The new nuclear race has begun. But unlike during the Cold War, the U.S. must prepare for two peer rivals rather than one—at a time when it has lost its clear industrial and economic edge. China, which long possessed just a small nuclear force, is catching up fast, while Russia is developing a variety of new-generation systems aimed at American cities.
As lawmakers negotiated an end to the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, they added hundreds of millions of dollars for projects related to the B-21 bomber and Sentinel ICBM programs.
The new Pentagon task force established to counter threats posed by small drones on Nov. 14 announced the creation of a hub for agencies to purchase counter-drone equipment and ways to improve how these systems work together. The effort comes as the U.S. faces an increasing number of incursions over these facilities, and about a year after a spate of them began popping up across the continent.
Hundreds of federalized National Guard troops will begin leaving Portland and Chicago in the coming days, weeks after they were ordered to the cities by the Trump administration to aid law enforcement deal with what it called rampant crime and chaos.
The Energy Department and Air Force in August successfully carried out the first tests dropping unarmed B61-12 nuclear gravity bombs from an F-35A fighter, the laboratory in charge of overseeing nuclear weapons said this week.
Boeing has flown a new vision system on the company’s troubled KC-46 Pegasus air refueler for the first time, the firm’s defense chief revealed, a key step toward resolving an issue that has plagued the platform for years. Speaking during a roundtable with reporters ahead of the Dubai Airshow, Steve Parker also disputed that cost increases influenced the U.S. Air Force’s decision to ditch Boeing’s E-7 Wedgetail, emphasizing that questions over capability alone drove a rupture whose ripple effects have seemingly prompted NATO to similarly abandon aspirations for the radar plane.
Colombia on Nov. 14 signed an agreement for 17 Gripen E/F fighter jets, with a value of €3.1 billion ($3.6 billion), according to a statement by Saab. The deal covers 15 Gripen E one-seater aircraft, along with two Gripen F two-seaters and a host of equipment and weapons, the Swedish company announced. Delivery of the jets will take place between 2026 and 2032.
Boeing has high hopes of securing more F-15 Eagle orders in the Middle East, specifically targeting Saudi Arabia for potential sales of the F-15EX and upgrades of the country’s C/D model fleet.
U.S. Marines in Haiti exchanged gunfire this week with suspected gang members, U.S. military officials said Nov. 15, in an incident that highlights the precarious security environment in the island nation.
The Air Force is facing a readiness crisis, one that threatens our Airmen’s ability to prevail in a peer conflict. A key constraint is the inability to accurately replicate advanced adversary capabilities on open-air, live-fly ranges. Between constrained physical range space, electromagnetic spectrum challenges, and operational security, it’s tough. Heather “Lucky” Penney digs into this topic with CAE’s Nick “Master” Yates and Matt Martin.
By the end of World War II, a new tradition had emerged: trading rescued pilots and aviators for ice cream. Rescue teams would save a fellow service member, but if they wanted to get back to their base, it would cost them.
