Another is this description of the parochial politics behind "Military-Industrial-*Congressional* Complex". Pretty blunt.

One day a Chinese CSG will sail around off the California coast.

Congrats we just made it impossible to come here for a PhD www.bostonglobe.com/2026/07/16/m...

Finally, a little clarity on the Navy's CUAS. USN officials have said they want a 60-70% unmanned air wing. Now if only they'd release range reqs for F/A-XX...

Plenty of water, pilot didn't have to fly so close. If you want to understand why this is a serious safety incident and not just "oh yeah awesome!!!', look up the Ramstein Air Show crash of 1988.

DARPA’s Lift Challenge is scheduled to take place Aug. 2-9 at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. defensescoop.com/2026/07/10/d...

Scoop: In an internal survey, CIA analysts report that politicization of intelligence is on the rise and affecting the objectivity of analysis. www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...

America continues to slide quickly towards personalist dictatorship...

I think this is pretty serious: for several months the UNOOSA (UN Office of Outer Space Affairs) has not been making public new sat registrations apparently because of an IT policy issue. A month or two I could accept, but at this point it's a failure of the international space governance regime

This was an easy win for Boeing's E-7 that Trump casually threw away.

It’s Official: F-35s Are Now Being Delivered Without Radars Delays in the delivery of new AN/APG-85 radars are deeply intertwined with other woes that continue to hound the F-35 program. https://www.twz.com/air/its-official-f-35s-are-now-being-delivered-without-radars

Cueing this missile accurately onto target would be very difficult, I suspect.

The first part of a four-month investigation by Breaking Defense into the T-7 Red Hawk trainer is now live. Please give it a read. breakingdefense.com/2026/06/t7-r...

The field of competitors to design and build the Navy's next jet trainer has narrowed to just two teams, and both are putting forward twin-engine designs. https://www.twz.com/air/boeing-drops-out-of-navys-t-45-jet-trainer-replacement-competition

The Trump administration is preparing to deport nearly two dozen people to the Central African Republic on Thursday, including at least two Iranian women who had sought refuge in the U.S., according to lawyers and a government official.

Of all Trump's acts, his intelligence agency appointments are among the most alarming to me. Politicized intelligence organizations are often the worst and most brutal actors in despotic regimes.

It's not the thing that's caused the most death and harm, but pointlessly and maliciously torching our deep-rooted relationship with our closest national friend and neighbor is, in terms of history and national character, one of the most depressing aspects of the broader catastrophe.

The Pentagon has appointed a former Citadel cadet and J6 convict to one of the most sensitive top-secret posts in the DoD. He has none of the relevant experience that would make him eligible for the 40-person team. wapo.st/437arYG

SPACECOM's Denhard on cislunar space: "eventually, we want to exploit that space from an offensive sort of space control perspective" - first time AFAIK that DoD has openly expressed interest in offensive capabilities there

Surprise! Almost like the killing spree at sea is not a serious counter-drug effort at all. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/29/w...

Good National Press Club statement on the notion of federal employees being required to sign NDAs. An excerpt: "Efforts to impose sweeping secrecy obligations across the civil service do not strengthen the government. Instead, they shield it from scrutiny and weaken public trust."

Canada's announced acquisition of the Saab GlobalEye AWACS aircraft means the RCF will have a modern capable platform it may or may not mean we will get Gripen but here's one thing it definitely does mean: We will not buy the American Boeing E-7 Wedgetail And that's a clear statement 🇨🇦🇪🇺

Speaks to SK's perception of eroding US deterrence/willingness to intervene in the region. VERY expensive and intensive program. I'm not very familiar with SK's naval policies - any naval experts care to weigh in on whether this will ever actually sail?

Aircraft tracking has become a powerful tool for journalism. In our Stage Talks podcast, @gillianbrockell.com demonstrates how flight data and open tools can be used to trace government flights, identify ICE aircraft, and verify aviation activity. Listen: rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/2829188

ARRW once thought dead. Its testing did not go very smoothly. Wonder if USAF is desperate for an interim hypersonic weapon?

Army requests funds to speed development, production of EW systems https://breakingdefense.com/2026/04/army-requests-funds-to-speed-development-production-of-ew-systems/

Nothing says 'playing with fire' quite like party politics in central banking.

the u.s. is shooting itself in the foot with a tactical nuke american universities are *so* good and it's a virtuous cycle: smart and ambitious people attend, elevating the whole enterprise. if we alienate the world, it becomes a vicious cycle headed in the opposite direction

Army releases commercial solutions opening for rapid EW and signals intelligence capabilities https://breakingdefense.com/2026/04/army-releases-commercial-solutions-opening-for-rapid-ew-and-signals-intelligence-capabilities/

Labor unions are lining up in favor of a bailout for Spirit Airlines. ALPA (pilots), AFA (flight attendants) and IAM (ramp) have all issued statements of support in the past 24 hours. A federal bailout of one airline, rather than industry-wide aid, is unprecedented.

Smith had been raising concerns about threats to the independence of Stars and Stripes posed by the Pentagon: “I knew it was risky to speak out, but my responsibility to Stripes and the First Amendment was paramount." www.nytimes.com/2026/04/23/b...

EXCLUSIVE: Lockheed exits Navy trainer aircraft competition https://breakingdefense.com/2026/04/exclusive-lockheed-exits-navy-trainer-aircraft-competition/

This demonstrates the breakdown of trust between NATO and the US. The US-built Boeing E-7 was practically a shoo-in for this contest before Trump's second term began.

USAF is finally displaying a bit more sense on NGAS, downplaying a bespoke, stealthy sixth-gen tanker in favor of (probably) a converted airliner.

Today in very, just incredibly stupid ways to waste money, the Navy actually seems to be moving ahead with this monstrosity. A plan is not a design is not cut steel, but if there were ever a time for military procurement to be inefficient, it's this program.

How profoundly immoral.

📣 #Vacancy: SIPRI’s Armament and Disarmament research area is hiring a Research Assistant to join its Weapons of Mass Destruction Programme, ideally with experience in: outer space security, chemical weapons or biological weapons. Apply now: bit.ly/3OOWATc #SIPRI

The United States has invested heavily in high-end capability. The war in Iran suggests the harder problem is sustaining that force when losses mount, and logistics become contested.

C'mon

Just drones all the way down these days

CNO Caudle says F/A-XX downselect expected in August.

SNC’s ATHENA-S ISR Jets Are Now Operational with the U.S. Army Sierra Nevada Corporation announced that two Contractor-Owned Contractor-Operated ATHENA-S jets finished testing and are now operational in support of the U.S. Army’s Aerial-ISR mission. Story: theaviationist.com/2026/04/18/s...

During two recent brigade rotations at the National Training Center, both the OPFOR and the Rotational Unit suffered the highest total losses in two and a half years. Here’s why mwi.westpoint.edu/the-dead-zon...

In the air domain, US wargamers found less-capable UAVs especially useful even in high-end fights. USAF's 2nd CCA tranche is likely to be less capable than the first for this reason. I'm not sure how it works undersea but interesting to see demand for increased UUV capabilities.

Marines starting early work on sixth-gen fighter jet concepts https://breakingdefense.com/2026/04/marines-starting-early-work-on-sixth-gen-fighter-jet-concepts/

Occasional reminder that the Trump administration continues to spend ~$1.6 million/day (www.hsgac.senate.gov/media/dems/p...) for National Guard members to wander aimlessly along DC’s streets, even as it defunds programs for homeless people who have no choice but to sleep along those same streets.

New article - China Is Years Ahead In Heavylift Cargo Drones -> www.hisutton.com/Chinese-Carg...

@theaircurrent.com on a roll