News
Trump wants troops out of Syria, but his generals may resist –
The White House is pushing for a “rapid end” to the mission in Syria, but the Pentagon’s leadership may be a big hurdle to a full withdrawal of American troops, experts on the region say.
New details on Trump’s troop deployments to the Mexican border –
President Donald Trump is ordering U.S. troops to the southern U.S. border, but the move does not appear to be as unusual as the White House first billed it this week.
Business
Netherlands ‘very welcome’ to join European sub program — with a caveat –
The Netherlands would be welcome to join a German-Norwegian submarine acquisition program, even as the door is closing for final design work on the boats, the Norwegian defense ministry said.
Boeing Super Hornet program gets second life through future sales and upgrades –
Boeing is expecting an important delivery this week: the arrival of the first Super Hornet slated to undergo a service life extension at the company’s production line in St. Louis, Mo.
Lawmakers could soon approve Germany’s first armed drone –
Lawmakers in Berlin are due soon to consider once again the deployment of armed drones for the Bundeswehr, a first for a country that has traditionally sought to avoid the spotlight of global military prowess.
State Department gives preemptive OK to selling Slovakia newest F-16s –
The State Department on April 4 approved two major sales of aircraft to foreign militaries, including F-16s for Slovakia and CH-47 helicopters for Spain.
China may be making its fighters more stealthy –
A photo has emerged of China’s J-10 fighter fitted with what is believed to be a thrust vectoring nozzle with stealthy features.
Carrier-based attack drones to enter service with PLA Navy –
The Chinese Navy is testing new drones capable of synchronized operations with military aircraft. The drones – or unmanned aerial vehicles – are tailor-made to ascend and land vertically on destroyers and even aircraft carriers.
BAE delivers Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicles to Army for testing –
BAE Systems has delivered all five variants of its Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle to the U.S. Army for testing. The AMPV is a highly flexible vehicle designed to replace the Vietnam War-era M113 family of vehicles.
Turkey, Russia accelerate S-400 sale –
Following a meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin April 3, the two leaders announced that they had agreed to an expedited delivery of the missiles from Russia. Turkey’s Undersecretary for Defense Industries, Ismail Demir, later confirmed on his Twitter account that the delivery schedule had moved to July 2019, compared with previous delivery estimates of 2020.
Boeing awarded further Japanese E-767 AWACS upgrade contract –
Boeing has been awarded a further $64.8 million contract to upgrade the mission computing system aboard Japan’s fleet of E-767 Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft, the U.S. Department of Defense said on 29 March.
French Army prepares to deploy MMP –
The French Army is preparing for the first operational deployment of its new 140mm caliber digital Missile Moyenne Portée land combat system.
Defense
Marines, Air Force want the Army’s new handgun. Who else is next in line? –
Airmen will soon carry the military’s newest handgun, a 9mm pistol first fielded by the Army, since requested by the Navy and Marines, and soon to be followed by the Coast Guard.
Pentagon says it’s looking at ways to ‘expand’ border duties –
The Pentagon is looking at ways it can fulfill President Donald Trump’s request to have the military guard the U.S.-Mexico border, spokesman Dana White said.
Army shifting to larger-scale exercises on short notice to be less predictable –
The Army is shifting to larger-scale exercises that happen on short-notice in order to be less predictable to possible adversaries, according to Gen. Robert Abrams, the Army’s Forces Command commander.
Navy adds $57 million more to repair damaged destroyer Fitzgerald –
The U.S. Navy is adding another $57 million to what it’s paying a Mississippi shipyard to repair a destroyer damaged in a June collision that killed seven sailors.
Navy confirms plans to send carrier-capable F-35C to Iwakuni by 2021 –
The U.S. Navy plans to deploy its F-35 Joint Strike Fighter variant to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, in roughly the next three years amid reports the C-variant will achieve combat-ready status later than expected.
Is Pentagon dissolving F-35 JPO? –
The Pentagon’s top weapons buyer has ordered a drastic restructuring of the F-35 program office, with the goal of giving the U.S. services more direct ownership of Lockheed Martin’s stealthy fighter.
Air Force Reserve adds 6-month service commitment for pilots,maintainers –
Air Force Reserve pilots, maintainers, space operators and cyber specialists who want to quit the service will have to stay in uniform for at least six months under a plan to address critical skills shortages.
Veterans
Medal of Honor recipient Thomas Hudner buried at Arlington cemetery –
A former U.S. Navy pilot from Massachusetts who received the Medal of Honor for his heroics during the Korean War has been buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Remains of Marine killed in WWII heading home to Oregon –
A case file, about an inch-thick with a black cover, sits on a table in Marie Galloway’s living room, a grim reminder of her 17-year-old brother’s death during World War II. Inside are medical examiner, forensic and DNA reports, along with historical accounts of how he died, what happened to his remains, and how they were identified nearly 75 years later.
ICE is moving to deport a veteran after Mattis assured that would not happen –
Immigration and Customs Enforcement appears to have ignored a directive from Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to prevent the deportation of noncitizen troops and veterans, seeking to remove a Chinese immigrant despite laws that allow veterans with honorable service to naturalize, court filings show.
U.S. is restricting lenders in veterans’ mortgage crackdown –
Two lenders have been punished by a top U.S. mortgage agency amid its concern that they enabled costly rapid refinances of veterans’ home loans.
Combat veteran counselor files complaint over ‘quota’ –
A local Veterans Affairs combat veteran counselor claims he was punished for blowing the whistle on what he calls an unrealistic policy that his formal complaints with the VA state is unfair to counselors and the veterans they are trying to help.