News

4 US soldiers missing in Lithuania have died, NATO leader says
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Wednesday that four U.S. soldiers who went missing while training in Lithuania have died, but that he did not yet know the details.

‘Obviously classified’: Experts say Hegseth chat leaks invited danger
Former U.S. defense officials said the details Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth texted on a non-government group chat ahead of U.S. airstrikes in Yemen earlier this month represent a serious breach of department policies and could have placed American troops at higher risk.

Some VA employees’ overtime pay will be delayed by software problems
Paychecks for several thousand Veterans Affairs employees owed extra compensation will be shortchanged this week because of ongoing issues with payroll processing systems at the department, officials announced Wednesday.

End of an era: Last F-16 for training US pilots leaves Luke
After 42 years and more than 20,000 pilots, the last U.S. Air Force F-16 at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., took off March 24 en route to its new home with the 16th Weapons Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.

Signal leak sparks new calls for modernized messaging options from defense officials
Officials are calling for accountability, clearer policies, and more access to modern platforms that military and government insiders can trust for real-time communications about classified activities, after some of the Trump administration’s top national security leaders shared high-stakes military operational plans in a group chat with an American reporter.

 

Air Force

This photo of Air Force special ops pool training is chaos. There’s a reason for that.
If your first reaction to this photo is “Somebody, please tell me what the hell is going on?” you’re not alone.

‘Time is now’ to look at new Airlifter: TRANSCOM boss
The head of the U.S. Transportation doesn’t want to wait to start planning on a new airlifter to replace both the C-5 and C-17 fleets, which serve as the command’s “workhorses.”

B-52 radar upgrade alternatives info sought by Air Force
The U.S. Air Force office responsible for the B-52 Radar Modernization Program (RMP) is asking for new information about options for derivatives of off-the-shelf multi-mode radars that could go into the bombers.

Air Force picked Boeing for NGAD based on ‘best overall value.’ Here’s what it means.
The Air Force made the final choice of Boeing over Lockheed Martin in the Next-Generation Air Dominance competition, and it was based on “best overall value,” a service spokesperson told Air & Space Forces Magazine.

 

Space Force

Space Force OKs Vulcan rocket as SpaceX competitor for military launch
The Space Force said Wednesday it has certified United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur rocket to fly military launch missions, positioning the company to compete with SpaceX for future contracts.

Gravitics wins SpaceWERX award for tactically responsive space system
Gravitics, a company developing commercial space station modules, has won a Space Force award to leverage that technology for tactically responsive space.

New ‘Space Warfighting Framework’ coming to codify Space Force concepts, terms
The Space Force is readying a new “Space Warfighting” framework to explain service concepts and terms — such as “space superiority” and “orbital warfare” — both internally to its own operational planners and externally to Joint Force planners, Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman said today.

Space Force budget squeeze: Saltzman worries about keeping pace with China amid cuts
The U.S. Space Force is grappling with a shrinking budget even as the Pentagon acknowledges the growing importance of space in modern military operations, the service’s top general said March 26.

 

Defense

Australia could get first new F-35 by 2029 if government reverses program cuts: Lockheed exec
The first of 28 new F-35 stealth fighters that were previously canceled by the incumbent government in Canberra could be delivered to the Royal Australian Air Force as soon as 2029, should Australia go ahead with the order, according to an executive with plane maker Lockheed Martin.

Oshkosh Defense unveils new variant of Marine remote fires vehicle
The Marine Corps’ answer to mobile, long-range fires now features a multirocket launch system and autonomous tech.

Hanwha adds Penske Australia as subcontractor on Redback IFV
The Australian arm of South Korean defense giant Hanwha today signed an agreement with Penske Australia for the “assembly, testing, and supply” of 129 engines for Australia’s Redback Infantry Fighting Vehicles.

SM-6 missile closer to proving hypersonic weapon intercept capability after Aegis destroyer test
The U.S. Missile Defense Agency has simulated a successful intercept of a mock advanced hypersonic missile by a Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) as it works up to attempt the real thing.

Lockheed targets global energetics expansion with Australia’s GWEO as model
Lockheed Martin is building a model in Australia for solid rocket motor and other explosives production in Europe and the Middle East, executives here told reporters today.

 

Veterans

Restoring full VA burial benefits for vets who initially chose plaque or urn part of bill introduced in Senate
Veterans would be able to retain their full Department of Veterans Affairs benefit to be buried at a national cemetery even if they previously chose to get a plaque or urn for their remains under a bill being introduced Wednesday by two Republican senators.

VA secretary to meet with Senate VA committee for first time since taking office
Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins will come before the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee for the first time since taking office to answer questions about the agency’s plans to further reduce its workforce amid a hiring freeze and the cancellation of hundreds of contracts with community agencies.