Morning Coffee: Pentagon Cuts 8 JSFs
Morning Coffee is a robust blend of links to news around the internet concerning the Naval Air Station Patuxent River economic community. The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of the Leader’s owners or staff.
Eight F-35s were cut from the Pentagon’s FY15 budget request, reports Bloomberg Businessweek, reducing the total buy from 42 to 34. That breaks out as 26 for the Air Force, six for the Marine Corps, and two for the Navy. The President’s budget is scheduled for release March 4.
Out of the Pentagon and White House budget discussions, sources report a $36 billion plus-up to the FY16 defense budget is under discussion, the largest hunk, $14.7 billion, earmarked for the Navy, which includes the Marine Corps, reports Defense News. That would leave $8.7 billion for the Air Force; $7.6 billion for the Army; and $5 billion for US Special Operations Command, except legislators and prognosticators agreed with a budget expert who said, “Anything in the out-years and beyond is fictional.”
The Hill reports, Wall Street celebrated the debt deal struck last week in Congress. The news contributed to a strong stock market run with major indices closing the week with their strongest gains of the year.
The US defense industry needs more overseas customers, that was the consensus at last week’s AFCEA conference of makers of unmanned systems, jets and Navy ships. National Defense Magazine reports. While overseas markets are being targeted as industry officials adjust to shrinking domestic funds, however, industry leaders cautioned “a lack of government spending and affordable products from industry are mutually exclusive.”
BAE is looking for a replay of its win over Lockheed in South Korea for the upgrade contract on 134 South Korean KF-16C/D Block 52s. If the US Air Force drops funding for its fighter jet radar upgrade BAE wants to win the F-16 upgrade contract over Lockheed here at home.
And here’s the link to Feb. 16, 2014 60 Minutes story on the JSF.
Suicides are down across the services, from 351 to 296 suicides from 2012-2013, a 15.7% drop. The biggest declined was in the Navy down 22% from 59 to 46 sailors, reports The Military Times, further noting that dwindling force size may impact the per-capita data, which is not yet calculated.
FCW says the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is looking for a better internet search engine, one “that would tailor indexed content, search results and interface tools to individual users and specific subject areas, and not the other way around,” says DARPA’s Chris White. A Proposers’ Day will be held Wed. Feb. 18, 2014.
