As the Navy prepares for the first Littoral Combat Ship deployment overseas, the LCS program executive office is working to finalize integrating the Freedom (LCS-1) with the Fire Scout unmanned helicopter, but that likely won't be finished before the vessel's spring 2013 deployment. 854 words

The Army's new tentative date to pick up to three contractors to proceed in the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle competition the service is pursuing with the Marine Corps is Aug. 24, although the schedule is still subject to change, according to several industry teams briefed on the schedule and anxiously awaiting a decision.367 words

ST. LOUIS, MO -- Boeing is "very close" to having a design ready to pitch for the imminent Unmanned Carrier Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike competition, and the final product won't necessarily be an X-45, Chris Chadwick, president of Boeing Military Aircraft, told reporters here last week.600 words

The Marine Corps cannot afford any delays in procuring the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter's short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing variant, according to a service official.450 words

The partnership between the U.S. Navy and India will grow significantly in the coming years as the Defense Department shifts its focus to the Asia-Pacific region, according to service Under Secretary Bob Work. "[The strategy] calls for long-term strategic partnership with India to support its role as regional economic anchor, and also the bulwark of security in the Indian Ocean," Work said June 5 at the Navy Opportunity Forum in Arlington, VA. "That means that the naval cooperation between our nation and the Indians is certain to rise."90 words

ST. LOUIS, MO -- The Next-Generation Jammer's power requirements may be so significant that the aircraft it's attached to may need to provide some of the juice, although officials hope it doesn't come to that, Boeing officials told reporters here last week.412 words

During Defense Secretary Leon Panetta's recent trip to Singapore, he and Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen agreed in principle to forward-deploy -- but not base or homeport -- up to four Littoral Combat Ships in the country, leaving a lot of details to be discussed between now and the first deployment next spring. 571 words

The newly-established Coastal Riverine Force in the Navy Expeditionary Combat Command is seeking to expand its reach, and recently bought five new Mk VI Patrol Boats to extend its range and mission duration.747 words

Navy officials are experimenting with bringing ensigns and first-tour sailors onto the Littoral Combat Ship despite the many unknowns surrounding the new ship class, creating some concern among members of Congress.762 words

The Senate Armed Services Committee largely agreed with House decisions on Navy ship programs but opted to ban funding associated with terminating a maritime prepositioning ship squadron, which the Navy announced it intended to do in its fiscal year 2013 budget request in February.762 words

The Littoral Combat Ship program, its fleet only two ships strong, has already collected enough ship performance data to revamp its maintenance plans in an effort to be as efficient as possible for a core crew of only eight officers and 32 sailors, the program executive officer said last week.575 words

The Consolidated Afloat Networks and Enterprise Services program is slated for an operational assessment leading up to a milestone C decision later this summer, according to a Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command spokesman.431 words

The Marine Corps continues to seek alternative energy solutions, especially in the form of thermal efficiency, for an Experimental Forward Operating Base this fall at Camp Pendleton in California, according to a service official.537 words

The Navy's Secretariat is not required to seek approval from a recently established authority for a number of information technology consumables, weapon systems, labor and networks, according to implementation guidance from the Navy's chief information officer.387 words

CARLISLE BARRACKS, PA -- Officials from the Army's top think tank have identified seabasing as a way to project the service into a relevant role in the Defense Department's pivot to the Asia-Pacific region, but the futurists acknowledge transforming the ground force into a maritime player in an era of constrained resources might prove challenging.1151 words

The Joint Staff warns in a critical assessment of the last decade of war that the Pentagon must craft a strategy for intelligence gathering and pursue major improvements in interagency coordination to avoid repeating mistakes made since the 9/11 attacks, according to a copy of the 40-page "for official use only" draft report obtained by Inside the Pentagon. 3190 words

The Defense Department has launched a mobility capabilities assessment of whether the Pentagon's planned cargo aircraft and cargo ship inventories are sufficient to execute the Obama administration's new defense strategy through 2018, an undertaking that could spell changes to the military's transportation fleet.1368 words

The Marine Corps has ruled out mechanical failure as a cause of a fatal MV-22 Osprey crash in Morocco on April 11, according to spokesman Capt. Richard Ulsh.221 words

The Defense Department plans to award a fourth "small" contract through the Vertical Lift Consortium and anticipates utilizing the two-year-old nonprofit corporation -- comprised of large, small and non-traditional aircraft companies as well as academic institutions -- to support future rotorcraft development efforts, the Pentagon reported to Congress last month.495 words