U.S. forces on April 17 hit a major fuel port in western Yemen used to supply Houthi rebels, the first such airstrike publicly announced since Washington began an air campaign against the militant group in March.
The Space Force has defined what it means by “space warfighting” in a new document that service officials hope will give a clearer picture to guardians and joint planners of how the service plans to operate in a future conflict.
A sweeping Space Force acquisition review geared toward finding avenues for more commercial integration appears to have given the service a head start in aligning with several Trump administration directives aimed at reforming defense acquisition and pulling more private sector capabilities into the federal government.
The Air Force’s program office for offensive small uncrewed aircraft systems is eyeing industry’s communications technology as it looks to fulfill special operations forces’ requirements. The department is conducting market research to inform its pursuit of new radios, antennas and datalinks that can be integrated into drones for commandos to conduct swarm ops.
In a television interview last week, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan reportedly said he hoped his nation would return to the US-led F-35 fifth-generation fighter program, outlining the “process” underway to facilitate the move.
The Air Force Academy has rolled out a new mission statement that drops the word "educate" and adds in a focus on winning wars. ... The new mission is “To forge leaders of character, motivated to a lifetime of service, and developed to lead our Air Force and Space Force as we fight and win our Nation’s wars.” An academy spokesperson said the statement reflects the priorities outlined by President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to develop warrior-leaders prepared to lead warfighters on Day One.
The Trump administration’s Golden Dome initiative is creating new alliances and prompting industrial expansions in the defense sector as companies position themselves for roles in the ambitious missile defense program. L3Harris Technologies announced this week a $125 million expansion of its manufacturing facility in Fort Wayne, Ind., focused on increasing production of infrared sensing payloads—a central technology for the Golden Dome missile-defense shield that relies heavily on space-based capabilities.
The British Army has, for the first time, used a directed-energy weapon to bring down a swarm of drones during trials. The Radio Frequency Directed Energy Weapon demonstrator, or RF DEW, reflects a fast-growing trend to harness new ways of neutralizing the drone threat, both on the battlefield and for homeland defense.
Ukraine and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding late on April 17 as a “step toward a joint economic partnership agreement,” according to Ukraine’s economy minister, bringing both sides closer to a minerals deal that has gone through multiple, contentious rounds of negotiations.
Dakota Meyer, who in 2011 became the first living Marine since the Vietnam War to be awarded the Medal of Honor, is reenlisting in the Marine Reserve. “I realized I had more to give,” said Meyer, now 36, during a roundtable with reporters April 17. “I love this country with every moral fiber of my being. I always have. The same reason that I joined 20 years ago is the same reason I’m coming back in. I’ve just got more to give and it’s just such an honor to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the men and women wearing the nation’s cloth today.”
