Americas
Systems Planning and Analysis won a $90.8 million deal for Trident II Strategic Weapons System technical support services supporting the Common Missile Compartment program, D5 Life Extension 2 program, Strategic Systems Program (SSP) Facilities Management, Activation and Assessments, and Missile Systems program. This contract also benefits a foreign military sale to the United Kingdom. Fiscal 2023 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $2,977,925; and fiscal 2024 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $700,000, will be obligated upon award. Funds in the amount of $700,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Work will be performed in Alexandria, Virginia; and SSP Headquarters, Washington Navy Yard, Washington DC. Work is expected to be completed April 14, 2029.
HII Newport News Shipbuilding has established a new campus in Norfolk, Virginia, to further enhance its capability to support US Navy vessel construction programs. The center will be in Fairwinds Landing and is already in use for steel panel fabrication for the future USS Enterprise CVN 80, the service’s third Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier.
Middle East and Africa
The Minister of Defense and Veteran Affairs of Burkina Faso Kassoum Coulibaly was in Moscow on November 7. He met with the Defense minister of the Russian federation, and they agreed to strengthen defense ties. Shoygu also held a separate meeting earlier with his Nicaraguan counterpart, Julio Cesar Aviles Castillo, where the two officials spoke about projects in the military and military-technical domain, according to the Russian Defense Ministry press service.
Europe
Norway celebrated the graduation of its first female fighter pilot in almost 30 years. The identity of this accomplished individual remains confidential as per military protocol. The pilot had completed her training under the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training (ENJJPT) program at the 80th Flying Training Wing. The newly graduated fighter pilot is set to make history as the first Norwegian woman to fly the F-35.
Asia-Pacific
A massive joint exercise in Japan, aptly named the “Japan Self-Defense Forces Joint Exercise (JX),” will kick off nationwide on November 10. The exercise will involve approximately 40,000 members of the Japan Self-Defense Forces and the US military. While this exercise encompasses various aspects of military preparedness, one particular highlight is the planned movement of aircraft, with Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) fighter jets conducting training scenarios that include take-offs and landings at civilian airports not typically used for such operations. In this exercise, the scenario contemplates a situation where JASDF bases are rendered inoperable, prompting the deployment of military units using alternative means. “Touch-and-go” landings of F-15 fighter jets are slated to take place at two airports in Kagoshima Prefecture, namely Tokunoshima and Amami. Furthermore, at two airports in Okayama and Oita, F-2 fighters will land, refuel, and then take off again. Notably, the use of civilian airports in this capacity during the JX marks a significant departure from conventional procedures.
The Philippines has received a surveillance radar system from Japan as part of the first major equipment transfer since the Japanese government lifted its post-war defense export ban in 2014.
The delivery comes amid clashes between the Philippines and China over contested territory in the South China Sea.
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