Senate May Debate 2015 NDAA
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US defense contractors received recent encouragement as optimism spreads through the US Capitol that the Senate would begin work on the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) in September, reports Defense News. This recent development replaces almost unanimous uncertainty about whether Democrats and Republicans would agree to an amendments process under which the bill would be debated. New bipartisan confidence followed a week of intensified inter- and intra-party squabbling that threatened to derail any 2015 NDAA discussion following the August break.
Sequestration and defense budget cuts and the resulting financial stress is taking a psychological toll on America’s career military, reports Digital Journal. A recent survey revealed that 76 percent of middle-class military families say that during the past year someone in their household has experienced one or more mental or physical health-related issues commonly associated with financial worries.
Defense contractors are focusing on overseas sales and the lines between commercial and defense businesses are increasingly blurring, reports Defense News. Defense giants such as Lockheed Martin, which tops Defense News’s annual ranking of the largest global defense firms, is diversifying their business by entering the global commercial marketplace in areas such as air traffic management, aviation training and simulation, energy, and advanced manufacturing.
Former CIA director, James Woolsey, believes that a nuclear blast that generates electromagnetic pulses could destroy the nation’s electrical grid and bring civilization as we know it “to a cold, dark halt,” reports The Christian Science Monitor. Mr. Woolsey testified before before the House Armed Services Committee and said, “Two thirds of the US population would likely perish from starvation, disease, and societal breakdown. Other experts estimate the likely loss to be closer to 90 percent.”
The F-35 engine fire incident has spurred critics to advocate a number of “misguided” alternatives to this critical modernization program. Real Clear Defense takes a look at five of the proposed options to replace the troubled F-35 program including buying other countries’ aircraft and building more UAVs.
Lockheed Martin had a promising financial start to the year and the contractor’s earnings potential is growing, according to Bidness Etc. Because Lockheed is the largest player in the defense industrial complex, it has a strategic influence which ensures long term profitability for the company.
The DoD cited Alan S. Rudolph, a former senior official, for a variety of ethical lapses and misconduct, including improperly having people he knew hired to work for the Pentagon’s Defense Threat Reduction Agency, reports The Washington Post.
An F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter performed a short takeoff/vertical landing for the first time Friday at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, according to WSAV.
