When asked to rank various countries on a scale with 10 being the most influential, both Russians and Americans rated the US above 8—Americans (8.77) and Russians (8.74). Respondents to the World Public Opinion.org and Levada Center poll did not rate any other nation near 8. Russians gave the next highest influence ranking (7.14) to the European Union.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth foot-stomped the Pentagon's push for acquisition speed and contractor accountability in a Jan. 12 speech at Lockheed Martin’s production hub in Fort Worth, Texas—the heart of the department’s biggest acquisition program, the F-35.
