The bill, which may come up on the House floor the week of July 16, provides $519.2 billion in non-war funding, an increase of $1.1 billion over the fiscal year 2012 level and $3.1 billion above the President’s request. The bill also contains $88.5 billion for Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO), or war funding. This is a reduction of $26.6 billion compared to the previous year’s level, due to the end of the war in Iraq and a drawdown of forces in Afghanistan.
On Iran’s “New” Missile Tests: Keep Calm and Carry On
An Associated Press report about Iran’s July 3 missile tests, which has been printed in several sources, takes the Iranian government’s assertions about the range of these missiles at face value–a common mistake, despite Tehran’s clear interest in exaggerating its capabilities.
Dutch Parliament Says No to the F-35
UPDATE 7/13: See here for some additional context on the Dutch Parliament’s vote on the F-35 and why it’s unlikely to be the last word on the matter.
More News on the Nuclear Guidance Review?
On Monday the AP’s Robert Burns published another story on the administration’s review of deterrence requirements and nuclear weapons guidance. You may remember Burns’ February 14 story on the review, which leaked some of the force level options allegedly under consideration, including a possible reduction to 300-400 deployed strategic warheads.
Number of the Day: Too Much Plutonium Edition
Plucked this one from the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) public release today of a report that details the current plutonium inventory of the United States.
