NPD 4.6.09

*A 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit Italy in an area east of Rome. As of now there are about 150 documented deaths and, apparently, significant damage to historic sites. I'm sure we'll hear more from the region soon.

*Robert Gates, Obama's holdover from the Bush Administration as his Secretary of Defense, made good on his pledge to reform defense and military procurement procedures. He released his ideas for appropriate changes. This is needed in so many ways, but fighting the military industrial complex is probably the most difficult political battle there is. As Steve Benen has said over at the Washington Monthly, Congressmen love military spending, especially that which occurs in their own district. Let's hope for reform.

BTW, for those of you who are interested, he's proposing a reduction in programs that focus on conventional weapons and an increase in programs for special operations and anti-insurgency. Sounds like a move into the 21st Century.

*If you didn't hear, over the weekend, North Korea shot a ballistic missile that cruised above Japan. They claimed it was putting a sattilite into orbit, but the US military says that did not occur.