News
NATO top brass recommend joining anti-ISIS coalition –
NATO top brass are recommending that the military alliance join the international coalition fighting the Islamic State group.
Business
Textron’s Fury hits moving vehicle in demo –
Textron’s Fury, a lightweight precision-guided glide munition, successfully took out moving targets at Yuma Proving Ground, Ariz., a company official told Defense News.
Lockheed exoskeleton gives troops a leg up, literally –
It is not Iron Man. It isn’t even Iron Fist. Lockheed Martin’s newest exoskeleton is more like Iron Leg.
Australia prime minister: Shipbuilding plan is ‘an end to the boom and bust pattern’ –
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull launched Australia’s long-awaited naval shipbuilding plan May 16, including the construction of submarines, frigates and offshore patrol vessels.
Business jet customization could be key as Singapore firms up maritime patrol requirement –
Maritime Patrol Aircraft, or MPA, based on business jet platforms have taken prominence at the IMDEX Asia maritime and defense exhibition in Singapore.
Saab A26 submarine gets vertical launched Tomahawks –
Saab has unveiled a modified A26 submarine fitted with vertical launched land attack cruise missiles at the IMDEX Asia maritime and defense exhibition in Singapore, the first time such a system has been fitted on a conventionally powered boat.
Boeing pushes 737 as JSTARS replacement for U.S. Air Force –
Boeing is pushing its commercial 737 airliner as a solution for the U.S. Air Force’s Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System recapitalisation effort, ahead of an expected service platform decision later this year.
Aerojet Rocketdyne tests 3D-printed rocket –
The engine being tested is a liquid oxygen/kerosene, regenerative cooled, liquid rocket thrust chamber assembly design.
Honeywell launches $100 million venture fund –
Honeywell International Inc launched a $100 million investment fund May 17 that will focus on technology startups.
Defense
Jim Mattis faces a difficult decision on the military’s transgender policy –
The Pentagon is prepared to implement a new policy clearing the way for transgender men and women to join the armed forces, Military Times has learned, but final approval rests with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who could endorse, revise, delay or even abandon it.
U.S. Navy admiral sentenced to 18 months in ‘Fat Leonard’ bribery scandal –
Over two decades, Robert Gilbeau rose through the ranks to Navy admiral and earned a chest-full of honors for his service, including a Bronze Star and Purple Heart. During that period he also partied across Southeast Asia with a gregarious Malaysian businessman who paid for lavish dinners, drinks at karaoke bars and prostitutes.
Is the U.S. military too antiquated to win modern wars? –
Experts in technology and warfare gathered May 17 to discuss the U.S. military’s efforts to innovate in response to rapidly changing threats and its place in modern warfare.
Air Force sending bombers to train in England amid tensions with Russia –
The Air Force will send some of its bombers to England in June to assure allies and deter adversaries in Europe, the general in charge of Air Force Global Strike Command said May 17.
Acquisition reform panel: Cut restrictions so DOD can take ‘mission first’ approach –
It is time for the U.S. Department of Defense to transition to a “mission first” approach to acquisition, which will require changing a number of restrictions currently in place, according to an interim report from a congressionally mandated research panel.
CNO urges faster path to bigger Navy, hints at naval warfare transformation –
The U.S. Navy needs more ships and needs them fast, the chief of naval operations said this week. But beyond that, the service might be on the verge of something that could transform naval warfare.
Navy will lean on drone ships, modularity to expand fleet size –
The Navy’s top officer said he’s looking for ways to build the service to a strength equivalent to 355 ships by the mid-2020s.
Bogdan gives final F-35 Lightning II progress report as JSF program PEO –
In his final interview in uniform, Lt. Gen. Chris Bogdan, U.S. Air Force, program executive officer for the F-35 Lighting II Fighter, provides a status report on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Program in an exclusive interview with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian.
Veterans
Supreme Court rules in veteran’s favor in closely watched divorce settlement case –
The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled Monday, in the case of Howell v. Howell, that a state court cannot offset the loss of a divorced spouse’s portion of a veteran’s retirement benefits when that veteran waives retirement pay in favor of disability pay. The issue has been hotly debated for years.
Unions decry VA bill as a broader attack on federal workers –
Lawmakers see the new Veterans Affairs accountability legislation moving through Congress as a way to make much needed but mostly technical changes to employment rules for that department.