Defense Secretary Ash Carter said he was frustrated and disappointed President Obama vetoed the National Defense Authorization Act, noting the budget “gridlock,” now and in recent years, does a disservice to the troops. “This is a source of uncertainty for them and their families that I think is unworthy of them and what they’re doing for the country,” Carter told reporters Friday afternoon. Carter said the inability for leaders in Washington, D.C., to come to an agreement was “embarrassing” and affects US allies, civilians, and industry partners, as well as US military members. The veto was reflective of the budget turmoil that has plagued Washington politics in recent months. “I very much hope that it’s possible for everybody to come together here and put us on a normal, multi-year budgeting horizon that doesn’t have the managerial inefficiencies and the uncertainty to our operations and our people that is represented by this,” said Carter.
A Defense Department team is on the ground in Ukraine assessing what the country needs to protect itself from air, naval, electronic, and cyber warfare threats as Russian troops gather on multiple fronts, a senior Ukrainian defense official told Air Force Magazine, describing an emphasis on what assistance can be…