Policy
As Air Force Tries to Retire Jets, HASC’s Wittman Wants a Gapfiller
The Virginia Republican wants a “tactical interim” capability to arrive while the Air Force awaits its secret NGAD combat aircraft.
Science & Tech
Navy Expands Unmanned Operations to 4th Fleet
U.S. Southern Command’s naval component will follow 5th Fleet into heavy-duty experimentation with drones.
Science & Tech
The Navy Wants Drones to Counter China’s Gray-Zone Moves
CNO says the upcoming 4th Fleet experiments will inform an eventual move into Indo-Pacific operations.
Science & Tech
Sea-Air-Space Conference Wire 3: The Next Drone-Using Fleet
Day 2 of the Navy League conference brought word that 4th Fleet will join 5th Fleet as a focus of the Navy's experiments with unmanned craft.
Threats
NATO Plans Record Air Exercise as Finland Joins Alliance
Air Defender 2023 exercise will include 100 U.S. aircraft, 2,000 troops, in “largest transatlantic movement” the Air National Guard has ever done.
Defense Systems
US Sending Experimental Anti-Drone Weapons to Ukraine
SAIC is among contenders for a crash Army effort to help the country down Iranian-made drones.
Threats
Satellite Ground Stations Are Vulnerable, US Warns
The Space Development Agency is beefing up satellite constellations—but keeping an eye on terrestrial attacks.
Defense Systems
Navy Wants Simulators That Measure Learning, Not Just Reps
The service’s LVC leader says more sophisticated data-capture methods are on the way.
Business
Sea-Air-Space Conference Wire 2: Drones and Their Antidotes
Unmanned craft are big on Day 1 of the Navy's League's annual conference.
Ideas
Defense One Radio, Ep. 122: Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley
Milley spoke with Defense One Executive Editor Kevin Baron on the Ukraine war, China, Taiwan, Mexico, and more.
Policy
Can F-35 Engine Plan Get Foreign OK?
The U.S. Air Force decided to upgrade the existing engine instead of pursuing a new adaptive engine, and will likely talk to partners about the change later this year.
Business
Insitu’s New Shipboard Drone Launches and Catches Other Drones
The FLARS quadcopter nabs larger fixed-wing Integrators in flight and lowers them to the deck.
Ideas
China Is Eating Russia’s Lunch in the Defense Market
The script has flipped in the countries’ traditional defense-industrial relationship.
Threats
Sea-Air-Space Conference Wire: Amphibs, Drones, and More
As the nation's largest naval conference opens just outside Washington, the leaders of the Navy and Marines disagree about just how and when to acquire amphibious warships.
Business
Largest US Shipbuilder Expects More Profits From Drones, AI Than Surface Ships, Soon
The nation’s largest shipbuilder expects “mission tech” like AI and undersea drones to outpace revenue from surface combatants.
Ideas
Defense One Radio, Ep. 121: Space Force chief Gen. Chance Saltzman
America’s Chief of Space Operations, Gen. Chance Saltzman, spoke to Defense One's Jennifer Hlad about Chinese satellite jamming, missile defense, and more.
Exclusive
Threats