News
UK police arrest captain of cargo ship on suspicion of manslaughter over North Sea collision
British police on Tuesday arrested the captain of a cargo ship on suspicion of manslaughter as they searched for answers about why it hit a tanker transporting jet fuel for the U.S. military off eastern England, setting both vessels ablaze. One sailor was presumed dead in the collision, which sparked fears of significant environmental damage.
US-Ukraine reach agreement on terms for total ceasefire with Russia
The U.S. and Ukraine have reached a ceasefire agreement in principle that would pause fighting in the now-three-year-old war and pave the way for the U.S. to obtain mineral rights, according to a joint statement between the two nations that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on his official web account.
The office that investigates disparities in veterans’ care is being ‘liquidated’
The Trump administration has shut down a unit of the Department of Veterans Affairs created under President Joe Biden to address disparities in how the federal government provides disability compensation to military service members.
Trump nominates Anduril executive, former special operations officer to be Army undersecretary
President Donald Trump submitted a nomination to the Senate for Michael Obadal to serve as the Army’s No. 2 official, the White House announced on Tuesday.
Air Force revives Air Race with an F-22 ACE twist
After an 89-year hiatus, the Air Force brought back a historic air race meant to prepare F-22 pilots and ground crews for future conflict while competing for bragging rights.
Air Force
Air Force investigates after Reaper drone rolls off runway on Okinawa
The Air Force is investigating how an unmanned aerial vehicle rolled off a runway while taxiing Monday at Kadena Air Base on Okinawa, according to the 18th Wing.
The coolest part of this B-52 mission is its name: VIKING NEBULA
The most striking aspect of a mission that involved two B-52H Stratofortresses flying over Sweden on Tuesday was not the fact that the bombers conducted the B-52’s first live weapons drop in the country or that the two bombers flew in formation over the Swedish parliament to celebrate the country joining NATO a year ago.
LC-130 ‘Skibird’ lands on freshwater ice as Air Force prepares for more Arctic operations
The Air Force’s LC-130 touched down on freshwater ice for the first time in decades, signaling the service’s leap in flexibility for “defensive or offensive operations” in the Arctic, according to a USAF official.
Air Force engineers uncover WWII-era runways for new purpose in the Pacific
Engineers are on track to finish clearing vegetation from an airfield on Tinian by May, paving the way for the restoration of at least two of its four World War II-era runways, according to the Air Force.
Air Force cancels Life Cycle Industry conference for 2025
The Air Force canceled its premiere acquisition seminar and collaborative meeting with industry for 2025 to comply with Trump administration efficiency directives, the Air Force Materiel Command’s Life Cycle Management Center said March 11. The Life Cycle Industry Days 2025 event was to be held the Convention Center in Dayton, Ohio, July 28 and 29.
Air Force base tightens night training rules after noise complaints from Okinawans
The Air Force’s 18th Wing is tightening approval measures for nighttime exercises after unauthorized training last month involving simulated explosions and gunfire drew complaints from a neighboring Okinawan town.
Space Force
Space Systems Command reviewing expensive legacy programs for possible commercial shift
The Space Force’s primary acquisition command is reviewing a number of its high-dollar legacy programs to consider whether there are now alternative commercial options for achieving the missions — starting with a new satellite constellation for keeping tabs on the heavens, according to a senior Space Systems Command (SSC) official.
Space Force says it may take 7 years to clean up a fuel spill atop a sacred Hawaii volcano
The Space Force says environmental remediation efforts that include returning sacred soil back to a volcano in Hawaii after 700 gallons of fuel spilled at an observatory on the grounds in 2023 could take as long as seven years to complete.
Defense
You don’t need a kill switch to hobble exported F-35s
In response to recent European media reports, Lockheed Martin and several governments have pushed back on the idea that F-35 Joint Strike Fighters have any kind of a discreet ‘kill switch’ that U.S. authorities could use to remotely disable the jets.
US set for $200M sale in support of Japanese hypersonic missile program
The State Department notified Congress this week of a potential $200 million foreign military sale to support Japan’s Hyper Velocity Gliding Projectile program – an indigenously developed hypersonic missile that could target ships.
Rocket Lab to expand into laser communications with Mynaric acquisition
Rocket Lab announced plans March 11 to buy its optical communications terminal supplier Mynaric, which entered restructuring last month following production delays and supply chain issues.
Veterans
By-product of DEI purge: Air Force vets find their history erased
Late last month, the Office of the Secretary of Defense ordered the removal of military news content that promoted diversity, equity, and inclusion, and in the weeks since, some Air Force veterans and civilians have been surprised by what disappeared.
17 years after cancer diagnosis, Veterans Affairs grants Navy vet service-related benefits
Twenty thousand, nine hundred and thirty days elapsed between the day in 1967 that Paul Critchett’s life changed forever and the day, just two weeks ago, when it changed again.
