News
Undersea cables the Achilles’ heel in lead-up to new cold war –
It’s a little-known twist in the cyber-warfare between nations that carries potentially devastating consequences. At a time when more than 95% of everything that moves on the global Internet passes through just 200 undersea fiber-optic cables, potential adversaries such as the US, Russia, China and Iran are focusing on these deep-sea information pipes as rich sources of intelligence as well as targets in war.
Marines train Afghans in air support –
As U.S. commanders prepare the Afghan security forces for an aggressive push against the Taliban this year, Marines are training a cadre of Afghan attack controllers to call in airstrikes.
Business
DOD IG: Effort to train Afghan Air Force lacks metrics, maintenance instruction –
The United States and coalition efforts to establish and train an Afghan Air Force lack means for tracking the service’s progress and are outsourcing the sort of logistics and maintenance tasks required for running an air force, according to the U.S. Department of Defense Inspector General.
Even after being sued, Army moves to buy more Lakota helos –
The U.S. Army has taken a first step toward buying more Lakota helicopters by issuing a sources-sought notice to industry Jan. 4, a year after appealing a court decision that barred the service from procuring 16 Lakotas for its training fleet.
Boeing still working to repair major KC-46 defects –
Boeing is still working to fix three deficiencies related to the refueling process of the KC-46 Pegasus that must be resolved before the troubled tanker can enter service, the U.S. Air Force says.
New Army secretary committed to designing fresh future readiness blueprint –
The new U.S. Army secretary, confirmed in mid-November, has spent his first days in office on the ground with troops both in Afghanistan and at the National Training Center in California examining the readiness of the force and how the deployed are faring in their mission. But he’s also turned his attention to laying some early groundwork for the Army’s new Futures Command focused on modernizing the service.
Navy taps Northrop Grumman to support E-2D Hawkeye –
Naval Air Systems Command has awarded Northrop Grumman a contract for Advanced Radar Processor hardware sets in support of the Northrop Grumman E-2D Hawkeye, an all-weather, carrier-capable tactical airborne early warning aircraft.
Erdogan takes total control of Turkish defense industry –
Turkey’s president is continuing to assume more and more power by issuing emergency status decrees. Most recently, he’s taken over the country’s defense industry.
Defense
Major U.S. defense strategy review coming Jan. 19 –
The Pentagon will unveil its National Defense Strategy on Jan. 19, Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis announced Jan. 5.
Can the Pentagon actually figure out how it spends its money? –
When David Norquist came to the Senate for his confirmation hearing to be Defense Department comptroller in May, he declared, “It is time to audit the Pentagon.” The new push would include “calling out” individuals in the Pentagon who were creating weaknesses in the financial reporting of an estimated $2.4 trillion in assets.
How 30-day prototyping could solve the Army’s cyber-buying woes –
The idea of buying technology faster, better and more cost-efficiently isn’t new in the government, but the Army believes it can improve its cyber-specific acquisition.
Lakenheath F-15s intercept Russian fighters in new video –
The Air Force Jan. 5 released a video showing two recent instances in which F-15s deployed to Šiauliai Air Base, Lithuania, intercepted Russian Navy Su-30 Flankers near the Baltics.
New ‘Battle Skills Test’ for all Marines starts in 2018 –
It may have been a long time since you were a boot, but it’s time to brush up on what you learned at the very beginning of your Marine Corps career.
Veterans
Tricare lowers some costs for new Select plan –
Military families, including retiree families, will pay lower co-payments than previously announced for the new Tricare Select plan, according to a Friday announcement in the Federal Register.