Todd South
Todd South served in the U.S. Marine Corps, deploying to Iraq during the Iraq War in 2003. He then attended the University of Georgia, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism. He later worked at the Red & Black, the Anniston Star, the Chattanooga Times Free Press, The Record and Military Times. Todd earned his MFA in nonfiction writing from Goucher College and was named a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2014 for local reporting.
Recent stories by Todd South
Guard F-16s Kept Pace on Kadena Deployment, but Edge Wears Thin
An F-16 Air National Guard unit’s six-month deployment to Kadena Air Base, Japan, this year illustrated the capabilities the Guard’s oldest fighter units can still offer—but also the challenges they face, officials told reporters this week.
Last EC-130H Makes Its Final Flight Ahead of Retirement
The last EC-130H Compass Call in the Air Force’s active inventory made its final flight Sept. 2, as the service prepares to retire the venerable electronic warfare aircraft and pivot to the new EA-37B.
USAF Tests C2 Capabilities Across Thousands of Miles in High-Stress Virtual Exercise
The Air Force recently conducted a virtual stress test of its command-and-control capabilities, linking Air Operations Centers in New Mexico and the United Kingdom and forcing commanders to run personnel recovery and strikes under simulated fire.
AFRL Seeks Payload-Agnostic, Affordable Hypersonic Cruise Missile
The Air Force Research Laboratory has signaled to industry it wants to develop a low-cost hypersonic cruise missile to deliver a wide range of payloads at a range up to 500 nautical miles.
$100M Software Contract Will Streamline How Air Force Manages Aircrews
The Air Force has issued a $100 million contract to combine its long-disjointed systems for managing aircrew readiness with software that is expected to reach initial operational capability next year, starting with the T-6A Texan II and the C-17 Globemaster III.
Voorheis Takes Helm of Life Cycle Management Center with $400B Portfolio
Lt. Gen. Jason D. Voorheis has taken command of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, a sprawling organization with a $400 billion portfolio, establishing him as one of the service’s top acquisition officials.
Q&A: The Future of Air Force Cyber Systems and Warfighter Comms
Just over a year ago, in July 2025, the Air Force established a dedicated office on the Air Staff for communications/cyber functions, separate from the intelligence directorate it had long been attached to. Brig. Gen. Jeffrey A. Phillips, Deputy Chief of Staff for Warfighter Communications ...
How a Failed PT Test Inspired an Airman to Create a Fitness App for Troops Everywhere
An Air Force captain has created a mobile app any service member can use to get “actionable guidance” on improving or maintaining their physical fitness.
F-35s from Misawa Deploy for First Red Flag in Alaska
The 13th Fighter Squadron from Misawa Air Base, Japan, deployed its new F-35A fighters to a major exercise for the first time, sending them to Pacific Air Forces’ premier air combat training event: Red Flag-Alaska.
SOUTHCOM Conducts First Drug Boat Strike Under New Counter-Cartel Task Force
U.S. Southern Command recently announced its first lethal strike on a suspected narco-trafficking vessel in two months, and the first under a newly formed permanent counter-cartel task force. The U.S. is also reportedly planning to transfer MQ-9 drones to Colombia to bolster its counter-cartel efforts.
Air Force ‘Closely Following’ Navy’s New Long-Range Air-to-Air ‘Malice’ Missile
A new Navy missile could fill a long-range air-to-air need for the U.S. Air Force’s fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-generation fighters. The Navy’s portfolio acquisition executive for munitions posted information on the AIM-424 Long Range Air-to-Air Missile online on Aug. 22, the same day it unveiled ...
Osan Drills Target North Korea’s Growing Drone Threat
Some 50 miles from the border with North Korea, U.S. and South Korean forces recently executed their first counter-drone defense drills targeting medium-sized systems, which the North Korean military has has prioritized based on Russia and Iranian models.
US, S. Korea Scale Back Exercise on Trump’s Orders as PACAF Reviews Drills
The joint U.S.-South Korea Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise will end Aug. 21, a week earlier than previously planned, at the behest of President Donald Trump—a move that comes as U.S Air Force is already reviewing its exercise schedule in the Pacific.
Air Forces Southern Focuses on Intel Sharing for Major SOUTHCOM Exercise
A major U.S. Southern Command exercise this month brought representatives from 10 Latin American countries to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., for the air component of the event, with a focus on intelligence sharing for coordinating air operations.
New Space Force EW Unit Pairs Multiple Weapon Systems in a First
The Space Force's recently activated 1st Electromagnetic Warfare Squadron is its first unit to combine the Bounty Hunter system with the new Meadowlands, part of a larger push to field and operate powerful EW capabilities across the force.
