Iran
‘Israel can rely on Obama to stop nuclear Iran’
Yaakov Katz, Jerusalem Post – August 2, 2012
Michele Flournoy, former top US defense official and Obama adviser, vows president won’t allow nuclear Iran; says day after military action, unified int’l effort will be needed to keep Iran from restarting nuclear program.
Syria
Syrian Leader’s Arms Under Strain as Conflict Continues
C.J. Chivers, New York Times – August 2, 2012
With diplomatic efforts dead and the future of Syria playing out on the battlefield, many of the Syrian government’s most powerful weapons, including helicopter gunships, fighter jets and tanks, are looking less potent and in some cases like a liability for the military of President Bashar al-Assad.
Cybersecurity
Silicon Valley Sounds Off on Failed Cybersecurity Legislation
Nicole Perlroth, New York Times – August 3, 2012
A cybersecurity bill that would have set security standards for the computer networks that govern the nation’s critical infrastructure was blocked by a Republican filibuster in the Senate on Thursday.
Defense Spending
Democrats reject GOP move to force defense contractors to send out layoff notices
Donna Cassata, Fayetteville Observer – August 2, 2012
Senate Democrats rejected a Republican effort to force defense contractors to send out notices of possible job layoffs four days before the election, calling the move politically driven and purely speculative based on looming spending cuts.
Bill by Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn increases pressure for Pentagon audit
Chris Casteel, NewsOK – August 3, 2012
U.S. Sen. Coburn, R-Muskogee, says his bill would end the “don’t ask, don’t tell” culture of budgeting at the Pentagon, which doesn’t have the financial systems in place to undergo an audit.
India/Pakistan
U.S. Sees Need for New Approach in Pakistan-India Nuclear Talks
Rachel Oswald, Global Security Newswire – August 2, 2012
Years of talks between Pakistan and India on incremental military and nuclear confidence-building measures have failed to prevent a regional weapons race and occasional flare-ups in bilateral relations, leading a number of Washington officials and experts to wonder if it is time for a new, more ambitious approach.
