WASHINGTON – Sen. Richard Blumenthal has teamed with Sen. John McCain to try to end the Pentagon’s practice of paying the National Football League and other professional sports franchises to honor American troops at sporting events.
Pentagon
Posted inNews
House panel advances defense bill with billions for Connecticut weapons
WASHINGTON – With the backing of Rep. Joe Courtney, the House Armed Services Committee this week authorized billions of dollars for weapons systems built in Connecticut, including $1.4 billion for a new fund to pay for a new class of nuclear submarines likely to be built by General Dynamics Electric Boat in Groton.
Posted inPolitics
Federal watchdogs knock Pentagon, Pratt on F-35 engine
WASHINGTON — Federal investigators Monday detailed a number of problems with Pratt & Whitney’s F135 engine program for the F-35 fighter jet and urged the Pentagon to be a better watchdog of the program.
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F-35 program facing new challenges
WASHINGTON – Lockheed Martin, maker of the F-35, whose engines are produced by Pratt & Whitney, recently held a glitzy reception in the atrium of the Rayburn House Office Building, complete with a buffet and the chance to “fly” the F-35 in a cockpit simulator, to press home a point — don’t cut funding for the program. The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter faces a host of challenges.
Posted inPolitics
Pentagon’s woes are Sikorsky’s woes
WASHINGTON – Restrictions on Pentagon spending and uncertainty over federal government budgets are key reasons the company is considering selling or spinning off Sikorsky Aircraft, United Technology CEO Greg Hayes said.
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Murphy leads CT delegation in official overseas travel
WASHINGTON – When it comes to overseas travel, U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, a member of the foreign relations committee, is the Connecticut congressional delegation’s most frequent flyer, taking nine official trips since being sworn in two years ago.
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Senate approves, Obama will sign, Blumenthal’s veterans bill
WASHINGTON -– The Senate unanimously approved a bill Tuesday sponsored by Sens. Richard Blumenthal and John McCain that aims to prevent veteran suicides, which now average 22 a day.
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Coltsville national park passes the House tucked in a defense bill; Senate next
WASHINGTON – The long-sought designation of Hartford’s Coltsville neighborhood as a national historic park was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives Thursday, tucked into a massive $577 billion defense bill. Now the legislation is headed for the Senate, where there could be a fight over including provisions for public lands in a defense bill.
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CT lawmakers laud Carter as prospective Pentagon chief
WASHINGTON – Connecticut lawmakers on defense panels lauded presumptive Defense Secretary nominee Ashton Carter, even as the defense industry may be wary about the candidate’s reputation as a cost cutter.
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Blumenthal unsatisfied after questioning Hagel on ISIS mission
WASHINGTON– Sen. Richard Blumenthal was one of several lawmakers who tried to pin down top Pentagon officials Tuesday on the administration’s new campaign to target Islamic militants in Iraq and Syria, and were not satisfied with the answers.
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State to review CT police use of military equipment
WASHINGTON – Connecticut’s police chiefs assured the state’s U.S. senators that the abuses of police authority that occurred in Ferguson, Mo., would likely not happen in Connecticut. But it’s likely Connecticut cops’ use of military equipment to fight crime is soon coming under review.
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Grenade launchers and other war-fighting equipment militarizes CT police
WASHINGTON – Images of Ferguson police dressed in riot gear, riding in massive armored vehicles and using high-power rifles like those used by the U.S .military has touched off a debate on the wisdom of militarizing police forces across the nation, including those in Connecticut, by giving them cast off Pentagon equipment.
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Defense slowdown hurts all of Connecticut
WASHINGTON– There’s not one corner of Connecticut that doesn’t benefit from Pentagon spending, but the go-go years for the state’s defense contractors may be over. That’s bad news for what was one of the state’s hottest, growing industries, especially for Connecticut’s smaller defense contractors.
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Connecticut colleges receive millions from the Pentagon
WASHINGTON – Connecticut colleges have been increasingly benefiting from money from the Pentagon over the last few years, winning millions in contracts from the U.S. armed forces to conduct research on a wide range of products used in national defense — from sensors that track the health of soldiers to instruments that detect matter in outer space.
Posted inPolitics
CT lawmakers hope to harness anger at Russia to help Sikorsky
Washington – Ignored by the Pentagon and State Department, Connecticut lawmakers hope increasing congressional anger towards Moscow will finally force the end of U.S. purchases of helicopters made by Russian state arms dealer Rosoboronexport destined for the Afghan armed forces.