News
Zelenskyy tells US Congress, ‘We need you right now’
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cited Pearl Harbor and the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 on March 16 as he appealed to the U.S. Congress to do more to help Ukraine’s fight against Russia, but acknowledged the no-fly zone he has sought to “close the sky” over his country may not happen.
NATO launches analyses for hardening its eastern flank
NATO military planners have begun weighing options for beefing up the defensive capabilities of vulnerable alliance members following Russiaís invasion of Ukraine, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said March 16.
Here’s everything the US is sending to Ukraine’s military
The package includes anti-tank weapons, unmanned drones, small arms and ammunition among other crucial defense equipment.
Some Afghan evacuees head home after months of waiting for US entry
The evacuees say they must return, despite risk of Taliban reprisals, to support relatives.
Business
Aerospace companies urge Colorado senators to fight to keep Space Command
More than a dozen aerospace companies throughout the state rallied together to say Colorado should be the permanent home for U.S. Space Command.
Leonardo jet trainer aircraft crashes in Italian Alps, killing one
An M-346 jet trainer aircraft undergoing test flights by manufacturer Leonardo has crashed in northern Italy, causing the death of one of the two pilots on board.
Pentagon taps LMI for AI data deal
Under a new deal, LMI will furnish a range of data management and analytic services to help scale artificial intelligence across the Department of Defense.
Washington to provide Egypt with F-15 jets, US general says
“I think we have good news in that we’re going to provide them with F-15s, which was a long, hard slog,” Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, said during a congressional hearing.
Defense
Congress wants new $200 million program to strengthen AI at combatant commands
U.S. lawmakers this month pitched a new program to increase adoption of artificial intelligence across combatant commands, one of the latest efforts to boost a technology that officials say provides an edge over world competitors like Russia and China.
Navy officer charged with taking bribes to provide Afghan refugees with visas
As the Taliban closed in on Kabul, Afghanistan, in August 2021, service members, veterans and good Samaritans around the world raced to evacuate as many Afghan citizens as possible.
Full weapons tester report highlights F-35 availability, software problems
Lagging availability rates, flareups of new software problems, and a stubborn number of open deficiencies plagued the troubled and repeatedly delayed F-35 fighter in 2021, according to a newly-revealed version of the Pentagon’s weapons tester’s report.
US Space Force preparing to decommission legacy command and control system
By the end of this year, the Space Force hopes to have fully transitioned from its legacy space catalog system to a modernized command and control capability ó a milestone years in the making.
Veterans
Q&A with VA Secretary Denis McDonough about veteran homelessness in LA
After touring the Department of Veterans Affairs campus in West Los Angeles last October and meeting veterans living in tents right outside its gates, VA Secretary Denis McDonough decided to focus the agency’s resources on tackling veteran homelessness in the greater Los Angeles area, where the issue is at its worst.