America's top weapons developer said the nation has to accept that a Cold War-like situation has returned, and the U.S. must invest in game-changing technologies. Space defense, for example, despite boasting a new service and new thinking, is still oriented toward outmoded ideas, and the threat from China’s hypersonic weapons is particularly tough to counter, he said.

The Air Force plans to conduct a full review of its Exceptional Family Member Program. The program is intended to assist service members with special needs family members, but it has been plagued by issues, including short staffing and long waits for enrollment. Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Kaleth Wright said in a recent interview the service has received enough feedback to show that what it has devoted to the program is not working.

Miniature nuclear power units that could either provide emergency electricity for domestic bases or power for units deployed to austere locations are under development, Pentagon acquisition and sustainment chief Ellen Lord told reporters March 4. “We’re looking at small, modular nuclear reactors,” Lord said at a McAleese and Associates conference in Washington. “The concern is … what if the grid goes down?”

The Defense Department is preparing for a further outbreak of the novel coronavirus, as military laboratories help research a possible vaccine. Washington Headquarters Services is finalizing its proposal to protect the Pentagon in case of an outbreak, focusing on prevention measures and other mitigation steps to keep the military’s nerve center running, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said March 5. Military laboratories are researching the disease to potentially develop a vaccine, though that research is still in the early stages, officials said.

The United Kingdom needs to able to address threats without U.S. support, as the Pentagon continues its push toward the Indo-Pacific under the National Defense Strategy, the head of the U.K. military said March 5. U.K. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace, speaking alongside U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper at the Pentagon, said his country has at times taken for granted that the U.S. will always be there to help address a threat. But with the U.S.’ evolving foreign policy, and more tense relationship with groups such as NATO, the U.K. “should always have the ability to do what we need to do” without American help.