News
Murder charges filed against Navy, Marine special operators in incident that killed Green Beret in Africa –
Two Navy SEALs and two Marine Raiders will face murder charges in the June 2017 death of an Army Special Forces staff sergeant in Mali.
DOD audit: Air Force finds mystery motors, other highlights –
Saddled with dozens of broken missile motors worth $53 million, the Air Force put the defective equipment to the side to wait for eventual repair. Things changed quickly however when earlier this year a private auditor hired by the Pentagon took a closer look and discovered that the motors were in fine working condition — they had just been mislabeled.
A female soldier has made it through the Army’s Special Forces selection –
For the first time since the Army opened its special operations jobs to women in 2016, a female soldier has completed the initial Special Forces Assessment and Selection process, a spokesman for Army Special Operations Command has confirmed to Army Times.
Business
With plans for drone sidekicks, Europe’s futuristic jet program slowly comes into focus –
Germany may be committed to a project with France aimed at building a new aircraft for Europe by 2040, but don’t expect anything drastic or sudden to happen out of Berlin.
China reveals J-20 stealth fighter’s missile carrying capability at Zhuhai air show –
The Chinese air force has displayed its first stealth fighter jet’s ability to carry missiles for use in high-speed flight for the first time at the country’s biggest air show, in a bid to demonstrate that China has the next most advanced combat capability after the United States.
Belarus to develop missile systems, combat drones, with an eye on rising global tensions –
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has instructed the country’s defense industry to develop missile systems to boost its military’s strike capabilities as well as combat unmanned aerial vehicles to reinforce its air force, according to Roman Golovchenko, the chairman of the Belarusian State Military Industrial Committee.
Lockheed gets $6 billion down payment to start F-35 block buy –
The Pentagon took the first steps toward initiating a block buy for future F-35 orders on Nov. 14, amending the department’s existing contract vehicle to allow international customers to buy the 12th, 13th and 14th lots together.
Leonardo DRS appoints new chief operating officer to oversee eight divisions –
Leonardo DRS has appointed John Baylouny as executive vice president and chief operating officer — a position that oversees the execution of program operations across all eight of the company’s business sectors.
GAO shuts down Oracle’s JEDI protest, but it’s not over yet –
The Government Accountability Office has denied a bid protest from Oracle America Inc., which argued that a massive, controversial Pentagon cloud contract was improper and “contrary to the industry’s multi-cloud strategy” in its winner take-all-structure.
Defense
Price tag of the ‘war on terror’ will top $6 trillion soon –
The price tag of the ongoing “war on terror” in the Middle East will likely top $6 trillion next year, and will reach $7 trillion if the conflicts continue into the early 2020s, according to a new report out Nov. 14.
This Army fires experiment covers detection, jamming, drone kill chains, new ways to shoot artillery –
At the Army’s most recent fires experimentation, many systems that industry showcased focused on ways for soldiers to detect incoming threats and neutralize them.
Navy destroyer catches on fire in repair yard, one sailor treated at hospital –
A fire erupted the evening of Nov. 10 on a Navy warship at BAE Systems’ Norfolk Ship Repair facility, sending one sailor to the hospital.
Navy wants to use Virginia Payload Module to deploy new missiles, UUVs –
The undersea warfare community wants to boost attack sub lethality by providing new payloads for the Virginia-class SSNs, especially ones that can be leveraged through the Virginia Payload Module missile tubes that will be added to new-construction boats beginning this year.
Air Force Reserve, Air National Guard F-16s to install upgraded anti-jam, anti-spoof GPS –
The Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard are planning to upgrade their F-16 fighter jets with anti-jamming Global Positioning System receivers.
Veterans
Court forces VA to reveal extent of veterans’ contamination in Spanish nuclear disaster –
An appeals court will force Veterans Affairs officials to identify how many troops may have been exposed to radioactive debris from a 1966 plane crash, a move that supporters hope will be the precursor to a class-action lawsuit against the department for overdue benefits.
New bill would ease GI Bill transfer rules for vets, military families –
A new proposal would eliminate the Pentagon’s recent Post-9/11 GI Bill transfer restrictions and, for the first time in the history of the benefit, allow some vets to pass it to their family members.
Millions in cost overruns hit effort to merge VA, military health records –
VA officials acknowledged Nov. 14 that a $16 billion project aimed at finally providing common, easily searchable electronic health records for the VA and the Department of Defense has already been hit with a $350 million cost overrun.
Lawmakers to grill VA on GI Bill error costing veterans thousands –
Congress returned from the elections recess Nov. 13 for a lame-duck agenda that will focus on the VA’s failed implementation of a new IT system that has proved costly for some veterans.
Marijuana-PTSD study reaches target enrollment of 76 veterans –
Researchers who are trying to determine whether marijuana works to treat post-traumatic stress disorder enrolled their final veteran needed for the study on Veterans Day.