Some in the press and anti-war political circles have been scandalized by US military use of white phosphorus munitions in Fallujah, Iraq. Gen. Peter Pace, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff USMC, tackled the subject head-on at the Nov. 29 Pentagon briefing, arguing that these so-called “Willy Pete” munitions—for example, 120 mm mortar smoke cartridges fired in Iraq–are “legitimate tools” in close combat situations. He added that WP munitions are used primarily in two situations—to mark a location for a strike by an aircraft and to act as a screen for troop movements. “It is not a chemical, it is an incendiary,” Pace said. As if that matters to some of the learned commentators out there…..
The Space Development Agency says it’s on track to issue its next batch of missile warning and tracking satellite contracts this month after those awards were delayed by the Pentagon’s decision to divert funds from the agency to pay troops during this fall’s prolonged government shutdown.
