* US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel sent a letter [PDF] to the Senate Armed Services Committee's leadership outlining the consequences of keeping sequestration in place next year, though the Pentagon has yet to produce anything granular enough to express more than very...
In December 2005, AdAge reported that the U.S. Army had awarded the US government's largest single ad account to Interpublic Group of Cos. (IPG) McCann Erickson in New York, NY, following a series of on-again, off again account reviews. IPG has held on to the account...
* US intelligence congressional committees are putting the brakes on the Administration's plans to arm Syrian rebels, according to the Hill. * Buck McKeon [R-CA, HASC chairman] is opposed to a complete American withdrawal from Afghanistan. President Karzai thinks this...
* The Obama administration is considering with increased interest the option of leaving no American troops in Afghanistan after 2014, according to the New York Times. With presidential elections coming in Afghanistan next year, one has to wonder how a reportedly tense...
* The next round of intra-governmental negotiations on the US debt ceiling seems to be what defense analysts and lobbyists hope will help precipitate a reversal of sequestration. Don't get your hopes up. * Former undersecretary of defense for policy Michèle Flournoy...
* Indian Defence Minister A.K. Antony is sparring with his colleague Anand Sharma from Commerce and Industry over what should be the maximum share foreign firms can own in defense joint ventures. Antony has made his support for developing a homegrown defense industry...
* The Philippines is to buy 2 Maestrale-class frigates from Italy, confirming reports from last year, and following President Benigno Aquino III's vows to modernize the country's air force. * India's state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) intends to tap a...
* The Pentagon's recent Strategic Choices and Management Review (SCMR, pronounced skimmer or scammer depending on your inclination) has been described as Fight Club: "the first rule of SCMR is, you don' talk about SCMR." Aside from that deliberate opacity, was it a...
* During the 46th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting over the weekend, Filipino Foreign Secretary Albert Del Rosario accused China of a "massive" military buildup in the South China Sea. Global Inquirer | AFP | AAP. * His counterpart from Vietnam was not as direct, but...