DoD Planning Auto-Cuts?

Welcome to Morning Coffee, a robust blend of links to news around the Internet concerning Naval Air Station Patuxent River, NAVAIR, the Pentagon and beyond. The Leader provides this link feature as a survey of the news and announcements affecting the local military economy. The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of the Leader’s owners or staff.

Panetta says the Pentagon may be forced to plan for sequestration cuts this summer, Defense News reports.

Japan threatens to cancel its order for the Joint Strike Fighter if prices rise, the Associated Press reports. An American Security Project fellow says the F-35 program is in “a real crisis.”

The Navy’s presidential helicopter program hits another snag (subscription required), according to Inside Defense.

NAWCAD’s commander observes that the Navy faced a similar generational aircraft shift thirty years ago.

NAVAIR Contracts: AAI, Corp., CSC and Insitu, Inc. get a shot at a potential $874 million in task orders for drone intelligence services; and Raytheon gets $77 million and $45 million contracts for F/A-18 radars. FlightGlobal examines the drone contract details.

Debate in Washington heats up over the Law of the Sea treaty, AOL Defense reports.

China tests deck operations on its new carrier, Defense Tech reports.

Time reports that the Reaper’s sensors have serious limitations.

Travel agency group vows to hire 3,000 veterans and spouses, the Navy Times reports.