Main headlines from this issue

Kuwait: Leadership crisis at NOC General Manager dismissed, questions raised in Parliament

Abdullah Ghaith Al-Mutawaa has been removed from his post as General Manager of Kuwait’s National Offset Company, triggering a debate in Parliament and leaving the NOC functioning by committee, for a time with no-one in charge. After the parliamentary hearing a Committee Chairman was appointed by the Board of Directors.

India: National Offset Policy faces strong resistance

An ambitious plan by the government of India to consolidate all major civil and defence imports and leverage them through mandatory offsets may not take off thanks to strong opposition from several ministries and the Planning Commission.

European Union keen to invoke ‘Juste Retour’

A draft regulation, issued by the European Commission will allow EU public bodies to exclude certain bids from outside the EU where such tenders comprise a significant element of non-EU goods and services.

Japan pays for Defence Department study into component manufacture in Japan

Studies led by the Defence Department and two Joint Strike Fighter contractors will outline options for Japanese companies to manufacture components and play a role in assembling F-35 aircraft.

Canada: Auditor-General finds fault with IRB promises for F-35

Two years after Canada’s Department of National Defence pressured other departments to back the F-35 programme by warning that $15.4bn in regional spinoffs could be lost if there were any delays, criticism of the industrial regional benefits are addressed in a hard-hitting report by the Auditor-General.