Rapid Fire Morning 2011-06-30: Weapons for Libyan Rebels

Jun 30, 2011 07:27 UTC by Defense Industry Daily staff

In his last interview beforeÂ stepping down as US Defense Secretary, Robert Gates says thatÂ military spendingÂ is not the main cause of the United States’ $1.4 trillion budget deficit.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) publishes its reportÂ Further Actions Needed to Institutionalize Key Business System Modernization Management ControlsÂ [PDF]. Among the report’s criticisms are the Department of Defense’s failure to oversee each military department’s full implementation of an enterprise architecture program.
FranceÂ confirmsÂ that it has provided weapons to Libyan rebels. A spokesman confirmed that assault rifles and ammunition were part of the airdrop, but denied that France had suppliedÂ MilanÂ anti-tank missile launchers.

Russia’s United Shipbuilding Corporation says the country will begin production of a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in 2016, with completion due by 2020. President Dmitry Medvedev announced plans in 2008 to increase the number of aircraft carriers in the Russian fleet. However, it was uncertain if the new carriers would be conventionally-powered, like the Admiral Kuznetsov, or nuclear-powered.

United Shipbuilding Corporation and Rosoboronexport announce at the International Maritime Defense Show, IMDS 2011, St Petersburg, that they have signed an agreement to build two Tiger Class corvettes for the Algerian Navy.

A press release from a Canadian company overlooked for a recent civilian contract raises concerns that similar responses may be forthcoming from unsuccessful bidders in the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy.

The Vice Chairman of Philippines’ Senate National Defense Committee says that the country needs to ‘modernize its way of thinking’ before attempting to accelerate the modernization of its armed forces.

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