DEFENSE.GOV NEWS

• Sweden, Finland Apply for NATO Membership
  Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III hosted Swedish Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist at the Pentagon, where they discussed the historic decision by the Swedish government to seek NATO membership.
• R&D Program Yields New Sources for Obsolete Parts, Raw Materials
  The Defense Logistics Agency is always seeking opportunities to match America's small businesses with research and development projects that address critical supply chain gaps and security threats.
• DOD Names Lead for Suicide Prevention and Response Independent Review Committee
  Members of DOD's Suicide Prevention and Response Independent Review Committee are in Washington to begin work to address suicides in the U.S. military.
• U.S. to Resume Small, Persistent Presence in Somalia
  The U.S. military advise-and-assist support to forces in Somalia will soon change from an ad hoc basis to one of persistent presence, Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby said.
• Howitzers Proving Very Effective Against Russians, DOD Official Says
  The 155 mm M777 towed howitzers supplied by the U.S. and other types supplied by ally and partner nations to Ukraine are having a big impact on the battlefield, a senior Defense Department official said.
• DOD Must Take Action to Keep Tech Edge
  As America's strategic competitors advance their technological advantage, the U.S. must take action to avoid losing its edge, the undersecretary of defense for research and engineering said.
• Pentagon Announces Deployments to Replace Forces in Europe
  Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III has ordered the deployment of around 10,500 personnel in the coming months to replace previously deployed Army units serving in the European theater of operation.