The Associated Press
The United States warned on May 9 that Israel will be dealing a strategic victory to Hamas if it carries out plans for an all-out assault on Rafah, the militants’ last major stronghold in Gaza. The warning was backed by a new threat from President Joe Biden: He says he will pause more offensive military assistance to Israel if it goes through with the operation in a city where more than 1 million civilians are sheltering.
The New York Times
Ukrainian drones struck two oil depots and a refinery across Russia in a 24-hour period, including one deep in Russian territory, officials on both sides said May 9, as Kyiv presses a campaign aimed at hampering the country’s military operations and putting strain on its most important industry.
SpaceNews
“The Chief of Space Operations of the U.S. Space Force Gen. Chance Saltzman, told lawmakers at a recent hearing that the service is struggling with the math on satellite refueling. And we can’t blame him,” writes Charles Beames, chairman for both York Space Systems and SpiderOak, as well as the SmallSat Alliance.
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Inside Defense
The Air Force wants to harvest $18 billion for new modernization priorities by divesting 938 aircraft —including fighters, bombers, cargo planes, trainers, rotorcraft, and more—according to a DOD report that reveals for the first time the scope of plans between fiscal years 2025 and 2029 to finance new capabilities—such as uncrewed fighters—out-of-hide.
Defense News
Special operators are pushing for more firepower in their small teams, asking industry for a lighter shoulder-fired rocket, a long-range sniper rifle, and both land- and air-based weaponized drones.
The War Zone
Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC), which won the contract to build the U.S. Air Force’s highly specialized Survivable Airborne Operations Center (SAOC) aircraft just last month, has acquired five Boeing 747-8s from Korean Air. It seems certain that these will be converted as the successors to the Air Force’s aging 747-200-based E-4B Nightwatch ‘doomsday planes,’ although at this stage we still don’t know exactly how many of the new SAOC aircraft will be fielded.
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Aviation Week
Having shown that a single Airman can control multiple General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) MQ-9s, Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) is looking to demonstrate that the Reapers can in turn launch a swarm of smaller drones.
DefenseScoop
The Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit has created a new portfolio to integrate nascent technology into military operations, and it’s kicking off those efforts with a solicitation to industry for quantum sensors that can provide alternative position, navigation, and timing (PNT) capabilities.
Military.com
A Florida deputy fired the six rounds that killed Senior Airman Roger Fortson within seconds of the Airman opening the door, police body camera footage released May 9 reveals. The footage shows the unidentified deputy firing into Fortson’s chest as the airman opens his apartment door and appears to be holding a handgun at his side.
Breaking Defense
The Air Force and Boeing are close to resolving a pricing disagreement that has held up a deal for the first two E-7 Wedgetail planes, and a final agreement could materialize within weeks, the Air Force’s top acquisition official said May 8.
Defense One
The Pentagon’s IT agency wants to make it easier for defense organizations to create their own cloud solutions. So it’s launching a program to demystify the process. The program, called DOD Olympus, will serve as a ready-made kit for defense agencies to launch commercial cloud solutions without the hassle.
One More Thing
ABC News
Angela Bridges was aboard the Carnival Venezia cruise ship with her family, including son Aiden, en route to New York City from the Caribbean when he fell seriously ill, concerning the medical team on board. ... At the time of the critical medical incident, the ship was outside of North Carolina and more than 350 nautical miles off the coast. The 920th Rescue Wing of the Air Force, consisting of two HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters, two HC-130J Combat King II aircraft, and two teams of combat rescue officers and pararescuemen, flew to the ship’s position to safely extract the patient for transport to the nearest capable medical center.
