* India is planning to boost its defense spending by 11.6% in the next fiscal year to counter China’s growing military capabilities.
* How was the Stuxnet attack on Iran targeted?
* But a recent IAEA report says enrichment and production has continued at Natanz despite the Stuxnet slowdown, and adds that Iran continues to prepare military delivery vehicles etc. for nuclear weapons.
* Steel cut to begin CVN 79, the 2nd carrier in the Gerald R. Ford class. If only budgets and funding could be as certain.
* According to Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, Russia is still planning to supply supersonic P-800 Yakhont anti-ship cruise missiles to Syria, despite US and Israeli opposition.
* Advanced Russian S-300 anti-aircraft missiles are also on their way to Venezuela, now that a timeline has been agreed. There have been rumblings for a few months now that Iran’s requested missiles could be headed that way instead.
* Oshkosh job fair attracts over 1,700 applicants to fill between 650 and 750 positions to build US Army tactical vehicles.
* On the other hand, Frost & Sullivan expects a steep drop in US military tactical vehicle market, from $4.45 billion in 2010 to just $740 million in 2015.
* SAIC gets $25 million contract to provide management planning and systems integration services to the US Navy Strategic Systems Programs Command.
* Harris secures $14 million order from Brazil to provide Falcon III RF-7800V VHF handheld combat net radios and Falcon II AN/PRC-150-C [PDF] HF manpack radios.
* Expand your intellectual horizons a bit, and meet Gene Sharp… the unsung, mostly-unknown thinker whose ideas and approaches have underpinned many modern non-violent uprisings. You might want to read former Soviet dissident Natan Sharansky’s current thoughts after that. Both can provide insights into counterinsurgency and the “3 block war.”
* America’s under-performing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) education is widely seen as a slow-motion crisis by the industry. Former hedge fund manager Sal Khan and The Khan Academy say… YouTube to the rescue!