News
Over Obama’s objection, Congress agrees on a bigger military pay raise, more troops –
Military personnel would see a 2.1 percent pay raise starting in January and a significant manpower boost within the Army, Air Force and Marine Corps as part of Congress’ annual defense spending bill unveiled Nov. 29.
Business
Report urges industry diversification in U.K. shipbuilding projects –
The U.K. government could use the new Type 31 frigate program to boost national shipbuilding capabilities and end BAE Systems’ monopoly on the construction of surface warships here, said a report into the future of the industry released Nov 29.
Trade body says Boeing was offered illegal tax breaks in U.S. –
U.S. plane maker Boeing received major illegal tax breaks from Washington State, a world trade body ruled Nov. 28, adding that the federal government should now take action to end that support within months.
U.S. Navy’s new super stealth destroyer is getting ready for combat –
One of the biggest question marks remaining for the DDG 1000 USS Zumwalt is whether its radar and missile systems will work as redesigned — and radar manufacturer Raytheon is wasting no time in making sure its sensor meets U.S Navy needs.
KC-Y competition still under consideration as Air Force works to define future tanker fleet –
Not so fast, defense industry. A KC-Y competition could still be on the table.
Airbus outlines plan to cut more than 1,000 jobs –
Airbus plans to shed 1,164 management jobs in a bid to streamline and boost its competitiveness, the aerospace and defense company said recently.
Interview: President of Croatia Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic –
Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, Croatia’s president, spoke on an all-female panel on the necessity of NATO at the Halifax National Security Forum flanked by Rose Gottemoeller, NATO’s deputy secretary general, and Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, the vice prime minister of Ukraine for European and Euro-Atlantic integration.
Poland awards anti-aircraft defense contract –
The Polish Ministry of Defence has awarded a deal for the supply of short-range anti-aircraft defense systems to a consortium led by the country’s state-run defense giant PGZ.
Interview: Jayant Damodar Patil, senior VP for Defense and Aerospace, Larsen & Tourbo –
India’s largest private sector engineering conglomerate, worth $16 billion, with 5 percent of its revenue coming from defense deals, aims to triple its defense business over the next five years.
Local violence boosts Turkish armor market –
More than 10,000 Turkish security personnel, civilians and Kurdish rebels, mostly militants from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), have lost their lives since clashes resumed in July 2015 after a three-year ceasefire, forcing Ankara to spend more on various types of armored vehicles.
Black Box hired to improve Camp Lejeune’s telecommunications –
Black Box Corporation has been awarded a $17.9 million Marine Corps contract to improve telecommunications at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Defense
NDAA adds manpower, but not proposed jets, ships –
U.S. House and Senate conferees finalized a $618.7 billion defense policy bill that strips added jets and ships, but boosts military manpower above President Obama’s budget.
Pentagon’s top acquisition job gone, reshaped in defense policy bill –
A Senate staff member says that the post will continue through 2017, according to language in the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act, but the position disappears and is split into pieces in February 2018.
Compromise NDAA language invests in more troops, scales back procurement of ships, aircraft –
Congressional aides said money was reallocated within the base budget, keeping within the Bipartisan Budget Agreement spending caps, to increase funding for aviation spares and maintenance to help boost aviation readiness.
It’s been a topsy-turvy few weeks for the F-35 program –
For years, the $400 billion F-35 program was one of the Pentagon’s most troubled. After cost overruns and delays, it has been more stable in the past few years. But drama is inherent in such a high-stakes procurement that involves three of the Pentagon’s military services, several international partners and the world’s largest defense contractor.
For inspiration, Army boldly goes to science fiction –
The Mad Scientist Initiative seeks input from groups outside the military and defense industry on how evolving trends will shape the Army’s ability to win future wars and defend the country.
For first time ever, F-35B takes-off at sea with full weapons load, drops live-bombs –
The aircraft flew from the Navy’s first America-Class Amphibious Assault Ship, the USS America, to Yuma Proving Grounds, Ariz., where it dropped live precision guided weapons on mock targets in the desert.
F-22 Raptor is world’s best fighter (and it has secret weapon that is out in open) –
With Russia and China deploying advanced new fighters and surface-to-air missiles, the task of gaining and maintaining air superiority over an increasingly more lethal battlespace falls to a small and elite group of U.S. Air Force pilots flying the mighty Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor.
U.S. Air Force tackles repair to F-22 stealth coating –
Just two years after the U.S. Air Force’s F-22 stealth fighter made its combat debut in the skies above Syria, maintainers are tackling an issue with the fleet’s stealth coating that, if left untreated, could cause the radar-evading material to peel off the aircraft.
Air Force has too few fighter squadrons to meet commanders’ needs –
When Iraqi troops began the operation to retake Mosul last month, fighter pilots in America’s F-22 Raptor jets struck the first Islamic State targets there. But that kind of operation may be in jeopardy.
Air Force not able to fly enough flights to train pilots –
As the U.S. military continues to rely heavily on air power in its combat missions abroad, a shortage of maintainers needed to keep Air Force planes flying is preventing the force from completing its training mission.
A glimpse at how F-35 will help Marines storm the beach –
In a California demonstration, the short-takeoff fighters escorted troop-carrying V-22s into simulated hostile territory.
Veterans
VA offers screening to vets due to questionable dental care –
Tomah, Wisc., VA acting medical director Victoria Brahm said Nov. 29 592 veterans that received care from the dentist can receive free screenings for Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV.
Advocates want Obama, Trump to pardon “bad paper” dismissals –
Military veterans advocates are urging President Barack Obama and President-elect Donald Trump to pardon tens of thousands of post-9/11 service members who were discharged for infractions related to mental health.
Report: VA home loan use tripled after the mortgage crisis –
Home loans through the Department of Veterans Affairs more than tripled in the wake of the 2007-2009 mortgage crisis, providing a critical line of lending credit to tens of thousands of veterans trying to buy a house, according to a report released Nov. 29.