Author: Braxton Taylor

A major Chinese espionage group targeted some 80 nations—and likely more than just telecommunications companies—in a sweeping hack discovered last year, U.S. investigators said Wednesday.At least 600 organizations were notified by the FBI that the group — known as Salt Typhoon — had interest in their systems, the FBI’s cybersecurity division director Brett Leatherman said in media interviews Wednesday that dovetailed with a release of a technical advisory about the hacking activity. Nextgov/FCW previously reported that hundreds of entities — telecom providers and others — were notified of potential compromise.Salt Typhoon breached major telecom carriers in a global, multi-year espionage operation that,…

The military’s reserve components now issue departing reservists a new standard service record that summarizes their periods of active and inactive service as well as their “points” earned toward retirement: Form DD214-1, the Certificate of Uniformed Service, Reserve Component Addendum.Unlike active-duty members who may receive only a single DD Form 214 to verify aspects of a single active-duty commitment, reservists may amass a multitude of DD214’s during their careers, up to one for each time they enter and then leave active service, including full-time National Guard duty or mobilization for an emergency or other contingency operation.A Defense Department memo, published…

Could a flotilla of robot boats do the same job as a U.S. Navy destroyer? A task force commander has a theory.“We have a thesis in TF66 we call the ‘deconstructed DDG,” said Rear Adm. Michael Mattis, who leads an effort to figure out how low-cost, commercially available uncrewed systems might fit into the Navy’s Sixth Fleet. “We think that with 20 USVs of different, heterogeneous types, we could deconstruct a mission that a DDG could do. And we think we could do it at a cost point of essentially 1/30 of what a DDG would cost.” Now, Mattis needs to…

President Donald Trump’s desire to have a “Department of War” could be fulfilled under an amendment filed this week by a Republican congressman.Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., has filed an amendment to the annual defense policy bill that would formally change the name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War.The amendment still faces many hurdles before it would become law, including a decision by the House Rules Committee on which amendments will even get votes on the House floor. But its filing indicates GOP support in Congress for the idea.Read Next: Air Guard Transfers to Space Force Appear…

General Atomics’ collaborative combat aircraft began flight testing with the Air Force today, the service announced. The drone, dubbed YFQ-42A, took off from Gray Butte Airport, just east of Palmdale, California. The airport is owned by General Atomics and has been used to develop and test the company’s Predator and Reaper drones. The YFQ-42A is based on the company’s XQ-67A Off-Board Sensing Station drone, which flew for the first time last year. “This milestone showcases what’s possible when innovative acquisition meets motivated industry. In record time, CCA went from concept to flight—proving we can deliver combat capability at speed when we clear…

An Air Force F-35 pilot was on the phone midair with Lockheed Martin engineers for nearly an hour attempting to resolve a landing gear issue before ultimately having to eject from the jet, according to a newly released accident investigation report.On Jan. 28, an F-35A Lightning II crashed during a scheduled training event at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska, and was captured on video bursting into a massive fireball and showering debris on the airfield. The pilot received minor injuries and was transported to Bassett Army Community Hospital in Fairbanks, Military.com previously reported.“The [F-35] debris was contained within airfield…

The head of the Defense Innovation Unit, a champion of acquisition reform who was instrumental in the Pentagon’s push to rapidly build and deploy new technology, resigned Friday due to political pressure, according to Defense Department sources. Doug Beck served as principal staff assistant to the defense secretary, reporting directly to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. But Pentagon officials had raised concerns about Beck’s political donations to Democrats, Reuters reported. And defense officials told Defense One that because Beck was appointed during the Biden administration, it was widely thought that he would eventually be asked to resign. DIU declined to comment on the…

Every year, the State Department completes a thorough, multi-layered process to determine who in the Foreign Service will get promoted. This year, news of impending promotion came as a surprise for some employees: just a month ago, State laid them off. At least 10 people have been promoted since receiving layoff notices in July, according to the American Foreign Service Association, which represents the workers. They work in areas throughout the department: one was a deputy assistant secretary in the Energy Resources Bureau; others were in European and Eurasian Affairs, Economic and Business Affairs, International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, and other areas.The laid-off employees remain on the payroll; they…

A second B-21 Raider will likely fly before the end of the year, according to an Air Force official  who gave a small update on the highly classified program.“I believe it will happen before the end of the year, but we’re not going to ever give them an artificial date that they have to make if it doesn’t bring the test program along to where they need to be. We’re going to proceed as we can, efficiently, effectively, and with a sense of urgency, but we’re also going to be event-based,” said Lt. Gen. Andrew Gebara, deputy chief of staff…

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