James Clapper, the director of national intelligence, said Monday it is unlikely ISIS was able to shoot down a Russian passenger airline on Oct. 31, but he would not rule out the possibility. Speaking at the Defense One Summit in Washington, D.C., Clapper said there is no direct evidence of terrorist involvement, but said ISIS is active in the region, reported US News & World Report. The flight, Metrojet KGL 9268—an Airbus 321—crashed after takeoff from Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh airport, killing all 217 passengers and seven crew members. ISIS affiliates issued statements saying the shoot?down was in response to Russia’s incursion into Syria. Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis said it appears the aircraft was operating outside the range of shoulder-mounted anti-aircraft missiles, but that doesn’t completely rule out terrorist activity.
The final version of the fiscal 2026 defense policy bill calls for adding $1.2 billion to the Space Force’s research and development accounts, an increase that’s mostly split between two efforts: expanding the service’s low-Earth orbit data transport network and boosting its space-based missile warning and tracking capabilities.
