President Donald J. Trump on Sept. 30 issued an executive order declaring U.S. dependence on China for rare-earth elements a “national emergency,” directing a multi-agency review and action before the election to establish domestic sources of the materials, which are used in a range of ...
“Irregular warfare” isn’t just for special operations forces. A newly published summary of an annex to the 2018 National Defense Strategy argues that after decades of asymmetric conflict—wars where enemies have exploited weaknesses in U.S. technology and tactics—the Pentagon is still underprepared for that kind ...
American military forces used a large-scale training exercise in the Pacific this month to experiment with new ways of commanding troops as part of the Air Force’s Advanced Battle Management System effort. The Air Force’s third ABMS demonstration, known as an “on-ramp,” quietly unfolded Sept. ...
MQ-9 Reapers, the workhorse drone of America’s two-decade counterterrorism fight in the Middle East and Africa, want to show they’re getting a second wind. The MQ-9 schoolhouse at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., recently rewrote its syllabus to prepare Reaper pilots and sensor operators for ...
As Congress looks to delay passage of a new federal funding package until after the November elections, the Air Force is warning that even a three-month gap would harm national defense. “[Continuing resolutions] immediately disrupt major exercises and training events, affect readiness and maintenance, curtail ...
Pacific Air Forces is pushing back against a Chinese military propaganda video depicting an H-6K bomber targeting Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, calling it attempted intimidation in the region. The video, released Sept. 19, shows the bombers flying alongside fighter aircraft, and firing a missile ...
If China invaded Taiwan, how would it play out on the Internet and mobile devices? Over the course of four weeks in late August and early September, Airmen in the 16th Air Force information warfare organization explored how to mine social media and other forms ...
America’s civilian and military space agencies are walking a fine line with Russia. On one hand, NASA wants to preserve the partnership with its Russian counterpart Roscosmos that has spurred cultural and scientific exchange on the International Space Station and other joint missions since the ...
Airmen, from basic military training to graduate studies at Air University, need to increase their study and understanding of potential adversaries, such as China and Russia, to better understand the Air Force’s place in the world and the risk of potential conflicts, the service’s senior ...
The U.S. Air Force is leading the way within the military on adopting new technologies and adapting how it operates to be ready for “great power competition,” both with technological advancements such as the Advanced Battle Management System and new ways to deploy aircraft such ...
United Launch Alliance, America’s longtime space launch provider, recently cut ties with one of its suppliers amid worries that the company’s Chinese owner could steal sensitive information. ULA Chief Executive Officer Tory Bruno discussed his “wake-up call” that the Chinese could access proprietary data during ...
The Space Force is figuring out how to measure military space readiness, an analysis that will affect how the service trains its members and upgrades its technology. “A lot of times, readiness is described as preparing to deploy or preparing to accomplish your mission at ...