2023 USAF & USSF Almanac: U.S. Space Force

It’s time to return to disciplined budget preparation and careful strategic investment.

The Pentagon is considering ditching the Air Force’s plan to buy the E-7 Wedgetail as it looks to outsource the airborne target-tracking mission to space, defense officials indicated this week.

As futuristic aviation programs gain priority, the F-35—the only in-production, fifth-generation American fighter—is facing new headwinds. Fresh debate over its challenges and its potential in the coming months will shape its future role in the force. 

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s first trip to Capitol Hill to argue for next year’s Pentagon budget shed new light on funding for some of the Air Force’s top-priority acquisition programs, even as the department continues to hide its 2026 request from view.

Col. Nick Hague, the first active-duty Guardian to launch into space, urges more Space Force troops to learn from NASA.

"Most, if not all," NATO countries will soon achieve their longtime goal of spending 2 percent of their GDPs on defense, but that may not be enough, Secretary-General Mark Rutte said at the NATO ministerial in Brussels. He also said members will be assigned responsibilities that match their capabilities at…

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will head to Capitol Hill this month to make the case for the Trump administration’s proposed defense budget, a Pentagon spokesperson said June 2.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's move to halve the office of the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation and slash away three-quarters of its funding could push a lot of expertise out of the Pentagon, diminishing the clout and value of the organization as a truth-teller to Congress, former Pentagon officials…

The Air Force budget would grow to $234 billion while Space Force spending would shrink to $26 billion under the White House's yearly ask.