An op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal says there is no surprise in the fact that King Abdullah’s first official visit outside the Middle East was to China. The new Saudi Arabia leader is simply fulfilling a long-sought Royal Saudi desire to lessen the country’s dependence on the US. According to National Defense University professor Richard L. Russell, the Saudis have been seething since 1991 when they had to ask the US for help to fend off Saddam Hussein.
A combined Navy and Air Force program is seeking to build a smaller version of a ubiquitous air-to-air missile that could give advanced aircraft, such as the Collaborative Combat Aircraft, greater magazine depth in a high-end fight.