Aerospace & Defense
The latest coverage of the Defense Department, State Department and aerospace industry.
‘There are threats in orbit’: Space Force chief sounds alarm over Chinese, Russian space assets
The head of the U.S. Space Force says his job is to “think about worst-case scenarios” when it comes to potential threats in space from America’s adversaries, whether they’re Russian “nesting doll” satellites or Chinese “grappling arm” tactics that could suddenly become weaponized.
WATCH: Trump launches Board of Peace to oversee Gaza ceasefire and settle global conflicts
President Trump on Thursday launched his Board of Peace, a body designed to oversee the implementation of the U.S.-backed Gaza ceasefire agreement and settle international conflicts.
$1 billion buys permanent seat on Trump’s Gaza peace board; Israel, Russia among countries invited
Leaders from Israel and Russia have been invited to join President Trump’s recently announced Gaza “board of peace.”
Trump links bid to control Greenland to Nobel Peace Prize snub in message to Norway’s leader
President Trump sent a message to Norway’s prime minister saying he no longer feels “an obligation to think purely of peace” because he didn’t receive the Nobel Peace Prize and only U.S. control of Greenland can ensure global security.
Security analysts say Russia reportedly preparing to strike Ukraine’s nuclear power plants
Russian forces are preparing to target Ukraine’s nuclear plants by launching attacks on the substations that power them, a military-focused think tank says.
Walz, Frey pan DOJ subpoenas as Pentagon reportedly prepared to deploy 1,500 troops to Minnesota
The Justice Department has issued subpoenas for Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey in what appears to be an expanding investigation into their strident stance against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
U.S.-Japan to boost defense cooperation with new missiles, more intense exercises
The Pentagon and Japan’s defense ministry agreed to increase cooperation on fielding new and more capable missiles and to step up military exercises along the so-called First Island Chain stretching from Japan south across the coast of China.
Trump calls for ‘new leadership’ in Iran; Ayatollah Khamenei blames Trump for violent protests
President Trump called this weekend for “new leadership” in Iran just hours after a social media tirade by Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, blaming Mr. Trump personally for violent protests across Tehran and the deaths of thousands of Iranians.
U.S. kills al Qaeda-linked operative connected to deadly ISIS ambush in Syria, Pentagon says
U.S. forces killed a terrorist operative linked to al Qaeda who was directly connected to a December ambush that killed two American service members and a civilian interpreter in Syria, the Pentagon announced Saturday.
To the moon: NASA rocket heads to pad ahead of astronaut launch as early as February
NASA’s giant new moon rocket headed to the launch pad Saturday in preparation for astronauts’ first lunar fly-around in more than half a century.
U.S. signs off on $1.5 billion deal to expand Peru’s naval base
The State Department this week approved a deal worth $1.5 billion for equipment and services needed to expand Peru’s main naval base, which is 40 miles from a Chinese-built megaport.
Iranian protests stall following violent police crackdown and internet blackout
Iranian authorities have seemingly succeeded, for the time being, in quelling nationwide anti-government protests after a brutal crackdown left more than 2,000 protesters dead.
Justice Department blocks China from getting U.S.-origin flight simulator technology
Federal authorities blocked two South African containers with flight simulators destined for the Chinese military, the Justice Department said Thursday.
U.S. seizes sixth Venezuelan-linked oil tanker before Trump-Machado meeting
The U.S. has seized an oil tanker that defied President Trump’s blockade on sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers in a predawn mission, federal officials announced Thursday.
U.S. seizes in Caribbean Sea another sanctioned oil tanker it says has ties to Venezuela
U.S. forces in the Caribbean Sea have seized another sanctioned oil tanker the Trump administration says has ties to Venezuela, coming as part of a broader U.S. effort to take control of the South American country’s oil.
Trump threatens to use the Insurrection Act to ‘put an end’ to protests in Minneapolis
President Trump warned Thursday that he would invoke the Insurrection Act to deploy the military in Minnesota if protesters continue to attack federal agents carrying out immigration raids.
Tehran uses electronic warfare to target Starlink, as Iranians try to skirt internet blackout
The Iranian government has begun a campaign of GPS spoofing attacks on SpaceX’s Starlink internet terminals in an unprecedented effort to cut its citizens off from the rest of the world, according to new reports.
Sen. Tom Cotton: China threatens U.S. AI development
The presence of thousands of Chinese nationals at Energy Department laboratories and facilities increases the risk of theft of critical national security information on the U.S. high-priority artificial intelligence development program, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Tom Cotton and 10 other Republican senators warned Energy Secretary Chris Wright this week.
Cold War document shows military chiefs sought U.S. purchase of Greenland
President Trump’s plan to acquire Greenland is not new. A 1956 document from the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff called for the U.S. to purchase Greenland for its strategic military value.
Pentagon awards first contracts for AI-powered drone interceptors under Replicator 2 program
The Department of Defense awarded two new contracts to acquire artificial intelligence-driven interceptor drones intended to help U.S. forces counter small, unmanned aerial systems, the first acquisitions as part of the second phase of the Pentagon’s Replicator program.
Ailing astronaut returns to Earth early in NASA’s first medical evacuation
An ailing astronaut returned to Earth with three others on Thursday, ending their space station mission more than a month early in NASA’s first medical evacuation.
Senate Republicans flip votes to quash Venezuela war powers resolution
Senate Republicans on Thursday flipped just enough votes to kill Democrats’ war powers resolution that sought to block President Trump from further military action against Venezuela without congressional approval.
U.S. allies race to deploy AI-powered drones, upending decades of weapons-buying practice
U.S. allies are pushing to revolutionize how they evaluate and buy next-generation autonomous weapons.
Trump: Control of Greenland is price of U.S. missile defense
President Trump on Wednesday said the U.S. must take control of Greenland to build its Golden Dome missile-defense system and become an effective deterrent to China and Russia, and anything less is “unacceptable.”
Ex-DIA counterspy reveals use of psychics to hunt spies
A decorated former Defense Intelligence Agency counterintelligence official used a psychic to identify spies working in the U.S., including a suspected foreign agent still working for the FBI, former DIA counterspy, Scott W. Carmichael reveals in a forthcoming book.
Navy at an ‘inflection point,’ surface fleet more vital than ever, key GOP lawmaker says
The U.S. Navy is at an “inflection point” amid growing threats from great power rivals and terrorist groups around the world, a key Republican lawmaker said Wednesday morning, and he stressed the U.S. must maintain a strong surface fleet that includes large, small and uncrewed vessels.
U.S. moves select personnel from Qatari base as Tehran, Washington threaten strikes
The Pentagon has begun moving nonessential military personnel out of the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar following threats from Tehran that Iran may carry out retaliatory strikes on U.S. military bases in the region, according to reports on Wednesday.
Trump says U.S. control of Greenland is necessary for Golden Dome project, NATO prowess
NATO needs the U.S. to take control of Greenland to be an effective deterrent to China and Russia, and anything less is “unacceptable,” President Trump said Wednesday.
Trump-class battleships will enable Navy to ‘project more power’ at sea, key Pentagon official says
A top Navy official said Tuesday that the proposed “Trump class” of battleships will fill a critical need for the military and enable the service to project more power on the seas.
Broad-based Iranian protest movement yet to answer who rules if the mullahs fall
The nationwide protests that exploded in the streets of Iran this month have emerged as one of the greatest threats to the clerics who rule the country since the founding of the Islamic republic in 1979. But after four decades of hardline theocratic leaders, it’s not clear who will emerge to take over if the mullahs fall.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announces AI strategy to streamline research and development
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth criticized bureaucratic barriers hampering artificial intelligence development and delivery and promised to break them down in a speech Monday at SpaceX’s Starbase launch site.
Pentagon takes $1 billion stake in solid rocket motor supply chain with rare direct investment
The Pentagon announced a groundbreaking direct-to-supplier move on Tuesday that will see the federal government invest $1 billion in a new company, to be spun off from defense industry giant L3Harris, that will produce solid rocket motors.
Trump’s call for more lethal U.S. Navy puts spotlight on Virginia defense symposium
More boats, smarter weapons and deadlier guns are just a few items on President Trump’s wish list that U.S. Navy officials and defense leaders will tackle this week at the Surface Navy Association’s National Symposium in Arlington, Virginia.
U.K. to develop ballistic missile for Kyiv, as Moscow continues winter strikes at Ukraine
The United Kingdom will develop a new deep-strike ballistic missile for Ukraine that can operate in high-threat battlefields with heavy electromagnetic interference.
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BOOM! U.S. military turns ISIS targets to rubble
Gallery: 14 Photos
U.S. airstrikes have devastated Islamic State targets.
