* The US Defense Acquisition University posted a bunch of slideshows and videos dedicated to the implementation of Better Buying Power. Try this one [PPTX] for a start, which sensibly advocates basing programs on realistic requirements rather than “desirements.”
* On China’s nuclear weapons: has there been an implicit shift away from “no first use” doctrine, and how many nukes do they have anyway? Daunting questions, elusive answers.
* Italian prosecutor Eugenio Fusco has made the request for an immediate trial for allegations of corruption in a sale of AgustaWestland helicopters to India. The Economic Times | La Repubblica [in Italian].
* Spain’s Ministerio de Defensa wants to revitalize its OFICAEX office meant to support the country’s defense manufacturers efforts to grow exports. Ministerio | Nov. 2012 interview [PDF] with General García Montaño in charge of the Ministry’s Armament and Material [both links in Spanish].
* Australia’s Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) and Deakin University are working on a haptic arm system to provide force feedback to let operators assess more accurately the nature of a (potential) bomb.
* Readers have asked: no, we’re not aware of any translation in English of France’s latest whitepaper. The French MINDEF, and the government at large, rarely do so, and when they do they’re never in a hurry. A translation is as likely to be produced by a third party, as was the case with the 2008 Livre Blanc.
* The US Department of Defense is somewhat concerned with, or at least curious about, the UK MoD’s plans to outsource execution of its procurement to a government-owned but privately-operated contractor.
* US Defense Undersecretary for Industrial Policy “Doctor” Brett Lambert recently spoke at a CSIS event about manufacturing for ground forces. He was not bearing good news. Video embedded below:
