A new White House strategy for interagency research on cislunar space activities includes all three of the Space Force’s own development priorities for operating in the vast region between the Earth’s orbit and that of the Moon: spacecraft and space junk monitoring, communications, and positioning, navigation, and timing.
Hermeus completed what it said was a major test of a new-design engine, bringing the startup one step closer to building reusable hypersonic aircraft. During a series of tests at the Notre Dame Turbomachinery Laboratory in Indiana, the company’s engine, called Chimera, switched between turbojet and ramjet power. It’s believed to be the first time a commercial company has accomplished this transition.
The role cyber plays in military campaigns needs reexamination after Russia’s failure to cripple computer networks during its invasion of Ukraine likely forced it to physically strike the country’s infrastructure instead, according to a senior Pentagon official. Mieke Eoyang, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for cyber policy, said the conflict in Eastern Europe is critically important for the U.S. Department of Defense to understand, noting that day-to-day fighting and devastation are outstripping the consequences of cyberattacks.
Clinicians at Department of Veterans Affairs facilities have not consistently asked patients who have acknowledged thoughts of suicide about their access to firearms or ways to better store the weapons safely despite department policy requiring those discussions, a VA watchdog found. As part of a broad review of whether the Veterans Health Administration is following policies covering firearm-related suicides, the VA's inspector general examined the health records of 65 patients who died by suicide involving firearms.
The Air Force is changing the way it conducts Basic Military Training, replacing a four-day-long field training exercise with a new scenario that lasts 36 hours. In an announcement, the service said BEAST week, or Basic Expeditionary Airman Skills Training week, will be replaced with the Primary Agile Combat Employment Range, Forward Operations Readiness Generation Exercise, known as PACER FORGE.
The United Kingdom has decided to delay approving a planned increase to defense spending, triggering concern that it will not follow through with a commitment made by the last government to elevate funding to 3 percent GDP by 2030. Delivering the Autumn Statement (an annual U.K. spending review) to parliament, Jeremy Hunt, Chancellor of the Exchequer, said that while he and Prime Minister Rishi Suank “recognize the need to increase defense spending,” such a commitment would be made only once an updated version of the Integrated Review, an upcoming U.K. defense strategy document, had been published.
“To recapitalize its aging aircraft with new replacements, the U.S. Air Force has embarked on a strategy of retiring legacy aircraft now and 'investing' the budget savings for new aircraft in future years. The Air Force plans to retire aging F-15Cs, F-16s, B-1s, and B-2s with F-35s, Next Generation Air Dominance fighters, B-21s, and F-15EXs. This strategy may look attractive on paper, but past attempts show that it doesn’t work in practice,” writes retired Gen. John Michael Loh, former Air Force vice chief of staff and Air Combat Command boss.
In 2008, Jessica Israelsen was living through one of the most difficult periods of her life. She was raising three young children, going to college, and serving in the U.S. Air Force as a medical technician. Then, in September of that year, a family member died by suicide. Israelsen was devastated. So in December, she made the difficult decision to leave the Air Force. But one thing she didn't have to worry about was Christmas. For several years, members of her unit had pitched in to buy Christmas gifts for her family. And that year, even though Israelsen had decided to leave the military, they still chose to help.