News
Russia keeps having close calls with American forces in Syria
CENTCOM politely said that Russian forces are being “provocative.”
Russian TV shows videos of 2 US vets captured in Ukraine
There has been no official confirmation from the U.S. or Russian government that the Americans were being held.
Russian boat reportedly sunk while bringing supplies to Black Sea island made famous by Ukrainian guards
A Russian military tugboat carrying a surface-to-air missile launcher to Snake Island in the Black Sea sank after two Ukrainian missiles struck it, Kyiv announced June 17.
European Commission backs Kyiv’s EU ambitions as Putin lashes out at West
The European Commission on Friday issued an opinion recommending that Ukraine should be granted candidate status for European Union membership — a first step that will add significant momentum to the country’s campaign to join the bloc.
Business
Rafael pitches latest Spike variant for US Army’s long-range weapon for helos
Rafael Advanced Defense Systems is submitting the latest variant of its Spike missile to the U.S. Army’s upcoming competition for a long-range precision munition that would arm existing and future attack helicopters, according to an executive with the Israeli company.
South Korea plans more interceptor missiles to defend from its northern neighbor|Defense Dollars
South Korea’s plan for more interceptors, Palantir CEO visits Ukraine and U.S. Army Europe eyes protections for Strykers.
Industry deal moves Poland closer to acquiring South Korean artillery system
Amid Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, Poland is accelerating efforts to acquire South Korean defense equipment, looking to take advantage of the Asian nation’s mass production capacity and lenient policy toward technology transfers.
Elbit unveils new armed robotic vehicle that Israel will test in 2023
Israel will next year begin testing an unmanned combat vehicle armed with a 30mm autonomous turret, the Defense Ministry announced June 20 in a news release.
Federal call center employees protest over wages at Maximus headquarters
More than 40 call center workers from Mississippi, Louisiana, Virginia and Texas traveled to Tysons, Va., outside the nationís capital on June 17 to protest at the headquarters of government contractor Maximus.†
Defense
Navy, Air Force struggling to keep planes ready for take off
The F-22 and KC-130T fleets have the worst results of the eight fleets, GAO assessed.
Bigger military bonuses might be on the way to help with recruiting, retention
Military officials could start offering bigger recruiting and retention bonuses in 2023 under language included in the Senate Armed Services Committee’s draft of the annual defense authorization bill.
Senators seek boosts for JADC2, cyber mission, hypersonics in defense bill
U.S. lawmakers are pushing for more money to support the Pentagon’s Joint All-Domain Command and Control endeavor and the creation of a related headquarters in the Indo-Pacific, as well as for critical technology including microelectronics and hypersonics.
Army’s autonomous HIMARS moving forward, will be at Project Convergence
The Autonomous Multi-Domain Launcher program involves a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) modified with software to be controlled remotely and driven autonomously.
A-10 retirements, more Air Force F-35s in Senate defense policy bill
The Air Force could finally get its chance to start retiring some of its older A-10 Warthog attack planes.
Inside Space Force boot camp with recruits to US military’s newest branch
The U.S. Space Force has hit a critical milestone: dedicated basic training for its early recruits.
Veterans
VA to delay electronic medical records deployment to additional sites until 2023
Veterans Affairs officials will delay deployment of their new electronic medical records system to additional sites until 2023 to ensure “adequate reliability,” officials confirmed to Military Times.
Transgender veterans still waiting on VA’s promise of surgery options
One year after Veterans Affairs officials announced they would take steps to provide gender confirmation surgeries for transgender veterans, no procedures have been completed and none are likely to be scheduled for months to come.
Michigan teen raises more than $140,000 for Vietnam veterans to visit DC
When Alice Kraatz was 8 years old, the grandfather of her brother’s friend spoke to them about when he returned home from the war in Vietnam.