U.S. Marine Corps F-35B fighter jets (foreground) and South Korean air Force's F-15K fly over South Korea during a joint military drill, South Korea on August 31, 2017. Republic of Korea Air Force/Yonhap/via REUTERS
Washington Times: Pentagon scrambles to bolster war readiness with aging aircraft fleet
The Defense Department is scrambling for ways to ensure the U.S. military’s fleet of warplanes is able to fly and fight when called upon, despite a string of accidents over the past several months.
Defense Secretary James N. Mattis recently took the unprecedented step of demanding an 80 percent readiness rate for all military aircraft, just days before the Pentagon ordered a fleetwide grounding of the next-generation F-35 Joint Strike Fighters.
Both developments underscore the difficulties Pentagon and service leaders face in guaranteeing American air power can continue to exert dominance in the skies above battlefields worldwide, while demands on the increasingly aging fleet continues to soar.
Read more ....
Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- October 15, 2018
Air Force eyes major changes to fix ‘dysfunctional’ battlefield airman structure -- Air Force Times
Preliminary F-35C Feedback is Positive, As Formal Operational Testing Begins This Fall -- USNI News
Some Air Force, Navy F-35s resume flying after grounding -- Defense News
Grounded No More: Inspected US F-35 Stealth Fighters Free to Fly -- Sputnik
Future Weapons: Inside the Army’s Pursuit of a High-Tech New Round -- Military.com
‘You’re on your own’: US sealift can’t count on Navy escorts in the next big war -- Defense News
HII plans installation of first 3D-printed aircraft carrier part -- UPI
Raytheon's new AN/SPY-6(V) radar tracks ballistic missile in test -- UPI
Pentagon Report Reveals US Weapons Systems' Cyber Vulnerability -- Sputnik
Employees Protest Microsoft Bid for Huge Military Contract, Saying It Could Cause 'Human Suffering' -- Gizmodo
L3 and Harris agree to merge, creating $33.5 billion military technology giant -- Washington Post
Reported L3, Harris merger would create seventh largest defense firm in the world -- Defense News
In between tangling with Trump, Mattis attempts to reshape the U.S. military -- Washington Post
Mattis pushes closer ties to Vietnam amid tension with China -- AP
U.S. weapons makers rattled over Saudi Arabia deals -- Reuters
Trump doubles down: He’s not stopping Saudi arms sales -- Defense News
US military tightens base access for South Koreans in Japan -- Stars and Stripes
These 7 photos of nighttime missions show how the US military fights at night -- Insider
Russia’s Baltic fleet vessels finish long-term mission in Mediterranean -- TASS
Russia’s Newest Yasen-Class Attack Submarines Are the Equal of America's Subs -- FoxTrot Alpha
Observers from 13 countries invited to Russia-Egypt anti-terror drills -- TASS
Putin’s Arms Control Gambit -- Mark B. Schneider, RCD
It looks like the Chinese Navy has a new bomber, and its arsenal of anti-ship missiles could raise the stakes in contested seas -- Business Insider
Bolton Warns Chinese Military to Halt Dangerous Naval Encounters -- Washington Free Beacon
New Chinese Lunar Satellite Has Intelligence Agency Concerned -- National Defense
China’s navy to join Thailand and Malaysia for training exercise as military seeks to build bridges with neighbours -- SCMP
In first, China confirms ‘new long-range strategic bomber’ designation -- Defense News
China's rising football stars forced into military bootcamp -- ABC News Online
The US weapons Taiwan wants to bolster its defences -- SCMP
Japan to buy nine more E-2D aircraft from the United States -- Jane's 360
Canadian military justice system shaken to its core -- Tim Dunne, The Chronicle Herald
The Japanese Military's Greatest Enemy Isn't China -- Michael Peck, National Interest
5 Reasons No Military Wants to Go to War Against America -- Dave Majumdar, National Interest
Choosing the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff -- US Naval Institute
Proxy Wars and the Demise of Conventional Warfighting -- Andrew Maher, The Strategist
Movies and shows you need to watch to understand the US military, according to a British army officer -- Maj. Thomas McIlwaine, British army, Business Insider/Task & Purpose
