New B-52 Radar Makes First Flight
Space Force Accepts Meadowlands SATCOM Jammers
US Troops, Interpreter Killed by ISIS Gunman in Syria as Trump Vows ‘Serious Retaliation’
Radar Sweep
JetBlue Flight Near Venezuela Avoids ‘Midair Collision’ with US Air Force Tanker
A JetBlue flight from the small Caribbean nation of Curaçao halted its ascent to avoid colliding with a U.S. Air Force refueling tanker on Dec. 12, and the pilot blamed the military plane for crossing his path.
US Forces Raid Ship, Seize Cargo Headed to Iran from China
A U.S. special operations team boarded a ship in the Indian Ocean last month and seized military-related articles headed to Iran from China, U.S. officials said, a rare interdiction operation at sea aimed at blocking Tehran from rebuilding its military arsenal.
Admiral’s Top Military Lawyer to Be Summoned in House Boat Strike Inquiry
A top House Republican plans to summon the senior military lawyer present during a controversial U.S. strike that killed the survivors of an initial attack on their alleged drug smuggling boat in the waters off Venezuela.
Israel Says It Killed Senior Hamas Commander, Despite Cease-Fire
The Israeli military said it killed one of Hamas’s top commanders in Gaza in a targeted strike on a car on Dec. 13, in what would be the most high-profile assassination of a senior figure in the militant group since the cease-fire began two months ago.
Ukraine Offers to Drop NATO Membership Demands
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he is ready to give up on demands for NATO membership in exchange for security guarantees from the U.S. and Europe, in a move aimed at advancing peace talks in Berlin.
GAO: Services Aren’t Sharing Information on Longtime Osprey Problems
The Defense Department should improve information sharing among different services and offices to improve the V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft’s safety and reduce dangerous or fatal accidents, the Government Accountability Office said Dec. 12.
US Sets New Air Force One Delivery Date for Mid-2028
The Air Force pushed back the estimated delivery date for the first of two new Air Force One jets by another year to mid-2028, giving Boeing Co. even less wiggle room to meet President Donald Trump’s demand to get plane by the end of his term.
Swiss to Reduce F-35 Fighter Jet Order from US as Costs Rise
Switzerland said on Dec. 12 it would reduce the number of Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II fighter jets it is buying from the United States so it can stick to the original budget plan after the cost of the order rose.
There’s a Divide Within the Space Force. Congress Is Forcing the Service to Address It
A year ago, the leaders of the House Armed Services Committee put the Space Force on notice. The service, they said, was putting too much focus on its operators and not enough on its acquisitions corps—an imbalance that might ultimately harm the U.S. military's ability to preserve its edge in space.
Marine Corps Continues Pathway for Troops to Switch Their MOS and Become Drone Operators
The Marine Corps is continuing to build its small unmanned aircraft system operator roster as it ramps up drone implementation across the force, according to a service message and official.
France, Spain Reassert Faith in Europe’s Next-Gen Future Fighter, but Germany Stays Mum
Coming out of the latest meeting on the troubled Future Combat Air System, France and Spain signaled their renewed commitment to the next-gen program, though key stakeholder Germany declined to join them with a public comment.
Trump Enlists 5 Allies to Counter China on Rare Earths and Tech
The Trump administration is forming a coalition to counter China’s dominant control of critical minerals and emerging power as a center of AI and other tech sectors.
Congress Wants to Screen Drone Operators for PTSD, Depression
Congress wants the Department of Defense to study psychological effects of working with uncrewed weapons. Nestled inside the large National Defense Authorization bill currently making its way through the legislature is a section calling for a “comprehensive study” on how working with uncrewed aerial systems impacts troops’ mental health.
Space Force Officials Fear Program Delays from Small Business Fund Fight
Senior Space Force acquisition officials are worried about the impact of losing the ability to award Small Business Innovation Research grants as Congress wrestles with reauthorization of Pentagon rights to use the program.
The General the Military Tried to Silence: Billy Mitchell and America’s First Modern National Security Whistleblower
By the early 1920s, Brig. Gen. William “Billy” Mitchell was one of the most senior aviation officers in the U.S. Army and its most aggressive internal critic. Drawing on his experience commanding Allied air power during World War I, Mitchell warned future wars would be decided in the air, and the U.S. military’s fixation on battleships left the country dangerously exposed.





