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War in pieces: Air Force wants special ops plane that can be built on the fly
The Skyraider II, a militarized version of the AT-802 crop duster, is built to give isolated special ops teams eyes overhead and firepower on call.
Air, Space forces revamp religious accommodations to align with Pentagon guidance
The Air and Space forces now require written statements from service members and will no longer be involving Religious Resolution Teams.
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After 7 years, Space Force’s first paratrooper takes to the skies
Lt. Col. Mark Natale jumped from a Marine Corps KC-130 Hercules into the Sullivan Drop Zone at Fort Carson, Colorado, on April 24.
Pentagon inks $500 million deal with Perennial Autonomy for counter-drone tech
The Pentagon awarded Perennial Autonomy a $500 million contract to accelerate procurement of counter-drone technology.
Hegseth campaigns for congressional race, breaking with Pentagon neutrality
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday campaigned for a congressional challenger endorsed by President Donald Trump in a move that has sparked outcry.
Hegseth mulls benefits fix for veterans exposed to radiation at A-bomb test site
Civilians have received benefits for work at the Nevada test site, but Cold War-era regulations still do not allow veterans to prove they were there, too.
In other news
ISIS leader killed in Africa as US commander raises force reduction concerns
Despite recent operations, U.S. force reduction moves have ignited concerns over America's ability to stifle terror plots emanating from the continent.
Sailor reportedly finds dead rat in finished energy drink
The sailor said medical personnel informed him, “with the chemicals that are in Monster, that it should be OK.”
That time the Air Force proposed making a ‘gay bomb’
The Air Force once explored the idea of a chemical weapon that would make enemy soldiers sexually irresistible to one another — striking a blow to morale.
Master Chief actor condemns use of character in White House’s Iran war hype video
“I demand that the producers of this disgusting and juvenile war porn remove my voice immediately,” Steve Downes wrote in a post on X.
‘War Machine’ review: Finally, a training scenario with aliens
The sci-fi flick raises the premise: What if the final phase of U.S. Army Ranger selection suddenly involved fighting a giant alien robot?
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The F4F Wildcat: The little fighter that could
Many Allied aircraft achieved greatness during WWII, but the Wildcat, usually outnumbered and almost always outclassed, proved to be a stubby hero.
Air, Space forces revamp religious accommodations to align with Pentagon guidance
The Air and Space forces now require written statements from service members and will no longer be involving Religious Resolution Teams.
Historian’s nearly two decade quest to piece together America’s last major offensive in Vietnam
James Smither spent nearly two decades piecing together what actually occured during the Battle of Fire Support Base Ripcord.
Crew members safely ejected after Navy jets collide at Idaho air show
Two E/A-18G Growler jets collided in mid-air Sunday during the Gunfighter Skies Air Show, the Navy said.
By Matt Tracy, Reuters
Senators introduce bill to abolish military draft agency
The Selective Service System, which costs more than $31 million per year, has largely been defunct since 1973.
By Tanya Noury
Air Force underestimating aircraft maintenance delays, GAO finds
The Air Force was found to be using revised target dates for tracking aircraft maintenance, making it seem as if there were little or no delays.
By Michael Peck
China fires verbal warning shot at US over Taiwan
Any misstep over Taiwan could push the U.S. and China toward direct confrontation, Chinese leader Xi Jinping told President Donald Trump.
By Tanya Noury
‘West-side Skid Row’: Pests, crime, litigation plague plans for VA’s Los Angeles campus
Pests and crime threaten VA's efforts to expand housing for homeless veterans at its sprawling west Los Angeles campus.
By Patricia Kime
Iran military threat is diminished but not eliminated, CENTCOM chief says
Adm. Brad Cooper said the U.S. had severely degraded Iran’s warfighting capacity, including the elimination of roughly 90% of its inventory of naval mines.
By Tanya Noury
Barracks improvements, installation safety top priorities for military construction budget
The $21.5 billion budget request for military barracks would address a backlog of construction and repairs, logistics leaders said.
By Patricia Kime
Energy secretary: Iran ‘frighteningly close’ to nuclear weapon despite Operation Epic Fury
“They are weeks — a small number of weeks — away to enrich that to weapons-grade uranium," Energy Secretary Chris Wright told a Senate committee.
By Tanya Noury
Air Force MQ-9 fleet drops to 135 aircraft after Iran combat losses
The Air Force is seeking to backfill the inventory of MQ-9 Reapers and field a cheaper, more expendable replacement.
By Michael Scanlon
AI tool has ‘saved a lot of aircraft’ in Epic Fury, AFSOC chief says
Lt. Gen. Michael Conley said “necessity had been the mother of invention” in spurring the service to apply available machine learning tools in combat.
By Hope Hodge Seck
US special operations leaders frustrated by inability to modify their own equipment
The military must wait for manufacturers to fix or upgrade equipment, leaving them with outdated capabilities as technology evolves quickly, they said.
By Michael Peck
Austrian jets intercept US military planes two days in a row
The May 10 intercept reportedly took place over the Totes Gebirge mountain range in Upper Austria, over 60 kilometers from the German border.
By Linus Höller
Trump’s Golden Dome missile shield estimated to cost $1.2 trillion
A national missile defense system would cost $1.2 trillion to build and maintain over the next 20 years, a nonpartisan federal agency estimated.
By Ellen Ioanes