F-35’s Armory Is About to Get Bigger
The US Navy is launching an effort to procure four integrated advanced munitions — JASSM, LRASM, JAGM, and Hellfire missiles — on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
Dubai Air Show Packed Despite Tensions
Despite a tense regional backdrop, the huge Dubai Air Show is running this week, although without a robust presence of Israeli defense firms. The show opened with great news for Boeing which sold another 90 passenger jets to the Emirates, the largest order since the US company’s first sale to Dubai 10 years ago.
DoD: Percentage of Women in Military Rises
The number of service members in the US military declined last year by 2.7%. A total of 2,077,630 service members were in the active-duty and selected reserve population — a decrease of 58,282 from 2021, while the percentage of women in the military inched upward. The DoD’s 2022 Demographics Profile of the Military Community found that since 2005, the percentage of active-duty military women has increased by 2.9% while the percentage of women in the selected reserve has risen by 4.4%.
Veterans Day Originally Commemorated Peace
Nov. 11 is Veterans Day, begun as Armistice Day commemorating the end of fighting in World War I, in the US the day now honors all those who have served in the military, past, or present. The United States’ official day of national remembrance of those killed in action is Memorial Day, which predates World War I.
Pax F-35 Pilot Makes 1st Night SRVL on UK Carrier
An US Navy F-35 Lightning II test pilot from NAS Pax River performed the first night shipborne rolling vertical landing, or SRVL, aboard HMS Prince of Wales, the United Kingdom’s newest aircraft carrier, in Atlantic waters just after 9pm Oct. 29. This came after MAJ Paul Gucwa had performed the first SRVL earlier that day.
Biden: Postwar, Prioritize Two-State Solution
President Joe Biden is calling on Israeli and Arab leaders to think hard about their eventual postwar reality, which he says should prioritize finding agreement on a long-sought two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
New Speaker Has Mixed Record on Defense
New Speaker of the House Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA), who represents a military-heavy district on the Armed Services Committee, could help ameliorate some of the budget uncertainty generated by the recent turmoil within the GOP conference. He also opposed the sweeping toxic exposure bill for veterans and the Pentagon’s abortion policy.
Uptick in Attacks on US Troops in Middle East
As the US continues to move its assets around the Middle East to support Israel in its war against Hamas, the number of attacks on US troops nearby has increased.
NAWCAD Unveils Newest Nat’l. Cyber Range
US Navy commanders, executives, and other local leaders celebrated the opening of the Department of Defense’s newest National Cyber Range last week at the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division at NAS Pax River.
More Troops Deploy, More Readied
A US military rapid response force is headed to the waters off the coast of Israel, and the Pentagon is preparing American troops for a potential deployment to the country.
