Author: Braxton Taylor
An architecture, a price tag, and a development leader have been set for the ambitious Golden Dome anti-missile defense system, President Trump said Tuesday.“We have officially selected an architecture for this state-of-the-art system that will deploy next-generation technologies across the land, sea, and space, including space-based sensors and interceptors,” Trump said from the White House. “This design for the Golden Dome will integrate with our existing defense capabilities and should be fully operational before the end of my term. So we’ll have it done in about three years.”The system will cost about $175 billion over those three years, he added.In…
Another judge in a border state is dismissing charges against people accused of trespassing into the Trump administration’s newly created military zones between the U.S. and Mexico, marking the latest legal setback for the immigration crackdown strategy.U.S. Magistrate Judge Miguel Torres last week began throwing out some charges in the cases before the U.S. District Court of West Texas related to violating defense property security and unlawful entry onto a Department of Defense installation. The judge deemed there was not probable cause to continue with those charges, according to federal court dockets reviewed by Military.com.The dropping of charges in El…
The Air Force is drawing up plans to convert a Qatari luxury jet into an Air Force One at the direction of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth—despite bipartisan concern that accepting a foreign government’s plane is both dangerous and unethical.“The Secretary of Defense has directed the Air Force to basically start planning to modify the aircraft,” newly appointed Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said Tuesday during a Senate Armed Services committee hearing.Last week, President Donald Trump confirmed plans to take a $400 million jet from Qatar and use it as an interim Air Force One—calling it a “gift, free of charge”…
The Defense Department is reviewing a request from the Department of Homeland Security for 20,000 National Guardsmen to help with the Trump administration’s mass deportation efforts, the chief of National Guard Bureau told lawmakers Tuesday.At a House hearing Tuesday, Gen. Steven Nordhaus was asked about a report last week in The New York Times that Homeland Security officials requested the Guardsmen to help with “interior immigration enforcement” — which would mark a major change from the supporting role that the Guard has traditionally played in security at the southern border.”I do know that the Department of Defense has received a…
HONOLULU—Military casualty care in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars aimed to fly wounded troops to a hospital within “the golden hour.” But such quick medevacs are unrealistic in the vast Pacific.“You can’t fly anywhere in an hour, and you may or may not have air dominance,” in a potential war with China, Maj. Gen. Darrin Cox, commander of the U.S. Army’s 18th Medical Command, said in an interview at the Land Forces Pacific conference here.To prepare for that possibility, the Army has added a few days to the combat medic training course, is doing more realistic rehearsals with partner nations…
If you’ve been following the Army’s Robotic Combat Vehicle program, you’ve gotten to see futuristic military technology come to life in real time.In the span of a few years, the program went from a concept to testing not one, but four exciting prototypes from companies at the forefront of the defense industry.Now, according to Breaking Defense, the Army is planning to shutter its RCV program. Other vehicles are in the crosshairs, too.Read Next: Did Slate Just Drop the Hottest Technical of the Century?How We Got Here: A Look Back at the RCV Competition General Dynamics Land Systems submitted the TRX…
Streamlight Inc. recently unveiled a new variant of its best-selling Streamlight TRL-1 tactical light, new Streamlight TLR-1 HP, a model with a very high and intense candela output of 65,000 based on the Streamlight TLR-1 HL. The new model is machined from 6000-series aluminum and is fueled by a pair of industry standard CR123A batteries. The light is available in two different formats that can fit pistols or long guns using a standard Picatinny MIL-STD-1913 rail clamping surface or a Glock-style clamp. In addition to this, this new light includes Streamlight’s one-hand snap and tighten interface which helps keep hands…
The corruption trial of retired Adm. Robert Burke concluded Monday with his being found guilty of four criminal counts, including bribery charges, by a jury in Washington, D.C., his attorney and others in the courtroom confirmed to Military.com.Burke, once the second-highest ranking leader in the Navy, was charged by federal prosecutors last year on allegations that he directed a lucrative Navy contract to an executive training company, Next Jump, in 2021 while serving as a four-star admiral. The company later hired him in 2022 for a starting salary of $500,000 per year.However, Burke’s case turned out to be anything but…
Veterans struggling to pay their mortgages could get help under a plan approved by the House to replace a mortgage rescue program the Trump administration ended this month.The House approved by voice vote on Monday night a bill that would create a partial claims program for the Department of Veterans Affairs. The program would essentially allow veterans with VA home loans who need to skip mortgage payments to move those missing payments to the end of their loan term.The bill, if ultimately approved by the Senate and signed into law, could provide a lifeline to veterans who are at risk…
Who gets to hold a security clearance? And more importantly, what happens to that eligibility when someone steps out of federal service?Security clearances are the gatekeepers of the nation’s secrets – powerful tools of trust wielded exclusively by the federal government, as delegated by the Executive Branch. That authority has never been more visible than during the Trump administration, when high-profile actions were taken to revoke clearances based on perceived threats or disloyalty. It is a clear reminder: your clearance is not your own.For decades, the clearance process has been driven by agencies, for agencies. Individuals are granted eligibility, “read…