Dozen F-16s Join Back-to-Back Exercises with the Philippines
A dozen F-16s from Misawa Air Base are joining back-to-back exercises across the Philippines’ vast archipelago, including the northernmost major island less than 200 miles from Taiwan.
Air Force Still Planning a Nuclear Microreactor in Alaska—and More After That
By the end of this decade, the Air Force could begin equipping up to nine bases with self-sufficient nuclear microreactors as part of an effort to unplug from local commercial power grids and satisfy a growing demand for secure, reliable power sources that are more protected from cyberattacks and natural disasters.
Acting Pentagon CIO Signing Off on New, Faster Cyber Rules for Contractors
A new fast-track approval process for software on Defense Department networks will use AI tools to radically shorten a process that currently takes months or years, Acting Pentagon Chief Information Officer Katie Arrington said April 23.
C-17 Refuels Off a Commercial Tanker for First Time in AMC History
Air Mobility Command, responsible for the Air Force’s airlift and tanker fleets, got some refueling help of its own from a commercial provider for the first time earlier this month. The milestone came when a KDC-10 tanker owned by Omega Air Refueling passed fuel onto a C-17 over California on April 10.
Air Force MAJCOMs, Given New Guidance, Pull Back on Family Days
When acting Air Force Secretary Gary A. Ashworth rescinded service-wide “Family Days” last week citing the need to build readiness, he left it up to commanders, directors, and supervisors to decide if they would still permit extra days off. Here’s how Air Force major commands are taking that guidance.
Radar Sweep
Trump Says Zelenskyy Is Prolonging War in Ukraine by Resisting Calls to Cede Crimea to Russia
The Associated Press
President Donald Trump on April 23 lashed out at Ukraine’s president, saying Volodymyr Zelenskyy is prolonging the “killing field” after pushing back on ceding Crimea to Russia as part of a potential peace plan.
House GOP Bumps Pentagon Spending, Eyes $150B Target for Party-Line Package
POLITICO
House Republicans will seek a $150 billion Pentagon spending hike as part of their party-line megabill, according to three people familiar with the process, granted anonymity to describe private deliberations, abandoning a lower defense target and aligning with plans set by their Senate counterparts.
Ex-Army Sergeant Gets 7 Years for Selling Military Secrets to Chinese Conspirator
The New York Times
A former U.S. Army intelligence analyst with top secret security clearance was sentenced to seven years in prison on April 23 for selling classified military information to a foreign national who was most likely connected to the Chinese government, federal prosecutors said.
DOD Kicks Off Review of Major Defense Acquisition Programs as Hegseth Touts Reforms
DefenseScoop
Pentagon officials launched a review of “all 72 active major defense acquisitions programs” this week to determine changes or cancellations that could be made based on President Donald Trump’s recent executive order that aims to transform how the government buys equipment and services for military and civilian personnel, according to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
Air Force Academy's Staff Cuts Unclear Amid Mass Resignations; Cadets Assured of World-Class Education
The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
While the Air Force Academy sent a letter to incoming cadets early last week reassuring them of a quality education at the school, a definitive plan for layoffs among faculty and staff is still in the works.
Can Hegseth’s Push to In-Source IT Consulting at the Pentagon Actually Happen?
Breaking Defense
The recent memo signed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directing a major shift in how the department handles IT consulting contracts has left some experts with pointed questions about how it’s supposed to be implemented, and whether the Pentagon can actually bring such services “in house.”
China’s Rare-Earth Mineral Squeeze Will Hit the Pentagon Hard
Defense One
China is beginning to restrict exports of rare-earth minerals crucial to U.S. military might—a long-warned-of vulnerability that is becoming an urgent reality. From tungsten in armor-piercing rounds to gallium in radars, the U.S. Defense Department has built a warfighting enterprise with a supply chain that runs straight through China. But recent developments threaten the Pentagon’s ability to maintain that enterprise.
OPINION: The Guardian’s Rifle: Why Mission-Essential Space Support Cannot Be Outsourced
SpaceNews
“In matters of national defense and credible deterrence, some capabilities are simply too vital to outsource. If they falter, armies lose battles and nations can lose wars. Today, commercial space services are more capable than ever. ... But let us be clear: mission-essential space support, particularly communications and navigation systems that directly enable warfighters in the field, must remain government-owned and operated. Commercial services can and should augment these capabilities, but they can never replace them,” write Charles Beames and Angel Smith of the SmallSat Alliance.
New Views of China’s Next Generation Fighters
The War Zone
Flight testing of China’s two new next-generation fighter designs is continuing apace and offering new insights into both aircraft. The latest imagery of the larger of the two designs, commonly—but unofficially—called the J-36, offers the clearest look to date at the exhausts for its three engines and a new angle into its possible two-seat cockpit. Additional views of the second type, referred to as the J-XDS and J-50, show the interesting bay configuration on the side of the fuselage immediately behind the air intake and highlight other distinctive features like its swiveling wingtip control surfaces.
WWII Dive Bomber Found on Pacific Floor—with a Bomb Still Attached, NOAA Says
Miami Herald
A World War II bomber has been discovered 3 miles deep in the Pacific Ocean, and it’s still fully armed with an 83-year-old bomb fixed to the wing, NOAA Ocean Exploration says.