President Bush on Jan. 4 took advantage of the congressional recess to officially appoint Gordon England to be the Deputy Secretary of Defense. England’s nomination has been stalled in the Senate since March. The recess appointment lasts until January 2007. Now, at least, we feel somewhat better about England’s right to succeed Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. (Although it is still strange that the line now runs to the Intel guy and pals, instead of to the service secretaries. Hmmmm.)
The Pentagon has concluded a new agreement to buy laser-guidance kits that turn rockets into drone-killing weapons. BAE Systems and the Defense Department announced a framework deal of up to seven years for 25,000 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System guidance kits annually for the U.S. military.