Editor’s Note
The Daily Report will not publish Nov. 24-25 due to the Thanksgiving holiday. We will be back in your inboxes Monday, Nov. 28.
First F-16 Block 70 Emerges From Lockheed Martin’s New Factory—128 More on Order
Lockheed Martin's first new-build F-16 Block 70 has emerged from the company's Greenville, S.C., factory, launching a new phase in production of the Falcon, which first became operational with the Air Force 44 years ago.
Space Force Stands Up Its First Geographic Component Command, Prioritizing the Pacific
The Space Force and U.S. Indo-Pacific Command formalized a new chain of command for Guardians in the Pacific, activating a new service component command of the unified combatant command. Establishing U.S. Space Forces Indo-Pacific gives the Space Force a seat “at the table” to plan for activities in the INDOPACOM area of responsibility, the service’s Vice Chief of Space Operations Gen. David D. Thompson told reporters.
PHOTOS: Kadena Lines Up Six Kinds of Aircraft for Elephant Walk
Three dozen aircraft assembled on the flight line for an “elephant walk” at Kadena Air Base, Japan, in a show of air power. The capabilities demonstration included six different kinds of aircraft, all stationed at Kadena at the moment. The display came on the same day U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III met with his Chinese counterpart, Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe, and called on China “to refrain from further destabilizing actions toward Taiwan."
Air Force C-37 Carrying National Guard Chief Forced to Land After Bird Strike
An Air Force C-37 carrying Chief of the National Guard Bureau Gen. Daniel R. Hokanson was forced to land after striking birds as it departed from Chicago Midway International Airport, the Air Force and National Guard Bureau said. A video from a streaming website showed the plane taxiing to the runway and lifting off. As the C-37 began its ascent and raised its landing gear, the plane struck a flock of birds.
Radar Sweep
Awaiting F-16s, Bulgaria Closes In On Interim Fighter Potentially From Sweden or France
Breaking Defense
The Bulgarian government looks to be edging closer to reaching an agreement for an interim fighter aircraft after holding talks with Sweden and France while the southeastern European nation awaits American F-16s. The potential acquisition of the jets was prompted by Lockheed Martin when it delayed delivery of F-16 Block 70 aircraft to Sofia from 2023 to 2025, following COVID-19 supplier issues, meaning they wouldn’t go operational until 2028 or so.
Europe’s New Warplane Program Could Finally, Maybe, Take Off
Defense News
Over one year later than expected, several leaders of the trinational Future Combat Air System (FCAS) program claim to be on the precipice of finally launching the next work phase that would eventually lead to a suite of new weapons and systems for France, Germany, and Spain. Berlin and Madrid announced that a “political” agreement had been reached to move forward with the next phase of work, known as Phase 1B, after many months of stymied progress. But the silence from third-party Paris has left observers puzzled over where the program truly stands.
Will Tech Layoffs Finally Help Defense Firms Get the Engineers They Seek?
Defense One
Widespread layoffs across the technology sector could help defense companies and even federal agencies attract engineers and tech experts to fill long-vacant jobs. But some observers say defense-related organizations are moving too slowly to take advantage. While there don’t appear to be major hiring campaigns, corporate recruiters have taken to social media to woo job seekers to thousands of open positions.
Less ’Nog, More Turkeys: DOD’s Thanksgiving Meal Market Proves Volatile
Military.com
As the Global War on Terrorism quiets and the military focuses on near-peer threats in Eastern Europe and the South China Sea, the Defense Logistics Agency, or DLA, is dispatching the lightest shipment of several traditional Thanksgiving menu items the military has seen in five years, according to available agency data.
New Space Force Procurement Shop Subscribes to the Space-as-a-Service Model
SpaceNews
A new office within the Space Force’s procurement command will buck traditional military programs by buying only technologies that the space industry provides as a service. “With so many new capabilities being provided by industry, commercial services are taking off in ways that we never probably imagined just a few years ago,” said Brig. Gen. Timothy A. Sejba, program executive officer for space domain awareness and combat power at Space Systems Command.
South Korea’s New Anti-Ballistic Missile System Downs Targets in Tests
The War Zone
South Korea has completed a successful missile interception test involving its L-SAM surface-to-air missile system, apparently for the first time. The L-SAM, developed locally by the state-run Agency for Defense Development, is planned as a “high-end” air defense system with significant anti-ballistic missile capabilities. Reports of the latest test come a little less than three weeks after North Korea launched an unprecedented barrage of 23 missiles—the most ever fired in a single day.
DOD Will Be Checking Agencies’ Budgets to Track Implementation of New Zero-Trust Strategy
DefenseScoop
The Pentagon publicly released its zero-trust strategy and reference architecture on Nov. 22. As part of that approach, the department will be holding organizations accountable to ensure they meet the deadline for achieving a zero-trust architecture, according to senior officials. To track how the services and other Defense Department agencies are moving toward fully implementing zero trust by 2027, DOD leaders will be asking them to show how much they’re spending to get there.
The Pentagon Is Moving Ahead With New Military Jetpack Prototypes
Task & Purpose
The Defense Department’s chief tech visionaries are once again attempting to make the U.S. military’s dream of jetpack-equipped infantry troops a reality through a pair of fresh contracts. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has selected “several” small companies to receive Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) funding awards “to build flight test prototypes” for the agency’s Portable Personal Air Mobility System program.