The Insider

By John Liang
February 21, 2013 at 4:16 PM

Fifteen senators signed a letter sent to the president today calling for the withdrawal of former Sen. Chuck Hagel's (R-NE) nomination to be the next defense secretary.

"While we respect Senator Hagel's honorable military service, in the interest of national security, we respectfully request that you withdraw his nomination," the letter states. "It would be unprecedented for a secretary of defense to take office without the broad base of bipartisan support and confidence needed to serve effectively in this critical position.

"Senator Hagel's performance at his confirmation hearing was deeply concerning, leading to serious doubts about his basic competence to meet the substantial demands of the office," the letter continues. "While Senator Hagel's erratic record and myriad conversions on key national security issues are troubling enough, his statements regarding Iran were disconcerting."

Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX), James Inhofe (R-OK), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Roger Wicker (R-MS), David Vitter (R-LA), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Mike Lee (R-UT), Patrick Toomey (R-PA), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Dan Coats (R-IN), Ron Johnson (R - WI), James Risch (R-ID), John Barrasso (R-WY), Tom Coburn (R-OK) and Tim Scott (R-SC) signed the letter.

View the letter.

By Megan Eckstein
February 20, 2013 at 4:24 PM

Navy Under Secretary Robert Work is stepping down as the sea service's second-ranking civilian leader and will take over as chief executive officer of the Center for a New American Security, the Washington think tank announced this morning.

Work will move to CNAS on April 22 after having served as under secretary since May 2009.

"Bob Work is in the very front ranks of those thinking about and working to strengthen our national security," said CNAS Chairman of the Board of Directors and former Navy Secretary Richard Danzig. "More than a thought leader, he is also a widely admired leader in all dimensions. His qualities of character combine with qualities of mind to make him a worthy successor to Nate Fick and CNAS co-founders Kurt Campbell and Michèle Flournoy as the new head of CNAS. We are delighted to have him."

Work graduated from the Naval Reserve Officers Training Course at the University of Illinois, and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps in August 1974. He spent 27 years in the Marine Corps and upon retirement stayed involved in military affairs through his work at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. He led the Navy issues team for President Obama's Defense Department Transition Team after the 2008 elections and then was appointed to the role of Navy under secretary.

"Since its inception in 2007, CNAS has established a reputation for innovative, pragmatic and bi-partisan thinking about national security affairs," Work said in a CNAS statement. "I am both honored and excited at the prospect of leading such a great organization, and working with superb people like Richard Danzig, Michèle Flournoy, Richard Armitage, Richard Fontaine and Shawn Brimley to take CNAS to the next level."

By John Liang
February 20, 2013 at 4:00 PM

The Senate Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing next week to consider the nomination of Alan Estevez to become Pentagon acquisition chief Frank Kendall's deputy.

Estevez is the assistant secretary of defense for logistics and materiel readiness, according to his official biography.

Additionally, the committee will consider the nomination of Frederick Vollrath to be assistant secretary of defense for readiness and force management. According to his bio, Vollrath is a retired Army lieutenant general and a former deputy chief of staff for personnel (G-1).

The committee will also discuss the nomination of Eric Fanning to become Air Force under secretary. Fanning has been deputy Navy under secretary since 2009, according to his bio.

The hearing will take place at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 28, according to the committee statement.

By Christopher J. Castelli
February 20, 2013 at 3:32 PM

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta today released a message about the Pentagon's preparations for potential sequestration on March 1, as well as for furlough notifications. "In the event of sequestration we will do everything we can to be able to continue to perform our core mission of providing for the security of the United States, but there is no mistaking that the rigid nature of the cuts forced upon this department, and their scale, will result in a serious erosion of readiness across the force," the message states.

Today, Panetta formally notified Congress that furloughs could occur under sequestration. Senior defense officials are expected to discuss furloughs at a press briefing this afternoon.

Panetta's full message:

For more than a year and a half, the president, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and I have repeatedly voiced our deep concerns over the half a trillion dollars in automatic across-the-board cuts that would be imposed under sequestration and the severe damage that would do both to this department and to our national defense.

The administration continues to work with Congress to reach agreement on a balanced deficit reduction plan to avoid these cuts. Meanwhile, because another trigger for sequestration is approaching on March 1, the department's leadership has begun extensive planning on how to implement the required spending reductions. Those cuts will be magnified because the department has been forced to operate under a six-month continuing resolution that has already compelled us to take steps to reduce spending.

In the event of sequestration we will do everything we can to be able to continue to perform our core mission of providing for the security of the United States, but there is no mistaking that the rigid nature of the cuts forced upon this department, and their scale, will result in a serious erosion of readiness across the force.

I have also been deeply concerned about the potential direct impact of sequestration on you and your families. We are doing everything possible to limit the worst effects on DoD personnel - but I regret that our flexibility within the law is extremely limited. The president has used his legal authority to exempt military personnel funding from sequestration, but we have no legal authority to exempt civilian personnel funding from reductions. As a result, should sequestration occur and continue for a substantial period, DoD will be forced to place the vast majority of its civilian workforce on administrative furlough.

Today, I notified Congress that furloughs could occur under sequestration. I can assure you that, if we have to implement furloughs, all affected employees will be provided at least 30 days' notice prior to executing a furlough and your benefits will be protected to the maximum extent possible. We also will work to ensure that furloughs are executed in a consistent and appropriate manner, and we will also continue to engage in discussions with employee unions as appropriate.

Working with your component heads and supervisors, the department's leaders will continue to keep you informed. As we deal with these difficult issues, I want to thank you for your patience, your hard work, and your continued dedication to our mission of protecting the country.

Our most important asset at the department is our world-class personnel. You are fighting every day to keep our country strong and secure, and rest assured that the leaders of this department will continue to fight with you and for you.

By John Liang
February 19, 2013 at 10:24 PM

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-MI) and Ranking Member James Inhofe (R-OK) today released the subcommittee membership for the 113th Congress.

According to a committee statement released this afternoon, the assignments are as follows:

Subcommittee on Airland

Democrats:

Senator Manchin, Chairman

Senator Nelson

Senator McCaskill

Senator Gillibrand

Senator Blumenthal

Senator Donnelly

Republicans:

Senator Wicker, Ranking Member

Senator Chambliss

Senator Blunt

Senator McCain

Senator Sessions

Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities

Democrats:

Senator Hagan, Chairman

Senator Reed

Sen. Nelson

Senator Udall

Senator Manchin

Senator Shaheen

Senator Gillibrand

Republicans:

Senator Fischer, Ranking Member

Senator Graham

Senator McCain

Senator Wicker

Senator Vitter

Senator Cruz

Subcommittee on Personnel

Democrats:

Senator Gillibrand, Chairman

Senator Hagan

Senator Blumenthal

Senator Hirono

Senator Kaine

Senator King

Republicans:

Senator Graham, Ranking Member

Senator Ayotte

Senator Lee

Senator Chambliss

Senator Blunt

Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support

Democrats:

Senator Shaheen, Chairman

Senator McCaskill

Senator Udall

Senator Manchin

Senator Donnelly

Senator Hirono

Senator Kaine

Republicans:

Senator Ayotte, Ranking Member

Senator Lee

Senator Chambliss

Senator Cruz

Senator Fischer

Senator Blunt

Subcommittee on Seapower

Democrats:

Senator Reed, Chairman

Senator Nelson

Senator Hagan

Senator Shaheen

Senator Blumenthal

Senator Hirono

Senator Kaine

Senator King

Republicans:

Senator McCain, Ranking Member

Senator Wicker

Senator Sessions

Senator Ayotte

Senator Vitter

Senator Cruz

Senator Graham

Subcommittee on Strategic Forces

Democrats:

Senator Udall, Chairman

Senator Reed

Senator McCaskill

Senator Donnelly

Senator King

Republicans:

Senator Sessions, Ranking Member

Senator Fischer

Senator Vitter

Senator Lee

By Christopher J. Castelli
February 19, 2013 at 6:33 PM

President Obama today accepted Gen. John Allen's request to retire. In a statement, Obama cited "health issues" within Allen's family as the reason for the general's retirement. Allen's exit means he will no longer be the White House's nominee to lead U.S. European Command. Last year, his nomination was put on ice after reports he corresponded with a woman tied to the scandal that ousted then-CIA Director David Petraeus. Allen, formerly the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, was later cleared of wrongdoing.

Here is Obama's statement:

Today, I met with General John Allen and accepted his request to retire from the military so that he can address health issues within his family. I told General Allen that he has my deep, personal appreciation for his extraordinary service over the last 19 months in Afghanistan, as well as his decades of service in the United States Marine Corps. General Allen presided over the significant growth in the size and capability of Afghan National Security Forces, the further degradation of al Qaeda and their extremist allies, and the ongoing transition to Afghan security responsibility across the country. He worked tirelessly to strengthen our coalition through his leadership of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), and to improve our relations with the Afghan government. Above all, he cares deeply for the men and women in uniform who serve our nation – as well as their families – and I am grateful for the sacrifices made by his family in supporting him during his service. John Allen is one of America’s finest military leaders, a true patriot, and a man I have come to respect greatly. I wish him and his family the very best as they begin this new chapter, and we will carry forward the extraordinary work that General Allen led in Afghanistan.

By Jen Judson
February 19, 2013 at 6:20 PM

The Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System has shown in recent tests that it can detect and track tactical ballistic missiles during the ascent phase, according to the JLENS program director for prime contractor Raytheon, which conducted the testing.

In a series of four tests that began on Dec. 6, JLENS' X-band radar tracked ripple-fired tactical ballistic missile surrogates and missiles that were fired separately. "We went four-for-four tracking for tactical ballistic targets," Raytheon's Mark Rose told reporters in a teleconference today. "This was a pretty significant addition to the abilities of JLENS."

The system -- consisting of a tethered surveillance aerostat and a tethered aerostat with a fire-control radar -- is also capable of tracking cruise missiles, cars, boats, helicopters, trucks and trains, according to Rose.

The first day's testing probed JLENS' ability to track ripple-fired TBM threats launched within a few seconds of each other from a tactically representative range, Rose said. The radar "picked them up at the ascent phase and very quickly determined the launch point of where they were," he added. On the second day, officials tested the radar's ability to pick up and track separate TBM surrogates fired roughly an hour apart, according to Rose.

Raytheon sees real-world implications from the results. "There are thousands of targets out there from rogue nations to other organizations that have a variety of ballistic missiles," Rose said, adding, "there is clearly a threat to our national security from these things."

Referring to Desert Storm, Rose said if JLENS had been used at the time, it would have been able to track Scud missiles, determine their launch points and even track the trucks used to launch the missiles as they moved to other locations.

For additional coverage of the JLENS program, check out Inside the Army's recent stories:

JLENS Finds A Home At Aberdeen; Will Observe DC Region

JLENS Operations In CONUS-Based Location To Be Competed

JLENS' Second Developmental Test Deemed 'Successful' By Contractor

By Megan Eckstein
February 19, 2013 at 3:46 PM

Two House Armed Services subcommittee chairmen are urging the House Appropriations Committee to protect certain military programs they see as vital to national security from the effects of operating under a continuing resolution and impending cuts from sequestration.

"We believe the most effective means of minimizing these significant reductions would be to pass the Department of defense Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2013," seapower and projection forces subcommittee Chairman Randy Forbes (R-VA) wrote in a Feb. 15 letter to House Appropriations Committee Chairman Bill Young (R-FL). Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA), the chairman of the readiness subcommittee, also signed the letter.

"Absent this, we would recommend that specific anomalies and transfer authorities be included in a yearlong Continuing Resolution Act to reduce the harmful impacts of a Continuing Resolution based on Fiscal Year 20132 appropriations," Forbes and Wittman write.

Specifically, Forbes and Wittman want:

· Fully funding Navy modernization and maintenance programs to sustain existing fleet readiness levels;

· Completing the refueling and overhaul of the Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71);

· Providing for the refueling and overhaul of the Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72);

· Providing new authority to begin construction of the John F. Kennedy (CVN-79);

· Ensuring multiyear procurement and quantity increases for the Virginia class of nuclear attack submarines and the Arleigh Burke class of guided missile destroyers;

· Completing delivery of the amphibious assault ship America (LHA-6);

· Allowing for the continued operation of the Moored Training Ship;

· Providing for a quantity increase in the procurement of the P-8A Poseidon aircraft.

If these actions are taken, the Navy would have "adequate latitude to continue ship availabilities that are temporarily on hold in the third and fourth quarters of 2013," according to the letter.

By John Liang
February 15, 2013 at 8:41 PM

The Defense Department plans to host a public meeting to "obtain the views of experts and interested parties in Government and the private sector regarding the profit guidelines in the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement," according to a notice published in today's Federal Register.

The meeting will take place at the General Services Administration's Central Office Auditorium on March 20 and begin at 1 p.m., the notice states, adding:

DoD is interested in opening a dialogue with experts and interested parties in Government and the private sector about the requirements of section 804 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013. Section 804, Department of Defense Policy on Contractor Profits, included a requirement for DoD to review its profit policy guidelines in order to identify any modifications to such guidelines that are necessary to ensure an appropriate link between contractor profit and contractor performance. The law also stated that, in conducting the review, the Secretary shall obtain the views of experts and interested parties in Government and the private sector.

By John Liang
February 15, 2013 at 5:21 PM

Just two weeks remain until the March 1 sequestration deadline. Here's some of our coverage from Tuesday's Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the effects of the yearlong continuing resolution and sequestration on the military budget:

Senate Hearing Puts Spotlight On Potential Casualties Of Sequestration
(Inside the Pentagon, Feb. 14)

CRS: Readiness Accounts May Be Cut By Half Of What Chiefs Say Is Needed
(Inside the Pentagon, Feb. 14)

Carter: Giving DOD Transfer Authority No Substitute For Avoiding Sequestration
(DefenseAlert, Feb. 13)

More to come in next week's Inside the Army and Inside the Navy.

The Senate Appropriations Committee also had a related hearing this week. In her opening statement, new committee Chairwoman Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) said:

The sequester was never intended to happen. It was designed as a tool to force a grand bargain on reforms to the tax code and reforms to mandatory spending, along with strategic, targeted cuts to reduce spending and get more value for the dollar. Those reforms have not happened. Instead, we play the politics of delay, lurching from deadline to deadline. No one thinks that this kind of 'ultimatum politics' is good for the fragile economy, creating good jobs, and promoting efficiencies in government.

In addition to the identical prepared testimony Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter had submitted to the House and Senate Armed Services committees, Mikulski included as part of the materials for her hearing a letter sent by outgoing Defense Secretary Leon Panetta on Monday, which outlines the specific effects sequestration would have on the Pentagon.

By Christopher J. Castelli
February 14, 2013 at 11:41 PM

GOP senators today delayed a vote on the nomination of former Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) to be defense secretary. The vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the nomination produced 58 yeas and 40 nays. The result was divided mostly along party lines. To end debate on the nomination, 60 yeas would have been required.

The White House slammed Republicans for not proceeding with the vote this afternoon.

"Today, Senate Republicans put political posturing ahead of our nation’s security," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said in a statement. "For the first time in American history, Senate Republicans filibustered a nominee for secretary of defense -- a member of their own party, a decorated combat veteran, and the right leader for our troops."

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) also issued a statement: "Today's vote is a vote to continue the debate over Chuck Hagel. It is premature to close off debate on a nominee who hasn't responded to reasonable requests for information and to a White House who continues to stonewall."

By John Liang
February 14, 2013 at 5:12 PM

This week's successful shoot-down of a ballistic missile target by a Standard Missile-3 Block 1A interceptor in the Pacific Ocean has boosted the confidence of the missile's builder in the development of the next-generation SM-3 Block 1B missile.

"The Block 1B is very common to the Block 1A, so from the booster system and the flyout systems -- both first stage, second stage and third stage -- they are exactly alike, so it builds more confidence . . . as we evolve the SM-3 system," according to Raytheon's SM-3 Program Director Mitch Stevison. As InsideDefense.com reported yesterday:

"We push technology where we have to -- we have a very rapid and evolving threat out there in this world, and we push technology to deal with that threat, but we don't push technology in areas where we have a very good understanding and characterization of the system," Stevison said. "So from that aspect, every SM-3 flight that we do builds confidence on the next block evolution that we are doing.

"So for the 1B missile, we'll learn from this test, even the engagement endgame pieces of what we do, we will pull the data from this test, and use it to continue to build robust sensor discrimination algorithms in the future," he continued. "So yes, the short answer is it's very, very important, we use all the data from Block 1A to build upon to ensure that we will have more robustness in the Block 1B missile, as we now transition it from a development program into a production program."

The fourth-generation version of that missile meant for deployment in Europe -- and still under development -- doesn't inspire much confidence in the Government Accountability Office, though. In a report released on Monday, GAO states:

While [the Missile Defense Agency's] initial assumption was the missile was to be land-based, the program is now requiring the SM-3 Block IIB to be ship and land compatible. However, if the SM-3 Block IIB is sea based and uses a liquid propellant, there are significant safety risks and unknown but likely significant cost implications. Navy has stated that the program may develop concepts with liquid propellants, but it has not made a final decision regarding whether it will overturn its 1988 ban on liquid propellants on ships and allow a sea-based SM-3 Block IIB to use liquid propellants.

To some extent, this progression has been driven by the early decision to narrow solutions to an Aegis-based missile without the benefit of a robust analysis of other alternatives. While this does not mean the SM-3 Block IIB is not a viable choice, we have previously reported that without fully exploring alternatives, programs may not achieve an optimal concept for the war fighter, are at risk for cost increases, and can face schedule delays or technology maturity challenges.

Read the full GAO report.

By Christopher J. Castelli
February 13, 2013 at 10:35 PM

The Defense Department is "getting close" to finalizing all of its resource management decisions for the fiscal year 2014 budget cycle, Pentagon Comptroller Robert Hale told InsideDefense.com today after testifying for hours before the House Armed Service Committee during a sequestration hearing. Hale declined to comment further on the status of the budget decisions.

As InsideDefense.com recently reported, DOD has set an "aggressive" schedule for the completion of its FY-14 budget request, directing the services and defense agencies submit detailed spending plans in time for an expected release date in "mid-March." DOD guidance issued earlier this month cites a "notional" date of March 25 for the delivery of most budget justification material to Congress, but the memo notes the schedule is subject to change.

By Megan Eckstein
February 13, 2013 at 8:43 PM

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert told reporters today that even though several deployments have or will soon be cut to save what's left of the service's operations and maintenance fund for the remainder of the year, the first overseas deployment of a Littoral Combat Ship will not be on the chopping block.

Greenert testified before the House Armed Services Committee on the effect of the continuing resolution and the possibility of sequestration.

Asked what the United States' allies should think of the canceled deployments of ships and air wings to the Asia-Pacific region, particularly in light of North Korea's nuclear test earlier this week, Greenert said:

"One of my key tenets is to operate forward -- a key piece of that are things like Forward Deployed Naval Force, forward-stationing ships. We have 40 ships out in the Asia Pacific. They don't depend on the rotational deployment. Of the 50 we have out there, 40 are out there all the time. That's very reassuring, especially to the Northeast Asia and to a certain extent Southeast Asia. We'll go forward with the deployment of the Freedom to Singapore, we're going to do that, we're committed to that. We'll obviously sustain the ships that are in Japan and we'll work very hard, Asia is very important."

By John Liang
February 13, 2013 at 7:40 PM

U.S., Australian and Japanese officials met Tuesday in Washington for the fifth "Security and Defense Cooperation Forum" plenary session, according to a State Department press release issued this afternoon:

The meeting included discussions on trilateral political-military and defense cooperation in areas such as humanitarian assistance/disaster relief, regional capacity development, and maritime security, among other issues. The officials also exchanged views on the state of regional security affairs.

The three delegations discussed the recent North Korean nuclear test. They agreed that this highly provocative act was a clear violation of UN Security Council Resolutions 1718, 1874, and 2087, as well as North Korea’s own commitments under the September 19, 2005 Joint Statement of the Six-Party Talks. The three delegations further affirmed that North Korea’s actions undermine regional security, increase the risks of proliferation, and further isolate it from the international community.

The SDCF is a regular cooperative dialogue between Australia, Japan, and the United States, and has been held since 2007. Assistant Secretary of State Andrew Shapiro and Assistant Secretary of Defense Mark Lippert co-chaired the forum.

Defense secretaries and ministers from Australia, Japan, and the United States have met twice on the margins of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. They plan to do so again in May 2013.