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AG: Marines Audit Revoked Due to Links to Slushy Accounts | UK Mulls Falkland Air Defense as Russia Pushes Bombers for Argentina

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Americas * The squeaky-clean audit handed to the Marine Corps in 2013 is being revoked, with the Inspector General’s Office stating that ongoing investigations had uncovered irregularities during the FY 2014 audit, voiding the FY 2012 audit awarded in December 2013. The Treasury discovered that among the disastrously commingled chaos of its “suspense accounts,” there […]
Americas

* The squeaky-clean audit handed to the Marine Corps in 2013 is being revoked, with the Inspector General’s Office stating that ongoing investigations had uncovered irregularities during the FY 2014 audit, voiding the FY 2012 audit awarded in December 2013. The Treasury discovered that among the disastrously commingled chaos of its “suspense accounts,” there were unattributed Marine FY 2012 transactions. The hope appears to be to unwind those for which they have evidence, restate the figures and re-pass the audit.

* The Air Force today announced that it will purchase one King Air KC-350 ISR aircraft and supporting equipment, having previously divested its fleet to its Special Operations Command and the Army. The KC-350 will likely be heavily modified in order to become a MC-12W Liberty ISR asset. The Air Force is still responsible for the “processing, exploitation and dissemination of information” obtained by the aircraft, with the Army due to take on this role from next year.

* Raytheon received a contract modification today totaling $528.8 million for the production of AMRAAM air-to-air missiles, a portion of which are earmarked for Foreign Military Sales. The company recently announced that it has begun development of an extended-range variant of the missile, with tests scheduled for later this year.

* SOCOM will purchase over 2,000 All-Terrain Vehicles in June, from Minnesota-based company Polaris Industries. The sole-source acquisition will see two models procured, both capable of being transported in the V-22, MH-47 and MH-53 transports.

Europe

* The Netherlands looks set to receive 17 CH-47F helicopters in a $1.05 billion Foreign Military Sale from the US. The new aircraft will replace the Netherlands’s existing fleet of CH-47D variants and will complement a previous sale of CH-47Fs in 2006.

* The UK is looking to bolster the defensive capabilities of its isolated Falkland Islands through the construction of a new air-defense system. Recent reports have stated that the Argentines are in talks with Russia to buy or lease long-range bombers, although this remains unconfirmed. However, Buenos Aires has been desperately seeking new aircraft in recent months. A decision on which contractor has won the competitive tender will occur in May 2016 and the system is estimated to enter service around 2020. Although details have yet to be finalized (or likely begun), the contract is currently estimated to be worth between £100 million ($147 million) and £250 million ($368 million) and will include a five-year support period. Whether this program will survive the post-May election Strategic Defence & Security Review (SDSR) is unclear, given that contract signing will not take place until 2016, however there has been much recent talk of the need to better equip the UK’s Armed Forces.

* The UK’s Ministry of Defence also announced today that it will sign a 13-year logistics contract with US firm Leidos (formerly SAIC) in April, following the company’s selection as preferred bidder in February. The MoD estimates that the deal will lead to savings of £500 million ($735 million) over the lifetime of the contract.

* Russia’s navy will receive an additional ten carrier-based MiG-29K fighters, with these following on to a delivery in November 2013.

Asia

* BAE has signed a contract with Malaysian company SME Aerospace for the manufacture of pylons for the Hawk aircraft. The work is in support of a delivery contract for an undisclosed customer. India is a key operator of the Hawk, with Australia, Indonesia and South Africa also major operators outside BAE’s home nation of Britain.

Today’s Video

* A Russian bomber films an intercepting RAF Typhoon:

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