News
Top general wants more soldiers in Europe –
The general nominated to lead U.S. European Command said April 21 the Army should move another combat brigade to Europe to counter Russian aggression and also consider a range of military options that “keep everything on the table.”
Business
Malaysia buys Thales drones for maritime security –
Thales has been awarded a contract to provide maritime UAVs to Malaysia.
Lockheed Martin to let go roughly 200 more IT workers –
Six months after it let go 500 employees, Lockheed Martin is shedding about 200 additional jobs as it prepares to separate and merge its IT services business with Leidos, according to a company spokesman.
As Pentagon dawdles, Silicon Valley sells its newest tech abroad –
A trio of tech CEOs say red tape and onerous requirements are undermining Ash Carter’s outreach efforts.
Sikorsky CH-53Es need readiness reset as USMC await King Stallion –
The U.S. Marine Corps is pressing forward with a fleet-wide maintenance reset of the Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion as it awaits delivery of the CH-53K King Stallion replacement, which has flown for the first time with an external load.
Engility wins new award for continued support of defense agency –
The U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency’s Research and Development Directorate is to receive engineering and technical assistance from Engility Holdings Inc.
Defense
Facing election fight, Forbes pushes F-22 revival –
Facing a competitive election battle in a new district, U.S. Rep. Randy Forbes is leading a popular, if improbable, charge to restart production of Lockheed Martin’s F-22 stealth fighter jet.
Thornberry cuts war budget to force supplemental –
The House’s 2017 defense policy bill will hew to the Pentagon top line of last year’s bipartisan budget agreement, but takes a major gamble by using $18 billion from the wartime budget for base budget needs and forcing a war budget increase on the next presidential administration.
Armed Services chairman defends defense bill’s spending levels –
The Republican chairman of the House Armed Services Committee said on Thursday that sticking with the same spending amount in his annual defense policy bill as the president requested is the best chance for the measure to be signed into law.
House Armed Services Committee markup will restore 11 F-35s –
The House Armed Services Committee in its markup of the upcoming defense policy bill will likely restore the 11 F-35 joint strike fighters the military services were forced to cut from their latest budget requests, according to a congressional source.
Lawmakers protest sole-source Huey replacement –
As the U.S. Air Force looks to replace the aging Huey helicopters that guard the nation’s nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missiles, a group of lawmakers is protesting the service’s plan to sole-source the contract to one manufacturer.
Thornberry: Protesting Pentagon contract awards could come with a price –
The Pentagon’s process to protest contract awards could be revised to include extra costs during next week’s all-night debate on the defense policy bill, according to Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas.
Pentagon says replacing Russian engines would cost extra $1 billion –
Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Logistics Frank Kendall said that the U.S. armed forces will need to buy Russian RD-180 engines for Atlas rocket boosters to send satellites into space for at least another five years. The U.S. armed forces will need to buy Russian RD-180 engines for Atlas rocket boosters to send satellites into space for at least another five years, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Logistics Frank Kendall told a Senate hearing April 20.
New Air Force policy sets roles for cyber offense, defense ops –
A new directive from Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James outlines how the branch will “fully [exploit] the man-made domain of cyberspace to execute, enhance and support Air Force core missions,” including offensive and defensive operations.
The Air Force is getting rid of an iconic helicopter. And there’s a big fight over how to replace it –
The UH-1 Huey has been a mainstay of U.S. wars since its debut in the jungles of Vietnam. Now, the Air Force is looking to retire the venerable aircraft, and lawmakers are fighting over how it will be replaced.
New U.S. Navy ship gets thumbs up after successful sea trials –
A future amphibious transport dock for the U.S. Navy has successfully competed acceptance trials conducted by the Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey.
Navy seeking ‘Family of Systems’ to replace Super Hornets, Growlers; sheds F/A-XX Title –
The Navy’s replacement for its Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fleet may not just be a single aircraft but several systems to fill the strike and air warfare missions in the carrier air-wing.
Milestone trials taking place for new U.S. Navy Zumwalt-class destroyer –
The first-in-class guided missile destroyer for the U.S. Navy has left a shipyard in Maine to perform acceptance trials.
Veterans
DEA approves PTSD marijuana study –
The Drug Enforcement Agency has given its blessing to a study on the effect of medical marijuana on post-traumatic stress disorder, the first randomized, controlled research in the U.S. for PTSD that will use the actual plant instead of oils or synthesized cannabis.
VA secretary ‘confident’ medical wait times are improving –
\Veterans Affairs Secretary Bob McDonald downplayed new concerns this week about wait times at VA hospitals, asserting that access to appointments and veterans’ satisfaction with medical care options have increased dramatically in recent years.