News
One-third of US military could be robotic by 2039: Milley
The 20th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff believes growing artificial intelligence and unmanned technology could lead to robotic military forces in the future.
How a Coast Guard email erupted into a reckoning of sexual assault
The profanity-laced email that landed in thousands of Coast Guard inboxes this past May wasn’t intended to foment a rebellion in the nation’s most under-the-radar branch of the military. It wasn’t meant to get cited in a congressional hearing. It was just sheer, scorching frustration.
Navy pilots return after months of fighting Houthi attacks in Red Sea
U.S. Navy fighter pilots came home to Virginia feeling relieved Friday after months of shooting down Houthi-launched missiles and drones off Yemen’s coast in the most intense running sea battle the Navy has faced since World War II.
Air Force
Storm rips part of roof from Aviano Air Base passenger terminal
Winds ripped away a long portion of Aviano Air Base’s passenger terminal roof on Friday, as northeastern Italy prepared for thunderstorms to continue into the weekend.
Warrant officer selection rates will be low with fierce competition, few spots
The application process for the Air Force’s first batch of warrant officers in 66 years looks to be a fiercely competitive one, with nearly 500 Airmen applying for just 60 slots.
Airman makes first appearance in court on sexual assault case shaking Okinawa
A U.S. airman stationed at Kadena Air Base, in his first appearance Friday in a Japanese court since his indictment in March, denied charges against him of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a minor.
Photos: B-2 Spirit, ACC A-10 Thunderbolt II demonstration team highlight Wings Over Whiteman Air Show
Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri opened its two-day WOW Air Show on Saturday.
Space Force
First Space Forces commander in South Korea passes baton, moves to INDOPACOM
The first guardian to lead U.S. Space Forces Korea passed his duties to the former director of the NATO Space Centre during a ceremony at this air base Friday.
The first Space Force ‘retirement beard’ is here and it’s out of this world
Roger A. Towberman, who until last September was the service’s first chief master sgt. of the Space Force, lived the Retired Dream this week when his former colleagues invited him back to work for a ceremony and he showed up rocking an absolutely magnificent Not-My-Problem-Anymore beard.
Saltzman names former UK space chief ‘Assistant CSO’ to promote allied partnership
Hot on the heels of NATO’s 75 Anniversary Summit here, US Space Force chief Gen. Chance Saltzman today named the outgoing head of UK Space Command, Air Marshall Paul Godfrey, as his first “Assistant Chief of Space Operations for Future Concepts and Partnerships,” a move designed to help advance combined operations with allies.
B-52 maintenance might get a lot easier thanks to this airman
Keeping a 60-year-old B-52 bomber ready to fly takes hard work, and poor tools make that work even harder. At the 307th Maintenance Squadron at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, Tech Sgt. Jermey Vickers noticed one tool in particular was slowing down the process: the metal stands maintainers use to get up close to the wings and engines.
Veterans
St. Louis veteran, once a bank robber, works to find a new life after prison
Kirk Hough enjoyed his first cup of Starbucks coffee in 16 years. The store on South Grand Boulevard was out of the dark roast he craved, so the barista gave him another coffee for free. He put $3 in the tip jar.
Combat-injured veterans face a new battle at home — restoring retirement benefits to military careers cut short
Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, filed an amendment Thursday to the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, which sets policies and recommends expenditures for the Pentagon, to ensure combat-injured veterans with less than 20 years of service receive full benefits when they are medically retired. The legislation has more than 50 co-sponsors.
Master class: How female veterans can land a job with a 6-figure income faster
Women are different from men. Depending on where you stand, those are either fightin’ words or patently obvious. As the transition master coach for Military.com’s veteran employment project, I stand in the “patently obvious” department — especially when it comes to military transition.
House Republicans and VA at a standoff over veterans who lost gun rights because they needed help managing their benefits
House lawmakers and the Department of Veterans Affairs appear to be in a standoff on whether the agency should continue to ban veterans from owning guns when they are appointed fiduciaries to manage their benefits.
Defense
Slovenia picks howitzers, air defense systems and armored vehicles
Slovenia is advancing plans to buy new artillery systems, air defense systems and armored vehicles, with French and Finnish defense groups expected to play a major role in the country’s acquisition plans, the Slovenian Ministry of Defence has announced.
Italy Air Force eyes new tanker competition after dropping Boeing buy
Italy is mulling a competition to find a new tanker aircraft after suspending plans to buy six new Boeing KC-46 tankers, sources have told Defense News.
