News
Pentagon sending Excalibur guided artillery, more HIMARS to Ukraine
The Pentagon said Oct. 4 its arming Ukraine with Excalibur satellite-guided artillery rounds and four more High-Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems to help repel Russia’s invasion force.
US denies Ukraine’s request for long-range missiles in latest arms gift
Ukraine can reach the “vast majority” of targets with what they already have, a Pentagon official says.
Russia’s Putin signs laws annexing occupied Ukrainian regions
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed laws to formally absorb four Ukrainian regions into Russia, following referendums in those areas that Kyiv and its Western allies called a meaningless “sham.”
Ukraine hammers Russian forces into retreat on east and south fronts
Ukrainian troops on Oct. 4 accelerated their military advances on two fronts, pushing Russian forces into retreat in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions to the east and in the Kherson region to the south.
Business
Space Force awards rapid satellite launch demonstration contracts
The U.S. Space Force said it awarded contracts to Millennium Space Systems and Firefly Space Transport Services to support a 2023 mission that will demonstrate the ability to rapidly develop and launch a satellite.
General Atomics developing hybrid-electric engine for stealthy ‘MQ-Next’ drone design
“We believe that GA is going to pioneer a completely new way to propel airborne air breathing [vehicles],” said Mike Atwood, the firm’s senior director of advanced programs.
India’s air force gets a ‘made in India’ high-altitude combat helicopter
Light-combat chopper is part of effort to source more arms domestically and is expected to be used along borders shared with Pakistan and China.
Defense
US Marines warn against Navy’s FY24 decommission scheme
The U.S. Navy has spent more than four years repairing one of its amphibious ships, blowing past its budget by at least $99 million. Yet, the ship is still not ready to deploy.
New Air Force special ops teams model the future of ‘agile’ air wars
A new kind of unit is popping up across Air Force Special Operations Command — and it wants to break the squadron mold.
Veterans
Supreme Court weighs exception to vets disability deadlines
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments Oct. 4 in the case of a Navy veteran seeking an exception to the Department of Veterans Affairs’ post-service claims filing deadline, arguing that his service-connected disability precluded him from understanding he was eligible for benefits in the year immediately following his departure from the military.
House of Prayer, a church accused of squeezing veterans for benefits, stripped of GI Bill eligibility
A church former members have described as a cult has lost its GI Bill eligibility after two decades of allegedly bilking Bible school students out of millions of dollars of veterans benefits.