News
Army Special Forces soldiers killed in Jordan were working for the CIA –
The three Army Special Forces soldiers killed at a Jordanian military base this month were working for a CIA program to train moderate Syrian fighters when they were shot at a checkpoint under still-unclear circumstances, U.S. officials said.
Business
More outsourcing, less regulation under Trump –
One of the biggest challenges facing the 45th president will be how its administration acquires goods and services.
U.S. Marine Corps orders 144 Polaris MRZR-D4 diesel utility vehicles –
The U.S. Marine Corps has ordered 144 four-seat diesel MRZR-D4s from Polaris for the corps’ utility task vehicle program, the company announced on Nov. 10.
IG blasts JSTARS contract –
A Department of Defense Inspector General audit has faulted the Air Force for its handling of the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System program.
Meet Raytheon’s drone-destroying microwave-energy weapon –
There is no shortage of innovative ways to shoot down drones. Some companies are pitching lasers, others prefer radio-frequency disruption or, if you prefer explosions, the U.S. Army has tested Raytheon AIM-9X Sidewinder air-to-air missiles and fired course-corrected projectiles with forward-blast fragmentation warheads from a 50-mm Bushmaster cannon.
MUOS 5 reaches operational orbit after hiccup –
The Navy’s fifth Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) satellite has finally reached operational orbit and has successfully deployed its arrays and antennas.
Road to IT modernization in limbo under Trump –
Trump faces a significant challenge in tackling the broader problem of moving federal agencies off of legacy systems and where to start.
BAE supporting DARPA countermeasures under contract modification –
BAE has been awarded a $13.3 million contract modification to continue work on DARPA’s Adaptive Radar Countermeasures project.
Continuity in Indo-U.S. defense ties seen under Trump –
Indo-U.S. defense ties will continue with Donald Trump as the next U.S. president, government officials here agree.
Cobham awarded Aegis waveguide contract –
Cobham has been awarded a contract to produce waveguide components and assemblies for Lockheed Martin’s AN/SPY-1D three-dimensional fixed-phased array radar.
French defense chief, Airbus spar over ‘tactical’ A400M deliveries –
French officials are in tough talks with Airbus Defense & Space for a timely delivery of a more capable “tactical” version of the A400M military transport plane, French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said.
Technology focus drives Estonian defense industry growth –
The Estonian government is scaling up efforts to develop an export-driven and tech-based defense sector to render companies more internationally competitive.
India looks to fast-track ammo purchases worth $1 billion –
Faced with “critical shortages” of ammunition and other equipment, India has triggered its Fast Track Purchase process to tap the overseas market, bypassing prescribed routine acquisition procedures, according to a Ministry of Defense official.
French naval aircraft’s operational availability revealed in letter to MP –
The French Navy’s three-strong fleet of Hawkeye E-2C spy planes increased its 2015 operational availability to 32.3 percent from 24.7 percent in the previous year, and last year’s maintenance bill for the aircraft was $33 million, according to the French Ministry of Defense.
Industry consolidates as Nordic states unify on defense –
Inter-government plans to advance the cause for Nordic military-industrial collaboration are proving an influential force driving domestic and regional sector consolidation. This has resulted in a recent flurry of merger and acquisition activity by leading industry players across the region.
Defense
Will Donald Trump’s Pentagon reverse Obama’s women-in-combat rules? –
The Obama administration’s historic decision to open military combat jobs to women, a process well underway for nearly a year, could be reviewed or even reversed as President-elect Donald Trump and his Republican Party take control of Washington in January.
White House requests extra $11.6 billion in OCO funding supplemental –
The Obama administration has formally requested $11.6 billion in extra wartime funding, bringing the total fiscal year 2017 overseas contingency operations (OCO) funding request to $85.3 billion
Air Force’s next fighter jet a program to watch in 2017 –
2017 could be a decisive year for the Air Force’s future fighter jet, as the service begins multiple efforts that will help determine the requirements of its so-called Penetrating Counter Air capability.
Army honing in on cyber defense –
Army officials have seen the growth in cyber defense coming down the pike. This is in part to its Defensive Cyberspace Operation infrastructure program. For its part, the Program Executive Office for Enterprise Information Systems is tasked with providing DCO the non-tactical, enterprise network.
Navy to expand sonar, other training off Northwest coast –
The U.S. Navy has finalized a plan to expand sonar testing and other warfare training off the coasts of Washington, Oregon and northern California.
Marines do first-of-its-kind maintenance test with F-35B on ship –
To prove that the Marines’ new 5th-generation fighter could undergo maintenance during an at-sea deployment, air crew aboard the amphibious assault ship USS America took one of the aircraft apart–and put it back together again
Veterans
Lapel pin, national initiative seek to correct injustice for Vietnam vets –
On the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War, a national initiative aims to make sure veterans from that era are never forgotten.
Researchers find vets leave civilian jobs quickly, but for good reasons –
Nearly half of veterans leave their first civilian job within a year, but that may not be bad news, according to a new analysis by the Center for a New American Security.
Soldier returns lost medals to war hero’s family on Veterans Day –
The medals of a Navy man who served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam had fallen in the hands of collectors. A soldier got them back and presented them to the service member’s family — on Veterans Day.
Veterans make up nearly one-third of federal workers –
Veterans make up almost one-third of the federal workforce, up 5 percentage points since President Obama took office, according to new data released by the Office of Personnel Management on Veterans Day.