U.S. commanders planning for a possible conflict with China are increasingly concerned that the Pentagon will soon need to move long-range precision weapons from stockpiles in the Asia-Pacific region to the Middle East, congressional officials say.
Driving toward the German village of Ramstein-Miesenbach feels like entering a twilight zone. It is no longer Germany, but it isn’t quite America either. The density of pickup trucks and baseball caps increases. Bilingual signs are everywhere and live country music is played every Thursday at Big Emma’s brewery. But a chill has gripped the tiny village just across the fence surrounding Ramstein Air Base. “We still play soccer [with the Americans], we cook together, we’ll celebrate Easter,” said Mayor Ralf Hechler. “We just don’t talk politics all that much.”
Since the onset of the Iran-backed Houthis’ campaign to disrupt global shipping routes with missiles and armed drones in the Red Sea roughly 18 months ago, U.S. Transportation Command has adapted and adjusted how it operates to support the movement of in-demand cargo around the world, according to the organization’s chief.
Both the House and Senate have approved a GOP-led budget resolution that would add up to $150 billion for defense. Now comes the hard part: deciding exactly where that money goes, on top of sorting out even more controversial challenges such as raising the debt ceiling, extending previous Trump-era tax cuts, and laying out up to $1.5 trillion in spending cuts elsewhere in the federal budget.
One day after President Donald Trump suggested he might reduce the U.S. military footprint in South Korea, the head of U.S. Forces Korea testified that current troop levels are needed for pressing missions and challenges in the Pacific region.
“On March 21, President Donald Trump announced that Boeing was being awarded the contract to develop the Next-Generation Air Dominance fighter, or NGAD, now called the F-47—a major commitment by the Trump administration. As outgoing secretary of the Air Force in the Biden administration, I had the opportunity to make that decision but I chose to defer it until after the presidential election. Why? At first glance, the decision to ensure the U.S. Air Force has the most capable manned fighter in the world doesn’t seem to be a tough call. But Congress needs to look beyond the obvious appeal of this advanced aircraft and ask the Trump administration some hard questions,” writes former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall.
The newly elevated acting head of U.S. Cyber Command, Lt. Gen. William Hartman, appeared to defend a continuation of the dual-hatted role for the position in which he serves, also leading the National Security Agency, telling lawmakers it allows more “speed and agility” to take on adversaries in cyberspace.
U.S. Space Command said April 9 that it has finalized options for President Donald Trump’s “Golden Dome” missile defense system and has sent its recommendations to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for his review and approval. The futuristic system was ordered by Trump during his first week in office, and if successful, would mark the first time the U.S. would place weapons in space that are meant to destroy ground-based missiles within seconds of launch.
Military space leaders continue looking for ways to inject commercial technologies into their architectures. For strategic communications and positioning, navigation and timing, though, true commercial alternatives may not exist. That was one takeaway from an April 8 press briefing with Space Systems Command officials.
“Leadership is more than a title—it is a calling. Few have answered that call with the depth of dedication, intellect, and vision that Michael Wynne demonstrated as the 21st Secretary of the United States Air Force,” writes retired Lt. Gen. David A. Deptula.
Some of the U.S. military’s most defining technologies have nothing to do with missiles, tanks, guns, and other deadly weaponry. While important in war, these innovations—from duct tape and blood banks to GPS— ultimately play a far larger role on the home front, improving everyday lives.
