Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced Sept. 29 that the nation’s military academies will stop appointing civilians to tenured faculty positions. “This directly addresses the critical issues of academic stagnation and complacency that are often associated with tenure, and which threaten to dilute the academies’ primary focus on warfighting and tactical dominance,” a news release from the Department of Defense stated.
A top U.S. Air Force acquisition officer says work to set up a full production line for the F-47 sixth-generation fighter is getting closer and closer on the horizon. Prime contractor Boeing is in the midst of a nearly $2 billion expansion to its facilities in St. Louis. The F-47 program otherwise continues to progress along an aggressive schedule, with a first flight still being targeted for 2028 and the goal of production jets entering operational service in the early 2030s.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, pressed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Sept. 29 to review the military supply chains after sensitive F-35 fighter jet parts were diverted to Hong Kong and are now in China’s possession.
One year after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth summoned the U.S. military’s top uniformed leaders to Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., to lay out his vision for American forces, the troops are less bearded and tasked with more fitness tests.
In a matter of weeks, Yemen’s Tehran-backed Houthis have catapulted themselves into the heart of the conflict in the Middle East. ... Here is a look at how the Houthis have enlarged their sphere of influence to become key players in the wider war between the U.S. and Iran—and the weapons and tactics they have used to do so.
The U.S. military is expected to complete the total withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq on Sept. 30 after a 12-year presence prompted by the war against the Islamic State militant group ISIS. It will be the second time that the U.S. has withdrawn all of its military forces from Iraq.
Military officials announced a slew of awards to several defense companies Sept. 29 as part of a contract vehicle worth billions in counter-drone technology, a potentially massive haul for the Pentagon’s Domestic Shield initiative and air defense efforts.
“Ukraine’s air-defense vulnerabilities are becoming critical, and a shortage of Patriot interceptors isn’t the only problem. F-16 fighter jets are the best way to counter Russia’s new jet-powered drones that are now pounding Ukrainian civilians night and often day. But Ukraine relies on Western help to maintain its fighter-jet fleet, and delays have left most of its F-16 fleet out of commission,” writes The Wall Street Journal editorial board.
As Ukraine’s defenses struggle to keep up with Russia’s technological advances, its capital is fast becoming a frontline city. Black smoke choked Kyiv on the afternoon of Sept. 28 as waves of jet-powered Russian drones crashed into the city center, striking the National Academy of Sciences and a large, state-of-the-art medical center.
Mike Relja, a retiree in his late 70s, received an unexpected job offer from NASA about a month ago. The assignment: Help put a former NASA-operated Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird back in the air after a nearly 27-year hiatus.
