Indian Aid: India pledges to assist Vietnam in modernizing its military equipment.
Show US the Money: US wants NATO countries to put their money where their mouths are.
Cyber Team: US government increases military role in thwarting cyber attacks on civilian infrastructure with signing of DoD-DHS memo [PDF].
Noteworthy: Raytheon sells $2 billion in notes to pay off existing debt.
ATK repurchases $275 million in convertible notes due 2024.
CSC wins contract worth up to $270 million to provide support to the Missile Defense Agency.
Lockheed Martin gets $24 million contract extension from the US Navy to provide acoustic processing and tracking capabilities to detect and track submarines.
Oct 13/10 saw over $140 million in announced contracts related to the US Army’s Stryker fleet. The US Army’s 8×8 Stryker family of wheeled armored vehicles were originally put forward as a C-130-portable medium armor fleet, which might eventually replace heavy and medium tracked vehicle altogether. Battlefield reality ended up pouring very cold water on that notion, as the resulting vehicles could not be carried by C-130s in ready to fight condition, had trouble handling difficult terrain, and can’t be relied on to face enemy heavy armor.
On the other hand, the Stryker Brigade Combat Teams have proven to be very mobile on roads, using their relative silence to tactical advantage, making good use of their advanced computers and communication gear in counter-insurgency fights, and handling certain weapons like land mines and enemy RPG anti-tank rockets better than most people expected they would. The economic lifeline that roads represent will always be an important aspect of any American-style counterinsurgency fight, and Strykers have obvious value for domestic emergencies as well. Hence the fleet’s ongoing popularity.
