Iran Blocks U.N. Nuclear Inspectors
Jay Solomon, Wall Street Journal - February 3, 2012
Iran denied United Nations inspectors access to a suspected nuclear site, scientists and documents during a visit to Tehran this week, dimming already scant hopes for a breakthrough to end a standoff over Iran's nuclear work, said diplomats briefed on the International Atomic Energy Agency's mission.

Panetta believes Israel could strike Iran this spring
Barbara Starr, CNN (Blog) - February 2, 2012
U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has come to the conclusion there is a growing likelihood Israel could attack Iran sometime this spring in an effort to destroy its suspected nuclear weapons program, according to a senior administration official.

Senate Panel Approves Potentially Toughest Penalty Yet Against Iran’s Wallet
Rick Gladstone, New York Times - February 2, 2012
The Senate Banking Committee unanimously approved a new regimen of anti-Iran sanctions on Thursday that would for the first time threaten to punish the global financial telecommunications network that nearly all banks rely on to conduct their daily business.

West making case to Israel: Don't attack Iran
Anne Gearan, Associated Press - February 2, 2012
Israel's major allies in the West are working hard to talk it out of a unilateral military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, arguing forcefully that an attack ultimately would strengthen, not weaken, the regime in Tehran.

AFGHANISTAN

U.S. Will Keep Fighting as Afghans Take the Lead, Panetta Says
Elisabeth Bumiller, New York Times - February 2, 2012
Reacting to consternation among NATO allies, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta sought to clarify on Thursday night that American troops would not step back entirely from combat in Afghanistan next year but would allow Afghan security forces a “lead” role.

NATO’s Defense Ministers See Combat Operations in Afghanistan Through 2014
Viola Gienger and James G. Neuger, Bloomberg - February 2, 2012
NATO defense ministers meeting in Brussels agreed that their soldiers in Afghanistan will need to continue combat operations in a support role even after Afghan forces take the lead on the way to full responsibility for security.

MISSILE DEFENSE

U.S. airbase in Germany to host missile shield command
Brian Rohan and Madeline Chambers, Reuters - February 2, 2012
Ramstein Air Base, which already houses the European headquarters of the U.S. Air Force and a NATO installation, will host the centre, which NATO says aims to protect Europe from potential attacks by so-called "rogue states" like Iran.

"It's time for us to bring our troops home as soon as we possibly can," Mitt Romney said during Monday's presidential debate. "Only the Afghanis can win Afghanistan's independence from the Taliban," he said.

[From: POLITICO Breaking News <breakingnews@politico.com>; Date: June 13, 2011 9:48:45 PM EDT; POLITICO Breaking News

=======

Romney in February:

Mitt Romney offered harsh criticism of a plan outlined by Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta to possibly withdraw U.S. combat troops from Afghanistan in 2013, calling the administration’s decision to announce its military plans to the world “misguided” and “naive.”

By Emily Friedman
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/02/mitt-romney-calls-leon-panettas-withdrawal-announcement-misguided/
Feb 1, 2012 10:46pm

Mitt Romney Calls Leon Panetta’s Afghanistan Withdrawal Announcement ‘Misguided’

LAS VEGAS – Mitt Romney offered harsh criticism of a plan outlined by Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta to possibly withdraw U.S. combat troops from Afghanistan in 2013, calling the administration’s decision to announce its military plans to the world “misguided” and “naive.”

“The president’s mistakes, some of them are calculated on a philosophy that’s hard to understand and, sometimes, you scratch you head and say: How can he be so misguided and so naive?” said Romney during a visit to a Brady Industries warehouse, where janitorial supplies lined the shelves.

“Today, his secretary of defense unleashed such a policy,” said Romney. “The secretary of defense said that on a day certain, the middle of 2013, we’re going to pull out our combat troops from Afghanistan.”

Panetta told reporters en route to a NATO meeting in Brussels that the administration hopes to remove combat troops by 2013 and continue a training and advisory role with Afghan forces through 2014.

“He announced that. He announced that. So the Taliban hears it, the Pakistanis hear it, the Afghan leaders hear it,” said Romney. “Why in the world do you go to the people that you’re fighting with and tell them the date you’re pulling out your troops? It makes absolutely no sense.”

“His naivete is putting in jeopardy the mission of the United States of America and our commitments to freedom,” he said. “He is wrong. We need new leadership in Washington.”

Romney has said repeatedly on the campaign stump that his own decision regarding withdrawing troops from Afghanistan would be based on advice from generals on the ground.

Israeli Army Chief Says Nation Needs to Build Up Military to Strike Iran
Jonathan Ferziger and David Lerman, Bloomberg - February 1, 2012
Israeli Army Chief of Staff Lieutenant-General Benny Gantz said his country must build up its military capabilities and be prepared to strike if economic sanctions fail to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

US Navy comes to rescue of Iranian fishing dhow
Associated Foreign Press - February 1, 2012
The US Navy has announced that it assisted an Iranian fishing vessel in distress in the Gulf, the fourth such incident this year in an area marked by tension between Washington and Tehran.

U.N. Nuclear Monitor Agency Announces Second Visit to Iran
Rick Gladstone, New York Times - February 1, 2012
The International Atomic Energy Agency said on Wednesday that its inspectors, who had just completed a three-day visit to Iran, would return there in three weeks.

A Third Option for Iran
Richard Haass and Bernard Gwertzman, Council on Foreign Relations - February 1, 2012
Living with a nuclear-armed Iran or launching a preventive military attack both carry great costs and risks, making it essential to pursue a combination of enhanced sanctions and renewed diplomacy, says CFR President Richard N. Haass.

KOREAN PENINSULA

North Korea Renews Demands for Improved Relations With South
Choe Sang-Hun, New York Times - February 2, 2012
North Korea on Thursday issued a long list of strident demands, including the cancellation of joint American-South Korean military exercises, that it said South Korea should meet before ties could improve between the two Koreas.

UNITED STATES

Panetta Says U.S. to End Afghan Combat Role as Soon as 2013
Elisabeth Bumiller, New York Times - February 1, 2012
In a major milestone toward ending a decade of war in Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said Wednesday that American forces would step back from a combat role there as early as mid-2013, more than a year before all American troops are scheduled to come home.

GOP Lawmaker on Potential BRAC Request: ‘Kill It’
Kate Brannen, Defense News - February 1, 2012
Rep. Buck McKeon, Republican chair of the House Armed Services Committee, did not mince words when asked what he would do to a Pentagon request for domestic base closures.

U.S. Should Give Israel Bunker-Buster Bombs, Policy Group Says
David Lerman, Bloomberg - February 1, 2012
A bipartisan policy group called for providing Israel with 200 additional bunker-buster bombs to increase the credibility of a military strike aimed at thwarting Iran’s nuclear program.

Not to worry!

Should one use a straight percentage increase or decrease? Or should one adjust those numbers each year by factoring in inflation estimates (deflators, to use budget parlance, although I thought those were doohickeys to empty air out of a tire).

Should one say the Pentagon budget has increased, say by 4% (nominal), or by 1.8% (real) after adjusting for inflation (you know, the dollar does not buy this year what it used to).

House Republicans are determined to put an end to this pesky problem.  The House is scheduled to take up this week H.R. 3578 , which they have given the title: “Baseline Reform Act of 2011.” (no, not ensuring that the Washington Nationals base paths are straight).  

In the future, if Republicans have their way, we won’t have to worry about a “real” vs. an “actual” increase in Pentagon (or education or heath or highway construction) funding.

The bill would ban the Congressional Budget Office, the official congressional budget umpire, from using inflationary adjustments when figuring “baseline” or year to year spending estimates without considering new program increases or decreases.

In other words, if the Pentagon budget is $680 billion this year, the “baseline” estimate for next year would be $680 billion and $680 billion the following year – no need to adjust for inflation.  Not need to worry about loss of buying power.

Don’t worry. I am sure this is a selfless act not motivated by politics or ideology, just good government.

Another bill House Republicans are offering would provide for so-called dynamic scoring : a way for Republicans to “prove” the future tax cuts spur economic growth and thereby decrease the deficit rather than increase it.

Simply put, a tax cut will more than pay for itself.  Something George H.W. Bush once labeled voodoo economics "

So if the country has a budget problem or a deficit problem, it will be solved by new budget gimmicks.

Scouts honor. It will work.

Now if only the Senate would go along.

Iran Praises Nuclear Talks with Team from UN
Rick Gladstone, New York Times - January 31, 2012
Iran said Tuesday that a team of United Nations nuclear inspectors visiting since the weekend had concluded “constructive and positive” talks with Iranian officials, with further discussions planned at an unspecified date.

Intelligence Report Lists Iran and Cyberattacks as Leading Concerns
Eric Schmitt, New York Times - January 31, 2012
Some senior Iranian leaders are now more willing to carry out attacks inside the United States in response to perceived American threats against their country, the Obama administration’s top intelligence official said on Tuesday, pointing to last fall’s suspected assassination plot against the Saudi ambassador to Washington.

Group Urges Credible U.S. Military Threat to Iran
Arshad Mohammad, Reuters - February 1, 2012
The United States should deploy ships, step up covert activities and sharpen its rhetoric to make more credible the threat of a U.S. military strike to stop Iran's nuclear program, a bipartisan group said on Wednesday.

In Israel, A Nonstop Debate On Possible Iran Strike
Lourdes Garcia-Navarro, NPR - January 31, 2012
In Israel, there is daily speculation over whether Israel will attack Iran's nuclear facilities in the near future. The debate is not only over whether Israel should strike Iran, but what the costs and benefits might be from such a strike.

KOREAN PENINSULA
US Diplomat Says US Open to North Korea Diplomacy
Foster Klug, Associated Press - February 1, 2012
In a message aimed at both Koreas, a senior U.S. diplomat said Wednesday that Washington is open to settling the North Korean nuclear standoff through diplomacy, but only if Pyongyang improves ties with archrival South Korea.

U.S.
U.S. Navy, Marines Say More Capable Arms Offset Cuts
Andrea Shalal-Esa, Reuters - January 31, 2012
Senior officials from the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps said on Tuesday that growing capabilities of new weapons systems could help offset cuts in defense spending that will shrink the number of ships and aircraft in coming years

Possibility of Base Closures Triggers New Anxiety for Officials
Chris Vaughn, Fort Worth Star-Telegram - January 31, 2012
It has been seven years since the U.S. military last reduced the number of bases in its inventory, a painful process for many communities that ultimately resulted in the closure of three installations in Texas.

Panetta Faces Tough NATO Meeting After Budget Shift
David Alexander, Reuters - February 1, 2012
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta faces an unexpectedly challenging NATO meeting this week that could expose embarrassing rifts in the Western alliance just as President Barack Obama prepares to host a summit of allied leaders this spring in the middle of an election year.

Myanmar Denies Trying to Obtain N Korean Nukes
Times of India - January 31, 2012
Myanmar President Thein Sein has denied his country is trying to obtain nuclear weapons from North Korea, describing allegations of an illicit programme as "unfounded", in remarks published Tuesday.

Senior DOD Official Extends Hand to North Korea, Warns Others
U.S. News and World Report - January 30, 2012
A senior Pentagon official invited North Korea's new leader to the negotiating table Monday after sternly warning other would-be foes that shrinking defense budgets do not equal an American military in decline.

IRAN
'Optimistic' Iran Offers to Extend U.N. Nuclear Inspection
Associated Press - January 30, 2012
Iran’s top diplomat offered Monday to extend the current visit of U.N. nuclear inspectors and expressed optimism their findings would help ease tensions despite international claims that Iran is trying to build nuclear weapons.

Top Democrat, Republican Unveil Bipartisan Bill to Impose Tough Penalties on Iran
Associated Press - January 30, 2012
Determined to weaken Iran economically, a top Senate Democrat and Republican on Monday unveiled a bill to impose sweeping new penalties on Tehran and thwart its nuclear ambitions.

Israel Sees Narrowing Window for Attack on Iran
Amy Teibel, Associated Press - January 30, 2012
Officials are quietly conceding that new international sanctions targeting Iran's suspect nuclear program, while welcome, are further constraining Israel's ability to take military action — just as a window of opportunity is closing because Tehran is moving more of its installations underground.

White House: No Rush on Iran
Jeremy Herb and Amie Parnes, The Hill - January 30, 2012
The White House won't be rushing to make a decision on Iran's nuclear program, White House press secretary Jay Carney said Monday.

Global "Great Power Politics" Returns to Mideast
Peter Apps, Reuters - January 31, 2012
With Russia sending warships to discourage foreign intervention in Syria, and China drawn more deeply into Iran's confrontation with the West, "great power" politics is swiftly returning to the Middle East.

NUCLEAR ENERGY
U.N. Watchdog Tentatively Backs Japan's Nuclear Stress Tests
Hiroko Tabuchi, New York Times - January 31, 2012
A United Nations fact-finding mission on Tuesday tentatively supported new stress tests designed to determine whether Japan’s nuclear plants can withstand another emergency, throwing its weight behind a government push to restart reactors idled in the wake of the disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi plant after the earthquake and tsunami in March.

Pentagon Seeks Mightier Bomb Vs Iran
Adam Entous and Julian E. Barnes, Wall Street Journal - January 28, 2012
Pentagon war planners have concluded that their largest conventional bomb isn't yet capable of destroying Iran's most heavily fortified underground facilities, and are stepping up efforts to make it more powerful, according to U.S. officials briefed on the plan.

Iran Hits Back at EU With Own Oil Embargo Threat
Robin Pomeroy and Hashem Kalantari, Reuters - January 27, 2012
Fighting sanctions with sanctions in a trial of strength with the West over its nuclear ambitions, Iran warned on Friday it may halt oil exports to Europe next week in a move calculated to hurt ailing European economies.

U.S.
US Weapons for Future Include Key Relics of Past
Associated Press - January 28, 2012
The lineup of weapons the Pentagon has picked to fit President Barack Obama's new forward-looking defense strategy, called "Priorities for 21st Century Defense," features relics of the past.

New Strategy, Old Pentagon Budget
New York Times - January 29, 2012
The $259 billion in budget cuts over the next five years announced by the Pentagon may sound like a lot. But they are mainly a scaling back of previously projected spending — the delights of the Washington budget games.

Senator Puts US Nuclear Arsenal in Doubt
Paul Bedard, U.S. News and World Report - January 26, 2012
The Democratic chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee today questioned the value of the nation's nuclear arsenal, putting in motion efforts to cut the numbers and costs of missiles and bombs that are part of the Pentagon's "nuclear triad."

KOREAN PENINSULA
North Korea Warns South Over Military Drill but Accepts Food Aid
Choe Sang-Hun, New York Times - January 27, 2012
North Korea warned on Friday that a South Korean military drill around frontline islands could lead to a “full-scale war,” even as it allowed South Korean trucks carrying private food aid for North Korean children to cross the border.

North Korea Succession Offers U.S. Opportunity
Joel Brinkley, San Francisco Chronicle - January 29, 2012
Don't give up on Kim Jong Un, the cherubic naif who is North Korea's new supreme leader.