News
Supreme Court to consider reinstating military rape convictions-
The Supreme Court will decide whether to reinstate convictions for rape by a military officer and two enlisted men.
Trump grants clemency to troops in three controversial war crimes cases-
President Donald Trump on Nov. 15 granted clemency to three controversial military figures embroiled in charges of war crimes, arguing the moves will give troops “the confidence to fight” without worrying about potential legal overreach.
Joint exercise with American, South Korean military postponed in ‘act of goodwill’ toward North Korea-
U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Nov. 17 the United States and South Korea have indefinitely postponed a joint military exercise in an “act of goodwill” toward North Korea.
U.S., South Korea resume defense cost-sharing talks amid protests of ‘robbery’-
South Korean and U.S. officials resumed talks on Nov. 18 to narrow a $4 billion gap in how much they want Seoul to pay for the cost of hosting the American military amid public protests of “highway robbery” against sharply increased U.S. demands.
Trump asks Tokyo to quadruple payments for U.S. troops in Japan-
The move is part of the administration’s campaign to get U.S. allies to pay more for defense. South Korea is also being asked to pony up.
Russia establishes helicopter base in Syrian city as US pulls out-
Russian Defence Ministry’s Zvezda station reported Nov. 14 that Russia has established a helicopter base in the northern Syrian city of Qamishli.
Business
Air Force leak of proprietary info not driving Boeing’s ‘no-bid’ decision on GBSD-
The Air Force’s leak of Boeing’s proprietary information to competitor Northrop Grumman was not a major factor in the company’s decision to forgo the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent competition, the head of Boeing’s defense business said on Nov. 16.
U.S. puts F-35 talks with the UAE on the backburner to focus on F-16 upgrades-
The United States is not currently engaged in discussions with the United Arab Emirates on a potential sale of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 joint strike fighter, the Pentagon’s head of acquisition said Nov. 16.
Here’s who will build the Army’s heavy common robot-
The Army has chosen FLIR’s Kobra robot to serve as its heavy version of the Common Robotic System that will be used for explosive ordnance disposal and other heavy-duty jobs.
How Lockheed Martin is trying to link everything on the battlefield-
The Pentagon’s efforts to digitally connect everything on the battlefield is has a big challenge to overcome: getting disparate vehicles and weapons to share data.
Defense
What will the Democratic presidential candidates do for troops, veterans?-
Military Times reached out to the Democratic campaigns in recent weeks with a series of military- and veterans-focused questions that have been overlooked in the broader national election conversation.
Pentagon completed its second audit. What did it find?-
For the second year in a row, the Pentagon has officially failed its audit. And for the second year in a row, that result was expected.
Critics renew push to end military deployment to southern U.S. border-
A group of House Democrats is demanding a new investigation into President Donald Trump’s deployment of troops to the southern U.S. border, calling the situation a forgotten but still problematic scandal for the White House and the military.
Continuing resolution forcing Navy to delay ship maintenance, curtail training-
The Navy is already making hard decisions – curtailing training for air wings not imminently deploying, canceling planned ship maintenance availabilities – as the specter of a full-year continuing resolution looms.
Air Force considers expanding pilot height requirements as it seeks more female aviators-
The Air Force is re-examining, and could broaden, its standard height requirements for becoming a pilot as it seeks to encourage more airmen to pursue aviation careers.