News
Biden promises additional troops, sanctions if Russia invades Ukraine
The United States will send more troops to eastern European NATO members, including Poland or Romania, if Russian President Vladimir Putin moves forward with an invasion of Ukraine, President Joe Biden said Jan. 19.
Russian attack could happen ‘any minute’ Ukraine official says
“If you put it in terms of green, yellow, and red, I would say we are at yellow-plus,” the official said of the state of alert of Ukrainian forces.
China says it warned away US warship in South China Sea, US denies
Chinese forces followed and warned away a U.S. warship which entered waters near the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea, the country’s military said on Jan. 20, but the U.S. Navy denied the ship had been warned off.
Business
Greece boosts Air Force with advanced French jets
French-built fighter jets roared Jan. 19 over the Acropolis as Greece races to modernize it’s military and flaunts new security alliances aimed at checking neighboring Turkey.
Deal with Hensoldt expands Leonardo’s stake in Eurofighter radar business
Leonardo has won 260 million euros ($296 million) in Eurofighter radar work from Germanyís Hensoldt, meaning the Italian firm now has a major role in all three of the new e-scan radars being built for Typhoon customers.
Turkey kicks off serial production for armed trainer Hurjet
Turkish procurement officials think that once the Hurjet has become combat-proven through its use by the Turkish military, export prospects will flourish.
Defense
Air Force must harden Pacific Bases against missiles, secretary says
Today’s unhardened, undispersed hangars are easy targets for a new generation of Chinese weapons, Frank Kendall said.
Military may take months to gauge 5G safety risks to aircraft
As the commercial airline and telecommunications industries scramble to limit the potential safety risks to aircraft from a rollout of new 5G networks, it may be months before the U.S. military has a handle on whether, or how big, of a problem this might be for its own planes.
New DARPA research could make night vision goggles smaller
The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has awarded 10 teams more than $18 million total in first-round contracts for a program aimed at making night vision glasses less bulky and more powerful.
New bill aims to cut the price of spare parts for DOD
House Oversight Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney on Jan. 19 proposed legislation to force government vendors to publicly disclose data about their costs, a move meant to help the government negotiate better deals for spare parts.
Navy shouldn’t build next-gen destroyers until tech is proven, Navy secretary signals
More testing needed on new tech “so that we don’t get ahead of ourselves,” says Del Toro, citing mistakes made building the futuristic Zumwalt-class.
US Space Force wants funding for a new mission — tracking ground targets
The U.S. Space Force wants to take on a new mission — tracking ground targets with space-based sensors — and the service expects to wrap up a review and requesting funding for the effort in fiscal 2024, according to the serviceís top official.
Veterans
Congress votes to honor WWII ‘Ghost Army’ with Congressional Gold Medal
House lawmakers unanimously voted to bestow a Congressional Gold Medal to a secret U.S. military unit that fooled German troops with inflatable tanks, audio recordings, and other methods of military deception during World War II.
New $16 billion VA medical records system delayed again. This time by COVID
Plans to deploy the software in Ohio in March are being pushed back almost two months.