Today's headlines

BAE wins Harrier support contract
BAE Systems has won a £574m contract from the Ministry of Defence to support and maintain Harrier aircraft for the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy.
Financial Times

MoD contract boost for RAF base
About 300 civilian jobs at an RAF base in Rutland are secured following the announcement of a £574m deal to maintain Harrier aircraft at the site.
BBC News

MoD cyber security budget unclear

The MoD has admitted that it does not know what its cyber security budget is. With the growing threat of cyber espionage sponsored by other countries that is directed towards sensitive government departments such as the MoD, armed forces minister Bob Ainsworth provided the most revealing information to date on what the MoD is doing to protect itself from cyber threats.

Defence Management

Gates presses to boost computer network security

Defense Department officials are working to reduce vulnerability to cyber-attack attempts that occur regularly and are likely to continue for the foreseeable future, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said. "We are under attack virtually all the time, every day here," Gates told CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric yesterday during an interview broadcast on the show."

DoD Press Release

US senator drops hold on Pentagon arms chief nominee

U.S. Senator Richard Shelby on Thursday said he was dropping his hold on the nomination of a new Pentagon chief arms buyer after Defense Secretary Robert Gates assured him at a meeting that he was committed to a fair and transparent aerial tanker competition.

Reuters

U.S. Army reiterates need for cargo aircraft

The U.S. Army still needs a way to get critical equipment deep into the battlefield quickly, despite signs that Pentagon leaders plan to sharply scale back the L-3 Communications Holdings Inc Joint Cargo Aircraft program, an Army general said on Thursday.

Reuters

US Defence, aerospace companies give mixed outlook

Defence and aerospace companies posted higher-than-expected first-quarter earnings on Thursday, aided by share repurchases and cost controls, but gave a mixed outlook for the year.

Reuters

NATO, Russia to share information on airborne threats

Poland, Norway and Turkey are planning to set up a radar early warning network which will exchange information on airborne threats with Russia, the Polish defense minister said.

RIA Novosti

Britain 'cannot afford to send more troops to Afghanistan' because of the recession

The Daily Telegraph has learned that the Treasury is blocking Ministry of Defence plans to match a US troop surge with thousands more British soldiers on financial grounds.

The Telegraph