Pentagon

In a memo issued April 4, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks said savings and operational efficiency can be achieved in other ways.

Hicks said they must report at least two times a year to the Defense Executive Resale Board on their cooperative efforts and also keep the deputy assistant secretary of defense for military community and family policy apprised of their efforts. To continue to find savings and efficiency, Hicks directed the under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness to "concentrate future efforts on facilitating collaboration" between the four systems. According to Hicks, reviews of the proposal have shown that cost savings and efficiency improvements can be achieved in other ways that don't risk the stores' contributions to the military community.

Raytheon Technologies and Lockheed Martin jointly produce Javelins, while Raytheon makes Stingers. Other top weapons makers are Boeing, Northrop Grumman, ...

The Defense Department's No. 2 civilian official said Tuesday the Biden administration plans to ask Congress for money to pay for U.S. troop deployments in ...

“Given that we’re in the midst of operations now, those operations may continue for some time as they are,” she said. Congress finalized a $1.5 trillion spending bill last month that provides $13.6 billion in new aid for the Ukraine crisis. He previously wrote for Foreign Policy, Al-Monitor, Al Jazeera English and IPS News. We make sure to capture those costs, and we’re working with Congress.” “Congress on a bipartisan basis has been very forward leaning in terms of its interest in making sure they can help us be whole against those requirements,” she said at a roundtable with reporters. Asked about the potential for additional funding to respond to the crisis, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks said the Pentagon is working with Congress to backfill the cost of U.S. forces surged to Eastern Europe. Those forces were not included in the FY23 budget request, she said.

The next aid package could be worth $750 million and include Mi-17 helicopters, sea drones, and gear to protect against chemical, biological and nuclear ...

The last independent newsletter in Russia suspended its operations. The weapons: Ukraine is making use of weapons such as Javelin antitank missiles and Switchblade “kamikaze” drones, provided by the United States and other allies. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his administration have pleaded for more sophisticated weapons to counter the Russian military’s technological advantages. How you can help: Here are ways those in the U.S. can help support the Ukrainian people as well as what people around the world have been donating. Photos: Post photographers have been on the ground from the very beginning of the war — here’s some of their most powerful work. Russia has used an array of weapons against Ukraine, some of which have drawn the attention and concern of analysts.

The Pentagon plans to hold a classified meeting of top weapons makers Wednesday to discuss how the U.S. can speed up production to help Ukraine in its war ...

We invite you to join the discussion on Facebook and Twitter. The meeting on Wednesday will continue those discussions and ensure the United States is able to “support the long-term needs of the Ukrainian people, our own national security needs, and those of our Allies and our partners,” they added. On the table will be industry proposals to accelerate production of existing systems and create new ones critical to the Pentagon’s ongoing security assistance to Ukraine and allies, they said.

The Pentagon is convening eight of the top U.S. military contractors to discuss the assistance to Ukraine amid Russia's invasion.

The most recent package was announced last week, and it was for $100 million for the use of Javelin anti-armor systems. This military assistance has come in more than 1,400 Singer anti-aircraft systems, 5,000 Javelin anti-aircraft systems, and 7,000 other anti-armor systems, according to a new fact-sheet from the administration. The United States has provided $1.7 billion in military aid since the start of the invasion and $2.4 billion since the beginning of the Biden administration.

Speaking during a Defense Writers Group event on April 12, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks said there are packages of U.S. military aid to Ukraine soon ...

One of the most high-profile pieces of the U.S. defensive aid packages being sent is the batch of Switchblade drones—loitering munitions that are sometimes referred to as “kamikaze” drones. “We’re helping get it on pallets and helping it get on trucks and helping it get into Ukraine every single day.” The U.S. is reviewing “a wide range of systems,” for Ukraine, she said. The new weapons would be in addition to Javelin man-portable anti-tank weapons and Stinger shoulder-fired anti-aircraft weapons, Hicks said. The urgency to get that equipment into Ukraine fast has increased as Russia has begun to reposition its forces and focus its efforts on eastern Ukraine, raising fears that the war’s brutality could increase even more and become, in the words of one Pentagon official, a “knife fight.” When asked if the U.S. would provide weapons that Ukraine could launch into Russia, Hicks said the U.S. is in continuing talks with Britain and 30 other countries about how best to provide “capability that the Ukrainians request” that sends “a clear signal, in terms of the U.S./Russian dynamic.” “He … wanted to know [how] they felt the training went, and he was quite gratified to hear that they were pleased by what they were trained on, not just in terms of Switchblade, but other things,” Kirby said of Austin’s conversation with the Ukrainians. “So, we are continuing to try to get the Ukrainians the systems and the weapons that they need, that they’re using most effectively.” Similarly, Kirby touted the Defense Department’s ability to track, ship, and deliver aid. “Those are presidential decisions,” Hicks said of the new aid packages, and “I don’t want to get in front of those.” However, the Pentagon is “moving quickly” on weapons that would “provide a little more range and distance” than what has been given to date, and “you’ll see more in the coming days,” she told defense reporters. She said Stingers and Javelins, as well as artillery rounds and “other ammunition” are “incredibly important” to Ukraine, noting, “We’ve moved a lot of that, and that will continue,” she said. And that stuff is not sitting around in warehouses,” Kirby said. In mid-March, President Joe Biden authorized an $800 million package of defensive assistance for Ukraine, followed by another $100 million in early April. Kirby said on April 12 that the Pentagon expected those packages to be completed in a matter of days and delivered “by the middle of this month.”

Top U.S. defense officials will meet with the chief executives of the eight largest U.S. defense contractors to discuss industry's capacity to meet ...

“But we have seen, very patriotically, members of industry lean forward and indicate their willingness to work together.” “Yes, we will continue to look at the type of capabilities that the Ukrainians are asking for in terms of how to give them more range and distance,” Hicks said. “We will discuss industry proposals to accelerate production of existing systems and develop new, modernized capabilities critical to the Department’s ongoing security assistance to Ukraine and long-term readiness of U.S. and ally/partner forces,” the official added.

Most of the $800 million in U.S. arms have already been delivered to the Ukrainians and the Pentagon is working on another $100 million for Javelin missiles ...

The Pentagon is aware of reports that chemical weapons were used in Mariupol, the official said. And then we try to coordinate the delivery of that stuff, not just from us, but other nations, and get them on trucks as fast as we can," the official added. "We think it's also intended for resupply – perhaps an effort to amend their poor performance in logistics and sustainment in the north." Thus far, the Russians have launched about 1,540 missiles. And, not just at the secretary's level but below that, to get a sense of what they want. The Pentagon is also working on another $100 million for Javelin missiles.

The Pentagon is looking to transfer more sophisticated equipment to Ukraine, with a package possibly including armored Humvees, coastal defense drones, ...

Since President Biden came into office, the U.S. has provided more than $2.4 billion in security assistance to Ukraine, with $1.7 billion coming after Russia invaded the country on Feb. 24, the Post says. Read more at The Washington Post. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has requested more advanced weapons for his country's fight against Russia, and this new aid package could be worth $750 million, the U.S. officials said.

The San Diego-based maker of Predator and Reaper drones said it is 'exploring options' for supporting Ukraine after meeting with that country's U.S. ...

In one recent example, the Ukrainian ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova, met last week with representatives from General Atomics, the maker of Reaper and Predator drones, said C. Mark Brinkley, a company spokesman. As of Tuesday, the Pentagon was close to completing delivery of the last items in an $800 million security assistance package approved by Biden on March 16 and a $100 million set of shipments approved last week, the senior defense official said. “These items are not sitting around very long,” the senior defense official said. “We have aircraft available now for immediate transfer,” Brinkley said. As a result, Russia has shifted its objectives, consolidating its assault on key cities in the south and in the east. A senior U.S. defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the Pentagon, told reporters Tuesday that the Biden administration is open to doing so if it fills specific needs for Ukraine. General Atomics supplies the U.S. Air Force with the Reaper and the U.S. Army with the Gray Eagle, an upgraded version of the Predator that was used widely by the U.S. military in Iraq and Afghanistan. Those deliveries then are moved via ground convoy into Ukraine, which determines how and where the gear gets distributed. Ukraine’s military has defied initial expectations and mounted a ferocious resistance, having already staved off a bloody, weeks-long assault on the capital, Kyiv, that was aimed at toppling Zelensky’s administration. The package approved last week included additional Javelins, after a request from Ukraine as it prepares for a renewed Russian offensive in the east. “Together with our team, we discussed with General Atomics the prospects of increasing the capacity of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the current situation in Ukraine,” she said. The new aid package could be worth $750 million, these people said.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A COVID-19 patient was in respiratory distress. The Army nurse knew she had to act quickly. In this image provided by the U.S. Army, ...

VanHerck said the U.S. is also working to better analyze trends in order to predict the needs for personnel, equipment and protective gear. “So before the military came, we were looking at a surgical backlog of hundreds of cases and we were low on staff. Cobleigh and her team members were deployed to two hospitals in Grand Rapids from December to February, as part of the U.S. military’s effort to relieve civilian medical workers. The size of the teams ranges from small to medium. “A number of staff were overwhelmed,” said Cdr. Arriel Atienza, chief medical officer for the Navy team. Overall, about 24,000 U.S. troops were deployed for the pandemic, including nearly 6,000 medical personnel to hospitals and 5,000 to help administer vaccines. “We have gotten through about a quarter of our surgical backlog,” Graves said. Now, he’s put about 10 teams of physicians, nurses and other staff — or about 200 troops — on prepare-to-deploy orders through the end of May in case infections shoot up again. But the nurse heard of an open spot in an overflow treatment area, so she and another team member raced the gurney across the hospital to claim the space first, denting a wall in their rush. It was the peak of this year’s omicron surge and an Army medical team was helping in a Michigan hospital. “He’s going to get the treatment he needs. That nurse’s mission was to get urgent care for her patient.

China is seen increasing intelligence, surveillance satellites · Space debris collision risk is growing: Defense Intelligence.

China and Russia continue to develop and deploy weapons that can attack U.S. satellites even as they increase their own fleets of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance space vehicles, according to the Pentagon’s intelligence agency.

The Republican chairman of a Virginia electoral board has stepped down after a racially charged Facebook post he made about Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ...

The abhorrent words of a Hampton Roads official are beyond unacceptable and have no place in Virginia,” Youngkin wrote on Twitter Saturday. We invite you to join the discussion on Facebook and Twitter. And you’ll be able to do it without fear of discrimination or harassment,” Kirby said. “No matter who you are … where you came from, what your background is, he believes that if you’re qualified and you want to serve this country, you should be able to do it. That’s where his head is,” Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said Tuesday when asked about the Pentagon chief’s reaction. “In his view, there’s no place in the Department of Defense for comments like that, for the actions that come from comments like that.”

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby holds a news briefing on Wednesday, a day after President Joe Biden described Russia's invasion of Ukraine as a ...

The Pentagon previously had sent five Mi-17s to Ukraine, Kirby said. He said the training may be done by U.S. soldiers in Europe and the arrangements are being worked out. They are transport helicopters that also can function in an attack role.

The Strategic Capabilities Office is considering engineering designs by BWXT Advanced Technologies, LLC, and X-energy, LLC. One design will be selected and ...

“We now have the capability to build completely, inherently safe reactors,” Waksman told Breaking Defense in the interview. “A safe, small, transportable nuclear reactor would address this growing demand with a resilient, carbon-free energy source that would not add to the DoD’s fuel needs, while supporting mission-critical operations in remote and austere environments.” The US version is designed to deliver one to five megawatts of electrical power for a minimum of three years, according to the press release.

Pentagon officials are talking to the leaders of America's largest defense firms about ways to replenish the U.S. military's weapon stockpiles, ...

Pentagon officials played down Wednesday’s meeting as a regular dialog between defense officials and business leaders. The weapons, like previous arms transfers to Ukraine, have come from U.S. and ally stockpiles. The Biden administration on Wednesday announced a new $800 million weapons package for Ukraine that includes howitzers, helicopters, drones, and uncrewed coastal defense vessels. “I want to stress that we have not reached the level of inventory of any of these systems that are impacting our readiness abilities,” Kirby said. “But we don't want to get to that point before we start to have a conversation with industry about replenishment and the production line going forward.” “We wanted to make sure that we had a good, honest, candid discussion with these CEOs, about the systems that they're producing, about the rate at which they're being produced, about the possibility for accelerating some of those production lines and expanding them, based on the heavy draw on our inventory to support Ukraine,” Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said at a Wednesday briefing.

President Biden on Wednesday authorized an additional $800 million in security assistance for Ukraine, arms transfers that will come with U.S.-provided ...

The weapons: Ukraine is making use of weapons such as Javelin antitank missiles and Switchblade “kamikaze” drones, provided by the United States and other allies. A U.S. defense official had told The Washington Post on Tuesday night that Mi-17 helicopters would not be included in the package. “How that gets interpreted by the Russians, you can ask Mr. Putin and the Kremlin,” he added. Kirby said no decision has been made on the location of the new training for the incoming weapons and defensive systems but that it probably would occur in multiple locations. The last independent newsletter in Russia suspended its operations. This is of a piece of that,” Kirby said. The $800 million assistance package for Ukraine constitutes the seventh such drawdown from U.S. weapons stock, officials said. The United States withdrew about 200 Florida National Guard personnel from a training mission in Ukraine days before the Russian invasion. … We committed from the very beginning, even before the invasion, to helping Ukraine be able to defend itself. “But we believe that we can put together appropriate training for some of these systems very, very quickly.” It's the first time the U.S. military has provided artillery— Marcus Weisgerber (@MarcusReports) pic.twitter.com/8kyaebBvho April 13, 2022 A small number of Ukrainian troops who were in the United States as part of an exchange program predating the start of the war recently received training on U.S.-provided Switchblade drones, which can be affixed with explosives and flown into targets.