“The government ought to be limiting prosecutions to those intending to harm our national defense. The overzealous prosecutions and subsequent silencing of those who might disclose government information undermines the legitimacy of national security claims and every open government declaration the President has made.”
Leave it to Colbert to explain why Congress’ decision to pay for the tank that even the Pentagon doesn’t want makes perfect sense.
A Nun, a House Painter, and a Drifter Walk into a Nuclear Complex
It sounds like the start of an absurd joke, but last summer three peace activists broke into one of the most secure nuclear-weapons facilities in the U.S.
Read the full account of their story, and the serious breakdown of security at the nuclear facility, in The Washington Post.
Why Is the Army Accepting Unfinished Apache Helicopters? →
The Army has officially accepted seven Apache Guardian helicopters from Boeing despite the helicopters not have transmissions systems installed, according to an article in AOL Defense.
Making Danger Room’s list of “6 Weapons that Love the New Pentagon Budget” is the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, pictured above being escorted by F-18 Hornets. Somewhat ironically, the Hornets have many of the same capabilities as the F-35 but come at a fraction of the F-35’s $200 million per plane price tag. Meanwhile, the F-35 has been plagued with cost overruns, performance issues and is what we like to refer to as “the jet that ate the Pentagon.” (Photo from the U.S. Marine Corps.)
When it comes to transparency, there are two American governments.
“The notion that the nation can’t trim its military spending back to 2007 levels – which is what the sequester would do – is bizarre. That level is higher than the Cold War average.”
Mark Thompson of TIME’s Battleland.
The sequestration cuts are coming on Friday, but experts say the Pentagon can absorb them without damaging national security.
There is a long list of deep, structural problems with how the government develops and buys weapons. Unfortunately, the topic is also persistently boring so few people talk about why we are wasting billions of dollars on a slow process to produce ineffective weapons for our soldiers. Enter Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Dan Ward with The Comic Guide to Improving Defense Acquisition. See the entire comic here.
Image from Dan Ward.
