Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey last week hosted Gen. Shigeru Iwasaki, his Japanese counterpart, at the Pentagon as part of ongoing activities to strengthen bilateral security ties. Dempsey called the two countries’ alliance “long and very enduring” and said the United States and Japan are committed to improving and building on that partnership. Among the topics during their Aug. 23 meeting, Dempsey and Iwasaki discussed joint operations and expanding cooperation into areas like cyberspace and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, according to a Pentagon release. They also spoke about the US deployment of Marine Corps V-22 tiltrotor airplanes to Okinawa. “The Osprey is our next generation of tactical airlift, and so very important to our modernization efforts in our future,” said Dempsey. The United States wants “very much to assure the people of Okinawa, and the Japanese people, in general, that it will be safe to operate,” he added. (AFPS report by Amaani Lyle)
CCA’s AI Pilots Step into the Spotlight
March 9, 2026
Just one year ago, Collaborative Combat Aircraft took center stage as then-Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin designated the two competing jets prototypes as the first unmanned fighters in Air Force history: General Atomics’ YFQ-42A and Anduril Industries’ YFQ-44A. Twelve months later, it’s the autonomy software that’s flying those aircraft garnering the attention. Autonomy software, more than hardware, may prove the most valuable and enduring element of the CCA program.