pentagon oversight

4 Keys to the Election Results for the Air & Space Forces

On the eve of Election Day, the U.S. Senate is projected to swing ever so narrowly to the Republican party, while the race for the presidency has Donald Trump and Kamala Harris in a virtual tie, and control of the House of Representatives remains anyone's guess. Regardless of who wins the White House, however, a host of changes are headed our way, many of which will impact the Air Force, Space Force, and the rest of the military family. Here are four of them.

Facing Growing Threats, Space Industry Expands Its Cyber Warning Center

The Space Information Sharing and Analysis Center, a U.S. industry-run nonprofit that helps commercial space operators share data about cyberattacks and other threats, is expanding to the U.K. and other American allies, aiming to build a global organization that will protect civilian space assets as geopolitical tensions and the dangers of extra-terrestrial war grow. 

Radar Sweep

New Challenges, New Opportunities in EW

Air & Space Forces Magazine

In recent years, Air Force leaders have put a renewed emphasis on electronic warfare, recognizing the importance of the nonkinetic fight. As new kinds of EW threats emerge from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and more, learn more about how USAF is keeping up with the change.

Taiwan Braces for US Election as China Tensions Rise

The Hill

Taiwan is bracing for the results of the U.S. election, with some officials worried about what a new Trump administration could mean given the former president’s isolationist views. On the presidential trail, Taiwan has not been a major campaign question, though a key foreign policy topic has centered on how to take on China.

OPINION: Fighters and Bombers Are What America Needs to Win—Not Quadcopters

Military Times

“On Oct. 26, Israeli F-35 stealth fighter aircraft penetrated highly defended Iranian airspace, struck a broad number of military targets and returned home safe. Days earlier, U.S. B-2 stealth bombers struck multiple deeply buried Houthi arms caches. These missions illustrate a key point: Despite trendy arguments to the contrary, the United States still requires the most advanced fighters and bombers in our arsenal if we want to win in future conflicts,” writes retired Gen. T. Michael Moseley, the 18th Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force.

New Solid-Rocket Maker Aims to Start Production Next Year

Defense One

Colorado-based propulsion company Ursa Major plans to start building solid rocket motors next year at scale—moving from concept to production in just a year and a half. The company is one of a few new entrants eyeing the solid rocket motor business—an industry that has been consolidated into two domestic suppliers: Aerojet Rocketdyne and Northrop Grumman. With global conflict straining existing production lines, the Pentagon has been trying to foster new ones.

ANALYSIS: As Election Day Looms, What Trump and Harris Presidencies Will (and Won’t) Mean for Defense

Breaking Defense

On Nov. 5, Americans will head to the polls to cast a vote for either Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump in an election where national security has taken a backseat to domestic issues like the economy, immigration and abortion rights. Neither Harris nor Trump have provided details on their defense priorities and the budget it will take to bring them to fruition. But both have spent four years in the White House, leaving plenty of clues as to how they could lead the most powerful military in the world.

Japan Has Grounded its V-22 Osprey Fleet Again After Flight Incident

The Associated Press

Japan has grounded its fleet of V-22 Osprey aircraft again after an incident Oct. 26 where one of the hybrid helicopter-aircraft tilted unexpectedly and hit the ground while trying to take off. The V-22 was taking part in the joint U.S. military exercise Keen Sword and carrying 16 passengers, including three U.S. service members. During takeoff it “became unstable as it swayed from side to side, and the left wing, the lower part of the aircraft came into contact with the ground and part of the aircraft was damaged, so the flight was aborted,” Japan’s Ground Self Defense Forces said in a statement.

Army Coyote Drone-Hunting Drones Have Scored 170 Combat Kills

The War Zone

The Army has racked up 170 kills with Coyote counter-drone interceptors in operational deployments globally. This underscores Coyote’s centrality in the service’s arsenal of systems to help tackle growing threats posed by uncrewed aerial systems.

Holm Center Honors Former ISR Deputy Chief of Staff with Distinguished Alum Award

Air Force release

Jeanne M. Holm Center for Officer Accessions and Citizen Development, located at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., inducted retired Lt. Gen. David A. Deptula, a former headquarters U.S. Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, into its Holm Center alumni program during an induction ceremony at the University of Virginia, Nov. 1, 2024.

One More Thing

Army Apache Pilot Draws a ‘Hang Loose’ Shaka Hand in Hawaii Skies

Task & Purpose

An AH-64 Apache attack helicopter pilot etched a message of good-time island vibes in a recent flight path over Hawaii. Captured by the Flightradar24 tacking site, and later shared by U.S. Army W.T.F! Moments, an Apache flying as Chaos 65 took off from Kahului Airport on the afternoon of Oct. 21 and drew a hand sign in the air before landing again, a little over an hour after takeoff.