News
U.S. to Europe: Fix Open Skies Treaty or we quit-
NATO allies worried U.S. President Donald Trump will abandon the Open Skies Treaty have been told the administration views the arms control agreement as a danger to U.S. national security, and that unless those nations can assuage such concerns, the U.S. will likely pull out, Defense News has learned.
U.S. continues building troop presence in Saudi Arabia-
U.S. forces are continuing to deploy to Saudi Arabia as part of a planned troop buildup aimed at deterring Iranian aggression in the region, President Donald Trump said in a letter sent to Congress this week.
Business
Changing how we buy weapons will benefit industry, government and taxpayers-
The new U.S. National Defense Strategy is a road map for our military’s new focus on Russia and China, who are challenging the United States military’s primacy by rapidly leveraging emerging technologies.
Calidus inks its first B-250 light attack plane order-
UAE aerospace company Calidus scored its first contract for the B-250 light attack aircraft on Nov. 20, when the United Arab Emirates placed an order for 24 planes at the Dubai Airshow.
State Department OKs $6.9 billion in arms sales in one day-
The U.S. State Department on Wednesday cleared four potential foreign military sales packages, which combine for an estimated price tag of over $6.9 billion.
U.S. State Dept. approves $4.25 billion Apache helo sale to Morocco-
The U.S. State Department has greenlighted a possible sale to Morocco of Boeing-manufactured AH-64E Apache attack helicopters worth an estimated $4.25 billion, according to a Nov. 20 Defense Security Cooperation Agency announcement.
FCC plans to free up C-Band for 5G-
The Federal Communications Commission announced Nov. 18 it plans to hold a public auction for C-band spectrum, freeing up much of the needed space for 5G usage.
NATO to upgrade its AWACS surveillance aircraft for $1 billion-
NATO officials expect to spend $1 billion on upgrades to the alliance’s fleet of AWACS reconnaissance planes, according to Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.
Northrop sets up shop in Warsaw-
Northrop Grumman opened its first office in Poland, in the heart of Warsaw, on Nov. 19 primarily to support the first foreign customer of its air and missile defense command-and-control system that has yet to be fielded by the U.S. Army.
Peraton wins sole award for Army ISR-sat terminal prototype-
In a surprise move, the Army has chosen Peraton as sole provider of the Satellite Ground Terminal Prototype to improve access to data from intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance satellites as part of the Army’s push toward Multi-Domain Operations.
Defense
Pentagon audit’s secret to success is failure-
How did the Defense Department succeed in completing its first two full financial-statement audits in the large and complex organization’s history? It embraced failure.
Special Operations Command is experimenting with bullets that shoot through water-
The supercavitating round might allow Navy SEALs to open fire before they break the surface.
U.S. Army’s got a universal robot driver-
The U.S. Army is field-testing a robot brain so versatile it can drive both tanks and trucks — even British Army lorries with the steering wheel on the wrong side.
List of military sites with suspected ‘forever chemicals’ contamination has grown-
The number of places where the U.S. military spilled or suspects it discharged perfluorinated compounds has grown, Pentagon officials said Nov. 20, but they did not say where or how many sites are under investigation for possible contamination.
How long-term effect of Trump’s recent war crimes actions could play out-
President Donald Trump’s decision to grant clemency in the cases of three military members tangled in war crimes cases raises questions about whether troops are being given a green light to disobey the rules of law.
Veterans
New veterans’ suicide prevention plan may get green light-
House Democrats and administration officials appear poised to push past simmering tensions to craft new veterans’ suicide prevention legislation that would push grants to community providers in an effort to extend mental health care to more current and former service members.
Bill is introduced to build D.C. monument for Medal of Honor recipients-
The National Medal of Honor Monument Act tasks the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation with the creation of a monument in Washington to honor the more than 3,500 recipients of the nation’s highest award for military service.