Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, Joint Chiefs Chairman, declared at a news conference on March 31 “the upcoming days will be decisive” in the war with Iran.
Since the United States and Israel launched their war against Iran on Feb. 28, the Trump administration claims to have all but “obliterated” the Islamic Republic’s military capabilities. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declared last week that “never in recorded history has a nation’s military been so quickly and so effectively neutralized.” But after more than a month of punishing U.S.-Israeli airstrikes, a degraded Iranian military nonetheless remains a stubborn foe.
President Trump suggested the war with Iran will end soon as the national average for a gallon of gas rose to over four dollars. NBC News’ Garrett Haake reports.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is slated to testify before the House Armed Services Committee at the end of next month, addressing the panel publicly for the first time since the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran started, a source familiar with the matter told The Hill on March 31.
A critical U.S. Air Force radar plane damaged by an Iranian attack this past weekend is a significant loss and harms the military’s battlespace awareness for missions in the Middle East and beyond, defense experts say.
The Defense Department is moving forward with an autonomous drone swarm initiative that aims to give the U.S. military new tools for locating and destroying targets on the battlefield.
Fielding more hardened shelters to better protect U.S. forces at bases in the Middle East is now a top priority in the face of Iranian attacks, according to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.
U.S. military commanders were worried in recent years that the bases they were using in Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf states would be vulnerable to Iranian missile and drone attacks. They proposed stationing key aircraft during a conflict in the western part of the kingdom, a safer distance away from Tehran. It never happened.
Rheinmetall announced it is collaborating with Boeing to offer the MQ-28 Ghost Bat as a Collaborative Combat Aircraft solution to the German Air Force. The “strategic partnership” with the U.S. giant is targeting Berlin’s 2029 timeframe for a CCA to enter service, according to a Rheinmetall company statement.
More key European allies are restricting U.S. military access as the Trump administration presses ahead with its war against Iran, with both France and Spain moving to block U.S.-linked aircraft from using their airspace or bases.
The Air Force has reactivated a squadron in Nevada that flies the MQ-9 Reaper, the unmanned, heavily armed drone that is entering its third decade of flying. The 42nd Attack Squadron at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada, was the first unit in the Air Force to fly the Reaper, beginning in 2006, clocking over 180,000 combat hours over Afghanistan across 13 years before going “dormant” in 2020.
Being a fighter pilot in the Air Force, Josh Gunderson was familiar with high-stress situations. To stay alert and sharp, Gunderson would rely on tobacco for the nicotine kick and a way to wind down. Eventually, he quit tobacco products and began using nicotine pouches to stem his cravings. He knew this wasn’t a healthy alternative.
