New Speaker Has Mixed Record on Defense

(US House of Representatives photo)

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Defense News reports new Speaker of the House Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) struck a note of optimism with some Republican defense hawks who see Johnson’s representation of 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.

Johnson’s solidly conservative voting record includes opposing both the sweeping toxic exposure bill for veterans passed last year and the Pentagon’s abortion policy. He voted against the PACT Act that expanded benefits and health care for those exposed to toxic substances. Some top Republicans ended up supporting the version of the PACT Act that became law, more staunch conservatives continued to oppose it over the estimated $278 billion price tag, reports Military.com.

Senate has approved a measure that would ease some veterans’ access to guns, brushing aside objections from most Democrats and the Department of Veterans Affairs that doing so could hinder suicide prevention efforts, reports Military.com.

The US Army reservist suspected in a multi-location mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, was found dead Friday, likely by suicide, reports Reuters on MSN. The shooting left 18 people dead.

The Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group is more than halfway across the Atlantic on its way to join the mass of US naval forces in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East following the Hamas attacks on Israel earlier this month. Meanwhile, the French deployed an amphibious warship to join US and UK ships to deter the conflict from spreading beyond Israel, reports USNI.

The flyaway cost for the F-15EX Eagle II is approximately $90 million for each aircraft in the program’s second production lot, about $7.5 million more than the newest price for an F-35A, reports Breaking Defense. The Air Force confirmed a contract for the next three production lots of the Boeing-made F-15EX was finalized on Sept. 28, a major milestone for the program. But the $90 million per unit cost in the contract — a number that is expected to grow in successive lots — will likely raise eyebrows among critics both within and outside the service who argue that officials should focus on buying more F-35s.

More than 20 US troops stationed across the Middle East were injured in drone and rocket attacks last week, with most suffering traumatic brain injuries, reports Military.com. The Pentagon confirmed last week that 21 US personnel received “minor injuries” due to the attacks at al Asad Airbase in Iraq and the al-Tanf Garrison in Syria.

The US military launched airstrikes early Friday on two locations in eastern Syria linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Pentagon said, in retaliation for a slew of drone and missile attacks against US bases and personnel in the region that began early last week, reports Military Times.

The Navy’s newest Littoral Combat Ship cannot make its way to the Atlantic Ocean after finding itself in the middle of a strike by St. Lawrence Seaway employees. USNI.org reports 13 of the 15 locks are on the picket line, shutting down the corridor on the St. Lawrence River to the Atlantic Ocean.

The Space Force is planning an $8 billion satellite architecture for nuclear command and control, reports Space News. A request for proposals is expected in early 2024 for the space segment of the Evolved Strategic Satellite Communications System

Russia fired 11 Shahed drones against Ukrainian targets, reaching deep into Ukraine while falling debris damaged power lines near a nuclear power plant in the country’s west, officials said Wednesday. C4ISRNET reports that Ukraine’s air force said it intercepted all the overnight drones.

Russia has freed up to 100,000 prison inmates and sent them to fight in Ukraine, according to government statistics and rights advocates — a far greater number than was previously known, reports The Washington Post.

Depleted weapons stockpiles and a dangerous security outlook mean NATO countries need to ramp up arms production for the long haul, the alliance’s top official said Wednesday. Stars and Stripes reports on Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg’s remarks at a gathering of defense industry leaders in Sweden came as Western militaries come under pressure to supply arms to Israel and Ukraine.

The US Air Force has activated two detachments at Robins Air Force Base in Georgia dedicated to electronic warfare and its future applications. C4ISRNET says the 950th Spectrum Warfare Group will assess the effectiveness of electronic warfare across dozens of aircraft while improving jamming and spoofing capabilities.

China and the US appear to be restarting dialogue between their militaries, despite continuing disputes over Beijing’s claims to Taiwan and the South China Sea. Military.com reports the US plans to send Cynthia Carras, principal director for China, Taiwan, and Mongolia, to represent the US DoD at the Xiangshan Forum in Beijing.

Senate Republicans are working to force confirmation votes on the Navy and Air Force vacancies on the Joint Chiefs of Staff seats early next month, but chamber Democrats are still holding out hope for a broader deal to advance hundreds of other pending military nominations, reports Military Times.

A Marine F/A-18C Hornet experienced a “main landing gear anomaly” last week, reports Military.com. The single-seat aircraft belongs to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 323, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, out of Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, CA, where the incident took place. No personnel were harmed. A video purportedly of the incident quickly gained traction over the weekend.

Under a new policy change, active-duty Air Force and Space Force applicants can join up to the age of 42 — meaning the services are now willing to take the oldest recruits out of all the Department of Defense military branches, reports Military.

Contracts:

American Systems Corp., Chantilly, Virginia, is awarded a $31,373,856 cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price modification (P00011) to a previously awarded contract (N6134022C0001). This modification exercises options to provide all required development testing, integration, delivery, and installation, as well as aircrew training and readiness for the P-8A Increment 3 Block 2 mission software integrated into existing P-8A training systems, to include Weapons Tactics Trainer, the new Combat Systems Part Task Trainer, and the new Combat System Electronic Classroom, for the government of Australia. This contract is in support of Small Business Innovation Research Phase III topic N00-123, titled “Automated Readiness Measurement System (ARMS)”. Work will be performed in Orlando, Florida (70%); Edinburgh, Australia (25%); and St. Louis, Missouri (5%), and is expected to be completed in September 2027. Royal Australian Air Force cooperative funds in the amount of $31,373,856 will be obligated at the time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division, Orlando, Florida, is the contracting activity.