Boeing plans $18.7 million in radar work at Mississippi factory
The U.S. Air Force has given Chicago-based Boeing an $18.7 million change order to an earlier contract to maintain radar systems for the Air Force, the Air National Guard and the Royal Saudi Air Force.
The work is expected be completed by July in Forest, Miss., where Raytheon has a military radar factory that employs about 800 people.
The Defense Department announced the contract Wednesday.
Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins, Ga., is overseeing the work. AP
More aggressive U.S. strikes in Somalia said to risk civilians
Experts say President Donald Trump’s approval of greater U.S. military authority to pursue al Qaeda-linked extremists in Somalia will put civilians at further risk, especially as drought displaces thousands of people in areas that now will be considered a war zone.
Trump has approved a Pentagon request to allow more aggressive airstrikes against al-Shabab as parts of southern Somalia will be considered areas of active hostilities.
U.S. special operations forces can move closer to the fight and call in offensive airstrikes more quickly. American forces also can increase assistance to the Somali National Army.
Human Rights Watch says some in long-chaotic Somalia could use these developments to spread misinformation and that the U.S. must use “utmost caution” before deciding to strike.
Somalia’s government has not yet commented on Trump’s decision. AP
Canadian troops operate in east Mosul as mission extended
Canada will extend its current military contribution to the fight against the Islamic State group in Iraq until June 30.
Defense Minister Harjit S. Sajjan said March 31 that the three-month extension will enable the government to assess the evolving nature of the fight and Canada’s contributions as a coalition partner. Canada’s mission was to wrap up at the end of March.
The minister says the Canadian military recently has been operating in eastern Mosul, providing advice and assistance to the Iraqi Security Forces. The nearly 200 members of the Canadian special forces in northern Iraq are helping the military there free the city’s western half.
Canada previously had largely avoided Mosul, working instead with Kurdish forces to the north and east.
Weeks of bloody fighting have failed to dislodge IS. AP
Russian submarines match Cold War-era patrol intensity
Russian submarines have increased combat patrols to the level last seen during the Cold War, the navy chief said March 31.
Adm. Vladimir Korolyov said that Russian submarine crews spent more than 3,000 days on patrol last year, matching the Soviet-era operational tempo.
“It’s an excellent level,” he said in remarks carried by state RIA Novosti news agency.
The Russian military had fallen on hard times after the 1991 Soviet collapse when it was forced to scrap many relatively new ships and keep most others at harbor for lack of funds. The military has revived its strength thanks to a sweeping arms modernization program amid tensions with the West over Ukraine.
Korolyov spoke after attending the launch of a new Yasen-class nuclear-powered attack submarine called the Kazan. He hailed the new ship as the most modern in the world, emphasizing its low noise level making it hard to track it.
“It represents the cutting edge of nuclear submarine design,” Korolyov said in televised remarks.
The navy plans to commission seven Yasen-class submarines that are armed with torpedoes and long-range Kalibr cruise missiles, which for the first time have been tested in combat during the Russian campaign in Syria. AP
Russian long-range bombers used in war games in Tajikistan
The Russian military says its long-range bombers have practiced hitting targets in Tajikistan during joint drills with the Central Asian nation.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said Tu-95 and Tu-22M3 bombers have flown missions to strike a “terrorist camp” in Tajik mountains as part of the four-day war games that ended March 30.
Tajikistan, an impoverished ex-Soviet nation that borders Afghanistan, hosts a Russian military base and relies on Moscow’s economic assistance.
While Russian and Tajik soldiers have conducted joint maneuvers in the past, the drills this week for the first time involved the long-range bombers in an apparent reflection of Moscow’s concern about possible spread of instability from Afghanistan.
The Defense Ministry said Russian ground attack jets and helicopter gunships were also involved in the exercise. AP