March 19, 2024

Navy Settles Lawsuit Over Potomac Testing

Weapons Tests Dahlgren

A lawsuit against the US Navy regarding weapons testing on the Potomac River has been settled. The Navy will be required to obtain a Clean Water Act permit to minimize the pollution impacts from its weapons testing at Dahlgren, VA.

Uptick in Attacks on US Troops in Middle East

Attacks

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.

DoD Funds 8 New Microelectronics Commons Hubs

Microelectronics

The US Defense Department will award $238 million to eight regional “innovation hubs” around the country which will be a part of the new Microelectronics Commons. The hubs are expected to spur development of a domestic microelectronics manufacturing industry. Three of the hubs are located on the East Coast in Massachusetts, North Carolina, and New York.

Teams of Hackers Take On a US Satellite

Hackers

International teams of hackers were competing over the weekend to remotely seize control of SpaceX satellite Moonlighter. The Hack-a-Sat contest was part of a cybersecurity convention taking place in Las Vegas, NV.

MD Won’t Send Guard to Southern Border

Border

A growing list of Republican leaders are sending their state National Guard soldiers or other state law enforcement officers to the US border with Mexico. Gov. Wes Moore (D) said last week that “Maryland’s not doing that. Right now, what Maryland is doing — Maryland is focusing on public safety here. Maryland is focusing on our schools here. Maryland is focusing on the myriad of challenges and the myriad of opportunities that we have here in the state of Maryland … .”

Commerce Launches Tech Hub Grant Program

Tech Hub

The US Commerce Department on Friday launched a program where cities can apply for grant funding to become technology hubs. The agency will accept proposals from regions across the country. The grants are part of last year’s CHIPS and Science Act to stimulate investments in new technologies such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and biotech.

Pentagon: No Evidence of Aliens in UFO Cases

UFO

The Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities was told last week that none of the more than 650 unexplained anomalous phenomena, or UAP, incidents under investigation since the Pentagon’s All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office’s July 2022 inception were of an alien nature.

Lockheed Announces Layoffs at Pax

Lockheed Martin has announced the layoff of 176 workers at its Sikorsky division supporting the heavy lift helicopter program at NAS Patuxent River. The layoffs are effective April 27.

Retrofit Ordered for F-35 Fleet Worldwide

Retrofit

The F-35 Joint Program Office has ordered that all F-35 jets should be retrofitted with a fix intended to solve a potential engine vibration problem. This includes a global retrofit, not just for US aircraft.

Clutch Issues Ground Some V-22 Ospreys

V-22 Ospreys

A US Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey approaches the flight deck of the Lewis B. Puller-class expeditionary sea base USS Hershel “Woody” Williams on January 6, 2023. (US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Conner D. Blake/Released) 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 reflect opinions of the Leader’s owners or staff. The US Naval Air Systems Command grounded a subset of V-22 Osprey aircraft last week due to hard clutch engagement issues with the tilt-rotor aircraft, reports…