Threats

The D Brief: Shutdown watch; Lingering defense-strategy qs; JAGs’ unusual new jobs; Secret drone’s recent mission; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson
Defense Systems

Lockheed CEO: Air Force RQ-170 drones used in mission to capture Maduro

Missions for the “Beast of Kandahar” stealth drone are rarely acknowledged, experts say.

  • Thomas Novelly
Threats

The D Brief: Domestic Guard missions, priced; More strikes on Somalia; New ‘non-kinetic’ cell aids planning; GAO’s missile-warning warning; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
Business

Northrop CEO: deal to accelerate B-21 production could arrive in months

Last year’s government shutdown delayed negotiations between the company and service. Another is looming.

  • Thomas Novelly
Business

Boeing takes $565m hit on KC-46 tanker

Despite the “bad contract,” the company remains optimistic about negotiating future deals.

  • Thomas Novelly
Threats

Air Force mum on details of Mideast exercise amid military buildup

Similarly, details of a NORAD exercise in Greenland this month were not disclosed.

  • Thomas Novelly
Policy

Air Force revives a deployment concept used for the GWOT—with a few twists

Air Expeditionary Wing 2.0 is the latest move away from Biden-era attempts to orient the force toward China.

  • Thomas Novelly
Threats

The D Brief: Trump backs down on Greenland; More troops prep for MN deployment; Army tank arrives early; Congress demands Golden Dome answers; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
Threats

The D Brief: Trump: ‘I don’t need international law’; Senate votes to limit Venezuela action; USAF consolidates PEOs; Marines’ own robot wingman; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
Business

USAF consolidates some acquisition program offices into mission-focused groups

But many of the new “portfolio acquisition executives” were already leading multi-mission efforts.

  • Thomas Novelly
Threats

How ‘Absolute Resolve’ harnessed 150 aircraft and more to launch a regime change in Venezuela

The Joint Chiefs chair described the "precise" and "unprecedented" military operation at a Saturday press conference.

  • Bradley Peniston
Policy

2025 in review: Air Force

  • Defense One Staff
Business

USAF adds third contender for initial robot-wingman buy; picks 9 for next phase

More than a year after Anduril and General Atomics got R&D contracts, Northrop wins entry with a self-financed CCA.

  • Thomas Novelly
Threats

The D Brief: Trump sets blockage on Venezuela; Europe warns of war; SecDef won’t release boat-strike video; Nominees to fill long-vacant posts; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
Policy

Nearly 300 days after purge, Pentagon taps new Air Force vice chief, JAG

Air Mobility commander nominated to be vice chief; Oklahoma Air National Guard commander to be top judge advocate general.

  • Thomas Novelly
Business

Next presidential jet will arrive a bit earlier than projected, Air Force says

Boeing's first VC-25B Air Force One jet is now slated to enter service in mid-2028.

  • Thomas Novelly
Threats

New GAO, Navy reports warn of serious V-22 Osprey safety risks, with some fixes stretching into 2030s

The pair of accountability reports highlight Joint Program Office woes and maintenance failures.

  • Thomas Novelly
Threats

The D Brief: More F-35s head south; The divide in Space Force; No sign of ‘enemy from within’; FBI’s antifa fumble; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson, Thomas Novelly and Bradley Peniston
Threats

The D Brief: F/A-18s’ Venezuelan flyby; Unpublished version of NSS; Little public support for boat attacks; Funding falters for Navy’s next jet; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson, Thomas Novelly and Bradley Peniston
Science & Tech

Congress supports bare minimum on Navy’s F/A-XX, while fully backing Air Force’s F-47

Appropriators and other lawmakers have pushed for the Navy’s next-gen fighter, but the latest NDAA offers only enough to keep the nascent program warm.

  • Thomas Novelly
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