News

Congress’ defense fight to focus on pay raises, total military spending
House and Senate lawmakers on Friday offered a preview of this summer’s fight over defense policy changes for next year, with overall military spending and troop pay raises hanging in the balance.

Missile Defense Agency satellites track first hypersonic launch
“Initial reports show the sensors successfully collected data after launch,” the agency said in a June 14 statement. “MDA will continue to assess flight data over the next several weeks.”

NATO approves plan to speed aid and training to Ukraine’s armed forces
NATO defense ministers on Friday approved a plan to provide reliable long-term security aid and military training for Ukraine after delays in Western deliveries of funds, arms and ammunition helped invading Russian forces to seize the initiative on the battlefield.

Short on troops, Ukraine is freeing criminals to fight
To fill a critical shortage of infantry on the front line, Ukraine has embraced one of Russia’s most cynical tactics: releasing convicted — even violent — felons who agree to fight in high-risk assault brigades.

The Army’s recruiting problem is male
The issue is convincing men to put on the uniform.

A betrayal: How a decorated Army officer fell from grace in a university ROTC sex scandal
If anyone was the best pick to lead and train the next generation of Army officers at Ohio State University’s Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, or ROTC, it seemed that Lt. Col. Michael Kelvington was the one.

Commissary baggers could soon lose access to Marine air station in Japan
The commissary on this installation south of Hiroshima may lose its baggers in the next few months due to a revamp of the base’s access policy.

 

Air Force

No 30-year-old drone wingmen: US Air Force eyes regular CCA overhauls
The Air Force’s aircraft fleet is replete with fighters, bombers, tankers and other aircraft that are still flying after decades or even generations.

Wiesbaden celebrates 75th anniversary of Berlin Airlift
Thousands of Americans and Germans gathered at Clay Kaserne over the weekend as the Army and the state of Hessen commemorated one of the largest and most significant humanitarian missions in history.

Alaska Air Guard crews rescue six survivors of remote plane crash
A rescue helicopter crew and two pararescuemen from the Alaska Air National Guard found six survivors of a small plane crash — including two with severe injuries — deep in a remote national park, far from any roads in early June.

First flight of new Air Force One jet slips to 2026, Air Force says
Boeing is currently revising the schedule for the presidential jetliner once again, which is expected to be updated later this summer, according to an Air Force spokesperson.

 

Space Force

Space Force picks three firms to compete for $5.6B in launch contracts
The Space Force chose Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin to compete alongside incumbents United Launch Alliance and SpaceX for launch missions worth up to $5.6 billion over the next five years.

State Air Guard units could be moved to Space Force despite governors’ opposition under Senate proposal
The Senate Armed Services Committee has included a provision in its version of a must-pass defense bill that would allow the Air Force to bypass state governors in transferring certain space-focused National Guard units into the active-duty Space Force, but with some exceptions.

Space Force boots RTX from MEO missile warning/tracking program
“This was done because the RTX Epoch 1 development effort was facing significant cost growth from the original agreement baseline, projecting slips to the launch schedule, and had unresolved design challenges,” a Space Systems Command spokesperson told Breaking Defense.

 

Veterans

VA to add male breast cancer, two other conditions to presumptive list
Veterans Affairs officials will add male breast cancer, urethral cancer and cancer of the paraurethral glands to the list of illnesses presumed connected to military service in conflicts since 1990, speeding up disability benefits for individuals suffering from the conditions.

Advocates warn medical care for paralyzed vets is ‘at a breaking point’
Paralyzed veterans seeking disability exams increasingly face long delays to see doctors at the Department of Veterans Affairs and a network of community providers ill-equipped to support their complex health needs, according to House lawmakers.

War veterans and family testify at Al Qaeda commander’s war crimes tribunal
Victims of insurgent attacks in wartime Afghanistan described their loss to a jury at Guantánamo Bay to give a human face to a written guilty plea.