Editor’s Note
The Daily Report will go on a holiday break and not publish from Dec. 25 to Jan. 2.
Air Force Designates New Northrop CCA as YFQ-48A
The Air Force has given Northrop Grumman’s new Project Talon aircraft the official designation of YFQ-48A, the service announced Dec. 22. That makes Northrop's potential competitor for USAF's Collaborative Combat Aircraft program the third CCA to be designated an uncrewed fighter aircraft.
Air Force Shutting Down AI Chatbot NIPRGPT
NIPRGPT, the Air Force’s generative artificial intelligence chatbot, will shut down Dec. 31—making way for the Pentagon’s new GenAI.mil system.
White House Order Underlines Space Force’s Counterspace Mission
A new White House new executive order, “Ensuring American Space Superiority,” emphasizes space security as a high priority for President Donald Trump and underlines the Space Force’s role in not only defending U.S. assets, but also in the attack mission.
B-1A Flies for the First Time
Company pilot Charles Bock Jr., U.S. Air Force Col. Emil Sturmthal, and flight test engineer Richard Abrams make the first flight of the Rockwell B-1A variable-geometry bomber from Palmdale, Calif.
Radar Sweep
Trump Targets Defense Firms on Weapons Speed, Stock Buybacks
The Wall Street Journal
President Trump said Dec. 22 he wants to pressure America’s largest defense contractors to speed up weapons production by investing in new facilities and ending the practice of repurchasing stocks.
How US Defense Industry Dodged a Rare-Earth Shortage After China’s Curbs
The New York Times
Tomahawk missiles are coveted by militaries around the world because they can hit a target 1,000 miles away. That accuracy is possible because their fins use powerful magnets made of samarium—a rare-earth metal that can tolerate high heat.
DOD Needs More Consistent Indo-Pacific Deterrence Funding, GAO Says
Defense News
As the U.S. military continues to build up forces to deter China in the increasingly contested Indo-Pacific region, a recent Government Accountability Office report claims that clear guidance on how it funds those deterrence efforts has yet to be provided.
Tory Bruno Resigns as Head of United Launch Alliance
Breaking Defense
Tory Bruno, the longstanding president and CEO of the United Launch Alliance, has resigned his position to “pursue another opportunity,” the organization announced Dec. 22.
Luke Cropsey, Air Force’s C3BM Exec, Tapped for Promotion to Top Acquisition Job
DefenseScoop
Maj. Gen. Luke Cropsey, the overseer of the modernization of the Air Force’s command, control, communications and battle management enterprise, has been nominated for promotion to three-star and to serve as military deputy for the service’s acquisition, technology and logistics directorate at the Pentagon.
Next-Gen Air Dominance and Surprise New Air Force Leadership: 2025 Review
Breaking Defense
This year had its fair share of developments in air warfare, both in the United States and abroad. In the U.S., the Air Force notched a number of firsts, like the flight of drone wingmen and an award for a sixth-gen fighter. A funding boost provided by reconciliation was also critical for infusing cash into top priorities like ramping up munitions production.
Sabotage Attack on Russian Su-30 Fighters Shown in Video
The War Zone
Two Russian Su-30 Flanker multirole fighters have been damaged in an overnight arson attack on the military airfield at Lipetsk in the region of the same name in southwest Russia. According to the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, the raid was launched by “a representative of the resistance movement in Russia.”
Trump Says US Will Keep Oil and Ships Seized near Venezuela
The Hill
President Trump said on Dec. 22 that the U.S. government will, for now, keep the oil and two oil tankers that the U.S. Coast Guard seized off the coast of Venezuela this month.
Trump Unveils New Battleship Class; Proposed USS Defiant Will Be Largest US Surface Combatant Since WWII
USNI News
The centerpiece of the Trump administration’s revamp of the U.S. Navy is the largest surface combatant America will build since World War II. The U.S. Navy will buy two new “battleships” as part of the “Golden Fleet” effort, President Donald Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Navy Secretary John Phelan announced Dec. 22 at Mar-a-Lago.
California Air Guard Team Pulls Off ‘High Risk’ Night Rescue from Fog-Covered Cruise Ship
Task & Purpose
Poor visibility. Strong winds. Heavy fog. Even by the standards of the pilots and rescue teams of the California Air National Guard’s 129th Rescue Wing, a night mission last week to a fog-covered ocean liner was considered “high risk.”
