Russia attacked Kyiv with an hourslong barrage of missiles and drones April 24, killing at least 12 people and injuring about 90 others in its deadliest assault on the Ukrainian capital since last July. It came as peace talks appeared to stall.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had an internet connection that bypassed the Pentagon’s security protocols set up in his office to use the Signal messaging app on a personal computer, two people familiar with the line told The Associated Press.
The Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to allow it to enforce a ban on transgender service members after lower courts temporarily blocked the ban from taking effect. In an emergency application April 24, the Justice Department asked the Supreme Court to lift a nationwide injunction issued last month by a federal judge in Washington state, arguing that the injunction is “usurping the executive branch’s authority to determine who may serve in the nation’s armed forces.”
The Defense Department is planning to host the largest-ever spectrum sharing demonstration with industry in November, an official from the Pentagon’s FutureG office revealed April 23, in hopes of answering key questions amid a contentious debate.
Earlier this month, more than 12,000 runners raced through the streets of Beijing in a half marathon—accompanied by more than 20 humanoid robots. While the prize money for the first robot to cross the finish line was a paltry CNY5,000 ($691), the competition is emblematic of a larger race just beginning in technology and even warfare.
The Defense Department is getting ready to release a request for prototype proposals as the military prepares to integrate future wireless, artificial intelligence, and machine learning capabilities into its networks. The upcoming RPP will be for the open centralized unit distributed unit (OCUDU) project.
Defense firms with exposure to the commercial aerospace market indicated they could see hundreds of millions in added costs from the Trump tariffs this year, but the defense sector as a whole remains largely shielded from the tariffs’ impact, executives from the top six U.S. defense primes said in earnings calls this week.
The U.S. Air Force is firmly of the view that its new F-47 6th generation stealth fighters are key to “how we win” in future fights, according to the service’s top general in charge of force structure planning. Though the Air Force previously said it would buy 200 of the next-generation combat jets, how many of the aircraft the service now plans to acquire is an open question as its vision of the core air superiority mission set continues to evolve.
A new report from U.S. defense and industry analysts paints a concerning picture of the nation’s position in an escalating competition with China, citing institutional fragmentation and regulatory hurdles as key vulnerabilities.
Rocket Lab is becoming an even bigger player in the world of hypersonic technology. The militaries of the United States and the United Kingdom have both picked the California-based company as a potential partner for their multibillion-dollar programs dedicated to building hypersonic technology.
The Defense Innovation Unit is launching three more outposts across the U.S. to help the Pentagon connect with a broader swath of technology companies. DIU is headquartered in Mountain View, Calif., and has offices in Boston, Austin, Washington, D.C., and Chicago. Last year, it opened five onramp hubs in Kansas, Ohio, Arizona, Hawaii, and Washington state. The three new hubs will be based in Kentucky, Minnesota, and Montana, according to Liz Young McNally, DIU’s deputy director of commercial operations.
Vice President JD Vance and his family detoured on their flight back to Washington, D.C., from India to refuel and visit with American service members stationed in Germany. Vance, sporting a casual green jacket and khaki pants, spent several hours at Ramstein Air Base, receiving a tour of a C-130 and attending an impromptu cookout.
