News
US, Japan draw up joint military plan in case of Taiwan emergency — report
Japanese and U.S. armed forces have drawn up a draft plan for a joint operation for a possible Taiwan emergency, Japan’s Kyodo news agency has reported, amid increased tensions between the island and China.
Security talks with US, NATO to start next month, Russian foreign minister says
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Russia in January will also start separate talks with NATO to discuss the issue, adding that separate negotiations under the auspices of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe will also be held.
Business
Space Force issues $32 million contract for prototype space-based sensor
The U.S. Space Force has awarded GEOST a $32 million contract modification for prototype space domain awareness payloads which will be hosted on a number of different satellites.
Malaysia keen on buying Kuwait’s Hornet fighter jets
Malaysia is hoping to buy Kuwait’s entire fleet of Boeing F/A-18 Hornet multi-role fighter jets, although discussions between both governments over the sale have yet to begin.
US Army awards Northrop $1.4 billion contract for future battle command system
The U.S. Army awarded Northrop Grumman a $1.4 billion contract for both low-rate initial production and full-rate production of its future battle command system, according to a Dec. 23 Pentagon contract announcement.
Defense
Wave of suicides hits Texas National Guard’s border mission
Operation Lone Star’s sudden and rapid expansion has left many Texas guardsmen struggling to balance their military and civilian lives, sometimes with tragic results.
DOD cuts stateside cost-of-living allowances for thousands in 2022
Thousands of U.S. troops will lose a monthly cost-of-living stipend beginning Jan. 1 because fewer locations across the lower 48 states — including the Washington D.C. metro area — qualified as excessively expensive living areas, according to a Pentagon announcement Dec. 22.
Denials, not approvals, greet troops’ religious vax exemptions
No service has yet publicly announced that any service member has received a religion-based exemption from the Pentagon’s COVID-vaccination mandate.
Air Force is ready to retire four E-8C Joint STARS jets in 2022
Airmen associated with the aircraft can switch to other jobs at Robins Air Force Base, Ga., or transfer elsewhere.
Veterans
They served together every day in Iraq for 15 months. 14 years later, the doorbell rang
When Adam Strick went to answer the door on Dec. 17, he wasn’t sure what to expect.
The post Headlines — December 27 appeared first on Aerotech News & Review.