News
Russian mercenary group claims American veteran killed in Ukraine firefight
The leader of a Russian mercenary group claimed to show in a video released Tuesday the body and IDs of a U.S. veteran killed amid fighting in Ukraine.
Devastating debt default threatens troop pay, defense programs
No one knows for sure exactly what a U.S. debt default will mean for military operations and veterans support programs. But there is widespread agreement that it won’t be good.
South Korea to expand nonlethal aid to Ukraine
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol vowed to expand the country’s nonlethal aid to Ukraine when he met the European country’s first lady May 16 in Seoul.
Business
Bath Iron Works lays keel for shipyard’s first Flight III destroyer
General Dynamics Bath Iron Works laid the first keel of its Flight III Arleigh-Burke guided-missile destroyer, the company announced.
Meet the X-65: DARPA’s new plane has no external control surfaces
A groundbreaking aircraft being designed for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency now has an experimental designation — the X-65.
Israel’s Elbit to supply Montenegro with vehicle-mounted mortar system
Israel and Montenegro entered into a government-to-government contract that will see Israel’s Elbit Systems supply mortar systems and training equipment to the Balkan nation.
Defense
Return of CJADC2: DOD officially moves ahead with ëcombinedí JADC2 in a rebrand focusing on partners
The point of the Defense Department’s Joint All Domain Command and Control (JADC2) effort is to connect “sensors to shooters” throughout the future battlespace, but an official said today that “going forward,” the acronym to look out for is “CJADC2,” reflecting a renewed emphasis on “combined” efforts with international partners as well as different military commands.
US Army preps for fresh mobile communications experiment
The U.S. Army is planning a second experiment where the latest networking technologies will be tested for potential outfitting aboard armored vehicles.
Veterans
GOP’s proposed vets benefits change kicks off new lawmaker slugfest
Republican House appropriators on May 16 unveiled plans for a $320 billion Veterans Affairs budget in fiscal 2024, which amends the department’s controversial Toxic Exposure Fund to allow for easier spending adjustments in the future.
Despite failures so far, VA inks new Oracle Cerner health records deal
Veterans Affairs officials on May 16 announced an extension of their contract with Oracle Cerner to continue their embattled electronic health records overhaul, promising that new safeguards in the agreement will improve the existing software system’s performance.
More than 250,000 veterans’ claims for PACT Act benefits completed since law enacted
More than 250,000 claims from veterans for PACT Act benefits have been processed by the Department of Veterans Affairs since the law was enacted, agency officials told House lawmakers on May 16.
