanks, too, the U.S. promise of a future delivery opened the door for Germany to send tanks to Ukraine now. In the case of the tanks, U.S. military leaders argued the Leopards and the U.K.’s Challengers were much better options. Military leaders, namely Milley, also have been more publicly vocal about the importance of potential talks to end the war.

Despite German efforts to pressure the U.S. into providing Abrams tanks to Ukraine, the Pentagon’s top leaders are against sending them, three U.S. officials said. At the same time, the officials said President Joe Biden would not pressure Germany to send the Leopard tanks to Ukraine. Asked Friday about sending Abrams tanks to Ukraine, Biden was noncommittal. They also have argued they are not the right vehicles for the fight in Ukraine right now, according to the officials. Artur Widak / AP fileU.S. officials said opposition within the Biden administration to sending Abrams tanks to Ukraine is not due to concerns Russia would see the move as escalatory.

Three active-duty U.S. Marines were arrested and charged this week with breaching the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, the latest in a line of current or former members of the military associated with the riot. All three men have been enlisted in the Marines for more than four years, according to a Marine Corps spokesman. Micah Coomer, circled in red, Dodge Dale Hellonen, circled in blue, and Joshua Abate at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. "We are aware of an investigation and the allegations," a Marine Corps spokesperson said. "The Marine Corps is fully cooperating with the appropriate authorities in support of the investigation."

☆ U.S. and Germany head for showdown over tanks for Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Ukraine pleaded on Thursday for the West to finally send it heavy tanks as the defense chiefs of the U.S. and Germany headed for a showdown over weapons that Kyiv says could decide the fate of the war. But the meeting’s success could depend on whether it brings heavy tanks, which Kyiv says it needs to fend off Russian assaults and recapture occupied land. “The question of tanks for Ukraine must be closed as soon as possible,” he said. Britain added to the pressure by breaking the taboo on heavy tanks last week, offering a squadron from its fleet of Challengers, though far fewer of these are available than Leopards. Opening his meeting Pistorius, Austin described Germany as one of Washington’s closest allies and thanked it for its support for Ukraine so far.

☆ Air Force, Marine Generals Seen as Top Picks for Joint Chiefs Job
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Nancy A. Youssef | Gordon Lubold | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Army Gen. Mark Milley found himself a target of critics on the right and the left during his time as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. WASHINGTON—President Biden is considering two service chiefs and the head of the U.S. cyber defense command to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in what will be the president’s biggest opportunity to date to shape U.S. military leadership. Air Force Gen. Charles “CQ” Brown, the Air Force chief of staff, and Gen. David Berger, the Marine Corps commandant, are leading candidates to succeed Army Gen. Mark Milley as the Pentagon’s top officer when his four-year appointment ends Sept. 30. Army Gen. Paul Nakasone , who serves as both head of U.S. Cyber Command and the director of the National Security Agency, also is a contender, U.S. and defense officials said.

☆ Pentagon drops Covid-19 vaccination mandate for troops
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon formally dropped its Covid-19 vaccination mandate Tuesday, but a new memo signed by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also gives commanders some discretion in how or whether to deploy troops who are not vaccinated. The Defense Department had already stopped all related personnel actions, such as discharging troops who refused the shot. “The Department will continue to promote and encourage Covid-19 vaccination for all service members,” Austin said in the memo. “Vaccination enhances operational readiness and protects the force.”Austin said that commanders have the authority to maintain unit readiness and a healthy force. Roughly 99% of active-duty troops in the Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps had gotten the vaccine, and 98% of the Army.

☆ Lagging Arms Production Makes Pentagon Wary of Further Industry Consolidation
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Doug Cameron | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Pentagon’s operations leave less room for multiple contractors, with Lockheed’s F-35 jet fighter meant to replace many types of aircraft. U.S. defense companies are finding it tough to quickly replenish weaponry such as missiles and artillery shells for Ukraine, leading Pentagon officials to revisit whether industry consolidation has gone too far. Two decades of mergers and acquisitions have left the top six contractors to share the majority of Pentagon spending on military equipment. In the 1990s, some 50 firms vied for big contracts.

☆ Lockheed Martin Protests Loss of Military Helicopter Contract
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Doug Cameron | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Black Hawk helicopters, made by Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky arm, flying near the U.S. military base in Mosul, Iraq, in a 2006 photo. Lockheed Martin Corp. said it has filed a protest against the Army’s decision to award Textron Inc. with the contract to build a new fleet of helicopters that analysts estimate could be worth up to $80 billion. The Army’s Future Long Range Assault Aircraft program is one of the Pentagon’s top priorities, aiming to replace hundreds or even thousands of UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters made by Lockheed’s Sikorsky arm.

Since the early days of the invasion, Mr. Putin has conceded, privately, that the war has not gone as planned. “I think he is sincerely willing” to compromise with Russia, Mr. Putin said of Mr. Zelensky in 2019. To join in Mr. Putin’s war, he has recruited prisoners, trashed the Russian military and competed with it for weapons. To join in Mr. Putin’s war, he has recruited prisoners, trashed the Russian military and competed with it for weapons. “I think this war is Putin’s grave.” Yevgeny Nuzhin, 55, a Russian prisoner of war held by Ukraine, in October.

☆ Senate Passes $858 Billion Defense-Policy Bill and Stopgap Spending Fix
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Katy Stech Ferek | Natalie Andrews | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—The Senate passed a bipartisan $858 billion defense-policy bill on Thursday that authorizes U.S. military leaders to purchase new weapons, increases pay for service members and ends the Pentagon’s Covid-19 vaccine mandate, checking a major item off Congress’s year-end to-do list. Lawmakers voted 83-11 to pass the annual National Defense Authorization Act, which would increase America’s total national security budget by roughly 10% from last year’s $778 billion authorization bill. The proposal, which typically draws strong bipartisan support, needed at least 60 votes to pass the Senate.

CNN —The Biden administration is finalizing plans to send the Patriot missile defense system to Ukraine that could be announced as soon as this week, according to two US officials and a senior administration official. Unlike smaller air defense systems, Patriot missile batteries need much larger crews, requiring dozens of personnel to properly operate them. The training for Patriot missile batteries normally takes multiple months, a process the United States will now carry out under the pressure of near-daily aerial attacks from Russia. Last month US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told CNN that the US is “very focused” on providing air defense systems to Ukraine. “We’re now very focused on air defense systems and not just us, many other countries,” Blinken told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour.

☆ North Korea Wants Dollars. It’s a Sign of Trouble.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Choe Sang-Hun | Pablo Robles | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +18 min

Media Korean Studies 2016 2008 New Finished New buildings Repainted TAEDONG RIVER TAEDONG RIVER Pyongyang in 2008. Media Korean Studies 2008 2016 New Finished New buildings Repainted TAEDONG RIVER TAEDONG RIVER Pyongyang in 2008. Under Mr. Kim, North Korea has opened a new terminal at the city’s international airport, renovated subway stations and opened new amusement parks. Missile tests this year alone cost North Korea hundreds of millions of dollars, according to estimates by South Korean and American researchers. An array of cell phones, assembled in North Korea with components imported from China, is on sale and advertised on state TV.

☆ House passes defense bill scrapping military's Covid vaccine mandate
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

To win bipartisan support for the bill, Democrats agreed to Republican demands to scrap the requirement for service members to get a Covid-19 vaccination. The bill directs Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to rescind his August 2021 memorandum imposing the mandate. Rep. Adam Smith, Democratic chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, told colleagues that the decision to impose the vaccine mandate was the right call at the time. While the rescission of the Covid-19 vaccine mandate has generated much attention, it takes up one paragraph of what is a 4,408-page bill. This year’s bill authorizes money to support a $4.6% pay raise for military members and the Defense Department’s civilian workers.

☆ Pentagon awards multibillion-dollar cloud contract to Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Oracle
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Each of the four tech companies is guaranteed at least $100,000 under the contract, defense officials said at a press briefing Thursday. The use of multiple tech firms for the cloud services instead of just one will make the work cheaper and more resilient, the officials added. The JEDI contract was initially awarded to Microsoft in 2019, a deal potentially worth up to $10 billion over 10 years. And it formally canceled the JEDI contract last year, starting over with a new solicitation under the JWCC. “From the enterprise to the tactical edge, we are ready to deliver industry-leading cloud services to enable the DoD to achieve its critical mission.”

☆ Lawmakers Agree to Rescind Military’s Covid-19 Mandate in Defense Deal
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Katy Stech Ferek | Lindsay Wise | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The possibility that the Pentagon’s vaccine mandate could be repealed was acknowledged by Biden administration officials. WASHINGTON—House and Senate negotiators agreed to rescind the requirement that members of the military be vaccinated against Covid-19, a measure that was added to secure Republican support for the annual defense-policy bill that authorizes spending for new weapons and pay increases for troops. The compromise National Defense Authorization Act announced Tuesday would increase America’s total national security budget for fiscal year 2023 to $857.9 billion. That is $45 billion more in military spending than President Biden had requested, and a big increase from the $778 billion total national security budget passed by Congress last year.

Each new B-21 is pegged at roughly $729.25 million, and the U.S. Air Force expects to procure at least 100 of them. Factoring in inflation, it’s half the price of the exorbitantly expensive B-2 stealth bomber it’s meant to replace. Factoring in inflation, it’s half the price of the exorbitantly expensive B-2 stealth bomber it’s meant to replace. (China’s military grasps the benefit of long-range stealth bombers in the Pacific context and is developing its own Raider-like stealth bomber intended to expand its strike range.) That isn’t to say the Raider program should be written a blank check.

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