News
Trump says South Korea will pay more for U.S. military protection-
Within days of multiple North Korean missile tests, U.S. President Donald Trump has said “talks have begun” for South Korea to pay the U.S. more for its defense.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says alliance needs to address the rise of China-
NATO needs to understand the implications of China’s growing power around the world, including those areas that may challenge members of the North Atlantic security body, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Aug. 7.
Turkey, U.S. appear closer to establishing safe zone in Syria-
Turkey and the United States appeared Aug. 7 to be edging closer toward setting up a so-called safe zone in northeast Syria, saying they had agreed to form a joint operations center to coordinate and manage its establishment.
Business
Former Defense Secretary Mattis is returning to General Dynamics board-
James Mattis is returning to the board of defense contractor General Dynamics, a position he held until becoming the defense secretary in January 2017.
Lasers, microwaves, hypersonics & more: Army RCCTO-
The Army’s three-star rapid capabilities chief is rushing to sign a contract on hypersonic missiles in three weeks, announced a new high-energy laser last week and just revealed a plan to build drone-killing microwave weapons — and he’s about to host an industry day asking innovators for even more ideas.
Hypersonics by the dozens: U.S. industry faces manufacturing challenge-
The U.S. military is just a few years from launching offensive hypersonic weapons under development and building those initial missiles is one thing. Manufacturing the weapons in multitude is another issue entirely.
Final hypersonic missile contract awards imminent as Army preps to shoot one in FY21-
The Army is just weeks away from awarding the final contracts related to development of its mobile, ground-launched hypersonic missile being rapidly brought to life.
Boeing gets millions to fix Air Force’s too-stiff KC-46 refueling boom-
The Air Force has awarded Boeing a new $55 million contract to fix the KC-46 Pegasus refueling boom.
Lockheed nabs $240M contract for ballistic missile modeling, simulation-
Lockheed Martin announced on Wednesday that it has secured a $240 million Missile Defense Agency contract for ballistic defense modeling and simulation.
Trump attack on cloud bidding gives Pentagon chief hard choices-
President Donald Trump has assailed the biggest Pentagon technology contract in years, citing the objections of rivals who say it’s all but rigged to favor Amazon.com Inc. That’s leaving Mark Esper, his new defense secretary, with a thankless list of options.
Defense
First female Marine F-35B pilot graduates soon, while first female Marine is selected to fly F-35C-
The first female Marine F-35B pilot is set to graduate from training soon, according to Marine officials.
Pilot shortage: The Army’s struggle to fix its aviation problems-
Despite years of attempts to address the problem, the Army is struggling to deal with a shortage of about 700 pilots, a persistent manpower problem that could impact the readiness of the entire force.
Army to build at least two new multi-domain task forces-
The Army has plans to create at least two more multi-domain task forces, one for Europe and second task force for the Pacific region. But that’s only the beginning of what some leaders see as the future of Army operations.
Soon to come to the Army: A high-power microwave to take out drone swarms-
The Army is planning to field a high-power microwave capability to take out drone swarms as part of its Indirect Fires Protection Capability system in development.
Air Force trying to rally Congressional support for NGAD-
The Air Force needs to convince Congress about the merit of its Next-Generation Air Dominance program, a “system of systems” aimed at ensuring air superiority into the 2040s, the service’s top planners said Aug. 7.
ACC commissions study on long-term weather threats-
Air Combat Command boss Gen. Mike Holmes recently called on the Air Force’s weather forecasters for a long-term look at how its assets could fare against climate change threats.
Veterans
Report: VA wrongfully denied $53 million in veterans’ emergency care claims-
The Department of Veterans Affairs wrongfully rejected thousands of emergency-care claims during a five-month period, sticking an “undue financial burden” worth millions of dollars on some veterans, a federal watchdog agency reported Aug. 6.
More vets will be headed to nursing homes, and VA may not be ready: Report-
Although the number of veterans in nursing homes is expected to rise 16 percent between 2017 and 2022 as veterans who served in Vietnam continue to age, the VA may not be prepared to handle the increase, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office.
The post Headlines – August 9, 2019 appeared first on Aerotech News & Review.