Senator ends hold on Air Force chief nomination A Republican senator has ended his hold on the White House pick for Air Force chief of staff over the service’s response to a widening sex scandal at a Texas base. In a statement Aug. 2, Sen. John Cornyn of Texas said he had met with Gen….

NATO defense ministers meeting in Brussels all agreed on a clear message: as the transition to Afghan security lead proceeds, the process “reflects what Lisbon was all about,” Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said Feb. 2. Panetta was referring to the way forward in Afghanistan as agreed upon by President Barack Obama and NATO’s other…

South Korea asks China about North Korean missile carrier A South Korean official says Seoul is asking China whether it is the source of a missile carrier displayed by North Korea during a recent military parade. Military experts have pointed to China as the probable supplier of the 16-wheel truck, but China has denied it….

Court shoots down $1.4 million tort judgment against Navy Federal prosecutors say the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has vacated a $1.4 million judgment against the Navy for allegedly disclosing trade secrets on the design of a military craft to a rival. U.S. Attorney Jim Letten says the appellate court ruled May 11 against…

The Danish Acquisition and Logistics Organization announced June 12 at Eurosatory it has awarded AeroVironment a firm fixed-price order of $9.6 million to supply the Danish Armed Forces with the company’s Puma AEâ„¢ small unmanned aircraft systems. AeroVironment was selected following a competitive evaluation. “Allied armed forces are procuring our small unmanned aircraft systems to…

U.S. Africa Command’s top military officer today detailed existing and emerging threats from extremist organizations on the continent in a speech at the African Center for Strategic Studies in Arlington, Va. Army Gen. Carter F. Ham also explained the U.S. presence in Africa and Africom initiatives based on the new U.S. defense strategic guidance. “When…

The Royal Norwegian Air Force successfully fired a Raytheon Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile from a National Advanced Surface-to-Air-Missile System. During the first-of-its-kind test at the Andoya Rocket Range in Northern Norway, the ESSM intercepted and destroyed an air target. “Completion of this live-fire exercise is a major step forward in our efforts to qualify ESSM…

In its annual analysis “The Market for Light Tracked Vehicles,” the Forecast International Weapons Group reports that it expects the market to produce nearly 9,300 units, worth more than $19.7 billion, through 2021. The international market for light tracked vehicles remains a highly competitive and dynamic environment. Dean Lockwood, weapons systems analyst at Forecast International,…

U.S. Navy ship collides with oil tanker in Gulf   The U.S. Navy says one of its guided-missile destroyers collided with an oil tanker early Aug. 12 but that no one was injured in the accident. The collision involving the USS Porter and the Panamanian-flagged bulk oil tanker M/V Otowasan occurred at approximately 1 a.m….