“The Pentagon’s F-35 Lighting II is now twice as expensive as program officials originally envisioned, but a long-time critic of the program still praised the joint strike fighter’s recent successes.

Over the past 12 years, the F-35 program’s estimated cost has grown from an estimated $231 billion in 2001 to $390 billion. The estimated cost of a single aircraft today runs about $137 million, that’s just about double the $69 million cost estimate program officials offered in the beginning….”

Forrás : http://defensetech.org/2013/04/18/gao-f-35-program-has-stabilized/

“SUBIC BAY, Philippines — MV-22B Osprey pilots conducted the first external lift of a high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle from the USNS Sacagawea April 11 during exercise Freedom Banner 2013 at Subic Bay, Republic of the Philippines.

U.S. Marines, sailors and civilians aboard the Sacagawea watched as the Osprey lifted the Humvee for the first time off the ship in order to demonstrate its capabilities and plan future lift operations from ship to shore….”

Forrás : http://www.military.com/daily-news/2013/04/15/ospreys-conduct-external-lift-from-usns-sacagawea.html?ESRC=marine.nl

“MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. — More than 200 firefighters from the Marine Corps Base Quantico Fire Department and regional fire and rescue units responded to a wildfire that burned across training areas on the west side of base for more than 72 hours this week.

The MCB Quantico Fire Department received the first notification of the fire April 8, 2013. Due to dry conditions and a steady wind, the fires that were initially isolated to a single training area, spread across areas and burned more than 3,400 acres — the largest fire base firefighting officials have seen in 25 years….”

Forrás : http://www.military.com/daily-news/2013/04/13/marine-base-firefighters-largest-fire-in-25-years.html?ESRC=marine.nl

“The deadline for ISAF personnel to depart Afghanistan is allegedly 31 DEC 14. As the drawdown gathers steam, a lot of amenities currently available to deployed troops will disappear (including a few that probably never needed to be there in the first place). Ethnic food, food specialty nights, some hot chow meals entirely – it’s all slowly going away. You have no doubt seen the outraged posts and comments on social media from people whose idea of supporting the troops is sharing a picture or someone else’s outraged post, comment or picture about our troops having to miss meals – an inaccuracy, in large part, because the meals in question aren’t being denied, they are being replaced with MREs or UGRs….”

“U.S. 5TH FLEET AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY — The Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group entered the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility to assume the duties from the Peleliu ARG, April 5.

The Kearsarge ARG is comprised of the embarked 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit and Amphibious Squadron Four, which assumes the role as a U.S. Central Command theater reserve force, providing support for maritime security operations and theater security cooperation exercises.

The 26th MEU deployed Mar. 7 from Camp Lejeune, N.C., and began their transit across the Atlantic, Mar. 11.  After scheduled port calls in Rota, Spain and Limassol, Cyprus, the MEU and PHIBRON transited through the Suez Canal, April 6….”

Forrás : http://www.military.com/daily-news/2013/04/08/26th-meu-enters-5th-fleet-area-of-responsibility.html?ESRC=marine.nl