Thursday, February 16, 2012

Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- February 16, 2012


See For Yourself: The Pentagon’s $51 Billion ‘Black’ Budget -- Danger Room

The military keeps a lot of little things secret. It could be the exact range of a jammer, sensitive missile data or the timing of a raid. But the larger context — that jammers and missiles exist, or that our forces conduct raids — is unclassified and even listed in the Pentagon’s budget for all to see.

These secrets are different. Their names are obscured by code words, or simply listed as “classified programs.” But with a little digging, we can get a (limited) sense of how much money is being spent on the U.S. government’s most secret military projects. In fact, you can take a look for yourself. We’ve put together this spreadsheet with the latest information. Feel free to add, subtract and edit it — kind of like a classified cash wiki.

Read more
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MILITARY AND INTELLIGENCE NEWS BRIEFS

U.S. military told to prepare for Iran ops. Special Forces ordered to be ready '1 March through October' -- WND

China Heads Out To Sea
-- AINOnline

Fighters, radar, marine patrols top Asia's military wish-list -- Reuters

Analysis: New China landing vessels point to Pacific rivalry -- Reuters

Egypt military's economic empire
-- Al Jazeera

Russia Grounds Su-24 Bomber Fleet after Urals Crash -- RIA Novosti

U.S. Prepares for Future Nuke Disarmament Talks With Russia -- Defense News

Russia's radar of new generation to catch missiles like butterflies -- Pravda

White House Seeks Cut in Ballistic Missile Defense Spending -- Global Security Newswire

Army Space & Missile Defense Command tests target missile made from surplus equipment -- al.com

NATO to buy U.S.-made unmanned drone aircraft
-- Yahoo News/Reuters

Canada's DND has no Plan B for F-35 delays; drones not an option for fewer fighters -- Winnipeg Free Press/Canadian Free Press

Congress could increase Israel defense funding
-- Jerusalem Post

Chinese VP Meets Key American Military Officials
-- CRIEnglish

Lockheed Martin's Fighting Falcon Evolves With New F-16V -- Sacramento Bee/PR Newswire/Lockheed martin

Air Force Ices MQ-X; Spends On Better Data Management
-- Aol Defense

White House budget would cut military space research -- Spaceflight

Budget briefings offer a lesson in Pentagon-ese -- Washington Post

Navy Plays it Safe With New DDG and LCS Names
-- Military.com

U.S. Navy gives pink slips to nearly 600 senior NCOs -- Stars and Stripes

Navy Bomb School Told to Remove Unofficial Motto
-- Military.com/AP

Pentagon: Future of Homemade Bombs Is High-Tech
-- Danger Room

2012-2016 JIEDDO Counter-IED Strategic Plan Released -- Defpro

Huge New Order for Throwable Robots -- Ares/Aviation Week

Armored SUV could not protect U.S. agents in Mexico
-- L.A. times

Rights Abuses by Mexico Military in Spotlight
-- Wall Street Journal

SOF Power -- David Barno and Travis Sharp, Foreign Policy

Congress must think 10 years down the line when it comes to nuclear carriers -- Walter Pincus, Washington Post

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