Chris Gordon
Chris Gordon is the Pentagon Editor at Air & Space Forces Magazine. He has broad journalism and communications experience, and developed a keen interest in defense policy and aerospace during a year on Capitol Hill where he worked with the Senate Armed Services Committee. As a reporter, he has covered everything from national security to hockey for a variety of publications, including The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. Chris serves on the Board of Directors of Military Reporters & Editors, a non-profit organization for journalists covering the military, national security, and homeland defense. Chris can be contacted at cgordon@afa.org.
Recent stories by Chris Gordon
New Report: Many Failures in $450 Million B-1 Crash ‘Not a One-Time Occurrence’ Among Units
A high-profile crash of a B-1B Lancer at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., earlier this year destroyed the $450 million bomber and was caused by a cascading series of aircrew missteps, overlooked information, and an overall lax culture in units at the base, according to ...
NORAD Fighters Intercept Russian, Chinese Bombers Near Alaska
Russian and Chinese bombers were intercepted off the coast of Alaska by American and Canadian fighter jets on July 24, marking a rare case in which bombers from the increasingly aligned countries simultaneously ventured near U.S. territory. Two Russian TU-95 Bear and two Chinese H-6 ...
B-2 Test Launches New Low-Cost Anti-Ship Weapon at Warship in the Pacific
The U.S. military conducted an unusual exercise recently during which a U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bomber helped sink a decommissioned U.S. warship in the Pacific using relatively inexpensive GPS-guided bombs.
CMSSF: As Space Force Moves Ahead with New Force Generation Model, ‘Unknowns’ Remain
How the Space Force prepares its personnel to train and fight wars continues to evolve, Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force John F. Bentivegna told Air & Space Forces Magazine in an interview during his first visit to U.S. Central Command as CMSSF.
B-52s Mark Historic Firsts with Finland and Romania, Intercepted by Russia
Two B-52 Stratofortress bombers flew through Finnish airspace for the first time over the weekend, before landing in Romania for their first ever bomber task force in the country.
NATO Sounds Alarm on China’s Advances in Space and Nuclear, Ties with Russia
NATO leaders gathered in Washington, D.C. for the alliance's 75th anniversary summit said they were alarmed at China's ambitions and aggression in nuclear, space, and cyberspace on top of its deepening ties with Russia.
F-16 Fighters Now En Route to Ukraine, Operations to Start This Summer
Much-anticipated F-16 fighters have started being delivered to Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed July 10 at the NATO Public Forum held in Washington, D.C. While Blinken did not reveal how many fighters will be included in the initial batch, a joint statement from ...
‘A Chunk Taken Out of His Spine’: F-16, KC-46 in Refueling Incident over Europe
A U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter and a KC-46 Pegasus tanker were involved in an aerial refueling incident off the coast of the Netherlands on June 27, service officials told Air & Space Forces Magazine.
B-52s Take Off from US Base with JASSM Cruise Missiles for ‘Unique’ Exercise
Airmen from Barksdale Air Force Base's 2nd Bomb Wing carried out an unusual exercise June 10-13 during which they loaded AMG-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles, or JASSMs, onto B-52H Stratofortresses to test their ability to conduct long-range conventional airstrike missions.
How a Small Fleet of E-11A Business Jets Allow USAF to Communicate Across the Middle East
Amid the reduction in America's airpower in the Middle East, one asset has proven its resilience: the E-11A Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN) aircraft of the 430th Expeditionary Electronic Combat Squadron. Air & Space Forces Magazine had a rare opportunity to talk to the Airmen who ...
Behind the Scenes at NATO’s One-on-One Fighter Competition
In the span of roughly eight hours, 37 NATO fighters took off in rapid succession. The one-on-one fighter competition conducted on June 6 was a first for U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFA) and Ramstein Air Base. The pilots did not know who they ...
USAF B-52 Bombers Fly Over Baltics Near Russian Territory
Two B-52 Stratofortresses from a U.S. Air Force bomber task force flew over the Baltics and Eastern Europe on May 28, U.S. Air Forces in Europe said. The pair of B-52s were escorted by Spanish F-18 Hornets, German Eurofighter Typhoons, and Polish MiG-29s.
Belgium Pledges F-16s to Ukraine ‘as Quickly as Possible.’ F-35 Deliveries Could Complicate Things
Belgium pledged to provide Ukraine with more than two dozen F-16s in a pact agreed to by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo during the Ukrainian leader’s visit to the country on May 28. The F-16s will be delivered “as ...
PHOTOS: B-1 Bombers Deploy to the Pacific as China Drills Around Taiwan
B-1 Lancer bombers are on a bomber task force mission to Guam amid high tensions in the region, Pacific Air Forces announced on May 23. There has been heavy military activity in the Pacific following the May 20 inauguration of Taiwanese president Lai Ching-te, who ...
First Ukrainian Pilots Graduate US F-16 Training
Multiple Ukrainian pilots have graduated from their F-16 training course at the Air National Guard’s 162nd Wing in Tucson, Ariz., Arizona National Guard spokesperson Capt. Erin Hannigan said. The 162nd Wing is the U.S. Air Force’s training unit for foreign F-16 pilots.