President Trump is weighing an initial limited military strike on Iran to force it to meet his demands for a nuclear deal, a first step that would be designed to pressure Tehran into an agreement but fall short of a full-scale attack that could inspire a major retaliation.
The U.S. military leader overseeing operations and forces in Latin America met with Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodríguez in Caracas on Feb. 18, as the Trump administration continues to forge ties with the Venezuelan government after the ouster of Nicolás Maduro. Rodríguez huddled with U.S. Southern Command Commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Ambassador Laura F. Dogu—the U.S. top diplomat in Venezuela—and Joseph M. Humire, the acting assistant secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and the Americas.
China has rapidly expanded its nuclear-powered submarine fleet in recent years, and has now surpassed U.S. sub production rate, according to a new report by a London-based think tank.
Many large language models built by U.S. artificial intelligence companies struggle to handle military-related queries, limiting their warfighting utility, according to a study conducted by EdgeRunner AI.
The Pentagon will adhere to existing laws and regulations associated with surveillance, security, and democratic processes as it fast-tracks the military’s frontier AI adoption, but it won’t permit companies supplying the technology to determine its rules for operation, Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Emil Michael told DefenseScoop.
As the Pentagon and Anthropic wage an ugly and potentially costly battle, three other leading AI labs are also negotiating with the department—and deliberating internally—about the terms under which they'll let the military use their models.
Boeing is moving its defense and space business back to St. Louis after nearly a decade on the East Coast, the company announced Feb. 18.
AFA’s Ones to Watch program recognizes emerging companies making an impact in the aerospace and defense community. Eligible small and mid-size businesses are encouraged to apply and gain visibility among industry leaders.
Airbus is open to a “two-fighter solution” to break the deadlock on the future air combat system that France, Germany, and Spain are developing, Chief Executive Officer Guillaume Faury said, as work on the next-generation fighter that’s part of the program has stalled amid infighting between Airbus and Dassault Aviation.
The U.S. Navy wants to a new anti-radiation missile with a longer range than existing weapons. The Advanced Emission Suppression Missile, or AESM, “must be compatible with existing launch platforms (e.g. F-18, F-35) and infrastructure currently supporting the Navy and Air Force’s existing inventory of anti-radiation guided missiles,” according to the Navy’s Sources Sought notice.
Private adversary air company Top Aces has now begun flying its F-16 Vipers, the only ones currently in the hands of a private operator, with the ubiquitous military data link capability known as Link-16. The addition of Link-16 completes a vision started years ago for an adversary aircraft that truly represents the current fourth-generation-plus fighter threat.
The skies above the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force will become a proving ground for the future of aviation as it hosts the DARPA Lift Challenge, being run by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency from Aug. 2-9, 2026. The event challenges innovators to build unmanned aircraft, or drones, with revolutionary payload capabilities.
