The U.S. Army revealed Sept. 15 its mid-range missile system, Typhon, at one of its bases in Japan for the first time as the two allies stepped up their deterrence against China’s growing assertiveness in the region. The system was featured during the annual bilateral exercise Resolute Dragon, which started last week, with more than 19,000 US and Japanese troops participating in the exercise that focuses on maritime defense and littoral protection and held across Japan, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.
Their presence seemed implausible three and a half years into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But there the two American military observers were on Sept. 15, standing on a viewing platform in Belarus, as that country’s military held joint exercises with the same Russian Army that continues to pound Ukraine in defiance of President Trump.
The Pentagon has proposed an unusual plan to develop boost-phase space-based interceptors (SBIs) that would require firms to build and launch prototypes to compete for relatively small prize awards—in the hopes that winning the trials will lead to big production contracts post-2028.
The last MC-12W Liberty turboprop surveillance aircraft under US Air Force Special Operations Command’s umbrella have been retired. This is part of a plan to free up resources to help with the fielding of the new OA-1K Skyraider II light attack aircraft, which has also been set to involve the retirement of the U-28A Draco, another turboprop surveillance plane. At the same time, AFSOC insists that the OA-1K is not a direct replacement for the MC-12Ws or the U-28As, which has prompted concerns about capability and capacity gaps.
Future attack drone swarms over Ukraine may come in the form of first-person-shooter drones produced in the country, or the new platforms Western defense companies are putting into the mix. But it’s also possible they’ll be a combination of both—old and new drones working together with minimal human interaction.
To gain the U.S. government’s trust, advanced AI systems must be engineered from the outset with reliable components offering explainability and transparency, senior federal and industry officials said Sept. 12.
President Donald Trump signed a memo Sept. 15 establishing a task force in Memphis, Tenn., that would mobilize the National Guard and other federal law enforcement agencies to crack down on crime, similar to steps taken in Washington, D.C.
In just over a month, Air Force Maj. Ross Elder will take part in a special NASA mission, during which he and three other crew members will spend more than a year living and working in an environment meant to simulate a future habitat on the surface of Mars.
