ON THE FIGHT
The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and U.S. Navy sailors aboard the USS Lake Erie (CG-70) successfully conducted a flight test of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) system, resulting in the intercept of a separating ballistic missile target over the Pacific Ocean by the Aegis BMD 4.0 Weapon System and a Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block IB missile.
After close to a decade alternating between land and sea, the SEAL community is refocusing its efforts on being just as preoccupied with the sea as everything else.
Niger has sought the United States’ help and word is out that U.S. trainers will assist African forces participating in a U.N.-backed offensive against al Qaeda-linked Islamist militants in neighboring Mali. The United States and several European nations have backed a French-led military intervention which since January 11th has driven militant insurgents out of the towns of northern Mali. Up to 30 U.S. military instructors would train African forces between June and August at Ouallam, in the Tillaberi region near the Malian border.
POTOMAC TWO-STEP
Rumors are circulating that Susan Rice will be the next National Security Advisor to President Obama.
Admiral McRaven, commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, told the force and industry this week he’d like USSOCOM to emulate FedEx.
PRIVACY, SECRECY AND TECH
The Daily Beast’s Eli Lake was taken aback when Media Matters defended the Department of Justice probe into the Associated Press’, and he has elicited an answer from the influential yet shadowy group.
The New Yorker has launched Strongbox, a Wikileaks alternative that received critical acclaim when it was released this week.
CONTRACT WATCH
The Office of Military Commissions, infamous for its role in prosecuting Guantanamo inmates, is in the market for a gym.
DARPA is soliciting industry on ideas for how to “Develop and Provide a Workshop with a Vision of the National Security Landscape Out to 2030″.
The Air Force is buying 94 brand-new C-130J aircraft from Lockheed Martin Corp. for special operations forces. Fifty-seven will be converted to MC-130J — used by special operations forces for transporting cargo and troops, and for aerial refueling. The other 37 will become AC-130W Stinger II gunships. Sixteen AC-130Js are scheduled to be delivered by 2015, according to Lockheed Martin.
