The Wall Street Journal
Dozens of mysterious drones have appeared in the skies over New Jersey in recent weeks, perplexing state and federal officials and agitating residents. The drones, which residents there have reported seeing over military installations, power lines and suburban neighborhoods, appear eerily similar to a fleet that swarmed sensitive national security sites on Virginia’s eastern shoreline one year ago.
The War Zone
The U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy could soon be tasked with exploring whether extending the range of existing AIM-120 and AIM-9 air-to-air missiles is one path to help right-size stocks of those weapons. Congress is pushing for a broader assessment of U.S. air-to-air missile inventories amid growing concerns that obligations in the Middle East and Ukraine are eating into key munition stocks that would be especially crucial for any future high-end fight with China.
Defense One
No one knows whether defense spending will grow or shrink in the next administration, whose publicly stated goals include rebuilding arsenals, curbing government expenditure, cutting taxes, and shrinking federal headcount. But defense officials who oversee investment in dual-use technologies and companies say they're optimistic about their corner of the Pentagon budget.
DefenseScoop
The Defense Department is sunsetting Task Force Lima and launching a new initiative focused on accelerating the delivery of new generative AI capabilities. Task Force Lima was stood up last year to help the Defense Department better understand how it can effectively and responsibly leverage gen AI tools such as large language models. Officials have taken lessons learned from that effort and stood up the Artificial Intelligence Rapid Capabilities Cell (AI RCC).
SpaceNews
A U.S. Space Force unit based at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, serves as a pivotal coordinator of space-based intelligence and protection amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, highlighting the increasingly critical role of commercial and military satellite technologies in modern warfare.
Defense News
The Space Force expects its newest space observation satellites, Silent Barker, to be ready for initial operations early next year, according to the head of U.S. Space Command. Gen. Stephen Whiting told reporters Dec. 11 that the spacecraft, which launched in September 2023, has been undergoing a series of on-orbit tests for the last year. The service hasn’t confirmed how many spacecraft it launched in the first mission but has said there were at least two.
Military.com
Federal investigators arrested a 39-year-old man this week after accusing him of flying a drone and taking pictures of Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, an arrest that comes amid other high-profile drone swarms at U.S. military bases.
The Hill
The House passed the annual defense policy bill Dec. 11, sending the mammoth measure to the Senate for consideration ahead of Congress’s end-of-month deadline. The legislation—known as the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)—cleared the chamber in a bipartisan 281-140 vote, with 200 Republicans and 81 Democrats joining forces to push it over the finish line.
POLITICO
A culture clash is headed for Washington that will pit the risk-embracing, fast-first nature of Silicon Valley against the lumbering bureaucracy of the country’s largest federal agency. Donald Trump has already tapped billionaire finance executives to be Navy secretary and the Pentagon’s No. 2, and startup world successes are in the running for other Pentagon posts.
Breaking Defense
America, Japan, and Australia know their national security establishments must work more closely together, as reflected by a number of signed agreements and commitments. But, a pair of independent studies have both concluded, the countries still have significant work to do on training and practicing how to fight together.
Subscription Required
Aviation Week
Kratos Defense and Security recently completed the first flight of its Thanatos stealthy uncrewed combat air vehicle, proving out the aircraft’s basic design as the company now focuses on flying a fully integrated system.
The New York Times
For decades, the Navy has stated that brain injuries have mostly occurred during accidents or leisure activities. But now, a confidential new program is studying whether intense fighter jet operations can cause brain injuries as devastating as those from repeated blast exposure.
One More Thing
Air Force Times
President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to be NASA’s next administrator, Jared Isaacman, said Dec. 11 that as the U.S. establishes more of human presence in space, it will eventually need Space Force Guardians stationed in the domain to protect its economic interests.
