News
Democrats demand White House reveal details of outside businessmen’s influence on VA policy –
Congressional Democrats are demanding the White House clarify who is leading veterans policy efforts for the administration after a ProPublica investigation found evidence a trio of executives with personal ties to President Donald Trump have been privately influencing department decisions.
Business
How should one grade Trump’s export reform policy? –
An increase in defense exports will be key for judging the effectiveness of President Donald Trump’s efforts to make the arms sales process more efficient, but that shouldn’t be the only measure of success, said a panel of U.S. government officials, arms control advocates and industry on Aug. 8.
UK reports massive uptick in defense exports –
Britain’s defense exports recorded a massive 53 percent uptick in 2017, figures released by the government show.
UK welcomes U.S. participation in Tempest fighter jet concept –
The United Kingdom plans to work closely with US industry as it develops its next-generation Tempest fighter jet concept, according to the UK defense secretary.
Detect nukes in flight with electron beam technology –
Imagine a technology that could detect roadside bombs and landmines buried underground, pick out a nuclear warhead from a cloud of decoys miles away, or even fry enemy electronics, potentially disarming those warheads from a distance. Well, physicist William Dent has invented that technology and briefed its potential to the Army and industry here. It’s called a neutron beam generator.
DARPA award value for Blackjack satellite program draws industry concern –
The $117.5 million total award offered by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency for the first phase of its Blackjack satellite programme was potentially spread among too many companies to make it worthwhile for one company to pursue.
Defense
Former NFL star leading the charge for the Army’s new helmet system –
A company founded by a former Washington Redskins all-pro has been tasked with designing next-level padding technology to protect troops from impacts and blasts that can cause brain trauma.
MDA director provides idea of possible space-based missile defense sensor layer –
Missile defense leaders within the Pentagon as well as Congress are pushing for more missile defense capability in space and the Missile Defense Agency Director Gen. Samuel Greaves laid out a rough idea of what a space-based missile defense sensor layer could look like.
Army takes serious steps toward interim cruise missile protection capability –
The Army is heading toward acquiring an interim cruise missile protection capability as part of an effort being spearheaded by the air-and-missile defense cross functional team within the service’s new Futures Command.
MDA ‘not averse’ to space-based interceptors, its director says –
The Missile Defense Agency is ‘not averse’ to developing and fielding space-based missile defense interceptors, its director, Gen. Samuel Greaves, said Aug. 8 at the Space and Missile Defense Symposium.
Missile defense info sharing with allies still a challenge, even as the need to operate together grows –
The U.S. is seeing the need more and more to become increasingly interoperable with allies when it comes to missile defense, but there are many challenges still to overcome, according to a panel of former and current missile defense stakeholders at the Aug. 7 Defense News Missile Defense Networking Reception.
These four-legged military heroes will soon have an award of their own –
Military working dogs, the beloved canines who have saved countless of troops on the battlefield, will soon have their own commendation.
Military researchers think spider silk may keep U.S. troops lighter and cooler in combat –
The silk spiders produce is tougher than Kevlar and more flexible than nylon, and Air Force researchers think it could it could be key to creating new materials that take the load and heat off troops in the field.
Army boosts electronic warfare numbers, training, role –
The Army is giving its electronic warfare force more troops, more training, and a more prominent role in combat headquarters, senior officers said Aug. 9, pushing back on criticisms that the service neglects EW even as Russia and China pull ahead.
Nuke sub launch tube problems found: ‘warning flags are up’ –
The Navy has discovered problems with the welds on 12 nuclear missile launch tubes, some for America’s $122.3 billion Columbia-class submarine program and others for the Royal Navy’s Dreadnought submarines. The issue is serious enough that Rep. Joe Courtney, top Democrat on the House seapower subcommittee, told me “the warning flags are up.”
No man’s land: How new tactics and robots will push Marines deeper into the fight –
In was early April, and Marines with Kilo Battery, 2nd Battalion, 14th Marine Regiment had just boarded an Air Force MC-130 aircraft at Fort Campbell Kentucky bound for the Dugway Proving Grounds, Utah.
Veterans
Dog tag returned from North Korea belonged to Army medic –
The lone military identification tag that North Korea provided with 55 boxes of human remains last month belonged to Master Sgt. Charles H. McDaniel, an Army medic from Indiana who was killed in the opening months of the Korean War.
New VA secretary promises veterans better customer service and more medical options –
In his first public speech since taking over the Department of Veterans Affairs, VA Secretary Robert Wilkie on Aug. 8 reiterated his promises to push that bureaucracy towards more customer-friendly practices and more flexible access for beneficiaries.