President Obama on Tuesday signed the Budget Control Act of 2011 into law. This legislation raises the debt ceiling between $2.1 trillion and $2.4 trillion so that the US government will not default on its bills. The act also establishes discretionary spending limits for the period of Fiscal 2012 to Fiscal 2021, although it’s not exactly clear what the ramifications will be for the Defense Department. USA Today reported Tuesday that the budget act could result in DOD cuts of up to $900 billion over 10 years, more than doubling the $400 billion in cuts for DOD over 12 years that Obama proposed in April. Conversely, McClatchy Newspapers reported (via the Kansas City Star) that the Pentagon actually could benefit from the legislation. McClatchy claims that the debt plan might only trim $350 billion. Continue
There is a new entrant in the highly competitive field of collaborative combat aircraft—semi-autonomous drones meant to fly alongside manned combat aircraft. Northrop Grumman unveiled its new Project Talon aircraft to a small group of reporters at the facilities of its subsidiary Scaled Composites.
