The Hill: The more North Korea launches intercontinental ballistic missiles, the more obvious the obvious becomes — now is not the time for congressional defense committees to do anything that would impede America’s advancements in air and missile defense. This fact is not lost on President Trump or our allies, as the U.S. and Poland… read more
The Gazette: There is wide and bipartisan agreement that North Korea’s nuclear weapons and missile programs pose a grave threat to the United States and our allies. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called it an “imminent” threat. His predecessor John Kerry said North Korea’s nuclear program would be one of the top challenges for the… read more
Scout: The Pentagon’s next intercept test will incorporate new missile defense technology engineered to improve the likelihood that a Ground-Base Interceptor can succeed in destroying an approaching ICBM nuclear weapons attack. Northrop Grumman is working with the Missile Defense Agency to refine new command and control systems able to exchange time-sensitive information with an interceptor… read more
Business Insider: Turkey reached an agreement with Russia to purchase the latter’s most sophisticated missile-defense system, the S-400, a senior Turkish military official told Bloomberg last week. Under the $2.5 billion agreement Ankara would receive two batteries of the antiaircraft missile from Moscow within the coming year and then produce two more batteries in Turkey.… read more
ERR News: Minister of Defence Jüri Luik said in an interview with business daily Bloomberg that Estonia is in negotiations to have allied air defense systems brought to the region that would remain in place for an extended period of time. According to daily Eesti Päevaleht’s (link in Estonian) information, efforts have been underway to… read more
UPI: July 17 (UPI) — Lockheed Martin Missile and Fire Control has been awarded a $130.3 million foreign military sales contract for Patriot Advanced Capability-3 anti-ballistic missile systems, the Department of Defense announced Friday. The contract will provide for 35 missile segment enhancements, 100 launcher modifications kits, parts, software, and missile round trainers. Recipients of… read more
Politico: The House passed on Friday a sweeping $696 billion defense policy bill that would exceed President Donald Trump’s budget request and break through longstanding caps on national defense spending. The fiscal 2018 National Defense Authorization Act H.R. 2810 (115) was approved 344 to 81, gaining the support of 117 Democrats and all but eight… read more
UPI: July 14 (UPI) — The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS John Finn will be commissioned Saturday in a ceremony at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii. Commander of U.S. Pacific Command Adm. Harry Harris will give the principal speech with Mrs. Laura Stavridis, wife of retired Admiral James Stavridis, serving as the sponsor. Acting… read more
Reuters: ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkey has signed an initial accord with French and Italian firms on the development of missile defense systems, state-run Anadolu news agency reported Turkish Defence Minister Fikri Isik as saying. It cited Isik as saying at a French embassy reception on Friday that the deal encompassed the development and joint production… read more
USA Today: North Korea’s rapid march to develop a nuclear-armed ballistic missile capable of striking the United States has spurred the U.S. military and Congress to ramp up efforts to counter the threat. The U.S. technological race is happening on the ground, at sea, in the air and in space. But military planners say the greatest benefit… read more