The U.S. Navy has teamed up with defense contractor Raytheon for successful tests showing that a Tomahawk Block IV cruise missile can take a reconnaissance photo inflight and then follow orders to re-target; during the test, a missile launched from the USS Gridley guided missile destroyer used an onboard camera to capture battle damage indication imagery and then to transmit the image back to fleet headquarters via its two-way UHF SATCOM datalink. Read More »

U.S. Reps. Kay Granger (R-TX) and Steve Womack (R-AR) sent a letter to the National Commission on the Future of the Army (NCFA) Chairman Carter Ham and Vice Chairman Thomas R. Lamont, expressing concerns over the Army's future. The Army’s Aviation Restructure Initiative will remove the National Guard's attack aviation capability in order to provide the active Army with it. Read More »

The Defense Intelligence Agency has awarded the national security engineering solutions company Leidos a prime contract to provide enhanced solutions for information technology (IT) requirements; the agreement covers multiple contract awards with indefinite delivery and quantity specifications, with the contracts having a one-year base period of performance with four more one-year options. Read More »

A medical team assigned to the Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Comfort recently performed its first mobile interventional radiology (IR) procedure at a medical site established at the Admiral Killick Coast Guard Station as part of Continuing Promise 2015 (CP-15) in Port au Prince, Haiti. Read More »

The U.S. House is set to vote on the oil-export-ban repeal bill, H.R. 702, introduced by U.S. Rep. Joe Barton, (R-TX), by the end of this week. Despite opposition from both the Obama administration and congressional Democrats, the bill has the support of House GOP Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), who is  seen as the leading candidate to replace departing Speaker John Boehner (R-OH). Read More »

Congressman Mac Thornberry (R-TX), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said negotiators have reached an agreement on the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (NDAA). Read More »

Coalition forces have been flying airstrikes against ISIS terrorists in an effort to support an offensive from the Iraqi Kurdish army, the Peshmerga, that began last week west of Kirkuk, Iraq.Peshmerga fighters successfully penetrated ISIS defensive positions, clearing Islamic State fighters and liberating eight villages. Read More »

The final report of the U.S. Homeland Security Committee’s bipartisan Foreign Fighter Task Force was released late last week at a press conference. Read More »

The Defense Health Agency (DHA), a joint effort between the various U.S. armed services to provide medical services to Combatant Commands in both peacetime and wartime, became fully operational on Oct. 1. Read More »

Officials with LGS Innovations, a provider of next-generation networking and communication solutions for the U.S. national security, defense and advanced research communities, announced Sept. 28 it acquired Axios Inc. “Axios has a high caliber of project performance, corporate culture and outstanding people,” LGS Innovations Chief Executive Officer Kevin Kelly said. Read More »

Rep. Candice Miller, vice chair of the House Homeland Security Committee and chair of the Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security, is urging caution in U.S. policy on refugees fleeing violence in Syria. Miller is cosponsoring the Refugee Resettlement Oversight and Security Act, legislation that grants Congressional oversight of the Syrian Refugee Resettlement Program. Read More »

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon spoke at a United Nations meeting on Tuesday in New York, where he addressed the growing fear of terrorism throughout the world. “Violent extremist groups – including Da’esh and Boko Haram – pose a direct threat to international security, mercilessly target women and girls, and undermine universal values of peace, justice and human dignity,” Ki-moon said. Read More »

Coalition forces continued airstrikes against ISIS terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted one airstrike this week using a bomber, while coalition forces in Iraq conducted 24 airstrikes. Read More »

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh C. Johnson announced the creation of the Office for Community Partnerships, which will be dedicated to countering violent extremism through community partnerships. Part of the Department of Homeland Security, the office will build relationships and promote trust in local U.S. communities as they seek to undercut terrorist narratives. Read More »

Textron Marine & Land Systems, part of the Textron Inc. family of defense industry businesses, will supply 55 new COMMANDO Select four-wheeled armored vehicles to the Afghan National Army (ANA); the $56.2 million firm-fixed-price contract comes from the U.S. Army Contracting Command in Warren, Michigan, and it is reported that the Afghan Army is purchasing the vehicles through the U.S. Army Foreign Military Sales (FMS) process. Read More »

Texas Rare Earth Resources Corp., an exploration company targeting the heavy rare earths, has been awarded a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) research contract from the United States Defense Logistics Agency's (DLA) Strategic Materials Division, Texas Rare Earth said late last week. Read More »

Moog Incorporated’s Space and Defense Group introduced its new Reconfigurable Integrated-weapons Platform at a live fire demonstration at Redstone Arsenal in Alabama last week alongside the company’s defense-industry partner, DRS Technologies. The easily installed turret is designed to ensure U.S. and Allied forces see enemies first, engage first and achieve mission success. Read More »

Members of Vets 4 Energy will lobby Congress about what energy independence means Read More »

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently proposed a cleanup plan for the Allied Paper Landfill in Kalamazoo, Michigan, part of the Allied Paper/Portage Creek/Kalamazoo River Superfund site. Read More »

Northrop Grumman said late last week that it has been awarded a contract from the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate to develop advanced biometric technology to enhance security on mobile devices while nearly eliminating the need for passwords. Read More »