Air Force OKs First KC-46 Delivery; Lots of Caveats

Air Force OKs First KC-46 Delivery; Lots of Caveats
Air Force OKs First KC-46 Delivery; Lots of Caveats

WASHINGTON: While the Air Force accepted delivery of the first KC-46 today, Boeing could face a total of $4.5 billion in cost overruns and withheld payments on the initial $4.9 billion contract for 52 KC-46 airborne tankers, depending on what happens as the company tries to fix the plane’s Remote Vision System. How does that…

UK F-35s Clear IOC For Land-Based Ops; UK Spending Big on Defense

UK F-35s Clear IOC For Land-Based Ops; UK Spending Big on Defense
UK F-35s Clear IOC For Land-Based Ops; UK Spending Big on Defense

WASHINGTON: The UK is ready to start deploying the first batch of its new F-35 fighter overseas, the country’s top defense official said Thursday, while introducing a slew of new cruise and attack missiles for its Typhoon jets.   The announcement of Initial Operational Capability (IOC) for nine F-35Bs comes weeks after the Royal Navy…

Services Wargaming Multi-Domain Consensus: Army 3-Star Futurist

Services Wargaming Multi-Domain Consensus: Army 3-Star Futurist
Services Wargaming Multi-Domain Consensus: Army 3-Star Futurist

“All the services understand the need to move to Multi-Domain Operations,” Lt. Gen. Wesley said. “Second, we all agree that MDC2 [Multi-Domain Command & Control] is the most important joint problem that we have to solve. After that, the specifics of how you conduct MDO – that’s where the variance is that we’ve got to converge on.”

SAIC’s Got No Regrets On Armored Vehicle Losses

SAIC’s Got No Regrets On Armored Vehicle Losses
SAIC’s Got No Regrets On Armored Vehicle Losses

SAIC not a traditional heavy-metal manufacturer and it shouldn’t be judged like one, CEO Tony Moraco and COO Nazzic Keene told me.

State Blocks Israeli Sale of F-16s To Croatia: Deal All But Dead

State Blocks Israeli Sale of F-16s To Croatia: Deal All But Dead
State Blocks Israeli Sale of F-16s To Croatia: Deal All But Dead

Croatia, a NATO member, was ready to sign off on the largest defense deal in its history: $500 million for 12 Israeli F-16 fighters. But the State Department didn’t like the looks of the deal.

M2 Bradley Gets An Iron Fist; Rival Trophy APS Wins $67M For Army, Marine M1 Tanks

M2 Bradley Gets An Iron Fist; Rival Trophy APS Wins $67M For Army, Marine M1 Tanks
M2 Bradley Gets An Iron Fist; Rival Trophy APS Wins $67M For Army, Marine M1 Tanks

Last month, the Army committed to buying an initial brigade’s-worth of the Iron Fist Active Protection System for the M2 Bradley. Meanwhile, with Tuesday morning’s announcement, the US is spending over $200 million to install the rival Trophy APS on not only Army but Marine Corps M1 Abrams tanks.

‘Global Zero’ Double Standard For Nuclear Weapons

‘Global Zero’ Double Standard For Nuclear Weapons
‘Global Zero’ Double Standard For Nuclear Weapons

In the coming clash between President Trump’s $750 billion defense budget and House Democrats’ desire to cut Pentagon spending, especially on nuclear weapons, there will be tremendous fiscal pressure to shortchange the almost $30 billion annual cost to modernize America’s strategic deterrent. The ideological cover for such penny-wise, pound-foolish cuts is the so-called Global Zero…

Pentagon Approves Two-Carrier Buy As Fixes Continue to Navy’s Priciest Ship

Pentagon Approves Two-Carrier Buy As Fixes Continue to Navy’s Priciest Ship
Pentagon Approves Two-Carrier Buy As Fixes Continue to Navy’s Priciest Ship

Congress is evaluating the proposal to issue a $24 billion contract for the Navy’s next two carriers, as the service looks at months of work to fix ongoing problems with the Ford-class’s first ship.

2019 Forecast: Hard Choices On Invisible Warfare

2019 Forecast: Hard Choices On Invisible Warfare
2019 Forecast: Hard Choices On Invisible Warfare

There are real signs of a renaissance in electronic warfare. Now comes the hard part: translating new strategies and concepts into doctrine, requirements, and systems in the field.

From Paris To Orbit: France’s New Space Strategy

From Paris To Orbit: France’s New Space Strategy
From Paris To Orbit: France’s New Space Strategy

With the landmark CSO-1 satellite launch December 19th and a new space strategy out soon, the French government is finally stepping up in space. A French-led, Europe-wide effort to modernize space capabilities had been announced in 2010, but it had been stalled for lack of urgency and funding. Now that’s changing.

Acting SecDef Shanahan’s First Message: “China, China, China.”

Acting SecDef Shanahan’s First Message: “China, China, China.”
Acting SecDef Shanahan’s First Message: “China, China, China.”

PENTAGON: In his first day on the job, acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan gathered civilian leaders of the military services to deliver a simple message: “China, China, China.”

2019 Forecast: Budget Battles & Confirmation Wars

2019 Forecast: Budget Battles & Confirmation Wars
2019 Forecast: Budget Battles & Confirmation Wars

Trump’s pick to replace Sec. Jim Mattis will be a key indicator about where the president wants to drive the department — and the confirmation process will show what the Senate will accept — while the defense budget may be collateral damage from a bitterly divided Congress.

Amidst Turmoil, Pentagon Persists On Acquisition Reform: Ellen Lord

Amidst Turmoil, Pentagon Persists On Acquisition Reform: Ellen Lord
Amidst Turmoil, Pentagon Persists On Acquisition Reform: Ellen Lord

PENTAGON: One constant in the abrupt transition from outgoing Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to his deputy, soon to be acting secretary, Patrick Shanahan? The grueling, technical, but crucial business of acquisition reform. For all their differences, Pentagon technocrats, House Democrats, Senate Republicans, and even President Trump can all agree that the Defense Department needs to…

Budget Busters: What to Look For in 2019 and Beyond

Budget Busters: What to Look For in 2019 and Beyond
Budget Busters: What to Look For in 2019 and Beyond

The release of the 2020 defense budget is still over a month away, and it’s already been a wild ride. A look at what has happened, and what might happen next.