Daily Report

July 18, 2013

Hagel Announces Pentagon Staff Reductions

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel directed a 20-percent reduction in funding for the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Joint Chiefs of Staff, and service headquarters as part of broader plans to reduce the US military’s costs, announced the Pentagon. This...

Miller Defends Missile Defense Policy

The failed intercept of the target missile during the July 5 test of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense system was “surprising,” said James Miller, undersecretary of defense for policy, on Wednesday. However, the test’s outcome has not derailed the Obama Administration’s...

Miller Emphasizes Need for Nuclear Triad

Undersecretary of Defense for Policy James Miller on Wednesday reiterated the importance of maintaining the nuclear triad in response to growing concerns over the nuclear ambitions of countries like Iran and North Korea. “The United States must and will obtain...

Shelton Sounds Early Warning

The Air Force’s Space Based Infrared System satellites will require modernization in the next decade to remain viable, said Gen. William Shelton, head of Air Force Space Command. “With the threats that are coming, we don’t believe that SBIRS, in...

The Retrograde Diet Plan

Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan—Although the Army is pretty much on schedule with the roll-down of its forward operating bases in Afghanistan, soldiers are having a hard time parting with their gear—just as was the case during the drawdown in Iraq, said...

Rotational Amnesia

Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan After 12 years of continued deployments, the Air Force is suffering from a case of “rotational amnesia,” said Lt. Col. Paul Cornwell, commander of the 451st Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron here. “What little turnover you get from...

Parched

A failing water main has caused a water shortage at JB Andrews, Md., and the surrounding Maryland county. Fixing the 54-inch-diameter concrete main is expected to take several days and has required local authorities to curtail the county’s water supply....

Phantom Menace

A remotely controlled QF-4 full-scale aerial target crashed on takeoff on the drone runway at Tyndall AFB, Fla., on Wednesday, announced base officials. No personnel were injured during the incident, which occurred at 8:25 a.m. local time, according to the...