Air Force Secretary Deborah James approved a new decoration for Active Duty airmen, Air National Guard members, and Air Force Reservists directly involved in the strategic nuclear deterrence mission, announced service personnel officials on Monday. Dubbed the Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal, this decoration is aimed at “attracting and retaining high-caliber airmen in the nuclear mission,” states the June 2 release. Air Force officials at the Pentagon have not yet finalized eligibility criteria, according to the release. This announcement closely follows Air Force Global Strike Command’s efforts to reform the ICBM and nuclear-capable bomber career fields and fix assessment standards in the wake of the command’s missileer cheating scandal last year. Approval for the medal came on May 27.
NASA Boss: Race to Moon Has National Security Stakes
Sept. 15, 2026
NASA is pushing hard to get astronauts back to the moon by 2028—and the urgency is driven in no small part by the national security implications of doing so before China does, Administrator Jared Isaacman said Sept. 15.
