By
Paul McLeary on March 04, 2021 at 3:05 PM
Navy test of a Trident Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM)
WASHINGTON: President Biden’s nominee to run the Pentagon policy office received a rough ride from Republicans on the Senate Armed Services Committee today over old anti-Trump tweets, the Iran deal, and nuclear modernization.
Several Republicans sought assurance that the Biden administration planned to fund the modernization of the nuclear triad’s air, land and sea-based nuclear missiles, particularly the aging Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD), the replacement for the decades-old Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile.
Kahl said he supported the effort to modernize the entire triad, though he said he would have to read the classified assessments of the GBSD program should he be confirmed before he could give a complete answer.
By
Paul McLeary on March 01, 2021 at 9:50 PM
Commander Indo-Pacific Command Adm. Phil Davidson meets with Japan’s Minister of Defense Tarō Kōno
WASHINGTON: As the Biden administration weighs how to manage China, Indo-Pacific Command has crafted a $27.3 billion plan to buy new missile defense systems, place radar and missile defense systems on the ground, launch satellites and build state-of-the-art training ranges across the region.
The report, delivered today to Capitol Hill, sketches out the budget for the 2022 budget and in the years out to 2027, envisioning a long-range plan that Indo-Pacom head Adm. Phil Davidson first introduced last year. A copy of the Executive Summary was obtained by Breaking Defense.
The full budget, set to be released on May 3, should spark heated debate in Congress between an emboldened progressive wing of the Democratic party looking to cut defense budgets, and Republicans and conservative Democrats who say spending must increase to stay ahead of the Chinese military buildup.
By
Paul McLeary on February 23, 2021 at 11:07 AM
Calling themselves the Three Amigos, a self-appointed legal SWAT team of former Solicitors General ran through all the Doomsday scenarios they could think of except armed insurrection at the Capitol.
By
Paul McLeary on February 16, 2021 at 5:20 PM
NATO soldiers during the closing ceremony of Tobruq Legacy 2020 at Siauliai Air Base, Lithuania.
WASHINGTON: Heading into this week’s highly-anticipated NATO defense minister meetings after four years of rancor and bluster, US defense officials are looking to project an aura of calm and competence, rejecting the threats and demands of the last administration in favor of a message of calm consultation among allies.
The virtual meetup will lack the personal diplomacy of previous gatherings in Brussels, where officials and their staffs huddle on the sidelines to make introductions or kickstart partnerships. But the Pentagon views the meetings as a way to reset the alliance after years of disruption, and a chance to set new goals on confronting China, combating climate change, and bringing NATO-aligned countries like Finland and Sweden closer to the alliance.