Iran War Has Cost $25 Billion So Far, Pentagon Says
The war in Iran has cost about $25 billion so far, Pentagon officials told Congress on April 29, providing the first public estimate of the cost of Operation Epic Fury.
Air Force’s 5-Year Plan: $12B to Buy Nearly 28,000 Cheap Cruise Missiles
The Air Force wants to pump more than $12 billion over the next five years into its new affordable long-range missiles program and recently asked industry to push the flights of some of those munitions beyond 1,200 miles.
Air Force Requests 1.1M Flying Hours in 2027 but Says Pilots Need More
The Air Force is seeking funding to let its pilots fly a little more than 1.1 million hours in fiscal 2027, which would be the most in about four years. But even if Airmen actually do fly all 1.1 million hours, it would still be short of the 1.3 million hours the service says it truly needs.
USSF Budget Offers First Glimpse at Plans for ‘Space Data Network’
The Space Force plans to expand the scope of its data transport constellation in the next few years, kick-starting a competition to bring on new commercial capabilities and procuring nine launches in fiscal 2027 to support the hybrid satellite communications network.
Radar Sweep
Hegseth: Autonomous Warfare Sub-Unified Command Coming Soon
DefenseScoop
The U.S. military will soon have a new sub-unified command focused on autonomous warfare, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told lawmakers April 29.
SPACECOM’s FY27 Spending Boost Wish List? Empty.
Breaking Defense
U.S. Space Command will not ask for additional funds in fiscal 2027, citing the massive investment in space capabilities planned under the Trump administration’s $1.5 trillion defense budget request.
Space Force Awards First Contracts for Satellite Threat Warning Radar Payloads
Breaking Defense
The Space Rapid Capabilities Office (Space RCO), in partnership with the Space Force’s innovation arm SpaceWERX, has awarded three small companies contracts worth $3 million each to develop new radar warning receivers to equip future highly maneuverable satellites in geosynchronous Earth orbit.
Meet the 3-Star Insiders Say Will Be Space Force’s Next Top Leader
Defense One
Lt. Gen. Douglas Schiess is likely to be nominated by President Donald Trump to serve as the Space Force’s next top uniformed leader, Defense One has learned.
First USMC MQ-58 Valkyrie CCA Drones to Arrive in 2029
The War Zone
The U.S. Marine Corps wants to field its first conventional takeoff and landing Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) drones in 2029, and is also looking at the possibility of fielding similar drones with short takeoff and landing capabilities.
Trump Says US Considering Reducing Troops in Germany
POLITICO
President Donald Trump says the Pentagon is looking at withdrawing some of the nearly 40,000 American military personnel in Germany just days after the country’s leader sharply criticized the U.S.-led war in Iran.
US Aircraft Carrier to Leave Mideast, Reducing Military Might amid Iran War
The Washington Post
The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford will depart the Middle East and begin the sail for home in coming days, multiple U.S. officials said, an expected relief for roughly 4,500 sailors who have been deployed for 10 months—but a loss of significant firepower as peace talks between the United States and Iran stagnate.
US Air Force, Space Force Make ‘Explicit Shift’ in RDT&E Funding, Experts Say
Aerospace America
The U.S. Air Force and Space Force would shift their research and development funding away from early-stage work and toward the end of the development pipeline under the fiscal 2027 budget request released this month.
Scrawled in Bunkers, the ‘First Military Art’ of the Iran War Emerges
Task & Purpose
For thousands of American troops across the Middle East, the Iran War has been defined by the wavering siren just before a drone or missile attack, the dash to a bunker, and the monotony of waiting until it’s safe to emerge, sometimes hours later. And when troops hunker down—whether in a concrete shelter or porta-potty—they often chronicle their trials and tedium through graffiti. Now, photos of the new war art are starting to emerge.