News
Taliban announce spring offensive amid Afghan peace push –
The Taliban on April 12 announced their annual spring offensive, which comes as the U.S. and Afghan politicians try to negotiate for a peace settlement with the Islamist militants.
Navy Judge says SEAL charged with war crimes threatened to kill teammate who turned him in –
A recently-obtained judge’s ruling reveals three Navy SEALs have claimed to have seen SEAL Chief Edward Gallagher fatally stab a non-combative, wounded ISIS fighter who had been brought to him for medical treatment during a 2017 deployment to Iraq.
F-35A crash: Japan’s defense minister addresses security concerns, procurement plans –
Japan has started combing the seafloor of the Pacific Ocean for the wreckage of its F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter, two days after the aircraft crashed into waters off northern Japan.
Business
U.S. clears Japan for $1.2B missile package to defend against ballistic threats –
The U.S. State Department has cleared a further sale of missiles used for ballistic missile defense to Japan, marking the third and largest batch of such missiles to the U.S. ally.
Pentagon awards $3.2 billion contract for Navy Hawkeye aircraft –
The Navy has awarded defense contractor Northrop Grumman a $3.2-billion contract to deliver 24 E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft.
Lockheed Martin begins testing on GPS 3 ground system –
When the Air Force’s second Global Positioning Systems 3 satellite launches this summer, it should help set a new high-water mark for position, navigation and timing information and do so at a time when GPS satellites and signals are increasingly under attack.
How Turkey’s industry could suffer from S-400 deal with Russia –
After experiencing a decade of growth, Turkey’s increasingly vibrant defense industry may fall victim to the government’s quest to purchase the Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile defense system, a deal that will make Turkey the first NATO ally to deploy the system on its soil.
Germany sees 8.86 billion euro cost to operate Tornado jets to 2030 –
The German Defence Ministry estimates it will cost nearly 9 billion euros to keep its aging fleet of 93 Tornado fighter jets flying until 2030, according to a classified document provided to German lawmakers this week.
Defense
U.S. forces concluding relief efforts in Mozambique –
U.S. Africa Command will conclude its support to cyclone-stricken Mozambique this weekend, as relief organizations in the country transition to distributing supplies via non-military means.
Pentagon is killing a key independent-research program –
For decades, JASON studies helped DOD and other agencies get outside perspectives on scientific and technical topics.
Should troops act a ‘little rough’ at border? Pentagon won’t comment –
The Pentagon on April 12 wouldn’t address whether or not its military members currently deployed to the U.S.-Mexico border should be exhibiting more force towards detained migrants, a suggestion made by President Donald Trump earlier this week.
New policy will automatically review some military valor medals for higher award –
As the Pentagon wraps up a sweeping three-year review of valor medals awarded in conflicts after Sept. 11, 2001, officials are preparing to roll out a new policy designed to ensure acts of military heroism receive the full recognition they deserve.
Camo netting, an age-old tool, is being re-engineered for modern battlefield –
Top Army brass are looking to what seems like a simple item, camouflage netting, to solve a very modern technological problem — electronic signals that give away soldier and unit positions.
Hellfire missile replacement is coming soon to the pilots’ arsenal –
A better version of the Army’s and Marine Corps’ go-to air-to-ground missile package planned to replace the old standby Hellfire missile is expected to hit full-rate production later this year.
SECNAV defends plans to mothball aircraft carrier Truman –
Navy Secretary Richard Spencer defended April 10 a plan to retire the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman early.
Why days of ‘fighter jock culture’ may be numbered –
For the past half century, fighter pilots have dominated high-level leadership roles in the Air Force, much as bomber pilots did during World War II and the Cold War.
A new Century Series? Will Roper takes Air Force back to the future –
Future Air Force programs must look less like the Joint Strike Fighter and more like the iconic Century Series from the 1950s, when the newly independent Air Force fielded six new fighters from five different manufacturers in just five years.
Veterans
Killed in war, a sailor finally comes home –
The Western Union telegram came on Dec. 21, 1941, two weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor, confirming what Bessie Meyer already knew: Her son was gone.