News
Pentagon ends new radar effort meant for Guam missile defense
Early this year, the Pentagon issued a memo halting development of a new radar meant to protect Guam from high-end air and missile threats, according to a May 22 Government Accountability Office report on the effort to protect the strategic island in the Pacific.
Top lawmaker says VA, DOD leaders continue to ignore Hill requests
Sen. Richard Blumenthal believes his relationship with Pentagon and Veterans Affairs leaders has never been as adversarial as it is right now.
Trump pardons Army officer who defied COVID prevention rules
As part of a flurry of presidential clemency this week, President Donald Trump on Wednesday pardoned a former Army officer convicted of disobeying COVID-19 safety measures in 2022.
Legendary Recon Marine could finally get the Medal of Honor
In April 1967, Marine 2nd Lt. James Capers Jr. ignored his numerous bullet and shrapnel wounds to lead his nine-man team from 3rd Force Reconnaissance Company against an enemy ambush in South Vietnam.
Guam barracks conditions are ‘baffling,’ Navy admiral says in email
Mold painted over, wires dangling and black rusted pipes framing the ceiling were part of everyday reality for Marines, sailors and airmen living in barracks on Guam. The conditions left the Navy’s top admiral in charge of barracks across the service baffled.
Air Force
Air Force Reserve faces steep fighter cuts, uncertain future
The Air Force Reserve is on track to lose nearly half of its fighter jets by the end of the decade, a course its top general warns could sideline the force in conflicts and deepen the military’s pilot crisis.
USAFA graduates face tough road ahead, Air Force secretary says
The Air Force Academy’s newest graduates endured four years of homework, exams, and military drills. But tougher challenges lie ahead, service leaders told the Class of 2025 at the school’s May 29 commencement ceremony.
What to know about the death of Air Force prep graduate Ava Moore in a crash on a Texas lake
An 18-year-old woman about to begin her first year at the U.S. Air Force Academy was killed when a personal watercraft hit her kayak on a Texas lake over Memorial Day weekend, setting off a pursuit by law enforcement that ended in the arrests of two people.
Space Force
Northrop Grumman pumps $50M into Firefly for medium launch vehicle
Northrop Grumman is investing $50 million into Firefly Aerospace to speed their joint production of the Antares 330 rocket and the newly named Eclipse medium launch vehicle, Firefly announced today.
Defense
What we just learned a more advanced ‘Ferrari’ F-35 could include
Pilot-optional F-35 Joint Strike Fighters could be coming in the future as Lockheed Martin looks for ways to ensure the jets remain relevant for decades to come. Technology from the company’s unsuccessful bid for the U.S. Air Force’s Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) sixth-generation fighter competition, along with new coatings and other modifications, could also go into what it has previously called a “Ferrari” or “NASCAR upgrade” to the F-35’s core “chassis.”
With strategic acquisitions, Rocket Lab pursues prime defense contractor status
Rocket Lab’s $275 million acquisition of satellite payload provider Geost is just the latest move in a broader campaign to establish itself as a serious contender for U.S. military satellite contracts.
Veterans
Vietnam veterans ceremony set for same day as Army parade will move from nation’s capital
An annual ceremony at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial that honors veterans who died after returning home from military service in Vietnam will be moved for the first time in more than three decades to a site outside the nation’s capital to make room for the Army’s 250th anniversary parade set for June 14.
Bill aims to ease access to medical care for rural veterans
A bill led by Republican lawmakers has been introduced in the Senate to make it easier for veterans in rural towns to get health coverage from the Department of Veterans Affairs for medical care at a local hospital or clinic close to home.
