Defense Secretary Leon Panetta's Comments Sum Up Washington Perfectly

From CBS: Defense Secretary Leon Panetta today said as he steps down from his Cabinet post, he will return to his family and walnut farm - "a different set of nuts," he joked to President Obama.

Fiscal Cliff Deal Means That The Pentagon Is Facing $45 Billion In Cuts

An aerial view of the Pentagon Building in Washington. (REUTERS / June 15, 2005)

New Year's Deal Left Pentagon Facing $45 Billion In Cuts: Comptroller -- Reuters

The New Year's Day law that delayed across-the-board cuts in U.S. defense spending by two months also trimmed the size of the reduction for the 2013 fiscal year by about $17 billion, the Pentagon's chief financial officer said on Monday.

Defense Department Comptroller Robert Hale said the cuts that would be required in March if Congress is unable to agree on a compromise alternative would be roughly $45 billion under the new law, versus about $62 billion earlier.

The new amount would be about 9 percent of the Pentagon's budget for 2013, versus about 12 percent under the previous law, Hale said in remarks at the Brookings Institution think tank.

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More News On The Pentagon Facing $45 Billion In Cuts

New Year's deal left Pentagon facing $45 billion in cuts: comptroller -- Reuters
Threatened delay in defense budget adds to planners’ uncertainty -- Government Executive
Hale: Fiscal Cliff Deal Reduces Funding Blow to Defense -- Defense News
Defense industry fears sequestration delay won't stop Pentagon cuts -- The Hill
Defense Budget Cuts of $45 Billion Seen by Pentagon -- Bloomberg
Pentagon cuts could 
idle civilian defense 
workers by thousands -- Washington Times
Fog Thickens Around Pentagon Budget -- National Defense
Defense Spending Cuts Threaten 10% of Pentagon Budget -- Townhall
Time is ticking for DOD to submit 2014 budget, even though this year remains in limbo (with links) -- al.com

Iran Steps Up Cyber Attacks On U.S. Financial Institutions

Cyber Jihad -- Washington Free Beacon

Iran steps up cyber attacks on U.S. financial institutions.

Iran is continuing aggressive cyber attacks against U.S. financial institutions and officials say the U.S. government has failed to take steps to halt the electronic strikes.

The sophisticated denial-of-service cyber attacks have been underway for several months and involve Iranian-origin hackers who flood banking and financial institution web sites with massive log-in attempts that disrupt or halt remote banking services.

“The are going after the same types of sites,” said an intelligence official familiar with reports of the attacks.

The official criticized the Obama administration for failing to protect American corporations from what the official said were state-sponsored cyber attacks.

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Update #1: Iran stages cyber warfare drill alongside Hormuz naval exercise -- RT
Update #2: U.S. Banks Again Hit by Wave of Cyberattacks -- New York Times

My Comment: If these reports are true, it appears that Iran is focused on trying to find ways to cripple America's financial infrastructure .... and what is remarkable about these cyber attacks is that Iran is not making any efforts to hide it.

Nations Prepare For Cyber War

In this September 24, 2010 file photo U.S. Department of Homeland Security analysts work at the National Cybersecurity & Communications Integration Center (NCCIC) located just outside Washington in Arlington, Virginia. (Reuters)

Nations Prepare For Cyber War -- CNN

Security analysts are predicting that 2013 is when nation-sponsored cyberwarfare goes mainstream -- and some think such attacks will lead to actual deaths.

In 2012, large-scale cyberattacks targeted at the Iranian government were uncovered, and in return, Iran is believed to have launched massive attacks aimed at U.S. banks and Saudi oil companies. At least 12 of the world's 15 largest military powers are currently building cyberwarfare programs, according to James Lewis, a cybersecurity expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

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My Comment: The public is still unconcerned about cyber war and cyber attacks .... but take one incidence where crucial data is lost and/or a financial interruption impacts millions .... that is when cyber war will become real and that is when we will see our politicians act.

No Big Changes To U.S. Diplomacy Or Defense Strategy Expected From President Obama's 2nd-Term National Security Team

"A view from behind the President's chair during a Cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Analysts: New Policies Not Likely From Obama’s 2nd-Term National Security Team -- McClatchy News

WASHINGTON — The three men President Barack Obama has nominated to foreign and national security policy posts in his second term share a demonstrated independent streak – each has challenged his own institution or party in wartime – but analysts say that doesn’t necessarily portend any big changes to U.S. diplomacy or defense strategy.

Indeed, while Obama portrayed his nominees – Sen. John Kerry to head the State Department, former Sen. Chuck Hagel to lead the Department of Defense, and counterterrorism adviser John Brennan to direct the Central Intelligence Agency – as patriotic trailblazers, some analysts doubt whether the trio will bring any real shakeups to U.S. policy.

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My Comment: I concur with this assessment .... nothing new will be coming out from this team. Secretary of Defense Hagels' priorities will be to get US troops out of Afghanistan as fast as possible, to focus on Asia, and to slash the U.S. defense budget to pre-9/11 levels. CIA Director John Brennan's priorities will be to continue America's war against Islamic radicals via through drones and CIA hit teams, and to be on guard to new threats. Secretary of State Kerry's responsibilities will be to avoid war with Iran, keep the Syrian civil war boxed in, and to focus on Asia.

Update: The Obama Nominations -- Victor Davis Hanson, NRO

The Nomination Of John Brennan For CIA Director -- News Updates

The Answer Man: A Washington Power-Read On John Brennan. -- Foreign Policy

Unlike Defense Secretary nominee Chuck Hagel, a known Washington commodity, White House counterterrorism advisor John O. Brennan, the new nominee to lead the CIA, is a less familiar figure. But as one of President Barack Obama's closest advisers, Brennan has unsurprisingly featured as an important role-player in many of the insider accounts written about the administration's national security policies. The portrait that emerges from the books on Obama's first term is one of a man intensely loyal to the president whose trust he enjoys, sometimes to the point of alienating his colleagues. Among the insights gleaned, the former Riyadh CIA station chief and fluent Arabic speaker is clearly one of the most knowledgeable and well-connected senior U.S. officials when it comes to the Middle East, but he has a habit of sometimes speaking publicly without all the facts. And he has also taken on the seemingly contradictory roles as one of the most outspoken champions of the U.S. drone program while pushing within the administration to limit the use of American force. Here's a look at what we know about Brennan so far, culled from seven of the best recent books on U.S. foreign policy:

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More News On The Nomination Of John Brennan For CIA Director

For CIA chief, Obama taps adviser who defended drone strikes -- Reuters
Brennan Chosen for CIA After Role in Bin Laden Operation -- Bloomberg
CIA nominee John Brennan no stranger to spycraft, politics -- L.A. Times
Sen. Cornyn threatens to block Brennan's nomination as CIA chief -- The Hill
Obama's CIA nominee to face tough questions about ‘enhanced interrogation’ -- The Hill
Graham seeks delay to confirmation of Brennan until Benghazi questions answered -- FOX News
Brennan pick revives leaks dispute -- Politico
With John Brennan, Obama doubles down on drone strikes -- Christian Science Monitor
John Brennan As CIA Chief Would Cement A New Era Of US Counterterrorism -- Michael Kelley and Geoffrey Ingersoll, Business Insider
Choice to Lead C.I.A. Faces a Changed Agency -- New York Times
Obama’s CIA pick chose spycraft over priesthood -- Army Times/AP
You Can Order Hundreds of Drone Strikes and Still Be Called ‘Wet Nurse’ of Terrorism -- Spencer Ackerman, Danger Room
If You Thought Obama’s Drone Godfather Was Powerful, Wait ‘Til He’s at the CIA -- Spencer Ackerman and Noah Shachtman, Danger Room

The Nomination Of Chuck Hagel For U.S. Secretary Of Defense -- News Updates

Tough Fight Awaits Hagel For Defense Secretary Post -- Defense News

U.S. President Barack Obama nominated former Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel to serve as defense secretary and counterterrorism adviser John Brennan to head the CIA, two key administration national security posts.

Obama called Hagel the “leader that our troops deserve,” during an early afternoon Jan. 7 speech at the White House.

A former Army sergeant who fought in the Vietnam War, Hagel would be the first enlisted veteran to lead the military if confirmed.

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Previous Post: Commentaries, Opinions, Editorials, And Analysis On The Appointment Of Chuck Hagel As U.S. Defense Secretary

More News On The Nomination of Chuck Hagel As U.S. Secretary Of Defense

Obama nominates Hagel for SecDef, finally -- DoD Buzz
Analysis: As Pentagon chief, Hagel likely to favor sizable Afghan drawdown -- Reuters
Hagel Nomination Complicates Sequester Deal: Fierce Fights Ahead -- Aol Defense
Hagel Fights Back at Critics as Obama Picks His New Team -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Chuck Hagel nomination creates rare partisan fight over Pentagon post -- Washington Post
Hagel draws fire as Obama's Pentagon pick -- AFP
Chuck Hagel: why Obama is using political capital on Pentagon pick -- Christian Science Monitor
Newsmaker: Republican maverick Hagel forged bond with Obama over Iraq -- Reuters
Who Is Chuck Hagel? Obama's Nominee for Secretary of Defense -- ABC News
Pro-Israel Lobby AIPAC Sitting Out Hagel Fight -- Daily Beast
Horse-racing gambler funding pro-Hagel campaign -- The Cable
Hagel nomination unnerves some in Israel -- AP
Hagel says critics have ‘completely distorted’ his record on Israel and Iran -- The Hill
Four Things That Could Derail The Nomination Of Chuck Hagel As Defense Secretary -- Business Insider
The tarring of Chuck Hagel -- Richard Cohen, Washington Post
Let's Be Honest: Chuck Hagel Will Be The Next Secretary Of Defense -- Geoffrey Ingersoll and Michael Kelley, Business Insider