Rapid Fire August 16, 2012: Sequestration and the National Guard
Aug 16, 2012 10:30 UTC by Defense Industry Daily staff- Back in March the US Army issued a Request for Information to perform a Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) and On-Condition Cyclic Maintenance (OCCM) on its fleet of 34 Landing Craft Utility 2000 (LCU 2000) vessels. They are following up with an RFI to replace [MS Word] the Main Propulsion Diesel Engine (MDPE), Ship Service Diesel Generator (SSDG), and Bow Thruster (BT) of these ships. Responses expected by September 17.
- The US Navy’s vice chief of naval operations Admiral Mark Ferguson on anticipating sequestration:
“We have had pretty clear directions from the secretary of defense … that we are not to embark on that planning.”
- The Heritage Foundation hosted a panel on what effects sequestration would have on the National Guard. Part of what’s at stake is the availability of funds under Title 32 to assist states. Video at the bottom of this entry.
- Separately Heritage published a paper [PDF] listing principles to guide US policy in the Arctic. They ask for NATO’s involvement, which sounds unlikely to amount to much if it happens, as well as higher levels of investments for the Coast Guard and to develop situational awareness in the region.
- The CSIS think tank has a report [PDF] on the US-Japan alliance, which needs a third leg with South Korea to fulfill its full potential. However the relationship between Japan and South Korea remains rocky:
“Seoul and Tokyo should reexamine their bilateral ties through a realpolitik lens. Historical animosity is not strategically threatening to either country. [...] The allies should resist the temptation to resurrect deep historical differences and to utilize nationalist sentiments for domestic political purposes.”
- The Pentagon made public its FY13 report [PDF] on energy investments for military operations: “Last year, the Department consumed 116.8 million barrels (mbbls) of fuel at a cost of $17.2B ($3.51/gallon). For FY 2013, the Department budgeted approximately $16.3B for 104 mbbls of fuel and approximately $1.6B for operational energy initiatives.”
- Casey James Fury, the painter prosecuted for allegedly putting the USS Miami on fire admitted having done so in order to skip work because he was heartbroken. The poor fellow was so sad he even started a second fire. By far the most expensive incident in this summer of idiocy.
