Influential Think Tank Warns of Robotic Proliferation

UTC’s commercial sales offset MIL decline

• United Technologies closed its FY 2013 with sales up 9% to $62.6B, mostly thanks to acquisitions and strong commercial aerospace growth. The military segment on the other hand lost 8% overall, with sales at Sikorsky down 13% to $1.9B. Q4 earnings call  [PDF]. 

And Who Will Pay Shipping Costs?

• Navistar is trying to convince  the Pentagon not to dispose of MRAPs, but their argument is a textbook sunk cost fallacy. 

Euro Cyber

• French Defense Minister Jean Yves le Drian announced  that about 1.5 billion euros ($2B) over the next 5 years will be allocated to cyber defense, in light of the booming number of “significant computing incidents” targeting the ministry. Details on how the budget will be spent are still fuzzy, and that is a lot of money relative to what will be spent on conventional equipment. Zone Militairehas more  [in French]. 
• From the German Institute for International and Security Affairs: Europe must balance the digital hegemon  by tying data privacy to trade agreements. 

Chinese Carriers and Info Games

• The cat-and-mouse (dis)information continues in China, with press reports first talking of a future force of 4 aircraft carriers, then getting deleted . 

No SOFA to Rest in the Maldives

• The US was pursuing last year  a Status of Forces Agreement with the Maldives, but new President Abdulla Yameen agrees with his predecessor  that it is not going to happen . 

Precision Strike

• According to  the Algemeiner the video below was inadvertently taken by a security camera in the Gaza strip while an Israeli strike  pinpointed a suspected terrorist on his motorbike in the middle of traffic: