General Keith Alexander, USA (Ret.) CEO and President, IronNet Cybersecurity; Commander, U.S. Cyber Command (2010-2014) and Director, National Security Agency/Chief, Central Security Service (2005-2014) will deliver the keynote address at breakfast at CANSEC on June 1, 2017. Mr. Alexander will speak on cyber and security issues with a focus on Canada. [node:read-more:link]
Colin Robertson argues that significant shift in the global situation related to missile defence justifies a review of that section of the government's 2017 Defence Policy released in June. [node:read-more:link]
The Canadian Armed Forces Small Arms Concentration (CAFSAC) top shooters were announced at Connaught Ranges and Primary Training Centre in Ottawa, Ontario. [node:read-more:link]
More than 450 shooters and supporting staff, including international shooting teams from the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America, will be participating in this year’s Canadian Armed Forces Small Arms Concentration (CAFSAC). [node:read-more:link]
On July 14, in Ankara, the heads of key defence companies signed a Heads of Agreement (HoA) under the aegis of the Turkish Undersecretariat for Defence Industries (SSM) to launch in-depth co-operation in the field of air and missile defence. [node:read-more:link]
The Department of Defense has terminated a Boeing-led Redesigned Kill Vehicle project after a “strategic pause” to reconsider options. “Technical design problems” are given as the reason for the cancellation of the ground-based exoatmospheric missile system. [node:read-more:link]
India’s defence minister, Rajnath Singh, is suggesting that his country could re-evaluate its “no first use of nuclear weapons” as Indian and Pakistan square off over the divided Kashmir region which abuts their northern borders. Singh says that while India had “strictly adhered” to the doctrine, “what happens in future depends on the circumstances.” [node:read-more:link]
The Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries has posted a link to the slide decks and speaking points from its Future Fighter Capability Project online presentation Aug. 15. [node:read-more:link]
A potential sale of “fourth generation” F-16V Viper light multi-role fighters to Taiwan by Lockheed Martin evidently has renewed U.S. administration support after having been put on hold for a while. [node:read-more:link]
The U.S. Air Force says Boeing has finished installing new wings on the last of 173 A-10 Thunderbolt II ground-attack aircraft in order to keep them operational into the late 2030s. Popularly known as the Warthog and “the flying gun”, the Fairchild Republic platform, which entered service in 1977, has proven its effectiveness in theatres such as Kosovo and Afghanistan. [node:read-more:link]
Radiation levels near the site of last week’s deadly rocket explosion in northern Russia spiked 16 times above normal, according to Rosgidromet, the national weather service. Five scientists died and three others were injured when a nuclear-powered engine was being tested. [node:read-more:link]
Russian authorities’ acknowledgement that there was a “nuclear element” in an explosion which killed five scientists last week is fuelling speculation that they were working on a nuclear-powered cruise missile at the offshore facility. Nearby Dvinsky Bay has been closed to shipping for a month and the city of Severodvinsk, 40 kilometres away, posted and then withdrew a website report of a radiation spike shortly after the explosion. [node:read-more:link]
On the morning of January 26th, Defence Minister Harjit S. Sajjan will be in Esquimalt, BC to announce a contract award for the sustainment of a critical weapons system for the modernized Halifax-class frigates. [node:read-more:link]
The United Kingdom has awarded MBDA a £400 million contract for the capability sustainment programme (CSP) of the advanced Brimstone air-to-surface missile, to extend its service life beyond 2030. [node:read-more:link]
Canada's defence industry is struggling to find ways to mitigate some aspects of the ITAR policy and the way it is administered. The CDIA has some recommendations which may help. [node:read-more:link]
