Thursday, March 9, 2017

Military and Intelligence News Briefs -- March 9, 2017



Reuters: Special Report : Aircraft carriers, championed by Trump, are vulnerable to attack

Last week, President Donald J. Trump chose the deck of the newest U.S. aircraft carrier, the $13 billion USS Gerald R. Ford, for a speech extolling his planned boost in military spending.

Trump vowed that the newest generation of “Ford Class” carriers - the most expensive warships ever built - will remain the centerpiece of projecting American power abroad.

“We're going to soon have more coming,” Trump told an enthusiastic audience of sailors, declaring the new carriers so big and solidly built that they were immune to attack.

Trump vowed to expand the number of carriers the United States fields from 10 to 12. And he promised to bring down the cost of building three “super-carriers,” which has ballooned by a third over the last decade from $27 to $36 billion.

The Gerald R. Ford alone is $2.5 billion over budget and three years behind schedule, military officials say. The second Ford-class carrier, the John F. Kennedy, is running five years late.

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Military and Intelligence News Briefs -- March 9, 2017

How America is Making Sure Its New Ford-Class Aircraft Carriers are Ready for Battle -- Kris Osborn, National Interest

Trump Wants a Fleet of 12 Aircraft Carriers and the Biggest Navy in History -- Popular Mechanics

U.S. Rejects China's Call for a Halt to Military Drills in Return for North Korea's Suspension of Nuclear Activity -- AP

US dismisses China proposal on N Korea military halt -- BBC

THAAD May Be Operational in South Korea Next Month -- Military.com

Saber rattling: China and US at a dangerous military tipping point -- CNBC

China Working on Stealth Military Drones -- VOA

China’s evolving cyber warfare strategies -- Asia Times

Why China's Military Budget is Larger Than it Appears -- Gordon G. Chang, National Interest

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop slaps down reports of joint patrols with Indonesia in South China Sea -- ABC News Online

Iran disputes U.S. allegations about encounter at sea -- AP

Germany delays contract with MBDA for missile defense: sources -- Reuters

Romanian, U.S. troops train together in NATO support operation -- AP

Report: Marines with 11th MEU Join the Ground Fight in Syria -- USNI News

Hundreds of Marines join local forces in Syria -- The Hill

Top general expects more US troops will be sent to Afghanistan -- The Hill

US General Says Russia has Deployed Banned Missile -- AP

Russia denies violating nuclear arms pact with US -- AP

Report: Navy Should Base Stealthy Zumwalt Destroyers in South Korea -- Defense tech

US Navy to work with Air Force on E-6B replacement -- Defense News

B-21 Raider covertly completes preliminary design review -- Defense News

Mikros contracted for U.S. Navy radar support systems -- UPI

U.S. Navy test fires surface to surface missile module -- UPI

U.S. Naval Research Lab develops light, transparent armor -- UPI

US Army concerned over shrinking munitions stockpile -- Defense News

Centcom commander: I take responsibility for Yemen raid -- The Hill

House approves $578 billion for military -- AP

US House passes 2017 defense appropriations to uncertain prospects in Senate
-- Defense News

Nude photo sharing Facebook group is only 'the tip of the spear,' top enlisted Marine says -- Marine Times

House Dem calls for firings after Marine nude photos scandal -- The Hill

What an Army Megacities Unit Would Look Like -- John Spencer, Modern War Institute

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