Candidate Chatbots Go Live
Chat2024 unveiled this week the AI-powered avatars of 17 leading presidential candidates. Each chatbot is trained on reams of data generated from at least a hundred sources. Users can query the bots individually, ask the same question of all 17 at once, or set any two of them against each other in one-on-one debates directed by user input.
DynCorp Out; Workers Likely Remain
For almost 50 years DynCorp (now part of Amentum) worked with the Naval Test Wing Atlantic at Patuxent River Naval Air Station providing aircraft mechanics and more, becoming St. Mary’s County’s 3rd-largest employer. While Amentum leaves town, officials expect the Pax employees to remain with the new contract winner, Vertex Aerospace LLC,
New F-35 Deal a ‘Historic Milestone’
The DoD-Lockheed Martin deal for hundreds of new F-35s will drive the cost per airplane below $80 million for the first time. It’s being called a “historic milestone.”
DoD Loses $28B in Expired Funds
The first ever Pentagon audit led to the discovery of nearly $28B in funds that expired in 2018. The military is prevented from using expired funds for new projects.
Boeing 737 Safety System Implicated in Crash
Pilots repeatedly fought to override an automatic safety system installed in the Boeing 737 MAX 8 plane before the plane hurtled nose-first into the Java Sea.
Can FY19 Budget Staunch R&D Spending Decline?
Congressional and Pentagon leaders are concerned that the steadily declining portion of the military budget spent on research and development is exacerbating the threat that the US is losing its technological edge against its competitors and enemies. The Senate Appropriation Committee looks to boost R&D spending in the FY19 budget.
Naval Aviation Ground Mishaps on Rise
Class C ground mishaps in naval aviation have doubled in the past decade. VADM DeWolfe Miller, Naval Air Forces chief, has made eliminating the mistakes his current No. 2 priority — behind the continued efforts to eliminate cockpit physiological episodes.
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.
Small Drones = Big Problems in Middle East
The threat of small unmanned aerial systems overseas – especially in Iraq and Syria – has been a key focus of top leaders from across the Department of Defense. The problem has become so acute that top officials in the region have made counter-drones the top force protection priority.
DoD Proposes 2019 BRAC
DoD’s latest attempt to gain congressional support for a BRAC round has the Government Accountability Office, not an independent commission, validate the analysis before Congress makes the final call.
