The Pentagon on Thursday identified the airman who died in Syria earlier this week as SSgt. Austin Bieren. Bieren, 25, of Umatilla, Ore., died March 28 in northern Syria of reported natural causes. He was assigned to the 21st Space Wing at Peterson AFB, Colo., and was deployed in support of combat operations, according to a Defense Department statement. Bieren is the second US service member to die in Syria during Operation Inherent Resolve, following the November death of Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal technician Senior Chief Petty Officer Scott Cooper Dayton.
The Pentagon's research labs are ramping up their search for munitions that can be mass-produced—an effort likely to be buoyed by billions of dollars in the department's new fiscal 2027 budget request and tens of billions in the upcoming years. While the topline information shared about the President’s defense budget…