* In yesterday’s election in the US, the House Armed Services Committee’s (HASC) chairman McKeon [R-CA] and ranking member Smith [D-WA] both secured another term. On the other hand the chairman and ranking member of the Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces both lost. As of Wednesday morning, HASC member Allen West [R-FL] was trailing his opponent by too few votes to call the result, though the latest reports suggest he may have lost by enough votes to fall short of an automatic recount.
* In the Senate, SASC member Claire McCaskill kept her seat both in Missouri and Missourah after (HASC member) Todd Akin sabotaged his bid to challenge her. Scott Brown [R-MA], also on the Armed Services committee, lost to Elizabeth Warren. Federal News Radio | The Hill / more | Politico | Miami Herald.
* The latest Crosstalk discusses how to measure schedule adherence and the cost impact of schedule slippage, within the Earned Value Management (EVM) framework centered on the idea that time is money. PDF | EarnedSchedule.com | EVM-related payment withholdings by DoD.
* The US Army will present its future watercraft opportunities at an Industry Day to be held in New Orleans, LA, on Dec. 5. FBO.
* RIA Novosti and Russian Military Reform offer more details on yesterday’s sacking of Anatoly Serdyukov as Russia’s defense minister. Former Minister of Emergency Situations Sergei Shoigu replaces him. His background as a former Army General should help.
* Babcock International grow revenue by 5% to 1.55 billion pounds (about $2.47B) for the first half of 2012. Their outlook for demand of outsourcing services in the defense space is rather positive. PDF release.
* Thales acquired Gentex Corporation’s Helmet Mounted Display (HMD) and motion tracking “Visionix” businesses. Press release.
* Ecuador’s Ministry of Defense announced [in Spanish] at the beginning of the month that it had completed payments for a total of $125M to Chile’s Navy-owned ASMAR for the modernization of 2 submarines, in line with an agreement first announced in 2008. These Type 209 German diesel subs were commissioned in the late 70s and are popular throughout South America.