Allvin Departs as Air Force Chief: How He Sees His Legacy
Gen. David W. Allvin completed two years as Chief of Staff, half the statutory tour length, but long enough, he says, to have made a mark on the Air Force.
Some Guard Troops Won’t Get Paid Until Shutdown Ends
The National Guard Bureau says most units are postponing drills during the shutdown, but some states are sticking to their training schedule, resulting in a patchwork of different policies and some confusion in the ranks.
F-35s, F-16s Rapidly Deploy to Greenland for Exercise
NORAD surged two F-35s, two F-16s, and a trio of KC-135s to Pituffik Space Force Base in Greenland earlier this month for a “dynamic operational exercise,” testing its ability to rapidly deploy forces in the Arctic.
Northrop Teams With Startup, Hoping to Use AI to Design Spacecraft
Northrop Grumman is teaming up with AI company Luminary Cloud to use the startup firm’s physics-based AI platform to significantly reduce the time it takes to design and develop space systems.
Radar Sweep
Shutdown Relief: Where Airmen and Guardians Can Turn for Help
Air & Space Forces Magazine
With no end to the government shutdown in sight, Airmen, Guardians, and defense civilians face increasing uncertainty about whether or not they will be paid—and how to make ends meet if they are not. Financial institutions catering to military and federal employees are offering a variety of shutdown relief programs, including paycheck advances loans and deferred payment options.
White House Finds 11th-Hour Shutdown Workaround to Pay Troops—for Now
Axios
President Trump's budget team raided three different financial accounts to make sure U.S. troops are paid Oct. 31 as the government shutdown continues, White House officials tell Axios.
US Says It Will Cut Troops in Eastern Europe
The New York Times
The United States will reduce the number of troops it has deployed to Eastern Europe, where NATO allies have sought to fortify their response to Russian aggression, U.S. and Romanian officials said on Oct. 29.
Pentagon Orders National Guard to Establish Quick Reaction Forces for Civil Unrest, Riots
The Wall Street Journal
The Pentagon has ordered the National Guard to create “quick reaction” forces in every state and territory by January that are trained and equipped to respond to riots and civil unrest within the U.S., according to internal Defense Department memos.
Pete Hegseth Says US Carried Out Another Strike on Alleged Drug Boat in Pacific Ocean, Killing 4 People
NBC News
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Oct. 29 that the Pentagon carried out another "lethal kinetic strike" at President Donald Trump's direction on a vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean that killed four men. It's the 14th known time the Trump administration has launched a military strike against alleged drug-carrying boats in recent months.
Air Force’s 10-Year Fighter Jet Report Is Missing Key Details, Experts Say
Defense One
A new report to Congress pitching the Air Force’s 10-year fighter jet plan is missing key details and explanations, raising questions and concerns among defense experts.
Trump: US to Share Nuclear Sub Tech with S. Korea, Build Boats in Philly
Breaking Defense
President Donald Trump in a social media post Oct. 29 said the United States will share sensitive nuclear submarine propulsion technologies with South Korea, a major diplomatic step that the Biden administration had stopped short of granting its key Indo-Pacific ally.
China’s Military May Discard Its Rigid Command Structure, Report Warns
Defense News
Even as China embarks on a massive military buildup, America comforts itself with an ironclad belief: As with the Soviet Union during the Cold War, superior Communist numbers will be undercut by rigid command and clumsy tactics that can be exploited by more agile U.S. forces. But what if China embraces the more flexible Western concept of mission command?
A First Look at IBM’s New Large Language Model That’s Fine-Tuned for Defense Applications
DefenseScoop
IBM is set to launch a new large language model that’s purpose-built for defense and national security applications and trained on data from open-source intelligence provider, Janes.
New Chinese Advanced Training Jet Breaks Cover
The War Zone
After a string of exotic stealthy combat jets, both crewed and uncrewed, the newest Chinese military aircraft to break cover is somewhat different, but nonetheless interesting. The latest development concerns an advanced jet trainer, but one that clearly has potential as a light combat aircraft, too.
Hegseth to Unveil Arms Sale Overhaul
POLITICO
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is planning to unveil a consequential overhaul of U.S. arms sales that could reshape how the Pentagon sends weapons to allies and help replenish dwindling stockpiles.
No Clear Winner in Military’s First ‘Drone Crucible’
Task & Purpose
In the waning days of Florida’s September heat, teams with the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force met for the military’s first organized “drone crucible,” a five-day event that pitted the services’ top remote pilots against each other.
How Halloween Changed While the United States Was at War
We Are The Mighty
In 1942, a California newspaper published a cartoon implying Halloween pranks were in favor of the Axis powers. The picture includes a teenage boy who receives a message from Emperor Hirohito, Adolph Hitler, and Benito Mussolini, “Do something destructive this Halloween… you’ll be helping us.”
