News
U.S.-Turkey alliance in downward spiral as Congress mulls sanctions-
Frayed relations between NATO allies Turkey and the U.S. were on full display Oct. 30 as Turkey condemned two resolutions passed by the U.S. House, one which would bar most U.S. weapons sales to Turkey.
North Korea launches two possible ‘ballistic missiles’ into sea, Japan says-
North Korea fired two projectiles, which Japanese authorities said appeared to be ballistic missiles, into the sea between the Korean peninsula and Japan on Oct. 31, according to the Japanese coast guard and South Korea’s military.
Business
So what problems does JEDI solve, really?-
In the months leading up to the Department of Defense awarding Microsoft a multibillion-dollar cloud computing contract, the Pentagon’s senior leaders described pent up demand for a new enterprise cloud.
Japan gets U.S. nod for $4.5 billion F-15 upgrade package-
The U.S. State Department has approved Japan’s request for an upgrade package for almost a hundred of its F-15 Eagle interceptors, paving the way for the U.S. ally to upgrade its rapidly ageing fleet.
SecNav again blasts Huntington Ingalls on Ford carriers-
Navy Secretary Richard Spencer, hours after the USS Ford returned to port after sea tests, renewed his criticism of its shipbuilder, Huntington Ingalls, for failures installing new technologies aboard the nation’s newest and most expensive aircraft carrier, leading to schedule slippages and cost overruns.
No Trump politics in picking Microsoft for $10B JEDI contract: DOD CIO-
Two Democratic senators on Oct. 29 directed pointed questions at Acting DOD Chief Information Officer Dana Deasy about whether President Trump influenced last week’s award of the $10 billion JEDI cloud contract to Microsoft over presumed favorite Amazon Web Services.
Northrop’s $3 billion B-2 upgrades lagging by almost three years-
Upgrades to help America’s aging B-2 bomber fleet detect and evade the improving air defenses of rivals China, Russia and Iran are running almost three years late and over budget.
Defense
German, U.S. armies strive for ‘integrated’ operations by 2027-
The chiefs of staff of the armies of the United States and Germany have signed an agreement targeting an unprecedented level of interoperability between their formations within seven years.
Failure is an option for DOD’s experimental agency, but how much?-
Since 2015, millions of dollars have been invested in the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit, the agency watched as some of its projects fell flat, and only about 23 percent the organization’s completed projects ended up in the hands of troops — but the thing is: DIU is completely fine with that.
C-130J damaged when nose gear collapses on tarmac at Little Rock-
A C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft was damaged Oct. 29 when its nose landing gear collapsed while on the tarmac at Little Rock Air Force Base in Arkansas, the 19th Airlift Wing said in an email.
B-52 piece falls off in-flight, lands in British woman’s garden-
A wing tip gear door from a B-52 Stratofortress bomber fell off during a training mission over Brailes, England, Oct. 23 and landed in a local woman’s garden, the Air Force confirmed.
Veterans
Will VA be ready to process new ‘blue water’ Vietnam veterans benefits next year?-
Veterans Affairs officials are confident they’ll be able to start processing “blue water” Vietnam veterans disability claims at the start of next year, but also acknowledged a tight timeline ahead for the training and technology work to get the department ready for those cases.
Lawmakers have ‘no confidence’ in VA’s whistleblower protection office-
Lawmakers say they have lost confidence in the Veterans Affairs office founded to investigate whistleblower complaints and aren’t inclined to send cases there following a damning report about its operations by the department’s inspector general last week.
Does ICE follow its policies when it comes to deporting military veterans?-
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents aren’t always following the rules in deporting military veterans who are not citizens and treating them without regard for their service to the country, a deported veteran who has since become a citizen told a House Judiciary subcommittee on Oct. 29.