* The US Army released its 2013 Weapon Systems handbook, a 378-page catalog that gives snapshots covering each system's mission, description, the program's status, whether foreign military sales are involved, and projected activities over the next couple of years. The...
STARStreak(click to view full) In November 2012, the Royal Thai Army signed a contract with Thales UK to become the STARStreak air defence missile's 3rd customer, after Britain and South Africa. Introduced in 1997, the dual-stage High Velocity Missile flies at Mach...
* The Stimson Center released a report [PDF] which concludes that the "strategic agility" needed by the US could be achieved while spending significantly less. You have heard their recommendations before: don't get drawn in land wars, reduce nuclear stockpiles,...
MQ-1 Predator(click to view full) In November 2012, Battlespace Flight Services LLC in Arlington, VA received a maximum $950 million indefinite delivery/ indefinite quantity contract for worldwide organizational level UAV maintenance support. Battlespace is the...
Meet the new boss Xi Jinping will not only take over from Hu Jintao as China's next President in March 2013, but as of today he chairs both the Central Military Commission (CMC) and the Communist Party. This breaks from precedent, as it took Hu a couple of years to...
* As he announced in September, US Defense Undersecretary for Acquisition Frank Kendall updated the Better Buying Power (BBP) guidance set in place by his predecessor Ashton Carter. The policy [PDF] is open for comments for the next 2 months. It continues to promote...
M27 IAR, Afghanistan(click to view full) The US Marines have been using the M249 5.56mm light machine gun since 1984. Many were worn from use, and at 15-17 pounds empty, these belt-fed weapons are rather heavy. They can be more hindrance than help in some of the...
* Following the US presidential election and David Petraeus' resignation last week because of an affair with his biographer, contenders for nomination in a new cabinet include Senator John Kerry (for Defense or State), UN Ambassador Susan Rice (State), and John O....
On the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month, in 1918, the guns ceased. During Remembrance Day, the British Commonwealth countries remember those who came before, and those who came after, and all who have given in their nation's service. John McCrae's poem...