July 19, 2023 | International, Land
GM Defense wants to pave the way for the U.S. Marine Corps to feel comfortable fielding an all-electric vehicle.
May 24, 2023 | International, Naval
The contract includes options for detail design and construction of up to seven T-AGOS 25 class ships which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of the contract to US$3,195,396,097
August 8, 2018 | International, C4ISR
By: Shalom Lipner Nuclear proliferation appears to weigh heavily on U.S. President Donald Trump's mind. Standing next to his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in Helsinki last month, Trump said ominously that it's “probably the most important thing that we can be working on.” Since then, Trump has proposed dramatically to negotiate denuclearization with Iran — after threatening the country with “consequences the likes of which few throughout history have ever suffered before” — and even floated the idea of a second meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un with the goal of dismantling Pyongyang's nuclear arsenal. For someone whose projection of power derives so intensely from online networks, Trump is surprisingly old-fashioned. During the 1964 presidential campaign, President Lyndon Johnson aired a spot deemed so controversial than it never ran a second time. As an innocent, young girl picked petals off a daisy in the park, her voice was drowned out slowly by a launch countdown. Then, narrating against the backdrop of a mushroom cloud, Johnson proclaimed: “We must either love each other, or we must die.” His Republican opponent, Barry Goldwater — the implicit warmonger who was not even mentioned by name — lost by an overwhelming margin. But the more contemporary battlefield of cyberspace merited not one single mention in Trump's remarks alongside Putin in Finland. Unless you count the infamous Democratic National Committee server, that is, which he referenced nine times. While Trump obsesses about politics, the U.S. is exposed to great danger. Drawing a direct comparison to 9/11, Dan Coats, the director of national intelligence, has warned that America's “digital infrastructure ... is literally under attack.” He fingered Russia as the “most aggressive foreign actor” and awarded dishonorable mentions to China, Iran and North Korea. Trump then chose to accept Putin's denials of Russian interference over the assessment of his intelligence chiefs. His subsequent reversal was unpersuasive. Full Article: https://www.fifthdomain.com/opinion/2018/08/06/in-contemporary-warfare-cyber-trumps-nukes/
September 3, 2019 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security
By: Mike Yeo MELBOURNE, Australia — Japan's Defense Ministry has requested a budget of $50.5 billion for its next fiscal year, an increase of 1.2 percent over the previous year and the eighth straight year of an increase. The funds will be used to acquire more Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jets, including Japan's first short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing F-35B, as well as increasing its Boeing KC-46A Pegasus tanker fleet to six aircraft. The bulk of the budget request is for costs associated with U.S. military forces stationed in Japan, with $1.9 billion requested to pay the salaries of Japanese citizens employed by the U.S military, supporting training exercises, and performing maintenance on and improvements to U.S. military facilities. The ministry's request includes $1.08 billion for F-35s, which is made up of $291.3 million for three conventional takeoff and landing F-35As and $795.3m for six F-35Bs. These will be Japan's first F-35Bs, and it's expected the country will eventually order 42 "B" models, of which 18 will be acquired over the next five years, according to Japan's Mid-Term Defense Plan released late last year. It also has plans to eventually operate 105 F-35As. The F-35Bs are to be operated from two Izumo-class helicopter destroyers. Japan announced last year plans to convert both ships, which are currently designed to operate helicopters, to be able to handle F-35Bs. Notably, the budget request asks for $29.1 million for “partial refurbishment” to enable F-35B operations. According to other reports, modifications for the ships include improvements to the heat resistance of their flight decks as well as the installation of additional lighting for aircraft operations. Japanese Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya added that F-35B deck trials could be conducted with U.S. Marine Corps F-35Bs based in Japan following the modification work. Beyond the jets The budget request also asks for $1.05 billion for four more Boeing KC-46A Pegasus tanker aircraft, and $284.8 million for more Raytheon SM-3 Block IIA ballistic missile interceptors. The request for funding for four KC-46As is a departure from normal procedure, Previously, Japan ordered one tanker each during the 2017 and 2018 fiscal years. According to the ministry, the batch order is a more cost-effective means of acquisition, resulting in $100 million worth of savings. Given that Japan already awarded contracts to Boeing for two of the three KC-46As previously on order, the budget request for four more tankers suggests the ministry wants funding for the last aircraft and and for an additional order of three KC-46s. Defense News has sought clarification from Japan's Defense Ministry over whether this is the case. The budget request also includes a number of acquisitions from Japan's defense industry, with $654.3 million for another Soryu-class diesel-electric attack submarine. And should the budget pass, Kawasaki Heavy Industries will be able to keep its aircraft production lines open, with the ministry seeking funds to acquire three more P-1 anti-submarine aircraft and six C-2 airlifters at $213.4 million and $599 million respectively. The ministry also wants money for more equipment destined for Japan's land forces: 33 Type 16 wheeled maneuver combat vehicles and seven Type 19 wheeled self-propelled howitzers. The Type 19 is a newly developed eight-wheel drive howitzer sporting a 155mm weapon mounted on the German MAN HX military truck chassis, and it's earmarked to replace the towed FH70 howitzer currently in service with the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force. The Defense Ministry also wants to continue funding the development of indigenous electronic warfare capabilities. Japan's next fiscal year begins April 1, 2020. The budget request is not necessarily the actual amount that will be allocated by the Finance Ministry. https://www.defensenews.com/global/asia-pacific/2019/08/30/heres-what-japans-defense-ministry-wants-to-do-with-505-billion