News
Taliban talks: Will negotiations lead to peace in Afghanistan? –
The “significant progress” said to have been made during six days of talks between U.S. officials and the Afghan Taliban suggests that both sides are serious about trying to find a peaceful solution to a 17-year conflict that has scarred Afghanistan.
U.S., Canadian fighter jets scramble to escort Russian bombers –
Military authorities say U.S. Air Force and Canadian fighter jets were scrambled to escort two Russian bombers that were traveling in the Arctic region near the North American coastline.
What will Navy’s denial of Camp Lejeune claims mean for other contaminated bases? –
The Navy’s announcement Jan. 24 that it would deny 4,400 claims from Marines and their families who say contaminated water at Camp Lejeune caused cancers and other serious illnesses raised the question of whether any affected military community could ever be compensated for the ailments they now face.
Business
GOP, Democratic leaders work together to buttress Wisconsin shipbuilder –
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers said Jan. 24 he plans to commit $31 million in his budget plan to help shipbuilder Marinette Marine.
If money is there, new, improved F-15s could be coming soon to the Air Force –
The U.S. Air Force could buy a new version of the F-15, known as the F-15X, as long as there is enough money in future defense budgets, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein told Defense News Jan. 26.
U.S. arms sales suffering under shutdown –
A top U.S. State Department official acknowledged Jan. 24 that the government shutdown will have an impact on U.S. weapon sales, with potential long-term ramifications on sales totals for the year.
Irresponsible politics’ blamed for potential hiccup in Finnish aircraft purchase –
Finland’s left-leaning political parties have cast a shadow of doubt of the fate of the HX-FP fighter procurement program, questioning the number of multirole aircraft that the Finnish Air Force needs to acquire.
Underlying nepotism? Military tank factory becomes part of Turkish-Qatari venture –
Amid a political controversy over allegations of nepotism, Turkey’s top tank factory has been transferred to a Turkish-Qatari private venture.
Poland acquires Black Hawks after canceled helo deal –
Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak has signed a deal to acquire four S-70i Black Hawk helos from Lockheed Martin’s offshoot Sikorsky. Under the plan, the copters will be supplied to Poland’s special forces.
General Atomics to arm UK’s future drones with detect-and-avoid capability to prevent collisions –
The Royal Air Force struck a deal with General Atomics to fit critical detect-and-avoid technology to the fleet of Protector RG Mk1 remotely piloted air vehicles being developed to replace the United Kingdom’s Reaper fleet.
Defense
Pentagon’s Iron Dome buy raises questions on U.S. troop protection –
The Pentagon’s decision to acquire Israel’s U.S.-funded Iron Dome system to defend American troops is raising questions from military experts about whether the missile defense batteries can handle emerging threats from Russia and China.
How the Pentagon’s fear of risk is stifling innovation –
To Trae Stephens, a partner at the Silicon Valley venture capital firm Founders Fund and the chairman of tech company Anduril Industries, risk-averse leaders at the Pentagon — for sticking to their “go slow” approach — are like “dumb gamblers.”
Without a clearer ethics policy, U.S. could lose the military tech battle with China –
Nearly three decades after the Cold War ended, a new strategy of containment is underway at the Pentagon.
What the Pentagon could learn from unicorns –
The promise of Silicon Valley is built on unicorns — startup companies valued at more than $1 billion. They’re rare.
Cultural divide: Can Pentagon crack Silicon Valley? –
Last April, more than 3,000 Google employees took the extraordinary step of issuing an open letter to company leadership, demanding that the tech giant cease working on the Pentagon’s Project Maven machine-learning program.
For tech all-stars, working at the Pentagon can be a career killer –
The Department of Defense has a talent management problem. The Pentagon is struggling to attract and retain talent for technology-centric jobs related to artificial intelligence, coding and software development.
‘It wasn’t a fun place to work’: DOD’s cultural hurdles in attracting tech talent –
The Pentagon has received poor marks from external observers for its apparent inability to court and attract the talent it needs to compete in a 21st century world against sophisticated nation-states and militant organizations.
House panel takes aim at legal roadblock to military malpractice lawsuits –
A key House Democrat is targeting legislative fixes to the Feres Doctrine as a top priority this session, taking aim at the legal precedent critics say unfairly blocks troops from suing the military for medical malpractice, supervisor negligence and a host of other on-duty mistakes.
Transgender military personnel in limbo over Trump plan –
Long term, lawyers and activists battling to ensure that transgender people can serve openly in the U.S. military are convinced they will prevail. Short term, they are braced for anguishing consequences if the Trump administration proceeds with its plan to sharply restrict such service.
Military recruits getting Made-in-the-USA athletic trainers –
Thanks to congressional intervention, military recruits are going be outfitted in Made-in-the-USA goods right down to their sneakers used for physical fitness training.
How Pentagon has saved $4.7 billion in the past 2 years –
The Department of Defense has a reputation for spending extravagantly on big-budget programs, but an ongoing effort to cut costs and increase efficiency has led to $4.7 billion saved over the last two years.
U.S. Air Force receives new KC-46 aircraft, an event decades in the making –
On the chilly morning of Jan. 25, just as the sun was beginning to rise, two KC-46 refueling tankers took off from Boeing’s Everett, Wash., delivery center and began flying toward McConnell Air Force Base in Kansas. Later that day, it touched down, to cheers from airmen assigned to the base’s 22nd Air Refueling Wing.
Air Force secretary confirms key KC-46 milestone won’t occur until 2020 –
After about two years of delays, the Air Force on Jan. 25 will finally take hold of its first two KC-46 tankers, with many more at Boeing’s production facility ready to go.
Veterans
Millions of GI Bill dollars are going to questionable schools — and it could soon be billions: VA watchdog –
Millions of dollars have gone toward educating student veterans at ineligible, delinquent schools, due to inadequate oversight by state-based agencies in charge of approving school programs for GI Bill funds, a recent audit by the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General found.
Three WWII veterans honored with France’s most distinguished medal –
Three St. Louis-area World War II veterans in their 90s who played roles in liberating France from Nazi occupation have been given France’s Legion of Honor.