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WASHINGTON (AP) — When the top echelons of the U.S. and Chinese military get together, they exchange smiles, handshakes and photographs. Behind the scenes, lower-ranking officers are planning for possible conflict. A laborious Pentagon translation of hundreds of books and journal articles by mid-level Chinese military officers shows that Beijing's future military leadership sees U.S. military power as waning and plans to exploit weaknesses in U.S. weaponry and supply lines should conflict occur. The Pentagon analysis of Chinese military writings was disclosed Thursday[, September 18 1997,] to the Senate Intelligence Committee in a hearing on intelligence challenges posed by China....

China's state news agency on Thursday condemned a Pentagon report on China's growing military might, calling its account of Beijing's weapons modernization drive an alarmist "cock-and-bull story." The Pentagon's annual assessment of China's military strength, which was released on Wednesday, said Beijing appeared to be on track to forge a modern military by 2020, a build-up that could destabilize the Asia-Pacific region. The Chinese government has yet to give its official response, which is likely to be tersely dismissive, but the state-run Xinhua news agency made a starting shot. "The allegation is an utterly cock-and-bull story about the Chinese military...

A Pentagon task force is proposing the largest overhaul of the military retirement system in 50 years that will do away with a traditional pension system, opting instead for a 401(k)-style contribution program. Under the newly proposed Defense Business Board plan, all troops would receive yearly retirement contributions if they served at least 20 years -- a stipulation of the existing system. The money, however, would not vest until service reached at least three to five years and would then be payable at retirement age. If personnel left before that three- to five-year mark, the time served would be rolled...

A Pentagon task force is proposing the largest overhaul of the military retirement system in 50 years that will do away with a traditional pension system, opting instead for a 401(k)-style contribution program. Under the newly proposed Defense Business Board plan, all troops would receive yearly retirement contributions if they served at least 20 years -- a stipulation of the existing system. The money, however, would not vest until service reached at least three to five years and would then be payable at retirement age. If personnel left before that three- to five-year mark, the time served would be rolled...

A Pentagon task force is proposing the largest overhaul of the military retirement system in 50 years that will do away with a traditional pension system, opting instead for a 401(k)-style contribution program

The United States military budget accounts for over 40% of the world's annual military expenditures and, at around $700 billion per year, more than 20% of the federal budget. The Federal government wants to curb that spending as part of deficit reduction.

Two main concerns (and there are many more): 1) If 535 people in Congress are given the task of running the country under the Constitution, why is the abdication of those duties and powers over to a "Gang of 12" considered Constitutional? 2) There is a not-so-concealed dirty joke to the 50/50 cut guidelines of the Super Committee. If cuts can't be derived from their smoky back room chin-wagging, "automatic cuts" are imposed. Cuts will come from the Pentagon and from entitlements. * As for the Pentagon, cuts would be "real". * As for entitlements, Washington has already proven that...

After a delay of more than two days, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has "decided to follow the law" and release the names, ranks, hometowns and units of those killed in the Aug. 6 Chinook helicopter crash in Afghanistan, Pentagon spokesman Col. Dave Lapan said Wednesday. The names will be released in the next 24 hours. Panetta "never intended not to release the names," Lapan said, explaining that a delay in their release was the result of a request from military commanders in the Special Operations community who wanted to review the policy of releasing names "because of possible (security) implications

Cuts to Pentagon spending won’t be done in a “hasty, ill-conceived way,” Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said in a letter to reassure to his department’s staff Wednesday. Acknowledging that defense cuts “must be” part of the solution to trim the national debt, Panetta said military leaders will be able to make $350 billion in cuts over the next decade that were laid out in the compromise bill to raise the debt ceiling “while maintaining the excellence of our military.”

The Pentagon and its supporters are bracing for the likelihood of much deeper reductions in the U.S. military's budget, as budget negotiators now eye defense cuts of $800 billion or more over the next decade. With talks intensifying ahead of an August 2 deadline to raise the debt limit, lawmakers hoping to shape an overall budget deal have advanced proposals that would cut defense spending by more than double the $400 billion President Barack Obama proposed just three months ago. Some proposals call for as much as $1 trillion in cuts over the next decade.

The courtiers in the Hall of Mirrors that is Versailles on the Potomac are lining up to give Leon Panetta advice on how to manage the Pentagon in the coming era of budget “constraints.” Most of this wisdom takes the form of platitudes of how important it is to have a strategy and to make the hard choices needed to budget for that strategy. Duh! My current favorite is Dr. Daniel Goure's recent blog on the web page of the Lexington Institute, a pro-defense “think tank.” Goure starts his advisory by saying: Let's be honest. The current U.S. defense program...

Security: The Pentagon has disclosed perhaps the largest theft of sensitive data by an unnamed foreign government. The threat to our electronic infrastructure is real, growing and as dangerous as a North Korean missile. In outlining America's cyberwarfare strategy last Thursday at the National Defense University, Deputy Secretary of Defense William Lynn disclosed that 24,000 sensitive files containing Pentagon data at a defense company were accessed in a cyberattack in March, likely by a foreign government. He didn't disclose the identity of that government, but in a bit of an understatement he acknowledged, "We have a pretty good idea." So...

The Pentagon has disclosed that it suffered one of its largest ever losses of sensitive data in March when 24,000 files were stolen in a cyber-attack by a foreign government. William Lynn, the US deputy secretary of defence, said the data was taken from the computers of a corporate defence contractor. He said the US government had a "pretty good idea" who was responsible but did not elaborate. Many cyber-attacks in the past have been blamed on China or Russia, and one of the Pentagon's fears is that eventually a terrorist group will acquire the ability to steal data. Mr...

On Friday President Barack Hussein Obama informed the US Congress that he intended to sell 125 M-1A1 Abrams Tanks to the Egyptian Military. With the nation of Egypt in turmoil, and the fact that the Muslim Brotherhood is poised to assume total control over Egypt, why would any sane and rational person sell tanks (or any weapon) to a nation bent on not only destroying its neighbor, but who would turn the same weapons on the US to destroy it. From the Jerusalem Post: The US signaled last week that it plans to continue business as usual when it comes...

"President Barack Obama's decision to order a bigger and speedier reduction in troop numbers than advised by his top military commanders will increase American casualties during the pull-out, Pentagon planners fear." *** "On the ground, US commanders believe the announcement means it will now be necessary to abandon plans to take their fight against the Taliban to the violent eastern mountains bordering Pakistan where the Afghan war was born. They had wanted to try and repeat the successes since Mr Obama's "surge" was begun in 2009 during fierce fighting in the southern provinces of Kandahar and Helmand."

Federal authorities on Thursday formally charged a Marine reservist in connection with 2010 shootings at the Pentagon and the National Museum of the Marine Corps. According to a criminal complaint, law enforcement officers searched the residence of Yonathan Melaku and found numerous documents concerning bomb-making and explosives. Melaku was arrested last week after he was found trespassing in Arlington National Cemetery before dawn. A car he pointed authorities to set off a bomb scare near the Pentagon. Officials said they seized a digital videotape in Melaku's bedroom desk. According to the criminal complaint, a review of the videotape showed Melaku...

Sources told ABC News a backpack in Melaku's possession contained a package labeled ammonium nitrate as well as spent firearm ammunition. Ammonium nitrate, a common fertilizer, can be used in explosives. The FBI later said despite the label, the backpack presented no immediate threat. A search of Melaku's nearby car also found no potential devices. Law enforcement sources said Melaku does not appear to have known ties to any terror organization. In addition to his arrest today, Melaku already faces pending charges in Loudoun County, Virginia, for a rash of vehicle break-ins, police said.

An extraordinary convergence of recent events seems poised shortly to make aviation biofuels the belle of the investor’s ball. The first is that on 8 June the follows the international standards certifying body ASTM International announcing its approval of its BIO SPK Fuel Standard, to be made official later in the year, of the use of hydrotreated renewable jet (HRJ) Jet A-1 fuel in commercial aviation. The potential financial implications are massive, as together the airline industry and the U.S. military use more than 42.25 million gallons (1.5 million barrels) of jet fuel a day. One of the leading contenders...

WASHINGTON — President Obama rejected the views of top lawyers at the Pentagon and the Justice Department when he decided that he had the legal authority to continue American military participation in the air war in Libya without Congressional authorization, according to officials familiar with internal administration deliberations. Jeh C. Johnson, the Pentagon general counsel, and Caroline D. Krass, the acting head of the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, had told the White House that they believed that the United States military’s activities in the NATO-led air war amounted to “hostilities.” Under the War Powers Resolution, that would have...

ARLINGTON, Va. — Authorities took one person into custody and closed roads around the Pentagon Friday after a "suspicious device" was found in a car, NBC News reported. One or two other suspects who "fled the scene" on foot were being hunted by police, according to NBC News' Jim Miklaszewski. Although it was not immediately clear what the device was, one official told NBC News that "it looks like a bomb." The incident brought traffic to a standstill in the area. NBCWashington.com reported that the suspicious vehicle was discovered on Washington Boulevard.