Rapid Fire Oct. 8, 2012: Iraq (Window?) Shopping in Russia

Last before Flight III The US Navy commissioned USS Michael Murphy (DDG 112) which will be homeported in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Before the Navy restructured its surface combatant plans in 2009, the destroyer was expected to be the last of the Arleigh Burke class. John Finn (DDG 113) will start DDG-51 flight III. * 10% each may be the upper limit for German and French government ownership for the BAE/EADS to be palatable to the UK and pass muster with American regulators. The deal is facing an Oct. 10 deadline. * Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is in Russia to discuss what may be a massive arms deal. Shafaq News | Pravda. * More ships for the Navy is part of Mitt Romney’s platform, says former Secretary of the Navy John Lehman who advises the Republican candidate on defense matters. * Related: a national security guide to the presidential election recently released by the CNAS think tank. * Upgrading F-16s around the world is a large potential business attracting Lockheed Martin’s competitors. * RAND on expendable vs. reusable weapons for air-to-ground strike missions: “Only if the United States is confident that all possible conflicts over the system lifetime can be […]