Science & Tech
Initial Sentinel ICBM expected by early 2030, Air Force says
Officials say a new Pentagon-controlled manager role helped accelerate the Sentinel timeline.
Ideas
Space-based interceptors make even less sense now
The Pentagon and its Golden Dome contractors are proposing to replace one showstopping problem with another.
Business
Munitions makers say they've been persuaded to invest more in production capacity
The administration's last-minute request for a funding bump garnered just $2B, but company execs seem to appreciate the effort.
Policy
Where’s all that Golden Dome money going? Lawmakers want to know
Appropriations bill would give Pentagon two months to detail its spending on the sprawling missile-defense program.
Threats
Trump’s Golden Dome excuse for Greenland grab is ‘detached from reality,’ experts say
Longstanding diplomatic agreements and an existing U.S. base already enable military expansion.
Business
Pentagon to invest $1B in L3Harris rocket-motor spinoff
The apparently unprecedented deal raises questions of fairness, effectiveness, and conflicts of interest.
Defense Systems
Air Force wants a $500,000 counter-air missile, despite cheaper options
The service wants ideas by December, and hopes to see a modular, ground-launched prototype in two years.
Threats
Today’s ICBMs may operate until 2050, GAO says
That would be some 15 years longer than the Air Force was planning.
Defense Systems
Second B-21 will fly by year’s end, USAF says
Also: official won't confirm US nukes are back in UK but says B61 is “deployed throughout the continent.”
Science & Tech
New Golden Dome details emerge from industry day
Participants, and a Pentagon briefing deck, describe roles for AI, ideas for defensive satellites.
Threats
Trump’s national defense strategy is focused on the homeland. So far, that has included troops in the streets.
While calling out the National Guard makes a political statement, they’re not the best means of fighting crime, CSIS’s Mark Cancian says.
Science & Tech
Drone defenses will need to act first, ask later, commander says
“We will push the boundaries on that, because we have to,” Lt. Gen. Gainey said.
Business