Daily Report

April 23, 2014

Pentagon Sends 600 Soldiers to the Baltics

The Defense Department will send some 600 US soldiers to “a series of expanded US land force training activities” in Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia in response to recent Russian aggression in Ukraine, said Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. John Kirby...

Lightning II, Meet SAM

Six F-35 Lightning IIs are squaring off against potential adversaries’ air defense systems to test the fighter’s real-world sensing and penetrating capabilities at Edwards AFB, Calif., reported Military.com. “The surface threat is a tough problem. … If the missile is...

US Troop Level in Afghanistan Could Drop Below 5,000

The Obama Administration is considering maintaining a force of less than 5,000 US military members in Afghanistan after combat operations cease later this year, far less than the 8,000-12,000 previously requested by US military leaders. Thanks to promisingly high voter...

Obama Makes Fifth Trip to Asia-Pacific

President Barack Obama is expected to leave on his fifth visit to the Asia-Pacific today. The six-day trip includes stops in Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines, as well as a visit to Malaysia to make up for an October...

Defending the A-10 Plan

Air Force Col. Robert Spalding, a visiting fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, recently penned a defense of the service’s proposal to divest the A-10 fleet, charging critics with “missing the point” behind the retirement. “The US Air Force...

Making a Positive Change

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel reiterated his commitment to “stopping sexual assaults in the military,” during a recent visit to the Rape, Abuse, Incest National Network. During the visit, Hagel praised RAINN workers for raising awareness of sexual assaults and for...

Navy Issues Classified Draft Request for Stealth RPA

The Navy issued a classified draft request for proposal for a carrier-borne stealth remotely piloted aircraft last week. The service solicited Boeing, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman to bid on building its Unmanned Carrier Launched Airborne...

A400M Deliveries Picking Up

Airbus Military handed over the first A400M Atlas airlifter to the Turkish air force in a ceremony at its production facility earlier in the month, the company announced. Turkey’s A400M is the third Atlas off the assembly line, following delivery...