PANETTA TO PILOTS
Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta speaks to pilots during flight operations aboard the the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise in the Atlantic Ocean, Jan. 21, 2012. The Enterprise Carrier Strike Group is conducting a composite training unit exercise. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Scott Pittman
Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta speaks to pilots during flight operations aboard the the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise in the Atlantic Ocean, Jan. 21, 2012. The Enterprise Carrier Strike Group is conducting a composite training unit exercise. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Scott Pittman
U.S. Won't Cut Carrier Fleet To Fix Budget, Panetta Says -- Reuters
(Reuters) - The United States will not cut America's fleet of 11 aircraft carriers to help trim the budget deficit, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said on Saturday, citing tensions with Iran as an example of why the massive ships are so critical to national security.
Panetta was addressing about 1,700 sailors headed to the Gulf this spring aboard the USS Enterprise, which after a half-century of service is about to embark on its final tour before being taken offline in November.
The Enterprise's last deployment comes at a moment of heightened tensions with Iran, which has threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz, the world's most important oil shipping lane. That's something the United States says it will not allow.
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MILITARY AND INTELLIGENCE NEWS BRIEFS
Panetta Touts Carrier’s Agility in Visit to Enterprise -- US Department of Defense
U.S. shipbuilder welcomes Navy decision on carriers -- Reuters
Canada Intensifies New Cold War With Russia In Arctic -- Global Research
Military: Filipino rebels kill 100 troops in 2011 -- Stars and Stripes/AP
Chinese army plays lethal game of pass-the-parcel -- The Telegraph
Vietnam Navy: more powerful, more advanced -- Tuoi Tre News
Russia Hands Over Nerpa Nuclear Submarine to India -- RIA Novsoti
British arms maker 'mulling closure of historic dockyard' -- AFP
Syria 'signs Russian military jet deal' -- AFP
Iraqi pilots coming to Arizona to learn how to fly F-16s -- Military Times
Oman Seeks BAE Systems Bid for Typhoon -- Defense News
IDF personnel chief: All Israelis including ultra-Orthodox should serve in military -- Haaretz]
Spetsnaz Are Born Again -- Strategy Page
Taliban video highlights revenge on Pakistan military -- Reuters
Lavrov: Libya scenario will not be repeated -- Voice of Russia
Pakistan Rejects US Self-Defense Claim on Strikes -- ABC News/AP
U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet changes command -- Dvids
Amphib exercise reacquaints Marines with ships -- Navy Times
New Maritime Surveillance Aircraft Unveiled -- Ares/Aviation Week
RQ-170s Still Flying -- Strategy Page
Report: Senator presses for ‘commercial’ C-17s -- DoD Buzz
Army Crash Dynamics Lab Nears Completion -- Military.com
Tech Changes Affect U.S. Security -- Defense News
Canada Intensifies New Cold War With Russia In Arctic -- Global Research
Military: Filipino rebels kill 100 troops in 2011 -- Stars and Stripes/AP
Chinese army plays lethal game of pass-the-parcel -- The Telegraph
Vietnam Navy: more powerful, more advanced -- Tuoi Tre News
Russia Hands Over Nerpa Nuclear Submarine to India -- RIA Novsoti
British arms maker 'mulling closure of historic dockyard' -- AFP
Syria 'signs Russian military jet deal' -- AFP
Iraqi pilots coming to Arizona to learn how to fly F-16s -- Military Times
Oman Seeks BAE Systems Bid for Typhoon -- Defense News
IDF personnel chief: All Israelis including ultra-Orthodox should serve in military -- Haaretz]
Spetsnaz Are Born Again -- Strategy Page
Taliban video highlights revenge on Pakistan military -- Reuters
Lavrov: Libya scenario will not be repeated -- Voice of Russia
Pakistan Rejects US Self-Defense Claim on Strikes -- ABC News/AP
U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet changes command -- Dvids
Amphib exercise reacquaints Marines with ships -- Navy Times
New Maritime Surveillance Aircraft Unveiled -- Ares/Aviation Week
RQ-170s Still Flying -- Strategy Page
Report: Senator presses for ‘commercial’ C-17s -- DoD Buzz
Army Crash Dynamics Lab Nears Completion -- Military.com
Tech Changes Affect U.S. Security -- Defense News
Oman Seeks BAE Systems Bid for Typhoon -- Defense News
IDF personnel chief: All Israelis including ultra-Orthodox should serve in military -- Haaretz]
Spetsnaz Are Born Again -- Strategy Page
Taliban video highlights revenge on Pakistan military -- Reuters
Lavrov: Libya scenario will not be repeated -- Voice of Russia
Pakistan Rejects US Self-Defense Claim on Strikes -- ABC News/AP
U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet changes command -- Dvids
Amphib exercise reacquaints Marines with ships -- Navy Times
New Maritime Surveillance Aircraft Unveiled -- Ares/Aviation Week
RQ-170s Still Flying -- Strategy Page
Report: Senator presses for ‘commercial’ C-17s -- DoD Buzz
Army Crash Dynamics Lab Nears Completion -- Military.com
Tech Changes Affect U.S. Security -- Defense News
Increase in reported sex crimes at Air Force Academy offers no simple explanations -- Washington Post/AP
Medal of Honor Recipient John F. Baker Dead at 66 -- Military.com
Defense Cuts: An Inconvenient Truth -- Joe Anselmo, Ares/Aviation Week
Factbox: Military deaths in Afghanistan -- Reuters