Lawmakers Question China’s Inclusion in Naval Exercise
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Congressman Mark Takai, D-HI, joins Sens. John McCain, R-AZ., and Jack Reed, D-RI, calling for excluding China from the world’s largest naval exercise, the biannual Rim of the Pacific 2016, reports Stars and Stripes, but DefSec Ash Carter says China’s participation would allow the two navies to address common challenges and tamp tensions.
Breaking Defense says Marines tries to scrounge secure a part for an F-18 from a Yorktown museum, becoming the anecdote for lawmakers worried that US weapons are too old, new gear rare and training dollars short.
USNI reports, the Marines are set to standup new F-35B squadron in June, Sean Stackley, assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition tells the House Armed Services Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee.
Divided Europe searches for united response to Terror, reports Bloomberg.
Meet Cellebrite, the Israeli company helping the FBI decrypt iPhone. International Business Times reports the company is an old friend with the FBI.
As DoD surges ahead of the State Department over control of military aid to foreign nations, fears of the “militarizing [of] foreign policy” is being discussed, reports Politico.
Medical identity theft is increasing, reports Fedsmith, thieves can use someone else’s name or health insurance to receive treatment of their own.
US to charge Iran in Cyber attacks against banks and New York dam, reports Fortune.
Fire Base Bell in northern Iraq was only days old when the Islamic State killed Marine Staff Sgt. Louis Cardin and wounded his comrades during a rocket attack, reports The Washington Post, harkening back to outposts in older US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Naval Air Systems Command awarded Exelis $88.3 million for 48 more onboard jammer systems for the Super Hornet, following $93 million awarded in July 2015 for 46 of the jammer systems that protect aircraft by interfering with the guidance systems of enemy missiles, reports Defense Systems.
URS Federal Services Inc., Germantown, Maryland, is being awarded a $21,713,648 modification (P00003) against a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N00421-15-C-0020) for program management services in support of the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance-Demonstrator Program Office. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland (68 percent); and Germantown, Maryland (32 percent), and is expected to be completed in March 2018. Fiscal 2016 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $4,000,000 are being obligated on this award, all of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.
