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.
The emphasis on speed in the Pentagon’s newly unveiled slate of acquisition reforms may come with increased near-term cost increases, analysts say. But according to U.S. defense officials, the new weapons-buying construct provides the military with enough flexibility to prevent runaway budget overruns in major programs.
