News
Navy to begin search and salvage effort for downed Army Black Hawk
The U.S. Navy will soon begin search and salvage operations for an Army MH-60 Black Hawk helicopter that crashed in the Mediterranean Sea on Nov. 10, killing all five special operations soldiers on board.
US says Russia rejected a deal to free Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan
The U.S. on Dec. 5 said Russia rejected a “significant proposal” that would have freed two detained Americans, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former Marine Paul Whelan.
US says Russia rejected a deal to free Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan
Ukraine aid in peril as Senate Republicans walk out of heated briefing
A procedural vote on Ukraine aid is expected to fail after Republicans walked out of a briefing amid an unrelated immigration policy spat.
With NATO membership looming, Sweden and US sign new defense cooperation deal
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III and Swedish defense minister Pal Jonson signed a bilateral Defense Cooperation Agreement on Dec. 5 strengthening military ties between the two nations, which will allow bilateral exercises and new joint procurements and further paves a path for Sweden’s integration into NATO.
With NATO Membership Looming, Sweden and US Sign New Defense Cooperation Deal
Business
DARPA picks 14 vendors for lunar economy-building study
Technologies being explored include “lunar power; mining and commercial in-situ resource utilization; communications, navigation, and timing; transit, mobility, and logistics; and construction and robotics,” according to DARPA.
US arms sales dip causes top 100 contractor revenues to slide in 2022: Report
SIPRI said global competitors moved faster, and revenues for defense firms in Asia and the Middle East “increased substantially.”
Lockheed, Howmet price fight over F-35 titanium goes public
A contract-pricing dispute between F-35 maker Lockheed Martin and key supplier Howmet Aerospace has become public with a Lockheed lawsuit and a vocal Howmet defense.
Pratt & Whitney to remain sole source for F-35 jet engine upgrades
Pentagon officials announced this week that Connecticut-based Pratt & Whitney will remain the sole source for upgrades of the F-35 jet engine.
Latvia signs order for German IRIS-T air defenses
The Latvian government has inked a contract worth roughly Ä600 million ($650 milliion) with Germany’s Diehl Defence for the company’s IRIS-T medium-range air defense system, the manufacturer announced on Dec. 4.
Poland’s outgoing defense chief drops $2.6 billion on Hanwha howitzers
Poland’s outgoing National Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak has signed what is likely the last major weapon acquisition contract inked before the nation’s forthcoming change in government, ordering some 152 self-propelled howitzers from South Korea’s Hanwha Defense.
Defense
Navy building subs and carrier with ties to Pearl Harbor attack
The Navy is honoring the popular slogan “Remember Pearl Harbor” by naming three submarines and an aircraft carrier after ships and a sailor linked to the Japanese attack that brought the United States into World War II.
Navy eyes quantum tech to simulate warfighting probabilities
“I think it’s going to be exciting to see what happens here,” one of the Navy’s top quantum leaders told DefenseScoop.
Marine large-scale exercise expands on naval integration, live-virtual training
The platoons of infantry Marines stepped out of the first group of MV-22B Ospreys that landed in a brushy field last week and made their way to a nearby compound. They arrived at the request of the U.S. State Department to protect the U.S. embassy amid rising local tensions in a fictional city hit by a natural disaster.
Commercial tankers refuel USAF F-15, F-16, and F-22 fighters for first time ever
Three types of U.S. Air Force fighter aircraft participated in air-to-air refueling with commercial tankers for the first time last month, coinciding with a bilateral exercise between the U.S. and Singapore that concluded Nov. 24.
Commercial Tankers Refuel USAF F-15, F-16, and F-22 Fighters For First Time Ever
Veterans
Marijuana dependence is increasing among VA patients, particularly those with psychiatric conditions
Marijuana addiction has risen among Veterans Affairs patients since 2005, with veterans who have psychiatric disorders most at risk, new research has found.
