The Insider

The commanding general of U.S. forces in Iraq is being discussed as a possible nominee to become the next vice chief of staff of the Army, according to a service source.

Gen. Lloyd James Austin III replaced Gen. Raymond Odierno in Iraq last June. Odierno has been nominated to replace Army Chief of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey, who has been nominated to become Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

“That is the only name that has come across right now,” the source said.

News of discussions surrounding Austin's possible nomination were first reported today in a Lexington Institute blog.

If confirmed, Dempsey will begin as JCS in the fall when Adm. Michael Mullen steps down. Some in the Army are reportedly worried about the chaos associated with the change in that Dempsey has been chief only since April.

If Austin becomes the nominee, he would be in line to replace Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Chiarelli, who the source said might stay on past his tour of duty to ensure a smoother transition.

“They want to avoid turbulence during the changeover of chiefs and [Chiarelli] made a passing reference to it in a meeting,” the source said. “They really don't want to switch out both within 30 days of each other. That's not particularly useful.”

Austin's previous jobs include director of the joint staff and commanding general of 18th Airborne Corps at Ft. Bragg, NC.

Lockheed Martin today announced the launch of a snazzy new website for the Joint Strike Fighter, www.F35.com. The website features a musical intro, a description of the aircraft's history and production facilities, and a handful of book-jacket-style quotes from military and civilian leaders praising the F-35.

The site also includes a section titled “Public Support,” where visitors can sign a Statement of Support for the JSF program. The statement reads:

"I agree:

• The F-35 will provide the U.S. military and allied forces with the next generation capabilities they must have in today’s complex global security environment, including cutting-edge stealth, unparalleled awareness, and superior technology to support the men and women keeping us safe.

• The F-35 provides well-paying, skilled jobs for workers across nine nations, and safety for citizens of friendly nations across the world.

• We should support all efforts to improve our military’s abilities to meet today’s and tomorrow’s challenges."

The website then asks for some limited personal information, and signees and their state of residence are listed on a scrolling ticker on the right side of the page. As of this morning, most supporters come from Texas, Georgia and Alabama -- three states in which Lockheed Martin has a major presence.

Senate defense authorizers have not received any details on the executive branch's plan to cut security spending by $400 billion over the next decade despite two requests for information from the administration, according to Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-MI).

During a conference call with reporters today, Levin said the administration is “losing an opportunity” to provide lawmakers information that could help guide the formation of the fiscal year 2012 defense authorization bill. The committee unanimously approved the bill Thursday.

The Pentagon submitted its FY-12 budget to lawmakers in February. But in April, President Obama announced his plans to reduce security spending by $400 billion through FY-23, with the bulk of those reductions expected to be borne by the Pentagon.

Defense authorizers would have found the administration's plans on the proposed cuts “useful and helpful,” although not binding, Levin said.

Levin noted that the committee found $6 billion in savings for FY-12.

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) today said the White House's legal justification for continuing military operations in Libya under the War Powers Act -- sent to Congress yesterday -- is not enough. According to a statement highlighting remarks the congressman made earlier today at a press conference:

BOEHNER ON THE FAILURE OF THE WHITE HOUSE TO ANSWER A KEY QUESTION ON LIBYA:

"Well, the administration gave its opinion on the war powers resolution, but it didn't answer the question in my letter as whether the Office of Legal Counsel agrees with them. So I'm looking forward to an answer on this by tomorrow."

BOEHNER ON WHITE HOUSE CLAIMS THAT THE U.S. MISSION REGARDING LIBYA DOES NOT INVOLVE "HOSTILITIES":

"The White House says there are no hostilities taking place, yet we have got drone attacks under way, we're spending $10 million a day. We're part of an effort to drop bombs on Qadhafi's compounds. It doesn't pass the straight face test, in my view, that we're not in the midst of hostilities. It's been four weeks since the President has talked to the American people about this mission, and I think it's time for the President to outline to the American people why we are there, what the mission is, and what our goals are, and how do we exit this."

BOEHNER ON FUTURE LEGISLATIVE ACTION BY THE HOUSE:

"The House has options. We're looking at those options, and my guess is that next week we may be prepared to move on those options based on the answers to the questions that we get."

Robert Gates took to Capitol Hill today for the last time as defense secretary, dropping a bit of news on war costs in response to a question about Afghanistan:

[T]his is not a war without end. The Lisbon summit has made clear that the transfer to Afghan security responsibility and leadership will be complete not later than the end of 2014. Troops will be coming down during that period. The costs of these wars is coming down dramatically. The costs of these wars will drop between '11 -- FY '11 and '12 by $40 billion and between '12 and '13 probably by several tens of billions of dollars more.

Gates got around to the discussion of war costs in a roundabout way, responding to a question from Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) about Pakistan and its willingness, or lack thereof, to help the United States combat terrorists. Leahy noted the news today that "our putative ally" -- Pakistan -- "arrested five people under the suspicion that they helped the United States to get Osama bin Laden, after publicly saying, of course, they wanted us to get Osama bin Laden." He added that "we could overlook the problem in Pakistan if the Afghan government were any better," then asked Gates, "how long do we support governments that lie to us? When do we say enough is enough?"

Gates' response began with this quip:

Well, first of all, I would say based on 27 years in CIA and four-and-a-half years in this job, most governments lie to each other. That's the way business gets done.

The House Appropriations Committee, in a report accompanying its fiscal year 2012 defense spending bill, appears exasperated at DOD for not providing lawmakers a list of recently eliminated reporting requirements, which the Pentagon estimates will save $250 million in FY-12. The report, published on June 13, states:

The Committee has repeatedly requested a list of these reports which will be eliminated, as well as an explanation of the derivation of the savings estimate, but the Department has yet to supply the list or explain the derivation of the estimate.

Yet, on March 31, Defense Secretary Robert Gates directed the cancellation of 386 reports generated in accordance with internal Defense Department directives, publications, instructions as well as other processes such as strategic guidance and the Quadrennial Defense Review.

The main page of the DOD Issuances Web site features a prominent section called “2011 Internal Report Cancellation” that links to specific details on each of the eliminated reporting requirements.

Lockheed Martin's space systems business unit just announced it plans to lay off approximately 1,200 workers by the end of this year.

According to a company statement, the layoffs are "designed to address affordability and improve its competitive posture." Further:

Space Systems, which currently employs approximately 16,000 employees in 12 states, will implement a broad-based workforce reduction of roughly 1,200 employees by year-end. It is anticipated that middle management will be reduced by 25 percent, with significantly smaller percentage impacts in other levels and disciplines.

Operations across the country will be affected, with the largest impact expected at the company's sites in Sunnyvale, Calif., the Delaware Valley region of Pennsylvania, and Denver, Colo., where several of the company's major programs are transitioning out of development.

Joanne Maguire, executive vice president, Lockheed Martin Space Systems, said, "In today's economic environment, we have two choices: make painful decisions now or pay a greater price down the road. This is a difficult but necessary action to improve efficiencies and make our business more competitive going forward. We will remain relentlessly focused on achieving operational excellence and mission success for our customers as we position to deliver more affordably in the future."

Space Systems will offer eligible salaried employees an opportunity for a voluntary layoff to minimize the number of involuntary layoffs that will occur. The company also will provide career transition support to those affected by this workforce reduction.