USA Today
President Donald Trump on Jan. 20 declared a national border emergency and ordered the U.S. armed forces to “repel forms of invasion” at the U.S.-Mexico border, including illegal migration and drug trafficking, according to administration officials.
The Associated Press
President Donald Trump has named an acting defense secretary because his choice to lead the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth, has not yet been confirmed by the Senate. Robert Salesses, deputy director of the Pentagon’s Washington Headquarters Service, will fill in as acting secretary of defense, and three other career Defense Department civilians will be filling in as acting heads of the Army, Navy, and Air Force.
Breaking Defense
“With the character of war changing before our eyes, it is more important than ever to provide the airpower America’s joint forces need to deter conflict and win the fight if called upon. But that’s easier said than done, because our service lacks the required funding and resources, even as the potential for near-term conflict grows. In short, America needs more Air Force and it needs it now,” writes Gen. David W. Allvin, Chief of Staff of the Air Force
The New York Times
When Hamas militants led a deadly cross-border raid on Oct. 7, 2023, they triggered a war with Israel that has devastated Gaza. They also set off shock waves that have reshaped the Middle East in unexpected ways. Powerful alliances were upended. Long-established “red lines” were crossed. A decades-old dictatorship at the heart of the region was swept away. Fifteen months after the October attacks, with a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas set to start on Sunday, here is a look at how the region has been radically transformed.
Breaking Defense
The U.S. Air Force’s analysis of alternatives for a futuristic air refueler is wrapping up—but it’s not clear how much money will be available in future budgets to fund the tanker concept, according to the service’s outgoing acquisition chief. “I think understanding what the [fiscal year 2026] budget is actually going to be is pretty significant to how the path forward” will play out, Andrew Hunter said in an exit interview at the Pentagon. “And that is ultimately in their hands,” he added, referring to the Trump team.
The Hill
Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. CQ Brown, Jr., who President Trump had threatened to fire once in power, on Jan. 20 said he plans to remain the country’s highest-ranking military official.
NBC News
The Senate Armed Services Committee voted Jan. 20 along party lines to send Pete Hegseth’s nomination to be defense secretary to the Senate floor as President Donald Trump tries to move quickly to get critical members of his Cabinet in place.
The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies
In this episode of the Aerospace Advantage, Heather “Lucky” Penney chats with Anduril’s Steve Milano—from their Strike and Air Dominance Sector—and retired Maj. Gen. Larry “Stutz” Stutzriem about what it means to deliver enhanced munitions capabilities at scale. How the U.S. industrial base can expand its production capacity, while also working to deliver new capabilities that allow air crew the ability to secure a broad range of combat effects?
Defense News
Among the resumes of President-elect Donald Trump’s picks for key Pentagon posts, aspiring Air Force secretary Troy Meink’s stands out. As a Defense Department insider with deep acquisition and technology-development experience, Meink would bring to the job a government background unlike that of Trump’s other DOD nominees. And his specialization in space could upend the priorities of a service typically dominated by Air Force interests.
Defense One
Incoming President Donald Trump and advisor Elon Musk have promised to reform Pentagon spending, a long-sought goal for officials on both sides of the aisle. But while current and former officials told Defense One the new administration could make some changes, reforms to the way Congress allocates funding and provides oversight would still be necessary for a true overhaul.
The War Zone
A U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle equipped with a sophisticated new radar warning and electronic warfare suite that provides a major boost to its survivability has returned to its unit. The AN/ALQ-250 Eagle Passive/Active Warning Survivability System, or EPAWSS, provides the F-15E with a full electronic warfare overhaul, but it has taken a long time to come online. There is also some uncertainty about the future size of the Strike Eagle fleet and how many jets might eventually get the upgrade.
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Inside Defense
More than a decade after the fiscal year 2013 sequestration, the Air Force’s foundational accounts are still recovering from negative impacts to readiness, modernization, and operations and maintenance. One of the largest lingering challenges to date? Aircraft availability, Air Force acquisition head Andrew Hunter told Inside Defense in an exit interview this week.
ABC News
President-elect Donald Trump returned to office on Jan. 20 having promised a peace deal to end Russia's war on Ukraine, which is still raging nearly three years after President Vladimir Putin troops crossed into Ukraine expecting to be welcomed as heroes. It is hard to say how Trump will try to unpick the twisted knot constricting eastern Europe.
The Wall Street Journal
China dominates the global market for the small, inexpensive drones that have transformed the world’s battlefields—and Beijing hasn’t been shy about keeping the industry under its thumb. For U.S. companies, dependence on China has become untenable, particularly as Beijing shows it is willing to cut off their access to essential supplies.
The Associated Press
A mysterious airstrip being built on a remote island in Yemen is nearing completion, satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press show, one of several built in a nation mired in a stalemated war threatening to reignite.
Defense News
France says a Russian S-400 air-defense system targeted a French maritime patrol flight over the Baltic Sea this week in what the country’s Armed Forces Minister Sébastian Lecornu called an “unacceptable” act of aggression.
BBC News
Russia and Iran have agreed to closer military cooperation, in a move announced during a visit to Moscow by President Masoud Pezeshkian. The two countries signed a 20-year "strategic partnership" treaty, covering areas ranging from defense and technology to energy and trade.
One More Thing
We Are The Mighty
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a legend in the world of military airlift. It is only the fifth aircraft (after the English Electric Canberra, Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, Tupolev Tu-95 Bear, and Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker) to reach 50 years of continuous service with its original primary customer, the U.S. Air Force in the case of the C-130. ... Over 40 variants of the C-130 have been produced and operated across the world. One notable operator was Delta Airlines.
