A senior Russian general was killed Dec. 17 by a bomb hidden in a scooter outside his apartment building in Moscow, a day after Ukraine’s security service leveled criminal charges against him. A Ukrainian official said the service carried out the attack. Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, the chief of the military’s nuclear, biological and chemical protection forces, was killed as he left for his office.
Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea, has taken his boldest diplomatic gamble by supplying an estimated 11,000 troops and stockpiles of weapons to Russia to support its war against Ukraine. ... Sending the troops brings a range of benefits for North Korea, including much-needed cash and diplomatic leverage. Mr. Kim is receiving billions of dollars’ worth of food, oil, cash and advanced weapons systems from Russia that will help his regime endure international sanctions and upgrade its conventional armed forces, analysts say.
The troops that officers command may soon get the chance to weigh in on their supervisors’ promotion board process, a chance for junior officers and even enlisted troops to weigh in on their boss’ chance to make rank.
The 18th Wing is prepared to use its incoming fleet of multirole fighters to counter China as it continues to “essentially bully the neighbors,” Brig. Gen. Nicholas Evans said in a recent interview. The wing commander sat down with Stars and Stripes at his headquarters and discussed the Air Force’s relationship with the Japanese military and civilian community, the upcoming arrival of F-15EX Eagle II aircraft at Kadena and the threat posed by China in the Indo-Pacific region.
The U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) has expanded its next-generation satellite constellation to more than 100 spacecraft, the agency said Dec. 17. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket early on Dec. 17 successfully launched the latest mission, NROL-149, from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. This marks the sixth deployment in the agency’s new proliferated architecture program and its final launch for 2024.
The buzz around the mysterious flurry of drones above New Jersey and other nearby states has prompted some officials, including President-elect Trump, to call for the U.S. military to shoot down the mystery objects. But such measures come with major risks, experts say. The objects could be legitimate aircraft, helicopters or other innocuous objects, and debris from falling drones poses a threat to people and property on the ground.
“American air bases ‘can no longer be considered a sanctuary.’ That is the sobering conclusion of the U.S. Air Force’s new Installation Infrastructure Action Plan, released last week. Unlike the last 30 years, when U.S air bases were largely safe havens from enemy attacks, the document continues, “adversaries now possess high-end capabilities” that can threaten such installations. This warning is correct, but it understates the threat,” write Kelly Grieco and Hunter Slingbaum, fellows at the Stimson Center.
The leaders of the House Armed Services Committee are hitting at Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman about whether the Space Force is adequately building its acquisition workforce, according to a new letter obtained by Breaking Defense.
An Air Force effort to get more diversity among its officer candidates over the past two years fell short in most cases and now faces an uncertain future under the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump.
The leader of the House Armed Services Committee said Dec. 17 the Space Force needs to grow in size to overcome increasing threats from China and Russia. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., was a key player in establishing the Space Force five years ago. At the time, he and others in Congress advocated for a small, agile force that could quickly establish the processes and organizations needed to get the service up and running.
“Earlier this year, the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) was forced to an unfortunate decision regarding its Glide Phase Interceptor (GPI) program, which is supposed to provide America’s first defense against hypersonic glide vehicles. The reasons for and the consequences of that decision should serve as a cautionary tale for both the next Congress and incoming administration,” writes retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Howard “Dallas” Thompson, former Chief of Staff at NORAD and NORTHCOM.
South Korean men between the age of 18 and 35 are required by law to serve in the country’s military—or civilian service equivalent—for approximately a year and a half. ... But for one man, exemption loopholes in the able-bodied requirements were taken to heart—and midsection—after he reportedly embarked on a multiyear binge-eating bonanza, gaining more than 44 pounds in an attempt to evade assignments traditionally reserved for one less corpulent.