The Wall Street Journal
Russia launched a satellite into space in February 2022 that is designed to test components for a potential antisatellite weapon that would carry a nuclear device, U.S. officials said. The satellite that was launched doesn’t carry a nuclear weapon. But U.S. officials say it is linked to a continuing Russian nuclear antisatellite program that has been a growing worry for the Biden administration, Congress and experts outside the government in recent months.
The Wall Street Journal
The Hotel Rössli, a century-old lodge in this Alpine valley village, enjoys a spectacular view from its front. The lace-curtained windows stare out into a crop of mountains capped with snow that melts into the nearby waterfall where Sherlock Holmes, in one of the novels, plummets to an untimely death. But it is the view from the back that caught the attention of American intelligence agencies. About 100 yards from the rear of the rustic, wood-paneled inn, just past a child’s swing set, cuts the runway where the Swiss military had agreed to base several F-35s, the world’s most advanced jet fighter.
Breaking Defense
BAE Systems hasn’t finalized its sixth-generation fighter, but company execs are already talking about a “seventh-generation” combat air platform—even though they say that term will probably be out of date by the time it rolls around. Discussing the future of combat air at a media roundtable on May 14 at its manufacturing and assembly site in Warton, Lancashire, BAE Systems’ Combat Air Strategy Director, Mike Baulkwill said he “didn’t know where 7G aircraft development is heading,” but added, “We need to lose the generational name because aircraft are going to be evolving all the time.”
The New York Times
NATO allies are inching closer to sending troops into Ukraine to train Ukrainian forces, a move that would be another blurring of a previous red line and could draw the United States and Europe more directly into the war.
SpaceNews
Inversion Space, a startup founded in 2021, is setting its sights on revolutionizing military logistics with its concept of “warehouses in space.” The company envisions deploying reusable reentry capsules to store cargo in orbit, and delivering it to any point on Earth within an hour. A pathfinder mission dubbed “Ray” is scheduled for launch as early as October on the SpaceX Transporter-12 rideshare mission.
Defense One
The Pentagon has refused delivery of so many F-35s that Lockheed Martin is running out of places to put them, according to a new report from a government watchdog agency. Last July, the government stopped accepting new F-35s because of hardware and software delays with Technology Refresh-3, a $1.8-billion effort to enable new capabilities for the jet. The number of jets stacking up on the tarmac is “grossly delinquent,” Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Va., chairman of the House Armed Services tactical air and land forces subcommittee, told reporters May 15.
The Associated Press
The Pentagon said May 16 that humanitarian aid will soon begin flowing onto the Gaza shore through the new pier that was anchored to the beach and will begin reaching those in need almost immediately. Sabrina Singh, Pentagon spokeswoman, told reporters that the U.S. believes there will be no backups in the distribution of the aid, which is being coordinated by the United Nations.
Defense News
Secretary of State Antony Blinken on May 15 announced a $2 billion aid package for Ukraine largely intended to help the embattled country grow its indigenous defense capabilities and move away from Soviet-era equipment.
Federal News Network
The Department of the Air Force’s chief information officer’s strategy to increase the capabilities of its Airmen and Guardians is centered on increasing the use of cloud services. Venice Goodwine, the Air Force’s CIO, said the cloud cannot be thought of as just for business applications. The lines between the back office and the tactical edge have blurred, she said.
Defense News
House lawmakers want the Air Force to start seriously thinking about how to make its electric “flying car” concept a reality. A subcommittee’s section of the House Armed Services Committee’s proposed fiscal 2025 National Defense Authorization Act would require the Air Force and the Pentagon to set up a working group dedicated to transitioning its Agility Prime concept into programs that can be used operationally.
One More Thing
USA Today
When Airman Noah Keaton told his wife, Danielle, that he couldn’t make it to her Air Force BMT graduation ceremony in San Antonio, Texas, she understood as he was stationed overseas in England. However, waiting to tap out at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas was bittersweet without her husband there, until she got the best surprise of her life.
