The following is a Tuesday letter from the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces to Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus. The letter — signed by chairman Rep. Randy Forbes (R-Va.) and ranking member Rep. Mike McIntyre (D-N.C.) — asks Mabus to closely monitor the acquisition of the Unmanned Carrier-Launched Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) and raises concerns on the direction of the program. Read More
The following is the United Nation’s chemical weapons report on the Aug. 21, 2013 chemical weapons incident in Syria. From the report:
Conclusions:
On the basis of the evidence obtained during our investigation of the Ghouta incident, the conclusion is that, on 21 August 2013, chemical weapons have been used in the ongoing conflict between the parties in the Syrian Arab Republic, also against civilians, including children, on a relatively large scale. Read More
FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, Md. (NNS) — The following reports the results of Special and General Courts-Martial tried within the United States Navy in August 2013. The cases are listed by the Navy Region in which they were tried. Read More
The following is from the Department of Defense’s Aug. 7, 2013 Command and Control forJoint Maritime Operations:
Maritime power, in the broadest sense, is military, diplomatic, and economic power or influence exerted through the ability to use the sea. Read More
From U.S. Fleet Forces’s June 2013 Environmental Assessment Addressing the Homeporting of the Littoral Combat Ship on the East Coast of the United States:
Under the Proposed Action, the U.S. Department of the Navy (Navy) proposes to provide facilities and functions to support the homeporting of up to 14 Littoral Combat Ships (LCSs) on the East Coast of the United States by 2020. Read More
From the Sept. 3, 2013 Congressional Research Service Report, Possible U.S. Intervention in Syria: Issues for Congress:
Members of Congress have expressed a broad range of views on the question of an immediate U.S. military response, with some expressing support for military action and others expressing opposition or questioning how a military response would advance U.S. policy goals in Syria and beyond. For more than two years, many Members of Congress have debated the potential rewards and unintended consequences of deeper U.S. involvement in Syria. Some Members have expressed concern that the Administration’s policy of providing support to the fractured Syrian opposition could empower anti-American extremist groups, while others have warned that failure to back moderate forces in Syria could prolong the conflict and create opportunity for extremists. Read More
From the Aug. 19, 2013 Congressional Research Service Report:
This report provides a brief overview of the key issues for Congress related to Egypt. U.S. policy makers are now grappling with complex questions about the future of U.S.-Egypt relations, particularly in light of the growing unrest and violence currently unfolding. These debates are shaping consideration of appropriations and authorization legislation and congressional oversight options in the 113th Congress. Read More
The following is from an Aug. 27, 2013 Boeing briefing on the company’s Advanced Super Hornet program. Read More
From the Aug. 20, 2013 Congressional Research Service report, Syria’s Chemical Weapons: Issues for Congress. This is an update of a July 1, 2013 report.
The use or loss of control of chemical weapons stocks in Syria could have unpredictable consequences for the Syrian population and neighboring countries as well as U.S. allies and forces in the region. Congress may wish to assess the Administration’s plans to respond to possible scenarios involving the use, change of hands, or loss of control of Syrian chemical weapons. Read More
From the Aug. 13, 2013 Congressional Research Service Report: Assessing the January 2012 Defense Strategic Guidance (DSG)
On January 5, 2012, President Obama announced a new defense strategy entitled “Sustaining U.S. Global Leadership: Priorities for 21st Century Defense,” and commonly referred to as the defense strategic guidance or “DSG”. The DSG was significant at the time because it was explicitly intended to reshape future Department of Defense (DOD) priorities, activities, and budget requests for the following decade. That reshaping meant, in part, reducing defense spending by about $487 billion over 10 years, to meet the initial budget caps set in the Budget Control Act (BCA) of 2011.2 And it meant in part refining DOD’s 10-year strategic outlook in response to changes in the global security environment and the end of the decade of warfare that followed the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Read More
