Mach 1 Caucus to Advocate for Fighter Jets
Fighter jets have a new ally on Capitol Hill. Four GOP House members, all former military pilots, have formed the Mach 1 Caucus to advocate for policy issues important to the fighter pilot community.
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.
N.Korean Missile Snaps Earth Pix
Amid a busy month of missile test launches, on Jan. 30 North Korea released a photo taken of Earth, reporting the image was captured from a Hwasong 12 intermediate-range ballistic missile “by a camera installed at the missile warhead.”
2 Mishaps in January Rough Start for F-35
Two mishaps in January have gotten the F-35 off to a rough start in 2022. There was a landing mishap with an F-35C on the deck of the carrier USS Carl Vinson and a bird strike that caused an F-35A to make a belly landing in South Korea.
DoD’s Innovation Unit Delivering New Technologies
The Defense Innovation Unit is highlighting in its latest report new technologies that were transitioned to Defense Department partners last year. Among the accomplishments: eight successful transitions to DoD end-users, 1,116 commercial proposals received, and $892.7 million in contracts issued since June 2016.
No Budget Bill? Here’s How It Could Affect the Navy
RADM John Gumbleton this week explained in greater detail the scope of the cuts the US Navy is prepared to make should the service be forced to live without a budget.
US Troops Readied for Ukraine
Up to 8,500 US troops are on heightened alert for possible NATO deployment in response to a Russian move on Ukraine. The action is short of deployment but assures a rapid response if the need to deploy occurs.
DoD Hit Hardest by $15 Minimum Wage
Of the federal government’s 2.2 million civilian employees, 67,000 will be impacted by the raising of the minimum wage to $15. Of those, over 56,000 currently work at the DoD. OPM’s says the pay rate changes must be made by January 30, 2022.
JPALS Team Earns Top Safety Honors
The Joint Precision Approach and Landing System team overcame COVID restriction obstacles internationally to support five JPALS installations and five Precision Approach Landing System certifications around the globe last year, earning the Naval Air Traffic Management Systems Program Office top safety honors.
US Diplomats & DoD Watch Ukraine
US Secretary of State warns of Russia’s readiness to invade Ukraine, the US ups military defense aid and considers supplying arms to Ukraine.
