House Republicans on Sept. 13 failed to move forward on a procedural vote advancing a bill to fund the Defense Department after it became clear they did not have enough votes to secure its passage. The usually noncontroversial step became tied up in a broader debate among the conference that threatens to derail negotiations over the budget as a Sept. 30 deadline to fund the government looms.
Taiwan's defense ministry said it spotted 28 Chinese air force planes in its air defense zone on Sept. 13, part of what Taipei calls regular harassment by Beijing amid heightened tensions across the Taiwan Strait. Democratically-governed Taiwan, which China views as its own territory, has complained in recent years of stepped-up Chinese military activities near the island as Beijing seeks to assert its sovereignty claims.
General Kenneth S. Wilsbach, the head of Pacific Air Forces, has offered new comments regarding China’s growing fleet of J-20 stealth fighters. Compared to the capabilities of the U.S., and those of its allies and partners, the general says that the J-20 does not constitute a “dominating aircraft at this point”—a statement which is broadly in line with insights he made on the type last year.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff have published their highly anticipated new doctrine for implementing the U.S. military’s joint warfighting concept. The document—called JP 1 Volume 1, Joint Warfighting—appears to have been quietly published on Aug. 27, although it isn’t publicly available.
The Pentagon has officially told Congress that military operations in the Pacific will not be adversely affected by the closure of the Navy's underground Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility. During a news briefing on Sept. 12, Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said that the notification “reflects the department’s ongoing commitment to defuel and ultimately close the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, while upholding our responsibility to ensure the readiness of our armed forces.”
The U.S. State Department has formally approved the sale of 25 more F-35 Joint Strike Fighters to South Korea, with an estimated price tag of $5.06 billion. In a statement posted on the website of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), the Biden administration stated that the deal “will improve the Republic of Korea’s capability to meet current and future threats by providing credible defense capability to deter aggression in the region and ensure interoperability with U.S. forces.”
Ukrainian forces are exploiting gaps in Russian jamming and spoofing capabilities, opening seams in which they make noticeable gains on the battlefield, according to a U.S. Air Force commander. While the Russian military seeks to break Ukrainian command and control and block access to the electromagnetic spectrum, used for communications and weapons guidance, among other vital tasks, Ukrainians are resilient and resourceful in their application of electronic warfare, said Col. Josh Koslov, the leader of the 350th Spectrum Warfare Wing.
Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R) is refusing to back down from his decision to hold up more than 300 nonpolitical military promotions, despite growing pressure from Senate Republican colleagues and leaders. Fellow Republican senators have criticized Tuberville’s strategy as a “mistake,” urging him to narrow his holds to Biden nominees who make policy decision and allow stalled nonpolitical military personnel to continue advancing in their careers.
On an unseasonably chilly, overcast and rainy day in late August in Poland, an electric-powered aircraft tractor towed an MQ-9A Reaper drone out of a hangar. U.S. airmen and officials stood ready to perform and observe the demonstration of a novel, mobile satellite launch and recovery package for the American drone, opening up a host of new land-based sites from which the Reaper could operation in inclement weather.
U.S. Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman said the Space Force is finalizing a blueprint for how it will integrate commercial satellite services into military activities. “One way we are enhancing our relationships with commercial partners is through a soon to be released commercial space strategy,” Saltzman said Sept. 13 at the Global Aerospace Summit organized by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
A top Pentagon official provided more details today about the Defense Department's intent to share more information with the private sector about cyberattacks, as outlined in the recently released 2023 Cyber Strategy. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Cyber Policy Mieke Eoyang, speaking during a moderated discussion at the Center for a New American Security, said DOD wants to do more to inform the private sector of threats to their networks before said threats can cause harm.
It’s becoming increasingly clear that the quickest way to expose U.S. military secrets is to become a gamer. Case in point: A War Thunder player recently posted images from the F-117 Nighthawk’s flight manual on a forum that players frequent, marking the 12th time that classified or sensitive information has been shared in the video game’s community, according to Brandon Lyttle, of the Niche Gamer website.
