First USAF F-35s Permanently Based in Japan Arrive at Misawa
Misawa Air Base welcomed its first permanently assigned F-35A fighters March 28, marking the first time the Air Force has based F-35s in Japan.
Construction Begins on Prototype Silo for New Sentinel ICBM
The Air Force and industry partners have broken ground on a prototype launch silo for the service’s next-generation Sentinel nuclear intercontinental ballistic missile.
New Acquisition Czars Say They’re Not Trying to Blow Up the System
Pentagon leaders, eager to move fast and avoid pitfalls that have plagued defense acquisition in the past, are handing authorities and oversight for some of their biggest programs to officers outside the traditional structure. But the Air Force and Space Force four-stars given those responsibilities say they don’t intend their jobs to be a permanent change to the system.
Missile Cancer Study Finds Increased Rate of Two Cancers Based on More Data
Air Force Global Strike Command has found increased rates of testicular cancer and Hodgkin lymphoma in the nuclear intercontinental ballistic missile community compared to other service career specialties, service officials said March 27.
NGA Launches New Small Sats to Measure Earth’s Magnetic Field
Small satellites meant to improve the way the U.S. measures Earth’s magnetic field—an option to expand the military’s position, navigation, and timing enterprise—launched March 30 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif.
Radar Sweep
Special Operations Forces, Marines, and Army Troops Now in Middle East, Sources Say
CBS News
Hundreds of U.S. Special Operations Forces, including Navy SEALs and Army Rangers, are now in the Middle East, as well as thousands of Marines and Army paratroopers, according to sources familiar with the deployments.
First Set of Defensive Cyber Kits to Be Delivered to CYBERCOM Units
Breaking Defense
Sealing Technologies, a Parsons subsidiary, is set to deliver the first batch of new defensive cyber kits to four units March 31, the company told Breaking Defense. The capability, dubbed Joint Cyber Hunt Kit, will provide defensive cyber warriors at U.S. Cyber Command standardized kits to conduct hunt missions for the first time.
Gulf Allies Privately Make the Case to Trump to Keep Fighting Until Iran Is Decisively Defeated
The Associated Press
Gulf allies of the United States, led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, are urging President Donald Trump to continue prosecuting the war against Iran, arguing that Tehran hasn’t been weakened enough by the monthlong U.S.-led bombing campaign, according to U.S., Gulf, and Israeli officials.
OPINION: Iran Shows the Emerging Crisis of the US Airborne Battle Management Fleet
Breaking Defense
“Operation Epic Fury has highlighted airborne battle management aircraft’s indispensable role: coordination in a congested and dynamic airspace, and an unmatched ability to identify and orchestrate responses to low-flying drones and cruise missiles. But the operation has also thrown the spotlight on the dilemmas of a limited fleet—even before an E-3 was reportedly damaged by Iranian weapons,” writes Philip Sheers, an associate fellow with the Defense Program at the Center for a New American Security.
White House Signals Willingness to End Iran War Without Reopening Strait of Hormuz
TIME
Ensuring safe passage for oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz is not one of the “core objectives” President Donald Trump has set for ending his military operation against Iran, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on March 30.
AFA Invites Airmen, Guardians to Apply for Pitsenbarger Awards
AFA
The Air & Space Forces Association (AFA) is inviting enlisted Airmen and Guardians to apply for its prestigious Pitsenbarger Awards. The standard Pitsenbarger Award provides a $750 cash grant to select USAF and USSF enlisted personnel who are graduating from the Community College of the Air Force and plan to pursue a baccalaureate degree.
Missile-Wielding Airbus Interceptor Engages One-Way Attack Drone in Test
Defense News
Airbus tested a jet-powered interceptor armed with missiles from defense startup Frankenburg Technologies to engage a one-way attack drone, with the companies trumpeting their solution as a cost-effective way of defending against such drones.
Air Force, Space Force Get New CIO
DefenseScoop
The Department of the Air Force announced March 28 that Keith Hardiman has been approved to serve as its chief information officer. Hardiman’s appointment marks the first time the DAF has had a permanent CIO since March 2025, when Venice Goodwine left the position. He steps into the role after having served as the DAF’s acting deputy CIO and will now oversee the Air and Space Forces’ IT, cybersecurity, data and artificial intelligence initiatives.
Dozens Of A-10 Warthogs Appear Poised oo Join Epic Fury
The War Zone
With the iconic attack jet now in the twilight of its career, there are signs that the A-10C Warthog is set to deploy to the Middle East region for Operation Epic Fury. Such a deployment might well provide the combat swan song for the A-10, which the U.S. Air Force plans to retire for good by the end of the decade, if not sooner.
Spain Closes Airspace to US Warplanes in Iran Operation
The Hill
Spain won’t allow American aircraft involved in the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran to fly in its airspace, a move likely to further drive a wedge between the two NATO allies.
America Downs Cheap Drones With Million-Dollar Missiles. A Fix Is In the Works.
The Wall Street Journal
The U.S. is shooting down cheap Iranian drones with missiles that can cost upward of a million dollars. Jason Cornelius is making a missile in Texas that he says will cost $10,000. The former NASA engineer’s company is one of a host of startups and big defense contractors racing to develop cheaper missiles to intercept the drones that now are proliferating in modern warfare.
Army Launches ‘Administrative Review’ of Apache Flyby over Kid Rock’s Home
Task & Purpose
The Army is looking into how two AH-64 Apache helicopters ended up hovering over and buzzing past the home of singer Kid Rock. Army Maj. Jonathon Bless, a spokesperson for the 101st Airborne Division, confirmed to Task & Purpose on Monday that officials at the unit’s home of Fort Campbell, Kentucky, were conducting a review, in light of the video, which the singer posted March 29.