Afghanistan
U.S. Considers Faster Pullout in Afghanistan
Mark Mazzetti and Matthew Rosenberg, New York Times – July 8, 2013
Increasingly frustrated by his dealings with President Hamid Karzai, President Obama is giving serious consideration to speeding up the withdrawal of United States forces from Afghanistan and to a “zero option” that would leave no American troops there after next year, according to American and European officials.
North Korea
Some Experts See North Korean Nuclear Arms as Here to Stay
Rachel Oswald, National Journal – July 8, 2013
A number of independent U.S. analysts are saying the Obama administration appears to be reluctantly accepting that the North Korean military might never be fully denuclearized.
Defense Spending
Defense workers speak out about furloughs
Joe Davidson, Washington Post – July 8, 2013
More than 650,000 Defense staffers will be forced to take 11 unpaid leave days between now and the end of the fiscal year in September. That represents a 20 percent reduction in pay during that period.
Opinion: Right-sizing military means overcoming security and pork-barrel obsessions
Loring Wirbel, Colorado Springs Gazette – July 7, 2013
The problem here is not a Pentagon and prime-contractor chorus crying crocodile tears. Rather, there are built-in assumptions about what constitutes an appropriate 21st-century force for the United States.
Iran
Iran, IAEA Could Hold Talks Next Month
Global Security Newswire – July 8, 2013
Representatives of Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency could meet next month for the first time since the country voted in a more reformist president in June, envoys told Reuters on Monday.
Nonproliferation
Talks on Mideast WMD Ban an Unintended Casualty of Egyptian Coup?
Elaine M. Grossman, Global Security Newswire – July 8, 2013
Egypt’s frustration over obstacles toward meeting its longtime vision of convening an international conference on banning weapons of mass destruction from the Middle East was high enough in April to prompt a disgruntled walkout by Cairo’s official delegation at a U.N.-sponsored meeting.
MOX
Opinion: Shut down MOX plant
Rock Hill Herald – July 8, 2013
…the project is way over schedule and way over budget, and chances are good the costs will continue to mount. The time has come for the nation to cut its losses on the plant and shut construction down.
B61
Opinion: B61 Bridge to Nowhere
Richard Johnson, Santa Fe New Mexican – July 7, 2013
The letter argues the useless B61 nuclear warhead refurbishment program shovels millions more to those who are already rich. It doesn’t help New Mexico.
