As Pentagon leaders go, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen are fairly mild-mannered — prone to quiet, careful assessments, not table-pounding bluster. But they could barely contain their anger on Thursday at WikiLeaks for publishing tens of thousands of secret documents about the Afghanistan war. Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, went so far as to say that the transparency activists “might already have on their hands the blood of some young soldier” or an Afghan partner during a Pentagon press briefing, his voice elevating slightly.

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My Comment: I said the same thing a few days ago. The fact that Wikileaks released the names of many of our informers and supporters in Afghanistan …. this alone will guarantee murders and killings as well as putting our own troops who handle these cases in extreme jeopardy.

Pentagon Leaders: WikiLeaks Has ‘Blood On Its Hands’ is a post from: Updated News

A group of Republican senators are suggesting that the Pentagon is withholding its annual report on China’s military build-up out of concerns of fueling hostility between the countries.

The senators – John Cornyn of Texas, John McCain of Arizona, James Risch of Idaho, Pat Roberts of Kansas, and James Inhofe of Oklahoma – sent a strongly worded letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates Friday, nearly five months after the annual report was due.

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Senators rap Pentagon’s delay on China report — Washington Times
U.S. Senators Demand DoD Release China Report — Defense News
Pentagon takes an incomplete on report on Chinese military — Washington Post
Where is the Pentagon report on the Chinese military? — Foreign Policy
US Congress seeks report on alarming Chinese military build up — Hindustan Times
US Congress seeks report on Chinese military from Pentagon — Zee News

Where Is That Pentagon Report On China’s Military? is a post from: Updated News

For the first time since 2001, there is real and building momentum to include caps or even reductions in defense spending as part of the bipartisan drive to address the United States’ runaway deficits.

Defense spending, which has more than doubled since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, has always been the third rail of congressional funding debates. After Defense Secretary Robert Gates said last year that “the spigot of defense funding opened by 9/11 is closing,” there was widespread skepticism in Washington that either party would take up the cause.

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Panel: Pentagon should freeze hiring, slash management — Government Executive
Rethinking the Defense Budget…Yet Again — Heritage Foundation
U.S. War-Bill Delay Imperils Civilian Salaries, Ops — Defense News
Pentagon looking for supplemental funds — UPI
Troubles loom for some military pay — Government Executive
Absent Supplemental, Pentagon Furloughs Begin Next Month — DoD Buzz
Contractors aim to trim the fat — Politico
Joint Strike Fighter’s GE jet engine: We can’t afford it — L.A. Times

Pentagon Laying The Groundwork For Defense Cuts is a post from: Updated News

The Pentagon is “seriously planning” for the possibility that Congress will not pass emergency war funding before lawmakers head to the August recess, said Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell.

The Pentagon is developing an “emergency plan” to deal with the lack of supplemental funds for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Morrell said at a press briefing Wednesday. Morrell did not disclose any details of the plan, because Defense Secretary Robert Gates has yet to consider the options under that plan.

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Previous Post: The Coming Storm Of Defense Budget Cuts

My Comment: Congress already has been given the heads up …. but is anyone listening?

What Will The Pentagon Do When It Has No Money? is a post from: Updated News

Nixon launched it, Carter killed it and Reagan resurrected it. In its infancy, the Air Force’s B-1 bomber was a quick and dirty military metaphor — Republicans wanted to buy weapons to defend the nation from the Soviet Union, and Democrats didn’t. Now it could become a different kind of symbol: the Air Force is thinking of retiring its total 66-plane B-1 fleet to hit budget targets set by Defense Secretary Robert Gates. Top Air Force officials met behind closed doors late last week to determine if permanently grounding the B-1 fleet makes sense.

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B-1B fleet could be retired early — Reporter News
B-1B program on the chopping block? Report says maybe — Reporter News
B-1B Lancer Fleet To the Boneyard? — Defense Tech

My Comment: Not much coverage on this story from other media sources …. I suspect that this is a trial balloon to calculate opinion …. but if more coverage starts to increase, expect the B-1 to be on the chopping block within the year.

B-1 Bomber To Be Retired? is a post from: Updated News

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Sunday that Iran was moving “in the direction of a military dictatorship,” and maintained that all options would still be on the table to keep the Islamic Republic from going nuclear.

Gates was asked on “Fox News Sunday” about whether the latest round of United Nations sanctions and the new sanctions announced last week by the Treasury Department would weaken Tehran’s will to develop its nuclear program.

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Gates: U.S. Not Ready to Talk About Containing a Nuclear Iran — FOX News
Gates rules out idea of ‘containing’ nuclear-armed Iran — AFP
Gates sees potential in Iran economic sanctions — Reuters
Gates: `Reasonable chance’ for UN’s Iran penalties — Real Clear Politics/AP
Gates Says UN Effort May Deter Iran’s Nuclear Program — Bloomberg Businessweek
Military in Iran seen as taking control — Washington Times

Gates: All Options On Table To Prevent Iran From Going Nuclear is a post from: Updated News

Two San Diego County defense contractors are hustling to develop a new generation of comparatively inexpensive, unmanned aerial vehicles in the wake of Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ call for a less costly naval arsenal.

Speaking in Washington, D.C., on Monday, Gates said the military needs to re-examine whether it can afford so many aircraft carriers and submarines when more money is needed to underwrite the Army and Marine Corps.

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My Comment: Another example on the growing importance and growing role of unmanned UAVs for our military.

U.S. Navy Of The Future — More Drones, Smaller Navy is a post from: Updated News

Two San Diego County defense contractors are hustling to develop a new generation of comparatively inexpensive, unmanned aerial vehicles in the wake of Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ call for a less costly naval arsenal.

Speaking in Washington, D.C., on Monday, Gates said the military needs to re-examine whether it can afford so many aircraft carriers and submarines when more money is needed to underwrite the Army and Marine Corps.

Read more ….

My Comment: Another example on the growing importance and growing role of unmanned UAVs for our military.

U.S. Navy Of The Future — More Drones, Smaller Navy is a post from: Updated News

A high-level U.S. Defense Department official said yesterday that the Obama administration intended within eight years to provide full missile shield coverage of Europe against possible ballistic missile threats from Iran, Reuters reported (see GSN, April 12).

Bradley Roberts, deputy assistant defense secretary for nuclear and missile defense policy, told members of a House Armed Services subcommittee that the planned missile defense system would cover “100 percent” of Europe.

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My Comment: Hmmmm ….. did the Russians get the memo?

Missile Defense Will Completely Cover Europe By 2018 is a post from: Updated News

The Pentagon is considering buying a new fleet of presidential planes, known as Air Force One when the U.S. president is aboard.

The Pentagon is considering buying a new fleet of presidential planes, known as Air Force One when the U.S. president is aboard.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Wednesday told at a House Appropriations Committee hearing on the Pentagon budget that it’s time for an upgrade.

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My Comment: 20 years in service …. yup …. its service life is coming to an end.

A New Fleet Of Air Force Ones? is a post from: Updated News