Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- March 24, 2018

An F/A-18 Super Hornet approaches the Gerald R. Ford, lead ship in a new class of U.S. Navy supercarriers.

Loren Thompson, Forbes: What The U.S. Navy's Supercarriers Give America That No Other Nation Has

Imagine a warfighting machine so vast that it stands as tall as an Egyptian pyramid, so powerful that it has unlimited range without refueling for decades, and so lethal that it can destroy hundreds of targets in a hostile country every day for a month.

Now imagine not one such machine, but 11 of them -- because that's how many the U.S. Navy has. They are called supercarriers -- large-deck, nuclear-powered aircraft carriers unlike the warships of any other nation. They are, in fact, the largest warships ever built. The 2018 defense appropriations bill signed Friday by the president contains money for constructing a third such vessel in the Gerald R. Ford class -- the first new class of supercarriers developed in half a century.

Read more ....

Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- March 24, 2018

Joint Chiefs chair sees signs of progress in Afghan war -- AP

Dunford Encouraged by Afghan, Coalition Efforts in Afghanistan -- US Department of Defense

US sanctions on Russia mean Afghan air force must get its new Black Hawks ready -- Stars and Stripes

China's J-20 Stealth Fighter Is About to Become Even More Deadly -- National Interest/Asia Times

China’s military police given control of coastguard as Beijing boosts maritime security -- SCMP

China Unlikely to Match India Strength in Indian Ocean in Near Future - Analysts -- Sputnik

China's Private Army: Protecting the New Silk Road -- The Diplomat

What to Expect When You're Expecting the PLA: A Guide to Meeting With the Chinese Army -- War on the Rocks

Record number of U.S. Marines to train in Australia in symbolic challenge to China -- Reuters

In 2007, Israel Proved to the World How Dangerous Its Military Really Is -- National Interest

This is How Bad Russia Wants Hypersonic Weapons -- Dave Majumdar, National Interest

Russia names Putin's new 'super weapons' after a quirky public vote -- Reuters

Russian spy: Inside UK lab that identified nerve agent -- BBC

Could Poland's Tanks Stop Russia in a War? -- Charlie Gao, National Interest

Extreme misogyny exposed at prestigious French military school -- France 24

Mattis wins big with budget victory -- AFP

Trump, Mattis Hail Spending Bill to Fund Strongest Military Ever -- US Department of Defense

Trump Technology Tariffs Against China Designed to Protect U.S. Military Advantage -- USNI News

Lockheed's Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile Looks Like a Killer. And China Should Be Afraid. -- National Interest

Blue Angels Getting C-130J From Royal Air Force To Replace KC-130T Fat Albert Transport -- The Warzone/The Drive

MHS Fever: Why the Services Will Likely Follow Army on M9 Replacement -- Kit Up!/Military.com

Everyone in the U.S. Military Is Getting a Taste of the Army's New Handgun -- Task & Purpose

Report States That the Army Has Almost No Way to Stop a 'Swarm' Attack -- Michael Peck, National Interest

Military Changing Body Armor to Accommodate Women’s Hairstyles -- Task & Purpose

John McCain presses CIA director nominee Gina Haspel on role in agency's torture program -- Washington Examiner

CIA lobbies for Trump's director pick on Twitter as senators raise concerns -- CNN

AT&T Won Secret $3.3 Billion NSA Contract Despite More Expensive Bid -- NextGov

Trump moves to limit transgender individuals from military service -- Business Insider/Reuters

Fight between elite Army soldiers leaves 1 person dead -- ABC News

Navy Admits It Was Wrong on USS Indianapolis Crew Count -- Military.com

The Era of Urban Warfare is Already Here -- Margarita Konaev & John Spencer, RCD/FPRI

Why Mattis Is One Cabinet Member Trump Won’t Fire Anytime Soon -- Jared Keller, Task & Purpose