News
China may have surpassed US in number of nuclear warheads on ICBMs
The U.S. may no longer enjoy a numerical advantage against China in certain elements of its Intercontinental Ballistic Missile program, according to Strategic Command, which oversees the U.S. nuclear arsenal.
As Finland and Sweden wait to join NATO, Turkey extracts concessions
Ankara is holding up expansion of the Western alliance, and the Biden administration may have to step in to get the deal done.
Biden administration signs off on $425M in arms sales to Taiwan
The Biden administration has approved two separate arms sales to Taiwan worth more than $425 million as China has stepped up its threats and aggression toward the island.
https://thehill.com/policy/defense/3765425-biden-administration-signs-off-on-425m-in-arms-sales-to-taiwan/?utm_source=sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=mil-ebb
Putin says Ukraine fight is taking longer than expected
Russian troops invaded Ukraine more than nine months ago.
Russian ally Belarus sparks fears it could join Ukraine war as it moves troops
Belarus, a loyal Russian ally on Ukraine’s northern border, announced Dec. 7 that it would be moving troops inside the country in a counterterror exercise that some feared could be a mobilization for actual war.
Business
Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Oracle picked for $9B JEDI successor
The U.S. Department of Defense picked Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Oracle for a consequential cloud computing deal worth as much as $9 billion, more than one year after it abandoned a similar effort known as JEDI.
All-domain command and control – where does it stand?
The military envisions a future of all armed forces under a single operational umbrella, but how close is it to a reality, and can it be achieved?
F-35 production continues after COVID slowdown
Defense News Air Warfare reporter Stephen Losey delivers updates from his visit to the F-35 production facility in Fort Worth, Texas.
Aerojet Rocketdyne struggling to deliver rocket motors, Raytheon CEO says
The charge comes after the Aerojet CEO questioned whether Raytheon has problems of its own.
US State Dept. clears sale of Abrams tanks to Poland
The U.S. State Dept. cleared a possible sale of M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks to Poland, according to a Dec. 6 announcement by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency.
Britain ramps up anti-tank weapon production to refill stocks
Britain is rebuilding its tank-killing missile stocks with an order replacing thousands of NLAW next generation light anti-tank weapons donated to the defense of the Ukraine.
Defense
Congress approves A-10 retirements, more F-35s in defense bill
The compromise National Defense Authorization Act released by lawmakers Dec. 6 would grant the Air Force’s long-awaited wish to start retiring the A-10 Warthog.
Pentagon worries repealing COVID vaccine mandate will affect readiness
Pentagon leaders on Dec. 7 voiced continued support for their decision to mandate the COVID-19 vaccine for service members in the face of a proposed law that would force the Defense Department to repeal the policy.
Air Force ‘building the airplane as we fly it’ on new operational concepts, wing commander says
The Air Force is still working out the kinks of its new operational concepts, Col. Ernesto M. DiVittorio, commander of the 366th Fighter Wing at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, said during an AFA Warfighters in Action event Dec. 7.
Veterans
Decades later, after the Navy solved identification mysteries, veterans’ remains come home from Pearl Harbor
In a cemetery amid the cornfields of downstate Illinois last month, a military honor guard fired shots in salute before the remains of World War II veteran Keith Tipsword was lowered into the ground.
VA staffing up to deal with backlog of vets seeking toxin exposure treatment
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) will be adding staff to keep up with claims made by veterans through a recently passed bill to expand benefits for veterans exposed to toxins during their military service.
https://thehill.com/policy/3766011-va-staffing-up-to-deal-with-backlog-of-vets-seeking-toxin-exposure-treatment/?utm_source=sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=mil-ebb
