Charles Hoskinson

CON. BUCK MCKEON, FRESH FROM HEARING the concerns of former service chiefs on the Hill, raised the issue as he accepted the Center for Security Policy’s Keeper of the Flame award last night. “The sword hanging over this congressional supercommittee represents one of the greatest threats to our standing in the world and our security that we have faced since the Carter years,” he said. “We have proven that the enemy cannot break us on the field of battle. But in the coming months, Washington may do what no army in history has been able to accomplish – break the American military.”

IF YOU WERE WONDERING WHAT HAPPENED to the fiscal 2012 defense authorization bill, here’s the deal: Senate Majority Leader Reid is holding up consideration of the legislation because of objections from the White House and some senators to provisions requiring military custody for suspected terrorists. A Democratic congressional aide tells us that SASC members thought they had a workable compromise when they approved the bill in June and are trying to work through the objections. Our story is here: http://politi.co/pzmQpm
“There is no reason why, particularly ten years after 9/11 and with bin Laden dead, anyone in the Senate should want to give the president the martial law authority to have the military capture and imprison civilians around the world–including American citizens on American soil–based on suspicion alone,” …
CLARIFICATION: The bill the House passed in May does not explicitly require that terrorism suspects be placed in military custody as the initial version of this post said. However, the House bill says military commissions will be the only available venue for trials of terrorism suspects when that option is open under the law.

FEDERAL AUTHORITIES UNSEALED AN INDICTMENT TUESDAY against four men in a scheme to steal $20 million from the government through contracting fraud at the Army Corps of Engineers. Two of the four men indicted were corps program managers Kerry F. Khan, 53, of Alexandria and Michael A. Alexander, 55, of Woodbridge. The other two were Harold F. Babb, 60, director of contracting at a Virginia-based firm, and Khan’s 30-year-old son, Lee. http://wapo.st/p2zMFR

THE OFFICE OF MILITARY COMMISSIONS has set an Oct. 26 arraignment for Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, accused mastermind of the October 2000 USS Cole bombing. His case is the first death penalty case against an accused terrorist by the Obama administration. The trial is set to be held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where al-Nashiri is a prisoner.

A HOUSE TASK FORCE ON CYBERSECURITY plans to release recommendations today at a 1 p.m. news conference calling for an industry-friendly approach to legislation, POLITICO’s Jennifer Martinez reports today. The task force says it is skeptical of “direct regulation and government agencies grading the security of a private company.” The White House included the latter idea in its cybersecurity proposal earlier this year. Since critical infrastructure is primarily operated by the private sector, Congress should develop a menu of voluntary incentives that encourage companies to beef up the defense of their networks, the task force says. You can read the rest of the story here on POLITICO Pro (subscription required) : http://politico.pro/pIthWq

MEANWHILE, ERIC ROSENBACH has been named deputy assistant secretary of defense for cyber policy. Rosenbach previously worked at Good Harbor Consulting in Washington, where he served as the principal global cybersecurity practice lead. He replaces Robert Butler, who retired from the Pentagon in August.

WHO’S WHERE WHEN – Panetta is in Brussels at the NATO defense ministers meeting. Lynn speaks at the Center for American Progress at 10 a.m. McHugh is at the Best Warrior Competition at Ft. Lee, Va., with Sgt. Maj. of the Army Chandler. Amos is in Dover, Del. Donley and Schwartz have meetings in the building.

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