News
Russia, shaken by Ukrainian strike, could step up drone use
Emergency crews on Jan. 3 sifted through the rubble of a building struck by Ukrainian rockets, killing at least 63 Russian soldiers barracked there, in the latest blow to the Kremlin’s war strategy as Ukraine says Moscow’s tactics could be shifting.
Russia’s basic errors jeopardize its Ukraine forces, military analysts say
Cellphone use, storage of ammunition near troops are called indicative of poor discipline.
Ukraine has digitized its fighting forces on a shoestring
Ukraine has achieved a cut-price version of what the Pentagon has spent decades and billions of dollars striving to accomplish: digitally networked fighters, intelligence and weapons.
Push underway in NATO to raise defense spending by members
Some NATO countries want to increase defense spending requirements for members, which would turn a long-standing benchmark into a bare minimum, the alliance’s top official said this week.
Business
Troop carrier replacement production ramping up
To retire the aging M113 armored troop carriers, the Army and BAE Systems are working to accelerate the new Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle production.
Egypt buys 12 Chinook helos from Boeing
The U.S. Army has awarded Boeing a $426 million contract to produce 12 CH-47F Chinooks for the Egyptian Air Force, the company announced Jan. 3.
$30 billion F-35 deal will see prices rise, deliveries dip
The unit cost of F-35 fighters will creep up in a $30 billion, three-lot deal announced Dec. 30, driven by a more sophisticated product, inflation, and lower U.S. sales volume, while annual deliveries will slip.
L3Harris completes $2 billion purchase of Viasat Link 16 assets
L3Harris Technologies completed a $1.96 billion purchase of Viasat’s tactical data link business, an acquisition expected to better position the 10th largest defense contractor to win orders tied to the Pentagon’s Joint All-Domain Command and Control initiative.
GE Aerospace gets hefty Air Force contract for engine work
GE Aerospace is getting an Air Force Life Cycle Management Center contract with a value of up to $203 million for work on new jet engine technologies, the Department of Defense said last week.
Defense
Space Force launches experimental weather satellite
The U.S. Space Force on Jan. 3 launched an experimental weather satellite, part of a push to improve its on-orbit weather forecasting capabilities.
New in 2023: Air Force overhauls how it prepares for the next fight
Airmen are gradually shifting how they prepare for deployment as part of the Air Force’s new “force generation” plan, the adoption of which may hit a key milestone in 2023.
Pentagon should better study risks of swapping older fighter jets for new ones, watchdog finds
The Pentagon needs to do a better job managing the risks of replacing aging fighter jets and should share information with Congress so it can make better spending decisions and avoid gaps in air superiority, a top federal watchdog concluded in a recent report.
First unit fielding Army hypersonic missile in 2023
The Army is planning two additional tests of its hypersonic missile before fielding it to the first unit at by late 2023.
Navy buys 2 ‘Loyal Wingman’ XQ-58A Valkyrie drones for $15.5M
The Navy is buying two stealth unmanned aerial systems — originally developed for the Air Force — that could operate with a manned fighter, as the service pursues the manned-unmanned teaming concept officials say is central to the future of naval aviation.
Veterans
Breaking down the number of veterans in the 118th Congress
When lawmakers formally convene the 118th Congress, they’ll do so with 97 veterans representing 36 states, the most members with military experience since 2015.
