Accenture further expanded its footprint in cybersecurity following the completed acquisition of the U.K. technology consultancy 6point6, which specializes in cyber, cloud and data solutions. The newly acquired company, which operates from London and Manchester, brings in about 400 technologists to service clients’ needs, Accenture said in announcing the finalized deal on Wednesday. It did...
Category: Press Releases
Dutch Suspends Chipmaking Equipment Shipments to China; Beijing Decries US Influence
Semiconductor company ASML has announced its compliance with the Dutch government’s suspension of its lithography systems shipments to China. The ecport license suspension of the lithography systems, which are critical to semiconductor manufacturing, stemmed from U.S. government rules released in October restricting exports of some mid-critical system configurations for advanced production facilities. Veldhoven-based ASML said...
US, Allies Condemn Increased Production of Enriched Uranium in Iran
The United States has condemned the increased production of enriched uranium in Iran. Together with international allies France, Germany and the United Kingdom, the U.S. addressed in a statement a recent report from the International Atomic Energy Agency, which warned that the Middle Eastern nation has been generating 9 kilograms of 60 percent enriched uranium a...
US OKs Israeli Purchase of More M107 Ammunition
U.S. State Secretary Antony Blinken has approved an amended ammunition sale to Israel, calling for additional M107 155 mm ammunition ancillaries, which increases the estimated cost to $147.5 million from the initial $96.51 million order. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency said the Department of State skipped congressional review for the added procurement after Blinken determined...
British Troops To Spearhead 2024 NATO Rapid Response Task Force
The United Kingdom’s 7th Light Mechanised Brigade Combat Team will be deployed in 2024 as the core of the British leadership role in NATO’s Very High Readiness Joint Task Force starting Jan. 1. The brigade, dubbed “Desert Rats,” led NATO’s Strategic Reserve Force when it was activated in Kosovo in 2022. Its components include a...
Slovenia Advances Military Modernization With Two New Delivers of C-27J Transport Aircraft
Slovenia has received the first of two C-27J Spartan Next Generation aircraft that the Balkan country ordered from Italian aerospace, defense and security firm Leonardo under a government-to-government agreement in 2021. The aircraft brings the Slovenian Armed Forces “on the path of development and modernization,” Defence Minister Marjan Sarec said during the C-27J handover ceremony...
DOD Looks Back on Decisive Year for Advancing US Defense Strategy in Indo-Pacific
The Department of Defense is wrapping up 2023 with billions of dollars in investments in capability building and stronger partnerships with international allies to maintain peace and stability across the Indo-Pacific. On Wednesday, the Pentagon published a fact sheet that enumerates steps the department has taken to advance the U.S. Indo-Pacific defense strategy and deter adversarial...
Rheinmetall Sets 2024 Delivery of First Hungarian-Made Lynx Fighting Vehicle
Rheinmetall is now commissioning the first Hungarian-built Lynx KF41 infantry fighting vehicle following development, production and testing at its Rheinmetall Hungary unit’s plant in Zalaegerszeg. The locally made IFVs will be delivered to the Hungarian army in mid-2024, according to the company. Hungary’s Lynx KF41 order totals 209 units in seven variants. The production of the...
BAE’s F-35 Aircraft Maintenance Facility in Australia Gets Investment Boost
The Australian government has more than doubled its investment in BAE Systems Australia’s F-35 Lightning II aircraft maintenance facility in Hunter Valley, New South Wales, signing a Stage 2 facility services deed with the company. The funding, worth $75.4 million, is in addition to the $68.6 million that Canberra initially committed in 2022 to the...
F-16s Poised to Defend Ukrainian Airspace as Pilots Advance Training
The first group of six Ukrainian combat pilots has completed basic F-16 flight training with the British Royal Air Force and is now in Denmark for advanced drills on the aircraft, the U.K. government said Tuesday. Ukraine will also receive the first Dutch delivery of 18 F-16 jets “within weeks if not days,” according to...