News

Pentagon in open brawl over spending priorities –
Secretary of Defense Ash Carter is facing an open revolt in his own ranks.
 
U.S. military changes how it discloses civilian casualties in Iraq and Syria –
As the U.S. military prepares to expand its operations against the Islamic State militant group in Iraq and Syria, it has altered how and when it discloses sensitive information about when it kills civilians with airstrikes.
 
 

Business

Lockheed to pair IS&GS business with Leidos –
Lockheed Martin is shedding its Information Systems & Global Solutions businesses, combining them with Leidos via a Reverse Morris Trust, the companies announced Jan. 26.
 
Raytheon’s Coyote UAS to fly into hurricanes for NOAA –
Raytheon’s Coyote unmanned aircraft system will be flying into hurricanes.
 
U.S. participates in Bahrain air show –
The Bahrain International Airshow drew more exhibitors and visitors and resulted in more orders than the 2014 show, officials said after the three-day event concluded.
 
Bell mounts AH-1Z sales offensive in Bahrain –
Bell Helicopter used the Bahrain International Airshow to promote the capabilities of its AH-1Z to the nation’s military, which already operates the manufacturer’s legacy Cobra attack rotorcraft.
 
U.S. Air Force, Marine Corps F-35s To Appear at UK Air Shows –
The U.S. Air Force plans to send a pair of Lockheed Martin F-35As to two air shows in the United Kingdom this summer, the service confirmed Tuesday to Defense News.
 
Report: Miniature EO/IR systems coming soon –
Miniaturized electro-optical/infrared systems are on the way, according to a report by consultancy firm Frost & Sullivan.
 
Poland issues fresh threats over H225M order –
Poland’s defense ministry has issued fresh threats to cancel a tentative deal with Airbus Helicopters for the supply of 50 H225M Caracal multi-role helicopters.
 
Otokar submits bid for Turkey’s indigenous tank –
The Turkish company that designed and produced prototypes for what will become Turkey’s first indigenous new generation battle tank, the Altay, said it submitted a bid to the Ankara government for the tank’s serial production.
 
Bahrain considering F-16V order, fleet upgrade –
Bahrain is nearing a decision on whether to launch a major program to modernize its Lockheed Martin F-16s and acquire an additional batch in an advanced V-model configuration.
 
IDF considers rotary-wing UAVs for battalion-level ops –
Feedback from an infantryman has led to the Israel Defense Forces including rotary-wing unmanned air vehicles in its search for a new battalion-level system.
 
 

Defense

U.S. admiral warns of China’s, Russia’s growing space weapons arsenal –
In a speech, the head of U.S. Strategic Command also warned of China’s long-range precision strike weapons program.
 
Russian aggression a top concern in U.S. European Command’s new military strategy –
The U.S. European Command issued an “updated theater strategy” document Jan. 26, pointing to Russian aggression as a top concern and warning that the U.S. troop drawdowns of the past 25 years put the region’s stability at risk.
 
U.S. was supposed to leave Afghanistan by 2017. Now it might take decades –
Top U.S. military commanders, who only a few months ago were planning to pull the last American troops out of Afghanistan by year’s end, are now quietly talking about an American commitment that could keep thousands of troops in the country for decades.
 
Eric Fanning’s Army secretary nomination still firmly blocked –
After a smooth and overall positive hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Eric Fanning’s confirmation to be the next Army secretary still is not guaranteed.
 
Navy hopes landing tweaks will increase Osprey cargo capacity –
The Navy is tweaking takeoff and landing procedures to increase the cargo load of its helicopter of the future — the tilt-rotor V-22 Osprey.
 
Davis-Monthan AFB too loud, busy, residents claim in lawsuit –
A few residents living near Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., want the Air Force to reinvestigate whether more military flights are harming their health.
 
Raytheon, Northrop to receive JSTARS radar contracts –
The U.S. air force is poised to award sole-source contracts to Raytheon and Northrop Grumman for further development of their competing active electronically scanned array radars as part of its Northrop Grumman E-8C JSTARS recapitalisation effort.
 
 

Veterans

New veterans ID cards won’t be available until 2017 –
Congress passed legislation for a new veterans ID card last summer, but it will likely be another year before any are issued.
 
Wounded Warrior Project accused of wasting donation money –
A CBS News investigation into a charity for wounded veterans, the Wounded Warrior Project, looks into how the charity spends its donation money.
 
Former VA executives appeal to have demotions overturned again –
Two former senior executives with the Veterans Affairs Department who were demoted after allegedly abusing their positions to get plum job assignments have appealed the decision — again.
 
World War I Centennial Commission selects design for D.C. memorial –
The World War I Centennial Commission has selected a final design for a memorial to the Great War in Washington, D.C., that will feature an open plaza of bas-relief panels, freestanding sculptures and green space that its architect says exalts “humanity and the human spirit over the glorification of war.”
 
Republican proposes select panel on prisoners of war –
Freshman Rep. Mark Walker, R-N.C., has introduced a measure to create a select committee for investigating unresolved cases of missing soldiers and prisoners of war.