Early Bird Brief: October 7, 2024

Welcome to the Early Bird Brief's LinkedIn Edition, a tightly edited round-up of today's most important military and defense stories. To get the full EBB, with dozens of stories, subscribe here .

Today's Top 5:

Navy identifies three vessels impacted by faulty shipyard weld work

(Military Times) Navy leaders this week identified an aircraft carrier and two submarines affected by faulty weld issues during work at the Newport News Shipyard in Virginia, but say that the substandard work did not take place on components that affect ship safety or operations. Read More

Can the Air Force make its next-gen fighter jet cheaper than the F-35?

(Defense News) Since the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter’s inception, the Defense Department and industry have struggled to wrestle down its price tag to roughly $80 million or $100 million per jet, depending on the model. Read More

US fighter jets and ships strike Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels

(The Associated Press) The U.S. military struck more than a dozen Houthi targets in Yemen on Friday, going after weapons systems, bases and other equipment belonging to the Iranian-backed rebels, U.S. officials confirmed. Read More

Vet the Vote recruits nearly 160,000 veterans as election workers

(Military Times) The nonprofit We the Veterans is finishing its “Vet the Vote” campaign to recruit veterans and their family members to work the polls during the November presidential election after securing nearly 160,000 volunteers. Read More

Israel intensifies bombardment of Gaza and southern Lebanon ahead of Oct. 7 anniversary

(The Associated Press) A new round of airstrikes hit Beirut suburbs late Sunday as Israel intensified its bombardment of northern Gaza and southern Lebanon in a widening war with Iran-allied militant groups across the region. Palestinian officials said a strike on a mosque killed at least 19 people. Read More

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