• Democrats from the House Appropriations Committee published their estimates of the consequences of sequestration not just on defense, but as DID recently half-jokingly predicted, with an increasingly broad scope and dire consequences. If the loss of 1 million 2 million jobs did not adequately frighten you, consider that the sequester also means “3 million fewer malaria treatments” and “more than 14,000 deaths from completely preventable illnesses.”

• Forgive our cynicism but either the consequences attributed to the Budget Control Act (BCA) are way inflated for fear mongering purposes, or Congress was unfathomably irresponsible to pass the BCA in the first place. The Congressional Research Service published an overview [PDF] of the various job loss scenarios built around sequestration. Neither they nor us saw the “think of the African children” angle coming though. Sequestration is a bad mechanism that would have adverse effects because of its hamfisted nature. That should provide enough impetus to steer Congress into action, rather than constant predictions of impending doom followed by apathy.

• The US Defense Acquisition University updated its Defense Acquisition Guidebook to reflect recent regulatory changes including evolutions in the Planning, Programming, Budgeting and Execution (PPBE) process, affordability requirements, and the role of the Analysis of Alternatives (AoA).

• THE US Army War College’s SSI argues in favor [PDF] of maintaining American troops in Europe, if only to sustain interoperability with other NATO members.

• Vietnam ordered 2 more battleships from local shipbuilders, following a first delivery back in January. Vietnam’s naval modernization so far relied on Russian restocking.

• Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) found Apple’s new smartphone mapping application too accurate for their taste, with its high resolution pictures of an early radar system yet to even be put online.

• After a similar piece from the Center for Public Integrity published by NBC News in July, CNN takes its turn presenting the remanufacturing of M1 Abrams tanks as a politically-motivated, lobbyist-protected job program. Video below: (more…)

 

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Wow! Vietnam ordering battleships!!! :lol: