US Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

Okay only Ajax.
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looks like there was some Tom foolery about. By October 1 a Vehicle was supposed to be delivered. GDLS could do that. Rhinemetall couldn’t. Not for lack of trying. They had to get approval to ship it by air by rail and by truck. They couldn’t do that they asked for a 90 day extension to get it to the army no go.
to hand it over to the Army in Germany and have them do it. No go.
got something for you, TE:
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With the surprise disqualification of the Raytheon-Rheinmetall Lynx, the Army has effectively left itself with one competitor for the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle, General Dynamics -- unless the Pentagon or Congress intervene.
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Sep 10, 2019
Saturday at 12:26 PM
partly related is
America’s Déjà-Vu Withdrawal from Afghanistan
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later though
The US has ramped up its air campaign in Afghanistan to highest level in nine years
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As peace negotiations between the Taliban and U.S. unraveled, the U.S. dramatically ramped up its air campaign against militants in Afghanistan.

According to U.S. Air Forces Central Command, U.S. aircraft dropped 948 munitions in Afghanistan during the month of September.

That’s the highest number of munitions dropped for a single month since October 2010 — near the height of America’s involvement in the 18-year long war. In October 2010, according to figures provided by AFCENT, U.S. and coalition aircraft dropped roughly 1,043 munitions.

The U.S. had nearly 100,000 troops on the ground by October 2010, as part of then-President Barrack Obama’s troop surge. Today, there are roughly 14,000 service members operating in Afghanistan.

The spike in bombs released show a dramatic escalation of American air power aimed at militants following the collapse of peace negotiations with the Taliban in early September. In August, the U.S. dropped 783 munitions.

Secretary of Defense Mark Esper confirmed that the U.S. had increased its attacks against the Taliban in an Oct. 5 interview with reporters.

“We did step up our attacks on the Taliban since the talks broke down. You know, the president spoke about this publicly — we did pick up the pace considerably,”
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told reporters in early October.

At a
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9/11 ceremony Trump said that the U.S. was hitting the enemy in Afghanistan “harder than they have ever been hit before.”

President Donald Trump ended negotiations with the Taliban in September following a suicide attack in Kabul that killed a U.S. service member.

At the end of August and through early September, Taliban fighters launched brazen attacks against Kunduz and other urban centers across Afghanistan.

The Taliban failed to capture any cities during the attacks, but a military official told Military Times that B-52s were postured to provide support if needed.

In September, Secretary of State Pompeo said nearly 1,000 Taliban fighters were killed over a 10-day period. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani estimated the Taliban lost nearly 2,000 fighters in its failed attempt to capture an Afghan city.

The Taliban still hold considerable sway over much of rural Afghanistan following their ouster from power in 2001.

The Associated Press reported that the Taliban met the U.S. envoy for Afghanistan peace negotiations Zalmay Khalilzad on Oct. 4 in Pakistan. It was the first meeting between the Taliban and the Khalilzad since peace talks ended.
even "postured" B-52s inside
 
Sep 30, 2019
Sep 19, 2019
while
USAF awards Boeing $2.6bn contract for 15 KC-46A tankers
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  • 30 September, 2019
and the latest on the tanker is (dated Oct 8, 2019)
USAF Receives Nine KC-46As In Third Quarter
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:

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delivered nine
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tankers to the U.S. Air Force in the third quarter and 21 overall so far this year despite a series of quality control issues and a newly discovered design flaw, the company announced on Oct. 8.

The Air Force could receive a total of 30 KC-46As this year if Boeing matches third-quarter deliveries during the last three months of 2019.

That delivery total still falls short of Boeing’s original plan to deliver at least 36 aircraft this year, but it is possible the company could deliver aircraft at an even faster rate in the fourth quarter.

The Air Force had planned to receive KC-46As at an annual rate of 15 aircraft, but an impasse over assigning financial responsibility for fixing two design flaws delayed first delivery more than two years. As negotiations continued, Boeing built up a large backlog of undelivered KC-46As.

The two sides finally came to an agreement on Jan. 29, allowing Boeing to deliver the first aircraft by the end of that month. Boeing agreed to pay for a redesign of the remote vision system (RVS), which is still being defined. The Air Force funded the redesign of a new actuator for the KC-46A refueling boom. The service is also withholding 20% of the payment for each aircraft until the RVS redesign is complete.

In the meantime, the Air Force has restricted the KC-46A fleet from carrying cargo and passengers after finding a new design flaw during initial operational test and evaluation. The devices that hold cargo and passenger seats in place became unlocked in flight.
 
now the boomers update,
Aug 18, 2019
Thursday at 7:59 AM
related:
US Navy submarine programmes on track despite welding problems
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and
Columbia Program Manager: Missile Sub Still on Schedule, But Suppliers Present Biggest Risk for Delay
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Posted on
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The U.S. Navy’s program for its next-generation ballistic-missile submarine (SSBN), the Columbia class, is on track to start construction on time, but the program has a tight schedule with little margin for delay, the program manager said.

“Our biggest risk today is the supplier base,” said Capt. Jon Rucker, program manager for the Columbia SSBN, speaking Oct. 8 at the eighth annual TRIAD Conference in the Washington, D.C., area.

Rucker pointed out that when construction of the current Ohio class began, a supplier base of 17,000 companies contributed to the materiel and systems for the boat. Today, the Columbia program is pressing forward with only 3,000 suppliers.

The supply of skilled shipyard workers also is a concern to Rucker. He noted that General Dynamics Electric Boat, the prime contractor for the Columbia, is increasing its workforce to 20,000 from 17,000 workers. But the hiring is drawing skilled workers from naval shipyards that routinely maintain subs and carriers.

Rucker said that robots have been used in building the Common Missile Compartment for the Columbia class and the U.K. Royal Navy’s Dreadnought-class SSBN. Robots used in welding the missile tubes to the bottom of the hull section took 44 minutes and 8 seconds, compared with 4 days for a human worker.

Electric Boat has invested $1.8 billion in facilities to build the Columbia class and Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News Shipbuilding division is spending $800 million to $900 million to support the construction, Rucker said.

About 10 percent of the construction of the lead boat, Columbia, already has begun but its formal start is scheduled for Oct. 1, 2020. The first Columbia SSBN needs to be on patrol by the beginning of fiscal 2031, on Oct. 1, 2030. The program goal is to build each of the following boats of the class in 84 months.

“We will deliver at least 12 Columbia-class SSBNs by 2042,” Rucker said, with emphasis on “at least.”

The Navy operates 14 Ohio-class missile submarines, which are scheduled for an extended service life of 42.5 years. The last Ohio-class boat built, USS Louisiana, recently entered its final refueling period to extend its life. The Ohio class is scheduled to begin retirement in 2027.

“We can’t extend them anymore,” Rucker said.

Rucker noted that the Columbia program has a high design maturity, with a design that will be 83% at construction start. By contrast, the Ohio design was only 2% complete at construction start.

“We make sure we keep stable requirements,” he said.

“We own this platform cradle to grave,” Rucker said, noting that the program office will be responsible for sustainment in addition to construction.
 
inside
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since 00:58 and 01:20
Defense Secretary says U.S. has not abandoned Kurds

later (not mentioned in that article) "... the Turkish military is fully aware of, down to explicit grid coordinate detail, of the locations of US forces ..." says the four-star EDIT
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Last edited:
well I barely knew what is it so wasn't surprised
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by the way
"The SDA budget plan ... $259 million for fiscal 2021; $1.1 billion in 2022, $1.9 billion in 2023, $3.67 billion in 2024 and $3.68 billion in 2025."
is funny once plotted
 
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