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
Hegseth’s Push for Chaplains to Remove Rank Sparks Debate
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently ordered chaplains to shed their officer rank insignia to make them more approachable to lower ranks—a move that has sparked a debate over why chaplains need to be viewed as officers.
STARCOM Opens New Headquarters Building in Florida
Space Training and Readiness Command officially opened its new headquarters building in Florida this month, as the field command starts to move in earnest from Colorado. The process will hopefully be complete by 2027, Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force John F. Bentivenga told ...
New Rules for Religious Shaving Waivers: More Hurdles, Less ‘Gaming the System’?
The Pentagon recently put out new guidance for evaluating requests for religious accommodations to grooming standards—a lengthy new process that could make it more difficult for some Airmen and Guardians to keep their beards.
Air Force Special Ops Wants FPV Drones That Can Fit in a Backpack
Air Force acquisition officials are on the hunt for small, easily portable, one-way attack drones to arm special forces operators, so they can launch first-person-view precision strike missions like Ukraine has used to great effect against Russia.
Defense Budget Release Weeks Away, but $1.5 Trillion Topline Faces Pushback
The Pentagon’s top financial officer said March 17 the department’s fiscal 2027 budget request may be released in just a few weeks— but seemed to acknowledged that the projected $1.5 trillion topline of that request will face political pushback.
Loved Ones Mourn 6 Airmen Killed in KC-135 Crash
Tributes to the six crew members that died in the KC-135 Stratotanker crash in Iraq have flooded social media since the Pentagon released their identities March 14. They were the first Airmen to die while supporting Operation Epic Fury against Iran.
‘Battle Lab’ to Produce SOPs for Air Base Counter-Drone Defense
A new Air Force organization is searching for counter-drone firms to participate in a dozen or more exercises to help create operating plans by the end of this year for defending the service’s U.S.-based installations from drone attacks.
Pentagon Task Force, FAA to Test Counter-Drone Laser
The Pentagon’s counter-drone task force announced it would conduct a high-energy laser test with the Federal Aviation Administration less than a month after the use of a military counter-drone laser on the southwest border prompted the FAA to shut down the airspace over El Paso, ...
Air Force Vice Chief: No Contract for Extra KC-46s Until Deficiencies Are Fixed
The Air Force won’t finalize a new deal with Boeing for another 75 KC-46 tankers until some of the “deficiencies” with the refueler are resolved, new Vice Chief of Staff Gen. John D. Lamontagne told lawmakers March 4.
Kuwaiti F/A-18 Aircraft Suspected of Shooting Down US F-15s
Kuwaiti aircraft are suspected to be responsible for the shootdown of three U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles on March 2, people familiar with the matter told Air & Space Forces Magazine.
Air Force Updates Scoring Charts for New Fitness Test
The Air Force has released updated scoring charts for its new physical fitness test to mark the March 1 start of its three-month diagnostic test period. Airmen will begin taking the new test for the record on July 1.
AMC Boss: New Airlifter, Connectivity Are Top Problems to Solve
Air Mobility Command’s interim boss said the Air Force is behind on modernizing its airlift fleet, to include selecting a Next-Generation Airlifter to replace the service’s fleet of C-5 and C-17 workhorses—a project that faces stiff competition for resources in the service’s modernization portfolio.
CMSAF Wolfe’s Formula for Building a Winning Team
Against a backdrop of a video replay of the U.S. men's hockey team’s stunning overtime victory to win the gold medal at the Olympics, Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force David R. Wolfe presented his leadership ideals at AFA's 2026 Warfare Symposium on Feb. ...
AMC Still Open to Wide Range of Options for New Tanker, Including Family of Systems
Air Mobility Command has not ruled out a family of systems strategy for the service’s Next-Generation Air Refueling System.
Air Force Expanding ‘Airminded’ Exercises from New BMT to Tech Schools
The Air Force has restructured its tech schools to ensure new service members don’t forget that they are Airmen first despite their specialty—the primary lesson of the service’s recent transformation of basic military training.
