Lawmakers signaled today that the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan may not mean the end of US commitment, particularly in supporting the Afghan special forces.
By Paul McLearyWhat’s new in naval radars and missiles: Defending the Pacific
Defending U.S. naval forces in the Pacific, Red Sea, and elsewhere require a range of systems from close-in weapons to anti-ballistic missiles.
Combatant commanders, have been clamoring for real-world access fast to new software tools.
By Theresa Hitchens
The administration is set to nominate two NSA veterans, one for the newly created national cybersecurity director position and one to head CISA. The new leaders, once confirmed by Congress, will have their hands full.
By Brad D. Williams
“Clearly, this is not what Congress intended,” one former senior DoD official notes.
By Theresa Hitchens
“Some do not believe this is an appropriate role for the government…” Republican Sen. Young said in an interview. “…[B]ut, simply, the private sector and venture capital community is not up to shouldering this task on its own.”
By Brad D. Williams
“This is a new effort, as the expanded mission now goes beyond a strict MQ-9 replacement,” an AFLCMC spokesperson said. “This endeavor serves to explore concepts that address capability gaps of legacy platforms against increasingly sophisticated threats in denied, contested, and highly contested environments.”
By Theresa Hitchens
“If we get into a conflict with China, this is not going to be like a World War II conflict where we have massive elements of the industrial base that can quickly convert to manufacturing the necessities for war…that’s just not going to happen,” Rep. Rob Wittman says.
By Paul McLeary
Enterprise-wide training: the Army’s $3.5B program for multi-service combat readiness
The competition for Warfighter Training and Readiness Solutions will bring together training networks, combat training centers and live ranges across the DoD enterprise.
“We should understand what our adversaries are doing,” Gen. Nakasone told Congress. “They are no longer launching attacks from different parts in the world. They understand that they can come into the US, use our infrastructure, and there’s a blind spot for us not being able to see them.”
By Brad D. Williams
GAO notes that efforts to defend against Russian and Chinese hypersonic missiles are much less mature than offensive efforts, with much less funding. Only 12 of 70 projects tracked by GAO related to defenses; DoD requested $207 million in 2021 for hypersonic defense, up from $157 million in 2020.
By Theresa Hitchens
“I will tell you right now, the MQ-9 is still a very popular platform with the Combatant Commanders,” Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown admitted. “So, it’s not something we can just walk away from.”
By Theresa Hitchens
“I am confident that accepting the KC-46 with known deficiencies offers the fastest route to fielding a fully operationally capable weapon system,” she said. “That said, serious deficiencies and restrictions remain,” Air Mobility Command head Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost told reporters.
By Theresa Hitchens
“We’re doing everything in our power to keep efforts going, because we believe … it’s the right way to help design our future force,”acting Air Force acquisition head Darlene Costello says.
By Theresa Hitchens
“It may not get to exactly what I want, but it’ll be better than to get nothing that I want,” Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown says of his recent talks with Congress about the service’s budget plans.
By Theresa Hitchens
The question about who ultimately will be in charge of making decisions about what the Space Force buys will now fall to the incoming Air Force secretary, DoD Secretary Lloyd Austin and the Biden White House.
By Theresa Hitchens
