News
U.S. Navy seizes arms shipment in Arabian Sea likely bound for Yemen-
The U.S. Navy announced May 9 it seized an arms shipment of thousands of assault weapons, machines guns and sniper rifles hidden aboard a ship in the Arabian Sea, apparently bound for Yemen to support the country’s Houthi rebels.
European allies ask U.S. to slow Afghan withdrawal, officials say-
European allies are pushing the U.S. to delay its withdrawal from Afghanistan—which U.S. officials had suggested could be complete by as early as July 4—to give NATO allies more time and support to leave, U.S. officials said.
Afghan pullout leaves U.S. looking for other places to station its troops-
Options range from nearby Central Asian countries to Gulf allies to Navy ships at sea.
Business
Britain awards $1 billion contract to upgrade Challenger 2 tanks-
Anglo-German armored vehicle-maker Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land has signed a deal with the British Defence Ministry to upgrade Challenger 2 main battle tanks.
Defense
Leaders provide insight into the newly re-established US Space Command-
Special-ops aviators, a physicist from the intelligence community, and an enlisted Marine with decades of deployments: U.S. Space Command’s military and civilian leaders who spoke May 7 were as likely to come from strictly space backgrounds as not.
Surplus F-16 Vipers eyed to replace Navy aggressor squadron’s legacy F/A-18 Hornets-
As first reported by The War Zone, the U.S. Navy is now lining up the acquisition of additional F-16 aggressor jets to supplement the F/A-18E/F Super Hornets that are now headed to one of its dedicated adversary squadrons, VFC-12, the “Fighting Omars,” based at Naval Air Station Oceana, Va.
F-35 is now the Air Force’s second-largest fighter fleet-
The F-35A fleet is now the second-largest in the Air Force’s inventory, behind the F-16, surpassing F-15s and A-10s.
Air Force once again asks Congress to let it mothball oldest RQ-4 Global Hawk drones-
The Air Force will continue pushing for the retirement of its oldest Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawks, the service’s top officials said May 7, potentially setting up another fight with Congress about the future of the embattled surveillance drone.
Veterans
Jobs market for veterans remains flat as pandemic restrictions linger-
Veterans’ unemployment rates stayed largely flat last month with slight improvements in job prospects among younger veterans as America finished its first full year under business restrictions from the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Desert Storm group makes final funding push to begin construction-
A nonprofit group that has spearheaded efforts to erect a memorial to Operation Desert Storm a short distance from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial has an ambitious goal to raise the last $20 million of funding so that they may break ground on the project this year, the 30th anniversary of the war.
Trump’s VA Secretary missed chance to save sick veterans, critics say-
Former Trump administration Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie grew up at Fort Bragg surrounded by Vietnam veterans affected by the toxic chemical Agent Orange. His father, too, was grievously wounded in Vietnam.
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