News
Search underway for missing Nimitz sailor
A sailor who disappeared during a scheduled port visit to Guam is still unaccounted for, according to local authorities and the U.S. Navy.
Fort McCoy commander suspended after Trump portrait flipped to wall
The U.S. Army has suspended a Wisconsin training base’s first female commander after discovering portraits of President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had been flipped around to face a wall.
Army makes combat arms fitness test sex-neutral, drops ball throw
The Army has reconfigured its fitness test, dropping the ball throw, making the test sex-neutral for combat arms and raising the minimum required score for 21 combat-focused jobs.
Officials launch task force to root out ‘anti-Christian bias’ in VA
Veterans Affairs leaders launched a department-wide investigation into allegations of anti-Christian bias on Monday, asking employees to report fellow staffers for any “informal policies, procedures, or unofficial understandings hostile to Christian views.”
Nationwide doorstep delivery getting closer for commissary customers
Commissary officials are getting close to awarding a contract for the doorstep delivery of groceries, said John Hall, director of the Defense Commissary Agency.
Air Force
C-17 refuels off a commercial tanker for first time in AMC history
Air Mobility Command, responsible for the Air Force’s airlift and tanker fleets, got some refueling help of its own from a commercial provider for the first time earlier this month.
Good luck figuring out the Air Force’s algorithm for shaving waivers
The Department of the Air Force’s process for determining if airmen and Space Force guardians should receive medical waivers for shaving is about as indecipherable as the infamous flow chart about counterinsurgency operations in Afghanistan from years ago.
Air Force still planning a nuclear microreactor in Alaska—and more after that
By the end of this decade, the Air Force could begin equipping up to nine bases with self-sufficient nuclear microreactors as part of an effort to unplug from local commercial power grids and satisfy a growing demand for secure, reliable power sources that are more protected from cyberattacks and natural disasters.
Air Force Academy’s staff cuts unclear amid mass resignations; Cadets assured of world-class education
While the Air Force Academy sent a letter to incoming cadets early last week reassuring them of a quality education at the school, a definitive plan for layoffs among faculty and staff is still in the works.
Dozen F-16s join back-to-back exercises with the Philippines
A dozen F-16s from Misawa Air Base are joining back-to-back exercises across the Philippines’ vast archipelago, including the northernmost major island less than 200 miles from Taiwan.
Space Force
US Space Force’s ‘space warfighting’ framework
The following is the April 2025 U.S. Space Force document, SPACE WARFIGHTING: A Framework for Planners.
Defense
Northrop loses $477M on B-21 bomber as it revamps production process
Northrop Grumman reported a $477 million loss on the B-21 Raider in the first quarter of 2025, as higher manufacturing and materials costs for making the sixth-generation stealth bomber squeeze the company.
Boeing’s defense arm is back in the black, but ‘not claiming victory’ yet
Boeing’s defense unit reported no losses last quarter, returning to profitability after nearly a year. Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg credited progress on several of its thorny programs, but cautioned that the Defense, Space & Security unit is not in the clear yet.
Saronic expands USV family with ‘Mirage’ and ‘Cipher’
Defense start-up Saronic today unveiled two new variants of its family of autonomous surface vessels, dubbed Mirage and Cipher, which measure in at 40 and 60 feet long, respectively.
Nano-material breakthrough could revolutionize night vision
A new way to make large ultrathin infrared sensors that don’t need cryogenic cooling could radically change night vision for the military or even autonomous vehicles.
New Arctic search and rescue watch adds durable features
A company that’s been constructing military-grade watches for the U.S., Canada and other nations since World War II has added an arctic version of a premier search and rescue watch to its inventory.
DOD preparing for first large-scale demonstration of spectrum-sharing tech in 2025
As Pentagon officials continue advocacy to prevent the military’s share of the electromagnetic spectrum from being sold to commercial industry, the Defense Department is looking to demonstrate emerging dynamic spectrum-sharing capabilities before the end of the year.
