Exercise Eager Tiger 2014 officially kicked off Sunday in northern Jordan. The annual event, also known as Falcon Air Meet, allows the US and Jordanian forces to strengthen interoperability while highlighting individual strengths in weapons-loading, aircraft scramble, and first-run attack scenarios. “Eager Tiger has been the premier US Air Forces Central Command tactical air exercise with our Jordanian partners since its inception in 2004,” said AFCENT Commander Lt. Gen. John Hesterman. “This exercise is designed to challenge our military forces in a variety of disciplines in the air. Our goal is to build relationships and capabilities that will bring us closer together and enhance the region’s stability.” Royal Jordanian Air Force Maj. Ali Shabana said the exercises continues to grow each year. “The idea of the event is not just the competition itself, but the bringing together of people and sharing of ideas,” said Shabana. “When people compete, they show their best.” (See also In the Lion’s Den.)
The final version of the fiscal 2026 defense policy bill calls for adding $1.2 billion to the Space Force’s research and development accounts, an increase that’s mostly split between two efforts: expanding the service’s low-Earth orbit data transport network and boosting its space-based missile warning and tracking capabilities.
