The USS Iowa was last actively engaged in conflict in the late 1980s, helping escort reflagged Kuwaiti oil tankers from the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz during the Iran-Iraq war. Some 25 years later, following years of being mothballed, the 887-foot long ship that once carried President Franklin Roosevelt to a World War…

Republicans and Democrats are sounding the alarm: The budget sequester is coming and we have to do everything to stop it. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says it will be devastating to the military. Manufacturers say it will mean the loss of tens of thousands of jobs. The White House fears cuts in everything from cancer…

It’s the land where Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier, where the space shuttle fleet rolled off the assembly line and where the first private manned rocketship climbed to space. Capitalizing on Southern California’s aerospace fortunes, two rival groups want to add another laurel: drone test range. They face crowded competition. In search of an…

Following years of uncertainty, the aerospace and defense industry is on the brink of a mergers and acquisitions boom, according to a new Deloitte report. Specifically, the study shows many companies are well-positioned to take strategic advantage of consolidation opportunities, particularly at the supplier level, due to pent-up demand, available capital and favorable valuations. And,…

A Broad Area Maritime Surveillance Demonstrator unmanned aircraft being tested by the U.S. Navy crashed June 11 at approximately 12:11, EST, near Bloodsworth Island in Dorchester County, Md. approximately 22 miles east of Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md. No one was injured and no property was damaged at the unpopulated swampy crash site. Navy…

Ryan speaks out against military cuts   Republican Paul Ryan says Mitt Romney will prevent planned cuts to the U.S. military if elected president. The GOP vice presidential hopeful spoke to supporters Aug. 23 in Fayetteville, N.C., home to the Fort Bragg Army base and a large number of military families. Ryan warned of the…

NASA’s planned flight to New York City of space shuttle Enterprise atop the 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft has been postponed until further notice due to an unfavorable weather forecast for April 23. To ensure a safe flight for Enterprise and the SCA, NASA managers, in consultation with the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, decided…

On July 3, President Barack Obama appointed Dr. Jamie Morin to serve as the acting undersecretary of the Air Force. He will serve in this capacity effective immediately and until such time as a new undersecretary is nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate. Morin said he welcomed the new responsibilities. “I appreciate…

Should veterans deemed too mentally incompetent to handle their own financial affairs be prevented from buying a gun? The issue, for a time last week, threatened to become the biggest sticking point in a $631 billion defense bill for reshaping a military that is disengaging from a decade of warfare. Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., sought…

Army launches review of PTSD diagnoses The U.S. Army is launching a sweeping, independent review of how it evaluates and diagnoses soldiers with possible post-traumatic stress disorder following recent complaints that some PTSD diagnoses were improperly overturned. The Army says it is reviewing the diagnoses at all of its medical facilities going back to 2001….