Matthew Cox
Matthew Cox has been a defense reporter since 1998. Prior to working for three years in media relations at Thales, he worked for Military.com from 2011 to 2021, covering Army and Marine Corps readiness and modernizations with a focus on weapons development and procurement. Before that he worked for more than 12 years at Army Times. He focused on modernization, training, and readiness as well as covering light infantry units in combat in both Afghanistan from 2002 to 2008. He also spent four years in the U.S. Army during the second half of the 1980s, serving as an infantryman in the 82nd Airborne Division.
Recent stories by Matthew Cox
Air Force Rethinks Having Trainees Carry Real Rifles in Boot Camp
Young Air Force and Space Force recruits in Basic Military Training will not be trading in their non-firing M4 carbines for live M4s anytime soon. After leaders previously said they wanted to make the switch, Maj. Gen. Wolfe Davidson said it may not be necessary ...
Air Force Still Planning a Nuclear Microreactor in Alaska—and More After That
By the end of this decade, the Air Force could begin equipping up to nine bases with self-sufficient nuclear microreactors as part of an effort to unplug from local commercial power grids and satisfy a growing demand for secure, reliable power sources that are more ...
Air Force Tells Congress: Better to Demolish Vacant Buildings than Maintain Them
The Air Force’s top enlisted member told lawmakers last week that the service must demolish hundreds of unneeded buildings, a move that would pay a “10-to-1 return on investment,” particularly for improving quality of life for service members, rather than spending money on their upkeep.
Navy Eyes ‘Interchangeable’ CCAs with Air Force, Lessons from MQ-25
While the U.S. Air Force plans to spend big and make Collaborative Combat Aircraft drones an essential part of its tactical fleet in the near future, the U.S. Navy is working to team manned and unmanned aircraft as well.
How DOD Could Recoup Its Investment in Ukraine’s Long-Range Drones
For three years now, the Pentagon has dug into its arsenal and spent massive sums backing Ukraine against Russia’s invasion; now it may see a return on that investment by embracing the post-Soviet country’s battle-tested way of drone warfare.