News

Esper says U.S. troop presence in Afghanistan will be ‘less than 5,000’ by November-
Defense Secretary Mark Esper said in an interview broadcast late Aug. 8 that no more than 5,000 U.S. troops would remain in Afghanistan by the end of November as the Trump administration looks to move forward with a reduction of forces in the region.
 
Russia warns it will see any incoming missile as nuclear-
Russia will perceive any ballistic missile launched at its territory as a nuclear attack that warrants a nuclear retaliation, the military warned in an article published Aug. 7.
 
 

Business

Major submarine contractor drops Navy missile tube biz-
One of the Navy’s primary suppliers of missile tubes for its nuclear submarines is planning to walk away from the military business, a move that will drop the number of domestic companies capable of doing the work to two at a time when the service is in a scramble to ramp up its sub-building efforts.
 
 

Defense

Heavy robotic combat vehicles put to test in the Colorado mountains-
The U.S. Army grappled with the challenge of incorporating heavy robotic combat vehicles into its formations during a monthlong experiment at Fort Carson, Colo., coming away with a clearer path to bringing robots into the fold. Still, the service is years away from ground robots seamlessly fitting in with units.
 
Army is going all-in on killer new weapons tech for soldiers-
The Army is launching an accelerated effort to find commercially-available technologies to provide new and enhanced capabilities for the service’s arsenal of soldier-wielded weapons.
 
U.S. Air Force tests electronic warfare capabilities with fighter, recon and bomber aircraft-
The U.S. Air Force has concluded a two-day, $1.4 million exercise that evaluated the F-35 fighter jet’s ability to provide its electronic warfare capabilities to other stealthy reconnaissance and bombing platforms.
 
 

Veterans

Veterans unemployment down for third month in a row, but still double pre-pandemic levels-
The veterans unemployment rate fell for a third month in a row in July but still sits nearly double the level recorded before the pandemic started.