Aerospace & Defense
The latest coverage of the Defense Department, State Department and aerospace industry.
Chinese military, media put Japan’s isolated Ryukyu Islands squarely in Beijing’s crosshairs
China’s simmering dispute with Japan escalated over the weekend from name-calling to dangerous games of chicken between fighter jets, while Beijing’s info warriors ramped up a news and social media campaign questioning Tokyo’s sovereignty over the Ryukyus, a strategic island chain near Taiwan.
Zelenskyy heads to London for talks with European allies on peace plan and security
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was meeting the French, German and British leaders in London on Monday as Kyiv’s European allies try to strengthen Ukraine’s hand in thorny talks on a U.S.-backed plan to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
U.S. Special Operations commander to brief congressional leadership
The commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command is set to meet with congressional oversight committee leadership on Thursday as pressure builds over the military operations in the Caribbean Sea against suspected drug traffickers.
U.S. spent more on Afghanistan rebuild than Marshall Plan; nothing to show after two decades of war
The U.S. government spent more money on its ambitious but ultimately futile project to create a stable and democratic Afghanistan than it did under the post-World War II Marshall Plan, which rehabilitated more than a dozen European countries ravaged by conflict.
Stefanik’s clash with Speaker Johnson ends as her ‘Arctic Frost’ provision added to defense bill
A public feud between Speaker Mike Johnson and Rep. Elise Stefanik ended Wednesday with President Trump’s involvement, as her proposal requiring disclosure of congressional counterintelligence investigations of lawmakers was added to the annual defense policy bill.
Hegseth cites ‘fog of war’ in defending follow-on strike on alleged drug boat
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday cited the “fog of war” in defending a follow-up strike on an alleged drug-carrying boat in the Caribbean Sea in early September.
Trump touts 91% drop in drug boat trafficking; admin defends deadly strikes
President Trump on Tuesday said the amount of drugs coming into the U.S. by sea was down 91% since the military began striking drug boats in international waters.
Witkoff, Kushner to discuss Ukraine peace strategy with Russian President Putin in Moscow
White House special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law, are expected to meet Tuesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss ending the war with Ukraine.
Trump team defends 2nd strike on drug boat as lawmakers worry about war crime
President Trump huddled with his national security team Monday evening at the White House amid a growing firestorm about a deadly “follow-on strike” by U.S. forces on a Venezuelan boat suspected of carrying drugs through international waters on Sept. 2.
Nine Army posts will be used to test miniature nuclear reactors to power base operations
Nine Army posts will take part in an initiative to deploy micronuclear reactors on military bases to provide energy independent of the local power grid, officials have announced.
Feds clam up a year after New Jersey drone sightings
Look, up in the sky! It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s — well, it’s been a year since the drone sightings over New Jersey and we still don’t quite know what it was all about.
Global demand, depleted U.S. stockpiles have American firms cranking up rocket, missile production
Global demand for arms in an increasingly fractious world and an alarmingly depleted U.S. stockpile of long-range weapons are driving a dramatic surge in the American defense industry’s production of rockets and missiles.
Lawmakers want ‘full accounting’ from Pentagon after report of follow-on strike on alleged drug boat
Key congressional lawmakers say they expect a “full accounting” from the Pentagon after reports that military commanders in September ordered a second strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean after two people survived the initial attack.
‘Seditious Six’ unlikely to face punishment, say law experts
Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona stands out as the most likely to face penalties among the six Democratic lawmakers who, in an online video, told members of the military to refuse illegal orders from the commander in chief, according to military law professionals.
Trump’s peace plan up against Russia’s shaky history with deals
President Trump’s Ukraine-Russia peace plan will have one of two outcomes if it’s ultimately signed by the two warring parties.
Putin says U.S.-backed peace deal a starting point
Russian President Vladimir Putin said the U.S.-backed peace proposal in the Ukraine-Russia war is just a starting point for more discussion and reiterated his precondition that Kyiv accept the Kremlin’s territorial demands.
U.S.-Russian crew of 3 blasts off to the International Space Station in a Russian Soyuz spacecraft
A U.S.-Russian crew of three began a mission to the International Space Station aboard a Russian spacecraft following a successful launch Thursday.
Army intel chief warns of foreign agents preying on troops hurt by government shutdown
The Army’s outgoing intelligence chief is warning about foreign agents posing as consulting firms or corporate recruiters who are targeting soldiers seeking civilian employment opportunities.
Taiwan to muscle up defense spending by $40 billion
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te has gone on a widespread media offensive to make clear the democratic island’s — or at least, his party’s — determination to defend itself.
Navy cancels troubled Constellation-class frigate program
The Navy is sinking the troubled Constellation-class frigate program so it can focus on new classes of warships that can be built faster and cheaper, Navy Secretary John Phelan announced Tuesday.
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BOOM! U.S. military turns ISIS targets to rubble
Gallery: 14 Photos
U.S. airstrikes have devastated Islamic State targets.
