Chris Gordon
Chris Gordon is the Pentagon Editor at Air & Space Forces Magazine. He has broad journalism and communications experience, and developed a keen interest in defense policy and aerospace during a year on Capitol Hill where he worked with the Senate Armed Services Committee. As a reporter, he has covered everything from national security to hockey for a variety of publications, including The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. Chris can be contacted at cgordon@afa.org.
Recent stories by Chris Gordon
Austin Pushes Back on Lawmaker’s F-35 Criticism: Not a ‘Paperweight’
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III rebuffed criticism that the F-35 program has proved too costly and unreliable to serve as the viable backbone of America’s and allies' future fighter fleet on April 30. “I would not categorize the F-35 as a paperweight,” Austin ...
‘More EW Than We Have Ever Seen Before’ in Ukraine, Space Force Official Says
The Space Force must invest in high-level training based on the lessons learned from an unprecedented level of electronic warfare (EW) used by both Russia and Ukraine in the conflict there, one of the service’s top EW leaders said on April 24. “What we have ...
Anduril and General Atomics to Develop New Collaborative Combat Aircraft for Air Force
Anduril and General Atomics will develop their Collaborative Combat Aircraft for the Air Force, beating out Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman, the service announced on April 24. But any of the non-selected companies can compete to actually manufacture the eventual design, the Air Force ...
Saltzman: New Space Force Readiness Model Will Be ‘Drastic Change’
Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman said reforms underway to the Space Force’s deployment and training model are the “most drastic change accompanying the establishment of the Space Force” in a note distributed to Guardians on April 19. “It fundamentally alters how we ...
US Confirms First Attack on American Troops in Months as Drones Shot Down in Iraq
The U.S. thwarted a drone attack on U.S. forces at Al Asad air base in western Iraq on April 22, marking the first time that American troops have been targeted since February, U.S. officials said. “We can confirm it was an attack on Al Asad,” a defense ...
ICBM Cancer Study Finds No High Levels of Hazardous Chemicals at Vandenberg
The Air Force found no significant evidence of harmful chemicals at Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., as part of its ongoing Missile Community Cancer Study, the service said on April 22. Samples collected in February found “no instances of contamination above regulatory action level.” The sampling ...
Q&A: Outgoing AFCENT Boss Grynkewich on the Future of the Middle East
As commander of Air Forces Central, Lt. Gen. Alexus G. Grynkewich has been at the heart of almost all U.S. military action in the Middle East, from overseeing airstrikes against Iranian proxy groups to protecting troops as America’s air defense commander for the region. Just before ...
Air Force Unveils First Picks For New ‘Quick Start’ Funding Stream
Resilient position, navigation, and timing capability and command, control and communications (C3) battle management for moving target indication will be funded with new authority circumventing the traditional lengthy budget process, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall told Congress April 16.
Promising ‘Accountability,’ Allvin Releases Update to Airmen on ‘Follow Through’ Efforts
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin began his tenure as chief pressing Airmen to “follow through” on changes needed to respond to China’s growing military might and the changing nature of warfare. On April 15, Allvin offered his first self-assessment to Airmen ...
USAF Fighters Shoot Down Iranian Drones in Defense of Israel
.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles and F-16 Fighting Falcons shot down dozens of Iranian drones as they were heading toward targets in Israel on April 13, a U.S. official told Air & Space Forces Magazine. On April 14, U.S. officials singled out the role ...
National Guard Chief Makes Case for Space Guard: ‘Would Work Exactly Like It is Right Now’
National Guard officials and state governors are arguing against removing space missions from the Guard, challenging a key element of the Department of the Air Force’s plan on how to staff its space missions.
Russian Air Force Has Only Lost 10 Percent of Fleet in Ukraine, US Officials Say
The Russian air force has lost just one-tenth of its fleet while many of its military capabilities remain largely unaffected after more than two years of war in Ukraine, the top U.S. commander in Europe told Congress on April 10. “Russia’s strategic forces, long-range aviation, cyber ...
At a Historic Low, Air Force Fleet Size Will Keep Shrinking, Top Planner Says
The Air Force fleet will keep shrinking, the service’s senior planner said April 9. In its fiscal 2025 budget, the Air Force plans to reduce its fleet below 5,000 aircraft for the first time in its history as an independent service, divesting 250 aircraft and ...
Allvin, Kendall Tour Pacific Islands to See Progress on ACE
Top Air Force officials including Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall and Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. David W. Allvin are on a weeklong tour of the Pacific, including visits to key bases the U.S. hopes to expand to be better ...
Airdrops to Gaza: The Art and Science of One of the Largest Aid Missions Since the Berlin Airlift
After three hours in the air, the cargo door of the C-17 slowly opened, and boxes of MREs, Army parachutes attached, tumbled out, then began to drift toward the coast. In the past several weeks, the U.S. Air Force and its partners have dropped hundreds of ...