* 4 major defense-focused American think tanks joined forces to weight budget trade-offs for the Pentagon over the next 10 years. They have a clear consensus [PDF] to primarily target personnel, and more specifically DoD civilians, for cuts, whether sequestration is applied fully or partially. 3 of them also seem to really like stealthy UAVs, while AEI likes their stealth aircraft manned (probably a more realistic option given the chosen timeframe) and doesn’t see the same need for a cyber splurge. Surface combatants would also be significantly cut under most of their scenarios. These organizations are possibly starting to think too much alike.
* 3 US Army junior officers told Politico, on condition of remaining anonymous, that the DCGS-A intelligence gathering software system is crash-prone and way too cumbersome to use, fueling a controversy started last year. Feedback from the field has seemed consistent, but the comparison with Palantir is apples vs. oranges.
* US Army acquisition lingo clarification of the day: a “Product Manager” is a slightly more junior position than “Program Manager”, based on an assessment of the effort’s complexity (DA PAM 70-3 [PDF]).
* The US Navy is going to make its fleet organizational clothing more resistant to fire, after realizing that wearing t-shirts that can melt is not such a great idea. This sounds right out of the Department of “We Haven’t Seen A Naval Battle Since WWII”:
“Historical data reviewed by the working group showed the likelihood of a major conflagration on a ship is low.”
* Russia may ramp up its weapons shipments to Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria in reaction to the EU’s lifting of its embargo on arms sales to the rebels.
* Reuters: Nigerian pirate gangs extend reach off West Africa.
* How do you scrap an aircraft carrier?
* Yes, you can train for hypoxia in a flight simulator. As the US NAVAIR video below explains, the priority is for pilots to recognize the symptoms indicating they’re not receiving enough oxygen:
