H.R. 1892, the Fiscal 2012 National Intelligence Authorization Act, contains a provision directing the Office of the Secretary of Defense and Director of National Intelligence to submit a report that assesses the feasibility of implementing a certification program for training defense intelligence personnel. The language also calls for a description of the existing training, education, and professional development standards used for these personnel. The report is due within six months of the legislation’s enactment, meaning by early July, since President Obama signed H.R. 1892 into law on Jan. 3. The defense intelligence workforce spans the services’ intelligence elements, Defense Intelligence Agency, National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, National Reconnaissance Office, and National Security Agency. In addition to that report, the intel act calls for the estalishment of a formal record of the May 1, 2011, operation that resulted in Osama bin Laden’s death and information on the recidivism of terrorist detainees currently or formerly held at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba. (H.R. 1892 full text)
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III rebuffed criticism that the F-35 program has proved too costly and unreliable to serve as the viable backbone of America’s and allies' future fighter fleet on April 30. “I would not categorize the F-35 as a paperweight,” Austin said in response to questioning…