News
U.S. begins shifting Afghan combat operations outside country-
The U.S. military has already begun conducting combat operations and surveillance in Afghanistan from outside the country’s borders, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told Congress on June 10, as the troop withdrawal continues.
Pentagon won’t commit to air support for Afghans after withdrawal-
Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III on June 10 would not say whether the U.S. military will still conduct airstrikes in Afghanistan to defend population centers after the retrograde completes this summer, but he said the Pentagon is pursuing ways to base surveillance and strike aircraft closer to the country.
There will be 450 F-35s in Europe by 2030, NATO commander says-
U.S. and other NATO allies could have 450 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters stationed in Europe by 2030, the general in charge of U.S. European Command said June 9.
Business
Indonesia orders six FREMM frigates from Fincantieri-
Fincantieri has signed to sell six FREMM frigates to Indonesia, a deal which CEO Giuseppe Bono said allowed the Italian yard to “assume global leadership” in the surface ships sector.
F-35 production will take longer than expected to recover from COVID-
Continuing delays from COVID-19 disruptions mean it will take longer than expected to make up the backlog of F-35 jets stemming from the pandemic, said Bridget Lauderdale, Lockheed Martin’s vice president and general manager for the fighter.
Defense
Biden to nominate Del Toro as Navy secretary-
President Joe Biden intends to nominate Carlos Del Toro, CEO of a tech solutions company and a Cuban-born Navy veteran, to be the next Navy secretary, according to three people with direct knowledge.
Senator, SECDEF go head-to-head on so-called ‘woke’ military-
Two weeks ago, two Republican lawmakers launched a whistleblower site to gather complaints from troops about “anti-American indoctrination seeping into parts of our military,” as Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., described it during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing June 10.
Austin, Milley defend weapons cuts in Biden’s defense budget-
Top Pentagon leaders defended President Joe Biden’s flat defense budget request to lawmakers on June 10 along with its “hard choices” to slash legacy weapons programs in favor of developing technologies as a hedge against China.
Lawmakers question Navy’s decision to abandon nuclear cruise missile-
Pentagon leaders faced tough questions from lawmakers on the Navy’s decision to shelve the development of a sea-launched nuclear cruise missile during a June 10 budget hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Veterans
VA benefits backlog likely won’t be fixed until late 2022-
The number of backlogged veterans disability claims has been cut by about 10 percent in recent weeks but likely won’t return to pre-pandemic levels until late 2022, Veterans Affairs officials acknowledged June 10.
Top VA health official stepping down next month-
The acting head of the Veterans Health Administration announced his plans to step away from the post in mid-July amid speculation the White House is closing in on a nominee to fill the post permanently.
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