Today's headlines

MoD fails to account for £6bn of hardware
Ministers have ordered a shake-up at the Ministry of Defence after auditors were unable to find £6.6bn of equipment, including about a sixth of all vehicles, weapons and radios used by troops.
Financial Times

Minister denies Army chief 'plot'
Defence Minister Kevan Jones has denied allegations that he is involved in a plot to tarnish the reputation of the outgoing head of the Army.
BBC News

CACI Awarded Prime Position on $900 Million Contract With U.S. Army Intelligence and Information Warfare Directorate

CACI International Inc announced it has been awarded a contract to continue its support for the U.S. Army's Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center, which has a ceiling value of $900 million.

Your Defence News

Boeing lines up products for the Indian defence market news

Boeing will bid for an Indian Air Force tender for 22 combat and 15 heavy-lift helicopters. Proposals for the combat helicopters have to be submitted by 22 September and those for the heavy-lift ones a day after.

Domain-b.com

China launches defense website in transparency bid

China's normally secretive Defense Ministry on Thursday launched a website (http://eng.mod.gov.cn/), in a new bid to allay overseas criticism over its military transparency and the build-up of its armed forces.

Reuters

Russia decides to resume An-124 cargo plane production

Russia's Defense Ministry has decided to resume production of one of the world's largest cargo planes, the An-124 Ruslan (Condor), the country's Air Force chief said on Thursday.

RIA Novosti

MoD urged to review cuts in Western Isles

Ministry of Defence plans to save £40m by cutting staff at missile test ranges in the Outer Hebrides will devastate the remote communities that depend on the facilities, according to a report submitted to the government today.

Financial Times

US public loses appetite for war

A majority of Americans do not believe the war in Afghanistan is worth the sacrifice, according to a poll by the Washington Post that highlights the dilemma facing the US in its fight against the Taliban.

Financial Times

Election victors will have to take the offensive on defence

Whoever wins the next election (March, not May, say some MPs) must take hard decisions about the future shape and equipment needs of Britain's military at a time when the much-vaunted EU defence capability is fading fast and strategic drift is in the air.

The Guardian

Russia may nix S-300 sale to Iran

Dmitry Medvedev's reported promise to Israeli President Shimon Peres that Moscow will reconsider the sale of powerful S-300 air-defense missiles to Iran could determine whether Israel -- and the United States for that matter -- launches pre-emptive strikes against Tehran's nuclear facilities.

UPI