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.
Pentagon & Congress
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.
‘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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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The military must wait for manufacturers to fix or upgrade equipment, leaving them with outdated capabilities as technology evolves quickly, they said.
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.
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.
Arcade games satirizing Iran war appear at DC War Memorial
The game, “Operation Epic Furious: Strait To Hell,” was developed in response to the administration’s use of video game footage to share successes in Iran.
Pentagon seeks additional funding as cost of Iran war tops $29 billion
The increase from $25 billion just two weeks ago reflects “updated repair and replacement of equipment costs,” along with the “general operational costs."
Former NFL tight end convicted for Medicare, VA fraud scheme
He was sentenced to 16 years in prison for a yearslong plot that cost Medicare and VA nearly $200 million.
US, partner nations sink two decommissioned ships during Exercise Balikatan
A two-day strike saw the sinking of two vessels, utilizing land, sea and air platforms from the U.S., Philippine, Japanese and Canadian forces.
Poll: Americans don’t think Trump has explained Iran war goals
One in three Republicans and almost all Democrats said Trump has not “clearly explained the goals of U.S. military involvement in Iran.”
Trump says war on Iran not ‘done’ — but concerns rise about munitions shortages
While Trump notified Congress on May 1 that Epic Fury had been terminated, he later said it was procedural and didn't mean an end to all military actions.
