Editor’s Note
The Daily Report will not publish Thursday, July 4, as we celebrate Independence Day, but we will back in your inboxes Friday, July 5.
What It’s Like to Fly a KC-46 Around the World in 45 Hours
A KC-46 touched down at McConnell Air Force Base, Kan., on July 1 after a record 45-hour nonstop flight around the world. The mission, called Project Magellan, saw the two crews aboard test their limits as they refueled Air Force jets around the planet.
Space Force Re-Aligns ‘Commit’ Phase for All Its Operators
The Space Force is reforming the way it presents teams of Guardians to combatant commanders, announcing July 1 that it will synchronize the “commit” phase of the Space Force Generation Model.
Former NSC Official Calls for ‘More Intensive Training’ with Taiwan
Amid escalating tensions in the South China Sea, a former deputy national security advisor from the Trump administration thinks the U.S. should ramp up its joint military exercises with Taiwan in order to counter growing threats from China.
Radar Sweep
US Announces More Than $2 Billion Package for Ukraine
The Hill
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced a $2.3 billion security assistance package for Ukraine ahead of a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart July 2. The package will include critical air defense interceptors and other weapons. A spokesperson for the Pentagon said more details on the package would be made available soon.
US Set to Pay If Parked F-35s Suffer Major Weather Damage
Bloomberg
US taxpayers could be on the hook for millions of dollars in repairs if F-35 fighter jets suffer major weather damage while waiting on a Texas tarmac for a long-delayed software upgrade, according to the Pentagon’s contracts oversight agency.
Hezbollah’s Deputy Leader Says Group Would Stop Fighting with Israel After Gaza Cease-Fire
The Associated Press
The deputy leader of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah said July 2 the only sure path to a cease-fire on the Lebanon-Israel border is a full cease-fire in Gaza. “If there is a cease-fire in Gaza, we will stop without any discussion,” Hezbollah’s deputy leader, Sheikh Naim Kassem, said in an interview with The Associated Press at the group’s political office in Beirut’s southern suburbs.
OPINION: There Is No Time to Delay NGAD if the Air Force Is to Meet the China Challenge
Breaking Defense
“Forget the Chinese. There are days when the Air Force seems like its own worst enemy. After a decade of priority investment and confident endorsements from leaders, the Air Force is getting antsy about NGAD, the sixth-generation fighter plane planned to replace the F-22 as the centerpiece of air dominance,” writes Dr. Rebecca Grant, senior fellow and vice president of the Lexington Institute.
DOD Seeks Additional Funding for CCA—Suffering Nearly 40 Percent Cost Growth—SM-6, and More
Inside Defense
The Pentagon is seeking congressional permission to shift $3.3 billion among budget accounts to launch a handful of new-start projects, including additional funding needed for the Air Force's Collaborative Combat Aircraft program, Army accounts to buy ship-sinking missiles needed for its Mid-Range Capability program and a new Mobile-Long Range Precision Strike Missile.
Marine Corps Looking to Make MQ-9 Drones Stealthy with Special Pods
DefenseScoop
The Marines are trying to make their Reaper drones more difficult to detect by equipping them with a secretive high-tech pod that can counter enemy sensors, according to the service’s top officer. The Marine Corps is acquiring MQ-9 long-endurance unmanned aerial systems to provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities and to serve as a secure communications gateway and network bridge for the joint force.
Meet the Air Force’s Secretive Long-Range Drone That Flies for Days
Defense One
The U.S. Air Force is getting closer to realizing its vision of low-cost surveillance drones with an autonomous drone that can fly for more than three straight days. And it’s already flying missions in the Middle East. The Ultra Long-Endurance Tactical Reconnaissance Aircraft, or ULTRA, was operating in the shadows until U.S. Central Command in May inadvertently revealed that the drone was deployed in the Middle East by releasing pictures of it at Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates.
ASVAB Tutor Scams Target Military Prospects, Air Force Recruiters Say
Air Force Times
Last summer, Air Force Tech Sgt. Tameka Paschal-Vassell’s phone rang with an unusual problem. Hoping to join the military, the young woman on the line said, she’d been paying a recruiter to tutor her ahead of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, or ASVAB—the entry-level test that helps determine a person’s job prospects and qualifications. The purported recruiter’s name, “Arionna Simone,” didn’t sound familiar. But the face was all too recognizable: it was Paschal-Vassell, in a photo pulled from her Facebook account.
Satellite Images Show Expansion of Suspected Chinese Spy Bases in Cuba
The Wall Street Journal
Images captured from space show the growth of Cuba’s electronic eavesdropping stations that are believed to be linked to China, including new construction at a previously unreported site about 70 miles from the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, according to a new report.
Orbit Fab Completes Ground Test of Satellite Fueling Payload
SpaceNews
Orbit Fab, a Colorado-based startup developing hardware for in-space satellite refueling, announced a successful test of its fueling nozzle known as GRIP (Grapple, Reposition, and Interface Payload) which is intended to dock with satellites and transfer propellant.
Flying The F-15E Strike Eagle in Air-To-Air Combat, from Dogfighting to Drone Hunting
The War Zone
While the future of the U.S. Air Force’s F-15E Strike Eagle fleet has been under some scrutiny recently, there’s little doubt that the jet remains the service’s ‘go-to’ platform for complex air-to-ground scenarios in demanding environments, testified by its regular appearances in global hotspots and participation in high-profile missions.
Renovating History: Moody AFB Airmen Renew Beloved Static Display
Air Force release
Airmen from Moody Air Force Base’s 23rd Maintenance Group were recognized by Col. Michael Gallagher, 23rd Mission Support Group commander, June 18, 2024, for spearheading a two-month renovation project of an F-16 Fighting Falcon static display at Freedom Park, Valdosta, Ga.