London: French air forces flying strike missions in Libya against Gaddafi’s loyalists are not using detailed imagery and intelligence provided by US airborne surveillance aircraft, according to statements made today by French pilots involved in those sorties. Since the first day of NATO air strikes in Libya, French combat air crews have been struggling to… Keep reading →

National Harbor: Officials from the major defense and aerospace firms urged the government to fund new programs or to provide incentives to spur innovation that would allow them to keep design teams working. Translation: spend money on research projects or provide tax breaks for firms that spend their own money. That idea, presented by two… Keep reading →

National Harbor: The Pentagon is reportedly weighing the benefits and risks of slashing 100 planes from the planned purchase of 2,443 Joint Strike Fighters. Steve Burbage, Lockheed Martin’s executive vice president in charge of the JSF program, said at the Air Force Associaton’s annual conference that he wasn’t aware of any such discussions. Burbage repeated… Keep reading →

National Harbor: Air Force Secretary Mike Donley pledged today to keep all three legs of America’s nuclear triad, arguing that the rise of new nuclear powers makes the air, sea and land legs even more important. “We must maintain the nuclear triad,” he said, drawing a tiny smattering of applause — the only spontaneous applause… Keep reading →

Americans are understandably weary of our nation’s longest war. But even when the last troops come home from Afghanistan – which they won’t for at least three years – their battles won’t be over, and they’ll still need our support. Just as there are almost three million World War II veterans still alive today, we… Keep reading →

Washington: The United States must help secure caches of Libyan military hardware, including chemical and biological weapons, so they do not fall into terrorist hands, the head of the House intelligence committee said today. “There are things that should still be done” by American forces in Libya, despite the fact that the U.S. handed over… Keep reading →

Washington: The Army may have to retool its plans to upgrade its Humvee fleet, if the proposed cancellation of the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle is finalized. Companies vying for the Army’s Modernized Expanded Capacity Vehicle program had expected a draft proposals request from the Army to come out today. Last month, the service released an… Keep reading →

At a time when it can seem as if the Pentagon can’t build a major weapon system on time or on schedule, one unlikely corner of the military is on cost and on budget — the super secret shop that builds and operates the nation’s spy satellites. The head of America’s spy satellites said today… Keep reading →

Washington: Two of Washington’s better known taxpayer groups today offered a salad of Pentagon cuts, including recommendations to kill the entire F-35 program. The National Taxpayers Union (NTU) and the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) — who occupy very different parts of the political spectrum — issued the recommendations to the congressional Super Committee… Keep reading →

Washington: The defense industry has clearly decided looming budget cuts pose such a grave threat to its future that it must abandon its usual quiet, behind-the-scenes efforts to influence the American public and go national, using social media as well as its usual combination of education and money. Today, the Aerospace Industries Association unveiled its… Keep reading →