Saturday, October 19, 2013

Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- October 19, 2013

U.S. soldiers climb a hill during a presence patrol near Forward Operating Base Shank in Afghanistan's Logar province, Oct. 8, 2013. U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Margaret Taylor

Afghan Assembly Sets November Date For Decision On U.S. Troops -- Reuters

(Reuters) - The future of U.S. troops in Afghanistan after 2014 will be decided by an assembly of tribal elders in late November, its organizers said, setting a date for the verdict on a long-delayed bilateral deal held up by disputes over key provisions.

A draft pact known as the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) was hammered out in Kabul last weekend by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. But he left without a final deal as Afghan President Hamid Karzai said only the assembly, the Loya Jirga, had the authority to decide contentious issues.

These include a U.S. demand to retain legal jurisdiction over its troops in Afghanistan, which would give them immunity from Afghan law. The request appeared to have been resolved this summer, but emerged as the main sticking point after Kerry's visit.

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MILITARY AND INTELLIGENCE NEWS BRIEFS

Afghanistan Loya Jirga will determine whether US troops remain after 2014 -- The Guardian

Afghan Agreement Likely Despite Last Minute Wrangling -- Defense News

Army Hit Hard Under Post Shutdown Funding Cloud -- DoD Buzz

Capitol Hill Focus Turns to House-Senate Budget Panel After Crisis -- Defense News

Levin, McCain Signal House-Senate Budget Panel Likely to Propose Defense Cuts -- Defense News

Fiscal uncertainty haunts U.S. Defense Department -- UPI

West 2013 training results to determine Russian army development - Shoigu -- Voice of Russia

Why Russian Military Reforms Do Not Work -- Strategy Page

Russia offers its helicopters, armored military hardware to Peru -- Kyiv Post

The Poseidon adventure: China's secret salvage of Britain's sunken submarine -- The Guardian

China Seeks Export Orders For Its Predator Clone -- Strategy Page

Iraq Adds To Its Robot Army -- Strategy Page

Israel's spies lag in shadow war with Iran -- UPI

S. Korea To Export Light Attack Jets to Philippines -- Defense News

Canada To Rely on Allies for At-sea Refueling -- Defense News

Canadian Spycatchers Get Schooled -- Strategy Page

U.S. helicopter unit among first to try nine-month rotational deployment to S. Korea -- Stars and Stripes

Hundreds of U.S. troops will deploy to Romania next year -- Army Times

US To Use Romanian Air Base as Afghan Transit Hub -- Defense News

Air Force: A-10 cuts would save $3.5 billion -- Air Force Times

Robots Are Scary -- Strategy Page

Raytheon Interceptor’s Quality Controls Under U.S. Review -- Bloomberg

Pentagon maintains focus on biological threats -- USA Today

Colonel in charge of Quantico's Security Battalion relieved -- Marine Times

Pilot at centre of US military sexual assault controversy speaks out -- The Guardian

Former CIA director David Petraeus takes up Harvard teaching post -- The Guardian

Homeland Security: Can Jeh Johnson handle agency's big challenges? -- Mark Clayton, Christian Science Monitor

The NSA never takes “no” for an answer -- Jack Shafer, Reuters

Obama's Likely Pick for NSA Chief Is a Master Spy. It May Not Be Enough. -- Shane Harris, Killer Apps/Foreign Policy

The future of counterterrorism: Fewer drones, more partnerships -- Linda Robinson, Washington Post

In Defense of the Nuclear Triad -- Peter Huessy, Defense One

Treaty Be Damned, America Has Actually ADDED Nukes -- David Axe, War Is Boring

Saving Captain Swenson -- Robert H. Scales, War On The Rocks

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