Baltimore’s Liberty Ship Needs a New Home
The John W. Brown is one of only two fully operational Liberty ships, which transported vast numbers of military personnel and countless tons of cargo during the war — and the only one sailing regularly out of the port city where it was built, Baltimore, where it’s lease expires September 2019.
Hornet Crash Was 2nd Involving Aircraft From the Reagan
An F/A-18F Super Hornet assigned to the aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan suffered what authorities believe was a “mechanical issue” during routine operations Monday over the Philippine Sea. The crew was forced to eject. It was the second crash in less than a month involving aircraft from the Reagan.
New Performance Incentives for F-35, Not for Industry
Lockheed’s contract for future F-35s is tied to performance incentives, but DoD efforts to tie all defense contracts to performance indicators has been withdrawn in the face of industry and congressional outcry.
DoD Down Thousands of Cyber Workers
DoD’s chief information officer told a Senate committee last week that the Defense Department lost thousands of civilian cyber workers in the past year, mainly in IT management and computer science-related positions.
East Coast on Alert As Florence Nears
The mid-Atlantic region is expecting to be impacted by the approaching Hurricane Florence. Naval Station Norfolk is among the military installation taking precautions. The National Hurricane Center says it is still too early to predict the storm’s exact path.
First F-35C Flight Mishap Costs $2 Million
An F-35C flying from USS Abraham Lincoln was damaged during an aerial refueling exercise. Debris from an aerial refueling basket was ingested into the F-35C’s engine intake, resulting in damage costing about $2 million.
McConnell Says, “Russians Are Not Our Friends”
Senate Majority Leader notes alleged meddling in US and European elections and the 2014 annexation of Crimea, saying, “The Russians are not our friends … [they] are acting like the old Soviet Union used to act,”
F-35s, F-16s Boost Foreign Military Sales
The US is expected to deliver $61.4 billion in foreign military sales by the end of the fiscal year, compared to $41.9 billion last year. Some of the big ticket pending sales include 34 F-35s to Belgium for $6.5 billion, 14 F-16s to Slovakia at a cost of $2.9 billion, and six C-130 aircraft to Germany at a cost of $1.4 billion.
Federal Workers Face Trio of Workforce Reduction Orders
Federal workers are not only facing anti-union sentiments in Congress and a presidential desire to make firings easier, three executive orders were signed this week designed to shrink the federal workforce through hiring freezes, attrition, reform plans and vacancies.
US Revising Rules on Military Drone Exports
President Trump signed a memorandum late last week that revises rules for export of military drones, including big target and long-range reconnaissance drones such as the Predator and Reaper aircraft.
