News

Longer assignments coming soon for troops heading to South Korea
A new Pentagon directive implementing longer tours of duty in South Korea will improve force stability, support service members’ quality of life and enhance readiness in the face of regional threats, U.S. Forces Korea officials said.

NTSB hearings will focus on fatal Army helicopter-passenger jet crash. Here’s what to know
The National Transportation Safety Board will hold three days of hearings starting Wednesday on January’s midair collision between an American Airlines passenger jet and an Army helicopter over the nation’s capital that killed 67 people.

Fort Cavazos renamed Fort Hood, honoring WWI soldier
Fort Cavazos, Texas, has been renamed Fort Hood, this time honoring World War I soldier Col. Robert Benjamin Hood.

Pentagon reverses decision to cut off hurricane-tracking satellite data
Days before the Pentagon was set to cut off access to satellite observations that help meteorologists track hurricanes overnight, Defense Department officials told government forecasters they would continue sharing the data, after all.

Army, Marine Corps, Navy have no plans to stop using M18, M17 pistols
While some units in the Air Force have pulled the M18 from duty after a discharge killed an airmen last week, officials from the other services said they have no plans to modify or pause use of the pistol.

 

Air Force

Air Force creates warfighter communications office
The Air Force created a new office dedicated to communications and cyber systems, marking what was hailed in a service release “as one of the most significant reorganizations of the Air Staff in over 30 years.”

Trump hints at when new Air Force One from Qatar could take off
President Donald Trump suggested he could be flying on a refurbished Air Force One, gifted to the United States by the Middle Eastern country of Qatar, as soon as February of 2026.

German prosecutors charge US airman in autobahn crash that killed 23-year-old near Spangdahlem
A Spangdahlem Air Base airman is facing a negligent homicide charge in German court over a wrong-way autobahn crash that killed a 23-year-old German woman.

 

Space Force

Slingshot’s new AI-enabled tool helps Space Force train for satellite ops
Defense startup Slingshot Aerospace has created an artificial intelligence capability that allows the Space Force to train guardians for real-life satellite tactics and maneuvers, the company announced Tuesday.

Space Force selects five firms for ‘Protected Tactical Satcom’ design contracts
The U.S. Space Force has awarded contracts to five companies to develop satellite communications concepts for a new geostationary constellation, the service announced July 28.

 

Defense

Boeing CEO says defense business can weather looming worker strike
Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said Tuesday he’s not worried about the impact of an impending strike that would include 3,200 union workers that produce fighter aircraft and munitions at factories in Missouri and Illinois.

Old tank recovery vehicles get new life as M88A3 is nixed
The U.S. Army is shelving its plans to pursue a new variant of the M88 Hercules recovery vehicle and will pursue upgrades to the older version, the service told Defense News in a statement.

MQ-25 Stingray carrier-based uncrewed tanker ground testing now underway
Boeing and the Navy are hopeful that a production representative MQ-25 will fly for the first time this year after repeated delays.

NATO will follow Space Force lead with a single front door for industry
NATO is following the Space Force’s lead in setting up a “Front Door” program for the private sector, to connect vendors with acquirers and analyze their supply chains for potential threats and vulnerabilities, the alliance and Space Force officials say.

Bollinger teams with Finnish, Canadian Yards for Coast Guard medium icebreaker bid
Louisiana shipbuilder Bollinger is teaming with Finnish and Canadian shipyards for a bid to build the new class of Arctic Security Cutter for the Coast Guard, USNI News has learned.

How SpaceX’s rocket diplomacy backfired in the Bahamas
When SpaceX was negotiating a deal with the Bahamas last year to allow its Falcon 9 rocket boosters to land within the island nation’s territory, Elon Musk’s company offered a sweetener: complimentary Starlink internet terminals for the country’s defense vessels, according to three people familiar with the matter.

 

Veterans

Virginia governor demands Richmond pay wrongfully convicted Navy vet $5.8M
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin says he will withhold state funds from Richmond unless the city pays $5.8 million to a wrongfully convicted man who spent nearly 50 years in prison, as compensation for an abusive interrogation and a prosecution that hid critical evidence.

Body of dead Marine veteran hidden in a closet for months by cousin to collect his benefits
A 72-year-old Marine Corps veteran was buried Monday with full military honors after a cousin had hidden his body for months inside the veteran’s New Jersey mobile home to collect benefits under his name, authorities said.

A legend: Valdemar DeHerrera, the last New Mexico Bataan veteran, is laid to rest
Valdemar DeHerrera, who was known as New Mexico’s last living survivor of the Battle of Bataan before dying at age 105 this month, was laid to rest Monday at Santa Fe National Cemetery with full military honors.

New gravestones to honor Rockford’s Civil War veterans after 164 years
After more than a century, 36 Civil War veterans in Rockford will finally receive gravestones.