News:

‘Jihadi John:’ U.S. air strike targets Islamic State militant in Syria –
U.S. forces have carried out an air strike targeting the Islamic State group militant “Jihadi John,” with a “high degree of certainty” he was hit. Prime Minister David Cameron said if the strike had been successful, killing Mohammed Emwazi was “the right thing to do.”

Defense Secretary Ash Carter fires senior 3-star military assistant –
The three-star general who has been serving as the senior military assistant to Defense Secretary Ash Carter was abruptly fired Thursday amid allegations of misconduct.

U.S. bombers flew near China-built island in South China Sea –
Two U.S. B52 strategic bombers flew near artificial Chinese-built islands in the South China Sea this week and were contacted by Chinese ground controllers but continued their mission undeterred, the Pentagon said Nov. 12.

Business:

BAE curtailing Typhoon production –
BAE Systems is halving Typhoon combat jet production in order to keep assembly lines working beyond 2018 when delivery of current orders come to an end, the company said in a trading update issued Nov 12.

Textron Systems CEO: Border concerns open Gulf sales potential –
Textron Systems believes there are “hundreds” of wheeled vehicle sale opportunities in the Arabian Gulf that could be worth $400 million to $500 million, according to CEO Ellen Lord — the result of a growing regional focus on border security.

Israeli executives warn of industrial crisis –
Citing a dangerous 40 percent drop in anticipated exports this year, Israeli defense industry leaders are exhorting the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to boost domestic defense spending or suffer the consequences of eroded competitiveness and possible layoffs.

India to boost LCA order; AF questions its capabilities –
The Indian government has decided to increase orders for its homegrown Light Combat Aircraft, called Tejas, from 20 to 120, but Air Force officials question the plane’s capabilities, and the scheduled arrival of a more advanced model remains murky.

Leidos wins $662 million airborne sensor contract –
Leidos has been awarded a $661.8 million contract to design an airborne sensor system.

CACI awarded Army C4ISR software contract –
CACI has been awarded a three-year, $25 million contract to provide C4ISR software for the Army Communications-Electronics Command’s Software Engineering Center.

Oshkosh brings next generation of vehicles at Dubai Air Show –
“Due to Oshkosh’s growing presence in the region and in the UAE it was very important for us to participate in Dubai Airshow.”

JF Thunder gets order at Dubai Air Show –
The JF-17 Thunder, a fourth-generation fighter jet co-developed by China and Pakistan, has bagged its first sale at the Dubai Air Show, Express News reported.

BAE Systems to cut another 200 jobs at Williamstown shipyard –
Shipbuilder BAE Systems will cut another 200 jobs from its Melbourne shipyard by the end of the year.

China picks top offshore shipbuilders –
The Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has selected seven shipyards for its offshore “white list,” which follows a similar list of conventional shipyards announced in 2014.

Northrop’s long-range U.S. bomber work paused after protest –
Work on a recently awarded long-range strike bomber contract to Northrop Grumman has been paused after rivals Boeing and Lockheed Martin protested against the selection process, the U.S. Air Force said. Air Force spokesman Major Robert Leese said the order to stop work was issued after a formal protest was filed Nov. 6.

French military to buy U.S. Lockheed Martin C-130 transport aircraft –
The United States has given the go-ahead for its ally France to buy four Lockheed Martin C-130J military aircraft, a rival to the French-built Airbus A400M.

Raytheon partners with Saudi electronics company, eyes civil orders –
Raytheon plans to partner with a Saudi electronics firm to grow its presence in the Gulf, part of a push to expand global commercial sales, its international chief executive said this week.

Raytheon pushes legacy munitions and new ‘Franken-missile’ –
Raytheon Missile Systems came to the Dubai Air Show this week armed with a small mix of tried-and-true munitions for Gulf customers including the Paveway laser-guidance assembly and Joint Stand-Off Weapon, plus a new anti-air “Franken-missile” aimed at current AIM-120C7 AMRAAM customers.

Defense:

Pentagon spending divides deficit, defense hawks in GOP 2016 presidential campaign –
Republican presidential candidates agree that Islamic extremists are running rampant, the Mideast is on fire and Russia, China and Iran are flexing their muscles, yet they are far from reaching consensus on how much is enough when it comes to spending on defense.

Navy, industry working through DDG-51 Flight III detail design –
The Navy and two shipbuilders are moving forward with the Flight III upgrade to the Arleigh Burke guided missile destroyers (DDG-51), which adds an air and missile defense radar to the ship class starting this fiscal year.

F-15Es arrive in Turkey to attack Islamic State group –
Six F-15Es arrived Thursday at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, to take part in airstrikes against the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq, according to U.S. Air Forces in Europe.

Veterans:

Capt. Flo Groberg receives Medal of Honor: ‘On his very worst day… he showed guts’ –
Retired Capt. Florent A. Groberg Nov. 12 became the nation’s newest Medal of Honor recipient — and the 10th living service member to be recognized with America’s highest valor award for actions in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Gulf War memorial project quietly advances –
As veterans of the recent Iraq War begin the push for a memorial to their sacrifices, veterans from the 1991 Persian Gulf War are reminding Americans that 25 years later, they still don’t have one.

Tests, treatments for brain injury and PTSD to be focus of new nonprofit –
A new nonprofit organization is seeking to cut the time it takes for brain injury and post-traumatic stress research to transform into treatments for those life-altering conditions.

Veterans Affairs officials bungle building, get bonuses –
USA Today has uncovered that the Department of Veterans Affairs gave out millions of tax-payer dollars in performance bonuses to officials involved in a VA hospital project in Aurora, Colo.

GAO reports veteran aid programs at VA still need improving –
The GI Bill Congress passed to aid vets returning from the war on terror has helped, but the programs have too many strings attached and aren’t well known enough to make a big difference, the chief federal watchdog said Nov. 12.

Space:

Could ‘Super Hubble’ find alien life? –
Work has begun on a giant telescope, 10 times sharper than Hubble, that could help astronomers find alien life on distant planets.

The ‘lighthouse’ from another galaxy –
An extremely bright pulsar radiating gamma rays has been spotted in a galaxy beyond the Milky Way for the first time.

International:

Chinese scientists unveil new stealth material breakthrough –
A group of scientists from China have created a stealth material that could make future fighter jets very difficult to detect by some of today’s most cutting edge anti-stealth radar.

Germany announces plan to increase troops deployed to Afghanistan –
The German government has announced it intends to send more troops to assist with the fight in Afghanistan. The move comes as instability in the region has led to increasing numbers of people seeking refuge in Europe.

NATO to deepen Nordic presence through Sweden, Finland –
Nordic governments have welcomed NATO’s intention to strengthen its military presence in the Nordic-Baltic region through closer cooperation with non-aligned partners Sweden and Finland.