The Air Force will issue the UH-1N helicopter replacement program request for information and requirements documents next Friday, the service announced Wednesday. In May, the service said there will be a “full and open competition” to replace the fleet that protects ICBM fields even though Defense Secretary Ash Carter testified in April there was an urgent need for replacements. That same month lawmakers urged the Pentagon to detail its plan to protect the nuclear forces at Malmstrom AFB, Mont., Minot AFB, N.D., and F.E. Warren AFB, Wyo., until the new helicopter comes online.
The U.S. supports “a stronger and more capable” European defense, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said during an Oct. 22 press conference in Brussels—but that defense should not duplicate the functions and capabilities of the NATO alliance.