Ayotte Gives Her Account of the Meeting with Susan Rice on Benghazi

By Zachary Fryer-Biggs in Intercepts Tags: , ,

U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., speaks to reporters Nov. 27 on Capitol Hill. (Win McNamee / Getty Images)

Earlier in the week Susan Rice, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., sat down with a trio of GOP Senate opponents to hash out her response to the attack in Benghazi that cost the life of U.S. Ambassador to Libya J. Christopher Stevens.  Defense News reported on the aftermath, with the Sens. Ayotte, Graham and McCain walking away unimpressed.

While the story included several quotes from Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-NH, I thought I’d post more of her account as told to a handful of reporters on Tuesday Nov. 27.  Ayotte described her increased concern about Rice’s judgement, and her inclination to hold up any nominee for the Secretary of State position until more information on the Benghazi attack is revealed.  Who knew what when will likely be the subject of debate for months as the GOP continues to push the issue.  See selections after the break More

White House’s Opening Offer Excludes New Defense Cuts

By John T. Bennett in Acquisition, Air Force, Army, Budget, Capitol Hill, DoD, Industry, Marine Corps, Navy, New Tech, Policy, Space Tags: , , ,

President Obama (center) with House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio (left), and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. (right), during a Nov. 16 White House meeting about the fiscal cliff. (Olivier Douliery/White House Pool via Bloomberg via Getty Images)

One side in the fiscal cliff talks appears to have found a path to the necessary $1.6 trillion deficit-reduction target that avoids additional tax cuts: the White House.

The Obama administration on Thursday sent a two-step fiscal cliff-avoidance plan to lawmakers that, according to reports, calls for the “deferral” of twin $500 billion cuts to domestic and defense spending that are slated to kick in Jan. 2 if no broader deficit-cutting package is approved.

That delay – the length of time appears to be unspecified – would come in phase one, during which the White House proposes a number of tax-rate hikes for the wealthiest Americans, other new taxes, a number of tax cuts and reforms, unspecified entitlement program reforms, and several other ideas.

In the proposed second phase, Congress and the White House would tackle major federal tax reform, while implementing entitlement program proposals included in the president’s 2013 budget plan.

The plan appears a mere opening offer. As NBC’s Chuck Todd has been saying all week, the fiscal cliff talks are still in the posturing phase. More

Today in Military History: Nov. 30, 1939, The Winter War

By Blair Tomlinson in Today in Military History Tags: , , , ,

Finnish soldiers during The Winter War, 1939, courtesy Finnish Army

The USSR invaded Finland over a border dispute on this day in 1939, beginning The Winter War.  Finland had rejected the Soviet Union’s request for a signed agreement handing over The Grand Principality of Finland, which was part of the Russian Empire from 1809 – 1917.  The USSR wanted this territory back to better defend Leningrad since World War II had recently kicked off.  When Finland said no, the Red Army invaded at several spots along the Russo-Finnish border.

The Moscow Peace Treaty ended the conflict in March 1940. A portion of the Finnish territory was turned over to the Russians but Finland remained independent.

Photo of the Day: Nov. 30, 2012 (Panetta, Barak Hug it Out Edition)

By Zachary Fryer-Biggs in Intercepts, Photo of the Day Tags: , ,

US Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta(Rt) presents Israel's Minister of Defense Ehud Barak with the US Medal for Distinguished Public Service November 29, 2012, inside the Pentagon in Washington,DC. (PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images)

Mere days after announcing that he would be retiring from politics, Israel’s Minister of Defense Ehud Barak visited the Pentagon Nov. 29.  Despite the ongoing turmoil in the Middle East, as well as drama at the U.N. surrounding Palestine’s newly increased status in the body, the two men enjoyed a day of discussion, possibly tinged with a hint of bromance.  More photos after the break More

First Catapult Launch for US Navy’s X-47B Unmanned Carrier Jet (with new video added 14 Dec.)

By Christopher P. Cavas in Intercepts

 

An X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) jet was launched from a catapult for the first time Nov. 29. One of two aircraft in the U.S. Navy’s inventory took to the air from a land-based steam catapult at the flight test center at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland.  The launch was an important test of the aircraft’s ability to withstand the stresses of a catapult launch.

Earlier, the other X-47B was barged down the Chesapeake Bay and loaded on Nov. 26 aboard the aircraft carrier USS HARRY S. TRUMAN (CVN 75) at Norfolk naval base, Virginia, for the first handling trials of the unmanned jet aboard ship. More

Majority in U.S. Senate Support Accelerated Afghanistan Transition Pace

By John T. Bennett in Afghanistan, Army, Capitol Hill, DoD, International, Marine Corps, Policy Tags:

An Afghan National Army soldier sits on his post as U.S. Marines, 2nd Batallion, 1st Marines Regiment patrol in Gamser, Helmand province, Southern Afghanistan. (ADEK BERRY/AFP/Getty Images)

A majority of U.S. senators voted Thursday (Nov. 28) to speed the pace of transitioning security and governing tasks in Afghanistan to local forces and officials.

In a bipartisan vote of 62-33, the upper chamber approved what’s called a “sense of Congress” measure offered by Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., that formally stamps Senate approval on an “accelerated transition of United States combat and military and security operations to the government of Afghanistan,” according to a Senate summary of the provision.

The “sense of Congress” measure is non-binding, meaning it lacks the force of an actual law. But it could give ammunition to proponents inside the Obama administration and in Congress who support handing control to Afghan troops and leaders faster so all U.S. and NATO forces could be withdrawn before Obama’s stated December 2014 goal. More

Zach Lemnios to Step Down as Pentagon R&D Chief, Heading to IBM

By Marcus Weisgerber in DoD, Industry, Intercepts, New Tech, Policy


Zachary Lemnios, the assistant secretary of defense for research and engineering, will step down from his Pentagon post on Friday, Nov. 30, and return to the private sector, Intercepts has learned.

During his three-and-a-half year tenure at DoD, Lemnios has been a major advocate for stabilizing research-and-development funding even as defense spending is projected to decline. He also has pushed industry to get systems and new technology to the battlefield quicker. More

Today in Military History: Nov. 29, 1890, The first Army-Navy Football Game

By Blair Tomlinson in Army, Intercepts, Navy, Today in Military History Tags: , , , , , ,

Army-Navy Game, Franklin Field, 1908, Courtesy of the Library of Congress

 

The first Army-Navy football rivalry kicked off on November 29, 1890. Navy won the first game, 24-0, even though Army had the home field advantage in West Point.

In the following years the game has been played at a variety of locations, mostly in/or around Philadelphia, which is roughly equidistant between the two service academies. This year the game will be played again in Philadelphia at Lincoln Financial Field, on Saturday, December 8. The gates open for tailgating at 11:00 a.m. ET and the march-on is at 12:15 p.m.  The game itself starts at 3, and you can catch all the action on CBS.

 

The Plan to Nuke the Moon

By Wendell Minnick in Intercepts Tags: , ,

The plan to detonate a nuclear bomb on the surface of the moon in 1959 is finally available to the public.

“A Study of Lunar Research Flights” or “Project A119.” Abstract : Nuclear detonations in the vicinity of the moon are considered in this report along with scientific information which might be obtained from such explosions. The military aspect is aided by investigation of space environment, detection of nuclear device testing, and capability of weapons in space.

A study was conducted of various theories of the moon’s structure and origin, and a description of the probable nature of the lunar surface is given. The areas discussed in some detail are optical lunar studies, seismic observations, lunar surface and magnetic fields, plasma and magneti3 field effects, and organic matter on the moon.

You can download the PDF file HERE.

Senate NDAA Day One Wrap: Weapon Programs Unscathed

By John T. Bennett in Acquisition, Air Force, Army, Budget, Capitol Hill, DoD, Industry, International, Marine Corps, Navy, New Tech, Policy Tags:

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich, speaks to reporters Tuesday afternoon (Nov. 27). Levin is managing floor debate of the chamber's 2013 Pentagon policy bill. The Senate could finish the bill by Friday. (Photo By Chris Maddaloni/CQ Roll Call via Getty Images)

The Senate on Wednesday (Nov. 28) completed its first day of floor debate on the 2013 Pentagon policy bill, and members left unchanged the parts of the Armed Services Committee’s legislation dealing with weapon programs.

Steep cuts to planned Pentagon spending are slated to kick in Jan. 2 unless Congress and the White House agree on a massive deficit-reduction measure in coming weeks — or something that gets part of the way to a $1.2 trillion goal while delaying $500 billion, 10-year cuts to defense and domestic spending.

And with a list of Defense Department accounts already made exempt by the president, including all personnel accounts, weapons development and purchasing accounts are set to take about a 9 percent cut each. Some analysts and lawmakers warn that could mean some programs will be placed on the chopping block.

For one day, at least, the Senate resisted making any major changes to the committee’s marks of the Pentagon’s plans for its weapon systems. The upper chamber gets back to work Thursday morning on its version of the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act. You can follow the action live here.

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