In brief: Innovation sought for U.S. military

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. – Wary of a more muscular Russia and China, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Saturday the Pentagon will make a new push for fresh thinking and creative ideas about how the U.S. can keep and extend its military superiority despite tighter budgets and the wear and tear of 13 years of war.

Hagel announced a “defense innovation initiative” that he likened to historic and successful campaigns during the Cold War to offset military advantages of U.S. adversaries. He described a “game-changing” strategy to sharpen Americans’ military edge in the face of budget impasses on Capitol Hill.

“We must change the way we innovate, operate and do business,” he said in remarks prepared for a defense forum at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

In a memo to Pentagon leaders in which he outlined the initiative, Hagel said the U.S. must not lose its commanding edge in military technology.

“While we have been engaged in two large land-mass wars over the last 13 years, potential adversaries have been modernizing their militaries, developing and proliferating disruptive capabilities across the spectrum of conflict. This represents a clear and growing challenge to our military power,” he wrote.

Creator of ‘Knight Rider,’ ‘Magnum’ dies

LOS ANGELES – Glen A. Larson, the writer and producer behind well-loved TV series such as the original “Battlestar Galactica,” “Knight Rider,” “Magnum, P.I.” and “Quincy, M.E.,” has died. He was 77.

Larson died at the University of California, Los Angeles, Medical Center on Friday night of complications from esophageal cancer.

Larson, also an accomplished singer and composer, was a powerhouse in the television landscape in the 1970s and 1980s, when he churned out hits that became staples in millions of living rooms every night.

He also co-composed the theme songs for some of his hits, including the frequently sampled tune from “Knight Rider” and the orchestral music behind “Battlestar Galactica.”