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
Air Force to Test ‘Next Airmen Up’ List to Backfill Declined Promotions to E-9
The Air Force will test out a “next Airmen up” list for the upcoming chief master sergeant promotion cycle, to identify qualified candidates should any of those selected to move up in rank decline to do so.
Air Force Now Offers Free Wi-Fi in Dorms on 25 Bases with More to Come
Airmen can now tap into free high-speed Wi-Fi in dormitories at 25 Air Force bases with more installations scheduled to come online, through a deal with with internet provider Boingo Wireless.
Flu Vaccine Now Required for Many Airmen, Guardians, and DAF Civilians
Airmen and Guardians in the Active and Reserve component, as well as civilian employees, in “mission critical and high-risk populations” are now required to receive influenza vaccinations annually to “preserve force readiness,” according to a recent Department of the Air Force memo.
New Analysis: Air Force Should Buy 250 Blended-Wing Tankers, as 2027 Demo Looms
A new think tank analysis finds a hypothetical blended-wing body tanker could offer twice as much refueling performance as the KC-46A Pegasus and recommends the Air Force buy scores of them, as the service prepares to evaluate a BWB demonstrator next year and must juggle ...
Air Force Unit Stops All Rope Training After TACP’s Rappelling Death
The Air Force unit tasked with training Tactical Air Control Party Airmen has halted all rope training events after one of its instructors was killed Oct. 17 in a rappelling demonstration in front of thousands of spectators at a college football game.
Kadena Implements Curfew, Alcohol Restrictions for Junior Troops After Japanese Civilian Dies
The top Air Force commander on the Japanese island of Okinawa has clamped down alcohol and issued a curfew for junior enlisted Airmen and Guardians at Kadena Air Base for the next month. The order came roughly two weeks after a U.S. Marine was arrested ...
NORTHCOM Wraps Radar Test to Boost Arctic Early Warning
U.S. Northern Command and multiple research organizations just wrapped up a joint, three-year experiment to test new radar technology that could enable the Northern Warning System to detect incoming threats at longer ranges across Alaska and northern Canada.
Air Force Identifies TACP Airman Killed in Alamodome Rappelling Accident
The Air Force is investigating after a Tactical Air Control Party instructor died Oct. 17 from injuries suffered during what appeared to be an uncontrolled descent during a rappelling demonstration at a college football game in San Antonio, Texas. Officials also identified the Airman as ...
What It Took to Deliver a Legendary F-117A Stealth Aircraft to the Smithsonian
More than 40 years after the original YF-117 operational prototype flew test runs from a Lockheed Martin Skunk Works facility, an F-117 returned for a $1 million refurbishment to look its best when it assumes its place in history alongside other iconic aircraft on permanent ...
ACC Mulls Commercial Counter-Drone Services for Air Base Defense
Air Combat Command is looking for defense firms capable of providing a private counter-drone service, complete with the personnel to operate it, for defending air bases across the Air Force.
Counter-Drone Task Force Taps Directed Energy Systems for December Shoot-Off
The Pentagon’s counter-drone task force recently selected four directed energy weapons it will test in a December shoot-off to identify lasers and microwave systems that could defend U.S. military installations from future aerial attacks.
Air Force Leaders Elevate Point Defense as a Key Air Warfare Mission
Flying and fixing aircraft remains the Air Force’s reason for being, but protecting air bases from attack is becoming an essential component that makes those possible. Following attacks on air bases across the Middle East during Operation Epic Fury, point defense was among the hottest ...
Air Force Adjusting Plan for Maintenance Career Overhaul from Just 7 AFSCs to 14
The Air Force will officially kick off a major overhaul of maintenance career field next year with a pilot program, but the plan for the revamp is still evolving—while officials once intended to condense 50 aircraft maintenance specialties down to just seven, now they are ...
Two Guardians Just Became the First Space Force Grads of Army Jungle School
Space Force Maj. Alyson Gleason and Capt. Stephen Richard just gave their highly technical service a tougher image by becoming the first Guardians to endure 18 punishing days of training to graduate from the Jungle Operations Training Course in Panama.
Airmen, Guardians Told to Select Religion Code from New Consolidated List
Active-Duty Airmen and Guardians have until mid-October to update their personnel records with their religious preference using the Pentagon’s new consolidated list of Religious Affiliation Codes, according to a recent Department of the Air Force announcement.