Canada Still on the Hook for F-35 Investment

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Despite its withdrawal from the nine-nation coalition supporting Lockheed’s development of the F-35 joint strike fighter, Canada is still on the hook for its pledged $150 million investment and is slated to participate in next month’s JSF meeting, the F-35 program spokesman told Reuters Canada. US Deputy DefSec Bob Work says the JSF will also compete to replace Canada’s aging CF-18 jets.

United Launch Alliance, a joint Boeing-Lockheed venture pulled out of the competition for the Pentagon to send satellites into space because the Russian engines ULA uses for their spacecraft are no longer approved by the US, reports Defense News. The move drew the ire of Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. The withdrawal  leaves only SpaceX in the competition.

The State Department has issued a worldwide travel alert to US citizens due to “increased terrorist threats,” reports The Washington Times.

As the search for a terror suspect in the Paris attacks continues, Brussels remains in an unprecedented lock down, bringing  business to a standstill as European leaders vow to tackle the crisis at its roots in Syria, reports Bloomberg.

The name has changed — ISIS is now Daesh — and alliances are starting to alter, the result of strategic shifts triggered by Russia‘s decision to intervene militarily in Syria. Breaking Defense reports on these shifts leading up to French President Francois Hollande’s visit today, Tuesday, with President Barack Obama. Ahead of the meeting between presidents Obama and Hollande, The Washington Times reports the White House said the US is contributing more than its share to the fight against the Islamic State.

The US Coast Guard and Royal Netherlands Navy combine forces in the Caribbean and intercept $17 million worth of cocaine, reports MarineLink.

The Navy still uses steam power on even on some of its newest ships, but that’s about to change. The Gerald R. Ford class aircraft carriers are outfitted with a new way to launch aircraft,  EMALS, the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System, reports Naval-technology.com.