Rapid Fire Sept. 12, 2013: US Federal, Global Defense Spending Outlooks Not So Great

Rapid Fire Sept. 12, 2013: US Federal, Global Defense Spending Outlooks Not So Great

* A fourth quarter surge in US federal spending? Not exactly: “Yes, September of the federal fiscal year is the get-well month for sales, or at least that’s what many in the federal market like to believe. But the reality this year is quite different:...
Rapid Fire Sept. 12, 2013: US Federal, Global Defense Spending Outlooks Not So Great

Rapid Fire Sept. 11, 2013: US Hoping A Policy – Any Policy – Will Stick on Syria

This syrial box comes with a free policy! President Obama’s speech on Syria last night opened with continued threats of strikes yet remained open to a diplomatic solution. The President then mixed concerns of regional spillover with reassurances that Assad is...
Rapid Fire Sept. 12, 2013: US Federal, Global Defense Spending Outlooks Not So Great

Rapid Fire Sept. 10, 2013: Rhetorical Answer on Syria Becomes Tentative Policy Within Hours

* US Secretary of State John Kerry’s off-the-cuff remark – meant to be rhetorical – that Bashar al-Assad could still avoid strikes by “[turning] over every bit of his weapons to the international community within the next week” was taken...
Rapid Fire Sept. 12, 2013: US Federal, Global Defense Spending Outlooks Not So Great

Whatever Floats Your Tank: the USN’s Improved Navy Lighterage System

Lighterage from USS Seay(click to view full) Lighterage is about loading or unloading ships using lighters (barges) that can form a sort of ad-hoc ramp or shuttle from ships at anchor; they are often used when a port’s dockside is too shallow for the ship, or...
Rapid Fire Sept. 12, 2013: US Federal, Global Defense Spending Outlooks Not So Great

Rapid Fire Sept. 9, 2013: Opposition to Syrian Strikes Spans Across Parties

* National Journal notes how America has been taking a sharp turn inward. That isolationist streak was already apparent in the US House of Representatives during debates about Libya in 2011. This dynamic can lead to otherwise unlikely alliances across the aisle which...