Russian Warships Reach Cuban Waters Ahead of Military Exercises in the Caribbean
The Associated Press
A fleet of Russian warships reached Cuban waters on June 12 ahead of planned military exercises in the Caribbean that some see as a projection of strength as tensions grow over Western support for Ukraine.
Biden, Zelenskyy to Sign US-Ukraine Security Agreement at G7 Summit
ABC News
President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will sign a bilateral security agreement at the G7 summit June 13 that will pledge long-term defense and security cooperation. “We want to demonstrate that the U.S. supports the people of Ukraine, that we stand with them, and that we’ll continue to help address their security needs, not just tomorrow but out into the future,” national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters aboard Air Force on his way to the G7 summit site of Bari, Italy. “We’ll be sending Russia a signal of our resolve.”
Lasting Grief but Few Answers: Families of Troops Killed in Osprey Crashes React to Hearing on Troubled Aircraft
Military.com
Gabriela Lavoy sat in her Texas home the morning of June 12 and thought back to when she spoke to her son days before he died, a phone call in which he revealed he was planning on getting married to his girlfriend and would spend Christmas with his mom for the first time in two years since he was deployed overseas. But her boy, 33-year-old Tech. Sgt. Zach Emmett Lavoy—an Airman with the 1st Special Operations Squadron—never made it home.
Transition Programs Not Working, Too Focused on Education, Report Says
Military Times
Most transition programs for troops exiting service are overly focused on education instead of direct job opportunities, and there is limited evidence such federally funded initiatives are working, according to a report published June 11 by the Rand Corp.
Does the US Need to Be Building Hardened Aircraft Shelters for Its Combat Aircraft?
The War Zone
Aircraft shelters with varying degrees of hardening are seeing a renaissance of sorts in response to growing drone and missile threats. China alone has built over 400 new hardened aircraft shelters across various bases in recent years, not to mention many other shelters offering lower tiers of protection. This trend is being seen in other countries like Russia, North Korea, and Iran. At the same time, a debate is now heating up between the U.S. military and Congress about the value of building new defensive infrastructure for its aircraft.
Anduril Gets $19 Million Contract to Develop Solid Rocket Motors for US Navy
SpaceNews
Anduril Industries won a $19 million contract from the U.S. Navy to develop a 21-inch diameter solid rocket motor for the second stage of the Standard Missile 6—a surface-to-air naval weapon used to intercept aircraft and ballistic missiles. ... Solid propellant—a stick of fuel and oxidizer pre-mixed and molded into a specific shape—powers weapons systems ranging from tactical munitions to nuclear-armed intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Japan Looks to Revamp Defense Industry After Years of Downsizing
Breaking Defense
Faced with an aging workforce, an ailing supply chain and a shrinking defense industrial base, Japan is taking steps to revitalize its defense industry and entice new entrants into the sector, a representative of Japan’s acquisition agency told Breaking Defense.
China’s Overseas Bases Aren’t a Big Threat, Yet: RAND
Defense One
China’s growing interest in opening more military bases abroad does not pose a big threat to U.S. forces in the next six years, RAND concludes in a new report out June 10. China is not well positioned to build foreign bases or run them in a way that will improve their ability to contest U.S. naval power, according to the report.
Space Force Turning to Commercial Sats to Enhance In-Space Monitoring
Breaking Defense
Following its success at tapping hundreds of ground-based commercial sensors to keep eyes on the heavens, the Space Force now wants to replicate that model for space-to-space imagery, according to the service’s head of intelligence. “The next pivot for looking up is to look in outer space from outer space. There’s no reason you only need to observe satellite maneuvers from the ground. You can do it from space,” Maj. Gen. Gregory Gagnon, Space Force deputy chief of space operations for intelligence, said.
USAF’s ‘Franklin’ Low-Cost Cruise Missile Concept Seeks ‘Respect’
Aviation Week
When a potential adversary’s radar picks up numerous inbound cruise missiles, each target needs to be tracked and treated as a major threat. In a word, the targets need “Respect.” That is the thinking behind a new U.S. Air Force collaboration with the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU).
Culture Wars Spark Again as House Weighs Massive Defense Policy Bill
The Washington Post
The Pentagon this week is once again at the center of America’s culture wars, as the Republican-led House considers adding divisive provisions from its far-right members to its version of the annual defense policy bill.
House Appropriators Want Replicator Tranche 2 Investment Plans, Push DIU Funding
Inside Defense
House appropriators are seeking a detailed plan of Replicator's tranche 2 requirements and want to funnel millions into the Defense Innovation Unit to better transition developmental technology into the field, according to a document obtained by Inside Defense. In a report accompanying a draft of the House defense appropriations bill that will be debated by the full committee tomorrow, lawmakers note that no money allocated toward DIU is to be used for Replicator tranche 1.
98-Year-Old WWII Vet Believed to Be Oldest American Organ Donor Ever
The Associated Press
Orville Allen lived a lifetime of service, and when he died at age 98 he had one last thing to give: his liver. Allen, a veteran of both World War II and the Korean War and a longtime educator in rural southeastern Missouri, is the oldest American to ever donate an organ, transplant organizations said. ... He was a pilot in the Army Air Corps in World War II, then served in artillery communications in the Army 1st Cavalry Division in the Korean War.
