News
Ship seizures included ‘relatively new’ Iranian surface to air missile bound for Houthi rebels in Yemen-
U.S. military officials said Feb. 19 that the seizures of weapons by two U.S. Navy warships in the Arabian Sea in November and February included newly designed Iranian surface-to-air missiles among other weaponry bound for Houthi rebels in Yemen.
As more border wall goes up, troops could start heading home-
Roughly 5,000 troops are currently stationed on the U.S.-Mexico border as part of a mission that began in late 2018, and officials have said that will wind down as new barriers secure hundreds of miles in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.
U.S. special envoy discusses Taliban deal with re-elected Afghan president-
U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Feb. 19 discussed a U.S. deal with Taliban militants on a weeklong reduction in violence, meeting the day after Ghani was declared a winner of a disputed presidential poll.
Business
Pentagon says shipbuilding money routed to border barrier was early to need, shipyard disagrees-
The Defense Department justified redirecting shipbuilding funds to pay for border barrier construction by saying the yards don’t currently have the capacity to spend the money, a Pentagon spokesman told reporters. At least one shipbuilder disagrees.
Sikorsky lands $470.8M modification for Presidential helicopter upgrade-
Sikorsky Aircraft was awarded a $470.8 million modification for six VH-92A helicopters for the presidential helicopter replacement program.
Cyprus buys missiles, partners with France for exercises to thwart Turkey-
Cyprus, in a bid to upgrade its defense against Turkey, purchased French-designed missiles and partnered with France in military exercises last week.
BAE successfully tests solar-powered high-altitude plane-
A solar-powered unmanned aircraft with a wingspan of 114 feet completed its maiden high-altitude flight in the stratosphere, maker BAE Systems said on Feb. 17.
Defense
DOD policy chief John Rood forced out-
The Pentagon’s top policy official has been pushed out of the department, potentially as part of the fallout from the Ukraine military aid issue at the center of the impeachment of President Donald Trump.
How Navy wants to fix its woefully antiquated computer systems-
The Navy’s information technology is antiquated and unable to provide sailors, Marines and civilians with basic resources that any private sector employee with a computer can access, according to a report issued Wednesday by the sea service.
Army will need new units to man new weapons systems-
New vehicles, helicopters and missile systems may grab headlines as the Army makes big moves to modernize the force, but for every new system, there will be a need soldiers for to man it, and that means new units.
Veterans
Three downed aircraft, associated with seven MIAs from famous WWII battle, located in Pacific Ocean-
In February 1944, the U.S. military launched Operation Hailstone, a massive military assault on Japanese fortified positions in the Pacific. On Monday — 76 years later — researchers announced the discovery of three U.S. aircraft remains associated with seven service members missing in action.
Hacker group targeted law firms, released veterans’ stolen data related to PTSD claims-
Hackers have gained access to sensitive data from at least five law firms in the past four months, releasing stolen data that includes pain diary entries from veterans’ personal injury cases, Emsisoft, a cybersecurity and anti-malware company, told Military Times.
DON'T FORGET TO SIGN UP
Get Breaking Aerospace News Sent To Your Inbox! We Never Spam
By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: . You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact