News
Air Force Secretary Wilson to resign in May, return to academia –
Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson will resign at the end of May and take a job in academia. The Air Force released a statement Friday morning, after Reuters broke the news of her impending resignation, that said Wilson will resign effective May 31, once the University of Texas Board of Regents officially votes to approve her as president of the University of Texas at El Paso.
Lawmakers to DOD: You knew about water contamination. Why haven’t you done more? –
The Pentagon’s decision not to take action to protect military families from decades of exposure to cancer-causing chemicals until a 2016 Environmental Protection Agency warning did not sit well with members of Congress, who questioned Defense Department leadership on the issue at a hearing March 6.
Arizona senator reveals she was raped by a superior officer while in the Air Force –
Arizona Sen. Martha McSally, a former Air Force colonel and one of the first female combat veterans elected to Congress, revealed she was raped by a superior officer during her military career but kept the attack secret out of fear of reprisal.
Top U.S. general in Europe wants to keep China out of 5G networks –
With Europe in the early stages of developing their 5G networks, the Pentagon’s top general in the region issued a stark warning March 5: Allies need to keep China out or risk losing the ability to integrate with America’s military.
Business
Australian Navy gets more out of the Seahawk helicopter than originally planned –
The Royal Australian Navy has managed to integrate the Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk naval helicopter with a range of vessels that were not included in the original plans when Australia decided to acquire the type, according to the deputy commander of the RAN’s Fleet Air Arm.
Navy to contract new class of unmanned surface vehicle by year’s end –
The Navy is moving fast to acquire a new class of unmanned surface vehicles and hopes to award a contract for USV designs by the end of the year, USNI News has learned.
Air Force tries to fix F-35s ALIS — from a big, broken box to the cloud –
The Air Force Secretary herself just publicly blasted the ALIS system that’s supposed to make the F-35 easier to manage and maintain.
Germany to extend Saudi weapons embargo until month’s end –
The German government will extend an arms embargo against Saudi Arabia through the end of the month, risking escalation of a growing dispute with France and the United Kingdom over sales of jointly produced weapons.
Farnborough clips its wings: Air show boss explains thinking behind dropping dates –
Farnborough International is cutting the length of its iconic air show by scrapping the two public days that have traditionally marked the close of the event.
It’s MiG-21 versus the F-16 over Kashmir –
Can an old MiG-21 aircraft destroy a more modern F-16? Yes, in fact an Indian pilot flying a version of the MiG-21 called Bison allegedly shot down a Pakistani F-16 using a Russian R-73 Vympel air-to-air missile, known as a high off bore-sight air-to-air weapon.
Defense
DOD pushing ahead to merge commissary and exchange systems –
Defense officials are a step closer to merging the three military exchange systems and the commissary system into one “defense resale enterprise.”
Air Force’s new trainer jet could become its next light-attack or aggressor aircraft –
The U.S. Air Force’s new T-X jets could be more than just trainers, with aggressor or light-attack missions now on the table for the Boeing-made plane, the head of Air Combat Command said March 7.
Hundreds of immigrant recruits risk ‘death sentence’ after Army bungles data, lawmaker says –
Army officials inadvertently disclosed sensitive information of hundreds of immigrant recruits from nations such as China and Russia, in a breach that could aid hostile governments in persecuting them or their families, a lawmaker and former U.S. officials said.
Stratofortresses fly sorties over South China Sea, first since November –
Two B-52H Stratofortress bombers flew a mission over contested islands in the South China Sea March 5, U.S. Pacific Air Forces said in a statement this week.
Despite Trump’s tough talk, no boost for Missile Defense Agency –
The administration will instead increase investments in offensive missile defense capabilities, such as hypersonic technology.
Soldiers say JLTV drives like a dream. Army leaders think that’s a problem –
The Army’s new Joint Light Tactical Vehicle offers the smoothest ride and the most creature comforts of any tactical vehicle they’ve driven before, soldiers told Task & Purpose. But officials say Army leadership is worried that its next-generation Humvee replacement might be too comfortable.
Why once-maligned flattop Ford is finally getting a lift (or 11) –
Seven months into the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford’s yearlong stay at Huntington Ingalls Shipyard here, the flattop has received its second Advanced Weapons Elevators, a critical component for moving ordnance to the flight deck and hiking the rate of fighter sorties.
U.S. Navy’s top acquisition priority is getting a new boss –
The U.S. Navy’s Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine program is getting a new head and a new program office, the service’s top acquisition boss announced March 6.
Navy stands up Columbia submarine office, key to nuclear triad –
The Navy’s top acquisition official said Wednesday he is standing up a new office to oversee the strategic aspects of the Columbia-class submarine, the service’s largest acquisition program and a critical piece of the nation’s nuclear triad through the 2080s.
F-22 is back at Tyndall Air Force Base — well, kind of –
The devastation caused by Hurricane Michael last fall pushed F-22 Raptor training and operations out of Tyndall Air Force Base, but pilots from the 43rd Fighter Squadron will be periodically returning to Tyndall for repairs to the Raptor’s stealth coating, the squadron commander said.
Air Force completes first flight test of Valkyrie unmanned fighter jet –
The XQ-58A Valkyrie, a jet-powered drone designed to fly alongside manned fighter jets and navigate autonomously, completed its first test flight on March 5 at Yuma Proving Grounds in Arizona, according to an Air Force announcement and video released March 6.
Marines want to equip armored recon units with long-range fires –
U.S. Marine Corps officials will sit down soon with defense companies to discuss how to equip light armored reconnaissance (LAR) battalions with futuristic long-range precision fires.
Veterans
Here’s what’s coming next in the battle over burn pit benefits –
House lawmakers on March 5 advanced legislation to improve tracking of troops’ exposure to toxic chemicals from war zone burn pits, but the real political fight over how to help those ailing veterans is set for later this spring.
VA contracting at ‘high risk’ for wasting tax dollars –
The Government Accountability Office on March 6 declared Department of Veterans Affairs contracting, which topped $26 billion in 2017, is a “high risk” area of government, susceptible to waste and mismanagement of taxpayer money and in need of more oversight.