News
Administration wants to reimburse Taliban’s travel expenses –
The Trump administration asked Congress earlier this year for funds to reimburse Afghanistan’s Taliban for expenses the insurgent group incurs attending peace talks, according to a spokesman for the chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense.
Tensions over Iran show cracks in a time-tested alliance –
Gone, at least for now, are the halcyon days when strong military and political ties between Britain and the United States meant that Washington could assume it had a staunch partner for standing up to a foreign foe.
Business
Defense firm’s ‘excess profits’ land in Congress’s crosshairs –
Call it the gold-plated clutch disk.
Dynetics-Lockheed team beats out Raytheon to build 100-kilowatt laser weapon –
A Dynetics and Lockheed Martin team have beaten out Raytheon in a head-to-head competition to build a 100-kilowatt laser weapon for the U.S. Army.
U.S. Army’s missile defense radar program advances into prototyping competition –
The U.S. Army’s competition for a new air-and-missile defense radar has officially begun with the release of a request for proposals asking for prototypes.
Let the (war) games begin: Army buying high-tech training sims –
Next month, the Army will award key contracts for prototypes of a radically new set of networked training simulations, the two-star chief of the service’s training modernization task force told Breaking Defense.
Navy planning aggressive unmanned ship prototyping, acquisition effort –
The Navy has tightly coupled early prototyping efforts and future acquisition efforts for medium and large unmanned surface vehicles, to speed up the time it will take to experiment with the vessels and get them fielded to fleet commanders, the program manager said last week.
Defense
For Shanahan, it looks like a rocky road to defense secretary –
Senate Republicans almost certainly have the votes to confirm Patrick Shanahan as the next secretary of defense. But that doesn’t mean the process will be smooth and simple.
U.S. military to build 6 tent cities near border for migrants –
The tents will likely not be on military bases, and ICE — not the military — will be responsible for migrant detention and custodial support.
At National Training Center, soldiers now train for what they dread: A fair fight –
After a long night of waiting, Bradley Fighting Vehicles from the 3rd Infantry Division’s 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, or ABCT, surge through a breached obstacle to attack enemy forces in the fictional town of Razish.
Navy wary of growing costs while it ramps up ops –
The Navy’s upcoming force structure assessment won’t back away from the service’s long-time goal of a 355-ship fleet, a top official said May 15, suggesting that the number may actually inch higher. But the service is also getting some sobering feedback on how much it will cost to sustain a significantly larger fleet — something it hasn’t had to do in decades.
Air Force No. 2 civilian to take over as acting secretary –
Air Force Under Secretary Matt Donovan will take over as the service’s acting secretary beginning June 1, the Pentagon announced May 15.
Can new spoofing tech give US aircraft a shroud in the clouds? –
The U.S. Air National Guard is set to test next-generation decoy technology that was originally designed and fielded in the United Kingdom to protect Royal Air Force aircraft against advanced radar-guided missiles.
Independent estimate claims Space Force could cost up to $4.7B in start up costs –
The Department of Defense is pushing back against an independent estimate claiming that it could cost up to $4.7 billion in one-time costs to establish a Space Force.
Veterans
Female veterans want new caucus and clout in US politics –
Congresswomen who have served in the military are setting up a new caucus to support the nation’s growing ranks of female service members, and they’re looking for clout, too, in American politics.
Lawmakers to VA: End harassment of female vets at medical centers –
A bipartisan group of lawmakers called on Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie on May 14 to step up efforts to end the sexual harassment female veterans can be subjected to by other veterans at VA medical centers.