News
Pentagon is pulling 1,100 troops from the US-Mexico border mission
The Pentagon is pulling 1,100 active duty troops from the U.S.-Mexico border it deployed earlier this year as the government prepared for the end of asylum restrictions linked to the pandemic.
Russia accuses Ukraine of striking same Moscow building that was hit by drone days ago
A drone attacked a skyscraper in central Moscow early Aug. 1 for the second time in around 48 hours, damaging the building’s facade and further underscoring the Russian capital’s vulnerability. Russian authorities accused Ukraine of staging the assault.
Warsaw sends troops to border, accusing Belarus of violating its airspace
Polish military says army helicopters crossed eastern flank, adding to tensions caused by proximity of Wagner fighters.
Business
Navy awards nine Arleigh Burke destroyers in five-year contracts
The U.S. Navy on Aug. 1 announced a pair of multiyear procurement contracts for the Arleigh Burke class of destroyers, awarding six to HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding and three to General Dynamics’ Bath Iron Works.
California company agrees to deliver flying cars to Air Force
In a program overseen by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), a Santa Clara, Calif.,-based company has agreed to deliver up to six electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, sometimes called flying taxis or flying cars.
RFI for next round of Air Force tanker buy projected for end of September: USAF official
“I think what you’re hearing from individuals like Hon. Hunter and Hon. Kendall is a recognition that the requirements that went into the JCIDS process are not revolutionary,” said Scott Boyd, Air Force deputy program manager for mobility aircraft.
Israel buys tens of thousands of 155mm shells as global demand jumps
The $60 million deal with Israel’s Elbit Systems comes months after the U.S. reportedly pulled 155mm shells from pre-positioned stocks in Israel.
Defense
Army readies new artillery strategy spurred by war in Ukraine
The U.S. Army is working on a new conventional fires strategy expected by the end of this year, according to Gen. James Rainey, who leads Army Futures Command.
Adaptive engine work feeds sixth-gen fighter design, says US Air Force
The future of the U.S. military’s Adaptive Engine Transition Program is still up in the air, but one service is trying to fold the effort’s technological innovations into an advanced jet’s propulsion system.
Pentagon’s strategy planner wants China crisis channels
A Pentagon official tasked with implementing the National Defense Strategy called on China to open crisis communications channels with the U.S. as Beijing continues to expand its nuclear arsenal.
US must fix two things if AUKUS is to transform partner militaries
Top policy official says shoring up industrial base, reforming export-control law are key.
Army Futures Command honing in on ‘human-machine integration,’ beyond a ‘bolt-on’ capability
Army Futures Command is going to be “very focused on human-machine integration” in the next year, one of several research and development (R&D) “seeds” the service is planting, Gabe Camarillo, the service’s undersecretary said.
First E-7 Wedgetail can’t come any sooner. But maybe USAF can complete its fleet faster
Neither intense interest nor extra funding can move up the 2027 date when the Air Force takes possession of its first E-7 Wedgetail. But U.S. Air Force acquisition officials said July 31 that actions taken now could help them acquire the 26-plane fleet more quickly.
First E-7 Wedgetail Can’t Come Any Sooner. But Maybe USAF Can Complete Its Fleet Faster
USAF walks back tanker forecast: ‘We don’t know what our strategy is’
Several months after the Air Force’s top weapons buyer said the service would likely buy 75 additional KC-46 tankers, the service’s deputy program manager for mobility aircraft says not so fast.
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