Military Today

This Week in US Military History

1 November 1620 – 41 Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower, anchored off Massachusetts, signed a compact calling for a “body politick.” 102 Pilgrims stepped ashore. They called themselves Saints and the others Strangers. One passenger died en route and 2 were born during the passage. Their military commander was Miles Standish.

Military Word of the Week:

“Digies” – Digital camouflage worn by Soldiers and Marines

The DoD press office maintains a daily update which provide links to the most recent, relevant headlines related to our military community. The new feed is republished below for the use of our counselors. Keep up on the stories impacting those we serve!

Today’s Top 5

1. U.S. Officials: Iran Supplying Weapons to Yemen’s Houthi Rebels
(NBC News) U.S. officials tell NBC News that they believe Iran has supplied weapons to the Houthis in Yemen — including coastal defense cruise missiles like the ones that were fired at US Navy ships earlier this month.

2. China: Japanese military jets using ‘dangerous’ tactics
(CNN) Japanese military aircraft are increasingly engaging in dangerous intercepts of Chinese planes, putting the safety of Chinese fliers at risk and damaging bilateral relations, China’s Defense Ministry said Thursday.

3. Airmen resurrect Iraqi airfield wrecked by ISIS, in time for Mosul fight
(Air Force Times) When Iraqi forces pushed the Islamic State out of Qayyarah West Airfield in July, the militants left behind an obliterated and unusable runway.

4. Veterans may face higher risk of suicide during first year home
(Reuters) Veterans may be more likely to commit suicide during the first year after they leave the military than after more time passes, a U.S. study suggests.

5. NATO bolsters presence in Eastern Europe as Russia tension rises
(Guardian) It has been billed as Nato’s biggest military build-up on Russia’s borders since the cold war. Britain is sending fighter jets next year to Romania. The US is dispatching troops, tanks and artillery to Poland. Germany, Canada and other Nato countries also pledged forces at a meeting on Wednesday of defence chiefs in Brussels.

Veterans

VA fails to properly examine thousands of veterans
(WNCN) Thousands of veterans may have been improperly diagnosed by the VA.

Defense Department

CACI awarded $22M CENTCOM communications contract
(C4ISRNET) CACI has been awarded a $22 million prime contract to continue communications support for U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM).

Future concepts for unmanned ground vehicles
(C4ISRNET) Challenges still remain for unmanned ground systems. Experts and government scientists continue to discuss the challenges, whether they’re technical — difficulty with a system’s predictability on different terrains — or cultural — general human trust of systems one might not understand.

QinetiQ and Milrem unveil Titan unmanned ground vehicle
(Defense News) American firm QinetiQ North America and Estonia’s Milrem have teamed up to produce the Titan unmanned ground vehicle.

Lockheed Reveals GBSD Partners; Northrop, Boeing Silent
(Defense News) Lockheed Martin today revealed the industry partners on its bid to design America’s next intercontinental ballistic missiles, as competitors Northrop Grumman and Boeing are staying silent on their teams.

Raytheon To Continue Support of UK Sentinel Fleet in $165M Deal
(Defense News) The British Royal Air Force’s fleet of Sentinel surveillance aircraft will continue to receive support from Raytheon UK in a £135 million (US $165 million) deal announced by new Defence Procurement Minister Harriett Baldwin on Thursday.

India To Double BrahMos Cruise Missile Range
(Defense News) India and Russia have approved an extension to the range of the supersonic cruise missile BrahMos, doubling it to 600 kilometers, according to an official with the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD).

Air Force

Congressman calls on Air Force to speed up deployment of counter-drone technology
(Air Force Times) As coalition forces close in on Islamic State militants in Mosul, a veteran Marine officer in Congress is asking the Air Force to specify how it will defend the skies against improvised explosive drones at home and abroad.

Air Force seeks modernization for full-spectrum fights
(Air Force Times) Striking a familiar tone with other top Air Force officials, Lt. Gen. Arnold Bunch, the service’s acquisition chief, said the force is not ready for a high-end, high-spectrum fight, adding that the U.S. military must modernize for fights in contested, anti-access/area denial environments.

Army

Man accused of pimping soldier sentenced to prison
(Army Times) Following a plea deal in which he copped to one charge of transportation for illegal sexual activity, the man accused of sex trafficking a Fort Bragg, North Carolina, soldier reported for his two-and-a-half-year prison sentence Wednesday, according to court documents.

Army deploys PacStar software across WIN-T program
(C4ISRNET) Software developer PacStar recently announced it is nearing the complete delivery of 6,000 licenses of its IQ-Core Software for the Army’s WIN-T Increment 1 program.

U.S. Army to field-test wearable power-generation system in 2017
(UPI) The U.S. Army plans to field test a bionic PowerWalk system next year that generates battery power from a soldier’s leg movements.

Navy

The Navy needs more robot submarines for missions now
(Navy Times) The Navy needs more underwater drones — and it needs them now.

America’s Future Navy: Dispersed, Unmanned and Underwater
(The National Interest) While the United States Navy will likely require a larger fleet to counter growing threats from around the world, the service is taking its time to ensure that it can deliver a realistic and executable force structure plan. As such, the Navy’s leadership is working on building consensus with the Pentagon leadership and Congress before releasing its force structure assessment for the future.

The U.S. Navy Wants to Put Missiles on Everything
(Popular Mechanics) According to Rowden, the U.S. Navy moved away from its core mission of controlling the seas after the end of the Cold War. The collapse of the Soviet Union left the Navy as controller of the seas by default, and it moved on to other missions such as support of ground forces after 9/11.

Marine Corps

Squadron in crisis: Total dysfunction preceded Marines’ deadliest crash this year
(Marine Corps Times) The Marine helicopter squadron that suffered the service’s deadliest aviation accident in 2016 was in crisis months before two of its CH-53 Super Stallions crashed during a Jan. 14 nighttime mission off Hawaii, according to a new investigation.

Careers program turns into re-enlistment for 100 Marines on Okinawa
(Stars & Stripes) The Manpower Management Division Enlisted Road Show came to Okinawa to help Marines make career decisions, and for 100 of them, the choice was to re-enlist.