If there can't be a new manned mission from Earth by then, administrators will have to decide whether to take extensive steps to extend the vehicle's certification for the return flight, proceed on a return flight without certification, or de-man the space station by flying back the remaining crew members within the certification period, he said.

CNN: Russia postpones new manned space station mission

The Roundtable then considered the contribution made to the power-projection capabilities of the U.S. manned bomber force by the B-2's stealth technology and its ability to deliver large payloads over intercontinental distances.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Center For Security Policy

The intriguing question that then raises itself is whether hardline militant organizations such as Lashkar e Taiba, based in Pakistan and largely Pakistani-manned, would have been ready to undertake such operations without specific encouragement or instructions from their liaison officers in the Pakistan military.

CNN: From Our Correspondent: Peace Deferred