Aerospace & Defense
The latest coverage of the Defense Department, State Department and aerospace industry.
U.S. commandos retool for China war
The Army Special Operations Command at Fort Liberty, North Carolina — possibly soon to be renamed back to Fort Bragg, its previous name — is retooling its 35,000 commandos for operations against China.
Head of U.N.’s nuclear watchdog visits Iran as Mideast wars and Trump’s return raise worries
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency warned Thursday that the “space for negotiation and diplomacy … is getting smaller” over Iran’s advancing atomic program as wars in the Mideast rage on and as President Donald Trump will return to the White House.
Pentagon leaker Jack Teixeira sentenced to 15 years in prison for putting classified data online
Jack Douglas Teixeira, 23, pleaded guilty in March 2024 to six counts of “willful retention and transmission of national defense information.” His defense team asked for an 11-year prison sentence while federal prosecutors in Boston pushed for him to spend 16 years behind bars.
U.S. launches strikes against Iran-backed militant forces in Syria
U.S. forces launched strikes against nine Iran-linked targets in Syria, a response to several attacks on American troops in the region over the last 24 hours, U.S. Central Command officials said Monday.
Satellite images and documents indicate China working on nuclear propulsion for new aircraft carrier
China has built a land-based prototype nuclear reactor for a large surface warship, in the clearest sign yet Beijing is advancing toward producing its first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, according to a new analysis of satellite imagery and Chinese government documents provided to The Associated Press.
Veterans with PTSD making progress thanks to service dog program: ‘I got my life back’
After working at a crowded and dangerous internment camp in Iraq, Air Force Staff Sgt. Heather O’Brien returned to the U.S. with anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.
U.S. has spent $14 billion on Afghan evacuees
The U.S. has spent more than $14 billion to rescue and resettle Afghans in the U.S. over the last three years, according to the inspector general who oversees the work.
Money talks: Nothing like cash to recruit, retain world’s warriors
Free college tuition. New cars. Complimentary passes to government gyms. And cold, hard cash. Militaries all over the world are at war right now. And they’re getting creative with pay and benefits to lure in potential recruits and to keep battle-hardened veterans in their uniforms for another round.
NASA astronauts won’t say which one of them got sick after almost 8 months in space
Three NASA astronauts whose prolonged space station mission ended with a trip to the hospital last month declined to say Friday which one of them was sick.
Trump, Musk, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy speak on phone ahead of potential cease-fire push
President-elect Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk reportedly spoke on the phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Friday morning, signaling that Mr. Trump and his allies are quickly ramping up efforts to get cease-fire talks between Kyiv and Moscow off the ground.
Soldiers in segregated Army fought the enemy in Korea and prejudice at home
James Thompson and his fellow soldiers from the 24th Infantry Regiment fought North Korean troops from the Yalu River to the Pusan Perimeter more than 70 years ago. but also battled racism and prejudice from their own side as members of one of the Army’s segregated “Buffalo Soldiers” units.
In Europe, Trump is a godsend for some, for others a nightmare
In their first collective move since President-elect Donald Trump’s dramatic election victory, European leaders on Thursday called for a far bigger emphasis on defense spending — the first of what is sure to be many strategic maneuvers as the former president prepares to return to the White House.
Chinese President Xi Jinping congratulates Trump on election win, urges cooperation
Chinese President Xi Jinping congratulated President-elect Donald Trump on his election victory and lobbied the incoming U.S. leader to embrace “win-win cooperation,” Beijing officials said Thursday.
China to unveil J-35 jet built with stolen U.S. tech
China’s air force announced it is about to unveil its newest stealth jet fighter, the J-35, which U.S. officials say was built with the help of stolen American military technology.
Trump team to weigh national security picks
President-elect Donald Trump’s victory in Tuesday’s presidential contest sets in motion the selection of key officials for a forthcoming administration through a transition team headed by some of his family and key supporters, including selections for a number of key senior national security positions.
Winners and losers around the world brace for Trump’s return to power
The shock waves from President-elect Donald Trump’s decisive election win Tuesday reverberated worldwide, with allies offering congratulations and potential adversaries looking to smooth over relations with an incoming American president known for rewarding loyalty and holding grudges.
Philippine forces retake an island in mock combat as China’s navy watches
Philippine forces retook an island in the South China Sea Wednesday in the first such combat exercise in the disputed waters as Chinese navy ships kept watch from a distance, the Philippine military chief said.
North Korean troops in Russia are shelled by Ukrainian forces, an official says
North Korean troops recently deployed to help Russia in its war with Ukraine have come under Ukrainian fire, a Kyiv official said Tuesday.
Beleaguered Ukrainians deplore unpalatable choices as U.S. votes
Americans who are unhappy with their choices in the presidential election should spend some time in Ukraine. The anxious nation doesn’t get to choose between a continuation of the Biden-Harris administration, which has been a source of mounting frustration, and a Trump administration, which promises perhaps more ominous policy shifts.
Pentagon bolsters the U.S. presence in the Middle East with bombers, fighter aircraft and warships
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is sending bomber aircraft, fighter jets and more Navy warships to the Middle East to bolster the U.S. presence in the region, the Pentagon announced Friday, as an aircraft carrier and its ships are preparing to leave.
Troops who served at toxic K2 base in Uzbekistan after 9/11 may get expedited VA claims
It turns out the terrorists were not the only danger the troops faced at a site some U.S. personnel have described as a toxic wasteland.
Japan successfully launches a defense satellite carried by a new flagship H3 rocket
Japan launched a defense satellite aimed at speedier communication and military operations on a new flagship H3 rocket on Monday and successfully placed it into orbit, as the country seeks to build up its military capability amid growing tension in the region.
Underestimating North Korean troops is a mistake, experienced military officials warn
The quality of the thousands of North Korean troops preparing to join Russia’s war against Ukraine is coming under intense and generally unfavorable scrutiny.
Navy to keep 12 guided-missile destroyers beyond their service life
Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro wants to keep 12 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers in the fleet beyond their 35-year expected service life.
Satellite images show North Korea dug large border trenches after demolishing road, rail links
Commercial satellite images reveal that North Korea has carved at least two large trenches across roads and rail lines on its heavily armed border with South Korea since it blew up the northern sections of cross-border routes earlier this month.
Next president’s problem: ‘Forever wars’ a simmering issue with big stakes for Harris or Trump
It’s gotten little attention on the campaign trail, but the next U.S. president will face high-stakes decisions about the future of America’s open-ended military engagements around the world — engagements that risk turning into a new wave of “forever wars” that suck up American security and economic resources indefinitely.
North Korea’s top diplomat set to hold talks in Moscow amid reports of troop deployment
North Korea’s top diplomat is set to hold talks in Moscow on Wednesday following reports that Pyongyang has sent thousands of troops to Russia to support its action in Ukraine.
South Korean military says the North appears poised to conduct nuclear and ICBM tests
South Korea’s military intelligence agency told lawmakers Wednesday that North Korea has likely completed preparations for its seventh nuclear test and appears to be preparing to test a long-range missile capable of reaching the United States.
Global military threats to U.S. are increasingly linked, Adm. Sam Paparo says
China poses the major security threat to the United States and the danger is compounded by Beijing’s growing links with Russia, North Korea and Iran, according to the admiral in charge of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.
Ukrainian civilians face searing decisions as Russians advance in east
On a grey Tuesday morning in mid-October, a beaten-up Lada comes sputtering around the corner of a destroyed country house in the village of Hryshyne, in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk oblast, stopping in front of what’s left of the town’s center: A closed-down administrative building with its facade shredded by shrapnel, a few red-brick “Stalinka” housing units damaged by shelling, and a small grocery store with its windows boarded up.
