News:
NATO looks at stationing more troops along eastern flank –
NATO countries are discussing increasing the number of troops stationed in members bordering Russia and putting them under formal alliance command, part of a new effort to deter aggression from Moscow, according to diplomats and military officers.
Business:
L-3 Hires Former Lockheed Executive as President, COO –
Former Lockheed Martin executive Christopher E. Kubasik has joined L-3 Communications as president and chief operating officer, the company announced Oct. 28.
Northrop’s Long Range Strike-Bomber: What we still don’t know –
A day after the Pentagon revealed that Northrop Grumman will build the U.S. Air Force’s next-generation Long Range Strike-Bomber, the aerospace industry is still struggling to grasp the full impact of the decision.
NATO looks to AGS to retain AWACS relevance –
The lifespan of NATO’s airborne warning and control system fleet has become increasingly dependent on it being able to operate alongside its new unmanned Alliance Ground Surveillance capability.
Pentagon wants inexpensive, less complex ships –
The Defense Department is placing more emphasis on affordability over capability when it comes to ship procurement, according to a top acquisition official.
Turkey reaches ‘clarity’ in air-defense race –
Turkey’s top procurement official has said that Ankara has reached a “certain clarity” in its pending decision on a multibillion-dollar contract for the construction of the country’s first long-range air and anti-missile defense system.
Israel’s all-inclusive F-35I deal doesn’t grant full tech access –
Despite the Lockheed Martin F-35 program’s “unique relationship with Israel,” the country has not been granted unfettered access to every component on the 33 aircraft it intends to purchase.
Indian Navy helicopter shortfall adversely affecting operations –
The Indian Navy faces a shortfall of more than 250 helicopters, adversely affecting its operational efficiency, senior officials have said.
South Korea manufactures Global Hawk parts –
South Korea has begun producing the first domestically manufactured components for the country’s Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicles.
U.S. Navy poised to expand JHSV’s role in the Asia-Pacific region –
USNS Millinocket (T-EPF 3), one of three U.S. Navy 2,400-tonne aluminum-hulled catamaran transport ships currently operated by the service’s Military Sealift Command, is set to demonstrate a wider range of mission capabilities during its inaugural Western Pacific deployment, according to a senior Navy official.
Anniston Army Depot receives tank upgrade contract –
According to a news release from defense contractor General Dynamics Land Systems, the $358 million contract to upgrade and refurbish 150 M1A1 Abrams tanks will be shared between workers at the depot and the Lima Army Tank Plant in Lima, Ohio. The contract means steady work for the Anniston depot, which has seen budget cuts and layoffs in recent years.
CONOPS required for U.K. F-35 data collection –
Concepts of operation need to be developed so the United Kingdom’s new Lockheed Martin F-35B Joint Strike Fighters can best exploit the large amount of data that it would collect, a Royal Navy representative has claimed.
Flooded by boat people, Malta turns to King Airs –
The island state of Malta has signed a contract for a third King Air B200 maritime patrol aircraft to supplement the two already in service.
Boeing to decide within two weeks whether to protest contract award –
Boeing defense chief Chris Chadwick told staff Oct. 27 that the company would “rigorously deliberate whether to protest” a U.S. Air Force bomber contract awarded to rival Northrop Grumman.
Defense:
Pentagon: ‘We’re in combat’ in Iraq –
American officials appear more ready to acknowledge that the flights over Iraq and Syria are combat operations. Not so when it comes to ground operations, perhaps in keeping with Obama’s own statements.
Lawmakers look for $5 billion defense cut –
The U.S. House and Senate armed services committees are working to identify $5 billion to cut from the defense budget as part of a larger budget pact between Congress and the White House, leaving procurement programs vulnerable to reductions.
Veterans:
Vets still struggle to get mental health care at VA –
Eighteen months after a scandal broke over waiting periods for Veterans Affairs health care, the department is still struggling to manage patients’ schedules, at least in the mental health care arena where some veterans have waited nine months for evaluations, a new government report says.
Pentagon, VA health records systems still far from interoperable –
The Defense and Veterans Affairs departments have made progress creating interoperable electronic health records systems, but their divergent approaches to developing those systems means full compatibility will be a “concern for years to come,” a Government Accountability Office official told Congress Oct. 27.
Space:
Will Russia put man back on the moon? –
Russia is to send a manned mission to the moon in 2020, meaning it may beat the United States in the race to return to the lunar surface.
Rosetta’s ‘most surprising discovery so far’ –
Air surrounding the comet where a European probe landed last year is rich with oxygen, scientists have learned.
