Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- June 3, 2016

Washington Post: In bizarre coincidence, a Blue Angels F-18 and a Thunderbirds F-16 crash on same day

A U.S. Navy Blue Angel crashed shortly after takeoff, killing the pilot, during an air show practice on Thursday in Smyrna, Tenn., a Navy official said.

According to Navy spokeswoman Cmdr. Jeanette Groeneveld, the F/A-18 single-seat jet crashed while in formation. The Navy has notified the pilot’s next of kin and will not release the name or aircraft number for 24 hours.

The F/A-18 crashed at approximately 4:01 p.m. eastern time. According to Groenveld, the cause of the crash was unclear and the Navy has opened an investigation into the incident.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the team right now,” Groenveld said.

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Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- June 3, 2016

Thunderbirds fighter jet crashes in Colorado Springs after flyover at Air Force Academy graduation -- Denver Post

Pilot killed after US Navy Blue Angels jet crashes in Tennessee -- FOX News

Carter: Military will learn from 2 fatal training accidents -- AP

US Navy Launches First Strike From the Med Since 2003, Targets Daesh -- Sputnik

Navy Launches Counter-ISIL Sorties From Mediterranean Sea -- US Department of Defense

Battle Blimps: Russian Military Expands the Use of Airships -- Sputnik

Russian arms exporter's order portfolio stands at $48 billion — official -- TASS

Russia to Equip Kuril Islands' Military Defenses With New Security System -- Sputnik

China, Russia vow to boost military ties -- Xinhuanet

Beijing to participate in US naval drills amid South China Sea tensions -- RT

China to Become 2nd Largest Contributor to UN Peacekeeping Budget -- Sputnik

Asia defense summit kicks off amid heightened regional tensions -- DW

Pentagon chief arrives in Singapore for security summit -- AFP

Peru to modernize submarines -- UPI

India Set to Sell Super Sonic Anti-Ship Cruise Missile to Vietnam -- USNI News

Ukraine Eyes 30 New Vessels, Military Training Facilities -- Defense News

Poland plans paramilitary force of 35,000 to counter Russia -- BBC

France and Germany Aim for Export Agreement -- Defense News

Canadian military brass to review whether soldiers should continue wearing Kurdish flag -- Toronto Star

Germany, France to revive EU defense but no plans for EU army -- Reuters

NATO Moving to Create New Intelligence Chief Post -- WSJ

Military think-tank says Brexit will cause defence shock -- Financial Times

What’s Missing as NATO Rearms Its Eastern Flank? Diplomacy -- Ulrich Kuhn, Defense One

Air Force F-35A To Skip Farnborough Air Show -- Defense News

Predator next-gen derivative Big Wing boosts flight time -- UPI

Joint Air-to-Ground Missile Fired From Drone, a First -- Defense News

Army's Smart Earplug Damps Explosive Noise, But Can Enhance Whispers -- NPR

Inside the US Army's Lethal New M1A2 SEP v.3 Abrams Main Battle Tank -- National Interest

Can the Navy’s Electric Cannon Be Saved? -- Patrick Tucker, Defense One

Pentagon Weapons Spending Claims Only 1% Of GDP -- Loren Thompson, Forbes

How a Cheap Huckster Tricked Our Corrupt Navy -- Chris Edwards, Newsweek

Former Military Leaders: 3 Lessons for Our Next Commander-in-Chief -- James Conway and James M. Loy, Time

Gunfight! Does the Navy’s Little Warship Need a Bigger Cannon? -- Marcus Weisgerber, Defense One