President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pledged a first ever $1 trillion defense budget proposal on April 7, a record sum for the military. Trump, during a press event with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said the upcoming budget would be “in the vicinity” of $1 trillion.
The much-anticipated final decision on who will build the Navy’s next-generation fighter aircraft is currently under discussion by senior-most officials, the Acting Chief of Naval Operations Adm. James Kilby said April 7. “It’s a decision at the secretary-level and above, and they’re working that now,” Kilby told reporters on the first day of the Navy-centric Sea Air Space exhibition outside of Washington, D.C.
The U.S. and Iran said April 7 that they would convene nuclear talks, launching the two adversaries with clashing objectives into high-stakes negotiations. President Trump said the meetings beginning April 12 would involve direct negotiations between high-level U.S. and Iranian officials, while Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, said they would be indirect talks in Oman.
Vice Adm. Shoshana Chatfield, a top U.S. military official at NATO, has been fired as the Trump administration continues its widespread removal of senior uniformed officers, according to multiple U.S. and European officials.
Eight satellites designed by Millennium Space Systems with sensor payloads from L3Harris Technologies have cleared a key design review, paving the way for production and a planned late 2027 launch, the companies announced April 7. Millennium Space, based in El Segundo, Calif., is building the satellites under a $414 million contract awarded last year by the Space Development Agency for a constellation known as “Foo Fighter”—short for Fire-control On Orbit-support to the Warfighter.
Can the United States simultaneously arm Ukraine, Taiwan, and Israel without hollowing out its own arsenal? A new report by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, shared exclusively ahead of publication with Defense One, says yes—for now. But, the report adds, the U.S. defense industry may not be able to keep it up without major reform and new investment.
After more than two years of negotiations, the U.S. Space Force and the National Reconnaissance Office are on the brink of signing a baseline agreement on how they will share acquisition authority for, and access to, imagery from commercial remote sensing satellites.
General Atomics has officially unveiled the new Bullseye standoff precision-guided missile that it’s now working with alongside Israeli defense contractor Rafael. The new weapon leverages Rafael’s existing Ice Breaker missile and is being offered to the U.S. military and allies at a time when the Pentagon is increasingly focused on procuring affordable standoff weapons that can be rapidly produced en masse for future contingencies.
The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) is partnering with Firefly Aerospace to use the company’s Elytra spacecraft for a responsive on-orbit mission due to launch in 2027. The mission will support the DIU’s Sinequone Project, which is exploring options for cost-effective and responsive access beyond geostationary orbit (GEO), the company announced April 7.
The Navy’s next-generation fighter jet will have significantly longer reach than the plane it will replace in the carrier air wing, according to a senior officer. The service is expected to award the F/A-XX program to either Boeing or Northrop Grumman in the not-too-distant future.
New footage has emerged of the largest of China’s two new tailless stealth fighters, widely referred to as the J-36, although the designation remains unconfirmed. The video in question is perhaps the most impressive view of the aircraft so far and shows the unique three-engine jet on final approach to land at its maker’s factory airfield in the province of Sichuan in southwestern China.
