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M4 gets overhaul and upgrade

The Stars and Stripes reports that the M4, the rifle that is the mainstay of our troops in Afghanistan will get a significant upgrade.

Key Highlights:

  •  Calling it “the biggest overhaul of service rifles in nearly 50

    years,” the Army soon will send soldiers to Afghanistan with new M4A1

    carbines.  Upgrades to the M4 include a more resilient barrel,

    ambidextrous controls and a full-automatic setting. Add better

    ammunition, and soldiers will have a more lethal weapon to fight

    insurgents, according to Program Executive Office Soldier, which

    introduced ...

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What Budget Cuts? Massive Military Trade Show in DC

The Washington Post reports on a 

Key Highlights:

  • Walk around the trade show floor and you’ll find the usual big-name defense contractors at their booths. BAE had outfitted an MRAP (mine-resistance, ambush protected vehicle) into an ambulance. Not far away, SAIC showed off a software system that can use “avatars” to train soldiers on the customs of foreign cultures.  Passersby marveled at the heavy doors and wheels of three gigantic armored trucks and vehicles brought in by Oshkosh Defense of ...
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Insurgent Lose Momentum in Helmand Province, Afghanistan

According to a recent article published by the Department of Defense, Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Richard P. Mills says Nato and Afghan forces are seeing a reduction in violence in Helman Province in Afghanistan.  

 

Key Highlights:

  • Insurgents in Afghanistan’s Helmand province have lost the momentum to NATO and Afghan forces, and those forces will continue to take on the Taliban all through the winter, the commander of NATO’s Regional Command Southwest said today.  Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Richard P. Mills ...
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Admiral Mullen Warns of Impact of Conflict on US Troops

In a penetrating analysis reported by the  Department of Defense, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mullen warns of the long-term impact of the current conflict in Afghanistan and Iraq on US troops. 

Key Highlights:

  •  The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff today offered a warning of what to expect for veterans, the military services and the nation after a decade of war. “This decade of persistent conflict has had an impact that we are just beginning to come ...
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Quibbling Officials defend broken Military Procurement Process

On the Army’s effectiveness testing of body armor for the troops, a 2009 GAO report concluded: “Overall reliability and repeatability of the test results are uncertain.” To that, Army Brig. Gen. Peter N. Fuller, Program Executive Officer of the Soldier Systems Center at Ft. Belvoir said:

“The challenge we are having with this GAO audit report is they are challenging our processes, and I think what we are really identifying is we have had an ...

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Military News you may have missed: Oct 27, 2010

Policy – Corruption Perceptions Index 2010 

Key Highlights: 

  • The 2010 Corruption Perceptions Index measures the perceived levels of public sector corruption in 178 countries around the world.

    Afghanistan is 176 of 178 and scored a 1.4 on the index.

  • Iraq is 175 of 178 and scored a 1.5 on the index.

 

Analysis:  After almost 10 years of war in Afghanistan and almost 7 years after the US toppled the Saddam regime we have these lovely ...

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Military News you may have missed: Oct 26, 2010

Policy – A Firefight Exposes Afghan Weakness

(Wall Street Journal – Pay to View: Article Obtained via OSINT) 

Key Highlights: 

  • An account of the six-hour siege on the U.S. agency on July 2, drawn from interviews with witnesses and survivors and an internal investigation by the aid agency, shows an Afghan force that appears ill-equipped to take over national security from their foreign counterparts.
  •  About 15 to 20 minutes after the attack began, the Afghan army and police occupied a ...
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Military News you may have missed – Oct 22, 2010

Policy – General Sees Progress in Counter-IED Fight

Key Highlights:

  •  Despite an increase in incidents that tracks with the build-up of forces in Afghanistan, Oates said, “my assessment is we’re making progress” in the fight against IEDs. The growing number of forces in the country and increased fighting caused the number of roadside-bomb incidents in Afghanistan to spike to 8,994 in 2009 -– from 2,677 in 2007 — and to nearly 10,500 so far this year.
  • Officials hope to model their ...
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