News
No plans to send more troops to Ukraine, Biden says
Tensions between Russia and western nations have risen in recent months as Russian military forces have massed along the Ukraine border. Ukrainian military officials have said they expect a military invasion of their country as early as next month.
U.S. to deliver small arms and ammunition to Ukraine amid Russian tensions, Pentagon says
The United States is expected to deliver small arms and ammunition to Ukraine this week as Russian troops continue to mass at the nationís northeastern border, chief Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Dec. 8.
DOD’s review of Afghanistan drawdown begins 3 months after withdrawal
The after-action review, led by an independent team that began its work last week, will look at much more than the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan during the final weeks of August, the Pentagon said in a statement. It will begin with the signing of the Doha agreement between the Trump administration and the Taliban in February 2020 and go through the end of the evacuation.
U.S. Navy seized missiles, petroleum products from Iranian military
The U.S. Navy seized 171 surface-to-air missiles, eight anti-tank missiles and 1.1 million barrels of petroleum products worth $261 million from two Iranian ships in the Arabian Sea in three separate instances since 2019, the Department of Justice said in a press release on Dec. 7.
Business
Judge blocks Biden vaccine mandate for federal contractors
A federal judge on Dec. 7 blocked President Joe Biden’s administration from enforcing a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for employees of federal contractors, the latest in a string of victories for Republican-led states pushing back against Biden’s pandemic policies.
Could Turkey’s future TF-X jet include a mix of American and Russian tech?
Turkey has chosen an American-made engine for its future fighter jet TF-X, but the country will also work with Russia to locally produce aircraft parts, according to Turkeyís top procurement official.
Egypt to host its first naval defense expo in 2022
Egypt’s Defense Ministry is launching the country’s first naval defense exhibition in September 2022, dubbed “Naval Power,” according to the commander of the Navy.
Defense
On deterring Russia and China, Pentagon officials walk a fine line
Although the Dec. 4 Reagan National Defense Forum had no shortage of concerned statements from senior military officials about potential Russian or Chinese aggression, details ó or even hints ó on what the Pentagon might do to deter or respond were hard to find.
New National Defense Strategy to be released early 2022
The document will follow the release of the new National Security Strategy.
Pentagon creates new digital and artificial intelligence office
The U.S. Defense Department is creating a new position to oversee its digital and artificial intelligence activities, with the hope the office will be able to drive faster progress in those areas and meet threats posed by China, according to a senior defense official.
Five things the Army learned about its network at Project Convergence 21
The Army’s Project Convergence 21 experiment at Yuma Proving Ground this fall provided the service’s network cross functional team director five main lessons, from the importance of a data fabric to the need for a joint operational common picture, to inform future work.
F-35 helmets that fix ‘green glow’ are on their way — but not to the Air Force
Despite the documented risks of the Generation III and III Light helmets for F-35 pilots, the Air Force hasnít yet joined the Navy and Marine Corps in updating the helmets for its version of the F-35 Lightning II.
Veterans
VA home loans grow in popularity, but challenges for buyers remain
VA guaranteed more than 1.44 million loans in fiscal 2021, the most ever.