* Pentagon chief Robert Gates unveils a plan detailing $150 billion in service cuts and cost savings over the next 5 years, which will be reallocated to weapons programs. The most significant-but-overlooked item? Not any weapon, but the paperwork jihad: removal of 60% of all non-statutory reports, April 2012 sunset for any internal report with a commissioning date prior to 2006, and every report must include the cost of its production as of February 2011. Nice! Gates’ full speech | Pentagon release.
* Could pictures of China’s new Chengdu J-20 Black Eagle stealth fighter jet be just a mock-up?
* Note to military personnel – if you’re asked to fill out an online form, with personal information, in order to be an extra in Transformers 3… don’t do it.
* With US ground forces tied up in Afghanistan, US air and maritime forces will have to be responsible for US power projection in other areas of the globe, says CJCS Guidance for 2011 [PDF].
* Speaking of which, The Economist has tea with Monsoon author Robert Kaplan, discussing the rising centrality of the Indian Ocean basin, and its political and military developments.
* The latest Astute Class submarine, HMS Ambush, is launched from BAE Systems’ shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria.
* Harris gets US Army Communications-Electronics Command (CECOM) contract worth up to $475 million to supply Falcon tactical and land mobile radios to US allies.
* Up to $900 million to 8 firms (including 5 small business qualifiers) for US Navy’s Fielded Training System Support III contracts.
* Lockheed Martin touts captive-carry test flights for its JAGM missile contender – but what it really needs in this high-stakes competition is more missiles on target.
* Birds are still way better at flying than machines are. University of Montana’s flight Laboratory is figuring out why and how.