* Negotiations with Pakistan on supply routes to/from Afghanistan still appear stalled in what some call a widening rift. This benefits border towns with Tajikistan which of course offers little comfort. Joshua Foust of the American Security Project opines that the NDN is not a viable alternative for a full withdrawal.
* One potential consequence of sequestration: a tide of WARN Act notifications just before the presidential election. This apparently does not shake the motivation of Lockheed Martin workers getting close to two months of strike in Forth Worth, Texas.
* Hiring veterans is good for business, according to the Center for a New American Security (CNAS).
* The US Army plans to start fielding its “Capability Set 13” networking components in October, using feedback from the troops during Network Integration Evaluation (NIE) exercises.
* The Australian Department of Defence is pretty happy about its self-assessed performance in implementing procurement reforms.
* C-17A finishing its landing past the runway: $69.4M.
* The French defense industry is in a waiting pattern [in French] because the new government is still just getting settled. However consolidation, starting with ground vehicle manufacturers, could pick up pace soon as President Hollande looks set to secure a majority in the lower house next Sunday (parties from the left already won a majority in the Senate in September last year).