DoD $1.4B Short on Next F-35 Contract
The Pentagon is $1.4 billion short for its next major F-35 contract with Lockheed. If more money isn’t found, the pending three-year contract, valued at as much as $30 billion, will yield fewer aircraft for the US’s costliest weapons program, which is now estimated at $412 billion.
Ship’s Trespass Investigated
A Coast Guard investigation is underway after the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Harmony of the Seas forced Sunday evening’s scrub of a SpaceX launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The ship veered into the exclusion zone along a Falcon 9 rocket’s flight path just before the scheduled launch.
Navy’s Challenge: Try to Hack the Machine
Military and civilian participants are invited to join HACKtheMACHINE this week to help the US Navy solve digital, data, and cyber problems. The Office of Naval Research calls the hacking competition the “Blue Angels for geeks.”
A Navy 1st: Woman to Command Nuclear Carrier
Another first in US Navy history. CAPT Amy Bauernschmidt is now the commanding officer of the USS Abraham Lincoln. She becomes the first woman to lead a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.
Burial Rules at Arlington Likely to Change
Burial eligibility rules at Arlington National Cemetery are expected to change in the fall due to space limitations. “It’s really an impossible problem for us,” said Karen Durham-Aguilera, cemetery executive director. “The eligible population is more than 22 million … currently today, we have less than 85,000 spaces.”
Reaper Drone Gave Soleimani Little Chance
General Atomics’ Reaper drone had Soleimani in its sights upon his commercial plane’s arrival in Baghdad. The $64 million drone is armed with laser-guided Hellfire air-to-surface missiles used in attacks on high-value terrorists.
DoD End-of-Year Contracts Awarded
These are the end-of-year Department of Defense contracts awarded in the Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC, region from December 23 through December 31, 2019.
Esper Is Trump’s New Pick for DefSec
President Donald Trump says he intends to nominate Mark Esper as the new defense secretary, David Norquist as the deputy defense secretary, and Ryan McCarthy as the Army secretary.
AH-1Z Undergoing Testing at Pax
The US Navy has successfully completed its first joint air-to-ground missile flight test on the AH-1Z helicopter at NAS Patuxent River.
US, Japan Condemn N. Korea Missile Launch
Other countries join US and Japan denouncing the recent missile launch by North Korea. The Japanese prime minister called the incident Sunday “absolutely intolerable.”
