Defense Secretary Ash Carter, speaking for the final time in office on Wednesday, praised the support of Defense Department personnel and said DOD must remain focused on threats such as Russia and North Korea during the transition process. This commitment “drives the three million Americans serving, in uniform and as civilians, across this country and around the clock, in every time zone on Earth, in every domain—in the air, ashore, afloat, and even in cyberspace,” Carter said while addressing Pentagon workers. “All of them—and all of you—are defending not only the United States and its people; you’re also defending the values and principles that define us, while you provide the security that will enable our children to live a better life.” Carter said the need to counter Russian aggression in Europe and deter North Korean nuclear provocations were among the biggest needs the Pentagon must focus on under the new administration. This comes at a time of extreme budget uncertainty, but DOD needs to assure the military has what it needs to complete its mission, stressed Carter. (Listen to his farewell address.)
The use of a military counter-drone laser on the southwest border this week—which prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to abruptly close the airspace over El Paso, Texas—will be a “case study” on the complex web of authorities needed to employ such weapons near civilian areas and the consequences of agencies…
