3/9/11 - Field Trip Wednesday Stuff

[TSPking]

Expert: Defense must be cut to avoid crisis

The U.S. won't be able to avoid a crippling debt crisis as long as Congress refuses to include
defense spending, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid in the mix of program cuts to reduce federal...
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2011/03/m ... s-030811w/

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Marines Face Huge CR Procurement Loss

http://www.dodbuzz.com/2011/03/08/marin ... oss/?wh=wh

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Lightweight drone set for first MEU deployment

http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/20 ... e-030811w/

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Troubled F-35 Fighter Programs Finally Might Get Off The Ground

Weeks after a major program shakeup, senior Pentagon and F-35 program officials suddenly sound
optimistic about the future of the jet fighter - and lawmakers are voicing few concerns.
http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/ ... the-ground

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U.S. Navy F-35 Makes First Supersonic Flight (But Can It Land on a CVN??)

http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i= ... =AME&s=AIR

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Bomber Puzzle Pieces (Hope USAF is better at Procuring a Bomber than a Tanker)

A concise guide to the next bomber.
http://www.airforce-magazine.com/Featur ... omber.aspx

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U.S. might be giving away sensitive military technology, report finds (Say It Ain't So)

A major decline in the number of foreign worker visas screened by Commerce is part of the problem, GAO says.
http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?a ... dcn=e_gvet

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Agencies could reap greater benefits from investments in developmental technologies

When the U.S. military and the intelligence community need new technology, whether it's smart batteries or
ultrasensitive chemical sensors, often no company produces it and none is willing to try because the limited
market and risky research and development likely will make the venture unprofitable.
http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20110 ... ne=NGtoday

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HP Strengthens Defense Segment Leadership

HP Enterprise Services today announced it has named U.S. Navy Vice Admiral (Ret.) H. Denby Starling II
as vice president for Command and ...
http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/press ... -corp-news

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Tech groups call for less cybersecurity regulation, more incentives

A coalition of technology and business groups called for tax credits, not regulations, to motivate companies
to protect vulnerable Internet networks in the United States.
http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20110 ... ne=NGtoday

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Baffling Metro Ads Require 'Code Breakers'

Intel and security software companies have taken the battle for federal contracts to Washington's Metro stations -- through
myriad baffling ads that "revel in their obscurantism," the Wall Street Journal observes in "To Understand Washington Ads,
You've Got to Be a Code Breaker."
http://cybersecurityreport.nextgov.com/ ... metros.php

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The Long Road Home

It is a journey that no father should have to take. But for Lt. Gen. John Kelly, whose son Robert
was a Marine with the 3rd Battalion of the 5th Regiment, it was a necessary trip.
http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2011/ ... road-home#

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Commission calls on Pentagon to scrap women in combat policy

Panel says excluding women from combat under certain circumstances limits
their opportunities for career advancement.
http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?a ... dcn=e_gvet

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Report reveals steep increase in war amputations last fall

The majority of American soldiers undergoing amputation for war wounds last fall lost more than one limb,
according to data presented Tuesday to the Defense Health Board, a committee of experts that advises the
Defense Department on medical matters.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... ailarticle

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New rules promise better tuition-plan oversight

The Pentagon is ramping up oversight of the $517 million program that provides tuition assistance money for
the active-duty force amid mounting concerns that it is ripe for waste and abuse.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2011/03/m ... ht_030811/

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It's a mystery: Troops not biting on extra pay

http://ap.stripes.com/dynamic/stories/U ... TE=DEFAULT

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Some tax preparers continue to resist the IRS e-filing system

Agency's target is for 80 percent of returns to be filed electronically.
http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?a ... dcn=e_gvet

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Maintaining morale during the crunch

Even if there's no government shutdown, agencies should focus on three things.
http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0311/030911mm.htm

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White House moving to repair troubled relationship with Cabinet

News this week of the first departure of a Cabinet secretary from the Obama administration comes amid a wide-ranging
effort under the new chief of staff, William M. Daley, to repair badly frayed relations between the White House and the Cabinet.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... ailarticle

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Senate still wrangling over spending bill (Get Hot, Weekend Work and Overtime Auth)

Senate leaders delayed until Wednesday consideration of a bill to fund the government through Sept. 30, as
Democrats accused Republicans of reneging on an agreement to stage side-by-side votes on two competing plans
to cut spending.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... ailarticle

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Neither of Rival Budgets Is Expected to Move in Senate

The budget passed by House Republicans is expected to fail in the Senate, as is the budget
prepared by Democrats and the White House.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/09/us/po ... l?emc=eta1

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'Gang of six' close to deficit reduction proposal

Plan is similar to the one proposed by fiscal commission led by Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles.
http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?a ... dcn=e_gvet

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Degrees and Dollars

The hollow promise of good jobs for highly educated workers.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/07/opini ... l?emc=eta1

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The rocky road to reorganization, from Nixon to Obama

Management experts argue that overhauls of government usually fail and rarely result in cost savings.
http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?a ... dcn=e_gvet

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Flirting With a Repeat of a Stunted Recovery

Positives and negatives in the economy are reminiscent of those from a year ago, when the recovery sputtered.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/09/busin ... l?emc=eta1

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Rising Gas Cost Finds the Nation Better Prepared

Economists doubt the price spike will derail the rebound unless it gets much worse.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/09/busin ... l?emc=eta1

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What's Behind the Spike in Oil Prices?

Are speculators overreacting, or are they responding sensibly to global energy pressures?
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/20 ... s?emc=eta1

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S.E.C. Chairwoman Under Fire Over Ethics Issues

Mary L. Schapiro is facing Congressional questioning about a former general counsel who weighed in on the
Bernard L. Madoff case even though he had a financial interest in it.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/09/busin ... l?emc=eta1

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Bank Chief Rejects Idea Of Reducing Home Loans

Bank of America executives said on Tuesday that a government idea to write off tens of billions worth of mortgage debt
was unworkable and warned that it would be unfair to untroubled borrowers.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/09/busin ... l?emc=eta1

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Taxpayers caught in the middle of costly Fannie lawsuit (Just Like a Divorce, Only the Lawyers Win)

What could be worse than taxpayers paying more than $100 million to defend a shareholder-owned company
and its former executives in a private lawsuit?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... ailarticle

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Even a Wealthy Suburb Faces Pressure to Curb School Taxes

Even in Bronxville, N.Y., where typical income is high, a look at the property tax trajectory has residents worried.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/09/busin ... l?emc=eta1

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Wis. gov. floats union compromise, but no deal yet

MADISON, Wis. -- Two of the 14 Senate Democrats who fled Wisconsin to block a vote on stripping most bargaining rights
for public workers say Republican Gov. Scott Walker's proposed compromise isn't enough to bring them back to the Capitol,
although they'll keep talking.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... ailarticle

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Angry residents of CA city vote on council recall

http://ap.stripes.com/dynamic/stories/U ... TE=DEFAULT

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State and local workers: Gone but not off the books as pensions drain funds

As cities and states across the country grapple with potentially crushing health and pension obligations for their
current and future retirees, stories of excess and gaming of the system are getting more attention than they have
in the past, causing problems for unions as they try to win the battle
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... ailarticle

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Insurer's board suspends own pay (Charity?? I don't Think so!!)

Blue Cross reacts as criticism grows; status as charity to be reviewed
http://www.boston.com/business/healthca ... s_own_pay/

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Strings attached (Amen!!)

State says it's trying to get tough on companies that fail to create the jobs
they promised in exchange for tax breaks
http://www.boston.com/business/taxes/ar ... ises_kept/

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BWI, 7 other airports cleared for charter flights to Cuba (What the??)

But there are still U.S. restrictions on who can go, and the first flights are unlikely to leave before next year.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... ailarticle

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For Lawmaker Examining Terror, a Pro-I.R.A. Past

Representative Peter T. King, whose committee is holding hearings on the radicalization of American Muslims,
once fervently supported a terrorist group, the Irish Republican Army.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/09/us/po ... l?emc=eta1

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Gates says U.S. may stay in Afghanistan past 2014 deadline

Transferring security control to local forces will take some time, Pentagon chief says.
http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?a ... dcn=e_gvet

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Putting Afghan Plan Into Action Proves Difficult

As the American military leaves some areas in Afghanistan to push into others, there is a disconnect
between the political and military goals and the situation on the ground.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/09/world ... l?emc=eta1

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Amid Arab protests, resentment builds in Jordanian town

Bedouin tribal leaders in a southern town speak bluntly in criticizing the king.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... ailarticle

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Kuwait protesters bring reform demands to streets

More than 1,000 protesters called Tuesday for sweeping political changes in Kuwait as the
surge for reforms around the Arab world moved into another Gulf state
http://ap.stripes.com/dynamic/stories/M ... TE=DEFAULT

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Yemen Appeals for Aid to Counter Economic Crisis

As protests spread to new areas of Yemen on Tuesday, the foreign minister appealed to rich
Gulf countries for $6 billion in additional aid.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/09/world ... l?emc=eta1

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Yemeni army storms university, wounding 98

http://ap.stripes.com/dynamic/stories/M ... TE=DEFAULT

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In Egypt, Preparations for a Rarity: A Real Vote

Amr Moussa, the apparent front-runner in the Egyptian election, attended a raucous town-hall-style meeting.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/09/world ... l?emc=eta1

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Christians and Muslims clash in Egyptian capital

http://ap.stripes.com/dynamic/stories/M ... TE=DEFAULT

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Egypt's security forces are weakened after decades as Mubarak's enforcer

CAIRO - For years, Marwa Farouk lived in fear of Egypt's state security agents, who arrested and interrogated
her several times for her work as an activist.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... ailarticle

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NATO AWACS Eye Libyan Skies

A senior U.S. official says NATO has decided to boost flights of surveillance planes over Libya as the
alliance debates the utility of imposing a "no-fly zone" over the country. Meanwhile, Libyan air force
planes continue to hit rebel-held zones.
http://www.military.com/news/article/na ... kies-.html

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Libya No-Fly Zone Would Stretch Resources: Experts

http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=5900970

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Gadhafi says Libyans will fight no-fly zone

http://ap.stripes.com/dynamic/stories/A ... TE=DEFAULT

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U.S., Europe considering naval operations to deliver humanitarian aid to Libya

The United States and its European allies are considering the use of naval assets to deliver humanitarian aid to Libya
and to block arms shipments to the government of Moammar Gaddafi, even as they weigh the legality of imposing a no-fly
zone without United Nations authorization, according to U.S...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... ailarticle

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U.S. Navy Keeping Watch on Libya

http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=5903797

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Opposition in Libya Struggles to Form a United Front

Libyan rebels are facing a great and perhaps fatal obstacle: the need to forge a substitute to
Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi in a state that he embodied.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/09/world ... l?emc=eta1

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Qaddafi Forces Renew Attacks on Rebels

Rebels appeared to be facing setbacks as battles unfolded in an atmosphere of rumor and uncertainty and
a new report spotlighted the rebels' shortfall in weapons.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/09/world ... l?emc=eta1

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Young Mexican police chief seeks US asylum

EL PASO, Texas -- A young woman who received death threats after recently becoming police chief of
a violence-plagued Mexican town is in the U.S and seeking asylum, Mexican and U.S. officials said Tuesday.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... ailarticle

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Taking a Risk for Rare Earths (Doesn't U.S. Have any Rare Earths??)

If it can prove that rare earth metals can be processed safely, Malaysia thinks
it can reap rewards by breaking China's market dominance.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/09/busin ... l?emc=eta1

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Japan to Fly its Own Stealth Fighter Prototype By 2014

http://defensetech.org/2011/03/08/japan ... 014/?wh=wh

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Reagan carrier group steams toward South Korea to join exercise

The Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group is in the western Pacific on its way to participate in the
huge military exercise now under way in and around South Korea.
http://www.stripes.com/news/pacific/kor ... -1.137073#

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China Blasts S.Korea Military Hacking Allegations

http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=5901001

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IISS: Chinese Military Growing Fast But Concerns 'Regional'

http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=5900971

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China Stakes Claim on Disputed Islands after Spats

http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=5900999

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[Navig8tor]

Had the USG not waited to "fix things" until the country was in "crises mode" the bottom line MAY BE a little different right now. The Fat Cats sit on Capital Hill and Wall Street, living high on the hog for decades, while seemingly ignoring all the programs that "need to be fixed". Then the country falls into an extremis situation with national debt and economic strife and all of a sudden the headlines read: MILITARY KILLING OUR BUDGET.

This is nothing new. There has been severe "down sizing" of our forces after every major conflict we've ever participated in. We do our jobs for years on end, defending freedom and democracy around the world at the expense of thousands of lives and tens of thousands of life altering injuries; yet our reward for doing so is to be downsized when the deed is done.

In fact, I was caught up in downsizing following Desert Storm. It ultimately caused me to leave the Marines and join the Coast Guard. I was 4.0 Marine from day#1. Made Sergeant in two years, served as an Embassy Guard for 4 years, and then 2 weeks shy of a year on the ground in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. I finally get home to find out I'm in an overpopulated MOS and the Corps was directed to downsize. Never did A THING wrong, and I was Marine to the "Corps". No matter; can't re-enlist; we have too many people. "Clinton said we need to lose 10,000 Marines...nothing we can do for you...sorry."

I don't fault the Corps in this; I fault the USG!! They ramped up for Desert Storm, just like they do for ever other conflict. They use you for everything you can put out, then toss you out like yesterday's trash when the country is in financial extremis and THE MILITARY IS KILLING THE BUDGET.

Social Security, Medicare, Welfare...these are all programs that the USG has known for over 20 years "need to be fixed." The housing collapse was caused by free spending and idiotic loans that never should have been issued. The financial collapse; driven by years of overspending and poor fiscal responsibility. The National debt; I'm SURE a 10 year useless war on two fronts hasn't added anything to THAT NUMBER.

But in the end the MILITARY IS KILLING OUR BUDGET??

How about this: Leave Iraq and Afghanistan...NOW!! It's been 10 YEARS...what are we REALLY accomplishing?

Stop sending billions of dollars in AID overseas to try to grow rice in the desert, or to "teach" people how to wear condoms because they live in countries where millions of people are infected with the HIV virus. Stop trying to save the world and worry about the USA for a few years!! Get the USA back online; square away OUR education system; OUR health care system; OUR financial and tax systems; OUR government assistance and retirement programs. Worry about OUR PROBLEMS for a few years and stay out of the business off every third world country on the planet.

Our country is 230-some years old. We're relative newcomers in that respect. We started off in the hole financially, and we've been in the whole ever since. The rest of the world was around long before we were. If you ask me, we need to step back and worry about our own problems for a while. Maybe a little isolationism for a few years. The rest of the world will survive. They will continue to subsist without our trillions of dollars of aid and/or military intervention every year.

We're like the "World Welfare System" in that the more you give the more they are going to want, and the less likely they are to solve their own problems. Kind of sounds like OUR OWN welfare system!

These poor countries aren't just going to vanish like the Inca's, Mayans or Romans if we stop supporting them. They will get support from governments on their own continent. However, if they don't and they can't survive...they may very well go the way of many other great civilizations. Natural order is the way of the world. The strong survive; the weak falter and crumble.

Don't get me wrong, I do believe in humanitarian missions in times of real crises. But meddling in the political affairs and supporting the economies of so many foreign countries has left us in a bad spot. We need to worry about ourselves for the immediate future.

Downsize the military though....that'll solve all of our problems. Sure...until the next war crops up and we add thousands of troops to our Armed Forces so that we commence the next cycle of downsizing.