The Morning FRAGO is our daily aggregation of top stories, articles of interest, CVA media, and the schedule in DC.

Today's Top Links

Defense News | U.S. Sets Timing of 2014 DoD Budget
The Pentagon is preparing to send its fiscal 2014 budget -- a spending plan that does not take into account massive cuts scheduled to kick in at the beginning of March and whose timeframe has been murky until now -- to Congress on March 25, according to a Feb. 5 memo signed by Pentagon Deputy Comptroller John Roth.

Washington Post | 2011 federal budget cuts had little effect
The bill turned out to be an epic kind of Washington illusion. It was stuffed with gimmicks that made the cuts seem far bigger -- and the politicians far bolder -- than they actually were. Now the failures of the 2011 bill have come back to haunt the leaders who crafted it. Disillusionment with that bill has persuaded many conservatives to reject a line-by-line, program-by-program approach to cutting the budget. Comment: Great example of the shell game played in Washington concerning so-called "cuts"

AP | Budget cut woes leave military, families unsure
The political hick-hack in Congress over the budget is having real-life consequences for service members. It comes at a time when some military families were getting used to deployments coming back down to normal lengths after more than a decade of two wars, when the Pentagon routinely extended the time forces stayed in the field.

AP | Senator vows to delay Obama's nominees over Libya
A leading Republican senator said Sunday he would hold up Senate confirmation of President Barack Obama's nominees to head the Pentagon and the CIA until the White House provided more answers about the Sept. 11 attack against a U.S. installation in Benghazi, Libya.



Articles of Interest

- Economics -

RealClearMarkets | Op-Ed | An Economy of Illusions

WSJ (paywall) | You'd Be Surprised at What's Tax Deductible

RealClearMarkets | Op-Ed | The Neglected Cost of Government Spending

National Defense Mag | New Defense Legislation a Mixed Bag for Small Business


- Veterans -

Washington Examiner | Vets trapped in endless Veterans Affairs bureaucracy

News Tribune (WA) | Military spouses get some backup from UWT conference


- DoD -

Washington Times | Military warns cuts would create 'hollow force' akin to 1970s

CNN | Drone Court considered

AP | Ex-Pentagon chief Gates OK with drone oversight

Bloomberg | US, allies winning in Afghanistan, Gen. Allen says

Government Executive | Study: Contractors Exaggerate Job Loss from Defense Budget Cuts

National Defense Magazine | Army Rethinks, Again, How to Acquire Technology


- Foreign Policy -

CNN | Kerry distances himself from Clinton backing of arming Syrian rebels

LA Times | Rural Afghanistan force with shady reputation may grow

Washington Post | Op-Ed| In Asia, Things Could Get Really Scary


- Politics -

Foreign Policy Magazine | Op-Ed | Is the White House using Pentagon to fight the GOP?

The Hill | Defense, domestic groups ally for last-minute push to halt sequester



Concerned Veterans for America Media and Mentions
Blog | Stolen Valor 2.0: New bill Targeting Military Honors Fraud

Blog | Climate of Inaction: D.C. Gridlock Makes Sequestration More Likely


Today's DC Schedule

>> President of the United States | Barack Obama

10:10 am || Receives the Presidential Daily Briefing
1:45 pm || Awards Clinton Romesha, US Army (SSG), the Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry

>> United States House of Representatives

The House is not in session

>> United States Senate

2:00 p.m. || Convene and resume consideration of S.47, the Violence against Women Act.

>> Secretary of Defense | Leon Panetta

1:15 pm || Attend Medal of Honor ceremony for Army Staff Sergeant Clinton Romesha