Trump expected to slash foreign aid, environmental spending in first budget plan

WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump is set to propose drastic cuts to America's foreign aid and environmental programs in a security-heavy first budget blueprint to be released Thursday.

In a plan designed to translate bold campaign promises into dollar and cent commitments, the Republican leader is expected to propose steep cuts in State Department funding.

That could be a harbinger of reductions in foreign aid and funding to UN agencies, with knock-on effects around the world.

The Pentagon is expected to be the major winner with a nearly 10 percent boost -- shoveling more cash toward a defense budget already greater than that of the next seven nations combined.

Trump's broad-brush proposal covers only a fraction of the $3.8 trillion federal budget -- which is dominated by healthcare, pension and other baked-in costs.

The text will be heavily revised and fleshed out by Congress, before a full budget is released around May.

In that sense, the plan is as much a political statement as a fiscal outline: a fact not lost on the White House.

Playing to the base

The budget is a signal to Trump's supporters that he is a "man of action" and not a "typical politician."

Trump is looking to rally his base, amid multiple controversies over his Twitter outbursts, Russian meddling in the election that brought him to power and a simmering rift with Congressional Republicans over healthcare reform.

According to Gallup, Trump has approval ratings of 40 percent, a low for any modern president weeks into his tenure.

But security has been a major vote winner. An Economist/YouGov poll found that 51 percent of Republicans believe the United States will be safer from terrorism at the end of his term.

The budget may also be seen as a signal to the world that Trump's United States may be less engaged and will put "America first."

Diplomats and some former defense officials have already warned that less spending on things like democracy promotion and humanitarian aid will spell more trouble, and military spending, down the road.

More than 120 retired generals and admirals recently signed a letter warning "that many of the crises our nation faces do not have military solutions alone."

They cited Jim Mattis, now defense secretary, as once saying "if you don't fully fund the State Department, then I need to buy more ammunition."

'Drastic cuts'

The Environmental Protection Agency, which helps monitor air, water and other standards, is also likely to see significant cuts.

That is in keeping with Trump's promise to gut regulation.

On Wednesday, Trump traveled to Michigan, the home of the American auto industry -- and announced he will freeze targets to limit future vehicle emissions.

Trump's top advisor Steve Bannon has promised a broader "'deconstruction of the administrative state."

But Trump's plan is already coming under fire from Democratic lawmakers.

"It will prescribe drastic cuts in many of the programs and agencies that keep America safe, whether it's environmental programs, whether it is food safety, drug safety," said Kentucky representative John Yarmuth.

The ranking member on the House budget committee speculated that the proposal could be a negotiating position, an opening salvo in Trump's "art of the deal."

"If they want to negotiate with the health and safety and future of the American people, then that's pretty cynical," he said.

source: interaksyon.com

Pentagon clamps down on Pokemon Go

Washington, United States - The Pentagon doesn't like Pikachu.

In the latest bizarre news surrounding the global phenomenon that is Pokemon Go, US Defense Department officials on Friday (early Saturday PH time) said employees should not download the game onto their government-issued smartphones.

"You can imagine a number of reasons [why] that wouldn't necessarily be a prudent thing to do," Pentagon deputy press secretary Gordon Trowbridge told reporters.

"Aside from any security concerns, I think taxpayers would appreciate government phones being used for government business."

Pokemon Go is an augmented reality app through which users hunt fictional digitized animal characters like the furry yellow Pikachu, which have been scattered around the world, often in unlikely locations.

The game has become a global craze, with crowds of players dashing to locations to try to snag characters.

Several military installations have warned troops about the possible perils of playing Pokemon Go on bases, including near runways.

Trowbridge jokingly said he could not definitively confirm reports a Pokemon "gym" -- a virtual battle arena -- has been placed in the courtyard in the middle of the vast Pentagon building.

"Last I heard, there was still a gym in center courtyard. I'm not a player myself so I will defer to others," Trowbridge said.

"I can confirm it," quipped Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis.

source: interaksyon.com

Pentagon sees climate change as national security risk

WASHINGTON DC -- The Pentagon had regarded climate change as a security risk for the United States and were integrating possible impacts of global warming into the planning cycles, according to a US military report.

In the report submitted to the Congress on Tuesday at the request of the Senate Appropriations Committee, the Pentagon said that US national security interests around the world was subject to risks given the possibility that foreign states which were already fragile would be vulnerable to disruption caused by climate change.

"It is in this context that the department must consider the effects of climate change -- such as sea level rise, shifting climate zones, and more frequent and intense severe weather events -- and how these effects could impact national security," said the report.

The report said that US combatant commands were in the process of integrating climate-related impacts into their planning cycles to reduce the national security implications of climate change, covering areas such as the Arctic, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and South America.

source: interaksyon.com

Pentagon creates new medal for cyber, drone warriors

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon unveiled a new medal on Wednesday to honor “extraordinary” troops who launch cyber attacks or drone strikes from their consoles, even if they do not risk their lives in combat.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, announcing the new “Distinguished Warfare Medal,” said it was time to recognize those who play a crucial role in modern warfare with hi-tech weapons far from the frontline.

“Our military reserves its highest decorations obviously for those who display gallantry and valor in actions where their lives are on the line, and we will continue to do so,” Panetta told a Pentagon news conference.

“But we should also have the ability to honor the extraordinary actions that make a true difference in combat operations.”

He said operators of unmanned, robotic aircraft and cyber weapons “contribute to the success of combat operations, particularly when they remove the enemy from the field of battle, even if those actions are physically removed from the fight.”

The medal reflects a new age of warfare that emerged over the past decade featuring robotic weapons and digital combat.

Predator and Reaper drones armed with Hellfire missiles and bombs have been used to kill insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan and by the CIA to go after suspected Al-Qaeda militants in Pakistan, Yemen and elsewhere. Other robotic aircraft, including the stealthy RQ-170 Sentinel and larger Global Hawks, are used to spy on adversaries from the sky without putting pilots in harm’s way.

The military also views cyberspace as a new battlefield and has created a new command dedicated to digital warfare, recruiting and training new “cyber warriors.”

The power of digital weapons was driven home by a cyber attack that reportedly disrupted Iran’s uranium facilities in 2009-2010, which the New York Times said was carried out by US and Israel spy agencies.

The medal is designed as a brass pendant medal, nearly two inches tall, that will carry a laurel wreath encircling a globe with a Defense Department eagle at its center, attached to a red, white and blue striped ribbon.

The medal will only be given to troops for their role in operations that took place after the attacks of September 11, 2001 but, unlike other military medals, will not require that the soldier performed a courageous physical act that put his or her life in danger.

The new medal will be ranked higher than the Bronze Star, the fourth highest combat decoration, but lower than the Silver Star, officials said.

source: interaksyon.com