News
Navy vet arrested for allegedly trying to poison Mattis, Navy’s top officer –
A Navy veteran from Utah was arrested Wednesday in connection with packages suspected to contain ricin that were mailed to Pentagon and Navy leadership on Monday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Salt Lake City confirmed to Military Times.
Navy proposing major show of force to warn China –
The U.S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet has drawn up a classified proposal to carry out a global show of force as a warning to China and demonstrate the U.S. is prepared to deter and counter their military actions, according to several US defense officials.
Can U.S. fight two big wars at once? New report casts doubts –
The U.S. military would be able to handle itself adequately in a single major regional conflict while maintaining smaller operations around the globe, but its “marginal” capabilities mean America would struggle if forced to take on a second major conflict at the same time, a new report has found.
Business
Indian Air Force chief defends Rafale fighter deal against claims of crony capitalism –
Indian Air Force chief, Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa defended the decision of India’s ruling National Democratic Alliance to buy 36 Rafale fighters from France, calling it “a game changer” even as the opposition party criticizes the deal.
U.S. Army triggers design competition for future attack reconnaissance helicopter –
The U.S. Army has kicked off a major design competition for its Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft by releasing a request to industry on Oct. 3 to submit plans that could lead to a chance to build flyable prototypes in just a few years.
Bell’s Snyder sees military applicability in company’s eVTOL aircraft –
Bell president and CEO Mitch Snyder believes the reduced noise on the company’s Uber Elevate electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft has military applicability.
Israel Plans anti-missile nano satellite constellation –
Israel is planning constellations of nano satellites, built by Israel Aerospace Industries, that will allow almost continuous coverage of “areas of interest,” which are likely to include Iran, Syria, Lebanon and other countries.
Defense
A staggering number of troops are fat, tired, report says –
A 2018 RAND report on health promotion and disease prevention has painted a grim picture of the military’s physical fitness and sleep standards.
Army, Air Force struggle to finalize new deploy-or-out policy –
Three days after the Pentagon’s new deploy-or-out policy went into effect, the U.S. Army and Air Force are scrambling to finalize plans for figuring out how many non-deployable service members will have to leave the military.
More than 7,000 Marines could get the boot — and maybe sooner than they expect –
The Corps just pushed out its guidance on the Defense Department’s new “deploy or get out policy,” aimed at boosting readiness and lethality by booting out service members who have been non-deployable for 12 months.
U.S. Navy still has technological edge, but Chinese drones proliferating across Middle East –
High above Yemen’s rebel-held city of Hodeida, a drone controlled by Emirati forces hovered as an SUV carrying a top Shiite Houthi rebel official turned onto a small street and stopped, waiting for another vehicle in its convoy to catch up.
Dogfights and Dracula’s castle: U.S. Air Force tightens bond with Romania over summer deployment –
U.S. F-15 Eagles, Greek F-16s and Bulgarian MiG-29s are engaged in a mission in Bulgarian airspace. Stormy weather has hit, which means communication over the radio is difficult, but meeting that day’s objective seems especially hard, with basically no guidance from one of the point players tapped to lead the mission.
Veterans
Green Beret legend, Holocaust survivor, Vietnam veteran and retired two-star dies –
Maj. Gen. Sidney Shachnow, a survivor of the Holocaust, veteran of the Vietnam War, and one of the top Army officers in Berlin during the Cold War, died Sept. 28 at the age of 83, the Fayetteville Observer reported.
Half a century later, airman killed in remote Alaskan crash identified –
The Air Force has announced the name of a service member recovered from a C-124 Globemaster aircraft that was lost more than half a century ago.
Advocates call for a renewed national conversation on veteran suicide –
Melissa Bryant said the 5,520 flags placed along the National Mall Oct. 3 to illustrate the toll of veteran suicide this year alone were more than just a visual reminder of the scope of the problem.