SASC Sticks to Hearings Behind Closed Doors

• Don’t expect open hearings from the senate armed services committee (SASC) as long as Carl Levin [D-MI] is in charge. Somehow the counterpart committee in the House of Representatives found a way not to let the need for occasional classified discussions get in the way of transparency. Various newsrooms and nonprofit organizations have called for open hearings, so far to no avail.

Middle East

• Iraq’s military has reportedly made a deal with Sunni tribes in the Anbar province to fight the Al-Qaeda affiliated Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

• Syria: How chemical weapons are being destroyed | Aboard the ship charged with destroying WMD (video) | 2 attacks reported on chemical arms sites.

• Oman is expected to continue to grow its defense budget.