DefenceTalkPresident Barack Obama’s order aimed at ramping up protection from cyberattacks will address only a small portion of threats and sets up a fresh battle in Congress over legislation. Obama acted this week after two failed attempts in Congress to pass measures to protect critical infrastructure from computer attacks. US administration officials and lawmakers acknowledge […]https://www.defencetalk.com/cybersecurity-battle-looms-after-obama-directive-46822/

DefenceTalkMilitary experts said Sweden was probably unable to defend itself on its own in the event of an invasion, in a report published Thursday, saying the armed forces lacked necessary resources. “Can We Defend Ourselves For a Week?” the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences asked in the title of its report. Sweden is not […]https://www.defencetalk.com/military-experts-doubt-swedens-ability-to-defend-itself-46820/

DefenceTalkThe US Department of Defense (DOD) has awarded a $3 million research contract to California-based AOptix to develop “groundbreaking” technology that could one day allow troops in the field to use a smartphone to scan and record facial features and identity people from a distance, AOptix announced Wednesday. “The DOD saw an early version of […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-military-invests-in-smartphone-device-that-scans-ids-faces-46824/

DefenceTalkFive miles off the southern coast of Oahu, Hawaii, a three-person submersible was lifted off the back of a boat by a mechanical crane. The underwater vehicle floated on the surface of the ocean for a few moments as the crew in the chase boat unhooked the submersible as it prepared for its 550-meter journey […]https://www.defencetalk.com/army-samples-ocean-floor-for-underwater-munitions-project-46817/

DefenceTalkOn the battlefield, situational awareness technologies provide Soldiers with the locations of friendly forces and hostile activity, which can mean the difference between life and death. Now, the Army is upgrading those technologies in theater to operate at increased speeds and include the lowest echelons. With boots on the ground in Afghanistan, Project Manager Joint […]https://www.defencetalk.com/army-upgrades-blue-force-tracking-in-afghanistan-to-prepare-for-new-network-46814/

DefenceTalkF-35B flight clearance was restored February 12, rescinding a cautionary suspension issued January 18 after a fueldraulic hose failure. Government and industry engineering teams conducted a root cause investigation and determined the hose was improperly crimped. All affected hoses have been inspected, and those out of tolerances will be replaced. The hose enables actuator movement […]https://www.defencetalk.com/f-35b-resumes-flight-operations-46802/

DefenceTalkArmed forces which include the controversial JSF jet fighter is the least attractive scenario for the future of the Dutch military, according to an assessment by the Clingenael Institute. The institute, which specialises in international relations, has drawn up four options for the armed forces, only one of which includes the JSF, Nos television reports […]https://www.defencetalk.com/f-35-jsf-jet-does-not-fit-in-revised-dutch-defence-strategy-46804/

DefenceTalkRussia said Wednesday it was delivering military hardware and light weapons to the governments of Syria and Mali as it expands sales and maintains its footing in some of the world’s deadliest conflicts. The head of Russia’s arms exporter Rosoboronexport, Anatoly Isaikin, said Russian deliveries to the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad included air […]https://www.defencetalk.com/russia-says-supplying-syria-mali-with-arms-46792/

DefenceTalkA Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) Standard Missile-3 Block IA fired from the USS Lake Erie destroyed a medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) target using tracking data from a remote Raytheon sensor payload on the Space Tracking and Surveillance System-Demonstrator (STSS-D) satellites. “This test further expands our confidence in the SM-3’s ability to engage targets using remote, […]https://www.defencetalk.com/u-s-navy-uses-eyes-in-space-to-take-out-a-ballistic-missile-threat-target-46786/

DefenceTalkTop officers from all of the military services today predicted dire consequences if looming automatic, across-the-board spending cuts are allowed to take effect, and they urged the members of the Senate Armed Services Committee to do all in their power to stop the process. If unchanged, the process known as sequestration will add $470 billion […]https://www.defencetalk.com/service-chiefs-detail-sequestration-consequences-46778/