Poland eyes 500 American rocket launchers to boost its artillery forces

Warsaw has pushed forward a number of acquisition programs since the outbreak of Russia’s war against Ukraine, with most of the contracts going to American suppliers

US Army signs deal to backfill Stingers sent to Ukraine

Raytheon has netted a contract to build Stinger anti-aircraft missiles to replace those the U.S. military sent to Ukraine.

Army aviation exercise focuses on communicating with allies

The Army and several international partners made headway to achieve battlefield interoperability at EDGE 22 at Dugway Proving Ground, Utah, but there is still plenty of work to be done to seamlessly tie allies and partners together in operations.

Brazil prepares international competition for armed recon vehicle

The Brazilian Army has written up requirements for its next eight-wheel drive armored reconnaissance vehicle, following approval for the service to buy up to 221 of the platforms — each armed with a 105mm gun — according to sources and an Army document seen by Defense News.

Air Force’s Haugh confirmed as US Cyber Command deputy

In 2019, he said the U.S. was “engaged in power competition with adversaries in all domains today,” further describing intelligence as “the fuel that commanders require to maneuver in response.”

Rheinmetall readies Oto Melara buy-in, with its Lynx fighting vehicle in mind

If accepted, the deal would see off reported interest in Oto Melara from KNDS – the alliance of Germany’s Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and France’s Nexter which sounded out Oto Melara’s owner, Italian state controlled Leonardo, about a sale last year.

European Command nominee doesn’t foresee more troops there under expanded NATO

Lt. Gen. Christopher Cavoli suggested more joint exercises, but not necessarily more permanent basing.

AI less about ‘killer robots,’ more about Pentagon transformation, Groen says

“Implementation in the department, of course, is always a challenge,” the director said, “as new technology meets legacy processes, legacy organizations and legacy technology.”

Key senator eyes clean energy provisions in defense authorization bill

A key senator on the Armed Services Committee is introducing legislation to strengthen emissions reduction targets at the world’s largest institutional consumer of fossil fuels: the Defense Department.

British Air Force pushes ‘really big contract’ for Typhoon radar upgrades

British defense officials are awaiting top leaders’ approval to complete development and production of an active electronically scanned array radar destined to upgrade Royal Air Force Typhoon jets.

SOFIC

Navy SEALs are itching for upgrades to their silent underwater rides

Navy SEALs have a lot of cool toys, but most of the wet ones either need replacing or need some serious upgrades to haul them into the 21st century.

Defense firms push Congress for Pentagon budget increase over inflation

U.S. defense and aerospace firms are asking Congress for a defense budget for 2023 that exceeds inflation by 3 to 5 percent and challenged lawmakers to pass their annual defense bills by Sept 30.

Navy’s Unmanned Task Force turns to a venture capital-inspired process to find investments

The Unmanned Task Force is hyper-focused on finding solutions to specific warfighter problems that can be solved with unmanned technologies in a five-year timeframe.

National Reconnaissance Office expands use of commercial satellite imagery

The contracts — awarded to Maxar, BlackSky and Planet — are part of NRO's response to a growing demand for commercial satellite imagery.

Commentary

The DoD’s cyber force must partner with industry to compete at the speed of relevance

While cyber is essential to many areas of DoD operations, it is not its main function.

Automated maintenance tool tracker wins top $225K prize at US Air Force competition

Two runners-up also took home $125,000 prizes each for their own ideas.

B-21 first flight to come in 2023

The rollout of the Air Force’s next stealth bomber is still expected later in 2022.

Marine Corps seeks ‘information command’ in Force Design 2030 update

“We believe that in a conflict with a peer adversary, first moves may be in space and cyber, so we must enable our” forces “to integrate with, and have access to, those capabilities now,” reads the update.

Photos show China has fielded another semi-submersible transport ship

The official China Military Online website showed the semi-submersible heavy ship Yinmahu transporting a Type 958 air-cushioned landing craft.

Poland requests six additional Patriot batteries from the United States

Poland wants a package of "omnidirectional radars, missile launchers, and a stock of missiles,” Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak said.

New Zealand to train Ukrainians on L119 howitzer

Known as the M119 in the U.S., the gun has a range of more than 10 miles, and New Zealand’s military has used the weapon since the 1980s.

Australians bring Wedgetail to Black Flag test as US preps for AWACS replacement

After finishing up at Black Flag, the Australian Wedgetail flew to Tyndall Air Force Base to take part in an air-to-air live fire evaluation event.

US Army terminates science and technology effort for strategic long-range cannon

The Army has zeroed out funding for the Strategic Long-Range Cannon science and technology effort to focus on other long-range precision fires priorities.

Commentary

The US defense budget’s latest casualty is readiness

To advance future capabilities that provide for long-term readiness, the armed services need well-trained, knowledgeable warfighters who have the capacity to integrate modernized systems into sustained arsenals. Instead, the budget’s reductions come at a point when the operational tempo of the force continues to increase as capacity investments are falling.

Ukraine to get Harpoon anti-ship missiles from Denmark amid Russian Black Sea blockade

Denmark will arm Ukraine with with modern Harpoon anti-ship missiles to protect its coasts, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Monday after concluding the latest U.S.-led meeting of international defense chiefs to coordinate military aid for Ukraine.

Congress and Pentagon seek to shore up strategic mineral stockpile dominated by China

Congress has repeatedly authorized multi-million-dollar sell-offs of the U.S. strategic minerals stockpile over the past several decades, but Washington’s increased anxiety over Chinese domination of resources critical to the defense industrial base has prompted lawmakers to reverse course and shore up the reserve.

More nations expected to sign up for Pentagon’s Ukraine aid group

A group of international defense chiefs convened by U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to coordinate military aid for Ukraine is likely to be larger when it meets for the second time on Monday.

Military commands spent pandemic money on space analytics, IT upgrades

The U.S. military commands responsible for North America misused at least $19 million in COVID-19 relief money on space-related data analytics connected to the Pentagon’s JADC2 endeavor, as well as office information technology upgrades, investigators said.