News
Pompeo stresses NATO’s importance in Germany visit; meets with troops at Grafenwoehr-
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his German counterpart stressed the close ties between their two countries Nov. 7, batting away talk of trans-Atlantic friction and insisting that the NATO alliance that both are part of remains relevant today.
Trump’s intervention in military legal cases could strain relations with allies: Official-
President Donald Trump’s reported plan to intervene in several military legal cases could have implications overseas, a Pentagon official said Nov. 7.
Pentagon: Revenue from Syria oil fields going to Kurdish-led forces-
Revenue from oil fields that U.S. forces are protecting in northeast Syria will go to U.S. partner forces in the region and not the United States, the Pentagon’s top spokesman said Nov. 7.
Business
Norway flies with B-52s above Arctic; IOC for their F-35s-
Three Norwegian F-16s from this remote base high above the Arctic Circle accompanied an American B-52 above the Barents Sea Wednesday for exercises that included information sharing with U.S. P-8 surveillance planes operating nearby, a show of force that came a week after 10 Russian submarines cruised through the waterway in one of the biggest undersea exercises since the end of the Cold War.
HII: Block V Virginia SSN Contract Balances Budget Realities With Operational Needs-
Negotiations to build the Block V Virginia-class submarines will likely result in a contract for fewer subs than what Congress authorized, than the Navy wants and that industry can build, a shipbuilding executive told Wall Street analysts on Nov. 7.
Lockheed nets $184.5M for organic depot level repairs on F-35s-
Lockheed Martin has been awarded $184.5 million repair capabilities on a production lot of F-35 aircraft operated by the Pentagon and other non-Department of Defense program participants.
SpaceX to launch 60 Starlink satellites as part of mission to bring internet to the world-
SpaceX is launching 60 more satellites Monday as part of CEO Elon Musk’s “Starlink” mission to bring high-speed internet to large, remote swaths of the world.
Why Cutting Costs is Expensive: How $9/Hour Software Engineers Cost Boeing Billions-
On October 29, 2018 Lion Air Flight 610, a 737 MAX 8 flight from Jakarta, Indonesia to Pangkal Pinang, Indonesia, crashed into the sea 13 minutes after takeoff, killing all 189 people aboard.
Defense
Illegally sold Chinese surveillance equipment installed at military installations, feds say-
A Long Island firm sold tens of millions of dollars in Chinese-made surveillance and other sensitive security equipment to customers, including the U.S. military to use on aircraft carriers, by falsely claiming the goods were manufactured in America, federal prosecutors said Nov. 7.
At the Pentagon, Esper and Milley adapt to Trump’s intuitive and impulsive style-
Things are getting back to normal at the Pentagon, the new normal that is — a world in which no military plan or policy survives its first contact with the president.
Army evaluating advanced fire control optics to help non-infantry soldiers shoot better-
Army infantry officials at Fort Benning, Ga., are testing a handful of advanced fire control optics in an effort to one day help non-combat arms soldiers shoot more accurately against close-quarter and long-range enemy targets.
Following Army, Air Force tests ATHENA laser that can destroy multiple drones-
The Air Force recently tested Lockheed Martin’s Advanced Test High Energy Asset anti-drone laser as Pentagon interest in emerging counter-drone technologies continues to grow.
U.S. Air Force sees no widespread safety issues with F-16s despite recent crashes-
Air Force officials overseeing the F-16 Fighting Falcon program say they’ve seen no data that indicates emerging safety issues with the fighter jet, though more than a dozen have crashed since 2014.
Veterans
Departing vets committee chairman hopes partisan divisions won’t overwhelm VA policy work-
Sen. Johnny Isakson doesn’t believe that the Department of Veterans Affairs will ever be “fixed,” no matter what lawmakers do.
Even bigger budgets for VA? Secretary offers his thoughts on department progress, challenges-
Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie has a bold prediction for the 2020 election: His department’s programs are going to come out a winner.
Veterans can now access their VA medical records through their iPhones-
Veterans with iPhones can now view their Department of Veterans Affairs medical records through their phone’s Health app.
96-year-old World War II veteran, nicknamed ‘Harmonica Pete,’ plays national anthem at Knicks game-
A 96-year-old World War II veteran managed to silence New York Knicks fans at Madison Square Garden with his rendition of the national anthem using just a harmonica.