Editor’s Note
The Daily Report will not publish Monday, Feb. 16, in observance of Washington’s Birthday. We will be back in your inbox Tuesday, Feb. 17.
Space Force, Aiming to Double in Size, Blows Past Recruiting Goal
To meet growing demand for national security space capabilities, the Space Force's top enlisted leader says it needs to double in size. The Space Force has already surpassed its recruiting goals for fiscal 2026.
Pentagon to Restock Massive Ordnance Penetrator Bombs Dropped by B-2s on Iran
The U.S. military is moving to restock its supply of the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator bunker-busting bombs it used against Iran's underground nuclear facilities last June, according to Air Force documents.
ULA Successfully Launches Space Force Mission, Despite Booster Anomaly
United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket flew its second Space Force mission in the early hours of Feb. 12, carrying multiple Space Force payloads to geosynchronous orbit.
CMSAF: Air Force Working on 17 New Child Care Centers
The Air Force’s senior enlisted leader told lawmakers that the service is working on 17 new on-base child care facilities to reduce a space shortfall and clear a backlog of Airmen’s children waiting for slots.
Radar Sweep
US Vacates a Key Military Base in Syria
The Wall Street Journal
U.S. troops have vacated a strategic military base in southeast Syria and turned it over to government forces, the U.S. military said, ending a decade-long presence as part of a drawdown of American troops in the country. Syria’s military said Feb. 12 that it had taken control of the Al Tanf base and secured the area in coordination with the U.S.
US Aircraft Carrier Will Be Sent to the Middle East From Venezuela, Officials Say
The New York Times
The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and its escort ships deployed to the Caribbean will be sent to the Middle East and are not expected to return to their home ports until late April or early May.
AeroVironment's LOCUST Counter-Drone Laser Used by US Army Near El Paso Airport
Reuters
The U.S. Army deployed AeroVironment Inc’s LOCUST laser counter-drone weapon system near El Paso International Airport on Feb. 11, leading to a seven-hour airspace shutdown. The use of the 20-kilowatt LOCUST direct-energy weapon is a rare known example of the U.S. deploying cutting-edge counter-drone technology capable of defeating flying objects at a fraction of the cost of traditional interceptor missiles.
DHS Taps Fortem to Defend Us World Cup Venues From Drones
Breaking Defense
Airspace security company Fortem Technologies will protect 2026 FIFA World Cup matches in the U.S. from hostile drones under a “multimillion-dollar order” from the Department of Homeland Security.
Air Force Begins Testing Mission Autonomy Package for CCA Prototypes
DefenseScoop
The Air Force announced Feb. 12 that it is integrating and testing the mission autonomy package for its Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) prototypes—moving the program one step closer to a production decision this year.
Russia Will Uphold Nuclear Weapons Limits of Expired Treaty, Foreign Minister Says
Defense News
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the country’s parliament that Moscow will continue adhering to the numerical limits of the expired New START nuclear weapons limitation treaty, provided Washington does the same.
Judge Temporarily Blocks Hegseth from Punishing Kelly for Video
The New York Times
A federal judge on Feb. 12 temporarily blocked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth from punishing Senator Mark Kelly, Democrat of Arizona, for participating in a video that warned Active-duty service members not to follow illegal orders.
No Evidence Women in Combat Roles Lower Standards, Top Enlisted Leaders Say
Air Force Times
Top enlisted leaders from each service told lawmakers Feb. 11 that they support women serving in any role in the military, including combat arms, if they meet the established standards. Enlisted leaders from the five services, as well as the senior enlisted adviser to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, added that they have yet to see any indication that women serving in combat units have caused standards to lower.
House Leaders Say Lawmakers Can’t Attend Munich Security Conference as Official Delegation
POLITICO
House Republican leaders are telling lawmakers traveling to the Munich Security Conference on their own dime that they will no longer be able to attend as part of an official House delegation
Pentagon Strategist Sees Less US-Dependent NATO as Europe Steps Up Defense Spending
Stars and Stripes
Greater investment in defense by allies has put NATO in a position of allowing members to “march out together” in partnership amid a more limited American military posture in Europe, the Pentagon’s top strategist said Feb. 12.
The Military Really Wants People to Stop Trespassing on Its Test Range in the Desert
Task & Purpose
You would think it’s easy to keep people from wandering across barren stretches of wasteland littered with unexploded ordnance, but apparently that’s not the case for a military test range in the Arizona desert, especially during peak tourist season. Yuma Proving Ground police have had to crack down on trespassers on the 1,300-square-mile range, where the services test their latest experimental tech and regularly conduct live-fire training exercises—both of which are inherently dangerous and make it a less-than-ideal place to meander aimlessly.
