AEW 2.0: Air Force Revises Deployment Model Again
The Air Force is revising once again its deployment model, scrapping its plans for "deployable combat wings" and revamping the Air Expeditionary Wing with a new AEW 2.0 model.
Space Force’s Newest Reconnaissance Satellites Could Come Online by 2030
The Space Force plans to award initial contracts as soon as next month for a fleet of small, maneuverable satellites designed to monitor activity in geosynchronous orbit that could be online as soon as 2030, service officials said Jan. 23.
Space Force Program Office Turns to New Acquisition Tools to Leverage Commercial
Space Force leaders have been saying for months that they are uniquely prepared among the services to embrace the Trump administration's acquisition reforms. Now, officials from the Program Executive Office for Battle Management, Command, Control, Communications and Intelligence, or BMC3I, are implementing some of those reforms
Last Combat Flights of the Vietnam War
On the day cease-fire agreements ending the war in Vietnam are signed in Paris, crews flying Boeing B-52 Stratofortresses bomb logistics targets such as truck parks and storage areas south of the 20th Parallel. At 4:10 p.m. local time, the...
Radar Sweep
Aircraft Carrier Reaches Middle East, Bolstering Iran Options for Trump
The Washington Post
A U.S. aircraft carrier and several additional warships reached the Middle East on Jan. 26, defense officials said, as President Donald Trump and his advisers weigh potential military strikes on Iran following the recent killing of thousands of Iranian civilians in protests.
Army Awards Salesforce $5.6 Billion Software Deal
The Wall Street Journal
The Army signed a $5.6 billion, 10-year contract with cloud-software provider Salesforce, giving the military access to the company’s technology with the goal of speeding up antiquated and outdated practices.
Trump Reveals ... Secret ‘Discombobulator’ Weapon Was Crucial to Venezuelan Raid on Maduro
The New York Post
President Trump told The Post that a secret new weapon he calls “The Discombobulator” was essential to the daring U.S. raid that captured Venezuela’s drug-dealing dictator Nicolas Maduro.
Critics See ‘Chilling Effect’ of DOD Crackdown on 8(a) Small-Biz Deals
Defense News
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Jan. 16 lambasted a decades-old contracting program that provides business opportunities for small and disadvantaged businesses, calling it a breeding ground for fraud and disparaging it as a “DEI” effort. But experts and an executive from a firm that uses such contracts say the level of fraud critics like Hegseth alleged has been greatly exaggerated.
Pentagon Broadens Counter-Drone Authorities in Bid to Shore Up Vulnerable US Bases
DefenseScoop
The Pentagon said it consolidated policies around protecting American military facilities from drone threats after unclear guidance that left base commanders scrambling on how to respond and years of increased unmanned aerial system sightings over key Defense Department assets.
New E-4C Doomsday Plane Could Take on Airborne ICBM Launcher Role
The War Zone
he U.S. Air Force is in the process of taking back responsibility for the Airborne Command Post mission, better known by the nickname Looking Glass. ABNCP is a nuclear command and control mission set, which involves relaying orders to nuclear-capable bombers and silo-based Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles. In turn, the service is working up new requirements for future aircraft serving in this role, which are commonly referred to as ‘doomsday planes,’ and one option might be the forthcoming Boeing 747-based E-4C Survivable Airborne Operations Center jets.
In Xi’s China, Even the Mightiest General Can Fall
The New York Times
When Gen. Zhang Youxia met with U.S. officials in Beijing in 2024, he exuded the confidence of a man who was seen as the most trusted deputy in the military of China’s top leader, Xi Jinping.
PODCAST: Pacific Threat Update: Taiwan Assessment
The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies
The global security environment is near a fever pitch, but China remains the focal threat facing the United States. The dominant issue shaping that challenge is Taiwan. Join us for an in-depth assessment as Mitchell Institute’s Mike Dahm discusses his recent trip to the region.
An A-10 Warthog Named ‘Diddy Kong’ Is Operating in the Middle East
Task & Purpose
The A-10 Thunderbolt II, better known as the “Warthog,” has been a major part of U.S. combat operations in the Middle East in recent years, even as the Air Force works to wind down its service. And recently A-10s have been spotted in the region sporting some video game-related nose art.
