News
Navy will force aviators to remain in service to complete sea tours
The Navy will now require naval aviators to serve past their minimum service requirement in order to complete their second, two-year sea tour — the sea service’s latest attempt to boost retention in the aviation community, according to an internal briefing document obtained by Navy Times.
‘We had mission and purpose’: A chat with the CO of the USS Eisenhower
After months at the forefront of the conflict against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the Middle East, the aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower concluded 275 days at sea and returned to Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, in July.
New missile allows Marine pilots to strike far, avoid air defenses
Marine fighter pilots now have a missile that can strike targets up to 230 miles away, keeping aviators out of the range of many enemy air defense systems.
Lessons from Ukrainian F-16 crash will shape US training: Air Force general
The U.S. may change its F-16 training program for Ukrainian pilots following an investigation into the fatal crash of one of the country’s donated jets.
82nd Airborne paratrooper’s training death under investigation
The 82nd Airborne Division has announced the recent death of one of its paratroopers, which is under investigation.
Airborne assault comes to Super Garuda Shield exercise in Indonesia
The U.S. Army and the National Indonesian Armed Forces, along with other allies and partners, coordinated a complex airborne assault mission into South Sumatra for the first time as part of Super Garuda Shield that wrapped up earlier this month.
Red Sea lessons informing Fleet Forces’ combat surge model, says admiral
The short-notice surge of U.S. warships from the East Coast to take on missile and drone threats in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Red Sea is informing a model for how the Navy will surge ships to fight in future conflicts, the commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command told a group of naval engineers on Tuesday.
Air Force
How US Air Force special ops is allowing airmen the ‘freedom to fail’
The Air Force’s Special Operations Command began a new inspection process last month that assesses a wing’s combat readiness for operations while providing airmen “the freedom to fail.”
Air Force meets recruitment goals, eyes 20% increase in 2025
The Air Force said Monday it will meet its recruitment goals in fiscal 2024, one year after all components of the service missed the mark for the first time in decades.
Air Force secretary underlines growing Chinese power, intent as threat to Indo-Pacific
Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall on Monday became the latest U.S. defense official to draw attention to China as a threat in the Indo-Pacific region.
Air Force top enlisted leader says trainees carrying real rifles at boot camp is ‘desired end state’
The Air Force’s top enlisted leader said there’s a desire to let trainees at the service’s boot camp carry real rifles, a change that would mirror long-standing norms for other military branches.
Flosi: What ‘breaking down stovepipes’ means for airmen
As the Air Force leans into the idea of mission-ready Airmen, Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force David Flosi floated the idea of consolidating some of the branch’s more than 130 Air Force Specialty Codes while increasing training opportunities for Airmen to gain skills working in smaller teams.
Air Force celebrates 77th birthday with overhauls, modernizations
From concerts and balls to commemorative flights, the U.S. military community is celebrating the day that the U.S. Air Force became an independent branch of the military, 77 years ago.
Air Force hits recruiting goals with help from tweaks to body fat standards, tattoo policy
The Air Force says it has met its active-duty, Guard and reserve recruiting goals this year following a historic slump — and is aiming to get even more people to join up in 2025.
Air Force hits recruiting goals with help from tweaks to body fat standards, tattoo policy
The Air Force says it has met its active-duty, Guard and reserve recruiting goals this year following a historic slump — and is aiming to get even more people to join up in 2025.
Space Force
Domain awareness, counterspace systems top Space Force budget needs
Air Force and Space Force leaders this week continued their call for more resources to fund key space capabilities, naming domain awareness and counterspace systems as their top priorities in fiscal 2026.
Space Force chief lays out new enlisted guardian career path
The Space Force’s top enlisted leader unveiled an ambitious project to transform the career paths for the service’s 4,900 enlisted Guardians. The new “Vision for the Enlisted Force: Development Path” aims to make each Guardian’s training experience more meaningful and to better prepare them for the increased responsibility they will face in the branch’s unique force structure.
Space Force wants funding to expand commercial data analytics pilot program
After early success in its Tactical Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Tracking (TacSRT) pilot program, the Space Force is looking to expand the effort to assist additional combatant commands in leveraging space-based commercial imagery and analytics for operations.
Space Futures Command could still be a year away
The Space Force has established a task force to envision its forthcoming Space Futures Command, but plans are still murky and the new command is still months from standing up.
Defense
Lockheed eyes low-cost attritable drone for CCA Increment 2
Lockheed Martin, having “gold-plated” its initial bid for the Collaborative Combat Aircraft program, will focus on lower cost, more attritable aircraft in its proposal for the second increment, the head of the company’s legendary Skunk Works division told reporters Sept. 17.
Austria flaunts air power, considers purchasing new trainer jets
Austria is trying to decide on a successor for its recently retired fleet of jet trainers. A leading contender showed off its aerobatic skills at the Airpower show at the Zeltweg air base this month, reinvigorating speculation on whether Vienna will turn to Czechia or Italy for a purchase.
Boeing tackling workforce challenges amid F-15EX, Super Hornet production line changes
Workforce fluctuations as Boeing ramps up F-15EX production and sunsets the F/A-18 Super Hornet line are driving up cost and inefficiency, and recovery from those challenges will not be immediate, the head of the company’s fighter programs told Breaking Defense today.
Italy to buy 25 extra F-35 fighter jets under new budget
Italy is to purchase 25 extra F-35 jets as well as new Eurofighters as its defense procurement spending rises 16.8% this year to €9.3 billion, or $10.3 billion, a new budget document revealed on Tuesday.
AWACS without a plane? Northrop pitches new connect-everything product.
Time was, the U.S. military needed a giant AWACS aircraft packed with people, sensors, and computers to handle sensing and data sharing. Northrop Grumman now says it has a way to do much of that far from the vulnerable skies.
Norway’s Kongsberg to open new Virginia missile production plant
Norway’s Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace is opening up a new missile production facility in Virginia as global demand continues to rise amid major conflicts playing out in Ukraine and the Middle East, the company said Tuesday.
Veterans
VA requiring veterans with rare lung illness to take tests that can fail to detect disease
A proposed rule at the Department of Veterans Affairs to make it easier for veterans with a rare lung condition to qualify for disability benefits is being criticized by some veterans and a pulmonologist because the change requires tests and assessments that often fail to detect the chronic disease.
