Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- March 12, 2014

Members of the joint chiefs of staff, Air Force Chief of Staff, General Mark Welsh (L); Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Jonathan W. Greenert (2nd from L); Commandant of the Coast Guard, Admiral Robert J. Papp, Jr.; and Chief of the National Guard Bureau, General Frank J. Grass (R); await the start of President Barack Obama's State of the Union speech on Capitol Hill in Washington, January 28, 2014. Credit: Reuters/Larry Downing

U.S. Military Braces For Budget Battles With Congress -- Reuters

(Reuters) - Top U.S. defense officials are bracing for a brutal season of budget negotiations, warning U.S. lawmakers that the U.S. military will gradually become unable to respond to emerging crises if Congress blocks the Pentagon's plans to cut military compensation, close bases and retire entire fleets of aircraft.

Senior officials have also begun mapping out in stark terms what additional weapons and capabilities will be sacrificed if Congress does not reverse mandatory budget cuts that are due to resume in fiscal 2016 under a process known as sequestration.

Air Force Undersecretary Eric Fanning told reporters on Tuesday other programs would have to be cut if Congress blocked the service's plan to retire both its U-2 spy plane fleet and its fleet of A-10 Warthog planes for close air support.

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Military And Intelligence News Briefs

How the U.S. Navy Is Helping in Search for MH370 -- Wall Street Journal

Shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missiles flow abroad from Libya: U.N. -- Reuters

Russian Paratroopers Hold Massive Drills as Crimea Vote Nears -- RIA Novosti

Ukrainian sailor: ‘We left one country, but came back to another’ -- RT

Ukraine, Poland To Hold Joint Air Force Drills -- Defense News

Israeli lawmakers pass law meant to draft ultra-Orthodox Jews into military -- FOX News/AP

Hamas military wing releases pictures of 'captured' IDF drone -- Jerusalem Post

Tony Abbott to approve Australia’s biggest ever military purchase of stealth fighter jets -- News.com.au

Brazil Plans to Build Aircraft Carrier, Defense Minister Says -- Bloomberg

Q&A with Tai Ming Cheung: 'Forging China's Military Might' -- Voice of America

Joint Chief of Staff says Japan's cooperation needed to deal with N. Korean issues -- Arirang News

Are US war games in South Korea worth the trouble? -- Geoffrey Cain, Global Post

Large US contingent to take part in South Korean exercise -- Stars and Stripes

Air Force Undersecretary: Budget Uncertainty Worries Airmen -- US Department of Defense

U.S. Air Force plans to remove almost 500 aircraft over the next five years -- Aviationist

Nearly half of Air Force’s planned F-15C Eagle cuts could come from overseas -- Stars and Stripes

The Great American Warplane Cull Is About to Begin -- David Axe, War Is Boring

USAF names new Space, Mobility command heads -- Air Force Times

U.S. Air Force looking to revamp, cut costs of space programs -- Reuters

U.S. Air Force sticks to $550 million target for new bomber -- Reuters

Congress, Contractor Helped Rescue Helicopter -- DoD Buzz

New US Navy Counting Rules Add Up To More Ships -- Defense News

National Guard Commanders Rise In Revolt Against Active Army; MG Rossi Questions Guard Combat Role -- Breaking Defense

Senators: DOD ordered $754 million in unnecessary parts last year -- Stars and Stripes

Big guns: Army soldiers to get powerful new Swedish-made tank-stopper -- FOX News

Spec Ops Defends Wartime Authorities, Some in Congress Skeptical -- Defense News

Navy admiral relays concerns about NSA changes -- AP

NSA Chief Nominee Pledges to Rebuild Trust with American People -- Voice of America

Nominee to lead NSA: Snowden not necessarily a traitor -- CNN

CIA Chief: Agency Didn't Hack Senate Computers -- Voice of America

Rogers on CIA allegations: 'There's something there' -- The Hill

Snowden accuses Senate Intelligence Committee chair of hypocrisy -- RT

Darpa’s Tiny Lasers Will Soon Hunt for Biochemical Weapons -- Danger Room

DARPA Hopes To Build Plug-In Satellites In Space -- Breaking Defense

General won't plead guilty if it means sex-offender registry, defense says -- CNN

Defense Contractor to Plead Guilty in Military Secrets Case -- NBC/AP

How a Court Secretly Evolved, Extending U.S. Spies’ Reach -- Charlie Savage and Laura Poitras, New York Times

12 Life Lessons From a Military Strategist -- Herbert Lui, Huffington Post

Sorry, NATO — We’re fresh out of warships -- Michael Byers, National Post

At least 2,176 US military deaths in Afghanistan since 2001 -- FOX News/AP