* The Japanese cabinet had barely approved its FY 2014 budget that China’s official media was already noting that Japan’s defense spending is set to grow by 2.8% to 4.88 trillion yen (about $46.8B). Guess why that is? For reference, here is the FY14 budget request [PDF] submitted by the Ministry of Defense in August, and a national security strategy [PDF] released a week ago (of course China objects to that document as well).
Smelling Something Rotten?
* Edward Snowden explains his motivations in exposing the extent of the NSA’s electronic eavesdropping.
* Reuters continues its investigation of the Pentagon’s shoddy accounting, with a look at the reasons behind its many ERP deployment failures.
* The UK’s Serious Fraud Office confirmed they are investigating allegations of bribery and corruption at Rolls Royce, in China and Indonesia.
* According to the Wall Street Journal, the Pentagon’s Inspector General is investigating Anham FZCO, a food and water supplier to US troops in Afghanistan, for allegedly moving goods through Iran in spite of sanctions.
Better Bradleys
* The US Army issued an RFP [PDF] for Engineering Change Proposal 1 (ECP1) modifications to Bradley fighting vehicles. They want track kits, shock absorbers, vehicle suspension support, and heavy weight torsion bars added to 120 vehicles to increase ground clearance and survivability.
Looks Clunky But It Just Might Work
* Today’s video shows a robot developed by NASA whose flexible exoskeleton can adjust its shape to uneven surfaces, a bit like some devices in the Fantastic Contraption game:
