Russia’s Military, Carter’s Budget and Nuclear Forensics

FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM

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THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT

1. Russia’s military. The Telegraph Roland Oliphant reports, “Fifteen years after Vladimir Putin first walked into the Kremlin, Russia’s army is bigger, stronger, and better equipped than at any time since the end of the Cold War. Able to call on three quarters of a million frontline troops, more tanks than any other country on the planet, and the world’s third largest air force, Russia retains much of the brute force associated with a former superpower.” See also, “China’s Growing Presence in Georgia.”

2. Carter’s budget fight (or, Roads to Nowhere). Defense Media Activity’s Cheryl Pellerin reports, “Slashed budgets and high worldwide demand for U.S. military forces have created an unbalanced defense program that is taking on increasingly greater risks . . . . The secretary testified before the Senate Appropriations Committee’s defense subcommittee on the Defense Department’s fiscal year 2016 budget request. . . . ‘Over the past three fiscal years the Defense Department has taken more than three-quarters of a trillion dollars in cuts to its future-years defense spending,’ Carter said. The frequently sudden and unpredictable timing and nature of the cuts and continued uncertainty over sequestration have made the stresses greater, he added, forcing DoD to make a series of incremental, inefficient decisions.’” See also, “Aspirations Exceeding DoD’s Resources,” “Defense Secretary Slams GOP Defense Budget,” and “Agencies should plan for budget cuts in 2017.”

3. The price of peace. Christian Science Monitor’s Samantha Laine reports, “The United States government may be banking on a bounty to take down the leaders of the self-proclaimed Islamic State. On Tuesday, the US State Department announced it will offer multimillion-dollar rewards for information about four IS leaders through its Rewards for Justice Program. The high price tags on the various men raises the question of whether this approach is an effective way to fight terrorism, or simply the government’s way to point out that counterterrorism efforts are needed, no matter the cost.”

CONTRACT WATCH

1. Boeing’s $3 billion Kuwait deal. Defense News’ Christopher P. Cavas reports, “Boeing could be the latest international aircraft-maker to garner a deal for more fighter aircraft, with word that the US government is nearing agreement to sell up to 40 F/A-18 E and F Super Hornet strike fighters to Kuwait. . . . It is not yet clear how many single-seat F/A-18Es and two-seat F/A-18Fs are involved in the Kuwait deal. Some media accounts reported a deal for 28 of the Boeing aircraft, while US sources indicate as many as 40 F/A-18s could be sold. It’s estimated the value of the deal would be greater than $3 billion.”

2. Electromagnetics and directed-energy weapons. Military & Aerospace Electronics Editor John Keller reports, “U.S. Air Force researchers are asking for industry’s help in advancing the state of the art in high-power electromagnetics technologies for directed-energy weapons and a variety of other aerospace and defense uses. Officials of the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., released a broad agency announcement Tuesday (BAA-RVKD-2014-0003) for the High-Powered Electromagnetics (HPEM) Research Program.”

TECH, PRIVACY, & SECRECY

1. NSTIC Director Jeremy Grant says . . . FierceGovernmentIT’s Molly Bernhart Walker reports, “Jeremy Grant left the National Institute of Standards and Technology April 30 after spending the last four years leading an effort to improve digital identity management nationwide. Grant’s office, as well as a public-private partnership called the Identity Ecosystem Steering Group, are tasked with the real-world implementation of the White House’s National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace, an initiative to create trust online. Grant had been the director of the NSTIC program office since it was stood up in 2011. In February, Grant announced plans to leave the program.”

2. Tech needs doctrine. Breaking Defense’s Richard Whittle reports, “Manned Unmanned Teaming, when manned aircraft crews control drones from their cockpit, is a child of the drone revolution still in its infancy. So maybe it’s no surprise that Army Apache helicopter units with new AH-64Es equipped to control MQ-1C Grey Eagle armed drones have gotten off to a crawl rather than a run using the new capability in combat. ‘The pilots from the units don’t necessarily have use of the Grey Eagle as much as they want to to work on this capability’ . . . .”

3. Nuclear forensics. Homeland Security News Wire reports, “A nuclear weapon in the hands of terrorists is the stuff of nightmares, especially for U.S. agencies charged with preventing a devastating attack. When security or law enforcement agents confiscate nuclear or radiological weapons or their ingredients being smuggled domestically or internationally, they must quickly trace them back to their source. This is where the science of nuclear forensics comes in.”

POTOMAC TWO-STEP

1. Break the bank. “The last time Sen. Bernie Sanders introduced his ‘Too Big to Fail, Too Big to Exist’ legislation, it was tough to attract serious attention to his proposal, which calls for a government-controlled breakup of the nation’s biggest banks. But Sanders is now the sole official challenger to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and that status has catapulted him from relative Senate obscurity to the role of populist foil to the Clinton campaign. The Vermont Independent on Wednesday was able to pack a room full of reporters who came to hear about the bill which he first authored in 2009.”

2. Almighty dollars. “Iran is wooing American oil companies in anticipation of a time when Western interests can take advantage of the Middle Eastern nation’s vast crude reserves. A delegation of U.S. oil company leaders and investors heads to Tehran this week to discuss opportunities to operate there if the U.S. lifts sanctions on Iran this summer as part of a deal to restrict its nuclear capabilities, Iran’s state media reported. The trip is shrouded in secrecy.”

OPINIONS EVERYONE HAS

1. “What Americans Don’t Understand About Their Own Military.” Defense One contributor Harvey M. Sapolsky argues, “The domestic political constraints on the use of force are only casualties, and not a growing financial burden on taxpayers. The costs of wars are passed to future generations, those not yet with a vote. This is not a good development. Few citizens are warriors or need to be, but all should pay for their country’s wars.”

2. “Baathists fight on.” Reuters contributor Mohamad Bazzi argues, “[Ezzat al-Douri was a] a folk hero, and his stature among Sunnis grew significantly after he was able to elude capture for 12 years. His death is a blow to the alliance of Baathists and Islamic militants, but with Sunni grievances still unresolved, that bond will endure.

3. “Tomorrow’s Small Wars Won’t Just Be Land Wars.” Also from Defense One, contributor David Sterman argues, “If the United States intends to commit itself to a forward maritime presence, it cannot afford to wait for a major crisis to establish the formal infrastructure of learning to deal with maritime irregular threats. The lessons of Palestine, Vietnam, and other forgotten cases must be studied and integrated into doctrine and practice now before they are relearned under fire.”