News
Pentagon says Iran killed 603 U.S. troops during the Iraq War –
Iran is responsible for the deaths of more than 600 U.S. service members in Iraq from 2003 until 2011, according to a Pentagon report provided to the State Department.
NATO chief faces alliance’s fractures and foes in address to Congress –
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg used an unprecedented address to Congress April 3 to acknowledge strains in the pact and to add pressure on Russia to return to compliance with the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty.
Top Marine general let emails leak amid border funding fight so service families would not be forgotten: sources –
The Marines’ top general allowed internal memos to leak out of the Pentagon to bring attention to service families living among hurricane-ravaged military installations as the Trump administration tries to bankroll the southwest border with defense funds at the expense of combat readiness.
Trump may ‘take care’ of F-35, S-400 issue, Turkish official claims –
Standing on a 360-degree stage, surrounded by NATO members and supporters on the alliance’s 70th birthday, less than two hours before the secretary general is scheduled to make an appearance before a rare joint session of the U.S. Congress, Turkey’s foreign minister planted his flag.
Business
Sailors with Iron Man suits ambushing enemy ships? British defence secretary likes the idea –
With near-peer adversaries racing to stand atop a militarized technological capability mountain, the Royal Navy is looking to one enhancement in particular to give them somewhat of an edge: jet packs.
Turkish foreign minister: Defense deal with Russia ‘done’ despite U.S. threats –
Turkey’s foreign minister on April 3 said that his country will “definitely” go through with buying a Russian air defense system despite U.S. moves to halt Ankara’s participation in the F-35 fighter jet program in response.
Lockheed’s $31 billion Marine helicopters are running 19 months late –
Lockheed Martin’s $31 billion King Stallion helicopter program for the U.S. Marines may miss its first key milestone by more than 19 months because of a growing checklist of flaws discovered in development testing.
Army expects major competition for Bradley Fighting Vehicle replacement –
The deputy commander of Army Futures Command told lawmakers recently that he expects the competition to replace the Bradley Fighting Vehicle to be highly competitive.
Defense
Shanahan’s bid for top Pentagon job on hold –
The White House seems to have cooled on the acting defense secretary, but he might get the post by default.
U.S. military’s oldest joint task force toils in the land of coffee and caravans –
For the frequently rotating cadre of U.S. soldiers and airmen with Joint Task Force-Bravo in Honduras, success can be a tricky thing to measure.
Lithuania is first Baltic nation to sign U.S. defense-cooperation pact –
The United States and Lithuania have signed a defense-cooperation agreement aimed at beefing up bilateral training and information sharing against the backdrop of a resurgent Russia.
U.S. Navy, seeking savings, shakes up its plans for more lethal attack submarines –
The U.S. Navy is shaking up its plan for acquiring a new, much larger and more deadly version of its Virginia-class attack submarine it aims to start buying this year.
U.S. Navy’s new $13 billion supercarriers have a high-tech feature that is apparently driving Trump crazy –
President Donald Trump likes to talk about the US Navy’s new, elite Ford-class aircraft carrier, which he has called a “100,000-ton message to the world,” but there is one frustrating thing he just cannot get over.
Veterans
Veterans education, employment programs could be shifted to a new transition-focused VA office –
Lawmakers are reviving plans to create a new fourth administration within the Department of Veterans Affairs focused on education and employment activities, calling those transition benefits too important to be left buried in other federal bureaucracy.
This California community is a model haven for homeless veterans. Now VA is shutting it down –
For six years, dozens of homeless veterans have recovered from trauma in nine cottages along a winding residential road in Echo Park. The Billets — military jargon for civilian quarters — has been a model.