Middle East
Egypt
As tens of thousands of chanting protesters packed Tahrir Square on the 18th day of Egypt’s uprising, the armed forces appeared on Friday to endorse President Hosni Mubarak’s proposal to remain in power until elections are held, delegate some unspecified authority to Vice President Omar Suleiman and oversee constitutional change. – New York Times
President Hosni Mubarak’s refusal to step down on Thursday, after a day of rumors galvanized the crowds in Cairo, confronts the Obama administration with a stark choice: break decisively with Mr. Mubarak or stick to its call for an “orderly transition” that may no longer be tenable. – New York Times
The Obama administration struggled Thursday to keep pace with events in Egypt and retool its strategy there after a defiant President Hosni Mubarak lashed out at what he described as foreign
intervention. – Washington Post
Caught off guard by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's efforts to cling to power, President Obama on Thursday condemned Mubarak's latest concessions to protesters as inadequate and again warned against a violent crackdown. – Los Angeles Times
Read the President’s statement on Egypt.
The U.S. director of national intelligence sought Thursday to defend the intelligence community against criticism that it had failed to more clearly warn of the recent crisis in Egypt, saying that the buildup of potentially explosive pressures had been amply reported but that the specific triggers to action were far harder to predict. – New York Times
CIA Director Leon Panetta helped touch off an avalanche of erroneous expectations Thursday when he testified that there was a "strong likelihood" that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak would step down by the end of the day. – Washington Post
The U.S. intelligence community is closely monitoring the state of Egypt‘s highest security prisons, trying to track dozens of senior members of al Qaeda, the Islamic Group and Egyptian Islamic Jihad to find out whether any have escaped and where they have gone. – Washington Times
Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman, a man intimately tied to the 30-year rule of Hosni Mubarak, appeared to be charged Thursday night with overseeing the transition from the very same regime. How Mr. Suleiman manages the crisis now, and whether he has the credibility to lead negotiations, will go a long way to determining how Egypt emerges from its turmoil. – Wall Street Journal
The standoff between the protest leaders and Mr. Mubarak, hours before major demonstrations set for Friday, could pose a new dilemma for military commanders. Mr. Suleiman called for an end to demonstrations, and Human Rights Watch said this week that some military units had been involved in detaining and abusing protesters. But by most accounts, army units deployed in Cairo and other cities have shown little appetite for using force to clear the streets. – New York Times
The Egyptian opposition's takeover of the area around the parliament this week began with a trick—the latest example of how, for more than two weeks, young activists have outwitted Egypt's feared security forces to spur an uprising many here had long thought impossible. – Wall Street Journal
Democrats and Republicans sternly warned the Obama administration on Thursday that it must prevent the Muslim Brotherhood from taking power in Egypt. – The Hill
FPI Executive Director Jamie Fly writes: After pursuing what one commentator here at the Herzliya Conference described as a “zigzag” policy toward the unrest in Egypt in recent weeks, the Obama administration now has no choice. It must side wholeheartedly and unabashedly with the protesters. It is time for the United States to suspend all military aid to Egypt and to publicly call on Mubarak to step aside immediately. A continuation of the rhetorical dance deployed to date will only deny Ghonim and his fellow freedom fighters the U.S. support that they will desperately need in the days to come. – The Weekly Standard Blog
Jose Maria Aznar writes: The duty of democrats should be to do whatever is necessary for freedom to prevail. We must therefore support those seeking to establish democracy and freedom in their countries, where men and women will have equal rights and dignity, leading to prosperity and stability. And we must be equally vigilant about the possibility of these autocracies being replaced by theocratic regimes that will be hostile, dangerous, and even more oppressive. – Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
Israel
As Israel faces what many fear could turn into its most serious national security threat in decades, fault lines are widening over how it should respond and some critics say the government appears ill prepared. – Los Angeles Times
Jordan
Some of America’s Middle East allies are pressing the Obama administration to go easy on Egypt‘s embattled leader and allow for a gradual transition of power. – Associated Press
Iran
One of Iran's most prominent opposition leaders was placed under house arrest Thursday, with security agents posted at the entrance saying they would stay there until a possible anti-government protest has passed, the cleric's Web site reported. – Washington Post
Some 700 civil activists have signed a statement condemning the sentencing of a prominent Iranian human rights lawyer to 11 years in jail and calling for her immediate release, RFE/RL'S Radio Farda reports. – Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
Lebanon
U.S. authorities ordered sanctions against a Lebanese bank that the U.S. says helped drug traffickers launder money and finance the Lebanese group Hezbollah. – Wall Street Journal
Yemen
Opposition parties kept most demonstrators off the streets Thursday, ending for the time being a spate of large-scale protests here calling for economic and political overhauls. – Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
Iraq
As unrest shakes Egypt, Iraq is seizing the moment to make an audacious pitch to thousands of its citizens living abroad: Come back — we’re stable by comparison. – New York Times
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Islamists and opposition activists have launched a political party in a rare challenge to the absolute monarchy, asking King Abdullah for a voice in the Gulf Arab state's governance, its organizers said Thursday. - Reuters
As tens of thousands of chanting protesters packed Tahrir Square on the 18th day of Egypt’s uprising, the armed forces appeared on Friday to endorse President Hosni Mubarak’s proposal to remain in power until elections are held, delegate some unspecified authority to Vice President Omar Suleiman and oversee constitutional change. – New York Times
President Hosni Mubarak’s refusal to step down on Thursday, after a day of rumors galvanized the crowds in Cairo, confronts the Obama administration with a stark choice: break decisively with Mr. Mubarak or stick to its call for an “orderly transition” that may no longer be tenable. – New York Times
The Obama administration struggled Thursday to keep pace with events in Egypt and retool its strategy there after a defiant President Hosni Mubarak lashed out at what he described as foreign
intervention. – Washington Post
Caught off guard by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's efforts to cling to power, President Obama on Thursday condemned Mubarak's latest concessions to protesters as inadequate and again warned against a violent crackdown. – Los Angeles Times
Read the President’s statement on Egypt.
The U.S. director of national intelligence sought Thursday to defend the intelligence community against criticism that it had failed to more clearly warn of the recent crisis in Egypt, saying that the buildup of potentially explosive pressures had been amply reported but that the specific triggers to action were far harder to predict. – New York Times
CIA Director Leon Panetta helped touch off an avalanche of erroneous expectations Thursday when he testified that there was a "strong likelihood" that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak would step down by the end of the day. – Washington Post
The U.S. intelligence community is closely monitoring the state of Egypt‘s highest security prisons, trying to track dozens of senior members of al Qaeda, the Islamic Group and Egyptian Islamic Jihad to find out whether any have escaped and where they have gone. – Washington Times
Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman, a man intimately tied to the 30-year rule of Hosni Mubarak, appeared to be charged Thursday night with overseeing the transition from the very same regime. How Mr. Suleiman manages the crisis now, and whether he has the credibility to lead negotiations, will go a long way to determining how Egypt emerges from its turmoil. – Wall Street Journal
The standoff between the protest leaders and Mr. Mubarak, hours before major demonstrations set for Friday, could pose a new dilemma for military commanders. Mr. Suleiman called for an end to demonstrations, and Human Rights Watch said this week that some military units had been involved in detaining and abusing protesters. But by most accounts, army units deployed in Cairo and other cities have shown little appetite for using force to clear the streets. – New York Times
The Egyptian opposition's takeover of the area around the parliament this week began with a trick—the latest example of how, for more than two weeks, young activists have outwitted Egypt's feared security forces to spur an uprising many here had long thought impossible. – Wall Street Journal
Democrats and Republicans sternly warned the Obama administration on Thursday that it must prevent the Muslim Brotherhood from taking power in Egypt. – The Hill
FPI Executive Director Jamie Fly writes: After pursuing what one commentator here at the Herzliya Conference described as a “zigzag” policy toward the unrest in Egypt in recent weeks, the Obama administration now has no choice. It must side wholeheartedly and unabashedly with the protesters. It is time for the United States to suspend all military aid to Egypt and to publicly call on Mubarak to step aside immediately. A continuation of the rhetorical dance deployed to date will only deny Ghonim and his fellow freedom fighters the U.S. support that they will desperately need in the days to come. – The Weekly Standard Blog
Jose Maria Aznar writes: The duty of democrats should be to do whatever is necessary for freedom to prevail. We must therefore support those seeking to establish democracy and freedom in their countries, where men and women will have equal rights and dignity, leading to prosperity and stability. And we must be equally vigilant about the possibility of these autocracies being replaced by theocratic regimes that will be hostile, dangerous, and even more oppressive. – Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
Israel
As Israel faces what many fear could turn into its most serious national security threat in decades, fault lines are widening over how it should respond and some critics say the government appears ill prepared. – Los Angeles Times
Jordan
Some of America’s Middle East allies are pressing the Obama administration to go easy on Egypt‘s embattled leader and allow for a gradual transition of power. – Associated Press
Iran
One of Iran's most prominent opposition leaders was placed under house arrest Thursday, with security agents posted at the entrance saying they would stay there until a possible anti-government protest has passed, the cleric's Web site reported. – Washington Post
Some 700 civil activists have signed a statement condemning the sentencing of a prominent Iranian human rights lawyer to 11 years in jail and calling for her immediate release, RFE/RL'S Radio Farda reports. – Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
Lebanon
U.S. authorities ordered sanctions against a Lebanese bank that the U.S. says helped drug traffickers launder money and finance the Lebanese group Hezbollah. – Wall Street Journal
Yemen
Opposition parties kept most demonstrators off the streets Thursday, ending for the time being a spate of large-scale protests here calling for economic and political overhauls. – Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
Iraq
As unrest shakes Egypt, Iraq is seizing the moment to make an audacious pitch to thousands of its citizens living abroad: Come back — we’re stable by comparison. – New York Times
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Islamists and opposition activists have launched a political party in a rare challenge to the absolute monarchy, asking King Abdullah for a voice in the Gulf Arab state's governance, its organizers said Thursday. - Reuters
Asia
Afghanistan
A cell of suicide bombers active in Kabul was run for three years by a Taliban commander operating from the city’s main prison, Afghan officials said Thursday. – New York Times
After her parents threw her out of the house for refusing to marry a 52-year-old widower with five children, Sabra, 18, boarded a bus that dropped her, afraid and confused, in downtown Kabul. She slept in a mosque for days, barely eating, until a woman took pity on her and put her in touch with human rights workers, who escorted her to a women’s shelter. That journey — terrifying enough for a young woman who had never ventured beyond the corner bazaar — would become harder still under new rules being drafted by the Afghan government that women’s advocates say will deter the most vulnerable women and girls from seeking refuge and are placing shelters under siege. – New York Times
Pakistan
A Pakistani court ordered an American official arrested in the killing of two Pakistanis to be held for another two weeks Friday, transferring him to a crowded city jail while authorities said they would prepare murder charges. – New York Times
After spending billions of dollars supporting the country’s army offensives, the Obama administration has adopted a disarmingly simple plan to defuse the violence: building a road. Washington hopes that twin 100km highways running through South Waziristan to the edge of North Waziristan, a haven for al-Qaeda loyalists, will unlock economic development and sap support for militancy. – Financial Times
India
Indian defense officials have given conflicting statements about the country’s long-awaited fighter selection, with Defense Minister A.K. Antony indicating the final choice will be pushed into 2012, but the country’s top air force official pointing to a selection this October. – Aviation Week
Koreas
North Korea is begging friends and foes alike for food aid while the elite of the regime prepares to celebrate the 69th birthday of Kim Jong-Il on February 16th. - Telegraph
North and South Korea traded blame on Thursday for the breakdown of military talks, while in Washington the U.S. spy chief said nuclear-armed North Korea poses a serious threat to security in East Asia. - Reuters
Japan
Japan's foreign minister said that Tokyo's claim over the disputed Kuril Islands remains "absolutely unwavering" on Feb. 10, despite Russia's decision to boost its military presence on the territory. - AFP
Russia warned Japan on Friday that its recent behavior in a dispute over a group of Pacific islands was unacceptable, maintaining pressure on Tokyo during a visit by Japan's foreign minister. - Reuters
Philippines
With the Philippines still reeling from the apparent suicide of a retired general who had been implicated in an investigation of military graft, a spokesman for the armed forces said Thursday that such corruption was a thing of the past. – New York Times
A cell of suicide bombers active in Kabul was run for three years by a Taliban commander operating from the city’s main prison, Afghan officials said Thursday. – New York Times
After her parents threw her out of the house for refusing to marry a 52-year-old widower with five children, Sabra, 18, boarded a bus that dropped her, afraid and confused, in downtown Kabul. She slept in a mosque for days, barely eating, until a woman took pity on her and put her in touch with human rights workers, who escorted her to a women’s shelter. That journey — terrifying enough for a young woman who had never ventured beyond the corner bazaar — would become harder still under new rules being drafted by the Afghan government that women’s advocates say will deter the most vulnerable women and girls from seeking refuge and are placing shelters under siege. – New York Times
Pakistan
A Pakistani court ordered an American official arrested in the killing of two Pakistanis to be held for another two weeks Friday, transferring him to a crowded city jail while authorities said they would prepare murder charges. – New York Times
After spending billions of dollars supporting the country’s army offensives, the Obama administration has adopted a disarmingly simple plan to defuse the violence: building a road. Washington hopes that twin 100km highways running through South Waziristan to the edge of North Waziristan, a haven for al-Qaeda loyalists, will unlock economic development and sap support for militancy. – Financial Times
India
Indian defense officials have given conflicting statements about the country’s long-awaited fighter selection, with Defense Minister A.K. Antony indicating the final choice will be pushed into 2012, but the country’s top air force official pointing to a selection this October. – Aviation Week
Koreas
North Korea is begging friends and foes alike for food aid while the elite of the regime prepares to celebrate the 69th birthday of Kim Jong-Il on February 16th. - Telegraph
North and South Korea traded blame on Thursday for the breakdown of military talks, while in Washington the U.S. spy chief said nuclear-armed North Korea poses a serious threat to security in East Asia. - Reuters
Japan
Japan's foreign minister said that Tokyo's claim over the disputed Kuril Islands remains "absolutely unwavering" on Feb. 10, despite Russia's decision to boost its military presence on the territory. - AFP
Russia warned Japan on Friday that its recent behavior in a dispute over a group of Pacific islands was unacceptable, maintaining pressure on Tokyo during a visit by Japan's foreign minister. - Reuters
Philippines
With the Philippines still reeling from the apparent suicide of a retired general who had been implicated in an investigation of military graft, a spokesman for the armed forces said Thursday that such corruption was a thing of the past. – New York Times
Russia/Europe
Russia
An environmental activist was detained Thursday with her children, colleagues said, claiming that she is the latest victim in a campaign to silence opponents of a new Moscow-St. Petersburg highway that is tearing up the ancient Khimki forest. – Associated Press
As protesters have stood up to dictators from Tunis to Sana'a over the past few weeks, it's worth asking if other parts of the world might be ready for revolution. As the protest in Moscow might indicate, the answer in Russia is probably not -- at least while oil remains high. It's the same case in that other big authoritarian state, China. Neither country is a stranger to revolution, of course. But in 2011 most Chinese and Russians simply don't feel the same sense of frustration and anger that has exploded onto the streets and squares of the Arab world over the past month. - Reuters
United Kingdom
Britain’s new chief of defense materiel, Bernard Gray, has embarked on a major review of program costs. Gray, who took the role in January after heading an independent panel highly critical of defense procurement, is “doing an in-depth study” of the cost of the acquisition program the Defense Ministry has on the books, the ministry’s permanent undersecretary, Ursula Brennan, tells Parliament’s defense committee. The review should help the ministry enter future spending planning rounds with greater certainty, she says. – Aviation Week
Gary Schmitt writes: At the end of January, the British government announced changes to some of the more controversial counterterrorism laws the previous Labour-led government put in place...At first blush, the modifications seem designed to water down the existing measures, perhaps as a gesture by Conservatives to their coalition partners, the Liberal Democrats, who have long complained that the measures violate Britain’s civil rights tradition… That said, one should not ignore that these rather forward-leaning laws remain on the books. And the clear intent of both the present statutes and the modified ones is to prevent the kind of devastating attacks that occurred in the United States in 2001, in Spain in 2004, and in London in 2005. Their primary goal is preemption, not securing convictions. – The American
Germany
Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany appeared Thursday evening before a special parliamentary committee seeking to clarify the circumstances behind a German-ordered airstrike in Afghanistan that killed at least 91 people, the majority Afghan civilians, in September 2009. – New York Times
Balkans
A close friend and doctor of the family of alleged Bosnian Serb war criminal Ratko Mladic has been nominated to be Serbian health minister, RFE/RL's Balkan Service reports. – Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
An environmental activist was detained Thursday with her children, colleagues said, claiming that she is the latest victim in a campaign to silence opponents of a new Moscow-St. Petersburg highway that is tearing up the ancient Khimki forest. – Associated Press
As protesters have stood up to dictators from Tunis to Sana'a over the past few weeks, it's worth asking if other parts of the world might be ready for revolution. As the protest in Moscow might indicate, the answer in Russia is probably not -- at least while oil remains high. It's the same case in that other big authoritarian state, China. Neither country is a stranger to revolution, of course. But in 2011 most Chinese and Russians simply don't feel the same sense of frustration and anger that has exploded onto the streets and squares of the Arab world over the past month. - Reuters
United Kingdom
Britain’s new chief of defense materiel, Bernard Gray, has embarked on a major review of program costs. Gray, who took the role in January after heading an independent panel highly critical of defense procurement, is “doing an in-depth study” of the cost of the acquisition program the Defense Ministry has on the books, the ministry’s permanent undersecretary, Ursula Brennan, tells Parliament’s defense committee. The review should help the ministry enter future spending planning rounds with greater certainty, she says. – Aviation Week
Gary Schmitt writes: At the end of January, the British government announced changes to some of the more controversial counterterrorism laws the previous Labour-led government put in place...At first blush, the modifications seem designed to water down the existing measures, perhaps as a gesture by Conservatives to their coalition partners, the Liberal Democrats, who have long complained that the measures violate Britain’s civil rights tradition… That said, one should not ignore that these rather forward-leaning laws remain on the books. And the clear intent of both the present statutes and the modified ones is to prevent the kind of devastating attacks that occurred in the United States in 2001, in Spain in 2004, and in London in 2005. Their primary goal is preemption, not securing convictions. – The American
Germany
Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany appeared Thursday evening before a special parliamentary committee seeking to clarify the circumstances behind a German-ordered airstrike in Afghanistan that killed at least 91 people, the majority Afghan civilians, in September 2009. – New York Times
Balkans
A close friend and doctor of the family of alleged Bosnian Serb war criminal Ratko Mladic has been nominated to be Serbian health minister, RFE/RL's Balkan Service reports. – Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
Africa
Sudan
The U.S. special envoy to Sudan, J. Scott Gration, is stepping down after helping lay the groundwork for the African country's peaceful secession referendum last month, the White House said Thursday. – Washington Post
Sudanese security forces briefly held prominent opposition figure Mariam al-Mahdi and other women on Thursday, witnesses said, the latest detentions in a crackdown on anti-government protests. - Reuters
Tunisia
Tunisian authorities said on Thursday they had detained an armed group, linked to ousted president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, which they suspected of involvement in a wave of violence. - Reuters
Algeria
Many Algerians believe their country needs new people at the helm to restore hope and create jobs, but change must be smooth because after years of Islamist strife in which 200,000 died they cannot face more turmoil. - Reuters
Zimbabwe
The United States Thursday condemned a recent spate of violence in Zimbabwe and blamed President Robert Mugabe's party for the attacks, which are heightening tensions ahead of possible elections this year. - Reuters
Ivory Coast
At least 296 people have been killed in post-election violence in Ivory Coast since the middle of December, the United Nations mission said on Thursday. - Reuters
Nigeria
An army of young Nigerians armed with laptops, fingerprint scanners, and digital cameras has for three weeks been logging the personal data of about 60m voters in an ambitious, high-tech effort to draw up a credible register. – Financial Times
The U.S. special envoy to Sudan, J. Scott Gration, is stepping down after helping lay the groundwork for the African country's peaceful secession referendum last month, the White House said Thursday. – Washington Post
Sudanese security forces briefly held prominent opposition figure Mariam al-Mahdi and other women on Thursday, witnesses said, the latest detentions in a crackdown on anti-government protests. - Reuters
Tunisia
Tunisian authorities said on Thursday they had detained an armed group, linked to ousted president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, which they suspected of involvement in a wave of violence. - Reuters
Algeria
Many Algerians believe their country needs new people at the helm to restore hope and create jobs, but change must be smooth because after years of Islamist strife in which 200,000 died they cannot face more turmoil. - Reuters
Zimbabwe
The United States Thursday condemned a recent spate of violence in Zimbabwe and blamed President Robert Mugabe's party for the attacks, which are heightening tensions ahead of possible elections this year. - Reuters
Ivory Coast
At least 296 people have been killed in post-election violence in Ivory Coast since the middle of December, the United Nations mission said on Thursday. - Reuters
Nigeria
An army of young Nigerians armed with laptops, fingerprint scanners, and digital cameras has for three weeks been logging the personal data of about 60m voters in an ambitious, high-tech effort to draw up a credible register. – Financial Times
Americas
United States of America
House Republicans again postponed a vote to renew portions of the Patriot Act, this time to allow for freshmen to get up to speed on the measure. - Politico
Mexico
Carmen Aristegui, one of Mexico's best-known news hosts, likes to stir the pot. But did she go too far by saying the president should answer unsubstantiated rumors of a drinking problem? – Los Angeles Times
House Republicans again postponed a vote to renew portions of the Patriot Act, this time to allow for freshmen to get up to speed on the measure. - Politico
Mexico
Carmen Aristegui, one of Mexico's best-known news hosts, likes to stir the pot. But did she go too far by saying the president should answer unsubstantiated rumors of a drinking problem? – Los Angeles Times
Security
Defense
Pratt & Whitney has reached a handshake agreement for the fourth batch of low-rate-production F-135 engines for the F-35 at a price 16 percent below from the previous lot, the company's military engines chief, Warren Boley, said Feb. 10. – Defense News
A version of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter's Pratt and Whitney's engine might be capable of powering the U.S. Air Force's prospective new bomber, Boeing's military engines chief said on Feb. 10. – Defense News
The Boeing Co. and EADS said Feb. 10 they were submitting their final bids to the U.S. Air Force for the hotly contested, $35 billion aerial refueling tanker contract. – Defense News
When a Predator flies above a conflict-ridden area, it’s usually taking pictures of people doing very bad things. Sometimes, it’s about to use its missiles to kill someone. But Pentagon officials want to put the drones to work on a very different job — saving lives. – Danger Room
Congress’ failure to pass a 2011 defense budget bill is jeopardizing the military’s effort to send more surveillance and attack drones into Afghanistan, as well as stymieing plans to buy a new Navy submarine, Army combat helicopters and other major weapons systems, defense leaders say. – Associated Press
Intelligence
Both the Republican and Democratic leaders of the U.S. House Intelligence Committee are looking at spy satellites as an area to save money as budget cuts loom. – Defense News
Interview: Rogers sat down for an exclusive interview prior to the hearing with The Cable, during which he promised to reinvigorate the committee's oversight and investigation activities, and use its panel to work with the intelligence community to trim budgets and focus on new threats. He also said that while he seeks harmony with the vast bureaucracy he's charged with overseeing, he has some ideas of his own about how intelligence policy should change – The Cable
The War
The top U.S. intelligence chief warned Thursday of a threat to U.S. facilities overseas from American and European recruits to the al-Qaida cause. – Military Times
The head of the TSA wants to implement a new “risk-based” screening method over the next year that will tailor-fit airport security procedures to individuals based on intelligence and suspicious behavior. – The Hill
Missile Defense
With the U.S. Navy’s continuing focus on further developing the ballistic missile defense (BMD) capabilities of the Lockheed Martin Aegis ship defense system, a new testing site is being planned in Hawaii to mirror other BMD testing facilities there, Lockheed officials acknowledge. – Aviation Week
Wikileaks
WikiLeaks said it was taking “legal action” over a tell-all book to be released Friday by a former staff member that is critical of its founder, Julian Assange, and says the Web site was disabled by a spate of defections last year. – New York Times
Pratt & Whitney has reached a handshake agreement for the fourth batch of low-rate-production F-135 engines for the F-35 at a price 16 percent below from the previous lot, the company's military engines chief, Warren Boley, said Feb. 10. – Defense News
A version of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter's Pratt and Whitney's engine might be capable of powering the U.S. Air Force's prospective new bomber, Boeing's military engines chief said on Feb. 10. – Defense News
The Boeing Co. and EADS said Feb. 10 they were submitting their final bids to the U.S. Air Force for the hotly contested, $35 billion aerial refueling tanker contract. – Defense News
When a Predator flies above a conflict-ridden area, it’s usually taking pictures of people doing very bad things. Sometimes, it’s about to use its missiles to kill someone. But Pentagon officials want to put the drones to work on a very different job — saving lives. – Danger Room
Congress’ failure to pass a 2011 defense budget bill is jeopardizing the military’s effort to send more surveillance and attack drones into Afghanistan, as well as stymieing plans to buy a new Navy submarine, Army combat helicopters and other major weapons systems, defense leaders say. – Associated Press
Intelligence
Both the Republican and Democratic leaders of the U.S. House Intelligence Committee are looking at spy satellites as an area to save money as budget cuts loom. – Defense News
Interview: Rogers sat down for an exclusive interview prior to the hearing with The Cable, during which he promised to reinvigorate the committee's oversight and investigation activities, and use its panel to work with the intelligence community to trim budgets and focus on new threats. He also said that while he seeks harmony with the vast bureaucracy he's charged with overseeing, he has some ideas of his own about how intelligence policy should change – The Cable
The War
The top U.S. intelligence chief warned Thursday of a threat to U.S. facilities overseas from American and European recruits to the al-Qaida cause. – Military Times
The head of the TSA wants to implement a new “risk-based” screening method over the next year that will tailor-fit airport security procedures to individuals based on intelligence and suspicious behavior. – The Hill
Missile Defense
With the U.S. Navy’s continuing focus on further developing the ballistic missile defense (BMD) capabilities of the Lockheed Martin Aegis ship defense system, a new testing site is being planned in Hawaii to mirror other BMD testing facilities there, Lockheed officials acknowledge. – Aviation Week
Wikileaks
WikiLeaks said it was taking “legal action” over a tell-all book to be released Friday by a former staff member that is critical of its founder, Julian Assange, and says the Web site was disabled by a spate of defections last year. – New York Times
Ideas
Charles Krauthammer writes: We need a foreign policy that not only supports freedom in the abstract but is guided by long-range practical principles to achieve it - a Freedom Doctrine composed of the following elements: - Washington Post
submitted by those big brain beauties at GrEaT sAtAn"s gIrLfRiEnD and the fully crunk cats at Foreign Policy Initiatives
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