Byron Bright, president of KBR’s Mission Technology Solutions unit, says Australia needs to invest more in technological innovation for its defense and security, especially amid rising global tensions. In an opinion piece in The Australian published Tuesday, Bright, a 2025 Wash100 awardee, stressed the need for the country to quickly adopt new technologies and build...
Category: Defense Security Cooperation
New Zealand Taps CAE for C-130J Aircrew Training
CAE, a Montreal-based simulation technology company, has received a contract from the New Zealand Defence Force to provide management, engineering, and maintenance services to the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s C-130J weapon systems trainer. The training activities under the Simulator Through Life Support contract will occur at the RNZAF No. 40 Squadron facilities in Auckland,...
Australia Upgrades Long-Range Strike Capability With HIMARS Acquisition
The Australian Defence Force has received its first two High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems from the United States, marking a significant upgrade to its long-range strike capabilities. The delivery comes less than two years after the Albanese government announced a $1.6 billion investment to accelerate and expand the HIMARS acquisition, in response to the Defence...
US-UK Air Force Reserves Seek Closer Partnerships
The U.S. Air Force Reserve hosted the U.K.’s Royal Auxiliary Air Force in a three-day bilateral engagement last week to boost their collaboration and explore new partnerships in global security. Lt. Gen. John Healy, Air Force Reserve Command chief, presided over the activities under the Air Force Reserve’s Reserve Allies and Partners Program, which was held...
Australia to Spend $126M for Heavyweight Torpedoes to Boost Collins-Class Submarine Fleet
Australia has signed a $126 million agreement with the United States for an additional purchase of MK-48 heavyweight torpedoes for the Royal Australian Navy’s Collins-class submarines. The government said the torpedo, the product of a joint program between RAN and the U.S. Navy, will be among the armaments of Australia’s future nuclear submarines. U.S.-Australia Alliance...
EISNET Consortium to Synchronize Europe’s Missile Defense
Global defense company Thales has announced that it will lead EISNET, short for European Interactive Sensor-Based Dynamic Defence Network, a new consortium that will support sustained development of Europe’s integrated air missile defense, or IAMD, systems. EISNET’s goal is to form a collaborative European network for harmonizing and integrating current and future IAMD systems onward...
RTX’s Raytheon Awarded $141M Navy Contract Modification for Missile Spares
The U.S. Navy’s Naval Sea Systems Command has awarded RTX’s Raytheon a $141 million contract modification to provide Standard Missile-2 production spares. The firm-fixed-price award supports purchases for the governments of Japan, Australia, Netherlands, Spain and Germany under the Foreign Military Sales program. According to a Department of Defense notice, work under the contract action...
Singapore, Anduril Partner to Explore Future of Manned-Unmanned Warfare
Anduril Industries has teamed up with Singapore’s Defence Science and Technology Agency and the Republic of Singapore Air Force to explore how manned and unmanned systems can work together on the battlefield. Announced at the Singapore Defence Technology Summit 2025, the partnership will focus on how mixed teams of human soldiers and robotic systems can...
New EU Defense Program Plans $868B Spending Up to 2030
The European Commission outlined on Wednesday a major defense package that includes potential military investments totaling billions of dollars for European Union member states, extending up to 2030. The EC said the initiative, part of the ReArm Europe Plan/Readiness 2030 program, will open funding worth up to $868 billion for use in national defense spending....
US Approves $165M Sale of Chaff, Cartridge Countermeasures to Australia
The U.S. State Department has approved a potential $165 million sale of countermeasures, chaff and impulse cartridges to Australia. The Albanese government’s request includes various types of decoy flares, RR-198A/L chaff cartridges, CCU-145/A impulse cartridges, support equipment, technical assistance and logistical support. The principal contractors for the sale are Kilgore Flares, Armtec Countermeasures, Alloy Surface...