* US NAVAIR’s Air Combat Electronics office (PMA209) recently held an industry day on the Future Airborne Capability Environment (FACE). Here is the slidedeck [PDF] explaining that FACE is a standard of standards set to re-architect the acquisition of aircraft software systems.
* Ellen Lord, the recently-appointed CEO of Textron Systems, told Defense News that she’s not sure she has seen changes per se from Better Buying Power acquisition reform, save for more compliance-driven caution and rigor.
* Defense Update questions the motives and methodology of researchers quoted by Haaretz, who said that Iron Dome’s real interception rate was much lower than was self-reported by the Israel Defense Forces.
* US Marines Lt. Col. Lloyd Freeman argued in Foreign Policy that the Corps would need to go through profound doctrinal and organizational changes, away from its infantry roots, to stay relevant. Daniel Goure of the Lexington Institute offers a compelling rebuttal to Freeman’s claim that “we will never fight another war in the mud.”
* Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. delivered the first two P-1 patrol aircraft to the Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force. This is what Japan will use as its P-3 successor, rather than the P-8.
* China finds itself in another battle of words with one of its neighbors over what may or may not have happened in contested waters. This time, they deny that they shot at a Vietnamese fishing boat. The Chinese answer is invariably a variation of this: no way what they say happened actually happened, and what actually happened is entirely legitimate, and look we’re the victim here. Is this convincing anyone outside of China?