William K. Lietzau has officially stepped down from his role as director of the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency. The DCSA held a transfer of authority ceremony at the National Museum of the Marine Corps on Thursday to bid him farewell and welcome its new acting director, Daniel J. Lecce. Lietzau, a 2023 Wash100 winner,...
Category: National Security
US Adds Entities to Sanctions List Over Connections to Iranian UAV Program
The U.S. government has sanctioned five entities and two individuals from Iran, China, Hong Kong, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates for their involvement in supplying parts Iran requires for its one-way attack drones. In its announcement Wednesday, the Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control identified the designated organizations as: Pishgam Electronic...
QinetiQ, KBR Team Up for Test and Evaluation Services for Australian Defense
QinetiQ and KBR have signed a new partnership agreement to collaborate on delivering test and evaluation services to the Australian Defence Force. Under the teaming agreement, the two companies will build their T&Es by sharing skills and expertise from their global and local experience. In a statement, QinetiQ Australia Advisory Services Managing Director Paul Angelatos...
Sweden Increases Defense Spending Amid Bid to Join NATO
Sweden seeks to boost its military spending to over $2.45 billion between 2023 and 2024, putting the nation on track to reach NATO’s required defense expenditure target of 2 percent of gross domestic product. The European government recently unveiled its defense bill, which identifies the nation’s spending priorities for the next couple of years. Of the...
Taiwan Steps Up Drone Manufacturing Program
Geosat Aerospace and Technology is set to produce Turkish-designed Jackal drones in Taiwan The company recently signed a memorandum of understanding with British firm Flyby Technology for the purchase, technology transfer and manufacturing of up to 160 of the unmanned aerial vehicle. In the press release announcing the MOU with Flyby Technology, Geosat said it would further...
SDA Awards $224M PWSA Support Contract to QinetiQ; Shawn Purvis Quoted
The Space Development Agency has awarded QinetiQ US a five-year, $224 million systems engineering and technical assistance contract to support the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture, a low-Earth orbit satellite mesh network that will deliver secured communications and missile warning and tracking capabilities to the United States and its allies. Under the firm-fixed price contract, QinetiQ...
Argentina Adds Boeing CH-46 to Helicopter Shopping List
Argentina has written the United States to explore the possibility of purchasing American surplus Boeing CH-46 medium-lift helicopters, according to Argentine Air Force chief Gen. Xavier Isaac. Isaac said he expects an Argentinian delegation to embark soon on an inspection tour of the helicopters, which are stored at the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group...
French-German Tank Project Rolls Forward as Defense Ministers Sign Off on Specs
France and Germany have outlined their respective operational needs in a document that lists specifications for the joint development of a next-generation tank system. French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu and his German counterpart, Boris Pistorius, met at the Evreux Air Base in northern France for talks on the project envisioned to develop replacements for Germany’s...
Leonardo Unveils Concept Model of Rotary-Wing UAS for UK MOD
Leonardo has unveiled a concept model of the Proteus rotary-wing unmanned aerial system it is developing for the U.K. Ministry of Defence under a $74 million contract awarded in July 2022. The drone, displayed at the recently concluded DSEI 2023 trade show, will still be improved, with Leonardo and the MOD’s procurement arm Defence Equipment...
L3Harris to Build Underwater Surveillance Capability for Australia
L3Harris Technologies will provide an undersea asset tracking field to the Royal Australian Navy under a $210.29 million contract from Defence Australia. The company said work on the contract, which falls under the third phase of the SEA1350 Maritime Underwater Tracking Ranges program, includes delivering undersea warfare capabilities to help Australian Defence Force assets better...