Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- January 23, 2012

PANETTA TO PILOTS
Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta speaks to pilots during flight operations aboard the the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise in the Atlantic Ocean, Jan. 21, 2012. The Enterprise Carrier Strike Group is conducting a composite training unit exercise. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Scott Pittman

U.S. Won't Cut Carrier Fleet To Fix Budget, Panetta Says -- Reuters

(Reuters) - The United States will not cut America's fleet of 11 aircraft carriers to help trim the budget deficit, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said on Saturday, citing tensions with Iran as an example of why the massive ships are so critical to national security.

Panetta was addressing about 1,700 sailors headed to the Gulf this spring aboard the USS Enterprise, which after a half-century of service is about to embark on its final tour before being taken offline in November.

The Enterprise's last deployment comes at a moment of heightened tensions with Iran, which has threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz, the world's most important oil shipping lane. That's something the United States says it will not allow.

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MILITARY AND INTELLIGENCE NEWS BRIEFS

Panetta Touts Carrier’s Agility in Visit to Enterprise -- US Department of Defense

U.S. shipbuilder welcomes Navy decision on carriers -- Reuters

Canada Intensifies New Cold War With Russia In Arctic -- Global Research

Military: Filipino rebels kill 100 troops in 2011 -- Stars and Stripes/AP

Chinese army plays lethal game of pass-the-parcel -- The Telegraph

Vietnam Navy: more powerful, more advanced -- Tuoi Tre News

Russia Hands Over Nerpa Nuclear Submarine to India -- RIA Novsoti

British arms maker 'mulling closure of historic dockyard' -- AFP

Syria 'signs Russian military jet deal' -- AFP

Iraqi pilots coming to Arizona to learn how to fly F-16s -- Military Times

Oman Seeks BAE Systems Bid for Typhoon -- Defense News

IDF personnel chief: All Israelis including ultra-Orthodox should serve in military -- Haaretz]

Spetsnaz Are Born Again -- Strategy Page

Taliban video highlights revenge on Pakistan military -- Reuters

Lavrov: Libya scenario will not be repeated -- Voice of Russia

Pakistan Rejects US Self-Defense Claim on Strikes -- ABC News/AP

U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet changes command -- Dvids

Amphib exercise reacquaints Marines with ships -- Navy Times

New Maritime Surveillance Aircraft Unveiled -- Ares/Aviation Week

RQ-170s Still Flying -- Strategy Page

Report: Senator presses for ‘commercial’ C-17s -- DoD Buzz

Army Crash Dynamics Lab Nears Completion -- Military.com

Tech Changes Affect U.S. Security -- Defense News

Increase in reported sex crimes at Air Force Academy offers no simple explanations -- Washington Post/AP

Medal of Honor Recipient John F. Baker Dead at 66 -- Military.com

Defense Cuts: An Inconvenient Truth -- Joe Anselmo, Ares/Aviation Week

Factbox: Military deaths in Afghanistan -- Reuters