Army Corps moves to protect New Orleans from flooding
Mindful that the West Bank of New Orleans has regained its pre-Hurricane Katrina population and is primed for growth, the Army Corps of Engineers is launching a $1 billion effort to protect the area from the next storm.

Iraq Swears by Bomb Detector U.S. Sees as Useless
BAGHDAD — Despite major bombings that have rattled the nation, and fears of rising violence as American troops withdraw, Iraq’s security forces have been relying on a device to detect bombs and weapons that the United States military and technical experts say is useless.

Main Rival Criticizes Karzai Reelection as Illegal
KABUL (AP) -- The challenger in Afghanistan's recent presidential election said Wednesday that President Hamid Karzai has come to power illegally and will not be able to rein in corruption or serve as a reliable partner in the fight against the Taliban.

This Week's News Updates: Cybersecurity, Public Diplomacy, Missile Defense

Issue In Depth

Arms Control: Out of Control

First it was the cancellation of the Third Site, now Obama is persistent with the ratification of the START follow-on treaty which will reduce the number of deployed strategic nuclear warheads and the number of strategic delivery systems. President Obama’s new emphasis on negotiations with Russia isn’t exactly aligned with the ballistic missile threat that the U.S. faces elsewhere. An effective defense strategy is essential to defend our country and President Obama needs to keep this in mind as he moves rapidly towards concluding negotiations with Russia. This treaty, established by the Obama administration, is comprised of linkages--the most prominent among them, the decision of the Third Site, poses limitations to missile defense options. These limitations should not cause Senators to not rush the examination of START follow-on treaty.


Recent Research
New York Post: Biden's missile-defense missteps: Vice President Joe Biden's trip last week to Poland and the Czech Republic may have helped soothe rattled allies after Team Obama pitched overboard the W-era, anti-Iran missile shield that was to be deployed in both countries. But the new missile-defense plan he pitched has problems.

The Washington Post: Clinton urges support for U.S.-Russian arms-control treaty: With a congressional battle looming, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday defended the administration's broad arms-control agenda and said that reducing U.S. and Russian nuclear stockpiles would be a critical first step in preventing the spread of the deadly weapons to other countries.

The Heritage Foundation: A Flawed Approach to Arms Control: START Negotiations Will Not Serve U.S. Interests: When President Obama announced on September 17 that he had decided to cancel a plan for putting missile defense systems in the Czech Republic and Poland, he ignored repeated warnings from Members of Congress not to permit negotiations with Russia over strategic nuclear weapon reductions to also limit U.S. missile defense options. Now, he is sending Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to Moscow to discuss arms control issues with the Russian government.

The Heritage Foundation: Endangering America And Our Allies: Obama's Missile Defense Plans Don't Add Up: Appeasing Russia, Ignoring Our Allies: President Obama's decision to abandon plans for basing elements of the U.S. global missile defense shield in Poland and the Czech Republic (the "third site") is entirely political, designed to appease Russia, but it will leave the U.S. more vulnerable to the threat of ballistic missile attack.

The Heritage Foundation: Two Plus Two Equals Five: The Obama Administration's Missile Defense Plans Do Not Add Up: Last week, President Obama announced that the U.S. would end the "third site" missile defense program to field interceptors in Poland and radar in the Czech Republic. Obama declared he will instead pursue a new "phased, adaptive approach" to provide protection for U.S. territory and allies in Europe. The Administration argues this changed approach, which focuses on making use of sea-based and Standard Missile 3 (SM-3) technology, is better suited to the new threat environment and more capable, flexible, and cost-effective.

The Heritage Foundation: White House Fact Sheet on Missile Defense Raises More Questions Than It Answers: On September 17, President Obama announced that the United States would not honor its commitment to field missile defense interceptors in Poland and radar in the Czech Republic.[1] At the same time, he announced that the U.S. would pursue a new "phased, adaptive approach" for missile defense to provide protection to U.S. territory and America's friends and allies in Europe.

The Heritage Foundation: President Obama Must Not Surrender to Russia on Missile Defense: Reports in the Polish media strongly suggest that the Obama Administration is about to abandon its plans for "third site" missile defense installations in Poland and the Czech Republic. Abandoning the third site would represent a huge turnaround in American strategic thinking on a global missile defense system and a massive betrayal of two key U.S. allies in Eastern and Central Europe. Such a move would also significantly weaken America's ability to combat the growing threat posed by Iran's ballistic missile program and would hand a major propaganda victory to Moscow.

The Heritage Foundation: The Growing Air Power Fighter Gap: Implications for U.S. National Security: This report discusses why it is essential that the U.S. military maintains both its technological edge and adequate number of aircraft to maintain U.S. air superiority.