Random charts - med devices

Source: Medical Device Cybersecurity Regional Incident Preparedness and Response Playbook 1.0 (32-page PDF)

Random charts - Homeland Defense

Source: Homeland Defense (140-pg PDF)

Random charts - missile defense

 

Source: Dissecting the Big Missile Defense Plus-up

Random charts - Geointelligence

Source: Geospatial Intelligence Handbook (130-pg PDF)

Random charts - Unconventional War

 

Source: Unconventional Warfare Pocket Guide (44-pg PDF)

Random chart - "defense" spend

Source: Top 15 Defense Budgets 2015

"According to the Military Balance 2016, recently published by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), global defence spending in 2015 amounted to $1.563 trillion – with the US, China, Saudi Arabia and Russia accounting for more than half of total expenditure. For its part, ‘EUrope’ has largely reversed its trend of cutting budgets and accounts for roughly 14.5% of the world’s spending..." - Global defence spending 2015: the big picture

Random charts - world crises

 

 

 

Source: Munich Security Report 2016: Boundless Crises, Reckless Spoilers, Helpless Guardians (80-pg PDF)

Random chart - defense spend

Source: And The Record For Highest Constant $ Military Spending Since 1950 Goes To... The Peace Candidate, Barrack Obama

Update VI - OCO update

 Source: CBO letter to Harry Reid

Previous blog entry on the OCO:

The Magical $1 Trillion - Aug 4th, 2011

A Step Backward, or More to Go? provides information on the 'slush fund' that is the OCO (the 'Overseas Contingency Operations') and the funding request for the upcoming fiscal year:

"The FY15 OCO request for DoD is $58.6 billion, 31% less than the FY14 enacted amount. As part of two newly requested funds for counterterrorism and reassuring European allies given the Ukraine crisis, the request also includes an additional $1.4 billion in OCO funding for State, which adds to State’s previously submitted $5.9 billion OCO request for a total of $7.3 billion in FY15.

The 31% drop puts the decline in OCO funding back on the pace of the FY13 and FY12 OCO budgets, which dropped by 29% and 28% from the prior year, respectively, after only a 2% drop from FY13 to FY14..."

And, as surmised/predicted back in 2011, the OCO has turned out to be a major 'slush fund' that keeps on giving: "...Although OCO funding is dropping significantly again, it is still not declining as quickly as troop levels in Afghanistan are being reduced. In FY15, troop strength in Afghanistan will drop by 56% from this year’s levels, or a rate almost twice the drop in OCO funding. As a result, troop strength will be less than a tenth of what it was six years ago, but OCO funding will still be more than a third of what it was..."

Random charts - ISIS

Source: Rebels Fast Strike in Iraq Was Years in the Making 

"... an examination of its history through its own documents indicates that the group has been far more ambitious and effective than United States officials judged as they were winding down the American involvement in the war.

The Sunni extremist group, while renowned for the mayhem it has inflicted, has set clear goals for carving out and governing a caliphate, an Islamic religious state, that spans Sunni-dominated sections of Iraq and Syria. It has published voluminously, even issuing annual reports, to document its progress in achieving its goals..."

Yet it was a surprise when it happened!?! Strange, was no one paying attention? Well actually, they were: "... In congressional testimony in February, a top army intelligence official, Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn, said the group, “probably will attempt to take territory in Iraq and Syria to exhibit its strength in 2014....”

Random charts - US Naval Aviation

 

 

Source: Naval Aviation Vision: A Preeminent Warfighting Force, Today and in the Future

Random chart - Ukraine

Source: Ukraine Military Dispositions. The Military Ticks Up while the Clock Ticks Down

Beyond the potential military "scenarios" presented, interesting information of Ukrainian-Russian co-dependance in a number of areas...

Random chart - DOD IT programs

Source: GAO: Major Automated Information Systems

"... Of the 15 selected Department of Defense (DOD) major automated information system (MAIS) programs, 13 had cost information available (2 did not, due to revisions to requirements and changes in scope). Of these 13 programs, 11 experienced changes in their cost estimates, including 7 that experienced increases ranging from 4 to 2,233 percent and 4 that experienced decreases ranging from 4 to 86 percent. Two programs remained unchanged in their cost goals. Additionally, of 14 programs that had schedule information available (1 did not due to revisions to requirements), 13 experienced schedule changes — including 12 that had slippages ranging from a few months to 6 years, and 1 that accelerated its schedule. One program remained on schedule..."

Random charts - arms industry

 

Source: The SIPRI Top 100 arms-producing and military services companies in the world excluding China, 2012 and Recent trends in the arms industry

Random chart - China ADIZ

Click to enlarge:

Source: Why China's new air zone incensed Japan, U.S.

Recently in the news, China declared an Air Defense Identification Zone (or ADIZ) in the Easy China Sea, and started a kerfuffle... with neighbors Japan and South Korea, and with their backer the U.S.

Random charts - Unmanned systems

 

 

 

Source: Unmanned Systems Integrated Roadmap FY2013-2038 (168-pg PDF)

Random charts - cyberspace ops

Click to enlarge

 

 

Source: Cyberspace Operations Concept Capability Plan: 2016-2028

Random charts - cyber threat

Source: Resilient Military Systems and the Advanced Cyber Threat (146-page DoD PDF)

Random picture - w/o comment

Source: Naval Academy Launches Cyber Operations Major

Great quote

“The military community is different from the rest of the nation. These stores are manned by people who are familiar with their situation, who appreciate what they’re doing for our country.” 

-  Patrick B. Nixon, president of The American Logistics Association (a Washington-based trade group representing 250 firms that sell goods on base stores), on why commissaries should stay and military personnel should not be forced to shop for groceries in civilian stores (even if prices similarly discounted). See  Plan to shut military supermarkets shows difficulty of cutting defense spending