congress >>> welcome to "this week in defense news," i'm vago muradian. defense secretary leon panetta has placed flight restrictions on the f-22 fighter until the air force figures out why the plane is making pilots and maintainers sick. we talk today one expert about what comes next for the super jet and we'll get a progress report on afghanistan -- on the afghanistan war from a reporter who spent six weeks with troops in the field. but, first, house republicans have voted to add billions of dollars to the defense budget and undo the administration's military spending plans that included cuts to major weapons programs. the house wants to save the block 30 global hawk unmanned reconnaissance aircraft, keep the c-27j light transport in service, fund an additional destroyer for the navy, keep and service three additional navy cruisers that were slated for retirement, spend $1 billion on new army equipment and keep open a tank plan in ohio that the army wanted to close. instead of welcoming the added money, defense secretary panetta blasted the move as irre

i'm vago muradian. despite systems like lasers, few have been deployed operationally but we'll talk to one expert that says they are on the vern of more widespread use. but first when the heads converge in chicago, the ic will be the war in afghanistan and map what is next for the alliance after the operations there end in 2014. the meeting comes in the wake of the u.s. agreement to keep forces in afghanistan through 2024 and the election of a french -- a new french president who wants france's forces out of the country by year's end. while the afghanistan war will dominate headlines, nato leaders will struggle with equally important issues like shaping the alliances post afghanistan strategy and preserve capabilities despite fiscal aust ert and negotiate a arrangement with vladimir putin. and here to join us the nato am bass door, peter flurry who was secretary general for investment during the late bush and early obama administrations who also is with ndu and the atlantic council. gentlemen, welcome t

i'm vago muradian. after a string of embarrassing incidents involving u.s. troops in afghanistan, pentagon leaders are cracking down. we'll hear why defense secretary leon panetta sees discipline as a strategic issue. but, first, the improvised explosive device or ied has defined the wars in iraq and afghanistan, such low-cost bombs have been a weapon of choice for centuries and a global scurnlg. last year alone nearly 7000 such devices were used in 111 countries, causing more than 12,000 casualties. over the past decade low-cost bombs made of artillery shells or fertilizer have been the deadliest weapons in both wars, killing or injuring thousands of american and allied troops and many more civilians, spurring many billions of dollars in spending for better armored vehicles, detection systems like surveillance aircraft, jammers to defeat improvised bombs and robots to diffuse them. for this coordinated response, they created jido. in the six years since its launch, it has developed new systems, tactics and procedures that have helped save countless u.s. fri

plus ho >>> happy memorial day weekend and welcome to "this week in defense news," i'm vago muradian. the uso is known for its moral e-boosting entertainment shows. that's not all. we'll look at some of its other programs. first a defense budget battle is brewing over the obama administration's $525 billion 2013 pentagon spending request. house republicans want to add between $3 and $5 billion to the pentagon's budget to undo some of the nearly $500 billion in defense cuts over the coming decade, called for by the bipartisan budget control act last year. key senate democrats are vowing to back the house cuts. with the threat of sequestration, another automatic $500 billion in defense cuts due later this year that d.o.d. leaders say will be catastrophic looks ever more likely. here to talk about the budget, defense spending, afghanistan and more is our expert roundtable with gordon adams of the stinson center, lauren thompson of the lexington institute, mckenzie eggland of the american enterprise institute. lady and gentlemen, welcome. mckenzie, i want to start with you. the house and