Ashton Carter Picked As Next DefSec
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Ashton Carter is tagged to be the next defense secretary senior administration officials said yesterday afternoon, but the choice will not be announced immediately because the vetting process is not complete, reports The New York Times. He served as the Pentagon’s No. 2 civilian official and as the DoD’s chief weapons buyer although he has not performed uniformed military service. President Obama is expected to formally announce his DefSec pick by the end of the week.
Lexington Park ranks number four on a list of US cities that attract the most millionaires, according to CheatSheet. The county boasts 3,458 millionaire households, or 8.8 percent of the population. The high concentration could be due to NAS: Pax River’s defense contracting industry. St. Mary’s County is one of the richest counties in the world although the median household income is only around $88,000.
The opinion of Pioneer Green Energy on continuing federal resistance to their Great Bay wind project in Somerset County is provided by The Baltimore Sun. The company states they have an executed agreement with NAS: Pax River that alleviates concerns of possible wind turbine interference on Navy flight testing radar by stopping the turbines whenever such testing is scheduled. However, Sen. Steny Hoyer (D-Md) continues to block the project because he believes it will endanger Navy subcontractors under base closure laws, according to Pioneer Green president Andy Bowman. The energy company says that Maryland will lose out on a $200 million investment, 500 construction jobs and $44 million in new tax revenues due to Mr. Hoyer’s “fake crisis.”
Deputy DefSec Robert Work says that Congress has 10 days to “stop the madness,” his description of the stalled legislative process that has impeded the creation of an effective defense budget, according to The Washington Post. “This is the fifth time in five years that Congress has been unable to do their basic business: pass a budget on time so that we can plan,” Mr. Work said.
The House passed a bill that requires DHS to include the threat of electromagnetic pulse (EMP) events in national planning scenarios, reports The Hill. An EMP is a burst of electromagnetic energy caused by a nuclear weapon or solar storms.
Lockheed has developed a Deployable Mission Rehearsal Trainer (DMRT), which the contractor says will help keep F-35 pilots current as well as provide mission planning capabilities, reports DefenseNews. The DMRT is two simulators in a shipping container with a second container attached to provide HVAC and power for the system. The system can also link with a second DMRT, giving four pilots a chance to train together.
As previously speculated, Israel will reduce its second order of F-35 Lightning IIs after the Israeli cabinet authorized the immediate purchase of 14 F-35As with the option of ordering 17 more in 2017, reports ZACKS. The original plan was for the purchase of 50 F-35s.
Naval Sea Systems Command has released a refined draft of top-level requirements for a large-diameter unmanned underwater vehicle, according to SEAPOWER.
