“THE NEXT DEFENSE BATTLE: PEOPLE VS HARDWARE Politico writes, “With sequestration in place, the defense industry is heading for a life-or-death fight to protect its projects – and its first move might be to push for cuts on everything else. The two emerging blocs in the next budget battle are the hardware side – the builders of jets, ships, tanks and everything else – and the human side, which is made up of salaries, benefits, health care and retirement costs.”
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT CUTS FURLOUGH DAYS FROM 22 TO 14 A week after the Pentagon announced it would delay by two weeks furlough notices to its 700,000 civilian workers, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has reduced the total number of furlough days for each employee from 22 to 14, the AP reports. TUITION ASSISTANCE Morning D writes, “The Defense Department is reinstating its tuition assistance program after Congress voted last week to save the benefit when it was cut because of sequestration.