DoD Buzz

Names for likely members of the team to head President-elect Barack Obama’s intelligence team are quietly leaching out of the gray world.

One top possibility is former Rep. Tim Roemer (D-Ind.), who helped sponsor the legislation that created the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, known as the 9/11 Commission.

Reports of the death of a crucial satellite system known as BASIC have been grossly exaggerated.
The Associated Press and other media outlets reported 10 days ago that $1 billion for BASIC was cut by the House and Senate Appropriations intelligence subcommittees, canceling the program. Well, as often happens with intelligence spending, the picture is much more complicated and nuanced, according to a senior Pentagon source and a congressional aide.

The Department of Homeland Security has stripped acquisition decision authority from the Coast Guard in the wake of the service’s disastrous management of the Deepwater program. The new arrangement should help DHS get the Coast Guard back on track, according to Robbin Laird, a defense consultant who has worked with the Coast Guard.

“With the coming of the new administration funding of appropriate homeland security functions is crucial. With this transfer of authority, DHS will be in a position to shape the future of the USCG and its approach to the future.

In what may be his last major policy speech before the next administration takes power, Defense Secretary Robert Gates made a strong pitch today at a highly symbolic venue — the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace — for a new generation of nuclear weapons.
Clearly worried that nuclear deterrence has been neglected as a strategic issue, [...]

“A billion here, a billion there, pretty soon you’re talking about real money.” Almost everyone knows the old quote by the great Illinois senator, Everett Dirksen. We bet our friends at the Missile Defense Agency regret the first time they heard it because the word around town is that they will probably see at least $1 billion cut from their topline by the next administration. And that’s real money.

The Osprey has been a lightning rod for years, attracting vehement supporters and a legion of skeptics — myself included. But one use for the CV-22 — for special operations — has had support from most observers, myself included. After all, the ability to fly long distances like a regular plane, find some valley or [...]

In honor of those who fell and in defiance of those who murdered the innocent, Christian and I are sharing our experiences of 911. Please post your own experiences or just remember.

I was editor of Defense News on 911. On the drive to work I heard a report on NPR that a small plane had apparently blundered into one of the twin towers. I called my wife, reminding her of the B-25 that careened through thick fog and slammed into the Empire State Building in 1945.

With Hurricane Ike around the bend and Hannah bearing down on the East Coast it seemed like a good time to look at what military derived technology is going to help monitor and predict these deadly storms. UAVs, with their long linger times, look likely to play an increasingly important role. NOAA and NASA are already trying to figure out the best way to do this.

The US needs more civil awareness programs to help combat terrorism, says Air Force Gen. Victor Renuart, head of Northern Command. But Renuart makes clear that it’s a difficult subject to tackle.

When the history of the Russian invasion of Georgia is written, one of the most revealing discussions may center on the role of cyber warfare.

Some questions that will need answering: Just when did Russian hackers begin their attacks on the Georgian websites. Just what role did NATO — especially Estonian and American — cyber warriors have in guiding the Georgian response. Was the enormous three-week attack on Estonia last April from Russia a practice run for the Georgian attack?