News
Putin declares martial law in annexed regions of Ukraine
The decree orders the creation of territorial defense forces in the four regions of Ukraine that Moscow annexed.
Pentagon says terror attacks in Africa increased 300% over last decade
Islamic extremism has exploded in Africa despite ongoing efforts by U.S. Africa Command to stifle terrorism on the continent, an August report from the Pentagon revealed.
About 100 US aircraft, including F-35s, to take part in large-scale exercise with South Korea
U.S. and South Korean military aircraft are scheduled to hold a five-day, large-scale air exercise to “improve combat readiness,” a South Korean air force spokesman told reporters at a briefing Oct. 18.
Business
Army readies to select tactical truck builders
The Army is slated to select early next year multiple vendors to build prototypes for its Common Tactical Truck competition.
Palantir wins contract to help Army quickly process battlefield data
Palantir Technologies won a U.S. Army contract worth as much as $59 million to support the testing and rollout of software that allows analysts to parse vast amounts of data and quickly provide leaders the latest battlefield information.
New Lockheed office seeks partnerships with mid-size firms
It’s the company’s latest move to provide militarized commercial tech to the Pentagon.
Saab demos autonomous ‘Enforcer-3’ in joint trials with Swedish Navy
Saab’s efforts reflect a growing interest in both the US and Europe in unmanned and autonomous technologies.
New image shows how B-52 will look after engine, radar replacement
A new image from Boeing shows how the B-52H will look after a series of modifications that the Air Force has said are significant enough to warrant re-designating the aircraft as the B-52J or K.
San Diego startup Seasats lands $10M from L3Harris for rugged ocean drones
San Diego firm aims to change the game with flexible, affordable and scalable unmanned surface craft that carry ocean-sensing payloads.
Eyeing seabed ops, French firms iXBlue, ECA Group rebrand as Exail
Two French technology companies have come together as a new entity to provide a swath of solutions for France as the country looks to master the ocean floors.
France joins Belgian-Dutch designs for naval de-mining tech
Three European nations have teamed up to develop new naval counter-mine capabilities, with France aligning itself with an existing Belgian-Dutch program.
Gorge Group units rebrand as ‘Exail’ to focus on submersible drones
Two autonomous systems units of French technology company Gorge Group have come together as a new entity to provide products and services as France looks to master the ocean floors.
Defense
Pentagon replacing HIMARS launcher and rocket stocks sent to Ukraine
The U.S. military in recent weeks awarded Lockheed Martin $179 million to replace High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems and Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems it sent from its own stockpiles to Ukraine, according to Pentagon data set to be released on Oct. 19.
‘Eye to a future fight’: Marines see Australia as power-projection hub, former officer says
The Marine Corps is looking at northern Australia, where 2,200 Marines wrapped up a six-month training rotation this week, as a hub to launch influence into Southeast Asia, according to a former Marine officer.
Veterans
VA officials confident they’re ready for the next COVID surge
Veterans Affairs health officials said Oct. 19 they are confident in their system’s ability to handle another surge in COVID-19 cases later this year, even as vaccine and booster shot distribution has slowed nationwide.
VA accelerates effort to get new employees at their jobs sooner to keep up with health care demands
The Department of Veterans Affairs will hold events in November to rush new employees into place and fill vacant posts faster as the agency works to hire 50,000 workers yearly to keep up with the demands and trends affecting veterans’ health care, Veterans Health Undersecretary Shereef Elnahal said Oct. 19.
Over 41,000 VA patients warned of delayed care due to troubled electronic records system
About 41,500 patients in the Department of Veterans Affairs are receiving letters notifying them their care may have been delayed because of issues with the VA’s beleaguered new electronic health records system, the agency’s top health official told reporters Oct. 19.