* Airbus CEO Tom Enders in an interview with AFP:
“I think that in the future our industry will have to work much more closely with these new high-tech companies [the Microsofts, Amazons, Facebooks, SpaceXs, Yahoos] if only because these guys are increasingly intruding on our territory.”
* Politico: 2 tech firms shun inside defense game.
* Kevin Fahey, who was just appointed as the US Army’s Director for Agile Acquisition, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (reporting to Heidi Shyu), thinks the Army should learn from the Navy and get better at systems and network integration.
* The Brookings Institution will ask this very question during an event tomorrow in Washington, DC: how can the Department of Defense keep pace with changes in IT?
Asia
* At least 27 people died as Talibans reportedly of Uzbek origin attacked Pakistan’s Karachi airport. Their stated goal was to seize an airplane, which they failed to accomplish, but this is a worrying step up in their ambitions from the usual roadside bombs.
* SCMP: China plans artificial island in disputed Spratlys chain in South China Sea. Reported plans for an airstrip are not going to make relationships in the neighborhood any easier.
* The USA has released its annual China report, but the greatest risk involves an incident with China’s neighbors. Vietnam is rearming, and beyond the recent riots, their strategy is becoming more hostile and confrontational – which may not turn out the way they expect.
* Indonesia is also beginning to quietly shift their military strategy away from internal policing, and toward external defense. This will create unease in Australia, as well as Beijing.
* Ismail Demir, the new head of Turkey’s Undersecretariat for Defense Industries (SSM), is aware that offsets are offputting to foreign firms and indicates a willingness to address what is perceived as a burden.
Africa
* Mass immigration from Northern Africa is spurring concerns in Italy about the state of Libya, which is falling into disarray. Malta is also bearing the brunt of these waves of refugees leaving their home countries for a mix of economic and political reasons.
* Several Nigerian high-ranking officers were reportedly found guilty of arming Boko Haram, whose militants are wreaking havoc in northern Nigeria. The military responded by denying the local press reports and clamping down on newspaper circulation.
Still Flying at 70
* Today’s video shows a C-47 that returned to Normandy 70 years after D-Day, flying in formation with a C-130:
