Finland's HX competition was set up to replace the country's F-18 Hornets. (Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP via Getty Images)WASHINGTON — The U.S. State Department on Oct. 9 approved the sale of the F/A-18EF Super Hornet and F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to Finland, paving the way for the nation to purchase American jets should either Boeing or Lockheed Martin win its .The two U.S. offerings are facing off in a that also includes France’s Dassault Rafale, the British-made Eurofighter Typhoon and the Swedish Saab Gripen E/F.The F-35 package, worth $12.5 billion, includes 64 F-35A...…Finland's HX competition was set up to replace the country's F-18 Hornets. (Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP via Getty Images)WASHINGTON — The U.S. State Department on Oct. 9 approved the sale of the F/A-18EF Super Hornet and F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to Finland, paving the way for the nation to purchase American jets should either Boeing or Lockheed Martin win its .The two U.S. offerings are facing off in a that also includes France’s Dassault Rafale, the British-made Eurofighter Typhoon and the Swedish Saab Gripen E/F.The F-35 package, worth $12.5 billion, includes 64 F-35A...WW…

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon’s upcoming recommendation for a future Navy is expected to call for a significant increase in the , with officials discussing a fleet as large as 530 hulls, according to documents obtained by Defense News. Supporting documents to the forthcoming Future Navy Force Study reviewed by Defense News show the with but fewer aircraft carriers and large surface combatants. Instead, the fleet would include more small surface combatants, unmanned ships and submarines and an expanded logistics force. Two groups commissioned by Secretary of Defense Mark Esper to design what a...…WASHINGTON — The Pentagon’s upcoming recommendation for a future Navy is expected to call for a significant increase in the , with officials discussing a fleet as large as 530 hulls, according to documents obtained by Defense News. Supporting documents to the forthcoming Future Navy Force Study reviewed by Defense News show the with but fewer aircraft carriers and large surface combatants. Instead, the fleet would include more small surface combatants, unmanned ships and submarines and an expanded logistics force. Two groups commissioned by Secretary of Defense Mark Esper to design what a...WW…

The Pentagon has completed its third audit, which was impacted by COVID-19. (Airman 1st Class John Linzmeier/U.S. Air Force)WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Defense failed to achieve a clean audit, but officials are urging patience for what is expected to be a long-term effort.The results of the Pentagon’s third-ever audit added another clean organization to its list, which represents a clear win, according to Thomas Harker, the . But he also stressed that it would be years before the Pentagon can truly say it has passed its audit cleanly.“We have been clear that this is a journey that...…The Pentagon has completed its third audit, which was impacted by COVID-19. (Airman 1st Class John Linzmeier/U.S. Air Force)WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Defense failed to achieve a clean audit, but officials are urging patience for what is expected to be a long-term effort.The results of the Pentagon’s third-ever audit added another clean organization to its list, which represents a clear win, according to Thomas Harker, the . But he also stressed that it would be years before the Pentagon can truly say it has passed its audit cleanly.“We have been clear that this is a journey that...WW…

(Staff Sgt. Ryan Callaghan/U.S. Air Force)WASHINGTON — As part of a broader move to boost the 5G industry in the United States, the Federal Communications Commission on Dec. 8 began auctioning a portion of C-band electromagnetic spectrum, a move the committee’s chairman, Ajit Pai, as “a big day for American consumers and U.S. leadership in 5G.”But, in the weeks leading up to the auction, more than a dozen commercial aviation groups warned the sale could, as one study put it, lead to with the potential for “multiple fatalities.”At the core of the concerns are radar altimeters, a critical...…(Staff Sgt. Ryan Callaghan/U.S. Air Force)WASHINGTON — As part of a broader move to boost the 5G industry in the United States, the Federal Communications Commission on Dec. 8 began auctioning a portion of C-band electromagnetic spectrum, a move the committee’s chairman, Ajit Pai, as “a big day for American consumers and U.S. leadership in 5G.”But, in the weeks leading up to the auction, more than a dozen commercial aviation groups warned the sale could, as one study put it, lead to with the potential for “multiple fatalities.”At the core of the concerns are radar altimeters, a critical...WW…

The legislation funds the request of 24 F/A-18E/F Super Hornet aircraft at $1.7 billion. (MC3 Cheyenne Geletka/U.S. Navy)WASHINGTON ― Congress is rocketing to pass a massive by Monday at 11:59 p.m. that includes pandemic relief and federal spending, with $696 billion for the Pentagon.The full-year Pentagon spending bill released Monday morning as part of the mega package represents a $2.6 billion increase over the 2020-enacted level but $2.1 billion less than President Donald Trump’s 2021 budget request.It shakes out to $627.3 billion in base funding and $68.7 billion in wartime overseas...…The legislation funds the request of 24 F/A-18E/F Super Hornet aircraft at $1.7 billion. (MC3 Cheyenne Geletka/U.S. Navy)WASHINGTON ― Congress is rocketing to pass a massive by Monday at 11:59 p.m. that includes pandemic relief and federal spending, with $696 billion for the Pentagon.The full-year Pentagon spending bill released Monday morning as part of the mega package represents a $2.6 billion increase over the 2020-enacted level but $2.1 billion less than President Donald Trump’s 2021 budget request.It shakes out to $627.3 billion in base funding and $68.7 billion in wartime overseas...WW…

Civilian contractors conduct ice measurement operations alongside HMCS Harry DeWolf during the ship’scold weather trials near Frobisher Bay on Feb. 20, 2021. (Canadian Defence Ministry)VICTORIA, British Columbia — Canadian defense leaders have highlighted climate change and as future issues the country will have to grapple with in the far north.The warnings came as the Royal Canadian Navy recently completed ice testing and trials for the first of its new fleet of Arctic offshore patrol ships.Acting Chief of the Defence Staff Lt. Gen. Wayne Eyre sent all Canadian forces personnel a message...…Civilian contractors conduct ice measurement operations alongside HMCS Harry DeWolf during the ship’scold weather trials near Frobisher Bay on Feb. 20, 2021. (Canadian Defence Ministry)VICTORIA, British Columbia — Canadian defense leaders have highlighted climate change and as future issues the country will have to grapple with in the far north.The warnings came as the Royal Canadian Navy recently completed ice testing and trials for the first of its new fleet of Arctic offshore patrol ships.Acting Chief of the Defence Staff Lt. Gen. Wayne Eyre sent all Canadian forces personnel a message...WW…

This photo released by the Russian Defence Ministry on March 26, 2021, shows a Russian nuclear submarine breaking through Arctic ice during military drills at an unspecified location. (Russian Defence Ministry Press Service via AP)MOSCOW — The Russian government will soon present a unified document on Arctic development to President Vladimir Putin, meant to combine economic and military aspects of the country’s power projection in the northern region.The document, ordered by Putin in early March, is expected to provide an agenda of the Russia’s military and economic plans as the country...…This photo released by the Russian Defence Ministry on March 26, 2021, shows a Russian nuclear submarine breaking through Arctic ice during military drills at an unspecified location. (Russian Defence Ministry Press Service via AP)MOSCOW — The Russian government will soon present a unified document on Arctic development to President Vladimir Putin, meant to combine economic and military aspects of the country’s power projection in the northern region.The document, ordered by Putin in early March, is expected to provide an agenda of the Russia’s military and economic plans as the country...WW…

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson (C) talks with members of Britain's military during a reception for the Armed Forces inside 10 Downing Street in Central London on September 18, 2019. (Photo by JOHN NGUYEN/AFP via Getty Images)BRUSSELS – A report predicts that Brexit will be “more harmful and long-lasting” for the British army and U.K.’s defense sector than for the European Union.The exhaustive study by the Warsaw Institute, a leading European think tank, warns that the U.K.’s exit from the EU means existing arrangements and defense cooperation agreements “will need to be reassessed,...…Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson (C) talks with members of Britain's military during a reception for the Armed Forces inside 10 Downing Street in Central London on September 18, 2019. (Photo by JOHN NGUYEN/AFP via Getty Images)BRUSSELS – A report predicts that Brexit will be “more harmful and long-lasting” for the British army and U.K.’s defense sector than for the European Union.The exhaustive study by the Warsaw Institute, a leading European think tank, warns that the U.K.’s exit from the EU means existing arrangements and defense cooperation agreements “will need to be reassessed,...WW…

U.S. Navy Hull Maintenance Technician 2nd Class Michael Meneses uses a welder aboard the guided-missile destroyer Chung-Hoon. (MC2 Logan C. Kellums/U.S. Navy)One hundred years ago today, President Woodrow Wilson enacted a law that would become known as the Jones Act. Its purpose was to help the U.S. shipping industry recover after World War I. Yet few could have predicted how vital it would become to our national security and economic prosperity a full century later — especially during a pandemic.The Jones Act requires that all vessels carrying goods between two U.S. points be...…U.S. Navy Hull Maintenance Technician 2nd Class Michael Meneses uses a welder aboard the guided-missile destroyer Chung-Hoon. (MC2 Logan C. Kellums/U.S. Navy)One hundred years ago today, President Woodrow Wilson enacted a law that would become known as the Jones Act. Its purpose was to help the U.S. shipping industry recover after World War I. Yet few could have predicted how vital it would become to our national security and economic prosperity a full century later — especially during a pandemic.The Jones Act requires that all vessels carrying goods between two U.S. points be...WW…

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Navy has shot down an intercontinental ballistic missile over the Pacific Ocean with an SM-3 Block IIA missile in a milestone test that demonstrated a potential scheme to defend Hawaii, the announced Tuesday morning.The test, which comes on the heels of the revealing of a larger in October that could potentially strike the U.S. East Coast, is the first time the United States has shot down an ICBM with anything other than a ground-based interceptor, an MDA official said.Just before 1 a.m. Eastern Time, MDA oversaw a test where a missile was fired from Ronald Reagan...…WASHINGTON – The U.S. Navy has shot down an intercontinental ballistic missile over the Pacific Ocean with an SM-3 Block IIA missile in a milestone test that demonstrated a potential scheme to defend Hawaii, the announced Tuesday morning.The test, which comes on the heels of the revealing of a larger in October that could potentially strike the U.S. East Coast, is the first time the United States has shot down an ICBM with anything other than a ground-based interceptor, an MDA official said.Just before 1 a.m. Eastern Time, MDA oversaw a test where a missile was fired from Ronald Reagan...WW…