Seven Companies Split Adversary Training Contract Worth up to $6.4B
House Armed Services Committee Forms Task Force to Study Future Defense Needs
Esper Visits US Troops in Saudi Arabia as American Presence Grows
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RADAR SWEEP
Russia, Turkey Reach “Historic” Deal on Syria Border
Russia and Turkey agreed on Tuesday to ensure Kurdish forces withdraw from areas close to Syria’s border with Turkey and to launch joint patrols, in a deal hailed as "historic" by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. AFP via Yahoo News
Boeing Could Be Out of the Air Force’s Competition for Next-Gen ICBMs for Good
Boeing’s risk reduction contract for the Air Force’s Ground Based Strategic Deterrent program is functionally cancelled, the company announced Oct. 21. Defense News
6th CTS Activates New TACP Training Detachment
The Tactical Air Control Party formal training unit officially activated during a ceremony at the Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland’s Medina Annex Oct. 17. The TACP FTU will synchronize, standardize, and streamline training to ensure readiness of TACP maneuver and command and control force multipliers in order to meet the needs of the Air Force, joint force, and coalition partners. USAF release
Esper to Recuse Himself From JEDI Decisions Due to Son’s Employment with IBM
Defense Secretary Mark Esper has recused himself from making decisions on the Pentagon’s controversial Joint Enterprise Cloud Infrastructure program due to his son’s employment with IBM. Inside Defense
South Korea Scrambled Jets to Warn Russian Warplanes in Air Defense Zone
South Korea scrambled fighter jets October 22 to warn Russian warplanes it said had entered its air space identification zone on Tuesday, the latest in a series of such incidents. Reuters
Jeff Bezos Enlists Lockheed, Northrop in NASA Moon Bid
Jeff Bezos’ space company, Blue Origin, has teamed up with aerospace giants Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman to compete for NASA’s project to return humans to the moon by 2024, the rocket company announced Tuesday. Politico
After Courts Martial Dropped, Cadets Fight Expulsions
Two years after what Air Force Academy leaders call a hazing incident on the school’s swimming team, three cadets are still fighting to become officers after administrative expulsions followed the school dropping criminal charges. Associated Press
One More Thing
Researchers Find Second Warship from WWII Battle of Midway
A crew of deep-sea explorers and historians looking for lost World War II warships have found a second Japanese aircraft carrier that went down in the historic Battle of Midway. Associated Press