News
In historic move, U.S. lifts arms sales embargo to Vietnam –
The Obama administration announced May 23 that the United States would fully lift a longstanding U.S. arms sales embargo to Vietnam, a decision that reflects growing concerns about China’s military clout and illustrates the warming bilateral ties between the former enemies.
Business
Airbus wins contract to support British helicopter fleet –
The British Ministry of Defence has announced a near £500 million deal that will see future military rotorcraft training undertaken on a fleet of around 30 Airbus helicopters.
With oil revenue down, commercial firms eye military business –
The companies showed up at a massive naval trade show, ready to work.
At 80, shipyard skipper to step back after Zumwalt trials –
Capt. Earl Walker wasn’t about to retire before seeing the Navy’s futuristic Zumwalt destroyer safely down the Kennebec River to the Atlantic Ocean. The 80-year-old river pilot and sea captain extended his contract at Bath Iron Works to ensure he could pilot the 610-foot warship safely through three sea trials.
New Italian tank to be funded as cash for Freccia vehicle slows –
Italy is set to spend EU 160 million this year for the development of a new wheeled tank, but will skimp on planned funding for a new batch of its armored Freccia vehicles, slowing the Army’s drive toward becoming a lighter-weight, digital fighting force.
Interview: Lorraine Martin, deputy executive vice president, Mission Systems and Training, Lockheed Martin –
An interview with Lorraine Martin, Deputy Executive Vice President, Mission Systems and Training, Lockheed Martin.
Air Force awards foreign ISR aircraft contract –
North American Surveillance Systems has been awarded a $40 million contract to support Cessna 208B ISR aircraft for foreign use.
Defense
Gen. Joseph Votel makes secret visit to Syria –
On a secret trip to Syria, the new commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East said Saturday he felt a moral obligation to enter a war zone to check on his troops and make his own assessment of progress in organizing local Arab and Kurd fighters for what has been a slow campaign to push the Islamic State out of Syria.
Threat from Russian, Chinese warplanes mounts –
Chinese and Russian warplanes have been increasingly aggressive intercepting U.S. military aircraft and patrolling near America’s West Coast, prompting the Air Force’s top combat officer to label their provocations one of his top worries.
U.S. Navy takes ownership of stealth destroyer Zumwalt –
Shipbuilder General Dynamics Bath Iron Works formally delivered the stealth destroyer Zumwalt (DDG 1000) to the U.S. Navy May 20, marking a turnover of ownership from the ship’s status as a private vessel to become a government-owned warship.
Veterans
Does PTSD affect your ability to get life insurance? –
Can you qualify for commercial life insurance if you have PTSD? It depends on each individual’s circumstances, as well as the insurance company’s policies, according to officials at four companies that are among a number that specialize in providing life insurance to the military community.
Space
Scientists can virtually wander around Mars for miles with HoloLens –
A normal commute for most people involves crawling through traffic or crowding onto buses and subway cars. But for researchers involved in OnSight, a mixed reality tool developed jointly by Microsoft and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the daily grind has an interplanetary dimension.