Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- January 15, 2013

The Freedom, still with orange primer showing on its hull, sails off the coast of San Clemente Island, Calif. The two 30mm guns of the surface warfare package are mounted amidships atop the superstructure. (Chris Cavas / Staff)

Special Report: Littoral Warfare -- Defense News

U.S. LCS Counts Down to Major Deployment

ABOARD USS FREEDOM OFF THE COAST OF CALIFORNIA — Battlecat 706 whirred on the flight deck, warming up in the dim green glow of the ship's night lights. After a few minutes, the lights darkened even more, and the MH-60R Seahawk helicopter lifted off this littoral combat ship to conduct close surveillance of the Heart of Manila, a suspicious merchant ship.

Below in Freedom's waterborne mission zone, 15 members of Surface Warfare (SUW) Mission Detachment Blue, in full battle gear, quickly boarded an 11-meter rigid hull inflatable boat (RHIB) mounted on a ramp. Freedom's large stern doors swung open, the ramp was angled up, and the RHIB launched into the darkness.

Read more ....

MILITARY AND INTELLIGENCE NEWS BRIEFS

The LCS News -- Information Dissemination

Reports Of Russia's Gigantic Navy Upgrades Are Totally Overblown -- Business Insider

Russian Navy plans further expansion -- Russia & India Report

Russian Military Ordered to Switch to Socks -- New York Times

Russia's top military doctor fired after pneumonia deaths -- Alertnet

West African army chiefs to approve Mali troops plan -- Reuters

The strength of the Indian and Pakistani armed forces -- IBN Live

Pakistan aims to develop smaller lighter nuclear warheads: report -- IBN Live

Iran's Revolutionary Guards hold exercises in Strait of Hormuz -- Reuters

India, China Try To Revive Military Exercises -- Defense News

Deadly train crash kills Egyptian soldiers
-- Al Jazeera

Germany Might Scuttle French Vehicle Deal -- Defense News

UK Won't Let British Veterans Accept Russian Medal -- New York Times/AP

U.S. May Land Key Asian Nuclear Trade Deals in 2013 -- Global Security Newswire

Panetta Seeks To Expand Military Relations with European Allies -- Defense News

US to Give Spy Drones to Afghans, Karzai Says -- New York Times

Senate Republican leader wants 10,000 troops in Afghanistan -- Reuters

U.S. Navy Secretary: Another CR Means $4B Readiness Shortfall -- Defense News

Boeing’s 30,000-Pound Bunker-Buster Bomb Improved, Pentagon Says -- SFGate/Bloomberg

Army Aviation Making Some Hard Bargains -- Defense News

Pentagon shifts tactics on sequestration -- The Hill

Air Force starts cuts with sequestration looming
-- Washington Times

Donley ‘Deeply Concerned’ Over Budget Cuts -- Defense News

U.S. Troop pay threatened by debt-ceiling standoff -- Army Times

In Weekly Address, GOP Urges Entitlement Cuts to Void Defense Sequester -- Defense News

Napolitano to stay at Homeland Security -- USA Today

Kerry won’t chair Clinton Benghazi hearing -- The Cable/Foreign Policy

Wal-Mart plans to hire 100,000 veterans over five years -- Reuters

Military suicides hit record in 2012, outpace combat deaths
-- Reuters

More Murders in Chicago in 2012 Than Allied Losses in Afghanistan -- FOX News

Nuclear Missile Officer Describes Life In The Underground Bunker -- Business Insider

The Myth of Nuclear Necessity -- Ward Wilson, New York Times

Time for Congress to build a better drone policy -- Keith Ellison, Washington Post

Facing up to what we did in interrogations
-- George Will, Washington Post

For Defense, Less Beef, More Chuck: Why Hagel's critics need to turn down the heat. -- John Arquilla, Foreign Policy

Hagel Allies Coordinate Smear Campaign Against Critics, Emails Reveal -- Washington Free Beacon

Hagel's nuclear options
-- Kevin Baron, The E-Ring/Foreign Policy

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