Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- February 21, 2019

Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan attends the International Defence Exhibition & Conference (IDEX) in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Feb. 17, 2019.

VOA: UAE Signs $5.5 Billion in Military Contracts Amid Yemen Role Scrutiny

ABU DHABI — The United Arab Emirates awarded 20 billion dirhams worth ($5.5 billion) of military procurement contracts during a defense show this week, at a time when arms sales to the country are under scrutiny due to its role in Yemen's devastating war.

The majority were awarded to international companies such as U.S. firms Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, which sealed one of the biggest deals with 7 billion dirhams worth of contracts related to its Patriot missile air defense system.

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Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- February 21, 2019

Does anyone want to be US secretary of defense? -- Foreign Policy

Here’s what happened to a Navy plane that’s vital to America’s nuclear triad -- Navy Times

Pentagon’s special operations leader ‘disappointed’ over handling of light-attack program -- Military Times

Understaffed AFRICOM cutting hundreds more troops -- Military.com

Pentagon’s War Plan Sees Beleaguered F-35 as Battlefield ‘Quarterback’ - USAF -- Sputnik

Pentagon to Begin F-35 Lots 15-17 Negotiations with Lockheed Martin -- Defense Daily

SpaceX, ULA each get Air Force contracts for trio of space launches -- Defense News

US Army to test a new, lighter body armor vest and full system this year -- Army Times

Trump’s Plan to Siphon Money from Military for Wall Meets Resistance -- VOA

Graham cursed at acting DOD chief, declaring himself his 'adversary' -- The Hill

U.S. Navy: Venezuela military, 'save your people' -- UPI

US Soldier Wounded in Suicide Attack Sues Bomber's Employer -- Military.com/AP

Navy linguist killed in Syria to be honored on memorial to code-makers and code-breakers -- Stars and Stripes

The White House will keep challenging the Pentagon on the threat of climate change until it gets an answer it likes -- Task & Purpose

U.S., Britain conduct security drills, training in South China Sea -- UPI

U.K. Nuclear and Military Exporters Told to Prepare for Hard Brexit -- Bloomberg

Researchers used fake social media accounts to influence NATO troops during military exercise -- CNN

Official: NATO Doesn't Plan to Deploy New Ground-Based Nuclear Weapons in Europe -- Sputnik

German Jewish council calls for rabbis in the military -- DW

Germany's Resumption of Arms Supplies to Riyadh Depends on Yemeni Conflict - FM -- Sputnik

Despite Putin's Swagger, Russia Struggles to Modernize Its Navy -- Moscow Times/Reuters

China ‘puts wartime command system to test’ in South China Sea drills -- SCMP

China's former military chief of staff jailed for life for corruption -- The Guardian/AFP

U.S., Japan, Australia start Cope North 2019 at Guam air base -- UPI

US delivers laser-guided rockets to the Lebanese Air Force to arm its Super Tucano aircraft -- Defense News

Iran announces 3-day navy drill from Gulf to Indian Ocean -- France 24

Israel Turns Ballistic Missile Surrogate Into Air Launched Bunker-Busting Missile -- Warzone/The Drive

Israel's Secret Weapon: Kamikaze Drones (And We Might Have the Video) -- National Interest

2 killed in military helicopter crash in Algeria -- FOX News/AP

'Can I wear makeup in uniform?': Top Canadian soldier rebukes military recruiting ad on social media -- National Post

From the US to the Netherlands, military leaders are speaking up on climate change -- The Independent