DefenceTalkThe Pentagon announced Wednesday it has awarded $9 billion in cloud computing contracts to Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Oracle, after scrapping a previous deal during a dispute between two of those firms. The Joint Warfighting Cloud Capability (JWCC) is a “multiple-award contract vehicle that will provide the DoD the opportunity to acquire commercial cloud capabilities […]https://www.defencetalk.com/pentagon-splits-9-billion-cloud-contract-among-google-amazon-oracle-and-microsoft-79649/

DefenceTalkIn October 2021, Gen. John Hyten, then-vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, warned that China’s military capabilities would soon surpass that of both Washington and Moscow. Hyten claimed that, within a five-year period, Beijing had conducted hundreds of hypersonic weapons tests, versus the nine completed by the US. As the US attempts to […]https://www.defencetalk.com/pentagon-hopes-to-light-a-fire-for-hypersonic-development-during-high-level-defense-meeting-77804/

DefenceTalkThe UK government was preparing to unveil its much-anticipated military modernization plans on Monday, vowing to bolster its defence of British interests “across multiple domains and in all corners of the globe”. The long-awaited proposals, detailed in a report entitled “Defence in a Competitive Age”, focus heavily on boosting the country’s navy and global footprint, […]

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkPresident-elect Joe Biden has chosen Lloyd Austin, who led US troops into Baghdad in 2003 and rose to head the US Central Command, as the first African-American secretary of defense, US media reported Monday. A veteran of conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, the retired four-star army general, 67, beat out the favorite for the job, […]https://www.defencetalk.com/biden-picks-general-lloyd-austin-as-first-black-pentagon-chief-76594/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkDARPA has selected three performers to work on the Control of Revolutionary Aircraft with Novel Effectors (CRANE) program, which aims to demonstrate an aircraft design based on active flow control (AFC), an area not fully explored compared to traditional flight controls. The goal is to demonstrate significant efficiency benefits of AFC, as well as improvements […]https://www.defencetalk.com/darpa-awards-contracts-for-new-x-plane-program-based-on-active-flow-control-76008/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkThe Defense Department has been working to improve issues that affect the ready-for-issue rate for F-35 joint strike fighter parts, the undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment told Congress. Parts for the F-35 should be accompanied by an “electronic equipment log” through the jet’s Autonomic Logistics Information System, but that doesn’t always happen, Ellen […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-defense-dept-improves-ready-for-issue-rate-for-f-35-parts-75986/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkThe US Defense Department announced Thursday it was resuming military assistance to Ukraine after a freeze forced by the scandal at the heart of President Donald Trump’s impeachment. The Pentagon said $250 million will be released to assist with Ukraine’s defensive capabilities, air and sea surveillance, communication and cyberdefense, the latter “to counter Russian cyber […]https://www.defencetalk.com/pentagon-resumes-military-aid-to-ukraine-75734/

DefenceTalkRaytheon Technologies Corporation announced the successful completion of the all-stock merger of equals transaction between Raytheon Company and United Technologies Corporation on April 3, 2020, following the completion by United Technologies of its previously announced spin-offs of its Carrier and Otis businesses. Headquartered in Waltham, Mass., Raytheon Technologies is one of the largest aerospace and […]https://www.defencetalk.com/united-technologies-and-raytheon-complete-merger-of-equals-transaction-75078/

DefenceTalkBrazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro on Sunday visited the US Southern Command, where he signed a defense agreement with the United States enabling joint development of military capabilities, officials said. The agreement, which was also signed by Admiral Craig Faller, the head of the Miami-based command, aims to clear the way for future joint projects “to […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-brazil-sign-agreement-enabling-military-sales-74708/

DefenceTalkThe U.S. Department of Defense officially adopted a series of ethical principles for the use of Artificial Intelligence today following recommendations provided to Secretary of Defense Dr. Mark T. Esper by the Defense Innovation Board last October. The recommendations came after 15 months of consultation with leading AI experts in commercial industry, government, academia and […]https://www.defencetalk.com/dod-adopts-ethical-principles-for-artificial-intelligence-74229/