According to White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe, the just released National Intelligence Estimate shows that the Bush Administration “strategy has improved the security environment, but that we still face tough challenges ahead.” He also said, in a press statement, that the Administration “continues to support the efforts of Prime Minister Maliki” in Iraq. Among the NIE’s key judgments: “There have been measurable but uneven improvements in Iraq’s security situation since … January 2007. … The level of overall violence, including attacks on and casualties among civilians, remains high; Iraq’s sectarian groups remain unreconciled; … Iraq’s political leaders remain unable to govern effectively.”
The Pentagon’s top research lab is interested in developing a hypersonic cruise missile prototype that provides “a revolutionary leap in operational performance,” as the first wave of U.S. hypersonic weapons enters production and service.