News
Investigation blames Air Force and Navy for systemic failures in fatal Marine Corps C-130 crash that killed 16 –
The horrific KC-130T plane crash that killed 15 Marines and a sailor last summer was caused by a deteriorating propeller blade that was corroded when it entered an Air Force maintenance depot in 2011, but workers there failed to fix it and sent it back to the fleet unrepaired.
Business
U.S. Navy’s littoral combat ship program inches closer to fielding new capabilities –
The U.S. Navy took delivery of the last piece of the littoral combat ship’s anti-submarine warfare mission module Nov. 30, according to a release from Naval Sea Systems Command, pushing the service closer to declaring the well-delayed capability operational despite continued headwinds.
Lockheed-Airbus venture ups the pressure on Boeing to deliver its US Air Force tankers –
Lockheed Martin and Airbus have agreed to develop a new aerial-refueling service aimed at the U.S. Air Force, upping the pressure on incumbent Boeing to deliver its KC-46 tankers on time.
Slovak opposition calls for defense minister’s ouster amid F-16 controversy –
Slovakia’s Defense Minister Peter Gajdos has signed three separate, preliminary Letters of Offer and Acceptance (LOAs) with the United States to acquire 14 F-16 Block 70/72 fighters for the Slovak air force, but it was subsequently revealed that the ministry failed to obtain the rest of the government’s approval for the decision.
A farewell to the Phantom fleet, as Japan transitions to the F-35 –
The clock is ticking on Japan’s Phantom fighters as the country prepares to draw down use of the Cold War-era jet that has been in service with the U.S. ally for almost half a century.
Russian laser weapon designed to obliterate targets ‘within fractions of a second’ just entered combat service –
A new Russian laser weapon designed to instantly obliterate targets entered military service over the weekend, the Russian defense ministry revealed.
Defense
Pentagon is reviewing the special operations community after a series of high-profile scandals –
This fall has been rough for headlines involving special operations troops.
STRATCOM chief defends updating nuclear arsenal to ‘strike fear’ in potential enemies –
Gen. John Hyten badly wants to rebuild the aging nuclear force he commands, which carries a price tag estimated at more than $400 billion over the next 10 years. Lately, though, there are political threats to the wide consensus that supported his plans to replace the 50-year-old gravity bombs, 30-year-old ballistic-missile submarines and bombers and 50-year-old ICBMs.
Good news for the LCS program –
In a major milestone for the program, Navy officials expect to complete testing and evaluation of the littoral combat ship Surface-to-Surface Missile Module early next year, two months ahead of schedule.
Veterans
Rising suicide rates among younger veterans trigger alarm bells at VA –
Suicide rates among veterans 34 and younger have spiked in the last two years, leading the Department of Veterans Affairs to focus more on the 18-to-34-year-old age group than civilian programs for suicide prevention do, a top VA official said Dec. 5.
Here’s VA’s long, slow fix to the GI Bill cash crunch –
For student veterans using the Post-9/11 GI Bill to pay for school, last week was riddled with chaos and confusion, as the Veterans Affairs Department announced a new plan to implement portions of the Forever GI Bill law after blowing through an August deadline now long past.
With five USS Arizona crewmembers remaining, it’s ‘twilight’ for Pearl Harbor survivors –
It’s extra noteworthy that Everett Hyland, who was aboard the USS Pennsylvania during Japan’s Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor, will return the salute of a passing Navy warship at the Dec. 7 anniversary of the attack.