Tag: circulated-military-times

  • Navy, Air Force cleared to fly Ospreys after inspecting gears

    Navy, Air Force cleared to fly Ospreys after inspecting gears

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    The Navy and Air Force are now cleared to resume flying their grounded V-22 Ospreys after conducting inspections on a crucial gearbox in the tiltrotor aircraft, and some are already back in the air.

    The military temporarily stopped flying some Ospreys on Dec. 9 after a near crash in New Mexico in November. The Marines soon resumed its Osprey flights, but the Navy and Air Force kept them on the ground longer while they further reviewed what was causing metal components to fail.

    Naval Air Systems Command, or NAVAIR, issued a bulletin to the fleet Friday morning ordering crews to verify how many hours each aircraft’s proprotor gearbox had flown.

    If an Osprey’s gearbox meets or exceeds a particular number of flight hours — NAVAIR would not say how many due to operational security concerns — it can resume flying under limitations issued in March.

    But if the gearbox is found to have fewer flight hours, it will have to fly under a new and stricter set of limitations, Air Force Special Operations Command Spokeswoman Lt. Col. Becky Heyse told Defense News. Heyse said the groundings were not absolute, and some Ospreys kept flying to conduct necessary operations.

    The fatal crash of an Air Force CV-22 near Japan in November 2023 was caused by a cracked gear, which had impurities called inclusions that weakened the metal. Similar metal weaknesses may have also caused the near crash near Cannon Air Force Base last month.

    Osprey manufacturer Bell is working with the V-22 Joint Program Office to upgrade some of the aircraft’s gears to make those weakening impurities less common.

    But that will take some time to roll out, Heyse said, and the military had to find a way to get its Ospreys back in the air in the meantime.

    “It’s really important we don’t keep these aircraft grounded,” Heyse said. “This allows us to fly and keep pilot proficiency while a longer-term fix is put in place.”

    Studies of the Osprey have shown that when those impurities cause gear cracks, Heyse said, it typically happens in their early life. Once they have flown a certain number of hours and are “broken in,” she said, they are less likely to crack and the military is more confident in them. That is why the Ospreys under the flight hour threshold must adhere to the more conservative restrictions, she said.

    The stricter guidelines for those Ospreys will stay in place until their gearboxes are upgraded, or they exceed the flight hour threshold, NAVAIR said.

    Air Force Special Operations Command had already been inspecting some aircraft before today and verifying how many flight hours their gearboxes had, according to Heyse. Those Ospreys are already flying, she said.

    The inspection process for each aircraft doesn’t take long, she said.

    The military declined to say how many Ospreys are affected by these changes, and what their additional flight restrictions are, for security reasons.

    The Marine Corps has by far the most Ospreys in its fleet, at about 350. The Air Force has about 52 Ospreys, and the Navy has roughly 30.

    Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations.

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  • US troops doubled in Syria before Assad’s overthrow, Pentagon says

    US troops doubled in Syria before Assad’s overthrow, Pentagon says

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    The U.S. more than doubled its number of troops in Syria — from 900 to around 2,000 — before the fall of President Bashar al-Assad’s government, the Pentagon said Thursday, publicly disclosing the surge for the first time.

    In a rare step, Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder opened the regular Thursday briefing at the Pentagon with the admission.

    “I learned today that, in fact, there are approximately 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria,” he said.

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    Ryder had previously told reporters that there were 900 such forces in the country as part of America’s decade-old fight against the Islamic State group. These troops are deployed for nine to 12 months at a time, he said Thursday, as opposed to the 1,100 extra forces who are being surged for a shorter window of 30 to 90 days.

    Ryder could not share where the troops came from, what units are involved or their specific mission — other than it concerns the mission against ISIS and that most of the troops are from the Army.

    Pentagon spokespeople were scrambling Thursday to answer further questions from reporters, including where the troops are operating and how it’s possible so many extra forces are in the country without their knowledge.

    “I’m confident that the secretary is tracking U.S. forces deployed around the world,” Ryder said. “There oftentimes are going to be diplomatic or operational security considerations as it relates to the deployment of forces,” and whether they’re made public, he said.

    Ryder said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin did not order the surge of troops to be kept private. Ryder also did not directly respond to a question about whether any part of the Defense Department attempted to conceal the information, since the Pentagon has publicly said the number of troops in the country is 900 for years.

    He said Austin and Gen. Erik Kurilla, the head of U.S. Central Command, have not discussed the issue despite the two speaking often.

    Late last month, Syria’s ruling Assad regime fell after 50 years in power, when rebels stormed the capital of Damascus following a rapid offensive. The U.S. and Israel have since been pounding the country with airstrikes, hitting targets that were once off-limits due to the regime or Russian forces operating in the area.

    U.S. Central Command conducted two large strikes in the last two weeks, the crescendo to a rising campaign against ISIS that’s involved more raids in Syria and Iraq over the last several months.

    The extra forces were inside Syria before the regime fell, Ryder said.

    Meanwhile, President-elect Donald Trump has publicly called for the U.S. not to get further involved in the country. During his first presidency, Trump tried to withdraw American forces from the country, leading his first defense secretary to resign.

    Since Israel’s war in Gaza began last year, American troops in the Middle East — including Syria — have been under increasing fire. There have been at least 181 attacks on U.S. forces in the region since Oct. 17, 2023.

    Noah Robertson is the Pentagon reporter at Defense News. He previously covered national security for the Christian Science Monitor. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English and government from the College of William & Mary in his hometown of Williamsburg, Virginia.

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  • Special ops leaders eye alarming levels of adversary collaboration

    Special ops leaders eye alarming levels of adversary collaboration

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    Adversaries of the United States have ramped up partnerships, both in combat and influence operations, in ways that may require the unique intervention abilities of the special operations community to avoid conflict.

    Christopher Maier, the outgoing assistant secretary for Special Operations-Low-Intensity Conflict, said today at a Center for a New American Security event that SOF troops have recently increased work in the competition and crisis phases that often precede an armed conflict.

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    “Progress in recent years has been expanding that aperture to look at competition and crisis as warfighting challenges as opposed to what was often the case in an exercise or tabletop, where we … fast-forward through [and say], ‘A bunch of things happen, there were some diplomatic things, a little bit of SOF things and that’s war,’” Maier said.

    Furthering that sentiment, Army Gen. Bryan Fenton, head of Special Operations Command, highlighted the “convergence” of adversaries in multiple geographic regions during a Dec. 7 discussion at the Reagan National Defense Forum.

    In the public sphere, these unions have taken shape in the form of more than 12,000 North Korean troops fighting alongside Russia in Ukraine, or Iranian military personnel training Russian troops on munitions the Middle Eastern nation has supplied to Moscow.

    “This is not just Russia fighting Ukraine,” Fenton said. “It’s Russia, backed by Iranian drones, North Korean personnel and indirect Chinese contributions.”

    Additionally, nation-state adversaries are teaming with non-state actors to achieve goals. That’s been the case for decades between Iran and militias like Hamas and Hezbollah. It’s also true for the Iranians and the Houthis, who have continued to fire on U.S. and civilian ships in the Red Sea over the past year.

    “We’re in a decisive decade,” Fenton said. “The convergence of threats demands a convergence of our own capabilities.”

    Military Times reported in 2023 on a West Virginia Army National Guard exercise that brought together personnel from all military branches, local law enforcement, government officials and SOF personnel.

    The “Ridge Runner” exercise sought to drop participants into a scenario that would mirror what such forces might face in a European theater now. In some ways, it looked a lot like what forces in Ukraine have encountered since Russia invaded the country in 2022.

    The SOF personnel involved in the exercise — mostly Army Green Berets — connected local forces with U.S. military capabilities and other government services as their counterparts in the field assisted those local elements in a simulated fight against an “invading force.”

    That exercise is indicative of the larger shift in irregular warfare, a practice that has been given a host of labels in recent decades — “gray zone” conflicts, for example. The Pentagon adopted and redefined the term following a shift in the National Defense Strategy to focus military efforts on countering adversaries rather than counterterrorism and counterinsurgency.

    Combinations of psychological operations, civil affairs and special operations personnel now work closely in smaller teams to assist allies in competing with and deterring Russia, China and Iran in their respective areas.

    Deterrence is where much of the SOF work will take place in the years ahead, Maier added. And that, he said, will involve SOF “campaigning,” which has not traditionally been the role of the 70,000-strong U.S. special operations community.

    A 2023 CNAS report by Becca Waser, a senior fellow in the CNAS Defense program who served as the moderator at the Dec. 18 event, outlined how the think tank’s experts see SOF and conventional forces evolving.

    The campaigning approach links civil government resources with military assets and personnel to respond to challenges from Russia or China, or other events that require military action, such as regional conflicts or natural disasters, according to the report.

    The CNAS report advises the Pentagon to develop a more tailored campaigning approach specific to the geographical region where forces are operating.

    That gives U.S. planners the chance to build military forces in key areas of the Indo-Pacific and Europe. It also lets military forces showcase new capabilities, weapons and tactics to discourage adversaries from initiating conflict.

    Lastly, Waser wrote that campaigning in this region-specific way allows U.S. forces to already be in the area when a crisis arises.

    Todd South has written about crime, courts, government and the military for multiple publications since 2004 and was named a 2014 Pulitzer finalist for a co-written project on witness intimidation. Todd is a Marine veteran of the Iraq War.

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  • This Marine unit now has its own tool to blast drones out of the sky

    This Marine unit now has its own tool to blast drones out of the sky

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    One of the Marine Corps’ newest operational formations recently fielded a crucial “workhorse” air defense system to counter enemy drones and other aerial threats.

    Leathernecks with the 3rd Littoral Anti-Air Battalion, 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment in Hawaii received the Marine Air Defense Integrated System, or MADIS, as the newly formed unit positions itself to counter threats in the Indo-Pacific region, according to a Marine Corps Systems Command release.

    “The rapid rise of UAS, used for surveillance, targeting and attacks, has made advanced air defense systems like MADIS critical to protecting our Marines and preserving our combat effectiveness,” said Lt. Col. Craig Warner, Future Weapons Systems product manager. “MADIS not only detects, tracks and defeats aerial threats but also serves as a powerful deterrent, signaling to adversaries that their aerial assets will not succeed against U.S. forces.”

    All services continue to face a growing drone threat in every area of operations. In 2018, the Marines responded by beginning to build capacity for a “layered defense,” one that would eventually use the MADIS, Col. Andrew Konicki told Marine Corps Times. Konicki manages the Corps’ Ground-Based Air Defense program office.

    Marine officials have called the MADIS, built by Kongsberg Protech Systems USA, the “basic building block of the LAAD battalions’ ground base air defense capability.”

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    For non-air defenders, MADIS allows Marines to focus on their mission instead of the sky, giving Marines one major threat they no longer have to worry about.

    “MADIS creates its own [anti-access, area-denial] bubble,” Warner said.

    The system replaces a cumbersome legacy platform Marines have long used to defend the skies. The Man-Portable Air Defense System, or MANPADs, includes a fire unit vehicle, section leader vehicle and the Stinger shoulder-fired missile as its primary weapon system, according to the Marine Corps.

    Some version of that platform has been in place since the Army and Marine Corps first developed anti-aircraft protection measures against fast-moving aircraft in the 1950s.

    MADIS, meanwhile, removes the need for a Marine to ever exit their vehicle, manually sight in and destroy an enemy aircraft.

    The Joint Light Tactical Vehicle-mounted MADIS allows users to track and detect both friendly and enemy aircraft and select kinetic options, such as missiles or gunfire, and non-kinetic options, such as signal jammers or lasers, before disabling the threat.

    The MADIS, which uses two JLTVs, includes multiple systems, such as radar, surface-to-air missiles and command and control elements. Each vehicle complements the other.

    “In layman’s terms, one detects, and the other attacks,” according to a Marine release.

    The new unit fielding the MADIS, the Hawaii-based 3rd MLR, is the Corps’ first operational littoral regiment. The service seeks to establish two additional regiments in the Pacific, with the 12th MLR slated for Okinawa, Japan, and the 4th MLR planned for Guam.

    The new regiments are a slimmed down version — about 1,800 to 2,000 Marines — of the traditional infantry regiment, with missiles instead of conventional artillery, their own landing craft, anti-air battalions and other features purpose-designed for littoral combat. A conventional Marine infantry regiment can contain up to 2,200 Marines.

    A light version of the MADIS, aptly named the L-MADIS, saw its operational debut in July 2019, when Marines aboard the amphibious assault ship Boxer used the system, mounted on a Polaris MRZR all-terrain vehicle, to shoot down an Iranian drone, Marine Corps Times previously reported.

    Marines with 3rd Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion, watch for nearby drones using a Light Marine Air Defense Integrated System. (Lance Cpl. Micah Thompson/Marine Corps)

    The light version is “uniquely aligned” to the Marine Expeditionary Units, smaller than an MLR with a broader range of missions. The MADIS can handle the air defense needs of larger formations and can synchronize and coordinate with the L-MADIS, Konicki said.

    The Corps’ Fiscal Year 2024 budget request included $130 million for 13 MADIS Increment 1 systems.

    In 2022, the Marines held an industry day to develop capabilities for the next version of MADIS to defeat larger drones.

    “Fielding MADIS to [3rd] LAAB is only the first step,” Konicki said. “What MADIS is today will not be the same system 12, 24, 36 months from now.

    Through 2035, the Corps is planning to field a total of 190 MADIS systems to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Low Altitude Air Defense battalions — which are separate from the Littoral Anti-Air Battalions — and the 3rd, 4th and 12th MLRs.

    Beyond continued upgrades to software, power consumption and capabilities for the system, Marine officials released a request from industry for proposals on a smaller, dismounted version of the MADIS capability earlier this year, Konicki added.

    System fielding by the LAAD battalion will begin in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025, according to the release.

    Todd South has written about crime, courts, government and the military for multiple publications since 2004 and was named a 2014 Pulitzer finalist for a co-written project on witness intimidation. Todd is a Marine veteran of the Iraq War.

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  • Combatant commands mishandled classified mobile devices, audit finds

    Combatant commands mishandled classified mobile devices, audit finds

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    Three U.S. combatant commands and the Defense Department’s IT support agency failed to follow cybersecurity protocols when handling classified mobile devices, according to a Defense Department Office of the Inspector General report released Monday.

    The heavily redacted report, titled the “Audit of Cybersecurity of DoD Classified Mobile Devices,” said U.S. European Command, two subcomponents of U.S. Special Operations Command and the Defense Information Systems Agency didn’t maintain an accurate inventory record of devices, a misstep that could leave sensitive information vulnerable to cyber threats.

    “Security for DoD mobile devices is essential for safeguarding national security, protecting classified data, and ensuring the integrity of the DoD’s missions,” Pentagon Inspector General Robert P. Storch said in a release. “Securing these devices is not merely a technical priority; it’s a critical operational mandate that enables the DoD to fulfill its mission safely and effectively.”

    The audit looked at 43 devices from the Defense Information Systems Agency, 21 devices from the U.S. European Command, four devices from the U.S. Special Operations Command Headquarters and five devices from the U.S. Special Operations Command Central.

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    The audit found that the organizations kept incomplete device records, which should include the name and defense agency of the user, type of device, serial number of device, phone number, classification of data stored on device and the conditions for when and how the device is to be used.

    Those in charge of managing and tracking the devices came up short, the report found, partly due to their inability to handle the uptick in mobile device usage after the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, an event that forced many into a telework situation.

    The report also found that the inventory records for the Defense Information Systems Agency and U.S. Special Operations Commands Headquarters in some cases had the wrong information for devices.

    The DOD Office of Inspector General recommended the U.S. European Command and U.S. Special Operations Command immediately fix inventory records to reflect all classified mobile devices, revamp the classified mobile device program and its training and revisit the reason for each individual’s use of a classified device to determine if they need it, among other recommendations. Both agencies complied with the recommendation, according to the report.

    The audit further called for the Defense Information Systems Agency to fix its inventory records and develop a new process for keeping accurate inventories. The agency responded that it would devise a way to keep its inventory records up to date.

    The report also asked the Defense Department to nudge agencies under its umbrella to follow the report’s recommendations.

    The DOD Office of Inspector General has made several pushes to address cybersecurity weaknesses, releasing a special report in March highlighting weak passwords and a bucking of multifactor authentications for Defense Department contractors. The report found that between 2018 to 2023 five audits revealed DOD officials were unable to properly check whether contractors were following cybersecurity requirements.

    Riley Ceder is a reporter at Military Times, where he covers breaking news, criminal justice, investigations, and cyber. He previously worked as an investigative practicum student at The Washington Post, where he contributed to the Abused by the Badge investigation.

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  • US Navy warship will make its first port call in 8 years in Cambodia

    US Navy warship will make its first port call in 8 years in Cambodia

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    PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — A U.S. Navy warship will make a port call next week in Cambodia, China’s close ally in Southeast Asia, the first such visit in eight years, according to a Cambodian statement Friday.

    Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defense said the littoral combat ship Savannah will dock at the port of Sihanoukville on the Gulf of Thailand on Dec. 16-20. Savannah carries a crew of 103, the ministry said.

    The visit was scheduled after a U.S. request for a port call, it added, and would “strengthen and expand the bonds of friendship as well as promote bilateral cooperation” between the two nations.

    The United States has not yet announced the visit and there was no comment from the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital.

    Relations have long been rocky and Washington has criticized Cambodia’s government for political repression and human rights violations. The U.S. has also been concerned about the upgrading of a Cambodian naval base near Sihanoukville, which it believes will be utilized by Chinese vessels to serve Beijing’s strategic interests in the region.

    The U.S. and others have also expressed concerns about China’s navy establishing a base at Ream, which would give it easier access to the Malacca Strait, a critical shipping route between the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean.

    The Ream base, on Cambodia’s southern coast, is not far from Sihanoukville.

    Controversy over the Chinese activity at Ream initially arose in 2019 when The Wall Street Journal reported that an early draft of an agreement seen by U.S. officials would allow China 30-year use of the base, where it would be able to post military personnel, store weapons and berth warships.

    Cambodia’s government has denied such an agreement, emphasizing that the country’s constitution did not allow foreign military bases on its soil. Still, Chinese work on the base has continued.

    Savannah will not dock at the naval base, though the defense ministry said the planned port call will include “a working meeting with the commander of the Ream Naval Base,” meetings with provincial officials and “a friendship sports competition between the crews of the U.S. Navy and the Cambodian Navy.”

    On Wednesday, Cambodia’s foreign ministry noted “positive momentum of bilateral ties and cooperation” and “the reinvigoration of military-to-military cooperation” between Cambodia and the U.S.

    In early June, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited Cambodia and held talks with Prime Minister Hun Manet and other senior officials. He also met with Cambodian alumni of U.S. military training programs. The prime minister graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

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  • US Navy warship will make its first port call in 8 years in Cambodia

    US Navy warship will make its first port call in 8 years in Cambodia

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    PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — A U.S. Navy warship will make a port call next week in Cambodia, China’s close ally in Southeast Asia, the first such visit in eight years, according to a Cambodian statement Friday.

    Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defense said the littoral combat ship Savannah will dock at the port of Sihanoukville on the Gulf of Thailand on Dec. 16-20. Savannah carries a crew of 103, the ministry said.

    The visit was scheduled after a U.S. request for a port call, it added, and would “strengthen and expand the bonds of friendship as well as promote bilateral cooperation” between the two nations.

    The United States has not yet announced the visit and there was no comment from the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital.

    Relations have long been rocky and Washington has criticized Cambodia’s government for political repression and human rights violations. The U.S. has also been concerned about the upgrading of a Cambodian naval base near Sihanoukville, which it believes will be utilized by Chinese vessels to serve Beijing’s strategic interests in the region.

    The U.S. and others have also expressed concerns about China’s navy establishing a base at Ream, which would give it easier access to the Malacca Strait, a critical shipping route between the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean.

    The Ream base, on Cambodia’s southern coast, is not far from Sihanoukville.

    Controversy over the Chinese activity at Ream initially arose in 2019 when The Wall Street Journal reported that an early draft of an agreement seen by U.S. officials would allow China 30-year use of the base, where it would be able to post military personnel, store weapons and berth warships.

    Cambodia’s government has denied such an agreement, emphasizing that the country’s constitution did not allow foreign military bases on its soil. Still, Chinese work on the base has continued.

    Savannah will not dock at the naval base, though the defense ministry said the planned port call will include “a working meeting with the commander of the Ream Naval Base,” meetings with provincial officials and “a friendship sports competition between the crews of the U.S. Navy and the Cambodian Navy.”

    On Wednesday, Cambodia’s foreign ministry noted “positive momentum of bilateral ties and cooperation” and “the reinvigoration of military-to-military cooperation” between Cambodia and the U.S.

    In early June, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited Cambodia and held talks with Prime Minister Hun Manet and other senior officials. He also met with Cambodian alumni of U.S. military training programs. The prime minister graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

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  • These Marine units will field new mobile command vehicle in 2025

    These Marine units will field new mobile command vehicle in 2025

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    Marines in the service’s newest fighting formation will field a more rugged and capable mobile command vehicle on one of its newest ground vehicles in January.

    Under a contract with U.S defense firm Science Applications International Corporation, an initial purchase of 18 mobile command vehicles, or MCVs, will be delivered to Marine littoral regiments’ medium-range missile firing units between January and July of next year, according to a Marine Corps release.

    The Corps’ current program budget has another 18 MCVs headed to the service in August through early 2026.

    The MCV is platform-mounted to the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, or JLTV, which replaces the Humvee in some Army and Marine units.

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    As fixed positions on the battlefield become increasingly vulnerable, the release states, mobile systems like the MCV and JLTV are essential to maintaining an edge in the current threat environment.

    The MCV combines a shelter integrated on the JLTV platform with upgraded communication capabilities and expanded access to fires command and control networks, according to the release.

    Lt. Col. Joshua Faucett, product manager for fire support systems, noted the MCV’s “strategic, operational advantage” in equipping Marines with capabilities critical for a future fight.

    “The MCV is a prime example of how we are adapting to meet the needs of the modern battlefield and we’re receiving deliveries less than six months after award — that’s a testament to the hard work of our acquisition team and industry partners,” Faucett said.

    The Marines also use the MCV-equipped JLTV for the Marine Air Defense Integrated System and on its new ship-killing missile system, Navy-Marine Corps Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System.

    The service requested $340 million in its most recent budget to buy 674 JLTVs, according to a July Congressional Research Services report. Marines received their first JLTVs in early 2019.

    Elsewhere in the Corps, personnel at the Marine Depot Maintenance Command production plant at Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany, Georgia, conducted the service’s first organic rebuild of a JLTV engine at a Defense Department depot, according to a release.

    The modified Duramax 6.6-liter diesel engine has specialized components and a proprietary engine control module specifically designed for combat conditions.

    However, those features also make testing and repairing vehicles more challenging.

    Experts noticed earlier this year that the vehicle was burning through engines faster than they’d planned. But the Army, as the main buyer of JLTVs, controls the new engine inventory. And the Marines must pay about $61,000 for each.

    “The hardest part wasn’t rebuilding the engine itself — it was communicating with the computer,” said Jim Dupree, a heavy mobile equipment mechanic at the depot. “Once we cracked that, everything else fell into place.”

    By rebuilding worn engines in-house, the depot could save as much as $40,000 per unit.

    The new ability also lets the Corps remain ‘Semper Gumby,’ or Always Flexible, by having another supply line.

    Todd South has written about crime, courts, government and the military for multiple publications since 2004 and was named a 2014 Pulitzer finalist for a co-written project on witness intimidation. Todd is a Marine veteran of the Iraq War.

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  • Army, Navy conduct key hypersonic missile test

    Army, Navy conduct key hypersonic missile test

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    The Army and Navy on Thursday completed a successful all-up round test of the Common Hypersonic Glide Body, potentially paving the way for the services to begin fielding the long-awaited system.

    The glide body was developed jointly between the two services. The Army plans to integrate its version of the system, the Long Range Hypersonic Weapon, into a mobile ground platform. The Navy will integrate its version, dubbed Conventional Prompt Strike, into a ship-launched capability.

    “This test builds on several flight tests in which the Common Hypersonic Glide Body achieved hypersonic speed at target distances and demonstrates that we can put this capability in the hands of the warfighter,” Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said in a Pentagon statement.

    The launch took place at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The Defense Department did not offer further details about the event, which represents the glide body’s second successful all-up round test this year.

    Hypersonic systems can fly and maneuver at five times the speed of sound — and the Pentagon has been trying to field them for decades. The Army had planned to make a LRHW fielding decision by the end of fiscal 2023, but delayed that milestone after several aborted tests last year. The service now plans to make a fielding decision next year.

    Doug Bush, the Army’s acquisition executive, told reporters this earlier this year that the all-up round test is critical to making sure the system is “safe and effective” and ready to field.

    The Navy, meanwhile, plans to start fielding Conventional Prompt Strike on its Zumwalt-class destroyer in FY25 and its Virginia-class submarine in FY29.

    Leidos is the prime contractor for the Common Hypersonic Glide Body, and Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor for both LRHW and the Navy’s Conventional Prompt Strike program.

    Courtney Albon is C4ISRNET’s space and emerging technology reporter. She has covered the U.S. military since 2012, with a focus on the Air Force and Space Force. She has reported on some of the Defense Department’s most significant acquisition, budget and policy challenges.

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  • Woody Allen puts cook on chopping block over Army training, chef says

    Woody Allen puts cook on chopping block over Army training, chef says

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    NEW YORK — Woody Allen’s former personal chef claims in a lawsuit that the filmmaker and his wife fired him because of his service in the U.S. Army Reserve and questions about his pay, then “rubbed salt on the wounds” by saying they didn’t like his cooking.

    Allen and Soon-Yi Previn “simply decided that a military professional who wanted to be paid fairly was not a good fit to work in the Allen home,” private chef Hermie Fajardo said in a civil complaint filed Tuesday in federal court in Manhattan.

    Allen and Previn knew Fajardo would need time off for military training exercises when they and their home manager hired him as their full-time chef in June 2024 at an annual salary of $85,000, the complaint said. But he was fired the following month, soon after returning from a training that lasted a day longer than expected, it said.

    When Fajardo returned to work, “he was immediately met with instant hostility and obvious resentment by defendants,” according to the lengthy complaint.

    At the time, Fajardo had been raising concerns about his pay — first that his employers weren’t properly withholding taxes or providing a paystub, then that they shortchanged him by $300, according to the complaint.

    Allen, Previn and manager Pamela Steigmeyer are accused in the lawsuit of violating the federal Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act and New York labor law, as well as causing Fajardo humiliation, stress and a loss of earnings.

    Representatives for Allen did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment.

    Fajardo said he was hired after being showered with compliments following a meal of roasted chicken, pasta, chocolate cake and apple pie he prepared for the defendants and two guests. According to the complaint, it was only after Previn fired him and he hired a lawyer that he was told his cooking was not up to par, a claim Fajardo said was untrue.

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