Today's Top News

• Sequestration delay doesn't stop worries over defense
  Defense-industry analysts and lawmakers opposed to Pentagon cuts say that while the sequestration deadline has been pushed back two months, the prospect of reductions still threatens. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said he would "accept Pentagon cuts that are based on national security," but not those aimed primarily at balancing the budget. The defense industry, meanwhile, is making plans based on the expectation of leaner future budgets. The Hill/DEFCON Hill blog (1/6)     

Defense

• Nomination of ex-senator Hagel as defense secretary may come today
  Former Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel may be named the new secretary of defense as early as today, say sources, a move that may trigger a difficult confirmation process in the Senate. The former Nebraska senator may come under fire in the Senate over his backing of defense cuts. Reuters (1/6)     

• Sikorsky may be only bidder for Air Force helicopter
  Defense companies including Boeing and Northrop Grumman have confirmed that they are not bidding on the Air Force's contract for a search-and-rescue helicopter, apparently leaving only Sikorsky in the running, this feature says. The Air Force, which would not confirm it has only one bidder for the deal, said it has "acquisition procedures in place to proceed" regardless of the number of companies vying for the contract. Reuters (1/4)     

• Defense firms are cautiously upbeat on sequester
  Defense-industry executives, though expressing concern that some cuts are coming to the Pentagon budget, say they are pleased that the sequestration deadline has been postponed. "I think they're going to find a way to provide a much gentler ramp to any kind of spending cuts, and I think [the cuts] will probably be less aggressive," said Brad Antle, CEO of Salient Federal Solutions. The Washington Post/Capital Business (1/6)     

• 112th Congress failed to OK Navy ships' transfer
  The fates of old Navy ships are in limbo after the failure of the recently concluded 112th Congress to approve a normally routine transfer order allowing the ships to go to friendly nations. Transferring the ships would save the U.S. the cost of deactivating them; needed repair work would go to U.S. companies before the ships would be transferred. It's unclear if the order will be taken up by the new Congress. Defense News (1/6)     

• Other News

• DOD's spending before "fiscal cliff" deal was a windfall for contractors
  Orlando Sentinel (Fla.) (1/6)     

• UK drone contract attracts Boeing, Cassidian
  FlightGlobal.com (U.K.) (1/4)     

Commercial Aviation

• Gulfstream will add positions at Wis. facility
  Gulfstream plans to hire 100 people for its facility at Outagamie County Regional Airport in Wisconsin. "It's a wide range of jobs ranging from purchasing to engineering and everything in between," said Heidi Fedak, a Gulfstream spokeswoman. WLUK-TV (Green Bay, Wis.) (1/4)     

• Former FAA expert Dan Elwell will join A4A as senior VP
  Dan Elwell, a former assistant administrator at the Federal Aviation Administration, will join Airlines for America as a senior vice president in February. Elwell joins A4A from the Aerospace Industries Association. A4A CEO Nicholas Calio said Elwell will advocate for a national airline policy in his new role. Politico (Washington, D.C.)/Influence blog (1/3), Politico (Washington, D.C.)/Morning Transportation blog (1/4)     

• Other News

• Opinion: Keep ban on cellphone calls but allow in-flight texts
  CNN (1/6)     

Space

• International Space Station crew will focus on science in 2013
  The International Space Station's newest crew will focus on scientific experiments this year, using new equipment that will help the astronauts study bone-density loss in space and other issues. The science mission will be carried out by a crew of three astronauts from Russia, the U.S. and Canada. Orlando Sentinel (Fla.) (1/4)     

• Lawmakers prepare for debate over space-program budget
  Although sequestration has been delayed, lawmakers will again face questions over the funding of NASA, and they await the White House proposed space budget for 2014. The recently concluded Congress before reaffirmed the space agency's spending priorities, but such an affirmation doesn't mean the 113th Congress won't have its own view on NASA funding. Aerospace Daily & Defense Report (1/4)     

• United Space Alliance cuts 111 employees
  With the end of the space shuttle program, more workers are having to find new jobs. Shuttle contractor United Space Alliance last week laid off 111 workers and expects to cut more this spring. Florida Today (Melbourne) (tiered subscription model) (1/4)     

Hot Topics

Top five news stories selected by AIA dailyLead® readers in the past week.

• Obama signs 2013 defense bill into law (The Hill)

• House passes last-minute legislation to avoid "fiscal cliff" (The Wall Street Journal)

• Embraer looks for new orders after Delta cancellation (Bloomberg)

• Boeing stays on schedule for leaving Wichita, Kan. (The Wichita Eagle (Kan.))

• Inspections of Boeing 737 fuselage ordered by FAA (USA Today)

• Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

AIA News

• AIA urges Congress, President to find a permanent bipartisan solution to sequestration
  Statement by Marion C. Blakey, President and CEO of the Aerospace Industries Association, on the failure to fix sequestration in the fiscal cliff deal: "While we are pleased Congress made some headway on tax elements of a deal to avert the fiscal cliff, we are concerned that they could not agree to a long term solution to fix a problem no serious person wants -- sequestration." Read more.     

• Follow AIA on Twitter!
  If you aren't already, make sure to follow us on Twitter at @AIAspeaks to stay up-to-date on industry news. You can also "like" us on Facebook.     

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