Senior officials at the White House have been quietly vetting potential replacements for Deputy Secretary of Defense Steve Feinberg. Reuters reported that the vetting effort dates back to at least June, with two of its sources saying White House officials had sounded out senior Senators on whether prospective nominees could win confirmation. One source indicated the exercise was still active as recently as late August, though the outlet could not pin down exactly when the search began or who was being considered. The administration, meanwhile, insists no such process exists and that Feinberg remains firmly in his post. Both the White House and the Pentagon rejected the report outright. White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly dismissed the sourcing behind the story, while Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said Feinberg had his complete backing and was "doing a tremendous job." The Pentagon separately denied that any replacement search was under way and declined to make Fei...
The Indian Air Force is expected to get deliveries of upgraded Light Combat Aircraft Tejas MK-1A from February next year, and the new variant of the indigenously-built jet will be capable of firing a plethora of weapons, including beyond visual range missiles, the Ministry of Defence said today. As the jet completes seven years in service in the IAF, the ministry said the aircraft and its future variants will form the mainstay of the Indian Air Force (IAF). In February 2021, the ministry sealed a Rs 48,000 crore deal with state-run aerospace major Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd for procurement of 83 Tejas MK-1A jets for the IAF. Tejas is a single-engine multi-role fighter aircraft capable of operating in high-threat air environments. Egypt, Argentina, the US, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines are among the countries showing keen interest in procuring Tejas aircraft. On Saturday, the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) will complete seven years of service in the IAF. ...