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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"><head><title>Northrop Unveils New CCA: Project Talon</title><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1, shrink-to-fit=no"><meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=9; IE=8; IE=7; IE=EDGE" /><style type="text/css">body { margin: 0 !important; } #overall-container table { max-width: 680px !important; } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px) { body { width:100% !important; min-width:100% !important; } table, td { max-width: 100% !important; } table#email-container { width: 100% !important; } img { max-width: 100% !important; height: auto !important; } .bodytext, h2.article-title { margin: 0.8em !important; } .article-hr { margin: 1.0em 0.5em !important; } .footer-small p, .footer-small a { font-size: 0.4em !important; } .wp-post-image { margin: 0.3em 0 !important; } .editors-note { padding: 0.5em 0.8em !important; } }</style></head><body><div style="display: none; font-size: 1px; color: #333333; line-height: 1px; max-height: 0px; max-width: 0px; opacity: 0; overflow: hidden;">PLUS: How to Revive a Damaged B-2 and Survey Shows Surging Support for NATO</div><table id="overall-container" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td align="center"><table id="email-container" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width: 680px;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://www.afa.org/afa-warfare-symposium/" target="_blank"><img width="680" height="90" src="https://www.airandspaceforces.com/app/uploads/2025/11/WS26_680x90.png"></a></td></tr><tr class="logo"><td align="center"><img style="margin: 0;" alt="airforcemag daily report logo" height="92" width="450" src="https://www.airandspaceforces.com/Image/AFM_Daily_Report.jpg"></td></tr><tr class="date"><td align="center"><p class="bodytext" style="font-size: 1em; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: #1E4A85; font-weight: bold; margin: 0 0 .8em !important;">Dec. 5, 2025</p></td></tr><tr class="date"><td align="center"><p class="article-author" style="font-size: 0.8em; text-align: center; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #666666; font-weight: normal; margin: 0 0 0.8em;">Edited by Greg Hadley with Chris Gordon, John A. Tirpak and Col. John “JV” Venable, USAF (Ret.)</p></td></tr><tr class="view-in-browser"><td align="center"><a href="https://www.airandspaceforces.com/daily-report/20251205/?src=dr" style="background: #3F6EB2; border-radius: 9px; color: #ffffff; text-decoration: none; padding: 0.8em 2em; display: inline-block; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: .7em; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 1em;" target="_blank">View In Browser</a></td></tr><tr class="featured-image"><td align="center"><img width="680" height="510" src="https://www.airandspaceforces.com/app/uploads/2025/12/IMG_0205.jpeg" class="attachment-680x9999 size-680x9999 wp-post-image" alt="" style="width: 100%; height: auto; margin: 0.8em 0 0.1em;" decoding="async" srcset="https://www.airandspaceforces.com/app/uploads/2025/12/IMG_0205.jpeg 2500w, https://www.airandspaceforces.com/app/uploads/2025/12/IMG_0205-450x338.jpeg 450w, https://www.airandspaceforces.com/app/uploads/2025/12/IMG_0205-600x450.jpeg 600w, https://www.airandspaceforces.com/app/uploads/2025/12/IMG_0205-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://www.airandspaceforces.com/app/uploads/2025/12/IMG_0205-675x506.jpeg 675w" sizes="(max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px" /><em style='display: block; font-size: 0.8em; margin-bottom: 0.6em'>Northrop Grumman's Project Talon drone. Courtesy Northrop Grumman </em></td></tr><tr class="article"><td><h2 class="article-title" style="font-size: 1.1em; text-align: center; margin: 0; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: #222222; font-weight: bold; margin: 0.8em 0; line-height: 1.5em;"><a href="https://www.airandspaceforces.com/northrop-grumman-project-talon-cca/?src=dr" style="text-decoration: none; color: #222222;">Northrop Shows Off New Project Talon Collaborative Combat Aircraft</a></h2><p class="article-author" style="font-size: 0.8em; text-align: center; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #666666; font-weight: normal; margin: 0.8em 0;">By Chris Gordon</p><p class="bodytext" style="font-size: 1em; font-family: Georgia, serif; margin: 0; color: #555555; line-height: 1.7;">There is a new entrant in the highly competitive field of collaborative combat aircraft—semi-autonomous drones meant to fly alongside manned combat aircraft. Northrop Grumman unveiled its new Project Talon aircraft to a small group of reporters at the facilities of its subsidiary Scaled Composites.</p></td></tr><tr><td><hr class="article-hr" style="border: none; border-top: 1px solid #aaaaaa; margin: 1.6em 0;"></td></tr><tr class="article"><td><h2 class="article-title" style="font-size: 1.1em; text-align: center; margin: 0; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: #222222; font-weight: bold; margin: 0.8em 0; line-height: 1.5em;"><a href="https://www.airandspaceforces.com/air-force-revived-damaged-b-2-bomber/?src=dr" style="text-decoration: none; color: #222222;">How the Air Force Revived a Damaged B-2 Bomber After 4 Years, $23.7 Million</a></h2><p class="article-author" style="font-size: 0.8em; text-align: center; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #666666; font-weight: normal; margin: 0.8em 0;">By John A. Tirpak</p><p class="bodytext" style="font-size: 1em; font-family: Georgia, serif; margin: 0; color: #555555; line-height: 1.7;">For an investment of less than $24 million, the Air Force was able to return a damaged B-2 bomber to flying status in November. The service offered an unusually detailed description of the methods used to fix the stealth aircraft. </p></td></tr><tr><td align="center"><a href="https://www.williamsrdm.com/"><img width="680" height="265" src="https://www.airandspaceforces.com/app/uploads/2025/10/WilliamsRDM_Daily-Report_Nov-Dec_2025_680x265.jpg" style="margin: 1.1em 0;"></a></td></tr><tr class="article"><td><h2 class="article-title" style="font-size: 1.1em; text-align: center; margin: 0; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: #222222; font-weight: bold; margin: 0.8em 0; line-height: 1.5em;"><a href="https://www.airandspaceforces.com/commentary-air-force-prepare-next-war/?src=dr" style="text-decoration: none; color: #222222;">What the Air Force Must Do to Prepare for the Next War</a></h2><p class="article-author" style="font-size: 0.8em; text-align: center; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #666666; font-weight: normal; margin: 0.8em 0;">By Col. John “JV” Venable, USAF (Ret.)</p><p class="bodytext" style="font-size: 1em; font-family: Georgia, serif; margin: 0; color: #555555; line-height: 1.7;">The United States Air Force is flying less than historic norms and funding for acquisition and readiness is on a path to further hollow out this too small and old force to that is incapable of sustaining an enduring combat air campaign.</p></td></tr><tr><td align="center"><a href="https://gdmissionsystems.com/encryption/unmanned?utm_source=www.afa.org&utm_medium=banner-enl&utm_campaign=taclane-campaign&utm_content=brand-awareness"><img width="680" height="265" src="https://www.airandspaceforces.com/app/uploads/2025/11/AFA_GDMS_Social3_web-ads_2025-10-16_680x265.jpg" style="margin: 1.1em 0;"></a></td></tr><tr class="article"><td><h2 class="article-title" style="font-size: 1.1em; text-align: center; margin: 0; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: #222222; font-weight: bold; margin: 0.8em 0; line-height: 1.5em;"><a href="https://www.airandspaceforces.com/support-nato-reaches-new-high-reagan-institute-polling/?src=dr" style="text-decoration: none; color: #222222;">Support for NATO Reaches New High in Reagan Institute Polling</a></h2><p class="article-author" style="font-size: 0.8em; text-align: center; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #666666; font-weight: normal; margin: 0.8em 0;">By Chris Gordon</p><p class="bodytext" style="font-size: 1em; font-family: Georgia, serif; margin: 0; color: #555555; line-height: 1.7;">More than three-fourths of Americans would support using force to support NATO’s collective defense, according to the Ronald Reagan Institute’s latest annual National Defense Survey. The report comes as the Pentagon prepares to unveil its new National Defense Strategy, the lodestar for multiyear planning. It is expected to emphasize security in the Western Hemisphere, homeland defense, and actions in the Indo-Pacific to deter China.</p></td></tr><tr><td align="center"><a href="https://www.usaa.com/military?txid=OTH:TX1:MBATHE7NE5"><img width="680" height="265" src="https://www.airandspaceforces.com/app/uploads/2025/11/USAA_Dec2025_InsuranceCapability_A2792_680x265px_01.jpg" style="margin: 1.1em 0;"></a></td></tr><tr class="row-spacer" height="25"><td> </td></tr><tr><td align="center" class="radar-sweep" style="background-color: #F4F5F9;"><table id="radar-sweep" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" valign="top" width="90%"></tbody><tr class="row-spacer" height="24"><td> </td></tr><tr class="title""><td align="center"><h3 style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 1.3em; color: #222222; font-weight: bold;">Radar Sweep</h3></td></tr><tr class="row-spacer" height=12><td> </td></tr><tr><td align="left"><h2 style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 1.1em; color: #222222; font-weight: bold; margin: 0;">Admiral Says There Was No ‘Kill Them All’ Order in Boat Attack, but Video Alarms Lawmakers</h2><p><a class="radar-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/pete-hegseth-boat-strike-admiral-congress-521606d39c04dcc040ea232dc9cfeeda" style="color: #214a86; font-size: 1em; font-weight: bold; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">The Associated Press</a> </p><p class="bodytext-radar" style="font-size: 1em; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: #555555; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0;">A Navy admiral commanding the U.S. military strikes on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean told lawmakers Dec. 4 that there was no “kill them all” order from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, but a stark video of the attack left grave questions as Congress scrutinizes the campaign that killed two survivors.</p></td></tr><tr><td><hr style="border: none; border-top: 1px solid #dddddd; margin: 1.6em 0;"></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><h2 style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 1.1em; color: #222222; font-weight: bold; margin: 0;">How to Design a Credible Air Deterrent for Ukraine After a Ceasefire</h2><p><a class="radar-link" href="https://breakingdefense.com/2025/12/how-to-design-a-credible-air-deterrent-for-ukraine-after-a-ceasefire/" style="color: #214a86; font-size: 1em; font-weight: bold; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Breaking Defense</a> </p><p class="bodytext-radar" style="font-size: 1em; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: #555555; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0;">“The Russo-Ukraine War may be headed to a pause, if Western peace talks aimed at resolving the conflict move forward toward agreement. This means Western policymakers should be increasingly focused on how the post-ceasefire reality might look—and how to make it sustainable,” write retired Air Force Lt. Gen. David A. Deptula, dean of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, and Jahara “FRANKY” Matisek, an Air Force pilot who is a research fellow at the U.S. Naval War College.</p></td></tr><tr><td><hr style="border: none; border-top: 1px solid #dddddd; margin: 1.6em 0;"></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><h2 style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 1.1em; color: #222222; font-weight: bold; margin: 0;">Read the Signalgate Report</h2><p><a class="radar-link" href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/04/read-pentagon-signalgate-report-00676582" style="color: #214a86; font-size: 1em; font-weight: bold; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">POLITICO</a> </p><p class="bodytext-radar" style="font-size: 1em; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: #555555; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0;">The Pentagon inspector general released a much-anticipated report Dec. 4 on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s use of the Signal messaging app to discuss sensitive military strikes in Yemen earlier this year, concluding a nine-month investigation into whether he violated the agency’s standards. Read the report.</p></td></tr><tr><td><hr style="border: none; border-top: 1px solid #dddddd; margin: 1.6em 0;"></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><h2 style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 1.1em; color: #222222; font-weight: bold; margin: 0;">Watchdog Wants Defense CIO to Supply Evidence of Improvements in ‘Signalgate’ Aftermath</h2><p><a class="radar-link" href="https://defensescoop.com/2025/12/04/signalgate-pentagon-oig-report-dod-cio-instant-messaging-options/" style="color: #214a86; font-size: 1em; font-weight: bold; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">DefenseScoop</a> </p><p class="bodytext-radar" style="font-size: 1em; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: #555555; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0;">Since the Trump administration’s Signalgate affair surfaced in March, the Pentagon’s Office of the Chief Information Officer has been working on modern instant-messaging options for personnel to securely communicate at various classification levels in compliance with U.S. policies and the law. But public details on those efforts are sparse—and challenges remain, according to a top defense watchdog.</p></td></tr><tr><td><hr style="border: none; border-top: 1px solid #dddddd; margin: 1.6em 0;"></td></tr><tr><td align="center"><a href="https://shopafa.org/" target="_blank"><img width="300" height="250" src="https://www.airandspaceforces.com/app/uploads/2025/11/Holiday-Ad-2025-300-x-250-px.png"></a></td></tr><tr><td><hr style="border: none; border-top: 1px solid #dddddd; margin: 1.6em 0;"></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><h2 style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 1.1em; color: #222222; font-weight: bold; margin: 0;">Pentagon Refines Zero Trust for OT as Air Force Treats Its Bases as Frontline Targets</h2><p><a class="radar-link" href="https://breakingdefense.com/2025/12/pentagon-refines-zero-trust-for-ot-as-air-force-treats-its-bases-as-frontline-targets/" style="color: #214a86; font-size: 1em; font-weight: bold; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Breaking Defense</a> </p><p class="bodytext-radar" style="font-size: 1em; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: #555555; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0;">The Air Force will soon begin applying zero trust cybersecurity principles to the industrial control systems that run its bases and infrastructure, but a senior Air Force official warned that those operational technology environments can’t simply inherit the same requirements that the Pentagon has introduced for information technology systems like laptops and networks.</p></td></tr><tr><td><hr style="border: none; border-top: 1px solid #dddddd; margin: 1.6em 0;"></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><h2 style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 1.1em; color: #222222; font-weight: bold; margin: 0;">Intense Operations Against Houthis Played into Truman Strike Group Accidents, Navy Finds</h2><p><a class="radar-link" href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/intense-operations-against-houthis-played-into-truman-strike-group-accidents-navy-finds/" style="color: #214a86; font-size: 1em; font-weight: bold; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">CBS News</a> </p><p class="bodytext-radar" style="font-size: 1em; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: #555555; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0;">When the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier lost an F-18 fighter jet in May because of an arresting wire failure, the crew was in the midst of "significantly stressful deployment" because of operations against the Houthis in Yemen, according to a Navy investigation report released Dec. 4.</p></td></tr><tr><td><hr style="border: none; border-top: 1px solid #dddddd; margin: 1.6em 0;"></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><h2 style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 1.1em; color: #222222; font-weight: bold; margin: 0;">Ellsworth Air Force Runway Completed Ahead of Schedule</h2><p><a class="radar-link" href="https://www.sdpb.org/2025-12-04/ellsworth-air-force-runway-completed-ahead-of-schedule" style="color: #214a86; font-size: 1em; font-weight: bold; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">SDPB</a> </p><p class="bodytext-radar" style="font-size: 1em; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: #555555; line-height: 1.7; margin: 0;">Ellsworth Air Force Base’s new runway is completed well ahead of schedule. Air Force officials held an opening ceremony Dec. 3. The $129 million project was scheduled to take three years. Crews completed it in just 10 months.</p></td></tr><tr><td><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="dark-block" style="margin: 1em 0; background: #F4F5F9;" valign="top" width="100%"><tbody><tr class="row-spacer" height="25"><td style="background: #1f2a39; border-color: #1f2a39; border-top-right-radius: 9px; border-top-left-radius: 9px;"> </td></tr><tr><td style="background: #1f2a39;" align="center"><table width="90%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="left"><h3 style="font-size: 1em; color: #dddddd; margin: 0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0.8em; font-weight: normal">One More Thing</h3><h2 style="font-size: 1em; color: #eeeeee; margin: 0; font-family: Georgia, serif; letter-spacing: 0.01em;">The Time an F-15 Set Off an Earthquake Panic</h2><p class="bodytext-radar"><a style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1em; color: #dddddd; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: 0.03em; text-decoration: underline #bbbbbb solid;" href="https://www.wearethemighty.com/tactical/the-time-an-f-15-set-off-an-earthquake-panic/" target="_blank">We Are The Mighty</a> </p><p class="bodytext-radar" style="font-size: 1em; font-family: Georgia, serif; margin: 0; color: #eeeeee; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: 0.01em;">One of the most important upgrades to the F-15EX is the full integration of the General Electric F110-GE-129 engines. The Eagle II’s dual engines each produce 17,155 lbf of thrust dry, and 29,500 lbf with afterburner. Together, they give the F-15EX a high altitude top speed of Mach 2.5. At full afterburner takeoff, the engines produce approximately 149-152 decibels. At close proximity, this is loud enough to cause an immediate eardrum rupture. While residents of central Illinois were not close enough to suffer an injury, they did experience an F-15EX sonic boom that caused mass panic.</p></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr class="row-spacer" height="25"><td style="background: #1f2a39; border-color: #1f2a39; border-bottom-left-radius: 9px; border-bottom-right-radius: 9px;"> </td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td align="center"><a href="https://www.mitchellaerospacepower.org/podcast/" target="_blank"><img width="680" height="265" style="margin: 0.8em 0;" src="https://www.airandspaceforces.com/app/uploads/2025/05/Mitchell-Podcast_680x265.jpg"></a></td></tr><tr><td align="center" style="padding: 1.1em 0 1em; text-align: center; background: #2d3d44;"><table width="100%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 border=0><tbody><tr class="footer-logo"><td align="center"><img width="171" style="margin-bottom: 0.8em;" src="https://www.airandspaceforces.com/Image/ASF_mag_logo_white.png"></td></tr><tr class="footer-nav"><td align="center" style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 0.9em;"><a href="https://www.airandspaceforces.com/daily-report/?src=dr" style="font-size: 0.9em; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #fff; text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Daily Report</a> | <a href="https://www.airandspaceforces.com/contact-us/?src=dr" style="font-size: 0.9em; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #fff; text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Contact Us</a> | <a href="https://www.airandspaceforces.com/advertise/?src=dr" style="font-size: 0.9em; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #fff; text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Advertise</a> | <a href="https://www.afa.org/join/?src=dr" style="font-size: 0.9em; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #fff; text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Join AFA</a> | <a href="https://www.afa.org/?src=dr" style="font-size: 0.9em; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #fff; text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Air & Space Forces Association</a> | <a href="https://www.airandspaceforces.com/reprint-permission/?src=dr" style="font-size: 0.9em; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #fff; text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Reprints</a></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td align="center"><p style="margin: 0.8em 0 0;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ASForcesMag" target="_blank"><img src="https://cdn2.iconfinder.com/data/icons/social-icons-33/128/Facebook-512.png" width="33"></a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ASForcesMag" target="_blank"><img src="https://cdn0.iconfinder.com/data/icons/social-network-7/50/4-512.png" width="35"></a></p></td></tr><tr class="footer-small"><td align="center"><p style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #555555; font-size: 0.6em; margin: 0.8em 0">Published by the Air & Space Forces Association.<br/><a href="https://www.airandspaceforces.com/?src=dr" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #214a86; font-size: 1em;" target="_blank">airandspaceforces.com</a> material is under copyright by the Air & Space Forces Association. 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Plaintext Version
Air & Space Forces Magazine Daily Report for Dec. 5, 2025 View in your Web Browser: https://www.airandspaceforces.com/daily-report/20251205/?src=dr Edited by Greg Hadley with Chris Gordon, John A. Tirpak and Col. John “JV” Venable, USAF (Ret.) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [ Advertisement ] https://www.afa.org/afa-warfare-symposium/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Northrop Shows Off New Project Talon Collaborative Combat Aircraft By Chris Gordon There is a new entrant in the highly competitive field of collaborative combat aircraft—semi-autonomous drones meant to fly alongside manned combat aircraft. Northrop Grumman unveiled its new Project Talon aircraft to a small group of reporters at the facilities of its subsidiary Scaled Composites. https://www.airandspaceforces.com/northrop-grumman-project-talon-cca/?src=dr -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- How the Air Force Revived a Damaged B-2 Bomber After 4 Years, $23.7 Million By John A. Tirpak For an investment of less than $24 million, the Air Force was able to return a damaged B-2 bomber to flying status in November. The service offered an unusually detailed description of the methods used to fix the stealth aircraft. https://www.airandspaceforces.com/air-force-revived-damaged-b-2-bomber/?src=dr -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [ Advertisement ] https://www.williamsrdm.com/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What the Air Force Must Do to Prepare for the Next War By Col. John “JV” Venable, USAF (Ret.) The United States Air Force is flying less than historic norms and funding for acquisition and readiness is on a path to further hollow out this too small and old force to that is incapable of sustaining an enduring combat air campaign. https://www.airandspaceforces.com/commentary-air-force-prepare-next-war/?src=dr -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [ Advertisement ] https://gdmissionsystems.com/encryption/unmanned?utm_source=www.afa.org&utm_medium=banner-enl&utm_campaign=taclane-campaign&utm_content=brand-awareness -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Support for NATO Reaches New High in Reagan Institute Polling By Chris Gordon More than three-fourths of Americans would support using force to support NATO’s collective defense, according to the Ronald Reagan Institute’s latest annual National Defense Survey. The report comes as the Pentagon prepares to unveil its new National Defense Strategy, the lodestar for multiyear planning. It is expected to emphasize security in the Western Hemisphere, homeland defense, and actions in the Indo-Pacific to deter China. https://www.airandspaceforces.com/support-nato-reaches-new-high-reagan-institute-polling/?src=dr -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [ Advertisement ] https://www.usaa.com/military?txid=OTH:TX1:MBATHE7NE5 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Radar Sweep -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Admiral Says There Was No ‘Kill Them All’ Order in Boat Attack, but Video Alarms Lawmakers A Navy admiral commanding the U.S. military strikes on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean told lawmakers Dec. 4 that there was no “kill them all” order from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, but a stark video of the attack left grave questions as Congress scrutinizes the campaign that killed two survivors. https://apnews.com/article/pete-hegseth-boat-strike-admiral-congress-521606d39c04dcc040ea232dc9cfeeda -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- How to Design a Credible Air Deterrent for Ukraine After a Ceasefire “The Russo-Ukraine War may be headed to a pause, if Western peace talks aimed at resolving the conflict move forward toward agreement. This means Western policymakers should be increasingly focused on how the post-ceasefire reality might look—and how to make it sustainable,” write retired Air Force Lt. Gen. David A. Deptula, dean of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, and Jahara “FRANKY” Matisek, an Air Force pilot who is a research fellow at the U.S. Naval War College. https://breakingdefense.com/2025/12/how-to-design-a-credible-air-deterrent-for-ukraine-after-a-ceasefire/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Read the Signalgate Report The Pentagon inspector general released a much-anticipated report Dec. 4 on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s use of the Signal messaging app to discuss sensitive military strikes in Yemen earlier this year, concluding a nine-month investigation into whether he violated the agency’s standards. Read the report. https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/04/read-pentagon-signalgate-report-00676582 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Watchdog Wants Defense CIO to Supply Evidence of Improvements in ‘Signalgate’ Aftermath Since the Trump administration’s Signalgate affair surfaced in March, the Pentagon’s Office of the Chief Information Officer has been working on modern instant-messaging options for personnel to securely communicate at various classification levels in compliance with U.S. policies and the law. But public details on those efforts are sparse—and challenges remain, according to a top defense watchdog. https://defensescoop.com/2025/12/04/signalgate-pentagon-oig-report-dod-cio-instant-messaging-options/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [ Advertisement ] https://shopafa.org/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pentagon Refines Zero Trust for OT as Air Force Treats Its Bases as Frontline Targets The Air Force will soon begin applying zero trust cybersecurity principles to the industrial control systems that run its bases and infrastructure, but a senior Air Force official warned that those operational technology environments can’t simply inherit the same requirements that the Pentagon has introduced for information technology systems like laptops and networks. https://breakingdefense.com/2025/12/pentagon-refines-zero-trust-for-ot-as-air-force-treats-its-bases-as-frontline-targets/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Intense Operations Against Houthis Played into Truman Strike Group Accidents, Navy Finds When the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier lost an F-18 fighter jet in May because of an arresting wire failure, the crew was in the midst of "significantly stressful deployment" because of operations against the Houthis in Yemen, according to a Navy investigation report released Dec. 4. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/intense-operations-against-houthis-played-into-truman-strike-group-accidents-navy-finds/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ellsworth Air Force Runway Completed Ahead of Schedule Ellsworth Air Force Base’s new runway is completed well ahead of schedule. Air Force officials held an opening ceremony Dec. 3. The $129 million project was scheduled to take three years. Crews completed it in just 10 months. https://www.sdpb.org/2025-12-04/ellsworth-air-force-runway-completed-ahead-of-schedule -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- One More Thing... The Time an F-15 Set Off an Earthquake Panic One of the most important upgrades to the F-15EX is the full integration of the General Electric F110-GE-129 engines. The Eagle II’s dual engines each produce 17,155 lbf of thrust dry, and 29,500 lbf with afterburner. Together, they give the F-15EX a high altitude top speed of Mach 2.5. At full afterburner takeoff, the engines produce approximately 149-152 decibels. At close proximity, this is loud enough to cause an immediate eardrum rupture. While residents of central Illinois were not close enough to suffer an injury, they did experience an F-15EX sonic boom that caused mass panic. https://www.wearethemighty.com/tactical/the-time-an-f-15-set-off-an-earthquake-panic/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [ Advertisement ] https://www.mitchellaerospacepower.org/podcast/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - Daily Report: https://www.airandspaceforces.com/daily-report/ - Contact Us: https://www.airandspaceforces.com/contact-us/ - Advertise With Us: https://www.airandspaceforces.com/advertise/ - Purchase/Reprint: https://www.airandspaceforces.com/reprint-permission/ - Air & Space Forces Assoc.: https://www.afa.org - Join AFA: https://www.afa.org/join/ - A&SF Mag on Facebook: https://facebook.com/ASForcesMag - A&SF Mag on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ASForcesMag -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Published by the Air & Space Forces Association All airandspaceforces.com material is under copyright of the Air & Space Forces Association. 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