Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Mark Milley
Breaking Defense: Old Weapons Under Fire As COVID Debt Rises
With defense budgets expected to be coming in flat under even best-case scenarios, the time for tough decisions might be coming.
WASHINGTON: The Pentagon may slash older weapons programs to buy new ones in coming years if the federal government’s COVID-19 response takes a big bite out of budgets, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said today.
Before the global pandemic slammed American society and ground the economy to a halt, Pentagon leaders were already looking at flat defense budgets and were casting about for fat to trim. But the trillions Congress and the Trump administration has pumped into the economy, which falls on top of an already exploding budget deficit, could make predictions of flat budgets look optimistic.
Read more ....
Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- May 6, 2020
Esper: Flat budget could speed cutting of legacy programs -- Defense News
Esper shoots back at Senate Democrats' criticism of coronavirus response -- The Hill
China, Russia take advantage of virus emergency, U.S defense secretary says -- Reuters
Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman says evidence suggests coronavirus was not man-made or released from lab -- The Hill
Pentagon chief: USS Kidd coronavirus outbreak may have come from counter-drug operation -- The Hill
‘No need to test the entire force’: Military sets new COVID-19 targets -- Washington Examiner
The Army Wants a Wearable COVID-19 Detector -- Next-Gov
US Defense Chief Frets Economic Damage of COVID-19 Could Shrink Pentagon Budget -- Sputnik
COVID-19 hospitalization rate 50 times higher in the military than in overall US -- Military Times
Inside the Air Force’s Scramble to Telework During the COVID-19 Pandemic -- Air Force Magazine
Huntington Ingalls Industries Awarded $187 Million Advance Procurement Contract for Amphibious Assault Ship LHA 9 -- Huntington Ingalls Industries
Marinette Marine nets $795.1M for 10 Guided Missile Frigates for Navy -- UPI
5 things you should know about the US Navy’s new frigate -- Defense News
The Pentagon's Flying Aircraft Carriers Are Launching Recoverable Gremlin Drones -- National Interest
Northrop Grumman, Raytheon partner for Next Generation Interceptor bid -- UPI
US Air Force ‘Interested in Accelerating’ Hypersonic Cruise Missile Programme -- Sputnik
The Army’s future vertical lift plan may have a supplier problem -- Defense News
New Team Pitches South Africa's Bronco II Light Attack Plane To American Special Operators -- Warzone/The Drive
Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt reportedly once told the US Army's top special forces general 'you absolutely suck' at artificial intelligence -- Business Insider
US ‘had nothing to do’ with ex-Green Beret’s failed raid in Venezuela, says Esper -- Military Times
Trump's spy chief pick grilled over claims intel shows coronavirus originated in Chinese lab -- CNN
Trump’s Intelligence-Chief Nominee Vows to ‘Speak Truth to Power’ -- Defense One
US awards 29 Purple Hearts for brain injuries in Iran attack -- AP
Italy’s Fincantieri will build newest class of US Navy warships -- CNBC
U.S. Navy Operates Ships In Barents Sea For First Time In Decades As Russia Increases Arctic Capabilities -- RFE
Russia's Northern Fleet Tracks NATO Warships Crossing Into Barents Sea - Defence Ministry -- Sputnik
Russian National Guard spokesman reveals agency’s mission in Syria -- TASS
Number of coronavirus cases found in Russian Armed Forces up to 1,475, says ministry -- TASS
'Not a Priority': Norway Misses US, UK Drill Off Its Arctic Coast -- Sputnik
Chinese navy anti-piracy drill ends with detour through South China Sea islands for US attention -- SCMP
China successfully conducts maiden launch of Long March-5B carrier rocket -- TASS
China's supersonic stealth bomber could be ready later this year - making it the third country alongside US and Russia capable of launching nukes from land, sea or air -- Daily Mail
Chinese ministry warned Xi of armed confrontation with US: report -- The Hill
China’s long-range Xian H-20 stealth bomber could make its debut this year -- SCMP
Boeing presents first Loyal Wingman drone aircraft to Australia -- UPI
With China In Mind, Australia Just Bought America's Newest LRASM Ship Killer Missiles -- National Interest
Israel Defense Ministry buys small exploding drones -- UPI
4 comments:
Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman says evidence suggests coronavirus was not man-made or released from lab
In other news squirrel is still looking for a shaman.
Let's assume that the virus was man made. That is "it is a given."
Now let's assume that the Pentagon declares it the original COVID 19 virus was man made.
Might Chinese intel and leaders assume that they have a mole or that their encryption has been cracked?
Knowing this might the Pentagon mislead the public by saying that the virus was not man made in order to keep the Chinese military in the dark about American elint, cryptographic or humint capabilities.
So while the American military is playing a dangerous game with the Chinese military might political hacks run with this information to score political points with people, who can merely copy and paste?
it's inconclusive, and “the weight of evidence seems to indicate natural [origin].”
Meaning Milley doesn't know or does not want ti tip his hand to the Chinese about what he knows.
Very short article that was little more than an excuse for a headline.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:SARS-CoV_MERS-CoV_genome_organization_and_S-protein_domains.png
Maybe some scientist can give the odds on how one variant can mutate to another variant. See if Vegas agrees.
They are looking at whether COVID-19 was in France throughout the month of December. If it was, it indicates that surveillance failed.
Maybe it was in France and Socal in November and December. Might you say that NIH failed?
Post a Comment