The Defense Post
Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $62.2 million contract to supply the Air Force with parachute and drag chute systems for its F-35 Lightning II fighters. The contract includes 190 parachutes and 56 drag chute systems to be delivered on or before September 2025. Similar to conventional parachutes, a drag chute system slows the F-35A on landing, providing control and stability for pilots. The wind force employed allows the aircraft to land safely on short, wet, or icy runways.
Military.com
California National Guard members will be ordered to get vaccinated against COVID-19 by early August or face regular testing, Military.com has learned. The mandate comes despite the fact that the Defense Department does not have a vaccination requirement for the rest of the force. Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday announced California will require all state employees to be vaccinated or face weekly testing. That will include the state’s National Guard, for which Newsom serves as commander-in-chief, a spokesperson for the Guard confirmed July 27.
Federal News Network
A House panel is recommending some large changes to military policies that deal with issues such as sexual assault, military hunger and child care—but it’s acquiescing two of this year’s blockbuster issues to the full House Armed Services Committee. The House Armed Services military personnel subcommittee is suggesting a 2.7 percent pay increase for service members and expanding parental leave for troops to 12 weeks.
Breaking Defense
President Joe Biden on July 28 issued a national security memorandum on improving the cybersecurity of critical infrastructure, with the goal of encouraging critical infrastructure owners and operators to voluntarily adopt better cybersecurity standards. The memorandum is intended to address what a senior administration official described Tuesday evening as the nation’s “woefully insufficient” cybersecurity posture; it also comes less than 24 hours after Biden stated that a cyberattack could someday lead to a “real shooting war.”
Defense News
Consensus is building on Capitol Hill that the Missile Defense Agency needs to provide more clarity on its plans for a missile defense architecture to protect Guam. The House Armed Services Committee’s strategic forces subpanel, in its markup of the fiscal 2022 National Defense Authorization Act, will require the MDA to provide congressional defense committees a detailed report on its plans for a missile defense architecture for Guam, an acquisition strategy, and requirements for funding, according to committee staff.
Space News
“We are on the verge of a new era in space security: the age of diverse and highly capable dual-use space systems that can serve both peaceful and anti-satellite (ASAT) purposes. These new systems, such as spacecraft capable of undertaking rendezvous and proximity operations (RPOs), ground-based lasers capable of interacting with space objects, and actions in cyberspace, cannot feasibly be banned; nor should they be, as they promise immense civil and commercial benefits. Instead, we must find ways to maintain peace despite their presence,” write Brian Chow, an independent policy analyst, and Brandon Kelley, director of debate at Georgetown University and a graduate student in the Security Studies Program.
The Drive
The first of the U.S. Air Force’s XQ-58A Valkyrie stealthy, affordable unmanned aircraft is being prepared as a museum exhibit after completing its flight-test career after just four public missions. Originally developed by drone-maker Kratos under the Low Cost Attritable Aircraft Technology program, or LCAAT, the XQ-58A in question suffered a mishap in late 2019 while completing its third flight but was subsequently repaired and flew again.
One More Thing
Task and Purpose
Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force JoAnne S. Bass may be good at slaying trolls on Facebook and leading pro-women uniform changes in her branch, but one thing she’s not good at is playing Mario Kart, as Airmen found out in a very public fashion July 26.
