Matthew Cox
Matthew Cox has been a defense reporter since 1998. Prior to working for three years in media relations at Thales, he worked for Military.com from 2011 to 2021, covering Army and Marine Corps readiness and modernizations with a focus on weapons development and procurement. Before that he worked for more than 12 years at Army Times. He focused on modernization, training, and readiness as well as covering light infantry units in combat in both Afghanistan from 2002 to 2008. He also spent four years in the U.S. Army during the second half of the 1980s, serving as an infantryman in the 82nd Airborne Division.
Recent stories by Matthew Cox
Airmen and Guardians Must Undergo Gas Mask Seal Tests as Part of Shaving Crackdown
The Department of the Air Force is giving Airman and Guardians until the end of the year to meet new requirements for ensuring they achieve a proper protective mask seal, part of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s crackdown on unauthorized facial hair.
Space Force Honor Guard Gets a New Uniform with Blue Accents
Space Force Honor Guard members recently unveiled the unit’s ceremonial service dress uniform, the latest step in the new service’s journey to create its own distinctive visual appearance.
Virtual Foundations Courses Coming for Enlisted Airmen in PME Reorg
The Air Force plans to offer virtual enlisted Foundations courses Airmen can take at their convenience as part of a larger effort to modernize enlisted professional military education, or EPME.
Air Force Inks Deal for New Dorms at Medical Training Campus
The Air Force is negotiating a potential $1.4 billion deal to replace five dormitories—reportedly suffering from mold, failing air conditioning systems, and foundational defects—that housed thousands of U.S. military medical trainees at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
Air Force Wants New Family of Target Drones Ranging from Expendable to Sophisticated
The Air Force is looking for a new family of drones to serve as aerial targets for test missions, ranging from cheap, expendable quadcopters to large, reusable aircraft that can mimic fifth-generation enemy fighters.
Nellis HH-60Ws Rescue Navy Helicopter Crew in California Mountains
Search and rescue Airmen from Nellis Air Base, Nev., flew more than 200 miles in two HH-60W Jolly Green IIs last week to rescue five of their Navy helicopter crew counterparts who were forced to land in mountainous terrain near Naval Air Weapons Station China ...
DOD Leader Calls for Counter-Drone, Airborne Directed Energy Weapons
A top Pentagon tech official called on industry this week to help the military develop “lighter, more efficient” directed energy weapons designed to go on aircraft and conduct special operations missions or down drones—areas where the Air Force’s directed energy efforts have been quiet as ...
Watchdog Presses DOD to Fix Decaying Infrastructure at Pacific Air Bases
The Pentagon’s watchdog has identified serious concerns over corrosion, mold, and the structural decline of “critical infrastructure” at Air Force bases and other military installations in the Pacific, according to a recent report.
Air Force Wants a Drone Factory in a Box for Rapid, Remote Deployments
The Air Force wants to step up its ability to field unmanned systems with deployable manufacturing equipment for turning out small drones in austere terrain.
Air Force Promotes Fewer Staff Sergeants After Last Year’s Historic Surge
The Air Force is promoting around 12,500 Senior Airmen to staff sergeant, roughly 20 percent fewer enlisted Airmen compared to last year’s massive total.
New Air Force Program Ensures ACE Teams Speak the Right Language Downrange
The Air Force is now training hand-picked Airmen to translate the service’s wartime airfield needs into the native tongues of non-English speaking allies. These aren’t linguists; they’re Airmen from across the force, trained to patch bomb-damaged concrete runways or fix fighter aircraft.
Air Guard Dangles Bonuses to Boost Retention
The Air National Guard is offering $7,500 bonus to Guard members for a three-year reenlistment before the end of fiscal 2026, but time is running out.
USAF Issues New Rules for ‘Grooming Standards Separations’
The Department of the Air Force has released new guidance for commanders to begin separating Airmen and Guardians who have been on medical shaving profiles for too long.
Former NORAD Boss: Air Bases in US Vulnerable to Ukraine-Style Drone Attack
Air Force bases inside the U.S. are heavily guarded, but they could fall victim to the same type of spectacular drone attack that struck bomber bases deep inside Russia last year, retired Air Force Gen. Glen D. VanHerck, former head of U.S. Northern Command and ...
Experts See Urgent Need to Defend Bases from Drone Attack. Here’s What USAF Is Doing
The Air Force is racing to create a “Point Defense” force of Airmen, specially trained and equipped to protect air bases from unmanned attack more effectively than ever before. But in a new report, an expert says even more is needed to defeat the large-scale ...