Air Force Investigating Privacy Compromise on SharePoint Sites
The Air Force is investigating a potential exposure of service members’ personal data through Microsoft SharePoint, according to a spokesperson and an email sent to Airmen.
New ‘Nomad’ VTOL Drone Family Could Boost Air Force’s Plans for Agile Ops
Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky subsidiary is introducing a new “Nomad” family of autonomous uncrewed aerial systems that needs no runways and could be applied to missions complementing the Air Force’s Agile Combat Employment model, including resupply, armed combat, and potentially, combat search and rescue, company officials said.
MDA Extends Deadline for Golden Dome Proposals
Industry proposals were initially due Oct. 10, but after a flurry of responses, the agency extended the deadline to Oct. 16. MDA received more than 1,500 questions from companies over the last three weeks, it said in an Oct. 2 memo.
Startup Firefly Makes Move to Expand into Golden Dome, Dynamic Satellites
Firefly Aerospace, the small launch company that helped the Space Force send a satellite into orbit on a record-fast timeline, plans to acquire software and data company SciTec in an $855 million deal that will further its reach in the defense market.
Radar Sweep
Israel and Hamas Launch Indirect Talks in Egypt on Eve of Gaza War Anniversary
The Associated Press
Israeli and Hamas officials launched indirect talks Oct. 6 at an Egyptian resort on a U.S.-drafted peace plan to end the ruinous war in Gaza on the eve of its second anniversary.
CBS News on Board as Chinese Jets Intercept Canadian Air Force Plane Tracking North Korean Ships
CBS News
Over the deep blue waters of the East China Sea, a Canadian military aircraft surveys the vast expanse below. The CP-140 Aurora, a maritime patrol aircraft operated by the Royal Canadian Air Force, is designed primarily to hunt enemy submarines—but this crew is on a different mission: tracking North Korean vessels engaged in illicit trade that violates United Nations sanctions. ... Operating in international airspace over international waters, the mission ... takes the plane close to Chinese territory, often triggering a dramatic response by Beijing, which intercepts the Aurora on multiple occasions during its mission while a CBS News crew is onboard.
Air Force Says Viral ‘Combat Fitness’ Memo Isn’t Real
Task & Purpose
A memo circulating on social media that purportedly outlines a new, hardcore fitness test for the Air Force’s physical fitness policy is not authentic, Air Force spokesperson Ann Stefanek said Oct. 6.
Europe to Push Back as Illegal Drone Incursions Multiply
The Wall Street Journal
Germany pledged to tighten security laws to allow for faster detection and destruction of drones after a series of incursions in recent days culminated in the closure of Munich’s airport overnight. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization and its members have witnessed a sharp increase in drone sightings over military installation and critical infrastructure in recent weeks.
Trump Submits Nomination for Top Pentagon Homeland Defense Policy Post
DefenseScoop
President Donald Trump has nominated Mark Roosevelt Ditlevson for an important policy role at the Pentagon. Trump’s pick for assistant secretary of defense for homeland defense and hemispheric affairs was submitted to the Senate Oct. 2 and referred to the Senate Armed Services Committee for consideration, according to a notice posted on Congress.gov.
SAIC Will Acquire Software Shop SilverEdge for $205 Million
Breaking Defense
Government technology and consulting giant SAIC announced Oct. 6 it plans to acquire SilverEdge Government Services for $205 million in cash. The deal should close by the middle of next year, SAIC said. SilverEdge is a software-as-a-service shop with extensive defense and intelligence contracts.
Army Sunsets Futures Command, Activates Transformation, Training Command
Breaking Defense
The Army has officially deactivated Army Futures Command after seven years in service and will combine it, along with the also-deactivated Training and Doctrine Command, into a new organization dubbed the Transformation and Training Command, or T2COM.
New North Korean Hypersonic Missile Unveiled at Pyongyang Arms Expo
The War Zone
North Korea has unveiled what it says is a new hypersonic missile dubbed Hwasong-11Ma, designed to be fired from a 10-wheeled transporter-erector-launcher that can carry two of the weapons at once.
Adam Driver Will Portray Air Force Medal of Honor Recipient John Chapman
Task & Purpose
Marine veteran and actor Adam Driver will portray Air Force combat controller John Chapman in a movie based on the battle in Afghanistan that earned him the Medal of Honor. Chapman died as he fought alone for hours on a mountain top in Afghanistan early in that war, drawing fire on himself as a vulnerable helicopter approached carrying a team of Army Rangers.
