A multilateral exercise with the US, Canada, and Russia has been cancelled because of Russia’s continued military aggression in Ukraine, reported ABC News via the Associated Press. This year’s exercise would have marked the sixth year for Vigilant Eagle, typically conducted near Alaska in August or September. During last year’s exercise, which utilized both US and Russian airspace, Canadian CF-18s and Russian Sukhois scrambled to identify and follow a “hijacked” aircraft. Air Force and Russian command and control aircraft also participated. Alaska’s News Miner newspaper reported that the 2014 exercise would have included the Japan Self Defense Force for the first time.
The Pentagon has concluded a new agreement to buy laser-guidance kits that turn rockets into drone-killing weapons. BAE Systems and the Defense Department announced a framework deal of up to seven years for 25,000 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System guidance kits annually for the U.S. military.