Franklin Hibel
Recent stories by Franklin Hibel
US Has Doubled Its Airstrikes in Somalia, Surpassing 2024 Levels
U.S. Africa Command has ratched up airstrikes in Somalia as it looks to pressure militants there, the head of the command told reporters May 30.
Pentagon Eyes Fewer PCS Moves for Troops to Cut Costs
The Pentagon plans to reduce how often service members and their families are required to move in an effort to save money and curb stress. Defense officials have not offered a blueprint for how to make changes, but are asking the military services to come ...
Pentagon Drops Weekly ‘Five Things’ Email Requirement
The Pentagon will no longer require civilian employees to submit a weekly list of five accomplishments from the previous week, ending a monthslong requirement that was first promoted by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a senior defense official told employees in a recent ...
B-52s Kick Off Bomber Deployment to Spain
B-52H Stratofortress bombers have arrived in Spain to kick off a new European deployment as the Air Force looks to make its nuclear-armed fleets more flexible.
Pentagon Allows Trump to Use Qatari Jet as Air Force One
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has accepted a Boeing 747-8 jet from Qatar that President Donald Trump plans to use as Air Force One, the Pentagon said May 21.
Space Force Losing 14 Percent of Civilian Workers as It Faces ‘Outsize Impact’ of Pentagon Job Cuts
The Space Force is facing a 14 percent cut to its civilian workforce due to the Trump administration’s broad push to shrink the number of civilians working for the defense establishment. Instead of anticipated growth in its workforce, the Space Force’s personnel have now shrunk ...
Trump Announces Plan For Golden Dome, Led By Space Force General
President Donald Trump wants his signature Golden Dome missile defense program to be up and running before the end of his term and has tapped Space Force Vice Chief of Space Operations Gen. Michael A. Guetlein to lead the project.
Boeing Resumes KC-46 Deliveries After Work to Fix Cracks
Deliveries of Boeing’s KC-46A Pegasus tanker to the U.S. Air Force have restarted following a roughly three-month pause imposed after cracks were found in at least two brand-new aircraft. The problem was only the latest in a series that have plagued the 767-derivative.
Air Force F-15 Fighters Deploy to Protect Diego Garcia as B-52s Rotate In
Multiple U.S. Air Force F-15 fighters have deployed to the strategic outpost of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean to protect the myriad of assets deployed there, including B-52 strategic bombers.
Meink Sworn In as Air Force Secretary
Dr. Troy E. Meink was sworn in as the next Secretary of the Air Force on May 16, placing a career civil servant with extensive experience in space intelligence at the helm of the Air Force and Space Force.
EA-37 Compass Call Electronic Warfare Jet Completes First Training Mission
The Air Force’s new electronic warfare jet has flown its first training mission, a critical milestone as the service modernizes its aging fleet of jammer aircraft. An EA-37B Compass Call from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., took off for a training sortie May 2, crewed ...
How Golden Dome Will Help Create Space Superiority
The projected "Golden Dome" missile defense system could push the U.S. military to broaden its thinking on how to support space operations, the Space Force’s top planner said May 15.
Lawmakers Frustrated by Lack of Details for Trump’s Defense Budget
Senior U.S. lawmakers expressed frustration that they are being cut out of some of the Trump administration’s most central decisions on military policy and spending. Their concerns, which are shared on both sides of the aisle, concern the budget reconciliation process as well as Defense Secretary ...
USAF’s Planned E-7 Fleet on Trump’s Chopping Block
The future of the Air Force’s acquisition of 26 Boeing E-7 Wedgetail aircraft is in doubt under spending plans that are being weighed by the Trump administration.
Meink Confirmed as 27th Secretary of the Air Force
The Senate confirmed Dr. Troy Meink to be the 27th Secretary of the Air Force May 13, nearly five months after President Donald Trump picked him to be the top civilian overseeing the Air Force and Space Force. The vote was 74 to 25.