News
Troops at inauguration pre-screened for extremism, says DC Guard commander-
The roughly 25,000 National Guardsmen deployed to the U.S. capital to ensure President-elect Joe Biden is able to be sworn in peacefully went through an additional background check to weed out any whiff of domestic extremism.
‘A piece of…’ outgoing SecDef blasts expensive programs-
Acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller, who came into the job on Dec. 9 just after the firing of former secretary Mark Esper, already “cannot wait to leave this job.” Miller, a tall, plain-spoken person who previously served as director of the Counterterrorism Center, is fond of colorful, extemporaneous language and freewheeling engagements with troops. He is not fond of the way the Defense Department buys things and he doesn’t mind saying so.
Business
Aerovironment buys Arcturus UAV in $405M deal-
Aerovironment picks up Arcturus UAV, a company whose capability has caught the Army’s eye in its Future Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System competition.
U.S. Army taps industry for autonomous drones to resupply troops-
The U.S. Army is tapping industry for drones that can deliver supplies to infantry brigade combat teams in the field, according to a request for information posted to the federal contracting website Beta.Sam.Gov on Jan. 13.
French Army orders 364 Serval armored vehicles-
The French Army is expected to receive 108 Serval armored vehicles in 2022 as part of an order from manufacturers Nexter and Texelis totaling 364. The contract was finalized through the DGA procurement agency on Dec. 23 but was not announced until Jan. 15.
Romanian government approves Naval Strike Missile buy-
The Romanian government has approved and sent to the parliament a draft bill that will allow the country to buy Naval Strike Missile coastal defense systems through a foreign military sales (FMS) procedure.
L3Harris to build prototype satellite capable of tracking hypersonic weapons-
The Missile Defense Agency awarded L3Harris Technologies a $121 million contract to build a prototype satellite capable of tracking hypersonic weapons, the agency announced Jan. 14.
Army issues $17 million in contracts for TITAN development-
The Army has issued agreements to Palantir Technologies and Raytheon Technologies in support of the design and software maturation of a new next-generation ground station.
Defense
Norquist to serve as acting defense secretary; acting service secretaries named-
David Norquist will serve as acting secretary of defense for the start of the Biden administration, Defense News has learned.
Pentagon testing office finds problems — again — with network security system-
The Defense Information Systems Agency’s Joint Regional Security Stacks still has challenges 2 years after suggestions to eliminate the platform.
Trump orders DOD to explore use of nuclear power for space-
In the waning days of his administration, U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order aimed at pushing the Department of Defense toward quickly developing and producing small nuclear reactors for military use — and to see if they could be used by military space vehicles.
Did your state receive the most defense dollars?-
California topped the list of states receiving defense dollars in 2019, a period in which overall Pentagon contracts and payroll spending in the 50 states and Washington, D.C., totaled $550.9 billion, the Department of Defense revealed Jan. 13.
Veterans
Tens of thousands of veteran caregivers now eligible for the coronavirus vaccine through VA-
Tens of thousands of caregivers providing critical medical support to disabled veterans will be eligible to receive coronavirus vaccine doses soon under a new policy announced by the Department of Veterans Affairs last week.
Biden to visit Arlington Cemetery as part of inauguration ceremonies-
President-elect Joe Biden will visit Arlington National Cemetery and lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier as part of his inauguration ceremonies next week, despite security concerns surrounding the day’s events.
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