News
U.S. troops wounded in apparent insider attack in Afghanistan –
Three U.S soldiers were wounded March 19 in an apparent insider attack at an Afghan military base in Helmand province.
China to disband over a quarter of its army corps, sources say –
China will disband five of the PLA’s 18 army corps, according to military sources, as part of a huge overhaul initiated by President Xi Jinping aimed at turning the world’s biggest army into a more nimble and modern fighting force.
Business
Raytheon to support radars aboard two Navy ships –
Raytheon has been awarded a contract for radars aboard two Navy ships.
Raytheon gets billion dollar Qatar radar contract –
Raytheon has been awarded a $1.1 billion contract to build an early warning radar system for Qatar.
Leonardo CEO Moretti out, replaced by Italian banking exec –
The Italian government on Saturday named a veteran Italian banker, Alessandro Profumo, to run state controlled defense group Leonardo, replacing CEO Mauro Moretti who had finished his three year mandate.
Army pleads for industry to halt filing contract award protests on ‘autopilot’ –
High-ranking U.S. Army officials pleaded for industry to halt filing protests on a nearly automatic basis over contract awards at the Association of the U.S. Army’s Global Force Symposium this week.
Boeing receives $3.2 billion U.S. Army contract for Apache sales to Saudi Arabia –
Boeing has been awarded a $3.2 billion contract from the U.S. Army to sell Apache helicopters to Saudi Arabia, according the Defense Department.
Taiwan says their missiles can reach mainland China –
Taiwan has publicly claimed it’s capable of launching missiles that will hit mainland China, confirmed Minister of National Defense Feng Shih-kuan when asked by a lawmaker.
Malaysian defense: Budget hinders military asset procurement –
Malaysia’s military continues to struggle to implement plans to recapitalize its assets, as the government’s budget is battered by slow economic growth mainly due to falling oil revenues.
United Kingdom to replenish Hellfire stock –
The United Kingdom is to replenish its stock of Lockheed Martin AGM-114 Hellfire II air-to-surface missiles at a cost of $150 million.
Russia to float out 4th Borey-class submarine in second quarter of 2017 –
The fourth Borey-class strategic submarine will be floated out in the second quarter of this year, Vice-President for Warship Construction of Russia’s United Ship-Building Corporation Igor Ponomaryov said March 17.
Russian submarines receive state-of-the-art torpedoes –
Russian submarines have received new torpedoes with improved operational characteristics, Navy Combat Training Chief Rear Admiral Viktor Kochemazov said in an interview with Krasnaya Zvezda daily March 17.
Boeing might be biggest winner in Trump’s military buildup –
The Chicago aerospace company leads more than a half-dozen contractors whose programs stand to get 9- or 10-figure boosts if the president’s budget proposal becomes law.
Florida firm pushing sales of its American-made AK-47 –
Just down the road from a Krispy Krunchy fried chicken store, in a nondescript east coast business park in Florida, a 60,000-square-foot factory produces about 2,500 AK-47 rifles a month.
Defense
Pentagon tells its employees not to stream March Madness basketball games –
The Pentagon sent out an email to its employees urging staff not to stream March Madness college tournament basketball games on its computers.
Cotton urges Pentagon to ditch troop caps in Syria –
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., urged the Trump administration to follow through on its plan to scrap troop cap numbers in Iraq and Syria, as the Pentagon looks to boost America’s presence in northern Syria in the coming weeks.
Lawmakers fear infiltration of defense supply chain –
Lawmakers are worried about the vulnerabilities of the Defense Department’s supply chain and the risk of adversaries inserting malicious material into Pentagon weapons systems.
White House doubts climate change. Here’s why the Pentagon does not –
The contentious debate over climate change is entering a new phase, with skeptics in the Trump administration poised to roll back regulations governing everything from clean-water standards to fracking — convinced that doing so will boost the U.S. economy. But the Pentagon views the issue differently.
For the Army, drone and counter-drone ops go ‘hand in hand’ –
In a first-of-its-kind multi-domain training lane at Fort Riley, Kansas, the Army is beginning to train and integrate small unmanned aerial system operators alongside counter-UAS operations.
Back to Europe: U.S. Army is sending more troops, tanks and helicopters to deter Russia –
Three years ago, the Army rolled its tanks out of Europe after decades of post-World War II and Cold War presence. But that didn’t last long.
Maintainer mistakes on JSTARS caused water-damaged electrical systems –
An E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack System aircraft suffered water damage to its radar antenna and other electrical systems after Northrop Grumman contract maintainers forgot to open up drain holes, according to an investigation report released March 17.
Coolant leak caused Predator crash in 2015 –
A pinhole leak in a coolant supply line caused an MQ-1B Predator to crash Oct. 19, 2015, while supporting the war against the Islamic State, according to an accident investigation board report released by Air Combat Command March 17.
While Trump talks tough, U.S. quietly cutting nuclear force –
The Air Force is quietly shrinking its deployed force of land-based nuclear missiles as part of a holdover Obama administration plan to comply with an arms control treaty with Russia. The reductions are nearing completion despite President Donald Trump’s argument that the treaty gives Moscow an unfair advantage in nuclear firepower.
Veterans
Trump meets with veteran leaders, promises VA reforms –
President Trump held his first face-to-face meeting with representatives from prominent veterans groups March 17, a step that community advocates called a productive and critical step in advancing the White House’s promises to veterans.