Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- January 13, 2018

The Warzone/The Drive: The Secret Zuma Spacecraft Could Be Alive And Well Doing Exactly What It Was Intended To

A great way to put an experimental stealthy craft into orbit is to imply that it never even made it there in the first place.

Rumors are swirling about the fate of a top-secret spacecraft, known as Zuma, which Northrop Grumman supposedly built for an unknown U.S. government agency and launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon-9 rocket on Jan. 7, 2018. There are a number of theories about what might have happened already circulating, but a fairly obvious one seems glaringly absent: that the satellite didn't crash at all and that it’s working as planned.

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Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- January 13, 2018

Classified US satellite launched from California after delay -- AP

New J-16 Fighters Enter China’s Air Fleet -- Sputnik

The Early Returns of China's Military Reforms -- The Diplomat

At least four dead in Indian chopper crash: navy -- AFP

US, Japan Hold Joint Military Drill Amid Korea Tensions -- VOA

Russian Military Near North Korean Border Launches Live-Fire Air-Combat Drill -- Newsweek

North Korea's state media demands 'complete suspension' of South Korea-US military drills -- The Straits Times

Drones that attacked Russian facilities in Syria followed pre-programed route — expert -- TASS

Russia deploys more S-400 air defense missile systems in Crimea (VIDEO) -- RT

Australia's Navy relies on one frigate in particular -- We Are The Mighty

Saudi Arabia to receive 17 Blackhawk helicopters from Sikorsky -- UPI

What's Next for Vietnam-France Military Cooperation? -- The Diplomat

French Rafale Fighters Will Deploy Aboard An American Supercarrier This April -- The Warzone/The Drive

Romania inks $1B deal for hundreds of infantry fighting vehicles -- Defense News

Japan to Join NATO Cyberdefense Center in Tallinn -- Sputnik

Germany's defense minister visits troops in Jordan -- DW

A convoy of US Army howitzers got stopped by German police, and it points to a major problem NATO has in Europe -- Business Insider

What good is an Army that appears to be embarrassed and ashamed of its own existence? -- The Telegraph

Saab set to demo an underwater drone that pretends to be a sub -- Defense News

Navy Defends Nuclear-Armed Columbia-Class Submarine Technology -- Warrior Maven

Navy Says It Can Buy Frigate For Under $800M: Acquisition Reform Testbed -- Breaking Defense

The US Navy's much criticized Littoral Combat Ships could soon pack a punch -- Business Insider

Army advisers in specialized unit set to deploy to Afghanistan -- Army Times

B-1 Bomber Crews Defend Sniper Pod After Friendly Fire Incident -- Military.com

Boeing Unveils Conceptual Hypersonic Jet Design To Replace The SR-71 Blackbird -- Task & Purpose

Pentagon awards contract to Gulfstream for service on C-20, C-37 -- UPI

First Military Trial In Navy’s ‘Fat Leonard’ Scandal Results In Guilty Plea -- Task & Purpose/Virginia-Pilot

Hawaii officials say 'false alarm' on alert about inbound ballistic missile -- The Hill

US military history is rich with immigrants who left the countries Trump disparaged and sacrificed in combat -- Washington Post

5 things we wish we knew before joining the Air Force -- We Are The Mighty

War Analysis: Upgraded Abrams Tank vs Russia's T-14 Armata -- Warrior Maven

New security flaw detected in Intel hardware -- DW

‘CIA friends’ asked Moby to spread word of Trump-Russia collusion on social media -- RT

Congress needs to take a look at constitutional use of military force -- Victor Hansen and Lawrence Friedman, The Hill