Resolution on U.S.-Japanese stalemate; Is there another sequester in the works?; An Army two-star, relieved; Carter Malkasian advising Dunford; @zbig makes a debut; and a little more.

By Gordon Lubold

The U.S. and Japan reach agreement over bases. The two countries have agreed to a new plan for closing and consolidating dozens of U.S. military bases and U.S.-controlled locations across Okinawa in a move that U.S. defense officials believe will unjam the more than 15-year effort to reposition thousands of troops across the Pacific. The "Consolidation Plan for Facilities and Areas in Okinawa" represents the first time that Tokyo and Washington have agreed on all the pieces of what to do on Okinawa, a senior defense official told the E-Ring’s Kevin Baron last night, ahead of the announcement this morning. "The new plan calls for 2,500 acres of land including six major facilities and several smaller areas to be returned to Japan, from entire housing districts to sections of land as small as an access road. The controversial runway [for Marine aircraft] will be added to the coastal base," he writes.

Statement from Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, early this morning: "Now more than ever it is essential that the United States maintain a geographically distributed and sustainable force throughout Asia that can provide for the protection of Japan and our other allies, and U.S. interests. We are resolved to focus our bilateral efforts on modernizing the alliance to meet emerging security challenges in the region."

The Pentagon’s budget is due out April 10, and it will likely exceed the $475 billion cap. That could mean a new round of sequester cuts, budget guru Todd Harrison of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments told Situation Report last night. Harrison will host a roundtable discussion this morning on next week’s budget release. He’ll release a new analysis of what could happen if the budget caps the Pentagon is supposed to work within are "breached." But you can find a few of his thoughts, here, first. "Looking Beyond the Fog: Fiscal Challenges facing Defense," here.

Harrison: "If DoD submits a budget request that exceeds its $475 billion cap, as senior Pentagon officials have indicated it will do, it is implicitly placing its faith in Congress to lift the budget caps or make the necessary cuts in DoD’s request to fit within the caps. That faith may be misplaced because both the House and Senate budget resolutions, shown in Figure 2, also exceed the budget caps."

And: "If the two sides do not pass legislation that alters the BCA, the current caps will remain in effect for FY 2014 and beyond.  If the budget caps are breached, it will again trigger an automatic, across-the-board sequester to reduce the level of funding to the caps. If the FY 2013 budget process is instructive, Congress may prefer to let sequestration cut the budget rather than make the hard decisions itself." 

"Carter Sahib" Malkasian has joined Dunford in Kabul. The famed American civilian adviser, who spent two years in Helmand between 2009 and 2011, is now back in Afghanistan working with ISAF commander Gen. Joe Dunford in Kabul, Situation Report has learned. Actually, he’s been there for several weeks, but his job through the State Department didn’t become official until recently. Malkasian, well known to Afghan hands, is considered a standout as a Pashto-speaking risk-taker who earned the respect of locals and helped bring stability to that region. So much so, that when he lived in Garmser district in Helmand, they called him "Carter Sahib" — a term of honor and respect rarely earned by outsiders.

Rajiv Chandrasekaran’s profile of Malkasian in the WaPo, here. Malkasian’s new book, "War Comes to Garmser," on Amazon, here.

Is an up-and-comer now a down-and-outer? An Army two-star relieved for misconduct. Army Maj. Gen. Ralph Baker, who held a key command in Africa, was removed March 28 for alcohol use and sexual misconduct. Gen. Carter Ham, the head of U.S. Africa Command — who is handing over command today in Stuttgart, Germany — lost confidence in Baker and relieved him of command of the Combined Joint Task Force, Horn of Africa, according to reports. Baker, who had been seen as having more stars in his future, has challenged the decision to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel. According to AP, Baker is now serving in a temporary "special assistant" job with the Army staff at the Pentagon. 

Welcome to Friday’s edition of Situation Report, where we always appeal to our readers for great tips. Sign up for Situation Report here or just e-mail us. And always, if you have a report, piece of news, or tidbit you want teased, send it to us early for maximum tease. If we can get it in, we will. And help us fill our candy dish: news of the military weird, strange trends, personnel comings-and-goings, military stories of success or excess.

At the AFRICOM change of command in Stuttgart a few hours ago, here’s what Hagel said in a statement to Ham (read aloud there since Hagel didn’t go): "You took command of AFRICOM at a critical time on the continent, and in the larger region. As a result of your leadership, America has deepened its engagement in Africa, building and strengthening important relationships with our allies and partners in the region. Your inspired leadership has helped African nations realize the value of AFRICOM in fostering stability and hope on the continent. You have proven yourself to be one of America’s most outstanding, unassuming, and agile military thinkers and leaders." 

Zbig is going all 21^st century and what not. @CSIS’s Andrew Schwartz yesterday announced that former National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski has launched a new account on the Tweeters. He’s got one of the coolest handles you could have: @zbig. He has 4,411 followers-and-counting this morning and one tweet about 22 hours ago: "In our new age of cyber attacks, for my first tweet, some thoughts on how to prevent ‘Anonymous Wars.’ ?#anonymouswars."

In the administration’s carefully orchestrated maneuverings over North Korea, did signals get crossed in announcing the deployment of two destroyers? The E-Ring’s Baron reports on the minor kerfuffle over just who ordered the USS John McCain and the USS Decatur to the Western Pacific. "There was no White House secrecy order," a senior defense official told Baron. "According to several U.S. officials, the decision to task two destroyers on a ballistic missile defense mission specific to North Korea went through the usual chain of command. Pacific Command’s Adm. Samuel Locklear requested additional ballistic missile defenses in the Western Pacific. That decision was made in conjunction with Northern Command’s Gen. Chuck Jacoby. Those two combatant commanders are responsible for determining the military forces required for ballistic missile defense of U.S. allies in Asia and the homeland, respectively. Their request was given to the Joint Staff, at the Pentagon. The Joint Staff then asked the Navy what assets were available to meet the mission. The Navy identified the Decatur and the McCain, which Locklear then ordered to their positions. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel did not give the order."

A friend of Situation Report e-mails: "They sent the USS McCain. Can the USS Lindsey Graham be far behind?"

Christine Fox is taking a lead role in the new strategic choices assessment. The Pentagon has given Christine Fox, the head of the Pentagon’s cost assessment and program evaluation team (CAPE), a big role in its new look at the Pentagon’s defense strategy. It’s a "move that underscores DOD’s interest in maintaining its current strategy while revising related budget priorities," according to Chris Castelli of Inside Defense. "Fox has been given a special role as the ‘shepherd’ of the Strategic Choices and Management Review (SCMR), a senior defense official told InsideDefense.com. Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter is technically leading the review, along with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey." Fox, who is expected to retire later this year, was given this last assignment because CAPE seemed like the logical office to conduct the review.

Arnie Punaro, a former Marine general officer and senior Hill staffer, told Castelli: "I also like CAPE because in the past they have been willing to challenge the ‘sacred cows’ in the Pentagon…and as Hagel’s speech today indicated, he has his aim points on the bullseye of the three ticking time bombs in the Pentagon: acquisition where you spend more, take longer and get less; DOD’s massive overhead; and the unsustainable, fully burdened and life-cycle costs of the all-volunteer force."

Bonus information on Fox: She was the inspiration for the Kelly McGillis character in Top Gun. She used to be a Navy civilian and during the 1980s was an analyst at the Top Gun school. Read all about it in People — in 1985 — here.

The Pivot

• CNN: North Korea loads missiles onto launchers. 
• USIP’s Olive Branch: North Korean threats turn eyes to China. 
• AP: North Korea’s aggression could strengthen U.S.-China alliance.
• Stripes: U.S.-Japan agree relocation of Futenma is more than a decade away.

Thinking on Iran

• Security Clearance: New talks seek progress on Iran’s nuclear program.
• Iran Primer: Interview with Colin Kahl on nukes in Iran. 
• WaPo: Waning hopes for nuclear deal spur calls for outreach to Iranian public.
• Free Beacon: Pre-emptive strike on Iran, "least worst option," says Michael Hayden.

Noting

• The Economist: "Attaboy." Few outside Kabul are as powerful as the governor of Balkh.
• Defense News: Service secretaries all take voluntary pay cut. 
• Duffel Blog: Sailor only at strip club to keep liberty buddy safe.