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August 23, 2013  

More sats | Leverage in Egypt | China Sea claims

The USAF plans to add some 60 satellite launches to its 2018-30 schedule, one of the few military areas marked for growth in coming decades, writes Foreign Policy’s John Reed.

Writing at CNAS’s Abu Muqawama blog, Daniel Trombly describes why threats to end the $1.3 billion in annual aid to Egypt are so much dust in the strategic wind: “What American military aid does not buy is effective leverage in a domestic crisis.” And for more on just what that aid pays for, here’s a 2011 piece by former AFJ colleague Aram Roston writing in the New York Times.

Can’t keep the various territorial claims straight in the East and South China Seas? It’s even more complicated than you think. Fortunately, Deutsche Wells has put together an interactive map that lets you see various countries’ claims — and the potential oil and gas fields that make this more than a chest-puffing contest.

Warlord’s Quote of the Day

“Victory will smile upon those who anticipate changes in the character of war, not upon those who wait to adapt themselves after changes occur.” — Gen. Giulio Douhet, The Command of the Air

Contributed by Lt. Gen. (ret) Dave Deptula, an air attack planner during Desert Storm and the first USAF Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance. From a list compiled by the Warlord Loop, a private email forum for national security experts.

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