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Worries About Defense Cuts Grow As Public Sours on Pentagon Spending
Tweet Share on Facebook May 15, 2012 CommentThe Pentagon could draw the short straw after Election Day, when Congress returns for a lame-duck session ripe for compromises with the White House on a number of spending and tax measures.
Proponents of robust defense spending are growing increasingly concerned what is being called "taxmaggeddon" in Washington, a term being bandied about the District for a period later this year when a slew of tax laws will expire. The Heritage Foundation has concluded if all those laws are allowed to run out, Americans' taxes could collectively rise by nearly $500 billion.
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NATO Summit Will Likely Produce Vague Plans on Afghanistan
Tweet Share on Facebook May 15, 2012 CommentDespite ample hype about the coming NATO summit in Chicago, the powwow is unlikely to produce specific policy pacts that will make clear the alliance's plans for Afghanistan and Syria.
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Former Officials: 2012 U.S., Israel Attack on Iran Unlikely
Tweet Share on Facebook May 14, 2012 CommentA U.S. or Israeli military strike on Iran's alleged nuclear weapons facilities is unlikely this year, but could happen as soon as 2013, say several former senior American officials.
Election-year politics and the time-consuming nature of continued multination talks with Tehran will push into next year final deliberations about whether to take out facilities where the defiant Islamic regime is believed to be building atomic weapons, the former--and likely future--U.S. officials say.
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Panetta Selects Trusted Hand for New Air Force Chief
Tweet Share on Facebook May 14, 2012 Comment (1)Defense Secretary Leon Panetta opted for a familiar ally to pilot the Air Force through its latest period of turbulence and transition, as it searches for a niche with an aging fleet in the post-9/11 era.
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Going Dark: As CIA Boss, Petraeus Is Less Visible—By Design
Tweet Share on Facebook May 11, 2012 CommentThings change when one leaves the often-brash U.S. military to run the Central Intelligence Agency, a secretive organization populated by silent professionals. That includes how often one talks to reporters when charged with keeping the lone global superpower's deepest secrets.
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Despite Turkish Claims, NATO Never Extended Summit Invite to Israel
Tweet Share on Facebook May 11, 2012 Comment (3)Despite claims by Turkish officials about vetoing Israel's participation in major NATO summit, a senior U.S. official says the alliance never intended to invite Israeli leaders.
The two Middle Eastern countries have been feuding for two years since Israeli commandos stormed a Turkish ship delivering aid to the Gaza strip, killing nine on board. U.S. officials have acknowledged Turkey, a NATO member, has blocked activities between Israel and the alliance since the May 2010 incident. Turkey wants a formal apology from Israeli leaders, who say that simply is not going to happen.
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Afghanistan, Russia, and NATO's Future Should Dominate Chicago Summit
Tweet Share on Facebook May 10, 2012 CommentThe black clouds of the American and European economic crises will loom ominously over NATO leaders when they assemble next week in Chicago for three days of high-level talks.
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U.S. To Press French President-elect Francois Hollande to Reverse Afghan WIthdrawal Vow
Tweet Share on Facebook May 10, 2012 CommentConcerned France's new president-elect will remove French troops from Afghanistan this year, senior Obama administration officials are headed to Paris for high-level talks.
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Obama Takes a Swipe at Potential GOP VP Candidate With Budget Talk
Tweet Share on Facebook May 10, 2012 Comment (2)President Obama was targeting a potential GOP vice presidential candidate late Wednesday, vowing to veto a Rep. Paul Ryan-sponsored spending measure, charging it would hurt veterans, seniors and children.
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White House Calls High Seas Treaty a Tool Against Iran, Russia
Tweet Share on Facebook May 9, 2012 Comment (5)The Obama administration on Wednesday used an obscure high-seas treaty to take aim at global rivals Iran, for its threat to blockade the Strait of Hormuz, and Russia, for its rush to claim natural resources exposed by the Arctic ice melt, while also dangling an olive branch before a domestic rival in hopes of winning the treaty's passage in the U.S. Senate.
The White House deployed top Pentagon leaders to make the point that approving the treaty, the United Nations' Convention on the Law of the Seas, would give Washington a new tool to combat Iran, China, and Russia. And in a deft political move, the defense brass also noted that U.S. firms stand to rake in greater profits if the Senate acts.
