US Department of Defense News

Payload • Tim Fernholz

Trump’s “Skinny” Space Budget: Winners and Losers

The Trump administration’s “skinny” budget proposal reshapes federal space priorities, boosting select NASA missions, Space Force programs and commercial partnerships while cutting or deferring other projects. Our guide identifies which agencies, contractors and technologies stand to gain funding—and which face the axe.

2025-05-05T06:11:16.880958-07:00

Politico

US Army Suspends Black Hawk Training Flights Near Pentagon After DCA Go-arounds

2025-05-05T11:39:35.910329-07:00

The Aviationist

F/A-18E Super Hornet Lost Overboard from USS Harry S. Truman in Incident Amid Houthi Threats

2025-04-28T11:44:43.437130-07:00

Reuters

US Lawmaker Warns Ryanair Against Chinese COMAC Jet Plans

2025-04-30T13:04:59.912583-07:00

US Department of Defense News Timeline

Breaking Defense

Pentagon Eyes Transfer of Looking Glass Nuclear C2 Mission from Navy E-6B to Air Force The Pentagon is weighing a proposal to shift the Looking Glass nuclear command-and-control mission, now flown by Navy E-6B Mercury aircraft, back to the U.S. Air Force. The Joint Requirements Oversight Council will determine which service best meets the mission’s requirements, Lt. Gen. Andrew Gebara said.

2025-05-08T08:40:33.986657-07:00

Pentagon Eyes Transfer of Looking Glass Nuclear C2 Mission from Navy E-6B to Air Force

FlightGlobal

DARPA Narrows High-Speed VTOL X-Plane Race to One Design DARPA will fund only a single design in its High Speed Vertical Take-Off and Landing X-plane competition, eliminating one of two finalists. Bell and Aurora Flight Sciences pursued divergent approaches—Bell with a tiltrotor-based concept and Aurora with a novel fixed-wing jet—to achieve VTOL and jet-like cruise speeds.

2025-05-07T12:25:20.235233-07:00

DARPA Narrows High-Speed VTOL X-Plane Race to One Design

Aviation Week

USSF, AFRL Complete Oracle-Mobility Hot Fire Test for Cislunar SSA The US Space Force’s Space Systems Command and Air Force Research Laboratory have completed the Oracle-Mobility satellite’s propulsion hot fire test at Edwards AFB, validating its maneuvering capability. The milestone advances persistent space situational awareness in the cislunar region, ensuring readiness for tracking objects between Earth and the Moon.

2025-05-07T03:17:54.139268-07:00

USSF, AFRL Complete Oracle-Mobility Hot Fire Test for Cislunar SSA

Stars and Stripes

US Stages ‘Elephant Walk’ with Jets and Patriot Batteries on Okinawa US Air Force rolled dozens of fighter jets and Patriot missile batteries down the runway at Okinawa’s Kadena Air Base in a classic “elephant walk,” a live display aimed at underscoring American deterrence and combat readiness amid rising regional tensions in the Indo-Pacific.

2025-05-07T01:39:32.359233-07:00

US Stages ‘Elephant Walk’ with Jets and Patriot Batteries on Okinawa

SpaceNews.com

Space Force Chief Saltzman Flags Funding Gaps as Missions Outpace Resources Space Force chief Gen. Chance Saltzman told a House appropriations subcommittee this week that the branch lacks personnel, infrastructure and systems needed to meet growing mission demands, warning that current budget levels risk hobbling operations from satellite defense to on-orbit domain awareness.

2025-05-06T15:00:24.007336-07:00

Space Force Chief Saltzman Flags Funding Gaps as Missions Outpace Resources

Reuters

Exclusive: Hegseth Halts 11 Cargo Flights Carrying Artillery to Ukraine, White House Caught Off Guard Roughly a week into President Trump's second term, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered three military freight carriers to cancel 11 flights loaded with artillery and other munitions bound from Dover AFB and a UAE base to Ukraine, a directive that caught White House aides off guard.

2025-05-06T03:31:41.631770-07:00

Exclusive: Hegseth Halts 11 Cargo Flights Carrying Artillery to Ukraine, White House Caught Off Guard

FlightGlobal

Washington Readies Close of Bidding on Retired KC-10 Tanker Auction Washington is set to close bids this week on a US government auction of ten retired Boeing KC-10 Extender aerial refuellers, each with a $500,000 minimum price. The tankers, withdrawn from USAF service, could be repurposed by private operators or parts suppliers once sold “as is,” without refueling booms.

2025-05-05T15:25:07.364923-07:00

Washington Readies Close of Bidding on Retired KC-10 Tanker Auction

Politico

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US Army Suspends Black Hawk Training Flights Near Pentagon After DCA Go-arounds The U.S. Army has halted Black Hawk helicopter training sorties around the Pentagon and Reagan Washington National Airport pending a safety review, following two passenger jets that aborted landings last week due to a military chopper’s proximity to their approach paths.

2025-05-05T11:39:35.910329-07:00

US Army Suspends Black Hawk Training Flights Near Pentagon After DCA Go-arounds

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Our coverage of the U.S. Department of Defense delivers critical analysis of the policies, military procurements, and defense strategies shaping national security. With a focus on informed reporting, we track the DoD's initiatives and developments as they unfold, providing a valuable resource for understanding the defense landscape in the United States and its global implications.