Defense Secretary Leon Panetta quashed talk that he would quickly bail out on the second Obama Administration, telling reporters during a flight to Australia Nov. 12 that he believes he has a responsibility to deal with the current fiscal and strategic issues facing DOD. He said, “My goal is to basically meet my responsibilities in terms of dealing with those issues [which he cited as “sequestration, budget issues, issues related to planning on Afghanistan”] and that’s the most important focus I have right now.” However, when pressed as to whether he would stay for the next four years, Panetta replied, “Who the hell knows?” (Pentagon transcript)
B-1 Bomber Task Force Deploys to Japan
Oct. 18, 2025
A quartet of B-1Bs from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas have landed at Misawa AB, Japan, likely for a series of exercises with Japanese, U.S. and Australian forces.
