News
U.S. pursues quiet troop buildup in Somalia –
The number of U.S. military forces in Somalia has more than doubled this year to more than 500 people as the Pentagon has quietly posted hundreds of additional special operations personnel to advise local forces in pockets of Islamic militants around the country, according to current and former senior military officials.
STRATCOM head would push back on illegal nuclear launch order –
The head of U.S. Strategic Command on Saturday said he would refuse to execute an order from President Donald Trump to launch a nuclear weapon if he believed its use was illegal.
Business
Do you have the AI solutions the intelligence community needs? –
U.S. intelligence agencies are looking for the next best thing in analytics, particularly when it comes to artificial intelligence and similar solutions.
Ambassador to NATO unsure if U.S. will impose sanctions on Turkey for S-400 buy –
On Nov. 17, the U.S. ambassador to NATO stopped short of saying that that the United States will impose sanctions on Turkey if it goes through with its purchase of the Russian S-400 missile system, but said Turkey understands “all of the ramifications” of its decisions.
Navy’s advanced warning aircraft to get datalink boost –
North Star Scientific Corp. has been awarded a $14 million Navy contract to design a datalink power amplifier for the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye radar aircraft.
CACI will support real-time surveillance of U.S. borders –
CACI has been awarded a $34.5 million DHS task order to support U.S. border surveillance.
Defense
The Air Force is throwing money at pilots to stay. Fewer and fewer are interested –
Despite offering fat retention bonuses to entice pilots to stay in the Air Force, the percentage of eligible pilots accepting them is plummeting.
DOD eyes a change to GI Bill transferability –
The Pentagon is weighing a policy change that would limit certain service members from transferring their education benefits to dependents, a Defense Department official said in a written statement this week.
Japanese tug boat collides with destroyer Benfold –
A Japanese tug boat lost propulsion and collided with the guided-missile destroyer Benfold during a routine towing exercise Nov. 18.
B-52s fighting ISIS soon will carry more smart bombs –
The U.S. Air Force B-52 squadron fighting Islamic State terrorists in the Middle East soon will be the first to field a key upgrade that will allow the venerable “BUFF” to carry eight additional smart weapons.
Veterans
Separate housing for veterans in jail becomes a national trend –
What began as a simple idea in Middlesex, Mass., is now a trend being adopted quickly by county jails across the country: the creation of separate housing units solely for veterans.
Veterans Court helps vets get their lives back on track –
In an office outside Judge Andrew Dimlich’s chambers on the bottom floor of the Raleigh County Judicial Annex, nine men and women in professional attire sit at a boardroom table.