Future flood risk management requires immediate action in risk assessment, defence and alleviation systems, forecasting and warning systems and institutional and governance measures.
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "The government has reserved the right to extend the airspace restrictions, and the deployment of military assets, including ground based air defence, if an assessment of the threat level warrants it".
Just before flying to the US, Tony Blair was asked at Prime Minister's Questions whether he agreed with the new US defence secretary's stark assessment of the war.
What we're seeing is the government throwing neo-liberal doctrine to the wind in its efforts to keep up the momentum behind public service contracting, while trying to repair the damage caused by G4S and Serco (and not forgetting the assorted problems with contracting in defence, medical and benefit assessment, asylum seekers' homes, courts translations and so on).
Muir stumbled at one point, in a brief defence of the fast-track assessment process.
Defence lawyers cited the initial assessment by British forensic science experts that the banker killed himself, claiming that it was still valid.
The lack of ambiguity over Jack also troubled The Independent's Robert Hanks, who felt the drama was too much of a "case for the defence" in an otherwise positive assessment.
Mr Maringa had been called to give his assessment by Pistorius's defence counsel, but had been assigned by the state, not the defence, to assess what punishment was suitable.
The leaders hinted at a compromise, saying they "discussed new possibilities for mutual international co-operation in the field of missile defence, taking into account joint assessments of missile challenges and threats, aimed at enhancing the security of our countries, and that of our allies and partners".
A recent study by the Centre for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA), a defence think-tank, concluded that ground-based systems were almost always more cost effective and reliable than space-based weapons, whether used to attack missiles, enemy satellites or targets on land.America is still hedging its bets.
