New Faces, New Policies, New Administration
Morning Coffee is a robust blend of links to news around the internet concerning the Naval Air Station Patuxent River 
economic community. The opinions expressed here do not reflect opinions of the Leader’s owners or staff.
President Joe Biden was prepared to sign a blizzard of executive orders Wednesday that will lay out his coronavirus, immigration, and climate policies — launching a 10-day cascade of administrative actions aimed at reversing the policies of his Republican predecessor, reports The Washington Post.
Defense One presents the most up-to-date list of who will be running the Pentagon as Biden takes over.
Biden’s administration is reportedly looking to draft tech experts for a federal agency through a hidden message on the new official White House site, reports The Hill.
Wall Street may be facing an uncomfortable four years. Reuters reports President Joe Biden plans to nominate two consumer champions to lead top financial agencies, signaling a tougher stance on the industry than many had anticipated. Gary Gensler will serve as chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission and FTC member Rohit Chopra will head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Progressives see the agencies as critical to advancing policy priorities on climate change and social justice.
The two Senate leaders Mitch McConnell (R-NY) and Charles Schumer (D-NY) failed to reach a deal on organizing a 50-50 Senate, reports The Hill. A fight over the filibuster threatens to drag out the talks for days. McConnell seeks to protect the filibuster, reports Politico.
Former president Trump on Tuesday granted clemency to 143 people, using a final act of presidential power to extend mercy to former White House strategist Stephen K. Bannon, well-connected celebrities, and nonviolent drug offenders — but he did not preemptively pardon himself or his family, reports The Washington Post.
In the days before he left office, Trump instructed that his extended family get the best security available in the world for the next six months, at no cost — the protection of the US Secret Service, reports The Washington Post.
As GEN Lloyd Austin works to overcome congressional skepticism over confirming another retired general as defense secretary, Defense News reports on what Austin can learn from GEN Jim Mattis’s rocky relationship with Congress. Testifying before congress, GEN Austin promised to reinvigorate the principle of civilian control of the military, pledged to recuse himself from matters involving defense contractor Raytheon Technologies and where he was a board member, for four full years, reports Politico.
Russia plans to withdraw from the international Open Skies Treaty which allows observation flights over military facilities, reports Defense News. The US left the pact last year, which the Russia’s Foreign Ministry said, “significantly upended the balance of interests of signatory states,” adding that Moscow’s proposals to keep the treaty alive after the US exit have been cold-shouldered by Washington’s allies.
Three House members are sponsoring legislation recommending the Congressional Gold Medal for US Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman, who fought against an angry mob and eventually lured it upstairs and away from the unprotected Senate chamber during the Jan. 6 Capitol riots, reports Military.com
Troop levels are down, but over 18,000 contractors remain in Afghanistan, reports Stars and Stripes. The Pentagon employs more than seven contractors for every service member in Afghanistan. DoD announced Friday it had reduced its troop total in the country to 2,500.
The Navy’s 2021 weapons wish list include higher numbers of longer-range, high-speed precision weapons, and non-kinetic weapons such as electronic warfare and cyberwar assets, reports National Interest.
Fox News reports the Navy will deploy destroyers with new laser attack weapon that can track and incinerate attacking drone targets at sea, bringing new “at-the-speed-of-light” attack technology to maritime warfare in new ways. The Lockheed-built weapon is now operational and has been delivered to the Navy.
US B-52 conducts “presence patrol” after Iranian Guard holds missile drill, reports Military Times. Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard conducted a drill last week launching anti-warship ballistic missiles at a simulated target in the Indian Ocean. The US military announced that an Air Force B-52 completed a presence patrol in the Middle East, the second such patrol in the region this year. Bomber Task Force missions are observable ways to demonstrate the US military’s continuing commitment to regional security, said US Central Command’s commander.
LA Times reports on why veterans of the military and law enforcement joined the Capitol insurrection.
USNI has video of HMS Queen Elizabeth on its inaugural deployment joining Marine Fighter Attack Squadron flying the F35 Joint Strike Fighter. as well as USS The Sullivans.
Navy calls Freedom LCS propulsion problem a class-wide defect and won’t take new ships until it’s fixed, reports USNI News. The Navy has determined the flaw is an engineering defect that shipbuilder Lockheed Martin now has to fix.
Secrets of Tempest’s ground-breaking radar revealed, reports C4ISRNET. Radar engineers on the Tempest fighter program have said they expect to break data-processing records. The secret, they explain, is all about miniaturization and going digital. The sixth-generation jet — planned by the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Italy and set to enter service after 2030 — will bristle with new technology, from its weaponry and propulsion to a virtual cockpit projected inside the pilot’s helmet.
