THREATWATCH
Turkish police have apprehended a suspect they believe was involved with the killing of a U.S. citizen overseas.
Already, there are concerns that upon the departure of French expeditionary forces, Mali could backslide into even worse turmoil.
The top outgoing general at U.S. Africa Command, General Ham, is warning that if USAFRICOM doesn’t receive greater precedence the mission to combat extremism throughout the continent of Africa could suffer. Ham is lobbying for a greater allocation of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets and additional rotations of special operations forces, so the command could meet its mandate and arrest the momentum of the various extremist groups that operate and reside there.
ON THE FORCE
The Defense Intelligence Agency is in the market for a senior Congressional adviser, ostensibly to navigate still-to-come budget battles.
Up to fourteen detainees in Guantanamo Bay are on hunger strike, complicating an already difficult job for mostly young enlisted guards.
The Navy may halve already-placed orders for the reviled Littoral Combat Ship, a platform that isn’t without its share of problems.
Afghanistan is playing host to a newly commissioned electronic combat squadron of the Air Force and will be home to E-11As. E-11As serve as a Battlefield Airborne Communications Node, a communications system that provides connectivity for airborne and surface operators.
The Air Force has selected their top performing leaders.
The Pentagon is dramatically expanding its ballistic missile defense program to counter North Korea on the western seaboard of the United States.
POTOMAC TWO-STEP
The courts have ruled a controversial FBI practice — where the use of National Security Letters permitted the federal law enforcement agency to do a host of things — is unconstitutional.
The Chertoff Group has added another veteran of the Department of Homeland Security.
The House Permanent Select Committee for Intelligence has released an official statement on sequestration’s effect on the intelligence community:
Chairman Mike Rogers said, “At a time when threats to the United States are multiplying, the Intelligence Community need the flexibility to defeat our enemies.”
Ranking Member Ruppersberger said, “To be clear, under this amendment, the same size cut will be made. The Intelligence Community knows it has to take its share of the sequestration burden, but it needs the flexibility to protect this nation’s top priority areas and cut less urgent need or less immediate programs. The security of our nation must remain one of our top priorities.”
CONTRACT WATCH
The Army’s Asymmetric Warfare Group is still hiring away, amid budget cuts spurred by the sequester and a continuing resolution that could fail when it comes up in Capitol Hill next month.
SAIC has been awarded a $335 million contract to support the Army’s engineering proving grounds in Huntsville, Alabama.
